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

THATCHER

Helping Nellie set up her menagerie of animals during the Farmer’s Market Kick Off was my personal version of hell.

She always asked me for favors during my weakest moments, like right after she dropped by with a fresh huckleberry pie or when she crashed Friday night trail suppers with the guys and brought along enough homemade chocolate chip cookies to last us all night.

I couldn’t remember when she’d strong-armed me into helping this time, but I had a long record of being sweet-talked by Nellie. Pretty much everyone in town did.

“That should do it.” Nellie brushed her palms against her jeans. “Just holler if you need me.”

We’d just finished setting up the portable pens and getting all of her four-legged and feathered friends settled.

The other vendors were still busy unloading trucks and setting up their stands.

I figured I had about fifteen more minutes before the early birds arrived and started wandering around the vendor stalls.

That gave me just enough time to grab a cup of coffee to go and head out of town.

“What do you mean ‘holler if you need me’?” I asked.

“I’m short on waitstaff this morning. You’ll have to handle things by yourself out here.” Nellie arched her brows and leveled me with one of her no-nonsense looks. One that said I wasn’t going anywhere.

“I’m supposed to be clearing trails today.

I don’t have time to sit in a tent and tell kids not to piss off your porcupine.

” My lungs squeezed tight as I thought about all those people looking at me, wondering if there was any truth to me being called out as the ghost of Hard Timber.

I still hadn’t figured out who was behind the damn post, but I’d talked about it with the guys last night and we had a few suspects.

“Percy won’t give anyone any trouble,” Nellie said. “He’s just like you. All bark and no bite.”

“Porcupines don’t bark, and I’m not worried about him biting someone,” I snapped.

“Oh, you know what I mean. His quills are just for show. He wouldn’t hurt a thing.” She picked up a skunk she’d recently nursed back to health and handed it to me. “Fabio here gets a little nervous, though. I’d keep him close by. We don’t want anyone to get sprayed.”

The skunk nuzzled between my unbuttoned flannel and the white tee I had on underneath, burrowing into my side. “You brought a skunk?”

“Just sit down and let him get comfortable. I’ll be right back with a thermos of coffee and a cinnamon roll for you.”

I remained standing, ready to go toe-to-toe with her over this. “I can’t stay, Nellie. I’ve got things to do.”

She pulled herself up to her full height of about four-foot-ten and tapped her finger against my chest. “Thatcher Thorne, you listen to me. It’s that kind of attitude that landed you and those other boys on that list in the first place.

You might not care what people think about you, but some of those boys do.

They look up to you. Set a good example for a change.

Your mama loved being part of this town and it would break her heart to see how isolated you’ve become. ”

I gritted my teeth and forced the feelings bubbling up inside my chest back in their box. “That’s low, Nellie. Bringing my mom into the conversation?”

Nellie’s shoulders sagged, and she set her hand on my arm. “I’m sorry, sugar. It hurts to think about her, but it’s true.”

It had been a long time since I’d allowed myself to think about my mom, and I wasn’t going to let myself go there while holding a fucking skunk and standing in the middle of town.

“I’ll stay until you can find someone else to take over,” I ground out between clenched teeth. “And I want a whole box of cinnamon rolls, not just one. Extra frosting.”

She bit back her smile. “Thank you, Thatcher.”

“Don’t thank me. Just find someone to take my place.” I ran my hand over Fabio’s back. I’d seen my fair share of skunks before, but I’d never pet one. His hair was much softer than I expected. Almost like petting a rabbit.

I sat down on the camping chair Nellie brought and talked to the little stink bomb while I waited for her to come back with my breakfast.

“How did a guy like you end up in a place like this, man?” I gently tugged Fabio out of my shirt and held him up to get a better look. One of his legs looked like it had been chewed up in a trap. “Did you get stuck somewhere, buddy?”

While I checked over the skunk, a woman laughed across the street.

I looked up, my gaze locking onto Nellie’s renter.

She stood at a booth selling handmade soap and candles.

She’d tied her hair back in a ponytail and had on a pair of jeans that hugged her ass like they’d been painted on.

The farmer’s market kick-off brought in folks from all over, so I wasn’t surprised that I didn’t recognize the vendor.

I watched while she chatted with the guy operating the stand, my gut twisting as he smiled at her.

There it was again… that low, hungry ache I didn’t know what to do with.

It didn’t make sense, but I wanted her. Wanted to be the one making her laugh like she didn’t have a worry in the world.

Wanted to fist my hand in that long hair of hers and tilt her head back so I could claim her mouth with mine.

I couldn’t stand watching the guy brush his fingers against hers as he handed her another candle to smell, but I also couldn’t look away.

“Joely seems to be settling in just fine.” Nellie came up behind me and set a thermos and brown box on the table. “Have the two of you met yet? Seems only right, since she’s staying next door.”

“Yeah, I ran into her yesterday afternoon.” I set Fabio in my lap and tried not to think about how rude I’d been when I caught her trespassing.

“Good.” Nellie smiled at me, then lifted her hand to wave and call out to Joely. “Good morning, hon. Come on over and grab a cinnamon roll.”

For fuck’s sake. I needed another run-in with the curvy brunette just about as much as I needed a spa day.

My throat went bone dry as Joely crossed the street.

I stood with the skunk still in my arms and braced myself for another face-to-face interaction with the woman who’d haunted my dreams last night.

“Hi Nellie.” Her lips split into a wide grin. The woman was like a ray of sunshine wherever she went. “Looks like you brought the whole crew out today. I haven’t met all of them yet.”

Nellie nudged me forward. “You’ve met Thatcher though, right? His cabin is just down the road from the Hideaway. I wouldn’t be surprised if the two of you ran into each other quite a bit while you’re there.”

“Hey.” Joely’s smile faded a bit as she shot me a quick glance before reaching over to pet the goat.

“Morning,” I grumbled.

Even though the tension underneath the small tent was thick enough to choke a horse, Nellie didn’t miss a beat. “I need to get back inside, but Thatcher can introduce you to everyone. He’s also got cinnamon rolls. Help yourself. I hope you’ll stop by the cafe before you head back to the cabin.”

“Thank you. A cinnamon roll sounds fantastic.” Joely looked over at me, her eyes slightly narrowed. “Though Thatcher doesn’t look like he wants to share.”

“You don’t have to worry about Thatcher. He’s built like a grizzly bear, but just as sweet as a little koala, aren’t you?” Nellie even had the nerve to pat my back as she walked away.

“Have you ever held a koala?” Joely asked, her eyes full of innocent curiosity.

Pissed off that I’d been called “sweet,” I clenched my jaw. “No, but they’ve got claws and sharp teeth.”

She continued to pet the goat. “They can also carry chlamydia. It’s probably best to avoid them if you come across one in the wild.”

“I don’t have chlamydia,” I mumbled. The sooner I got rid of Joely, the better.

She had an inexplicable unnerving effect on me, and I didn’t know how to handle myself around her.

The more time I spent around her, the more I started forgetting why I wanted to be alone in the first place. “Do you want a cinnamon roll or not?”

“Wow. With an offer like that, how could I refuse? Got any hand sanitizer?”

I bent down and dug a bottle of hand sanitizer out of the bag Nellie left while I continued to cradle Fabio. “Here.”

“Thanks.” She pumped some into her palm and rubbed her hands together. “About that cinnamon roll…”

“Help yourself.” I nudged the box toward her, hoping she’d take a roll and leave. Instead, she picked up the one with the most frosting and sat down in the chair I’d abandoned.

“How long have you lived in Hard Timber?” Glancing up at me, she bit into the roll like we were two civilized people who were just having a normal conversation, maybe even friends.

When I didn’t answer right away, she rolled her eyes.

“Do you have something against me personally or are you this charming around everyone?”

“Hey, Uncle Thatcher!” My six-year-old nephew saved me from saying something I might regret.

“Hey, Lane. Where’s your dad?” I crouched down to give him a one-armed hugged, being careful not to squish Fabio while I looked around for my brother Holt.

“Over there.” Lane pointed to a tent a few booths over where his dad stood talking to the elementary school principal who also ran a side gig making all kinds of jerky. Then he turned his attention back to Joely, his forehead furrowed. “Who are you?”

She saved me from having to come up with something to say by introducing herself. Shifting her cinnamon roll to one hand, she held out the other for Lane to shake. “Hi, I’m Joely. It’s nice to meet you.”

Lane shook her hand and eyed her cinnamon roll. “Is that one of Miss Nellie’s?”

“Sure is. Do you want one?” Joely lifted the edge of the box and pushed it toward my nephew, offering him one of my rolls. They were going to be gone before I even got to taste one.

“Can I?” Lane looked up at me, already reaching for the box.

“As long as it’s okay with your dad.”

Holt walked up and put a hand on Lane’s shoulder. “What’s he trying to talk you into now?”

“A cinnamon roll, Dad. That’s Joely, and she said I could have one.” Lane pointed to Joely with one hand and grabbed hold of a cinnamon roll with the other.

“Use the hand sanitizer first.” I pushed it toward him. No telling what he’d been into already this morning. The kid spent most of his time digging around in the dirt, hoping to uncover a bunch of dinosaur bones. He was only six and already knew he wanted to be a paleontologist when he grew up.

Holt lifted a brow and tilted his head toward Joely, his way of asking me what the fuck was going on.

“Joely, this is my brother, Holt.” I wasn’t used to making introductions, but it was too awkward to just sit there and stare at each other. “He’s on the fire crew around here and manages the tower outside of town.”

She wiped the corner of her lip with a napkin and gave Holt a smile that should have knocked the socks right off a regular guy. But Holt had made that fucking list as well. I couldn’t remember the nickname they gave him, but he hadn’t looked twice at a woman since Lane’s mom walked out on him.

“Nice to meet you.” With his hand still on Lane’s shoulder, he turned his son to face me. “What do you say to Uncle Thatcher?”

“Thanks for the cinnamon roll.” With a mouth full of his first bite, Lane pointed to the lump under my shirt. “What’s that?”

“This is Fabio.” I pulled the skunk away from my body and held him out so Lane could see.

As soon as I did, the PA system set up in front of the courthouse let out a screech so high-pitched it could have made someone’s ears bleed.

Fabio hissed, lifted his tail, and a stream of foul-smelling, eye-burning liquid shot out of his butt and onto my sleeve.

That would have been bad enough, but I shifted as the spray hit, sending it past me and directly onto Joely.

I froze as she jumped out of the chair. Fabio flip-flopped in my arms, landing on the pavement and breaking into a dead run down the middle of Main Street.

For a split second, Joely and I looked at each other. Then she took off after Fabio. With no choice but to follow, I took off after her, calling back to my brother as my boots pounded on the pavement. “Keep an eye on the other animals.”

Trusting him to handle the tent, I sped up, easily overtaking Joely as Fabio ran between two buildings.

Nellie would strangle me if she lost one of her critters, though I wasn’t exactly in a big hurry to get my hands on that skunk again.

I could barely breathe through the stench that surrounded me.

In all my years hiking through the mountains, I’d never found myself on the wrong end of a skunk.

He ran through the doorway of the Hard & Handy as a customer came out. My buddy Trace owned the place and would shit bricks if a skunk sprayed any of his customers inside.

“Hey, Thatcher. What’s going on?” Trace yelled as I followed Fabio right down the candy aisle.

“Nothing.” I stopped while Fabio paused to check out the bottom shelf. A package of Whoppers had caught his eye, or more specifically, his nose. He sniffed the air, his nose twitching, then dove onto the shelf.

Joely caught up, her chest heaving while she tried to catch her breath. “He’s a fast little guy, isn’t he?”

I put my finger to my lips and signaled her to be quiet.

Then I got down on my hands and knees, gesturing for her to do the same.

Fabio crouched at the back of the shelf, nibbling on a piece of candy.

Hoping Joely could interpret my hand gestures, I signaled her to be ready as I went in for the grab.

With my heart pumping so much adrenaline through me that my hand shook, I reached out and caught Fabio with one hand.

“What the hell is this?” Trace stood over me, hands on his hips.

“Crisis averted. One of Nellie’s animals got out.” I tucked Fabio under my flannel shirt.

Trace squinted and pinched his nose. “You smell like?—”

“I know. Trace, meet Joely. She’s staying at Nellie’s cabin.”

Joely got up and held out her hand.

Trace shook his head and took a step back. “No offense, but could you both please get the hell out of here?”

“Of course.” Joely let her hand fall to her side. “No offense taken. Maybe we’ll meet again under better circumstances.”

“I don’t think I have an air freshener strong enough,” Trace said as he backed away. “Can you go out the back?”

“Yeah. Sorry, man.” I glanced at Joely and nodded toward the door to the storage room. “Follow me.”