Page 9 of Wrapped Up with the Mountain Man
"For now. Until the Ashfords decide they don't need me anymore."
"Then what?"
"Then I keep looking for that classroom full of kids who need someone to care about them."
Tannon nods slowly. "I lost my brother three years ago."
The quiet confession hits me hard. "Tannon, I'm so sorry."
"Danny loved Christmas. Drove me crazy with his enthusiasm." His voice is rough with old pain. "After he died, I couldn't... holidays just hurt too much. So I came here. Found a place where I could be useful without having to pretend to be festive."
"But you're being Santa tonight."
"Yeah, well." He looks at the sleeping children, then back at me. "Some things are worth pretending for."
The words hang between us, weighted with meaning. Outside, the storm rages, but inside this small cabin, everything feels warm and perfect and real.
"Thank you," I whisper. "For all of this. You saved their Christmas."
"We did," he corrects, and something in his voice makes my heart skip. "We saved it together."
5
Dove
Iwake up with a crick in my neck and Bentley's warm weight across my lap. Sometime during the night, he must have crawled over from the couch, and now he's sprawled across me like a small, trusting blanket, thumb in his mouth and dark hair sticking up at impossible angles.
The fire has burned down to glowing embers, and pale morning light filters through the cabin's windows. Outside, the storm still rages with relentless intensity.
"Morning," comes a quiet voice from the kitchen.
I look up to see Tannon sitting at the small table, coffee steaming in his hands. He's already dressed, hair slightly mussed from sleep, watching me.
"How long have you been awake?" I whisper, careful not to wake Bentley.
"Couple hours. Checked the radio – storm's not letting up. We're looking at another day, maybe two before it's safe to travel."
The news should worry me more than it does. Instead, I feel something that might be relief.
"Their parents are going to lose their minds when they find out."
"Good." There's a protective edge in his voice that surprises me. "Maybe they'll realize what they've been missing."
Mia stirs on the couch, blinking sleepily before her face breaks into a smile. "We're still here! It's like the best sleepover ever!"
Her enthusiasm wakes Bentley, who sits up in my lap and immediately starts chattering about pancakes and whether Santa might visit the cabin too.
Watching Tannon with the kids over breakfast is pure torture for my heart. He makes pancakes from scratch while Bentley "helps" by stirring batter with intense concentration. Mia sets the table with mismatched plates, declaring this better than the fancy dining room because "we can talk with our mouths full."
"Miss Dove," Mia says around a bite of pancake, "why don't you have kids of your own?"
Why of all times would she ask that now?"Well, sweetheart, that's complicated."
"Do you want kids?" she presses with childhood's relentless curiosity.
I glance at Tannon, who's suddenly very interested in cleaning the griddle. "Someday, maybe. When I find the right person to have them with."
"What about Mr. Tannon?" Bentley asks, syrup dripping from his fork. "He'd be a good daddy. He makes really good pancakes and he's not scared of anything."
