Page 10 of Marrying the Mountain Man

For what seemed like an eternity, Dad said absolutely nothing. He just stared at me. Then his expression softened, and he looked down at the ground.

“I only ever wanted what was best for you,” he said.

“But you didn’t want that to come at a cost to your social standing,” I said.

His head snapped up. “Is that what you think of us?”

When I didn’t respond, he seemed to get the message. Yes, that was exactly what I thought of them.

“We didn’t want you to marry Kurt Kettering because it was best for us socially,” he said. “We wanted you to live a comfortable life. To be able to afford to send your kids to the best schools and make a solid future for them like we did for you.”

“But my future is here,” I said, pointing at the ground. But I was speaking about far more than Blackbear Bluff. “My future starts now. You’ve done your job. It’s time to let me live my life.”

“I’ll take good care of her.”

That came from Phoenix, who’d stepped up to stand just behind me. The warmth of his body nearby let me know that no matter what happened, he had my back.

“Can your mom and I at least attend the wedding?” Dad asked. “It’s been a big dream of mine to walk you down the aisle.”

I stepped aside and looked at Phoenix, who put a hand on my back. He’d support me, no matter what I decided.

“I can do that.” I looked over at my fiancé, who smiled at me. But when I turned back to my dad, I had a very serious expression. “On one condition. The wedding will be here in the mountains and small, with just a few friends and family members.”

“Deal,” Dad said. Then he reached out to Phoenix. “Welcome to the family.”

7

PHOENIX

Icouldn’t wait to get Cherry out of that dress. We stopped on my front porch, and I fumbled with the key, hardly able to believe this beautiful woman was now my wife.

Phoenix Carter, a married man. Who would have ever imagined?

“You have to carry me inside,” she said. “It’s good luck.”

“I’ll do anything you want,” I said, and I meant every word of it.

I stepped back and looked at her—really looked at her. She was the most beautiful sight I’d ever seen. The dress was perfect for her. It was white lace with a skirt that came just to her mid-calves and a big lavender bow in the back. I lifted her, the flowy skirt puffing up around her, and nudged the door open with my foot. It’d been a long day, and I was ready to consummate this marriage.

She looked around with a big smile. “Our home.”

I kicked the door closed with my foot and set her down. I could carry her all the way to the bedroom if she wanted, but I’d wait to hear the official word on that.

“Are you sure you don’t want a fancy honeymoon somewhere?” I asked. “I could take you to an island, make love to you on the beach.”

Cherry shook her head. “Too much sand in all the wrong places. This is perfect.”

The perfect end to a perfect day. Her parents had driven in for the wedding, as well as some of her high school friends. We also invited a few guys from my logging crew, including Will and Granger and their girlfriends. They all were much more likable than I’d expected.

Cherry’s dad had apologized for following her here that day. Apparently, he’d had a tracker attached to her SUV. That was a fact she’d been stunned to learn. When he saw Jared Knox getting off his bike at the market, her dad had pulled in to ask if he’d seen a young redhead running around town. That was when Cherry and I showed up.

“I could carry you all the way back to the bedroom,” I said, turning to face her with a big smile.

“Yes.” She took a couple of steps closer, grabbing me by my suit jacket lapels. I’d borrowed this suit from my new buddy, Will. “But first, I need to preheat the oven.”

“Preheat the oven.” I made a face. “Is that what you call foreplay?”

Cherry laughed, throwing her head back. And then she snuggled even closer.

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