Page 4 of Adored By the Mountain Man

“Absolutely. Besides, they’ll be in tents, not cabins,” she explains.

“And if any of them gives me grief—”

“They won’t,” she says quickly. “They’re good kids. A little rough around the edges, maybe, but good kids.”

I study her face, looking for signs that she’s overselling this whole Camp Evergreen wilderness guide thing, but all I see is genuine conviction.

“When do they arrive again?” I ask.

“In three days.”

Three days. Three days to remember how to be around people. How to be responsible for someone other than myself.

What the hell are you doing, Harlan? Just walk away! Abort this whole mission!

“I’ll need to see the camp first. Check the facilities and the equipment. Make sure everything’s up to standard,” I say instead, surprising myself.

Damn. This woman already has a hold on me, and we’ve only just met.

“Yes, of course. When works for you? I live in a cabin by the lake. That’s where our base camp will be, by the way. Been working really hard on it.”

“Tomorrow morning. Eight sharp.”

Her smile grows even brighter, and I look away before I do something stupid like smile back.

“Thank you,” she says, and her voice does something to me that makes me think I’m not completely dead inside after all.

“Don’t thank me yet,” I grunt, crossing my arms over my chest. “You might regret asking me by the time this is over.”

She’s already heading back to her car, practically bouncing with excitement. “I’m sure I won’t. See you tomorrow, Harlan.”

I watch her drive away, dust kicking up behind her tires. What the hell did I just agree to? The familiar silence settles around me again, but it feels different now. Less like peace and more like the calm before a storm.

I head inside, already making a mental list of everything I’ll need to check at the camp tomorrow. Equipment, safety protocols, emergency procedures…

It’s only three weeks,I tell myself.You can survive anything for three weeks.

But as I close the door behind me, I have the sinking feeling that surviving might be the least of my problems. I’m moreworried about what spending three weeks with Callie might do to me.

Chapter Three

Callie

“I swear, he looks like he was born out of a mountain,” I tell Fern over the phone while pacing the kitchen.

I need to do something to shake off this crackling energy that’s been racing through my veins since driving away from Harlan’s place.

My best friend laughs. “I’m sure he has a mother, Callie.”

“Then she must’ve been made out of granite and pine needles. The man is massive, with a beard straight out of my fantasies and a voice so low and deep that it vibrated all the way to my bones.”

Fern makes a swooning noise. “Oh, you’ve got it baaaad.”

“No, I just wasn’t prepared. I imagined some… I don’t know what exactly, but not a mountain man snack, okay? Besides, you’re one to talk about having it bad. How’s living with my brother going?”

“It’s going great. I’m living the dream,” she says with a sigh. “Your brother is kind of perfect, you know.”

I pull a face, thinking about how he used to be when we were teens and living at home. His wet towels on the bathroom floor, empty snack bags scattered around the living room. I guess he’s grown up for real if Fern thinks he’s the perfect roommate.

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