Page 11 of Her Mountain Man Veteran

Celeste,

Meet me tomorrow at the fallen tree by the creek. Come when you can. I’ll wait.

Dane

P.S. Been thinking about you.

Heat floods my cheeks, and I smile ear to ear as I read the note again and again before clutching it to my chest. The last line sends a shudder of delight through me, and I instinctively bend down to kiss the note.

He’s been thinking about me.

This connection between us…he feels it, too.

Part of me wants to race out of here right now, straight to his cabin. I want to see him again so badly it hurts. Tomorrow suddenly feels like a lifetime away, and I’m already racking my brain for ways to avoid making Brody suspicious. I could tell him I’m going for a walk, but he might come with me. I could snatch an hour of time if he heads into Cherry Hollow again, but there’s no guarantee.

Crap.

I could just be honest and tell Brody I’m going to spend time with Dane, but I don’t want another argument with my brother hanging over me. It would be better to keep it a secret, and I bite my lip, thinking hard, when a crazy thought hits me.

I’ll go tonight instead.

My brother sleeps early and wakes up early, so he’ll be out like a light by ten-thirty. Then I can sneak to Dane’s cabin. It’s risky, especially since he’s not expecting me to show up tonight, but it’s the only way I can think of to spend some real time together without my brother knowing.

I take the note and hide it at the bottom of my suitcase, tucking it carefully inside a different book. Then I sit down for dinner with Brody, trying to act normal as we chat over our spaghetti.

“You okay?” he asks after I trail off in the middle of a thought for the third time. “Something bothering you?”

“Nope.” I smile. “Just a little tired. I think I’ll go to bed early tonight.”

Brody nods. “Me too.”

I don’t like lying to my brother, but my excitement drowns out the guilt. In a few hours, I can see Dane again with no distractions. Just him and me, in his cozy cabin full of books. I think back to this afternoon, when his intense eyes dropped to my lips and he leaned in…maybe this time, he’ll kiss me for real.

“What are you smiling at?” Brody asks with a chuckle.

“Uh…the meatballs.” I can’t help it. I grin at him. “They’re really good.”

We talk for the rest of the meal, chatting and laughing, but my mind is preoccupied by four little words that I can’t stop obsessing over.

Been thinking about you.

* * *

Okay,this is officially a crazy idea.

It seemed more rational a few hours ago, but now darkness has fallen and the forest is pitch-black outside the window. Brody went to bed at ten, but I waited until eleven to be extra safe, and now I’m standing in front of the open door, a flashlight in my hands as I stare out into the cold night.

I’m not scared of being out in the forest this late. It’s an environment that feels natural to me—comforting—even in the dark. Besides, Dane’s cabin isn’t far. No…what scares me is that he’ll think I’m nuts for showing up at his cabin uninvited at this hour.

Just think of it like a book,I tell myself.

I try to imagine myself as the heroine of a romance novel, sneaking out to meet a handsome older man after dark. I’ve never done anything like this before, and nerves flutter in my gut as I take a step outside, quietly closing the door behind me.

There’s still time to turn back.

That’s what I tell myself with every step as I follow my flashlight along the familiar path to Dane’s home. But I know I won’t turn back. This man is already under my skin, and the closer I get to him, the harder my heart thumps. When I finally reach the cabin, I’m relieved to see the orange glow of a fire flickering through the windows. The warmth of today has seeped away, and the night is as bitter as midwinter as I walk tentatively to his front door. It takes a full minute before I gather the courage to knock.

My pulse jumps as I hear a sound from inside, then the door creaks open. Dane towers over me, filling the doorway. The roar of the fireplace bathes him in shadow, and it’s hard for me to make out his expression. My throat tightens, and I suddenly feel too shy to speak. It reminds me of the first time we met, when I was totally tongue-tied.

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