Page 1 of The Mountain Man's Chance

CHAPTERONE

Camille

“Didyou hear Zach Kahan is returning home tomorrow?”

“Of course. Who hasn’t?”

“Apparently, a group of them is arriving tomorrow. Zach and all of his military buddies.” Margaret winked at her friend Barbara over the rim of her coffee cup.

“Ooh la la. Some fresh meat is coming to town!” Barbara clapped her hands, and the two older ladies laughed like teen girls in high school.

“You must be excited to see him, dear!” Margaret’s eyes twinkled as I placed her slice of pie and Barbara’s piece of cake in front of them.

I mustered a big smile from somewhere and forced it on my face. “Oh yeah.”

That definitely came out sounding the exact opposite of how I wanted it to, and the ladies laughed again.

I would’ve laughed along with them if they weren’t talking about Zach Kahan.

Zach Kahan.

Destroyer of hearts.

And souls.

And…well, shit…everything.

As I brewed another pot of coffee and wiped down the counter at my family’s diner where I worked, I checked the clock for the millionth time. It’s been a long day of listening to the townsfolk talk about tomorrow’s big arrival.

That was thelastthing I wanted to think about. Yet everywhere I turned, it was smack dab in my face.

I couldn’t care less if Zach was coming home yet I’ve dreaded this day for four years. Four long years. In fact, what I really hoped was that he’d find another town to corrupt and stay away from Appleridge.

But considering the town gossip mill has been working overtime lately, I, like the rest of the town, knew he’d be here.

I tried so hard to pretend he never existed. But everywhere I turned, there was a memory or someone asking me if I’d heard from him.

In a town full of memories, there was nowhere to hide.

These memories…the ones with him especially…they never faded as much as I pushed them away, as much as I ignored them and didn’t accept them to be true. The harder I tried, the more vivid they became.

When Zach Kahan left for the military, he shattered my heart into a million tiny pieces. Not only did he break up with me before he left with no good explanation but he also disconnected his phone. I never heard from him again.

Not one call, text, or letter.

Nothing but silence.

My parents, Zach’s parents, heck, the entire town thought we ended on a good note. A breakup, but an amicable one. No one knew the real truth about how things ended. Lying to everyone made it easier to lie to myself. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could keep up the facade, especially if, or more like when, we ran into each other. It was bound to happen in our little town. Simply only a matter of time.

“He’s so brave. I can’t imagine the things he’s seen. Our hometown hero will finally be home again!” Barbara gushed once again, and I busied myself with mindless work to keep from saying anything. Never have I wanted to leave the diner as much as I did right then.

The diner phone rang and I answered it, hoping it wasn’t a long, complicated order I wasn’t in the mood for. But as soon as I heard the voice and the order, I froze. My stomach danced and my heart galloped, nearly bursting through my chest.

It was Zach.

He was back in town early.

I needed to leave before he got here.

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