Page 2 of Last Chance with the Mountain Man

CHAPTER TWO

Felicia Dupree stepped to the edge of the porch and leaned against the railing. Droplets of water remained on the hood of her car from the heavy rain that moved through the area overnight. She’d hardly slept at all, thanks to the rumbles of thunder and sudden flashes of lightning that had continuously lit up the inside of the cabin most of the night.

She nearly spilled her coffee when a bolt of lightning struck a nearby pine tree. Sure enough, another wave of storms was getting ready to dump more rain. Her nerves were already frazzled from the unexpected death of her brother, and the approaching bad weather wasn’t helping.

Had she known it was going to rain every single day, she would’ve gone back to her place in Rutledge. Her heart was aching though, and just like everyone else, she longed for answers. Matty was a good guy. Her family didn’t deserve something so tragic.

Her parents had no desire to go anywhere any time soon, so she’d driven to their cabin in Misty Ridge. She’d left wordwith the salon where she rented a booth that she’d be away for at least a month, but she hoped to return sooner. Realistically, she couldn’t afford to be gone for more than a couple of days, but she needed some closure. She needed to talk to Matty one last time, and she couldn’t think of anyplace better.

The two of them may not have always agreed on everything growing up—they’d certainly had their share of sibling squabbles—but she still loved him, nonetheless. Matty was more than just her big brother. He was also her best friend. He was her shoulder to lean on, and he was her confidant.

Matty was a couple of years older, but they were as close as any brother and sister could be. From filling in as her date when her boyfriend had stood her up for Homecoming to going with her when she purchased her first car, he’d always been a phone call away. He was just that kind of guy. Not anymore.

A gust of wind sent her hair flying in all different directions, and when she reached up to try and secure it, her ceramic mug slipped out of her other hand. It landed on the wooden porch with a loud thud and bits of glass went everywhere.

“Shoot,” she murmured and stooped to clean up what she could. “That was my favorite cup, too.”

She let go of her hair long enough to grab the bigger pieces but the rest would have to wait until the storm passed. Whatever was going on with the weather these last few days needed to stop. She used her foot to shut the door then dumped the glass into the trash. Through the kitchen window, she watched debris scatter across the yard. She’d have a mess to clean up when it was all over with.

She didn’t feel like making another cup of coffee, so she grabbed the blanket that she’d left on the sofa and curled up into a tight ball. She and Matty were supposed to grow old together.They’d made a promise to dance at one another’s wedding. She yearned for the day she would become Aunt FeFe.

She squeezed her eyes shut as the tears threatened to spill down her cheeks. Why, Matty? Why didn’t you call someone to come and get you? Why didn’t your friends try and stop you?

“Sorry, sis. No girls allowed this time.” Matty pulled on his coat and headed to the door.

“Why can’t I go?” Felicia whined. She’d gone with Matty and Titan to the skating rink many times and they’d never minded that she had tagged alone. So, what was different this time?

“You just can’t, okay.” He stopped just as he was getting ready to walk outside. Titan’s mom was going to give them a ride downtown and he didn’t want to keep them waiting.

“You’re going to meet a girl, aren’t you?” she sat up straight in the chair, tucking the palms of her hands underneath her chin.

“Maybe.”

“Why does Titan get to go then and not me?”

“Because he’s meeting someone too.”

Felicia had always thought Titan was cute, so hearing this didn’t set well with her. “Oh.”

He was her boyfriend. She was going to marry him one day…he just didn’t know it yet.

Unlike her brother’s other friends, Titan was always nice to her. At least when Matty wasn’t around. He never said unkind things to her or picked on her. Even when she’d started to put on a little weight. She couldn’t help that her clothes had started to fit a little tighter in certain places, especially up top. She despised wearing training bras—it’s not like they trained anything anyway—but her mother had insisted she needed to wear them.

‘But, mom. I hate wearing them.’

‘Don’t argue with me, young lady. You just need to, okay?’

The next day, she traipsed down the hallway to Matty’s room and barged inside. “Well?”

“Well, what?” Matt put down the controller of the video game he was playing and stared at her.

She hated when her brother played dumb. She was dying to know about these girls they’d supposedly been hooking up with at the skating rink. Well, not so much who her brother was meeting, but she wanted to hear all the details about Titan.

“I wanna know. Tell me, Matty. Did Titan kiss someone?”

Her brother finally laughed and rolled his eyes. “That’s none of your business. Get out of here, Felicia. Go back to your room.”

“Come on, Matty.”