Page 5 of My Mountain Man Valentine

Tessa’s brows inched up with concern, but she nodded. “Sure. Let me just finish up here, and we can go to the reading nook.” She turned her head. “Or, if you’re freezing, I can make coffee. You look like you’ve been out in the snow all day.”

I was freezing, but I suspected the jolt of caffeine wouldn’t calm my nerves. “Coffee sounds good,” I lied, offering what I hoped was a reassuring smile.

She beckoned me around the counter, toward a small area where a modest coffee station sat next to a table covered in heart-shaped bookmarks and Valentine’s-themed décor. The pink confetti and stack of romance novels reminded me how close the holiday was. My gut clenched again, reminding me that I needed to deal with my ex before the upcoming holiday afforded her another chance to create an uncomfortable scene.

Tessa poured steaming coffee into a paper cup and handed it to me. “Is something wrong?” she asked softly, her eyes brimming with quiet concern.

I swallowed. Time to do this. “I…well, there’s something I want to ask you. It’s…a favor, actually.”

Her expression tightened with caution. “A favor?”

I nodded, my throat suddenly dry. “Yeah. You see, Angelique’s back, and she’s already approached me about filming some extreme sports stuff. I shut her down, but that doesn’t mean she’ll stop.” I paused, letting out a shaky breath. “I thought…maybe if we pretended to be together, she’d leave me alone.”

Tessa’s soft cupid’s bow lips parted slightly, and she stared at me for a long moment. The hum of the bookstore’s heater and the soft rustling of customers flipping through pages provided the only background noise. Finally, she managed a careful whisper. “Together? You mean, you want me to be your pretend girlfriend?”

“Yes.” My voice came out more desperate than I intended. “Just for a little while. Until she’s gone.”

She blinked, setting her coffee down on the table with trembling fingers. “Ryder, that’s…that’s a big ask.”

I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling the weight of her hesitation. “I know. But you’re the only person I trust to help me shut her down. If you say no, I’ll understand. I just…” My gaze flicked to the Valentine’s decorations, and I laughed ruefully. “I guess it’s weird timing.”

An awkward silence stretched between us. Outside, the wind rattled the windows, and inside, the overhead lights gleamed on the spines of hundreds of books. Tessa studied me, as if searching for some deeper motive behind my request. Maybe she suspected there was more to it than Angelique and my need for a quick fix.And she’d be right, I thought, my heart pounding.

Finally, she let out a slow exhale. “I…need a little time to think about it,” she said. “This kind of thing could blow up in our faces if we’re not careful.”

Relief and apprehension collided in my chest. “Of course,” I said, nodding.

She gave me a quick, tentative smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. In that moment, I realized how deeply I hoped she’d agree, not only to sidestep Angelique’s schemes but also for the chance—selfishly—for me to spend time with her in a new way. And that realization both excited and terrified me.

“Thanks for hearing me out,” I said softly, lifting my cup of coffee in a small salute before taking a sip. The bold flavor warmed my insides, though my mind was still in tumult.

She nodded, busying herself with tidying the coffee station. “I’ll let you know soon,” she promised, “once I wrap my head around it.”

I offered one more smile, then turned to go, weaving my way between shelves stuffed with books. At the door, I paused. Over my shoulder, I saw Tessa watching me, her expression caught between curiosity and worry. Swallowing hard, I pushed open the door, letting the cold rush in, and stepped out onto the snowy sidewalk.

The winter air cut across my face, but I barely felt it. My heart pounded with uncertainty, waiting for Tessa’s decision. In the meantime, I could only hope my attention-hungry ex-girlfriend wouldn’t stir up too much chaos. Because if Tessa said yes to my crazy plan, we’d be in this together—and if she said no, I’d be left wrestling with the fallout alone.

Chapter Three

TESSA

By the time Ryder closed the door behind him, I was half convinced I’d dreamt the entire conversation. I stood in the bookstore’s cozy back corner, the steam from our half-finished coffees still drifting softly into the air. It felt surreal to picture myself pretending to be Ryder Hawke’s girlfriend, especially when I’d spent so long mentally compartmentalizing him as my brother’s old friend—the untamed daredevil with a thousand breathtaking adventures under his belt.

The weight of his request pressed on me in the quiet that followed. Customers were still

browsing in the front of the shop, flipping pages and murmuring over romance novel blurbs. I smoothed down my sweater and inhaled deeply, trying to banish the warmth that lingered in my cheeks. When I finally mustered the composure to head back to the main counter, I discovered a small handful of locals waiting patiently. I forced a welcoming smile and slipped into “bookstore owner” mode, helping one customer find a classic mystery and ringing up another’s purchase of a historical romance.

Yet even as I chatted about authors and genres, my mind buzzed with questions. Why me? I knew Ryder had trust issues with Angelique—rightfully so, given their dramatic past—but it still startled me that I was the only one he believed could help. A strange, fluttery sensation took hold in my stomach every time I remembered his earnest gaze, his low, urgent tone, and the subtle shadow in his eyes that signaled how serious he was. I tried not to overthink it—maybe he simply couldn’t imagine involving anyone else in this ruse, given how small Hope Peak was.

As soon as my last customer left, I locked the front door so I was able to take a short break. The soft click of the lock felt oddly reassuring, as it would give me a brief respite to gather my thoughts since I was definitely flustered. The early afternoon sun filtered through the large front windows, illuminating dust motes dancing in the air. Normally, I found this time of day soothing—right after the lunch rush, before the after-school crowd trickled in—but my nerves were still zinging with electricity.

I had just begun rearranging a stack of mystery novels when my phone buzzed. Fishing it out of my pocket, I saw Caroline’s name flashing on the screen. A wry smile tugged at my lips; she was the perfect friend to talk to about something thisbizarre, even though I wouldn’t give away every detail without Ryder’s permission.

“Hey,” I greeted, tucking the phone between my shoulder and ear as I moved toward the back office. “Everything okay at the middle school?”

“Surprisingly, yes. No spitball incidents today,” she joked, her voice bright but slightly breathless. “I’m on a quick break before the kids come back from lunch, and I wanted to see if you were free later to watch a Hallmark movie on my couch and work our way through a tub of popcorn? I think Valentine’s Day is getting to me.”

I understood the feeling. “Actually, I might have something to tell you about…a new development,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck. My gaze drifted toward the bookstore’s front windows, where sunlight glowed on the rising snowbanks. “But yeah, count me in. I could use the distraction.”

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