Page 4 of The Mountain Man's Muffin

Then the bakery went dark, and Ruby yelped.

“Oh no! The power must’ve gone out!” Ruby said, and I reached for her hand in the dark.

I clasped it tight. “Lead me to the electrical panel. I’ll see what I can do.”

“It won’t help. We don’t have a backup generator,” Ruby answered but kept her hand in mine. I threaded our fingers together and squeezed. She squeezed back.

“Okay, then lead me to your flashlights and candles.”

“Now, that I can do,” Ruby said before pulling me in the opposite direction of where we came in. Kane followed like I knew he would.

He was just as smitten as I was.

He just wouldn’t admit it.

CHAPTERTHREE

Ruby

After we locatedflashlights and candles, which there were plenty of since Gran was always prepared, we set ourselves up in the spare back bedroom. It had only one twin bed, but two extra cots served for backup. A small armchair was on one side of the bed with a nightstand on the other. A small flat-screen TV sat on a tall dresser, but unless the power came back, it looked like we’d be entertaining ourselves with small talk.

Or maybe…

I shut down the thought and ignored the heat pooling between my legs. It wasn’t my fault he oozed sex appeal, and he kept looking at me like he wanted to eat me for dessert.All night long.

Another rush of heat set my skin on fire. I needed a distraction, so I went in search of supplies. I found plenty of extra blankets and pillows in the closet and began setting up the cot.

“You don’t have to do that, Ruby.” His voice was low, an almost growl.

I smiled wide in hopes I didn’t start panting. “Did you think I’d make my guest sleep on the cot? You’ve got the bed tonight, silly.”

“That’s nonsense. I couldn’t take the bed from you. My mama raised me right, manners and all.” Austin sat in the armchair next to the bed. Kane lay down at his feet.

My cheeks flushed along with the rest of my skin. “If you’re sure…” I sat on the bed and pulled out my phone. “I need to text my customer real quick. Unfortunately, they won’t be getting their muffins tonight.” I quickly typed out a text and sent it. “I’ll have to make all new batches in the morning. I can’t give day-old muffins out even though they’ll still be good. It’s just not how Gran likes things done around here.” I slammed my mouth shut when I realized I was rambling all of my thoughts out loud.

“Are you saying you now have extra muffins?”

I laughed. “Well, I could sell them for half off tomorrow. But if you’re hungry…”

He nodded and licked his lips. “Muffins are my favorite. And I haven’t eaten dinner yet.”

I stood and so did the dog. “Okay, I’ll go get them.”

Austin took my hands in his, and I pulled back in surprise, the spark when our fingers touched unmistakable. I gasped and looked away. My cheeks burned something fierce. What the hell was this man doing to me?

Austin grinned, which didn’t help one bit. I only swooned harder.

“You sit. You worked all day. I’ll get them.”

Warm fuzzies exploded inside me. “Okay, they’re in the box on the counter.”

Of course, Kane followed him and back. I laughed as he jumped on my lap and licked all over my face.

“Kane, get down! She doesn’t want your slobber all over her face,” Austin said, and Kane listened. He hopped off and laid down at my feet. Instead of the armchair, Austin took Kane’s place and sat next to me. Our elbows bumped, and my arm vibrated.

I heard him breathe. Felt him move. Smelled his after shave. Saw his strong physique next to me. Now, I just needed a taste…

“Wow, this is delicious,” Austin said around a mouthful of muffin. “Dare I say better than your gran’s?”

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