Page 13 of Relentless Mountain Man

It hit me like a punch in the gut. In fact, I’d been kicking myself nonstop for the past three days. I’d told myself getting back into my routine would make it all okay, but now, looking at him, I knew I’d been lying to myself. I would never be okay without him in my life.

“You’re here,” I said, stopping at the edge of the garage.

Was that the best I could come up with? You’re here? I owed him an explanation for rushing out of town. And it needed to be a better explanation than the one I’d given Joely the first time she called.

“You just left,” he said. “I didn’t know what to think.”

“It wasn’t you,” I said quickly. “It was me.”

Oh God, had I really used that cliché? I wasn’t breaking up with him. I was realizing what a big mistake I’d made.

“I was scared,” I said. “I didn’t want to be that girl who gave up her whole life for a man. And I saw myself doing that in the seconds after we, you know…”

I trailed off. I couldn’t say the words. Had sex? Did the deed? Fucked? A lady might say “made love.” But that implied we were in love. Maybe I was, but it was too soon to say the L word. That would only scare him off.

“You think I’m not scared?” he asked. “I’m scared shitless. Especially after getting a taste of what it feels like to have you walk out on me.”

“I didn’t mean to?—”

“I know,” he said, cutting me off. “It’s complicated. You live here. I live there. But the past three days made me realize I’d rather leave Seduction Summit and be with you than stay there without you.”

That couldn’t have been easy for him to say. He loved that town. He hadn’t said it, but I knew he was falling in love with me too.

“I don’t want you to move here,” I said.

The hurt on his face gave me another gut punch. I didn’t ever want to see that expression from him again.

I rushed to explain. “This isn’t my home. I realized that the moment I got back. Chattanooga isn’t home either.” I took a shaky breath. “My home is with you. In Seduction Summit.”

A wave of relief passed over his features. “I felt the same after I moved there, but it didn’t really feel like home until I met you.” He let out a soft laugh and glanced up at the sky, then back down at me. “This is not like me at all.”

“You’re the guy who never planned to settle down,” I said. “Joely told me. We talked on the phone last night. She tried to beat some sense into me. She didn’t need to. I already beat myself up enough.”

“I’d never ask you to give up anything,” he said. “Not your job, your friends, your life here…”

“I have friends waiting for me in Seduction Summit. And I can make a career there. The most important thing is that you’re there.”

We were being ridiculously sappy, but I didn’t care. Not if he didn’t.

“I just have to get things straightened up here—quit my job, find someone to take over my lease…”

“You could stay next door,” he said. “At least for a couple of weeks.”

“I gave up the cabin…but my friend’s boss might be able to hook me up with something.”

I could do that. We could date and figure things out while I stayed for free at various rental cabins. Maybe I’d even prove myself as the perfect person to hire.

“Do you have plans for tonight?” he asked.

I glanced at my car. “Just grabbing my stuff, relaxing, and having a salad for dinner.”

“Cancel those plans. I’m taking you out to a nice restaurant.”

I looked around the quiet street. Houses were packed together, but not a soul was in sight.

“Or we could stay in and have food delivered to us,” I said.

A smile spread across his face. “I like the way you think.”

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