Page 1 of Fall Wedding With the Mountain Man (Ozark Mountain Men Falling For Love #2)

Elizabeth

The man behind the counter at the auto parts store droned on, “See, it’s a complicated situation.

The way they mounted your battery isn’t standard.

We’d have to remove two screws in the back to change it out.

Plus, your car’s computer system is attached to the panel.

Normally, it’s just one screw, and it’s in the front. ”

I was starting to feel panicky. “So you’re saying you won’t change out my battery? Even if I buy a new one?”

“You can still buy it from us. In fact, that makes sense. Then find someone to install it.”

Exasperation bubbled out of me. “ Find someone?”

“Yup.”

“Should I take out a classified ad? Maybe I can just move in here until I find someone. It shouldn’t take long. You do realize I’m stuck here with a car that won’t move.”

I pursed my lips and looked at the large floor sign that said, ‘We Install Batteries’.

He sighed as if I were the worst customer of the day. “Do you want the battery or not?”

Taking the vinegar out of my voice, I did my best to sound sweet. “You’re saying I need two screws removed instead of one? How complicated can that be? Can’t you make an exception this one time?”

The man behind the counter looked me up and down, then drawled, “Sorry, ma’am. We can’t touch the computer system. It’s company policy.”

My blood pressure was starting to soar.

I had the sneaking suspicion that if I’d been a size six, the man behind the counter would find a way to make an exception. Sometimes being plus-sized made me feel invisible and overlooked.

A shrill tone crept back into my voice. I was good at being bossy. Bad at being sweet. “But you don’t understand . I’m just traveling through. I need to be in Deer Springs for the Fall Festival tonight. And my car won’t drive. So I can’t take it to an auto shop. I’m lucky I made it here.”

The man, whose nametag informed me that he was Charlie, shrugged his shoulder as though that was no concern of his and called the person in line behind me forward.

“I’ll take whoever’s next.”

My pulse pounded in my throat. I’d stopped for gas in a town called Fernwood, and when I tried to start my car again it rolled over repeatedly but refused to turn on.

A good Samaritan had given me a jumpstart and directed me here to the closest auto parts store. Now this was happening.

It appeared that I was stuck in a strange town with unhelpful men and a broken-down car.

It was near six p.m. and this place and the other auto parts store in town would be closing soon.

So, I shared my plight. “Look, Charlie, my best friend is getting married in Deer Springs. And it’s been a total nightmare getting here.

I’m the maid of honor, so I have to be there.

You can see that, right? Can you please do it just this once?

I’ll sign a waiver saying you’re not responsible for damages if something goes wrong. ”

He gave me a fast once-over, not liking what he saw. “You’re pushy for a woman. But I already told you. No .”

This was not the time to be quiet and meek. So I put some grit behind my words and told him, “Look, I need you to help me. This isn’t an option for you. You install batteries. I need a battery installed. I don’t care if I’ve got two screws instead of one. You need to do the job!”

I’d like to say that I roared out my demand, and every cock in the store instantly paid attention to my plight, scrambling over each other to help out a curvy diva in distress.

But what actually happened is I said all of that in a squeaky whisper.

Charlie got a bored look on his face and called out, “Next!”

I felt someone step right behind me, probably waiting for me to vacate the counter, but I refused to budge. Whoever it was, they were big. I could feel them towering over me.

Then a sexy voice right behind me declared, “The woman needs two screws instead of one, and you’re not man enough to handle that? Your loss. I’ll take it from here.”

The auto parts employee looked past me and scowled.

Turning around, I stared straight into a broad chest made of flannel and muscles. Then I looked up, up, up.

The chest was attached to a burly, bearded man ten years my senior.

His mouth dropped open when I met his eyes. And he rumbled out, “Ma’am, do you need some help?”

I swallowed hard. He was gorgeous, but he also looked wild and uncivilized. I’d never been to the Ozarks before, and I hadn’t realized men like this really existed.

When I didn’t say anything he told me, “I can change out your battery for you, if you want. Screwdrivers aren’t hard to come by.”

“Uh… uh…”

He’d rendered me completely speechless.

But that didn’t stop him. Once he realized I was incapable of communication, he took control of the situation. He slapped a couple of hundred-dollar bills down on the counter and told Charlie, “I’ll buy her battery. Think you can handle that?”

Charlie glared at him, but I managed to stammer out, “Thank you. I can pay for it, though. I have the money.”

The edge of his lip tilted up, and I realized that was his version of a smile. “Your choice.”

Charlie scowled but headed back to get the battery.

That gave the hunky stranger who was saving my butt the chance to introduce himself properly. “I’m Hudson.”

“Uh, Elizabeth.”

“Nice to meet you, Elizabeth. You’re not from around here, are you?”

I shook my head.

“Well, I’ll get you squared away. That guy was being a dick.”

“Thank you. I was feeling kind of stranded. And that’s never a good feeling.”

We stood there staring at each other, with tiny smiles on our faces. If I had to be rescued by someone, it didn’t hurt that he was hot as hell.

“You know about cars?” I asked.

“Yup. As long as they’ve got the battery, I can get you back on the road in less than fifteen minutes. You’ll be in time for that wedding.”

Relief flooded through me. “Oh, that’s amazing. I’m supposed to be in Deer Springs already. My best friend from college is getting married tonight at the Fall Festival, and I’m supposed to be the maid of honor.”

His eyebrow quirked up as he took in my outfit. “That explains the dress. You’re cutting it close.”

A strained smile landed on my lips. “You have no idea. I was supposed to be here two days ago. The flight from Minneapolis was full, and they bumped passengers. I told them I needed to be on the plane, but they bumped me anyway. Then, I got a rental car and started driving. We promised we’d be each other’s maid of honors and I’m not doing a good job holding up my end of the bargain.

” I realized I was rambling and stopped talking.

Hudson glanced down at my left hand, and I realized he was looking for a ring.

“Oh, no, Shelby beat me to it. Maybe when it’s my turn, I’ll get married in some exotic location that takes a pack mule half a day to get there at the end. It would serve her right for getting married in the middle of nowhere.”

He chuckled. “If you feel that way about Arkansas now, just wait until you’re in the country. It gets a lot more remote than this.”

“I’d never even heard of the Ozarks until Shelby moved here. She came for what was supposed to be a short-term internship and fell in love with a local. Never left.”

Hudson’s brows lifted, and he started to say something in response, but Charlie showed back up at the counter.

Too bad, I was enjoying talking to this man.

My concern reappeared when I noticed Charlie was empty-handed. “No go.”

I looked at Hudson. “What does that mean?”

Charlie answered, “It means we don’t have a battery that will fit your car. Next!”

“No battery? But… this is an auto parts store. This is where they keep the batteries!”

I looked beyond Charlie as though a perfect battery to fit my rental car would miraculously appear. Maybe hauled in by my fairy godmother. But I wasn’t in a Cinderella story, and no battery showed up on the counter.

Charlie looked like he was losing patience with me. “Look, we closed ten minutes ago. You’re holding up my line. We. Don’t. Have. A Battery. That. Fits. Your Car. Get it? Next! ”

Hudson muttered, “Asshole,” gripped my elbow and steered me out of the line.

What was I going to do? I’d just driven two days across the country to the middle of nowhere, Arkansas, and now I was going to miss the damn wedding.

Quietly I said, “I can’t miss the wedding. Shelby would be so sad.”

Hudson leaned in and rumbled, “I can take you there if you don’t mind sharing the front seat with a mutt and a half-civilized barbarian. I just have to make one stop.”

I stared into his eyes, trying to determine if it was a good decision. I’d been taught not to wander off with strangers at a young age. And even though I was an adult now, it seemed foolish to run off into the wilderness with a man I didn’t know.

He must have sensed my indecision, because he added. “Either that or I can call you a tow truck and a cab to take you to a hotel. There aren’t any Ubers that go that far out. I think I might be your only option if you want to make it to Deer Springs tonight.”

One thing didn’t make sense. As a lawyer, I always spotted the discrepancies in people’s stories. It was a built-in automatic function these days. “Don’t you need something? You were in line and you never bought anything.”

He shrugged a shoulder. “It’s not important. I can come by when I’m in town again next week.”

“What were you going to get?” I wanted to see if he had a quick answer.

He did. “I was looking to pick up a set of shocks and struts. My truck’s gotten pretty bouncy lately.”

Hudson had the air of someone telling the truth. It made me trust him a little bit more. But it was still a foolish decision to go off with him somewhere. Unfortunately for me, he was right. Hudson was probably my only chance of making it to the wedding tonight.

Furrowing my brow, I asked, “What did you mean by a mutt?”

“My dog Frankie is a bit of a drooler. I can’t promise your dress will look this good when you arrive at the wedding.”

I looked around the auto parts store, trying to figure out what to do. I felt like my life was at a crossroads. Miss the wedding and doom Shelby and I’s friendship, or take a risk on this stranger?

It was time to do something drastic. Something bold. I hadn’t driven two days to fail now.

So I quietly said, “Okay.”