Page 8 of Frigid Mountain Man
For the last spot, we parked in an open area with a great view of the night skyline.
The conversation flowed as we drank champagne and slices of chicken pot pie.
“I couldn’t stay back in Appleridge with my parents here. I need to lookout for them as they get older. So, I moved here with them. I figured I could use a fresh start. With the ranch expanding, I was what they were looking for. It all worked out perfectly.”
“Well, I’m happy you moved. We needed some fresh meat around here.”
“Fresh meat?” Miles snorted. “I see what I am to you. Loud and clear.” He teased.
“None of the guys around here ever did a thing for me. Not like you do.”
Miles’s face lit up. “Not like me? Please explain.”
“I don’t need to. You know what I meant.” I said, downing the last of my second glass of champagne. It was definitely making me bolder than I normally was.
“No. I’d rather hear it from you.”
“I look at you and something happens to my insides…it’s hard to explain.”
“The same happens to me when I look at you.”
Our eyes met across the dark cab of the truck, the only glow of light from the dashboard, our food and drinks forgotten.
The air crackled between us.
Kiss me. Kiss me, Miles.
Suddenly, a loud crack of thunder burst through the air and I jumped, the moment gone.
“The weather said the storm wasn’t hitting us. Guess they were wrong.” I said, breaking the silence. “We should probably get going. We can have the dessert at my place, if you want? Only because the roads up here get bad quick when it rains. Even trucks get stuck.”
“Yeah, I can imagine the mud gets deep.” Miles said, as we began packing up.
Another crack of thunder sounded, and a flash of lightning lit up the sky. Not a moment later, the clouds parted, and the rain poured down, a large torrent of water sweeping in without warning.
“Holy shit, that’s coming down hard.” I said as I stared at the sudden intense rain.
“I don’t think we’re going anywhere,” Miles observed as he looked out his window. “The ground is already knee deep with mud.”
“We’ll have to wait it out. We’ve had a lot of rain recently and the mud’s only gotten worse. I checked the weather before we left, because otherwise I wouldn’t have taken us here.”
“It’s okay, don’t worry about it. Can’t control mother nature.” Miles opened up the picnic basket. “Looks we have time for dessert and another round of drinks. But since I’m driving, I’m switching to water. You can finish the bottle.”
My respect for him grew in spades. Not only for offering me the last of the champagne, but for being responsible. That’s the type of man and role model I needed for my child.
I brought out our slices of finding love pie and explained to him the flavor profile and how I decided the name.
“Unbelievable. The richness of the chocolate and the raspberries is delicious.” Miles finished his pie in only a few bites. “So, tell me how you and your sisters decided to open a pie shop.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Rowan
After a thirty-minute rainstorm,the mountain was full of mudslides and dangerous.
We waited over an hour after the rain stopped before attempting to leave, but it was no use. My truck was stuck.
Thankfully, Olivia knew just who to call and a tow truck arrived less than a half an hour later to drag my truck out. They towed my truck back to Olivia’s house and advised to stay off the roads on the mountain for the rest of the night to give the mud a chance to dry.
