Page 14 of Single-Dad: The Mountain Man

She’s a woman now.Mywoman.

I shake the thought and fight the urge to rake my gaze over her gorgeous body as she talks to Mr. Wall at his vegetable stall.

My chest balloons with pride. I was worried that her self-confidence was ruined after the scare that Dixie gave her, but seeing her like this makes me smile. Willow’s smart, tenacious and buoyant.

People seem to gravitate to her, some ask about her yoga classes, others compliment her looks and mention how much she looks like her mother, but everyone has nice things to say about her.

I need her, she’s my lifeblood. There have been too many days where I’ve wondered—if it weren’t for my kids, would I even bother coming to town and being around other people? Or would I just live out my time in the mountains, hunting, building, and living peacefully in nature?

I’m having these thoughts when I run into my kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Brown, who wants to join my senior citizens’ kickboxing class, which I coach for free.

After speaking with her, I turn back to Willow and my smile morphs into a growl. There’s a guy speaking with her who stands too close for my liking.

He’s my height, lean and muscular with thick hair and a beard and I instantly want to punch him.

I step up, feeling every muscle in my body tense.

“Shane,” Willow says, turning to me. “This is Mike. He’s my…friend.”

I stare at him in silence long enough for it to be awkward before he extends a tattooed arm. “Nice to meet you.”

I take it and his gaze drops to the tattoo sleeve on my right arm then springs up to meet my eyes.

“Shit, Shane Faulkner? Bone?”

I peer down at the tattoo on his arm again and see that it resembles mine.

I nod. “That’s me.”

“I’m your biggest fan. I don’t know how I never recognized you. Your fights have been an inspiration to me, sir. I moved here to join your gym because I want to become a fighter.”

I want to tell him not to bother. The life of a fighter is far from glamorous. Still, I can’t ruin the kid’s dream.

“Meet me at the gym later, you can show me what you got,” I say.

“Sure, no problem.”

He leaves us and I feel like I can breathe. I don’t mention, I don’t even want to know, if he was the guy Willow was talking to earlier. Well, I do want to know, in fact I want to know more than anything, but I clench my jaw. It’s best if I don’t.

“You ready to go back home?” I ask, feeling done with town. I want to take her up to my mountain and treat her like the queen she is so that she’ll never ever feel the urge to look at any other man.

“Are you okay?” she asks when we’re back in my truck.

“Earlier I saw a message on your phone. I shouldn’t have looked, I’m sorry.” I blurt out before stopping myself. I white knuckle the steering wheel. “You going on a date with Mike?”

“Yes,” she says quietly.

I turn to her. “Seems like a nice guy, I’m happy for you.”

I deserve an Oscar for the smile I put on because I’m dying inside. I want to take her up to my cabin and chain her to my bed then fuck her the way I know she wants, she’ll know that she’s my woman, then I’ll find Mike and tear him to shreds for messing with my angel. I’ll pound my chest so every guy in town, no, in the country, knows that Willow is mine.

Instead, I start the engine and take us home.

5

WILLOW

Mike: Sorry, I’m going to have to cancel our date. Something’s come up.

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