Page 16 of Rough Mountain Man

She laughed. “How could I not? Besides, I’d live anywhere if it meant I was with you.”

The same went for me. But I loved this town. The people in it. The fresh air. The beautiful views. I couldn’t imagine making a life with Gennie anywhere else.

Soon enough, I’d ask her to marry me. And after that, we’d start planning a family. I knew it as sure as I knew the sun would rise in the morning. But for now, we’d just enjoy hanging out with our friends, eating chocolate cake, and drinking beer.

I couldn’t believe it, but this was absolutely the best day of my life. And the days would only keep getting better from here.

EPILOGUE

GENNIE

It was getting tougher to surprise my husband. I’d done just about everything imaginable—from dressing as a nurse to buying a fun game to initiating sex in public places. But it was tougher these days. It was rare that we got a night away from the kids, but now that our daughters were both in elementary school, the sleepover era had begun.

And that was where they both were tonight. We had until around lunchtime tomorrow to do whatever we wanted.

The sound of a truck door shutting outside brought me to attention. I straightened my shirt, which was tucked into a pair of khaki pants—both borrowed from the uniform stash at Ryan’s shop, which was thriving. It pretty much ran itself these days, which gave Ryan the chance to spend more time with me and the kids.

But the whole thing had made him restless for something to do besides balancing the books and ordering inventory. And that was where he’d been tonight—dinner with the head of Stone Peak Logging to discuss working with them on a big project they were undertaking.

A few minutes ago, he’d texted that he was on his way home, and he’d gotten the gig. I had my own way of celebrating, but it would be a total surprise.

The second he walked through the door, my heart warmed at the sight of him. This was my husband—the man I was building a life with. We’d been married a full decade. We’d had this house built on Memory Lane. We’d moved into this big cabin on the strip of waterfront land they called Grizzly Pond.

It was hard to believe that even after all this time, the sight of Ryan still made my heart beat a little faster. And right now, it also turned me on, but that could be because I knew what was in store for both of us.

The sight of me didn’t wow him like the previous times I’d role-played for him. That was probably because I wasn’t exactly dressed in sexy attire. No, this was the uniform he saw every day at his shop.

“We’re doing a little tasting tonight,” I said.

He dropped his laptop bag in the chair next to the front door without taking his eyes off me. “Moonshine?” he asked.

I shook my head. “Bourbon.”

Bourbon was his favorite. He didn’t drink the moonshine he sold—he tasted it all, of course, but it wasn’t really his thing. When we went out, he ordered bourbon and soda. Sometimes just straight bourbon. So I’d bought five small bottles of different kinds and swiped five tasting glasses from his shop. I’d return them tomorrow.

With shaking hands, I lifted each shot glass onto the ledge between the kitchen and the greater living room. He stood for a long moment before finally starting toward me.

“Wait a second.” He stopped in front of the ledge. “Did you set this up for?—?”

He didn’t finish that sentence. But his gaze lifted to my face, and the heat in his eyes told me exactly what he was asking.

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about, sir,” I said. “I’m going to need to see some ID first.”

That wasn’t how they put it in the store, but it was probably best I didn’t follow their script exactly. I didn’t want my husband to feel like he was at work.

Shaking his head, he withdrew his wallet and pulled out his license, setting it on the ledge. That was what customers at his shop had to do—it wasn’t enough to flash it in a wallet. They had to pull it out. But he was smiling as he did so, and that told me he was up for this.

My fingers were no longer shaking as I picked up the license and eyed the photo. “That’s probably the best driver’s license photo I’ve ever seen.” I lifted my gaze to his face. “I guess there’s no way anyone could take a bad picture of you.”

That was my attempt at flirting. I’d never been all that good at it. Probably because I’d spent so many years trying not to focus on dating. When I finally did find a man I wanted to impress, things had happened so fast, I hadn’t really had time to refine a strategy. I’d just been myself. And that was plenty for Gennie.

“You’re good to go,” I said. “You’ll pay at the end.”

“Oh, I’ll pay, alright.”

He gave me a wink. An actual wink. In all of ten years, he’d never done that. Had a man ever winked at me? I couldn’t remember a time.

“Okay, let’s get started.” I picked up the first bottle. “This one’s soft and mellow with notes of honey, sweet corn, and a hint of orange peel.”

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