Page 14 of Adored By the Mountain Man

She shakes her head against me. “Not with you like this.”

Still, I drag the edges of the blanket tighter around her, just to be sure.

She traces a line along my chest, slow and aimless. “That was…”

“Yeah,” I whisper. “It was. I’m going to take care of you, Callie. Not just tonight. Not just until morning. For the rest of my damn life.”

She doesn’t say anything right away, but I can feel her smile against my chest.

“I love you,” I tell her.

“I love you too, Harlan.”

Epilogue

Harlan

One year later

The lake is quiet this morning, like before a storm, only today, it’s the quiet before Camp Evergreen starts. In a few hours, eight city kids will arrive after the success of last year.

Last summer, I thought I was just doing Callie a favor. Three weeks of helping out at her camp. Teaching kids how to build a fire, paddle a canoe, and not scream at every weird insect they saw. I figured I’d count the days and leave the second it was over. Instead, I stayed all six weeks. I taught the kids wilderness skills, and we all hiked out to Lake Hartley, having the time of our lives. I taught one kid how to whittle and another how to track elk. I watched city kids who’d never seen a pine tree fall in love with the wild. I watched them grow braver, dirtier, louder, and happier.

And I watched Callie run the whole damn thing like she was born for it. There wasn’t a single part of that camp she didn’t throw herself into, whether it was planning crafts and hikes, calming homesick kids, or coaxing smiles from the most closed-off ones. Every night, after the last flashlight flicked off in the tents, she’d crawl into bed smelling like smoke and marshmallows, and I’d fall harder for her than the night before.

I don’t think she even realizes how proud I am of her. I came here expecting to do her a favor. Instead, I found my future.

I smile at the memories. I’m looking forward to another summer of teaching wilderness skills with her by my side.

I turn around and glance toward the cabin where Callie is standing barefoot on the porch in one of my old flannels, looking hot as hell. I’m already calculating if we have time before the kids arrive because even after a whole year together, I still can’t keep my hands off her.

I head over to the porch swing I built for her, and we sit down. Callie’s been buzzing with her usual sunshiny energy these past few weeks, prepping everything, but she’s quiet this morning.

“What’s going on in that head of yours?” I ask, hoping it’s nothing bad.

She smiles as she puts my hand on her stomach. “We need to decorate our spare bedroom by next spring.”

For a second, I don’t follow, but then it dawns on me. “You mean—”

She nods.

“You’re pregnant?” I breathe.

She nods again.

I pull her into my lap before she can say another word, bury my face in her neck, and wrap my arms around her.

She laughs, half-crying, and cups my face. “I know it’s fast, but…”

“Fast?” I say, pulling back to look her in the eye. “Callie, I knew the second we kissed that I was never letting you go. This doesn’t scare me. Not even a little.”

Her breath hitches. “You mean that?”

“I’ve never meant anything more. You already gave me a reason to want forever. And now you’ve given me this. I say, let’s make a whole bunch of babies.”

She lets out a shaky laugh as happy tears slip down her cheeks. “Let’s start with this one first.”

“Sure. Just know that I’m all in. Diapers, midnight feedings… all of it.”

“I hope our baby gets your eyes,” she says.

“And your stubborn streak,” I tease.

She snorts. “God help us, then.”

I snuggle closer to Callie, and she lets out a contented sigh. Fuck, I’m happy too. I’ve got everything I ever wanted. Her. A quiet life in Timber Peak Valley. And soon… a baby.

I’m one lucky bastard.