Page 14 of Rescue in Misty Mountain

Jesse chuckles and extends a hand. “People around here call me Deputy Jesse. Local law, part-time fence repairman, full-time pain in his brother’s ass.”

She laughs and takes his hand. “Tessa. Stranded traveler, part-time bartender, and mother of a very vocal cat.”

“Ah,” Jesse says, releasing her hand. “So you’re the one making our boy here act all cagey and weird.”

I shoot him a glare, but Tessa just grins wider. “I’ll try not to take all the credit.”

Jesse gives me a look that saysshe’s quick,and I can’t argue.

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I attempt to change the subject. “We heard you met Hank.”

“He offered me a summer job,” she says, surprised. “He said they could use help behind the bar.”

I let my hand fall and glance up at her. “Are you thinking about it?”

She shrugs, but there’s something thoughtful in her expression. “I told him I’m just here until my car is fixed. He said the job’s only for the summer. It’s not like I have anything lined up in Vegas. So if I needed to stay a while…”

She lets the rest hang in the air.

My chest does that thing again—that weird, coiled bracing like I’m waiting for impact. But I don’t know if it’s hope or warning.

Jesse watches me carefully, like he can read everything I’m trying not to say.

I look at Tessa instead.

“You’d be good at it,” I say.

She blinks, then smiles. “Thanks.”

There’s a pause, just long enough to feel like it could go somewhere.

Then Jesse ruins it. “I gotta go drop off some feed. Let me know when the wedding invites go out.”

I shoot him a look sharp enough to draw blood.

He just winks and walks off, whistling something that sounds suspiciously like a love song.

Tessa raises an eyebrow. “Is he always like that?”

“Worse when he’s bored.”

She laughs. “You okay if I hang around the cabin a little longer? Until the car’s ready?”

“Yeah,” I say, too fast. I clear my throat. “Yeah. Of course. And if you need to stay a little longer… I have plenty of room. For you and Whiskey.”

She nods. “Cool. I, uh… I like it there. Everyone is so welcoming. And it’s a nice change of pace after…”

I glance away, pretending to check something in the truck bed.

We head back toward the truck, our steps falling in sync again. And despite myself—despite everything—I find I don’t mind the sound of her beside me.

Not at all.

* * *

Later that night, as the sun sets, the shadows shift on my cabin’s walls.

The sky outside fades from soft gold to the inky blue of twilight. Somewhere in the distance, an owl hoots—a slow, low sound that echoes across the trees.

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