Page 23 of Charmed By the Mountain Man

She laughs at my exaggerated head to toe wiggle. "Baby, you have no idea how good that sounds to me."

"Good, because I'm going to say it a lot."

As we walk back to the house, she reaches up into the back of my t-shirt, knowing from memory where the treasure chest with her charms is tattooed next to my spine. Her fingertips trail in a few small circles, then she giggles sweetly.

"What's so funny, Angel?"

"You just keep surprising me. Keep outdoing yourself. I mean, you've already charmed me into staying here forever. What's next?"

I turn back to gaze across the lake to get one last glimpse of the fading multicolored sunset. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see, won’t we?”

EPILOGUE TWO

WILLA

* Ten Years Later *

Children are always a handful. When they were both small, there were honestly a few days when I thought I was going to lose my mind. But now that Noah is six and Riley is four, they can entertain each other a bit, and I can actually take a breath.

I sprawl on a blanket under a tree that overhangs this section of the beach, watching the little ones run around on the shore. Hux is lying beside me, skimming his email.

"Oh, sweet." He flashes me a grin. "The Johnsons liked their new bathroom so much they're going to have me do the kitchen this fall.”

"Amazing."

Many people don't like house renovations done during the dog days of summer. They would rather hang out on the back deck, not have workmen thumping around their home. So we've both taken the week off to relax in our own private paradise.

The children are playing one of their favorite games, which is finding the coolest stones and beach glass for me. And after last night’s big storm, there are lots of new treasures.

I watch as Riley picks something up, shows Noah excitedly, then they both run toward me. "Look, Mommy – this one's pink!"

She drops it into my hand so I can examine it. Sure enough, it's a large chunk of beautiful pink beach glass. “Wow,” I murmur. "I've never seen pink before." My chin jerks around to see Hux laughing. "You didn't."

His hand reaches out to play with the back of my hair. "I…mayyybe? You mentioned it the first week we were together. It took me about a month to find, but there was a candle shop getting rid of a whole bunch of pink jars. So it was also recycling. Very environmentally responsible. Plus I got to play with a rock tumbler for a weekend."

My heart has been beyond full since we met – since I first moved in with Huxley, since we planned our intimate wedding right here on this beach, since he then surprised me the next night with a festive party at Betty's Bistro.

But this is… He's been planning this forten years?

Noah comes running over to drop something in my hand. "Purple! That's way cooler than blue and green."

The kids race off to continue exploring, and I fall back, resting my head on Huxley's shoulder. "I still can't believe you did that."

“Anything for my Angel." His lips brush against my forehead. "I'm done with my email. Why don’t you nap while I watch the kids." He makes a pillow out of a balled-up towel, so I can lounge comfortably beside him.

I always wondered if I'd be able to find meaningful work or a real career. And now it's all around me. Raising two precious humans, creating whimsical jewelry that's now being sold all theway from Charlotte to Kingsville (!!!), and keeping a laughter-filled home with an incredible man.

I'm living my dream come true.

Check out the rest of the books in the

Mountain Man Summerseries.

You'll meet more hot and rugged mountain men in Rescued by the Surly Woodsman, and the rest of the Wolfe Mountain Man series.

You’ll meet Crow and Desire again in She’s Got That Spark.Keep reading for a preview…

Emma

---