Page 13 of Fall Wedding With the Mountain Man (Ozark Mountain Men Falling For Love #2)

Elizabeth

This was turning into the best night of my life and the worst.

The best, because I’d watched my closest friend marry the love of her life… and I’d met the love of mine.

And it was also the worst night, because I knew there was a short expiration date on anything between Hudson and me.

We’d danced half the night away, then finally came back outside into the fall evening.

It was the most quaint and picturesque festival I’d ever been to before.

And I loved it.

This is what real living felt like.

All these people had their lives here, and they didn’t even know how special it was.

I thought about the busy, bustling streets of New York. The constant motion, the hum of life.

The chaos of New York had thrilled me. Made me feel vibrant and alive.

But now, after just one day in Deer Springs, it felt jarring and senseless compared to the tranquil flow of life here.

“This festival is amazing. I can see why Shelby and Thatcher wanted to have their wedding reception here,” I told him.

“This is nothing compared to Red Oak Mountain. My friends Elliot and Nancy throw the best harvest festival in the state. Real hay bale rides, a petting farm with my other friend Kat’s goats, and a haunted cave.”

“A haunted cave?”

“Yup. They own a big farm, and the cave is on the edge of their property. I helped decorate it this year. Normally I work at the festival. I’m the guy who jumps out and scares kids when they get to the deepest end of the cave. I’m the ‘cave monster’.”

I laughed at that. “Are you serious?”

“Yup, sure am. I love doing it. The kids have such a good time.”

Kids. What kind of man talked about kids with his one-night stand? He could find himself in serious trouble if he kept that up.

My desire for children had never worked well with my dream of being a partner. If I were lucky enough to find someone while my eggs were still viable, I’d have to have a nanny raise our children. What would I do, see them for an hour a day?

I shoved those thoughts aside and asked, “You like kids?”

“Of course . They’re awesome. Someday I hope to have a dozen. Maybe two dozen.” He gave me a knowing look. “Once I find the right woman willing to give them to me.”

A chuckle escaped my lips. “You don’t really want two dozen kids, do you?”

The look in his eyes as he stared into mine melted my heart. “Naw, I’d be happy to settle for one or two.”

Everything in me see-sawed, and I clearly saw a different life for myself, married to Hudson, babies in our house, a little cat named Leona and a dog named Frankie.

It would be a perfect life. Different from anything I’d imagined before. But was that really so bad? Maybe it would be even better than what I’d been able to create for myself.

I was thinking those radical thoughts as we headed towards the pumpkin patch, Hudson’s arm protectively slung around me like it had been all night long.

We passed by the games as a young man, almost a boy really, wheedled with the carnival barker. “Come on, I spent forty dollars here. Can’t you give me anything?”

The man working the throw toss rasped out, “Them’s the shakes, boy. You lost. That’s life. Come back when you have more to spend.”

Hudson stopped in front of them. “Don’t you know these games are rigged, kid? The targets are weighted.”

The boy, probably all of fifteen, with tousled hair and a sheepish look on his face, said, “I was trying to win a prize for Annabel.”

“Is that your girlfriend?” Hudson asked.

The boy sighed. “No. But I want her to be. I was hoping to win the jumbo tiger for her. I figured then she might want to date me.”

Hudson gave me a look and asked, “You mind if we spend a second here?”

I couldn’t hide my grin. Hudson was a born romantic. “I don’t mind.”

He slapped his money on the counter. “I’ll get it for you, kid.”

The carnival barker grunted, annoyance clear on his face. And I could tell it was true about the game being rigged. It would take a very strong man to budge the target.

But Hudson was definitely a very strong man. I had faith that he’d win the prize for the boy.

The throw toss game was dressed in fall fashion. The target was painted to look like an autumn leaf, and I could see a thick metal bar holding it in place.

Hudson picked up the ball, pulled his arm back and threw a perfect pitch, knocking the leaf back.

Then he did it again.

And again.

Three perfect throws in a row. “Give me that big tiger.”

The carnival barker—who’d known his number was up as soon as Hudson stopped—scowled and handed over his biggest prize.

“Here you go, kid. Go get your girl. And don’t waste your money on these games again,” Hudson rumbled as he handed the giant stuffed tiger to the boy.

I watched him with pride welling inside me.

Hudson was a good man. A really, really good man.

Thinking about all the lawyers I knew in New York, and the men I’d dated there, I couldn’t think of a single one who would’ve stopped and done that for a boy they didn’t know.

Hudson glanced my way and grinned. “One more throw. I’ve got to win one for my girl now.”

The barker rasped out, “Are you trying to bankrupt me? Move on, dude.”

Quietly I murmured, “Hudson, that tiger won’t fit on the plane.”

He ignored both of us and put his money on the table. “One more throw.”

The barker sighed and reset the target. The leaf was starting to look more battered than when we’d first walked up, and I got the feeling Hudson could make these perfect throws all night long. The man could have been a pitcher for the Yankees.

Hudson grinned at me and said, “This one’s for you, hon.”

Then he wound up his award-winning arm, threw the ball and slammed the target back.

The barker growled, “No more after this,” and started to get another jumbo tiger down.

But Hudson shook his head. “No. I want the one in the back. The little gray house cat.”

The barker snatched the small stuffed animal down and handed it to Hudson, who in turn handed it straight to me.

It had a cute little bow around its neck, and yellow eyes, just like Leona. It was only missing the tabby stripes.

He gave me a tiny smile tinged with melancholy. “This one will fit in your suitcase, Elizabeth. I don’t imagine you’re really taking the kitten with you all the way to New York. But this will give you something to remember her by.”

That ran through me like a stake to my heart. It was the sweetest thing he’d done, but it just reminded me that all of this was temporary. Come Monday morning, I’d be back in the middle of it, a coil of stress in my stomach as I tried to catch up on all the work I’d missed over the past few days.

Tonight was just a pipe dream. A temporary break from reality.

I clutched the small stuffed animal and tipped up onto the tops of my toes. Then, planted a tiny kiss on Hudson’s lips. “Thank you. I love it.”