Page 2 of The Mountain Man's Mail Order Temptation
She growls at me like an angry kitten. It might be cute if I wasn’t so tired from rebuilding this place and now this damn conversation.
She married her boss after she tried to quit, and he refused to let her go. She seems happier now. That doesn’t mean everyone needs wedded bliss.
I need my solitude. There’s a reason I shouldn’t be around people.
Avery and Grandma don’t understand that. It’s something only my military brothers here on the mountain get, and even they don’t know the true darkness within me.
“I’m happy for you, Ava. But that life isn’t for me.” Usually, using the nickname I gave her as a kid softens her a little. I’m not that lucky today.
“Tell me why. Explain it to me because I don’t understand.”
“I can’t.” If she knew the things I’ve done, she’d never look at me the same. No one would. They’d run in fear, as they should.
I realized years ago that monsters don’t hide in the darkness. They create it. It’s part of them. Only a fool willingly steps into the shadows to find them.
She huffs and mumbles something about pig-headed brothers. “Fine. Be stubborn. But don’t say we didn’t try.”
She hangs up.
Jesus Christ, I’m being double-teamed by a septuagenarian Cupid and the Goddess of Love.I squeeze my eyes closed, feeling a headache forming. Thank God this scheme will pass.
Dottie wouldn’t really sign me up for a mail-order bride against my wishes.
Would she?
CHAPTER TWO
ELLIE
One month later
This might bethe worst idea I’ve ever had. That honor previously went to the time I dyed my hair pink right before I got my senior pictures. But this? This is worse. And I’m going to do it anyway.
“It’s fine. Everything is fine.” People marry perfect strangers every day. Men they’ve only messaged with a few times. I shake my hands out and rub my damp palms on my dress. Becoming a mail-order bride is insane, but I didn’t have much choice.
“What’s that, miss?” Amir, the Uber driver, asks as we chug our way up the mountain road in his older model SUV. His tanned hands are white where he grips the wheel, and he keeps glancing out the side window where the sun is sinking beneath the tree line.
It’s beautiful here. I love how tall the trees are, and the feeling of being surrounded by nature. Pink and orange tint the sky, and I bet if we were in just the right spot, we could see the sun setting over the mountains. I don’t think we’ve passed another car for miles.
“Talking to myself. Are we almost there?” From the backseat, I squint at the little red location dot on the dash’s GPS map, trying to make out where we are.
“Allah, I hope so.”He grips the wheel harder and glares at the sun like it’s offending him.
“What?”
“Soon, Miss.”
Soon? I haven’t figured out what to say! I can’t just knock on his door and say, “Hi! I’m your wife” and wheel my suitcase in for forever. It’s the first time I’m meeting him. That impression matters. I have to start with something good.
Is Anson here?No, I’m not in ninth grade.
Special delivery! One mail-order bride.He’d deny receipt and close the door in my face. It has to be sophisticated. Adult. More like “Hi, I’m Ellie. We’re going to be great together.” Warm and friendly. I was known for that at the flower shop where I worked.
It’s what got me into this mess. Maybe if I hadn’t been so nice, Grant wouldn’t have taken an interest in me and turned my life upside down.
I had planned to open a floral shop with my best friend, Melanie, in the next year or two. We’ve been saving for over a year. She wants to order the plants and flowers, even grow some of her own varieties, while I love designing the arrangements and seeing people light up when they get them. All that’s on hold now, thanks to me. Tothis.
I pull my phone from my pocket, planning to text her, when I find a text from my mother instead.
