Page 2 of Courage of the Mountain
I bite the side of my cheek, a nervous habit I’ve developed over the years. I appreciate everything the Fosters have done forme, but I really need to make the sale official. Especially now that I have sleazy real estate moguls breathing down my neck.
“Great business meeting, Lily,” she says with a chuckle. I can tell she’s working on her second beverage, which means Marsha is a bit tipsy. I don’t have high hopes that she’ll look through her email later today, but there’s not much I can do about it now.
Instead of getting lost in all the things I still need to figure out, I decide to focus on what’s in my control. The store opens soon, so I make my way out to the front, adjusting a few displays before unlocking the door.
I spin on my heel and face the displays and rows of bookshelves, beaming at the little slice of bookworm heaven. The store is organized by genre, with fiction on the right side and non-fiction on the left. We have a diverse selection of historical books, thrillers, spiritual guides, fantasy novels, and everything in between. Perhaps the largest section is the romance books, which is where I really shine.
A wistful smile curls up one side of my lips as I think of the first romance book I ever read. The hero was a growly, sexy mountain man who fell hard and fast for his one true love. My cheeks flush slightly as I remember the steamy scenes… and the fact that I pictured my brother’s best friend in every single one. My dirty little secret is that eight years and a thousand romance books later, he’s still the only man I think of when I indulge in an extra-spicy book.
Aside from expanding the romance section from mostly Regency romance to include contemporary and darker romance, my biggest accomplishment was adding little reading nooks throughout the store. Marsha loved the idea and gave me free rein to make my dream a reality. Looking at the beanbags, fluffy pillows, and lamps giving off a warm, cozy light, I’m reminded of why the Fosters trusted their business to me in the first place. This store is a part of me, and it has been since day one.
That’s why I can’t let this place slip through my fingers. I have to fight for it, even if that means going up against Top Spot Realty.
I turn my attention to the back wall, where there are floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. They are equipped with sliding ladders that could rival Belle’s library in Beauty and the Beast. It’s my favorite part of Between the Covers, and a huge draw to those in town.
It’s been a bit since I’ve dusted along those top shelves. Since I probably won’t have any customers until closer to noon, I decide to tackle this cleaning project to distract me from my worries.
With a new mission on my mind, I grab a duster and a cleaning rag before climbing up one of the ladders. I get lost in the methodicswish-swish-swishof the feather duster as I make my way from one side of the wall to the other.
I’m about halfway done when the bell above the door rings, alerting me to a customer. “I’ll be right with you!” I call out in my cheeriest voice. I set the duster on the shelf so I know where I left off, then start the long descent to the floor.
My nose tickles, probably from the dust particles, and I hold my breath, trying not to sneeze. The pressure mounts in my sinuses, and I scrunch up my nose, but it’s too late.
“Achoo!”The sneeze knocks me backward, but I grip the sides of the ladder and hang on for dear life. My foot slips right as another sneeze takes over my senses. Try as I might, my fingers lose their grip on the ladder, and I bang my knee on one of the rungs. This pushes me farther away from my anchoring point, and then I’m falling, falling, falling…
I’m suspended in air for a horrifying moment that stretches on for an eternity, and I shut my eyes, preparing for a brutal landing. I feel like I’ve been bracing for impact in every area ofmy life, so it’s almost poetic in a twisted way. Full-circle moment and all that.
The last thought in my head as I drop to my inevitable doom is that I wonder if my insurance will cover this.
Instead of landing on the hardwood floor with a splat, I’m engulfed in a warm embrace. It almost feels like someone is holding me, but that can’t be right. A crisp, earthy scent wraps around me. It’s familiar, yet I can’t quite place it. The breath has been knocked out of my lungs, but I don’t feel the agonizing pain of broken bones like I was expecting.
I can’t open my eyes just yet, so I take a moment to sink into the unexpected comfort. Maybe I died on impact, and my version of heaven includes being cradled by a muscled man who smells like peppermint and pine trees.
A deep rumbling sound vibrates through me, and I realize someone is chuckling. It’s also familiar, yet somehow unknown. “You’re not dead, but I wouldn’t mind being in heaven with you.”
Did I say that out loud? I must have. But wait.I know that voice. It can’t possibly be…
I gasp and snap my eyes open. It’s him, my older brother’s best friend. The only man I’ve ever had a crush on.
One look in Heath’s eyes tells me he’s just as shocked as I am.
2
HEATH
“Lily?”Jesus, when did she grow up? And did I just use a pickup line on her?
“Heath,” she breathes out, her wide blue eyes sparkling with disbelief.
Her soft curves press against the hard planes of my chest while her silky red hair spills over my shoulder, where she’s resting her head. She smells like cinnamon and sugar, andfuck me, it shouldn’t feel this good to hold her. Is this really the girl who chased Hayden and me around growing up? I suppose she was too young for me to look at in that way, but now… Well, Lily is no girl. She’s all woman.
She clears her throat, and I realize I still have her locked in my embrace. I set her down, though my chest does something funny when we’re no longer touching. It’s almost like I gave a piece of myself to her in the few short moments she was in my arms.
What the hell does that even mean?I’m probably feeling sappy and romantic because of Sullivan and his new woman. My old friend from high school went and found himself a city girl to bring back to our small home town. They had their struggles, but the two of them are nauseatingly adorable now.
“So, um, hi,” Lily says once she’s composed herself a bit.
I clear my throat and try to say something, but no words come out. My mouth opens and closes like a brain-dead fish, and for the first time in my life, I’m completely speechless.
