Page 2 of Destined for the Mountain Man

A smile teases my lips. One step forward. One step that I’m taking towards the future I want to create for myself, without my parents’ input. If I fail, I’ll fail on my own and if I succeed ... there’s a whole new world out there waiting for me.

I can’t wait to get a taste of it.

Chapter 2 - Grant

The snow has finally given up control – at least for the most part. I cut some new wood and haul it into my cabin. As I head out to secure my logs under a tarp to keep them from the dripping tree branches, I see one of the forest ranger trucks rumbling down the dirt road I live off.

Aspenbrook has been my favorite spot since my father used to take me up here hunting. It only makes sense that I bought a small cabin here and decided to call the small town and mountains home. It’s quiet, peaceful, I manage to get plenty of work keeping the powerlines up and I like the solitude.

Which is broken when my best friend, Mike, parks behind my truck. He smirks at me. “Winter is thawing and you need to thaw too.”

“I’m not interested in whoever just came to town. I’m not interested in whoever you think will be a good match for me, I’m happy,” I say.

He chuckles. “Oh, I know how terrible I am at setting you up with women. The second I’m involved, you turn them down out of spite.”

There’s no point in telling him that it’s not always an immediate rejection. Just like there’s no point in telling him I do just fine, when I’m interested in one-night stands. I’m just not the kind of man who needs a wife or family to feel complete. My parents wore each other down like sandpaper forced together, and I can’t see how adding a woman to my life would benefit anything.

"Whatever you’re about to say, I know it’s going to be bitter. I know that face," Mike says, his smile unwavering even when I give him nothing to work with. "So, here’s the plan: you save it, marinade on it, and we fire up your grill to cook some steaks, while I just happen to casually talk to you about something."

I sigh and shake my head, but Mike’s the kind of guy it’s hard to say no to. He uses charm backed by logic in a way I’ve never seen. It makes him incredibly friendly, and people are eager to share.

But I’ve never been interested in gossip, spending my nights in the few bars in town, or mingling with people. Not that it stops Mike from telling me everything he’s overheard, seen, and learned about over the last few weeks. I shake my head as I work on our steaks. When he launches into some love story that’s apparently been flying around town, centered on the new bookstore, I hold a hand up.

“I’d rather teach you how to grill than hear another story, Mike,” I warn.

He holds his hands up. “What I’m saying is that love is in the air. Why are you so resistant to it? It’s like youwantto be alone.”

“If I did, you wouldn’t be right here, would you?” I ask with a smirk.

We have a decent evening together—beer, steaks, and sports. Then he heads out, promising me he’ll send something life-changing when he gets home. And he follows through. I sit down at the computer in my living room and click on the email from Mike.

The second I click the link, I scoff. I’d confiscate his beer if he was right in front of me. A dating website – a remodeled mail order bride website, actually. It’s a joke. If I was going to let someone else into my life, I wouldn’t do it through a screen when they could be anyone.

“Background check and verification,” I say as I read it, immediately undermining my argument. I snort and shake my head. This still can’t actually work. Connecting men like me, who like their solitude and their home in the wilderness with women from anywhere ... the success rate has to be ...

I let out a surprised whistle. A seventy percent success rate in the last three years. That’s better than just about every other dating site I’ve heard of. I shake my head, but at the same time, I like the directness. The more I flip through the options, the more annoyed I get that Mike seems to be right. At the same time, I begin to appreciate how simple and direct everything is. All the likes and dislikes right there, clear goals for a future, fears, hopes, everything that normally takes weeks and multiple dates to figure out is laid out to save time. One picture per person and then the option to message.

I pour myself a decaf coffee as I keep reading through profiles. One woman clearly doesn’t realize she’s on a website called Mountain Mates since she’s prioritizing city living. I chuckle at more than a few women who say they’re afraid of the dark, that want a man to take care of them, that don’t have any ambitions at all…if this is the sort of women out there, this website is not right for me. But then one catches my eye.

I smooth out my well-trimmed dark beard as I look over the blonde’s profile. She’s twelve years younger than me, ten inches shorter than me, blonde and doe-eyed, but damn those blue eyes are deep and beautiful. They’re dreamy and sweet and her smile, with that one dimple is just so ....

“Fuck,” I hiss.

She wants to explore all the options for her future, has a hundred ideas and just needs to find her passion, prefers reading, hiking, and staying outdoors, wants to escape the city, and is eager to find something real based on connection, not just desire.

I glance at my own tan, thick-fingered hands. I recently trimmed my hair to keep it neat and practical and noticed some silver starting to seep into the hair at my temples. It doesn’t take away from my rugged appearance though. I’m a big, broad, bull of a man. The other line workers are shocked that I manage the delicacy needed to keep power lines up, but am I too rugged for a girl like her?

I down the rest of my coffee and quickly make a profile. I’ll test things out with this one girl. The first person to make me feel ... like there might be something better in my future than quiet, accepted loneliness. Maybe she could be good for me ... or she’ll prove that I’m right and I’m better off alone.

Mike will get off my back, if all goes well, she’ll come stay with me and we’ll see if we have anything at all, and at worse, Mike eats his words and stops pushing. There’s nothing to lose and a beautiful doe eyed girl to gain.

I look at my own green eyes in the photo I’ve chosen and send off my profile. Either Charlotte Aldridge is my next chapter, or she’ll prove me right. I’m either a man of the mountains madefor the mountains alone ... or a person who just hasn’t found the right partner. If I was a betting man, I’d choose the former.

Chapter 3 - Charlotte

I leave the office right at five and hurry up to my room when I get home. I count my frustrations today.

My boss hit on me and told me I should burn my pants and only wear skirts.

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