Page 3 of Mistletoed with the Mountain Man
So Adorable. Completely unfair, but adorable.
"Right. God, sorry." He reaches into his jacket and pulls out a wallet, flipping it open to show a badge and ID. "Kade Giles. I'm a deputy in Colorado. Here on vacation."
Deputy. Of course he’s law enforcement. That explains the watchful way he carries himself; the has-handcuffs-in-his-truck vibe that I absolutely should not be giddy about.
"A deputy," I repeat, taking the ID to examine it closer. Definitely real. Also, his photo is somehow both officialandhot, which shouldn’t be allowed. "Long way from Colorado."
"My sister Sadie lives here, with her husband, Ledger. They wanted us to come to them, since our parents decided to take a cruise to Mexico this Christmas.”
“Sadie and Ledger? The park ranger and the beer brewer?” Aunt Meredith asks. “Oh, they are the sweetest couple!”
“You know them? They don’t know I’m here early, or planning all this.” He swallows. “It’s a surprise.”
I grin. “Aww, what a nice brother you are.”
He shrugs, and the movement makes his jacket shift, revealing the collar of his flannel shirt underneath.
And the edge of what looks very much like a tattoo.
My brain screeches to a halt. Clean-cut deputy with hidden ink? That's basically my personal brand of catnip.
"So what do you say?" Kade asks, oblivious to my internal crisis. "Would you be willing to help? I've got about four days before they all descend on the cabin."
Four days…in an isolated cabin…with a man who looks like he could bench-press me and then handcuff me to the?—
This is a terrible idea.
"Yes," I hear myself say. "I'll do it."
Aunt Meredith claps her hands together. "Wonderful! When do you start?"
"Now?" Kade looks between us hopefully. "I mean, if you have time. I could drive you up to see the place, show you what we're working with?"
"Now works," I say, already mentally listing out what supplies I might need. "Let me grab my coat."
Twenty minutes later, I'm following Kade's truck up the winding mountain road in my Jeep, wondering what I just got myself into.
The road climbs higher, trees pressing close on either side, until finally we turn onto a private drive. Through the snow-covered pines, I catch my first glimpse of the cabin.
Except "cabin" is a serious understatement.
The place is enormous—three stories of gorgeous log construction with huge windows, multiple decks, and enough square footage to house a small village. It's beautiful and rustic and completely, utterly devoid of any personality.
No wreaths. No lights. No hint of Christmas whatsoever.
We’ll just have to fix that.
I park next to Kade's truck and climb out, tilting my head back to take it all in. "You said cabin. This isnota cabin. This is a mountain lodge."
"Sadie and Ledger don’t have enough room in their cabin for guests," he says, coming to stand beside me. "It was the only place available on short notice."
"I see." I turn in a slow circle, imagining the possibilities. Lights wrapped around every railing, wreaths on every door, a massive tree in the great room with vaulted ceilings... "This is going to take a lot of work."
"I know." He shifts his weight, and I realize he's nervous. This big, capable man is nervous about Christmas decorations. "Too much?"
"No." I grin at him, feeling the first genuine spark of excitement I've had in months. "This is going to be amazing."
We walk toward the entrance, and he unlocks the door, gesturing for me to enter first. The interior takes my breath away—soaring ceilings, exposed beams, a gargantuan stone fireplace, and windows that overlook the valley below.
