Page 16 of Entangled with a Mountain Man

I slump for a second, remembering how naive and desperate for connection I'd been back then. "I don't know, I guess Ian and I just... clicked, you know? We started writing letters back and forth, and before I knew it, we were talking on the phone for hours."

Unbidden, the memory of those conversations resurface, Ian's smooth voice in my ear making me feel things I didn't even know were possible. A flush creeps up my neck as I push the thought away.

"Anyway," I continue gruffly. "After a while, Ian got out, and he was the one who suggested I come out to Silver Ridge for a fresh start. He said he had a place for me here and that we could... I don't know, figure things out in person."

Mel's expression is unreadable as I trail off, suddenly unable to meet her eyes. "I know, I know. It was stupid of me to fall for some guy's line like that. But Ian, he... he made me feel special, you know? Like I mattered."

The words hang heavy between us, laid bare for Mel to judge or dismiss. I brace myself for the inevitable—the lecture about being more careful, the warning that I'm just asking for trouble.

But when Mel speaks again, her voice is soft, almost gentle. "Kenzie... did you know he was married when you came here?"

4

FRESH STARTS AND OLD WOUNDS

KENZIE

I chew my lip, mulling over Mel's question. Did I miss something? Were there signs I should've seen?

My mind races back through every conversation, every letter, every phone call with Ian. I scrutinize each memory, searching for a hint, a clue, anything that might've tipped me off.

But I come up empty.

Ian never mentioned Paige. Never hinted at a wife or a complicated past. He painted himself as a reformed man, eager to start. Just like me.

A bitter laugh escapes my lips. How could I have been so blind? So naive?

But even as I berate myself, a small voice in the back of my mind whispers: You couldn't have known. He fooled you, just like he fooled everyone else.

I squeeze my eyes shut, fighting back tears. It doesn't matter now. The damage is done. I'm the other woman, the homewrecker, in a town where I don't know a soul.

Except Miss Steph and Mel.

I open my eyes, meeting her concerned gaze. "No," I say softly. "I didn't see any signs. He played me like a fiddle, and I fell for every note. Because God knows I would have never boarded the bus if I'd known."

My voice cracks, and I have to swallow hard against the lump rising in my throat. "I may be a lot of things, but I ain't no homewrecker. You gotta believe me."

For a long moment, Mel just studies me, her expression inscrutable. Then, slowly, she nods. "I believe you."

The knot of tension in my chest loosens, and I let out a shaky breath. "You do?"

"'Course I do," she says with a reassuring smile. "Why would you lie about something like that?"

I blink, thrown by her easy acceptance. "You mean... you're not gonna lecture me about being more careful? Tell me, I'm just asking for trouble?"

Mel snorts out a laugh, shaking her head. "Nah, girl. Sounds to me like you've been through enough already without me piling it on."

Her expression is sober, and she leans forward, resting her elbows on her knees.

"Look, Kenzie, I'mma give it to you straight, okay? Paige and her little crew they're vicious. And now that you're on their radar, they're gonna come at you with everything they've got."

I swallow hard, feeling that familiar knot of dread twist in my gut. "Yeah, I kinda got that impression."

"But here's the thing," Mel continues, her voice taking on that same steely edge from earlier. "You can't let them see you sweat, you feel me? The second you back down or try to play nice, that's when they'll really sink their claws in."

She reaches out, gripping my forearm in a surprisingly strong grip.

"You gotta stand up for yourself around here, Kenz. Show 'em you ain't just some doormat they can walk all over."

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