Page 42 of Mountain Refuge

Before they reached the stairs, I turned my back and walked into the cabin.

Chapter Seventeen

Brooke

All evening Adam had been glaring at me and I didn’t know why. Shit, I meanElijah. That was going to take some getting used to. Belle and Lucas were easy enough to remember and their names flowed naturally when I needed to use them. Elijah’s, though… I cringed. He was stillAdamto me. I’d spent months dreaming ofAdam, not Elijah. ‘Elijah’ felt like a stranger while Adam felt familiar.

I needed to break that train of thought, though. I knew better than most how important it was that there wasn’t even a suspicion that someone named ‘Adam’ lived up on this mountain.

Elijahcontinued to glare. He was all smiles around the kids and sang ‘Happy Birthday’ just as loudly as the rest of us but would turn cold when I approached.

I don’t know what sort of reception I was expecting. When Corbin had showed up at my cabin this morning to ask if I wanted to come to Belle’s birthday party, Dalton had already been there. He was helping me fix a leak in one of my sheds. The heavy snow had caused the roof to crack. As usual, Dalton was the first to volunteer his services. I could havedone it on my own, but four hands were easier than two to get the job accomplished.

So Dalton had come to the party too. Since the little girl didn’t have anyone her own age to invite, Corbin wanted to make sure there were enough people there to still make her feel special. Apparently, Dalton also had not known that Corbin’s mother, Gertie, was also living on the mountain.

Dalton offered to drive me on his four-wheeler and to take me home at the end of the evening. He truly was a sweetheart. I understood that he needed space from society due to his PTSD, but it was a shame he was all alone. Years ago, he’d described himself to me as a perpetual bachelor.

Then again, who on this mountain wasn’t?

I’d been dreaming and fantasizing about Adam since the moment he’d left, so I had been nervous about seeing him again. Best case, Adam—damn it,Elijah—would run to greet me, kiss me, and declare his love for me. Worst case, he’d offer me his hand and tell me it was nice to see me.

I never expected to be ignored and glared at throughout the entire party.

In fact, I was angry about it. I wanted to shout at him and demand to know what his problem was. If I was here for any other reason except it being Belle’s birthday party, I would have, but I was not going to ruin the girl’s birthday with my petty love issues.

And here I thought I’d left all this drama behind me when I’d moved to Montana. I really did not need this sort of anxiety and stress in my life. That was the whole point of me living outside of society. I wanted a drama-free life. I deserved that after everything I’d been through.

I saw my opportunity to corner Elijah when he went into the kitchen to refill his coffee cup while Belle was opening her gifts. I hadn’t gone shopping for her and didn’t have much in mysupply shed that was appropriate for an eight-year-old. However, I’d recently finished crocheting a blanket and decided that was a good gift. And then I realized I didn’t have wrapping paper or a gift bag. Corbin gave me one to use, clearly having come from town.

It surprised me, since Corbin usually wasn’t the first to come down off the mountain after winter. Generally, it was Dalton or me. I guess he made a modification to his schedule this year for his new niece.

Since Belle had already opened my gift, I followed her father into the kitchen. In a hurried whisper, I demanded, “What the hell is your problem?”

He turned around, having not heard me enter. “I don’t know what you mean.”

I snorted. “So, we’re going to be childish about this. Fine. You’ve been glaring at me all day and you haven’t even acknowledged me. A ‘hello’ would have been nice, maybe even a hug.”

“Really?” He turned to the counter to put his mug down and then faced me again. “And how would your boyfriend out there feel about me hugging you?”

My jaw about fell to the floor. “Dalton? He’s not my boyfriend. He offered me a ride.”

Elijah’s eyes narrowed. “You two looked pretty cozy together.”

“He’s a friend! I’ve known him since I moved up here. There’s nothing between us and there never will—oh!” Before I had finished my sentence, Elijah had moved. He rushed forward, took my face between his hands, and kissed me. I was so shocked by the action that it took me a moment before I gripped his sweater, pulled him closer to me, and kissed him back.

And, damn, the man could kiss.

It had been nearly a decade since a man had kissed me, but Istill remembered the mechanics. Yet, I didn’t remember it being like this. The rush, the elation… The way his beard tickled my jaw or the way his hands tangled themselves in my hair. I don’t recall any kiss being so fulfilling before.

“Daddy! Come look what Uncle Corbin got me!”

We broke apart at Belle’s summons. Both of us were breathing heavy, and neither relinquished their hold on the other. Without looking away from me, Elijah called back to his daughter, “Be right there, Angel.” Gently, he lowered his lips to mine again. It was just a simple peck on my lips, but it still sent a shudder all the way through my body. Then, without a word to me, he left me in the kitchen to rejoin his family.

When I finally got myself together, I turned to reenter the living room. Corbin stood in my way. From the look he gave me, it was obvious he either knew about or had seen the kiss. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting him to say or do. Elijah was his best friend after all. But he let me pass by without saying a word.

I wasn’t sure how to process any of it. Elijah’s now obvious jealousy, the kiss, Corbin’s reaction… Was there even an appropriate response to any of it? If there was, I certainly had no idea what it was.

I’d told Elijah once that I didn’t do casual hookups and I didn’t do relationships. He’d said that there wasn’t much in between those two. And he was right. But what if I made an exception to my rules? Clearly, Elijah hadn’t gotten over me any more than I had him. Where did that leave us?

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