Page 13 of Grumpy on the Mountain

Sienna steps out onto the porch, shock written across her face. "Molly?! What are you doing here? And with Beau Callahan of all people?"

And that's when it hits me.

Callahan. Beau Callahan.

I freeze, my brain suddenly making connections at lightning speed. Callahan. As in Riley Callahan. As in...

"Wait," I say slowly, turning to stare at the mountain of a man beside me. "Callahan? As in... Riley's brother Beau?"

Something that might be pain flickers across his face before it settles back into that stoic mask. "Surprise?"

Suddenly, my fresh start gets exponentially more complicated.

Because the quiet teenager who used to disappear whenever I came around, the boy who once fixed my bike chain without a word and walked away before I could thank him, has somehow transformed into this mountain of a man who makes my heart race in a way Riley never did.

Holy shit.

I'm standing in the snow, looking between my sister's shocked face and the guarded expression of my ex-fiancé's brother, suddenly realizing one horrible, inconvenient truth:

I've never been so instantly attracted to anyone in my entire life.

Chapter Four

Beau

Molly's green eyes are wide, mouth slightly open as she processes what Sienna just dropped between us.

Callahan. As in Riley Callahan. As in... my nightmare of a brother.

"Wait," Molly says, her voice barely audible over Maisie's excited chatter about treehouses and rope swings. "You'rethatBeau? Riley's brother?"

I clear my throat, shifting uncomfortably under her scrutiny. "Surprise?"

Her eyes narrow, scanning my face with a new intensity, as if trying to map the features of the skinny, scowling teenager I was onto the man standing before her.

I fight the urge to turn away, to hide the scars, the years of pain, the fuckingweightof everything that's happened since she last saw me.

"I can't believe I didn't—" She shakes her head, a small laugh escaping. "I mean, you're so..."

Different. Damaged. Dangerous.

"Tall!" Maisie supplies helpfully, yanking on my jeans. "He's a GIANT, Aunt Molly! And he promised to fix my treehouse! You said next time, remember? Is this next time? IS IT NOW?"

I glance down at the kid, grateful for the interruption. "Not now, squirt. There's a blizzard."

"But you PROMISED!"

Dammit. She's not letting this go, literally or figuratively.

"Jesus—" I grab my waistband as Maisie tugs relentlessly, my jeans slipping dangerously low. The kid's stronger than she looks. "Ease up, kiddo. You're about to pants me in front of your aunt."

Sienna leans against the doorframe, arms crossed over her chest, a knowing smirk playing at her lips as she watches this awkward reunion unfold. "Well, isn't this quite the coincidence."

Her playful tone makes it clear she thinks it's anything but.

"It's not what you think," I mutter, trying to pry Maisie's fingers from my jeans without breaking her tiny hand.

"Oh? And what exactly am I thinking, Beau Callahan?" Sienna's eyebrows rise in innocence.