Page 5 of Unwrapped By the Grumpy Mountain Man
URGENT:Mountain man seeking respectable bride by Christmas. $50,000 compensation upon marriage. Full background check required. Discreet arrangement through Ever After Mountain Match agency. Contact immediately if interested.
I blink at the screen,sure I'm hallucinating. Fifty thousand dollars? That would cover the mortgage and then some, buying us time until Dad gets back on his feet.
I shake my head. No one actually does this anymore, right? This has to be some elaborate scam. But what if it isn't? I click reply before I can think better of it, then close the email without sending anything. I'm not that desperate.
Not yet, anyway.
I go back to the assignment sheet, selecting the mail-order bride piece, figuring I can at least research if this is a legitimate thing in Eden Ridge. My phone buzzes beside me, Ivy's name lighting up the screen.
"Hey, tree hugger," I answer, smiling despite my sour mood.
"Hey, city slicker," she fires back, our long-standing joke since we both know I'm about as "city" as a pine cone. "What's up? You sound like someone stole your coffee."
I sigh, glancing at the mortgage notice. "Just discovered Dad's been hiding how bad things are. We're four months behind on the mortgage."
"Shit, Vi." The concern in her voice makes my eyes sting. "How much?"
I tell her the number, hearing her sharp intake of breath.
"Nash and I could help?—"
"No," I cut her off. "You guys just moved into that cabin. Besides, this is our mess."
"It's not your mess. It's your dad's."
I run my fingers through my hair, tugging the short blonde strands slightly at the ends. "Same difference."
"It's really not," Ivy says softly. "You can't keep bailing him out."
"It's not about him, though. It's about Mom's house." I swallow the lump forming in my throat. "I can't lose it, Ivy. I just can't."
"I get it. I do." She pauses. "What's the plan, then?"
I chew on my bottom lip, eyes darting back to my laptop screen where the mail-order bride email still sits open. "I'm not sure yet. I just picked up an assignment about unconventional marriages, though. Did you know mail-order brides are still a thing?"
"No way." Ivy sounds genuinely surprised. "Like, actual strangers agreeing to marry each other?"
"Apparently. Get this—I just got a random email about some mountain man looking for a mail-order bride. Offering fifty thousand dollars."
Ivy whistles. "That would solve your mortgage problem."
"I'm not that desperate," I say, though the words lack conviction even to my own ears.
"Of course not," Ivy says quickly. "But as research for your article? Might be worth looking into."
A laugh bubbles up from my chest. "Right. 'Research.'"
We chat for another twenty minutes about Nash, her boyfriend, and one of the elusive Hunter brothers. Their romance still gives me hope that decent men exist in Eden Ridge. When we hang up, I find myself staring at the email again.
I open another browser tab and search"Ever After Mountain Match."To my surprise, a professional website pops up, complete with testimonials and success stories. Their tagline is"Finding forever in the mountains."
"This cannot be real," I mutter, scrolling through the site.
But it is. The agency specializes in connecting mountain-dwelling men with women seeking a simpler life away from urban centers. They boast a rigorous vetting process and personalized matchmaking. It looks legitimate—scarily so.
The front door slams, startling me. Heavy footsteps stumble through the entryway.
"Violet?" My father's voice is rough from a night of drinking. "You home?"
