Page 3 of Marrying the Mountain Man

Despite my best efforts, though, my gaze drifted back to him as he returned. I couldn’t help checking out his butt in those loose, faded blue jeans. I’d never seen a man naked in person, but I wanted to now, and I feel guilty about it.

My parents had been about as strict as parents could get. I wasn’t allowed to date until I was sixteen, and even then, only in groups of friends. But it wasn’t like I could meet all that many guys. They’d sent me to a private all-girls school with very strict rules. I was supposed to save myself for marriage, and marriage would be to a suitable boy who came from good parents. Parents who were respected in our community.

“Here you go,” Phoenix said, handing me a menu and sitting back.

I only had to peruse it for a minute or so before I saw exactly what I wanted. “Fried chicken sandwich with bacon.” I handed the menu over to him. “Oh, and onion rings, if they have them.”

He took the menu but continued to stare at me. He was trying to figure me out. I couldn’t blame him. The more he got to know me, the more he’d probably decide he’d made a mistake in agreeing to this.

“I wasn’t allowed to eat fried foods,” I said. “Or pork.”

His eyes widened. “Your religion?”

I shook my head. “My health.”

That clearly wasn’t what he expected. Yes, I went to private all-girls school, but with my parents, it was more about controlling me and everything else around them.

He gave a nod and stood. “I’ll be right back.”

I took yet another peek at his crotch as he went. Was it my imagination, or was there more of a bulge there than before?

Looking down, I was pretty sure what had caused that bulge. This tank top was one my parents would never allow me to wear. I always had to dress modestly. They didn’t want men looking at me. “Perverts,” they called them.

But today, I’d deliberately chosen to wear this tank without a shirt over it. I’d smiled when I checked my appearance in the rearview mirror before getting out of my SUV. Cleavage. Something I was never allowed to show. There was no one to stop me now.

“Order placed.” He slid back onto his seat. “Are you sure about this?”

Concern clouded his eyes. I didn’t like that. I preferred the unbridled desire I’d seen earlier.

“My chicken sandwich?” I asked.

After closing his eyes briefly and opening them again, he said, “Us. Getting married. I have wedding bands back at the cabin, but there’s a problem.”

I held my breath. I’d been waiting for the other shoe to drop since this whole thing began. It just seemed too good to be true.

“We don’t have a marriage license.”

I sat back, thinking through his words. Of course, we’d both have to be present for a marriage license. Why hadn’t I thought of that before?

“I’m sure the offices are closed on Sunday,” I said, my mind racing through the options. “Monday morning, bright and early.”

“There’s no waiting period in North Carolina, so we could get married the same day. It just won’t be a ceremony in a church like you wanted.”

Now I was the one who was confused. “I wanted a ceremony in a church?”

“That’s what the matchmaker told me.”

I smiled. “Kenzie probably thinks I’m super religious. I’m not. My parents aren’t either. They were just really strict. And really into money.”

I added that last part almost as an afterthought, but it was truer than anything I’d said all day. It was all about how things looked to the community.

“Their social standing.” I rolled my eyes. “It consumes their lives. But they’d only set foot in church if it’s to make themselves look good.”

Maybe I shouldn’t trash my parents like that. It could be a bad look. But I wanted him to understand that I wasn’t some stuffy bore who’d never had a life of her own. I did my best to meet people from all over, despite being trapped in a bubble.

And now I was ready to have a life of my own. A husband, a family, a career… I wanted it all, but I wanted it on my terms.

“Let’s make this happen,” he said, his mouth slowly spreading into a smile. “Just say the word. Whatever you want, it’s yours.”

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