Page 41 of Grumpy on the Mountain

Etta and Mabel are heading directly toward me, knitting bags swinging from their arms, determined expressions on their faces. They look like two women on a mission, and I'm clearly the target.

I contemplate ducking into the nearest store, but they've already spotted me.

"Molly dear!" Mabel calls, waving enthusiastically. "We were just talking about you!"

"And Beau," Etta adds.

Shit. They sound like two gossiping teenagers in high school. This is not going to end well.

I resign myself to my fate. "Good morning, ladies."

"Do you like beanies, dear?" Etta asks, her eyes glinting behind her glasses. "What do you think about snowflakes or pine trees?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Etta," Mabel interjects. "She needs hearts, obviously."

Mabel winks and I open my mouth to respond when the roar of an engine cuts through the morning quiet. Before I can evenblink, a massive black truck screeches to a halt at the curb, effectively cutting off my view of Etta and Mabel.

The passenger window rolls down to reveal Beau, looking surprisingly put-together. He looks good today.Toogood.

He's wearing a button-down shirt under his usual flannel, and his beard is…

"Did you comb your beard?!"

"Get in," he says, cutting to the chase.

"Are you... kidnapping me?" I ask, fighting a smile.

"You wish," he jokes, actually winking at me. God he even does that in a sexy way. "I'm rescuing you. Now get in before they pin you down and measure your head."

Behind me, I hear Mabel's delighted gasp. "Look, Etta! He's coming to her rescue again! Isn't that romantic?"

Beau mutters a curse under his breath that only I can hear.

Without hesitation, I open the door and climb into the passenger seat, immediately enveloped in the scent I've been craving since last night. The truck feels both familiar and charged with new energy after last night's kiss.

"Hi," I say, suddenly shy.

"Hi yourself," he responds, his voice softer than usual.

As he pulls away from the curb, I catch Etta and Mabel in the side mirror, heads together, grinning like they've just witnessed the final scene of their favorite romance movie.

Maybe they have.

I don't know where we're going, and I don't care.

I'm in Beau Callahan's truck, he's looking at me like I'm something precious, and for the first time in longer than I can remember, I'm exactly where I want to be.

Chapter Ten

Beau

Molly buckles the belt over her chest, politely waving to the gaping expressions of Stone River's most annoyingly nosey old ladies out the window.

"Thank you for saving me from the knitting inquisition," Molly says as I pull away from the curb, leaving Etta and Mabel standing on the sidewalk like two generals who just watched their battle plans crumble. "I swear those two were about to tackle me."

I can't help the snort that escapes.

"They would have, too. Last year they cornered Frank Barrett outside the hardware store. Poor bastard ended up with a beanie covered in tiny hammers."