Page 7 of Stolen By the Mountain Man

But there’d be plenty of time to discuss that. And she could take her time finding a job. I’d started saving and investing when I was still in high school. On top of that, my cost of living was almost non-existent up here, combined with the high pay I got on the logging crew.

“So, what do you recommend?” she asked.

Her question jerked me out of my thoughts, reminding me we still hadn’t ordered. I was all too familiar with this menu, but not as someone on a date ordering from it.

Almost every order I’d ever placed here was while seated on one of those barstools. I’d usually do something like wings or a burger, but being on a date with a woman I wanted to impress had me looking at other items.

I scanned the menu, focusing on food that would be date worthy. The prime rib was the most expensive thing, but I wasn’t really a prime rib type of guy.

“Everything’s good,” I said. “They’re probably best known for their patty melt, but I hear the Chicken on the Slopes is pretty good too.”

“I guess if this is the nicest restaurant in town, they have to be pretty good with steaks,” Daphne said. “I’m more of a chicken person myself.”

She pressed her finger to an item toward the top of the menu and asked, “Is the bourbon-glazed chicken any good?”

I started to lie to her and say I’d had it, but no. This was my future wife. She’d get to know me, the goods and the bads. If I wanted a relationship built on a solid foundation, I needed to be honest from the start.

“Look.” I sat back and glanced toward the bar. “Usually, I’m ordering while seated up there with all those guys.”

She looked in that direction and saw what I was seeing. Every stool but one was occupied by a burly logger type. That one stool had a woman on it, and she appeared to be with one of the burly loggers. I only knew four of them, but so many new laborers were showing up in town every month, it was hard to keep up.

“My typical order is wings or the double deluxe burger, extra mayo,” I continued. “But I’m sitting here trying to figure out what would impress you more—if I ordered steak or chicken.”

She stared at me then, and unlike me, her expressions were very readable. She wore her heart on her sleeve, while I’d been told my heart was tucked away in a vault with the key long ago thrown away.

Finally, she spoke, and I realized I’d been holding my breath while I waited for her response. “You don’t have to try to impress me. I’m a very down-to-earth person. In fact, it would impress me more if you got the sloppiest burger they sell and made a huge mess.”

I felt my heart opening up to her in that moment. So much for the key. Apparently, she’d had it all along. I looked down at the menu, and when the server came, I ordered a double deluxe burger, extra mayonnaise.

Whatever it took to impress my fiancée.

5

HELENA

That Cape Cod was kicking my butt. I’d only been of legal drinking age for a couple of years, but all I’d had at this point were alcoholic seltzers at parties and a glass of wine at my friend’s wedding.

But the Cape Cod I’d ordered was delicious. Deceptively so. It had been the best-tasting fruity drink I’d ever had in my life. I’d only had one, but it had hard liquor in it.

And that was why, as I sat in the passenger seat of Isaac’s SUV on the way back to his cabin, I had some thoughts. They were very much the thoughts I’d been having about him all day. They’d pretty much overtaken my mind.

“Are we still waiting until our wedding night?” I asked.

He looked over at me, and the strangest thing happened. I registered an expression. It was barely noticeable. I had to have been looking pretty closely to see it in the dim lighting here.

“For what?” he asked.

He knew exactly what. He wanted to hear me say the words.

“You know, to consummate our marriage.”

He shifted his attention back to the road—a necessity since we were nearing his driveway. And then, after what seemed like an eternity, he spoke.

“We technically wouldn’t be consummating it if we do it before we’re married.”

That was a good point. Maybe I should have worded it a different way.

“I was thinking maybe we should try out the goods before we seal the deal,” I said.

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