Page 8 of Falling for Felix (Mountain Men Fall Harder #1)

Felix

Six months later, the bell over the general store door still jingles the same as it has my entire life. Not much changes in Maple Ridge.

But some things do.

I glance up from the custom shelving unit I'm installing along the back wall. It’s made from reclaimed barn wood and has Harper's mosaic tile work integrated into the frame.

The piece took us three weeks to complete, working together in my workshop while Pickles supervised from his designated corner bed.

Harper breezes through the door like she’s a Maple Ridge local, which she basically is now.

Maybe she hasn’t lived here her whole life like I have, but the people of Maple Ridge have welcomed her as one of their own.

Her purple glasses are perched on her nose, her hair's escaped from its braid in about six different directions, and she's carrying a travel mug that definitely contains more cream and sugar than actual coffee.

"Morning, Joy!" she calls out, then spots me crouched by the wall. "And good morning to my favorite grumpy craftsman."

Joy snorts from behind the register. "Grumpy? That man hasn't scowled properly since Halloween.”

It's true. Harper has systematically dismantled every defense I spent years building, and I can't bring myself to care.

She crosses the store to where I'm working, stepping over Pickles, who's sprawled across the floor like he pays rent. "Last bracket?"

"Should be." I tighten the final screw and step back to survey our work. The shelving unit runs the length of the back wall, displaying a carefully curated mix of local crafts and Harper's mosaic work. It's functional and beautiful, built to last decades.

Like a lot of things in my life lately.

Harper examines the installation with the critical eye of someone who knows quality craftsmanship. After a moment, she nods approvingly. "Not bad for a man who thought he was going to spend the rest of his life alone."

"Not bad for a woman who claimed to be a nomadic artist."

She grins and steps closer. "Guess we're both full of surprises."

“I guess we are, Mrs. Dixon.” I tug her closer by the belt loop and kiss her—soft, familiar, but still with enough heat to make Joy clear her throat loudly from across the store.

"Get a room!" she calls out, but she's grinning.

Harper laughs against my mouth. "That’s an excellent idea. Shall we get out of here for a while, husband?”

“Whatever you say, wife.”

We step outside into the crisp afternoon air. Spring in Maple Ridge looks like a postcard—mountains rolling away in every direction, trees showing off their new blossoms and green leaves. But now when I look at it, I don't see isolation. I see home.

Harper slips her hand into mine as we walk to the RV. We’ve been hunting for a house closer to town. One that will still offer privacy and solitude when we want it. But until the perfect house hits the market, we’ll continue to split our time between the RV and my cabin in the woods.

Pickles trots ahead of us, tail wagging at nothing in particular.

“What do you want for dinner tonight?” Harper asks. “I'm thinking I'll make that pasta thing you pretend not to love."

"The one with too much garlic?"

"That's the one."

"I don't pretend not to love it."

"You make faces."

"I make faces because you use enough garlic to ward off vampires in three counties."

"And yet you always ask for seconds."

“That’s because I’d rather risk the vampires than your pout.

She laughs, and I swear my heart literally swells at the sound.

Who knew how much fun it could be to banter about everyday stuff like what to have for dinner?

"You know what Joy told me this morning?" Harper says.

"I'm afraid to ask.”

"She said she knew from the moment she saw us together that we were going to fall hard."

I snort. "Joy says a lot of things."

"She also said..." Harper stops walking and turns to face me. "She said mountain men always fall the hardest because they resist love the longest."

"And what do you think about that theory?"

Harper stands on her tiptoes and kisses me, soft and sure and full of promise. "I think she might be onto something."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." She grins. "Because you definitely fell hard, Felix Dixon."

I wrap my arms around her waist, pulling her close enough that I can feel her heartbeat against my chest. Around us, Maple Ridge goes about its quiet business—tourists browsing the shops, locals stopping to chat on street corners, the eternal rhythm of a small town that knows how to take care of its own.

"I didn't fall, Mrs. Dixon," I say against her ear.

"No?"

I pull back to look at her. At this woman who crashed into my carefully ordered life and turned everything upside down in the best possible way. "I jumped."

Think Harper and Felix’s story is finished? Think again…

In an exclusive bonus epilogue, Harper has a secret to share, but Felix is too busy stripping off her robe to listen. What happens next? Let’s just say the mountain man falls even harder…

Be sure to read the rest of the books in the Mountain Men Fall Harder series!

A tucked-away mountain town wrapped in blazing foliage, woodsmoke, and whispers of fate. In the fall, the mountains come alive—and so do the hearts of the men who live here.

“They say when the leaves fall in Maple Ridge, the mountain men fall too…”

Check out the series today .