Page 7 of A Very Grumpy Mountain Man

“You like the view?” I ask, my voice a little gruff. I’ve been told I sound intense when I’m nervous, and I realize I’ve been nervous around Sienna since I met her.

Her smile hits me like it always does—warm and devastating. “I love it. This whole place is incredible. You’re lucky, you know.”

“Yeah, I am,” I say softly, and I’m not talking about the mountains.

The doorbell chimes before she can respond, and I’m thankful for the interruption.

I grab the pizza from the delivery kid, toss him a tip, and bring the box to the table, setting it down with two cold sodas I pulled from the fridge.

We sit across from each other, and I try not to react when Sienna moans softly around her first bite of pizza. It’s not easy. Everything she does captivates me. It’s ridiculous how far gone I already am.

“This is so good,” she says between bites. “I swear, food tastes better in Wolf Valley.”

“Maybe you’re just in a better mood,” I offer.

Her lips curve up. “That’s probably true. I do feel... lighter here. Like I can breathe again.”

I frown. “You couldn’t breathe before?”

She shrugs. “It was more like I couldn’t take a deep breath. I was… stifled. Or… I don’t know.” She pauses to organize her thoughts. “I was overlooked. I was the funny fat friend. The sidekick. I was stuck in a rut. I needed a change, you know?”

“Yeah, I know what you mean.”

“You’ve been stuck before?”

I nod. “Yeah, it was… boring.”

“It is boring!” she agrees with a wide smile.

I can’t help but smile back at her. “Well, I, for one, am glad you broke out of that old bubble and moved to Wolf Valley.”

“Me too.”

I bite into my slice of pizza as I try to work up the nerve to say what I’ve been thinking about since she got here. I should just ask her. Ask her out. But every time I try, my throat closes up, and I overthink everything.

“What brought you here? What made you choose Wolf Valley?” I ask instead.

Sienna tilts her head, chewing thoughtfully before answering. “I guess I needed a change. A fresh start. Orlando was fine, but it never felt like home. It was loud, crowded, and I always felt like I was waiting for something. I didn’t know what exactly, just that I wouldn’t find it there. I picked a place as far away and as different from Florida as possible.”

I want to tell her that maybe she was waiting for me because I’ve sure as hell been waiting for her.

“I think you made the right choice,” I murmur.

She looks up, eyes meeting mine across the table. For a moment, I swear the air charges between us. I can’t tell if she also feels it or if I’m hoping too hard.

We keep talking, sharing little pieces of ourselves between bites. I tell her about Camden and about growing up here in Wolf Valley. How I’ve never quite fit in, but I love the quiet. The stillness. How I spent hours hiking the trails behind my house, trying to find something that would make me feel like I belonged.

“You’re a mystery, Kye Lightfield,” Sienna mumbles over her third slice.

“I’m not that complicated,” I say with a shrug. “I like quiet. I like fixing things with my hands. I don’t like crowds. And I don’t talk to people unless I absolutely have to.”

“And yet here you are, talking to me,” she says, her voice light, teasing.

I look at her, let her see the truth in my eyes. “You’re not just anyone.”

She stops, her smile faltering a little before she looks down at her plate, cheeks turning pink. My heart hammers in my chest. I’ve said too much, too soon. Maybe she’s not ready. Maybe I’ve made things weird?—

But then she looks up and smiles softly, and I know I didn’t mess up. Not yet.

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