Page 16 of The Mountain Man's Sweet Treat
She scrambles up, giving me a flash of her curvy stomach and those plump thighs. Between them is a little triangle of fabric that’s resting against her skin. Her bare skin.
She disappears into the bathroom, and I stare at the ceiling. My whole body is wound too tight, like a string about to break. There’s so much I want to say to her and so many things I want to do to her body. But she doesn’t need that right now.
On the nearby pillow, her tiny kitten makes a soft sound.
“You’re right. I need to get my head out of the gutter,” I say aloud as I reluctantly leave the bed. I scoop up her cat, trying to remember his name. It seems like I should have paid attention to what she was calling him.
With him in one hand, I go to find Bella. She needs to go out. Plus, she’ll be happy to see her buddy again. The two of them get along so well that I could swear they were friends in a past life.
Once our furry friends are settled with breakfast, I start making scrambled eggs with cheese. They’re my least favorite food, but Sophie makes them every day, and she always makes enough for both of us. I’ll eat anything if it means I get to sit across from her every morning.
I’ve just plated the food when she appears. She’s different this morning. Normally, she’s still in pajamas with her hair wild and messy, no makeup on her face. I love that look, but now she’s perfectly put together. Her movements are a little too stiff. She clears her throat and avoids my gaze. “Thanks.”
“You always make breakfast. Seems like it should be my turn,” I point out, trying to get a read on this situation. I can’t help feeling as if I’m missing something.
“Thanks for…um, last night.” She finally lifts her gaze to mine, and I see the flash of vulnerability on her face. The comfort she asked for last night cost her. If I let her, she’s going to build walls and keep me out. I won’t let that happen.
“Don’t worry about it. We do have a problem though.” I slide our plated food onto the table.
She crosses her arms over chest, bracing herself.
“You’re going to have earn your keep. I know you rented this place, but I haven’t gotten any money from you. So if you’re going to stay, I’ll need some help. Got a busy day ahead, and I could use an extra set of hands around here…if you think you can keep up with me.”
She grins at my challenge. If anything, she seems almost excited. “What do you need help with around the cabin?”
Chapter 8
Sophie
“And that’s the last one,” I give Whiskey a triumphant grin as we finish the final jar of carrots. We spent all morning working in his garden, harvesting various plants and vegetables. As soon as we were done, we started the canning process.
I’ve barely had time to think we’ve been so busy, which is kind of nice. The show we were watching last night was about a bank robbery.
I thought I was going to be OK. I mean, it’s fiction. It’s not real. No one was actually in danger, but the entire time it was playing, I wanted to throw up. I should have asked Whiskey to turn it off.
I promised myself when I came here that I was going to be different. A stronger version of myself. Instead, the show started my nightmares again. I should probably call my therapist or my mom. But I don’t want to burden them with this. It’s time that I overcome this. I am strong. I just have to believe that.
“Good. We’ll split the firewood next,” he says as if we haven’t been working all day.
“Is this a typical day for you?” I ask, exhausted. I want to stop and get a pizza. Plus, maybe another one of those cookies from Courage Cookies.
“One of them.” He shrugs. “The beauty of nature I’m surrounded by, the peace of not having other people around, the self-sufficiency I’ve achieved here—it all comes at a cost. The cost is hard, grueling work day after day.”
“You love this life,” I point out. It’s obvious from the way he talks to his plants to the way he helped an injured baby bunny we came across that he prefers to be outdoors in nature. “I don’t think civilization really suits you.”
He grunts in his agreement, and I follow him out to a clearing behind the cabin. I’ve seen this area before, circled it a couple of times on my runs, but I’ve never seen him out here working with his axe.
He’s got a large tree trunk that’s already been turned into smaller pieces, but even those small pieces are huge. “How many trees does it take you to get through the winter?”
“This isn’t for me. This is for Kringle Christmas Tree Ranch. I cut down the trees, turn it into firewood, and deliver it to them. They mix it with a proprietary blend of spices that make it smell like Christmas magic then sell it to their holiday visitors.”
“That sounds magical,” I tell him, and suddenly, I’m feeling sad that I won’t be here for the holidays. It would be fun to celebrate with Whiskey. I could get Bella a big rawhide bone for Christmas, and Tobias some new catnip toys.
“You’ll need this.” He holds out an axe. It’s heavier than I anticipated.
Before we left, he made me change my clothes. I’m wearing his long-sleeved flannel shirt that I absolutely did not spend a moment sniffing before I changed into it. Besides that, he also insisted on heavy-duty work gloves that don’t let me feel his touch when he passes it to me. “I’ve never done this before.”
“It’s easy. What you want to do is lean back. Let your swing come from your core,” he instructs.
