Page 2 of Cozy with the Mountain Man (Fall for a Mountain Man #10)

CHAPTER TWO

Beckett

My heart wasn’t supposed to beat like this anymore.

It was cold.

It was dead.

It was lifeless.

Until she showed up on my doorstep.

There she stood, snowflakes falling around her with the largest smile I’d ever seen before, not at all intimidated by the weather. Her dog happily wagged his tail from where he sat beside her, their happy personalities infectious.

I didn’t know her name or anything about her, but I couldn’t ignore her. I couldn’t ignore the way she made me feel alive, a way I hadn’t felt in a long time.

When she showed up on my doorstep, I wanted to be angry. I wanted to rage. But then I saw her beautiful face and my cold, dead heart jolted to life.

She was mine.

It also didn’t help that her dog was adorable. A golden doodle with curly hair and a goofy smile, slobber hanging from the side of his mouth as he waited patiently.

“You have five minutes,” I grunted, not ready to show my hand yet.

Because a part of me couldn’t let go of the anger at being disturbed.

People in this small town knew to leave me alone, to let me live in peace in my cabin in the woods.

I hated being bothered, or when people showed up unannounced, usually with some trivial bullshit the town must notify me of, instead of simply sending a letter.

“Perfect, thank you.”

I stepped back and waved her in, the chilliness from outside creeping its way in.

Of course, I took the opportunity to check her out, her tight leggings hugging her thick curves, paired with furry boots and a furry jacket, a black hat adorned with a purple pompom, and rosy, red cheeks.

Her beauty knocked me sideways, her soft features and plump lips causing my dick to react.

Closing the door behind them, I showed them to the living room, desperately trying to ignore the attraction. “Let me grab a couple of towels,” I muttered as I walked to the back hall closet, hoping to distract myself, before I threw her down on the couch and ravaged her all night long.

When I returned to the living room, I handed her a towel and knelt next to Louie, who sat by her feet. I held my hand out to him and let him sniff me, then the towel, before drying him off with the soft terrycloth.

“He likes you,” she said, her eyes bright and happy. “My name’s Jules, by the way, and he’s Louie.”

“Rowan,” I grumbled. I wished I could flip a switch and shut off the grumpiness. Instead, it choked me and reminded me of why I was like this in the first place.

“Gorgeous place you have. So peaceful and quiet. Does it ever get lonely?”

Darkness pulled at me, and I fought it off, yet I wasn’t so successful with the look on my face.

Jules hesitated before offering a smile, this one not as bright as the ones before.

“Sorry. Dumb question. Obviously, you like to be alone, or you wouldn’t be out here, right?

” She shrugged her shoulders but wouldn’t meet my gaze.

I didn’t blame her. I was an icy-cold son of a bitch.

That was what a fucked-up past did.

“It’s not dumb. You’re curious.” I dried Louie off once more before getting to my feet and taking a seat on the couch.

I admired my work as the dog shook his fur coat, watering droplets landing on me and everywhere else.

I laughed when he shook it again, and Jules yelped, backing away from the cold wetness.

Louie’s tail wagged, and he walked over to me, jumping into my lap with his two front paws. His tongue instantly found my face and licked it several times, wet, sloppy kisses I couldn’t get enough of.

For a split second in time, I forgot about my hurt. My past. My pain. Instead, I lived in the moment and allowed the unfamiliar feelings to come over me, dulling the pain, if only for a second.

“What a good boy!” I patted his head and rubbed his ears while he tried to lick me again and again.

“Louie, give the man a second to breathe. Get down!”

Much to my dismay, Louie listened and hopped down, sitting in front of me instead. He offered me his right paw, and when I took it, he tilted his head to the side and looked at me expectantly. What was I missing?

“He wants you to shake his hand.”

I laughed again, the sound becoming less foreign in such a short period of time, as I shook the dog’s paw. “Nice to meet you, Sir Louie.”

“Sir Louie, I like that.” Jules grinned. She watched us play with so much warmth and happiness. I wanted to wrap myself around her and never let go.

My brain short-circuited, sending off alert signals and alarm bells.

No, Row, you don’t feel happiness again. You can’t. And you won’t.

You don’t deserve it.

If it weren’t for you, they’d still be here.

The last thought consumed me most nights, and it threatened to pull me down once more.

Yet one look at Jules and the bubbling fury inside me eased.

One look at her adorable smile, her sexy curves, her infectious happiness, and all those thoughts stopped. Like a balm to burned skin, she soothed me. She dulled the pain. She made me feel alive again.

“Yes! One bar!” Jules jumped to her feet. “Should be enough for a phone call, right?”

I nodded and busied myself with Louie. She’d be rescued soon enough, and I would never see her again. Just my luck.

But there was a problem. My heart, my body, my mind, and my soul already claimed her. Claimed her the instant I saw her standing on my porch, in front of my door.

I wanted her in every way possible. In a way I’d never felt before.

Deep down inside, she was mine.

And she wasn’t going anywhere. Not if I had anything to do with it.

But if she found out about the darkness in my past, would she even want me?