Page 1 of Mountain Man Obsessed (Hard Timber Mountain Men #3)

HARLAN

I’d never been the type of guy to let anyone order me around.

But when Nellie sent a text saying my presence was required at The Huckleberry Cafe at three o’clock this afternoon, I asked my buddy Dane to cover the store for me and headed her way.

I wasn’t in the mood to socialize—hell, I was never in the mood for that—but I’d do anything for Nellie. Well, almost anything.

And Fridays were pie day at the cafe, where she made a special pie that wasn’t in her usual rotation. I could grab a piece of homemade pie and a cup of coffee while I was there. At least a visit to the cafe wouldn’t be a total waste of time.

She was waiting for me at a table near the back. I ignored the handful of other customers finishing up a late lunch or getting an early start on dinner and made a beeline toward her.

“Harlan,”—she got up and held out her arms—“thanks for coming.”

I leaned in and let her hug me, bracing myself for physical contact. Nellie was a touchy, feely kind of person, the exact opposite of me. She was also a talker and immediately launched into a one-sided conversation about why she’d asked me to come.

“Sit down, sugar.” She motioned to Angus, her long-time cook, who must have been covering for her while we chatted. More like while she chatted at me, and I sat there listening.

He brought over that cup of coffee I’d been looking forward to, along with a huge slice of some mixed berry pie. I nodded my thanks and picked up a fork, ready to dive in.

“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately, and I’ve got a solution to your problem,” Nellie said.

My problem… what the hell was she talking about? Tension rolled over me, settling in between my shoulders. “I didn’t know I had a problem.”

She reached out and rested her hand on mine. “I know things have been a little rough since Wild Wilderness announced they’re looking into setting up shop nearby.”

I clenched my jaw. That was a fucking understatement.

I’d heard about it last week. The giant outdoor retailer had reached out about building a satellite location in Hard Timber.

They ran the kind of super-sized superstore that would run a small outfitter like me right out of business.

My only hope was that the town council would vote against them.

“Yeah.” I waited for her to continue, my hand wrapped around the chipped white mug with the Huckleberry Cafe logo on the front.

“If you want to have a chance at keeping Big Package Outfitters in business, you’re going to need some help, hon.” Nellie leaned forward like she was about to share some top-secret information. “And I’ve got the perfect person in mind.”

I started shaking my head before she’d finished her sentence. “Nah. I’ll figure it out on my own.”

Her lips split into a soft smile. “You’ve been doing things on your own long enough. And you’ve done a great job. But even the hardest-headed man needs to know when it’s time to ask for a little assistance.”

“I’ll be fine.” I leaned back in the chair and crossed my arms over my chest. “There’s not enough business here for a chain like Wild Wilderness. They’ll do their due diligence and move on.”

At least that’s what I hoped like hell would happen.

Nellie tilted her head and picked up her own cup of coffee.

“I wish it were that easy. Here in Hard Timber, we’ve managed to fly under the radar so far, but folks are itching to get out of big cities and find their own little slice of paradise.

I recently read about a development company that’s talking about buying the old ski resort over in Hell’s River.

They want to revamp it and put in a whole complex of condos. ”

My fingers curled into fists. I’d heard about that too but didn’t want to believe it.

“Those folks are going to need to buy their sports equipment somewhere.” She took a long sip from her mug and eyed me over the rim. The way her eyes sparkled said she knew she had me.

I swallowed past the tight lump in my throat. Asking for help wasn’t in my DNA, and Nellie knew it.

“This town has a vested interest in making sure you succeed,” she continued. “Like so many others, your family’s been here since the beginning, and we take care of our own.”

Even knowing that didn’t ease my mind. I’d been running the Big Package Outfitters since I took it over from my dad who took it over from his dad before that.

It started as a small supplier for settlers who passed through Hard Timber when it was nothing but an outpost on the way to California.

Through the generations, we’d each left our mark on the business, but our mission had remained the same…

a bare bones, no-fuss supplier that offered quality items at a good price.

“I’ll think about it,” I mumbled, eager to get back to the store.

She shook her head. “You don’t have to think about it. I’ve made arrangements for someone to come in and help you bring Big Package Outfitters up to date. Once you do that, no competitor will be able to come in and run you off.”

I shook my head right back. “That’s not necessary.”

“And here she is.” Nellie glanced over my shoulder toward the door, her lips curled up in a wide grin. “I think you already know Jessa.”

Jessa… she couldn’t mean… oh, hell no. I stood, hoping like hell that I was wrong. The legs of my chair scraped across the wooden floor as I turned around in slow motion. Not Jessa Thorne, not Jessa Thorne … the phrase thundered through my head.

There she was. Jessa Thorne in a hot pink jacket and matching skirt that molded to her curves. Her long dark hair floated around her shoulders in soft waves. Hazel eyes that were more green than brown looked me up and down. My cheeks heated and my pulse jacked higher and higher as she came closer.

Her full soft lips, painted the same hot pink as the low-cut jacket that showed off too much cleavage, slowly curved upside down in a disappointed frown. “I thought you said you had a business opportunity for me, Nellie.”

I shoved my hands in my pockets and shook my head. “No way.”

Nellie’s sharp gaze bounced back and forth between Jessa and me. “Sit down, the both of you.”

Jessa reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear as she lowered herself into a chair.

“I don’t know what you think you’re up to, Nellie, but I need to get back to the store.

” There was nothing she could say that would make me want to stick around.

Jessa Thorne had been a fucking thorn in my side—no pun intended—for as long as I could remember.

I turned to go but only took two steps before Nellie’s firm grip on my forearm stopped me.

“Come back and sit down, Harlan.” She kept her voice low so I was the only one who could hear her. “You walk out right now, and you’ll regret it when Wild Wilderness sinks their hooks into this town.”

I glanced around the cafe. At that time of day, only a few tables were occupied, but everyone in the cafe was staring at us.

“You’ve got five minutes,” I said as I turned back and sat down next to Jessa.

Nellie let go and took her seat. “Good thing I only need two.”

Jessa bit back a smile while she reached over and snagged a piece of pie crust from my plate. I glared at her, giving her a look that had caused grown men to piss their pants. But Jessa only popped the piece of crust in her mouth and narrowed her eyes.

“Now, here’s how I see it,” Nellie started. “Harlan needs help bringing Big Package Outfitters into the current century. Jessa’s got a business degree but hasn’t been able to find a job since she doesn’t have a lot of hands-on experience.”

Hands-on experience… fuck me. I’d dreamed about the kind of hands-on experiences I could share with Jessa for years.

If only she weren’t the baby sister of my two best friends, I probably would have taken my shot when she graduated high school.

But Thatcher and Holt would cut off my balls and roast them over a fucking campfire if they even thought I might be thinking about their little sister.

“So what do you say, Harlan?” Nellie leaned forward, her elbows resting on the table.

I’d tuned out, too caught up in imagining an alternate universe where Jessa might look at me with something different than hate in her eyes.

“What do I say about what?” I asked.

Jessa rolled her eyes. “There’s no way this would work. He’s too hard-headed to listen to any of my suggestions.”

“Like you’d have any suggestions worth listening to,” I fired back.

“I’m not surprised The Warden of Hard Timber is afraid of losing control.” She crossed her arms under her breasts, deepening the cleft in her cleavage. My cock twitched as I tried to keep my eyes from straying to that expanse of creamy skin.

“I’m not afraid of change, sweetheart. I’m just allergic to bad ideas.” Trying to keep my cool around Jessa was impossible. The woman got under my skin like no one else. Always had.

Her brow arched. “I can’t wait to see if you break out in hives, then.”

“Stop that. The two of you need each other,” Nellie said. “Whether you like it or not.”

“The only thing Harlan needs is a hard kick in the ass.” Jessa’s eyes flashed.

I let out a low laugh. “And you think you could deliver one in those ridiculous heels?” I’d noticed them the second I’d turned around.

I was used to seeing Jessa in cowboy boots or sneakers, not in a pair of strappy high heels that made her look like a grown-ass woman. A sexy, hot-as-fuck, grown-ass woman.

She pursed her lips and pushed back from the table. “I’m sorry, Nellie. If you’d told me the opportunity of a lifetime you had lined up for me was working with Harlan, I could have saved you the time.”

Nellie let out a sigh as Jessa turned her back on us and walked out of the cafe.

The momentary satisfaction I felt at running her off disappeared the second Nellie shifted her attention to me. “Why can’t the two of you be civil to each other?”

I lifted my shoulders, feeling like I’d been called out for misbehaving in middle school again. “Too much water under the bridge?”

“Bridges can be rebuilt,” she said. “Unless you want to hire some expensive marketing agency out of Bozeman, convincing Jessa to help you is your best chance of survival.”

“I seriously doubt that. You’re trying to help. I appreciate it. But I’ll be fine, Nellie.” I tossed a few bills on the table as I got up to leave.

“She’s right, you know. You’re afraid of letting someone in and losing control.

Always have been.” Nellie reached for her mug.

“It’s cost you in the past, sugar, but this time it might cost you everything.

Make up with Jessa and see if she has any good ideas.

I’d hate to see Big Package Outfitters go the same way as the other businesses in Hard Timber that couldn’t adapt to change. ”

I wouldn’t let that happen. My family had been living off the land around Hard Timber long before chain stores and commercial development threatened our way of life.

And if I had anything to say about it, we’d be there a hell of a lot longer after their neon signs faded away. “Have a good day, Nellie.”

“Think about it, hon.” She lifted a hand in a half-hearted wave.

I’d think about it alright. But I could guarantee my thoughts would revolve a lot less around how Jessa might be able to help me change the business and more on how it might feel to finally get my hands on her.