Page 3 of The Mountain Man's Muffin

From the kitchen doorway, I watched Ruby gather a few towels from a cabinet. She laid one on the floor in front of the sink. She used another to wrap up her dripping wet hair. I stared like my life depended on it. I couldn’t get over how gorgeous she was.

“Want a towel?” she asked me with a big smile on her face. How she was still in a good mood after getting wet and covered in mud is beyond me.

I nodded, and she tossed me one. I wiped myself off but kept my eyes on her.

Ruby stripped off her jacket and placed it on top of the towel on the floor. She then wet one of the towels and washed Kane’s paws. He sat like a good boy and let her work. I would’ve too.

Once his paws were clean, she dried him off.

“What a good boy! Can he have a little treat?”

“Sure. How about me? Did I do a good job?” I teased her. She laughed and grabbed a few cookies from a container on the counter. She tossed a couple to Kane, popped one in her mouth, and handed me the last one. It was peanut butter oatmeal and soft and chewy. Amazing.

“Of course you did.” Ruby smiled again as she patted herself dry and looked out the window. “Doesn’t seem like this storm is letting up any. Gran didn’t mention a storm before I left this morning.”

“It wasn’t predicted to be this bad. But now, there’s a flood and mudslide warning. It’s best to stay off the roads.” I crossed my arms over my chest and stood tall, hoping it made me sound more believable.

She turned and faced me. “And what were you doing out? The bakery was already closed.”

“I was on my way home from work and saw your car. Thought you might need some help.” The fib dropped from my mouth. She didn’t need to know that her gran sent me here. What did it matter?

I winked and swallowed the last bite of my cookie. Kane stared up at me and watched for any stray crumbs.

“You have a tow truck, yes?”

I nodded.

“Then how are you not able to pull my car out?”

“I’d run the risk of getting my truck stuck. It might drive through mud on its own easily enough, but not when it’s hauling something.”

I could take her home in my truck and worry about her car tomorrow, but did I really feel like driving through torrential downpours and mudslides?

Not particularly.

Especially not now, knowing she’d be my company for the night.

A hushed moment stretched between us. I kept looking at her lips, plump and full, and how they begged to be kissed.

This was stupid. She didn’t want me. An older, secluded mountain man who planned to never leave this town. She was young, wild, and free. She could find someone to run this place and take off. Who was I to stand in her way?

But then she took a step closer.

And another.

My heart thumped. My palms sweated. I swallowed hard and prayed my dick would behave.

Ruby unraveled the towel from her head and dropped it on the floor as her wet curls spilled down around her face and her back.

Fuck, she was killing me.

I dug my fingernails into my palms to avoid reaching for her.

Kane lay down on the floor at our feet and sighed.

Ruby took another step.

I leaned forward. I wanted to kiss her. So badly.

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