Page 8 of Autumn Feud With The Mountain Man (Ozark Mountain Men Falling For Love #1)

Shelby

Fear clenched my heart shut.

But I realized that no matter how tightly I held it, Thatcher was already inside me.

He’d found one inch of real estate in a place I guarded more tightly than anything else in my life.

It wasn’t easy to let people in. Really, I’d only ever let my best friend Elizabeth get close to me.

Arm’s distance was safer.

Less pain that way.

But what could I do when a wild mountain man had stolen my senses? I’d lost myself in Thatcher, already intoxicated by him.

Elizabeth’s voice was screeching in my head that I needed to get out now, fly back to New York and forget I’d found a man who could hurt me.

But I knew the truth. Thatcher could only hurt me because somehow I’d started to feel something for him.

As I was standing in the shower with hot water soothing my soul, Thatcher stepped in, naked and open, a light shining in his eyes.

He lifted my hands, kissing each of my fingers in turn, before cupping the back of my head and kissing me.

This wasn’t a man looking for a one-night stand. This was a man who intended to say.

We made love in the shower, and it was different than the night before.

Sensual. Slow.

As though he were showing me what my future could look like with him.

The water had turned cool by the time we finished, but neither of us seemed to mind.

I came with the water streaming down on us, wet skin against wet skin, the feel of him deep inside me. Somehow it was even more intimate than anything else we’d done.

And when he came a few minutes later, he did it with his eyes fixed on me. Anguish hinted in his eyes as he released, and I could only imagine he felt the same thing I did… pain that such a beautiful thing was starting.

Because love stories only happen in fiction. In real life, they don’t always have happy endings.

At least not for me.

Then we got dressed, and he led me back to my living room, where we sat with boxes still unpacked around us. I hadn’t turned this place into a home yet. I’d been too focused on the idea of leaving.

Why bother unpacking when you just have to pack it all up again?

The boxes were a sign of a life in flux.

I wasn’t grounded anywhere. I had no deep roots. No permanent home.

And now he was sitting across from me on one of those cardboard boxes with an intent expression in his eyes.

“Where’s your couch?” he asked.

“In storage. In New York.”

“I thought you moved here.”

“I did. But it’s on a trial basis.”

The faintest hint of a frown landed on his lips. “You mean it’s not permanent? Everyone told me you’d moved here for good.”

“Why’d you ask around about me?” I deflected.

His expression softened. “Why do you think? Because… I like you.”

“But… we haven’t gotten along until last night.”

“We were getting along. You’re just the type that likes to make courtship a little aggressive. I considered your threat to bankrupt me to be your version of a mating call.”

An unexpected laugh rolled out of me. “Thatcher, I think you’re insane.”

“What I am is completely and totally obsessed with you. I’d like to see you again. In fact, I’d like to see you a lot. ”

I wasn’t used to men being as bold as this. He seemed completely sure that he wanted to start something with me.

“The men in New York only act this way before they get the panties off.”

Thatcher quirked up an eyebrow. “Well, I think they’re doing it wrong. There’s nothing wrong with finding a woman you like and making a life with her. I’d never want to go from one woman to the next. That’s a lot of work, and it doesn’t sound fulfilling.”

“You’re serious.”

“Yes, ma’am.” His eyes sparked, leaving my heart in danger of falling hard. Thatcher was more than just a pretty face, but his rugged good looks made it harder to resist him.

And did I want to resist?

I looked away, then shyly glanced back. “What exactly are you talking about here, Thatcher? Because until last night, I only had one foot in this state.”

His eyes darkened again at the hint that I had been planning on leaving.

Taking my hand in his, he rumbled, “There’s an attraction between us that I’ve never felt before. You make me feel like I’m on fire for you. But it’s more than just sex. I’d like to get to know you. And if that goes well, I wouldn’t mind seeing if we could have a future together.”

And just like that, my heart unlocked.

“A future?”

He shrugged, and I could tell he was acting more casual than he felt.

“I guess I’m a traditional guy. I like the idea of settling down…

having a wife. Maybe some kids. I’m in my mid-thirties, and until now I’d never met the woman who made me feel like she was the one. But there’s something about you that…”

All the blood rushed to my head, and I felt momentarily dizzy.

It wasn’t exactly a marriage proposal, but it was a hint that if things went right, there could be one in the future.

I’d given up thinking about dating, let alone marriage, a long time ago.

There had been very few hours left in the day after my eighty-hour work weeks at the firm.

And the men I’d met when I did find some time to go out, only wanted one thing.

But Thatcher felt like a real man compared to them. He made them look like boys playing at being men.

Thatcher was strong, confident, and unafraid of going after what he wanted.

I liked the dedication I sensed in him.

A tiny smile popped up on my lips. “I think I’d like that.”

His eyes widened. “Marriage. Uh. Yeah. I can be talked into that. But can we start with a first date?”

“That’s what I meant , Thatcher. A first date. I’d like to see where this goes. We don’t need to get married today.”

He quirked his mouth into a devilish smirk. “Unless my cock was so divine you’re ready to mate for life.”

I laughed and leaned forward until our foreheads touched. “What does our first date look like, Thatcher?”

He kissed me then, and it was so soulful it made my heart tear in two. Then it carefully stitched itself back together again.

When he pulled back, I was breathless and addled. The man had a serious effect on me, and it wasn’t diminishing with time.

He rumbled quietly, “Well, for our first date, I’ll take you to the Autumn Harvest Festival here in Deer Springs. It’s next Friday. I’ll show you off to the whole town, then I’ll take you home to see my town. I live on Red Oak Mountain. It’s not too far from here.”

I could feel heat rushing up to my cheeks. “That sounds perfect. I accept.”

“And you don’t mind being seen with the trashman?” Even though he asked the question, I knew he wasn’t being serious. He already knew I didn’t care what he did for a living.

So I countered back, “Well, I hope to get seen with the trashman. How else am I going to let all the women of Deer Springs know you’re a taken man?”

He growled out a hearty laugh at that. Then eyed me carefully. “And you don’t mind that I’m older than you?”

I estimated he was around eight or nine years older than me.

Shaking my head, I assured him, “I don’t mind at all. I might even like it. I wouldn’t mind having a man who wanted to take care of me.”

Our eyes locked, and that spark of understanding shot between us.

Thatcher would be good to me.

He’d not only rock my pussy into another galaxy every night, but he’d take care of business during the day, making sure I was treated right.

Everything in me melted, and I whispered, “What if I don’t want to wait until next Friday for our first date?”

He grinned. “There are no rules that say we can’t hang out until then.” Then he took my hand and asked, “About Moody and Sons. Were you serious?”

My cheeks burned with embarrassment. It hadn’t been a very nice thing for me to say.

“Um, I never actually called them.”

“That’s good. You were just fucking with me.”

I nodded. “Because you were being a jerk.”

His fingers threaded through mine. “Fair enough. We both gave as good as we got. So the whole thing about my business model being inefficient wasn’t true? That twenty-five percent cost reduction is still rattling around in my head.”

Oh, he was serious. He actually wanted my advice.

“It probably wouldn’t be that much of a savings. But I imagine it could reduce your workload by five to ten percent.”

His eyebrows shot up. “That would be cool. Because I work way too much. I wouldn’t mind fewer hours in the truck.”

“I could dig in more if you want. Look at your books and study your systems. But off the top of my head, I instantly spotted that you’re working the hard way.

You stop every ten feet, hop out of the truck, grab trash and then get back in to start the process over.

If you just switched to dumpsters in each business district, say for businesses within a hundred feet of each other, you put all that walking on the businesses instead of yourself.

It would be a huge time reduction. I don’t see it landing as well in the residential neighborhoods, although I have a few ideas. ”

He furrowed his brow. “Dumpsters probably cost a lot.”

I grinned at him. “I’m a bit of a math nerd. And I always said if I weren’t a lawyer that I would’ve been a business optimization consultant. So I happen to know that you’d still come out ahead.”

I threw some simple figures at him that blew his mind.

“That’s amazing, Shelby.”

“See? I can spread good in the world. I’m not always the evil twin.”

“There are two of you?” he asked in mock horror.

Laughing, I found myself snuggling against his bear chest. “No. It’s just a saying. Don’t worry. I’m one of a kind.”

“You’re looking chipper.”

I flushed bright red.

Sara knew how to read me, and I had a feeling everyone at the party had already heard I’d left with Thatcher.

“Just another day in paradise,” I quipped back.

She spun my office chair around until I was facing her.

“Don’t bullshit me. I need all the details, girl. Was he as good in bed as I’ve heard?”

My mouth dropped open, and I whisper-hissed, “Sara! Hank might hear you!”

She giggled. “Don’t worry. He’s hard of hearing. But really, are you and Thatcher a thing now?”

Shyly, I nodded. It felt strange to announce it to the world, but it was true. We were a couple now.

In a rush of girlhood optimism I’d thought died in me a long time ago, I told her, “We spent the whole weekend together. And yes, he fucks like a caveman. But… I think it’s more than that. I think he might actually like me.”

Sara laughed and nodded. “Of course he does. He’s been crazy about you since the first second he saw you.”

I whipped my eyes up to hers. “How do you know that?”

“Because he started asking around about you. And I could see it in his eyes every time you went outside to yell at him.”

That embarrassed me. “I was such an ass.”

But the look on her face told me none of that mattered. “We’re all fools when it comes to love. If you only knew the way I treated Steve before I finally admitted my feelings, you’d feel better about it.”

Steve was such a sweetie I couldn’t imagine Sara being nasty to him.

“What happened?” I asked, my work for the day forgotten.

But she shook her head. “That’s a story for another day.”

“A few weeks ago, you and Brook asked if I wanted any help decorating my new place. I think I’d like that. I hadn’t been sure if I was going to stay, so everything’s still in boxes. But now… it looks like I might’ve found home.”

Sara grinned at me. “That’s the best news I’ve heard all day! Let me call Brook and set up a day for us to come over. There’s a TJ Maxx in Fernwood, and we can get your place all girled up.”

I loved that I was finding my group. Sara and all her friends had been so open and inviting.

Deer Springs was like nothing I’d ever imagined existed.

There was just one thing missing. My best friend, Elizabeth.