Page 20 of Snug with the Mountain Man
“You’re not scared?”
“I’m terrified,” I admit. “But not of them. Just of losing you.”
Her face softens. “Then don’t.”
“I don’t plan to.”
She leans in, lips brushing my jaw. “I wore this sweater on purpose, you know.”
“The plum one?”
“Mmhmm. Thought maybe it’d remind you of how much I used to want you when I was younger.”
“Maisie,” I growl, low and hot in her ear. “Used to want me?”
“I’ll always want you.”
I glance around the square. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Now?”
“Before I drag you behind a hay bale and give them something to really talk about.”
She bites her lip, giddy and glowing. “You’re getting cocky.”
I drop my hand to her lower back, let it slide just a little too low. “I’ll show you cocky.”
Her eyes go wide again, and then she smiles. “About damn time.”
Chapter eleven
Maisie
The drive back to the cabin feels longer than it should. Ford’s hand rests on the gearshift, fingers flexing in time with the rumble of the engine. Every once in a while, his knuckles brush my knee, and each time it happens, heat curls low in my stomach.
Outside, the mountains are quiet, burnished gold under the fading afternoon light, but inside the truck, everything feels tense. We don’t talk much. We don’t need to. After the way he kissed me at the cider festival —openly, publicly —I know what this silence means.
Still, the words in my head are louder than the radio.
What if this is too much? Too fast? What if I’m only clinging to him because I don’t know what comes next?
When he turns onto the narrow lane that leads to my cabin, I finally speak. “Ford?”
“Yeah?”
“I don’t want to ruin this.”
He glances over. “You won’t.”
I whisper. “I’m scared.”
He slows, pulls onto the shoulder, and shifts the truck into park. The engine idles, the smell of pine drifting through the vents.
“Tell me.” His voice is quiet, not demanding, an invitation.
I twist in my seat, staring at the calloused hand resting between us. “What if I’m not really falling for you? What if I’m just lost? I came home because I didn’t know what else to do, and now I’m here. With you. And it feels so good it’s blinding.”
He’s silent for a moment. Then he exhales slowly, like he’s been holding that breath since the day we saw each other again.
