Page 23 of Mountain Man's Bride

“Okay. Drive safe. My keys to the truck are hanging by the door.”

“I will,” I promised him, jumping off the couch to go get dressed in warmer clothes. I couldn’t wait to see what the town down the mountain had to offer.

Tripp

I hummed under my breath, tapping my fingers on the steering wheel as I made my way into town to pick up a couple of new fence posts and some new fencing…and to also check in on Everlee because I was overbearing and overprotective. But at least I could admit it.

She’d checked in with me when she ate lunch, and the last text I got said she found the bookstore. I hadn’t bothered her, wanting her to enjoy herself, but I was hungry, and I was hoping she would be open to giving me her company while I ate at the local diner.

My newer truck was easy to spot, parked in front of the bookstore. I swung into the space beside it before shutting my older truck off and swinging out, quickly making my way to the door. I could see Everlee sitting in a plush chair in a corner, a cup of coffee in front of her, her nose buried in a book.

The bell above my head jingled, and Mrs. Tristan, the bookstore owner who was in her sixties, smiled warmly at me. “Hello, Tripp,” she greeted. “Here to pick up some more books?”

I shook my head. “Just here to see if I can steal away my wife for a little while.”

Her mouth dropped open in surprise. “Wife?” she asked in astonishment. Guessed the gossip hadn’t spread to her yet. It was slow moving considering I hadn’t been seen in public with Everlee yet except trips to the doctor and the hospital.

I just smiled at her before I headed toward Everlee. She still hadn’t looked up at me, engrossed in whatever romance novel she was reading. A soft smile tilted my lips. She was so beautiful like this, wrapped up in a book. In her element.

“Hey, baby,” I murmured as I approached. She jerked her head up in surprise, and then a wide, beaming smile spread across her beautiful face, momentarily knocking me breathless. She had me wrapped around her pretty little finger, and she had no clue.

“Hey,” she breathed. She grabbed a bookmark resting on her thigh and placed it in her book before closing it. “Checking on me?” she teased.

I laughed and shook my head, lying without saying a word out loud. I hadn’t come into town just to check on her, but she was part of the reason. “Had to come into town for supplies, but I’m also starving. I know you’ve already eaten, but care to join me anyway?”

I held my hand out to her, and my chest warmed when she placed her hand in mine. “I’d love to.”

I gently pulled her to her feet and grabbed her coffee for her before leading her out of the bookstore, nodding once with a smile at Mrs. Tristan. After I opened the passenger door of the truck I drove into town in, I helped her into the cab before closing the door and crossing around the hood to get in on the driver’s side.

“You enjoying yourself so far?” I asked her.

She nodded. “The bookstore is my favorite, but the town is very quaint. Personable, too.”

I reached over and grabbed her hand in mine once I backed out of the parking stall onto the street. “Everyone here knows me and my brothers. My parents were well-liked here, and in turn, we are, too.”

She looked over at me, her pretty, dark eyes latching onto mine for a brief moment before I looked back at the road. “What happened to them, if you don’t mind me asking?”

I sighed, that familiar ache blooming in my chest when I thought of my parents and the car accident that took them out. Just like Everlee’s parents.

“They died in a car accident when I turned eighteen,” I quietly told her. “I took custody of my younger brothers. Finished raising them. Of all things, it was one of our own cows that caused the accident.” I shook my head, laughing quietly at the chances. She squeezed my hand in hers. “The fence line was broken. None of us knew it. And it got out and walked right in front of them. Dad should’ve hit the damn thing, but he didn’t. He tried to swerve, and it was snowing, so he lost control, and they smashed into the tree line.”

“Oh, Tripp,” she said quietly. “I’m so sorry.”

I shrugged. “I’ve had a lot of years to come to terms with what happened to them. And I know they lived long, happy, full lives despite the accident. I had to grow up fast. Finish raising my brothers while also trying to finish college and run a multi-million dollar ranch, but I never gave up.”

She leaned over and pressed her lips to my cheek. I shivered. “Of course, you didn’t.” She cupped my cheek and turned my head to face her once I slid into a park in front of the diner. Her eyes were wet with tears as she gazed at me, making my heart ache. She always felt everything so strongly—and so beautifully. “You’re one of the strongest people I’ve ever known, Tripp. It’s one of the reasons I love you so much.”

I released her hand and clasped her face, brushing my thumbs over her cheeks. “You mean that?” I rasped.

A tear slid down her cheek, wetting my index finger. “I do, Tripp. I love you. I think, despite how much you got on my nerves at first, I’ve been falling for you since day one. I know I’ve been a lot of work, and I can be extremely stubborn at times, but you never gave up. You never walked away, and you never let me walk away either.”

I crushed my mouth to hers, unable to help myself. I couldn’t believe she was giving me this amazing gift, but I’d cherish and protect her love for as long as I lived.

“I love you,” I rasped against her sweet mouth. “I’ve loved you since the moment I laid my eyes on you,” I swore.

She sighed and pressed her lips to mine again, and just like that, we were making out in the front seat of my truck like a couple of teenagers, giving the entire town a show.

I couldn’t bring myself to care.

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