Page 4 of Fall Wedding With the Mountain Man (Ozark Mountain Men Falling For Love #2)

Hudson

When I first laid eyes on Elizabeth she’d seemed fragile, overwhelmed, and on the verge of tears. She’d also looked completely out of place in the auto parts store wearing her fancy gown with its matching pumps, her hair in an intricate up-do, and a tiny diamond sparkling on her neck.

She was a high-class woman who didn’t look like she was from around here.

But now that I’d had my hands on her for a few minutes, the up-do was loosening up, tiny strands loose from where the kitten had batted at it. And now the bust of her dress had cat fur clinging to it.

Her eyes were softer, too.

They’d softened the moment she met Frankie, and then softened even more the second I’d put the kitten in her hands.

Elizabeth fascinated me.

And it wasn’t just because the woman was gorgeous. Her curves could make a grown man beg. But the attraction went beyond the physical.

Even though she’d been near tears when I first met her, I could sense an inner strength in Elizabeth. This was a woman who worked hard in life to get what she wanted. I could feel the sense of determination coming off her in waves.

I’d always had a thing for headstrong women.

And I got the feeling that underneath the fragile facade I’d seen in the auto parts store there was a rod of steel inside her.

Well.. maybe not right now.

Right now she might be turning into an ooey-gooey fluff ball, like her new kitten.

I knew animals, and I could read this situation clearly. Leona had adopted Elizabeth the second the kitten laid eyes on her.

Elizabeth might not know it yet, but she was now the proud owner of a cat.

We were most of the way out to Deer Springs at this point.

And she’d just filled me in on her life story.

I knew most of it already, but it was nice hearing it from her.

There were a few differences in her version than in Shelby’s version.

And it was just the fact that Shelby had always called her Liz or Lizzie, but not Elizabeth.

Elizabeth was a fancy-pants lawyer, who worked at a fancy-pants law firm in a fancy-pants city a million miles from here.

She’d never been to the country before today and had never seen this many trees in her life.

Everything about the Ozarks was fascinating to her, and based on the way she kept giving me furtive glances, I believed I was one of those fascinating things she couldn’t wrap her mind around.

And more than that, given the delicate flush of pink that landed on her cheeks every time we looked at each other, I had a suspicion that this woman might want to wrap her legs around my cock almost as much as I wanted her to.

But sometimes what people wanted and what they actually did never lined up. And I figured that’s how this would be.

The pretty woman from the city might want a quick fling in the back of my pickup truck, but I got the feeling she didn’t give in to those primal urges too often.

The way tonight would probably roll out is me bringing her to the wedding where she’d find out who I am. Then after the reception I’d head home to my lonely cabin with one homeless kitten in tow.

But I could enjoy her company in the meantime.

I mean, it’s not as if a woman like her was going to fall for a man like me.

She was polished to my rough. Civilized to my barbarian.

I was just glad I’d put on my good town jeans today. It would have helped if I’d worn something other than this old flannel shirt, but… I’d had no idea such a beauty was waiting for me to rescue her. I would have taken a shower and put on my best shirt if I’d known this was going to happen today.

The kitten was curled up in her lap, sleeping, and Frankie had his head in her lap, too. His eyes were glued to the kitten as they had been ever since we’d all piled back in the truck.

“And then that was it. She went crazy and decided to move here. She thinks it’s real love, like Thatcher is some kind of Romeo, but I think it’s just sex,” Elizabeth finished her story. She’d been telling me all about the woes between her and her best friend.

“So your friend Shelby met a mountain man and got herself shacked up with him, huh? That sounds like a natural turn of events to me. Sorry, hon. I don’t see the problem.”

Elizabeth pursed her lips. “It is, though. Shelby had everything, and she threw it all away on a whim .”

“Maybe her priorities changed. That happens to people. Haven’t you ever changed your mind about something?”

She snorted. “Sure. About painting my kitchen yellow. That’s the kind of thing to change your mind about. Not about a degree she spent seven years working towards!”

I glanced at her before pulling my eyes back onto the road. “But didn’t you say she’s still a lawyer? I think it sounds smart, buying that practice from the man who wanted to retire. Ready-made clientele, just like that.”

Elizabeth scoffed. “It’s not the same.”

“What’s different about it?”

She wrinkled her forehead, deep in thought while she stroked Leona.

“Partnership is a future. It’s what we both worked toward.

And yes, it’s hard and the hours are insane, and the senior lawyers treat us juniors like crap.

But it will all be worth it in the end. She’ll never be a partner now.

She’ll be stuck in that practice in a Podunk town for the rest of her life. ”

I laughed. “If you think Deer Springs is a Podunk town, remind me to never invite you to Red Oak Mountain.”

It was like she’d just realized she’d insulted me and all my kinsfolk. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say anything disparaging.”

“Disparage away. We all have different life goals. Your life sounds like a nightmare to me. Eighty-hour workweeks? Not having time to own a cat? That’s insanity.”

She peered over at me, and I could tell she was studying me intently. “What are your life goals?”

“Me? I’m what you call a classic underachiever. I’ve figured out the perfect balance of doing just enough to not end up broke but never more than I need to. I believe life is for living. Your ratio is eighty percent work and twenty percent life. I’m the opposite.”

“And that satisfies you?”

I took my eyes off the road and met hers. “It sure does. I spend time with family and friends. Take care of my hobbies. I have a weekly fishing date with one of my buddies, Cash. And poker night every Friday. In between all that, I scrape together a few Benjamins. That’s enough for me.”

“What do you do for a living?” she asked.

This would be the moment I underwhelmed the gorgeous princess completely. No prince charming had my job.

“I transport porta-potties.”

“You do what ?”

“Yep. You’ve hitched a ride with a high-class gentleman here.

I haul shit for a living. It pays well. And it’s not like I have to touch it.

I just need to deliver the units and take them away again.

I bet all your lawyer boyfriends would get a laugh out of that.

You’ll have a story to tell them when you get back home. ”

She shook her head, a frown landing on her pretty mouth. “I don’t date lawyers. It’s a rule of mine.”

I saw my opening and took it. “Do you date shit-haulers?”