Page 9 of Mountain Man Wanted (Hard Timber Mountain Men #1)

THATCHER

The bell over the door gave its usual jingle as I stepped inside The Huckleberry Cafe. I’d intentionally picked the lull between lunch and dinner to stop by. There were just a few locals nursing their mugs and pretending not to notice me. I wasn’t exactly known for casual drop-ins.

Nellie glanced up from behind the counter, took one look at me, and reached for a clean mug. “Well, if it isn’t the Ghost himself.”

I sighed. “Please don’t start.”

“Too late.” She slid the coffee across the counter. “You look like you didn’t sleep last night. Let me guess, woman trouble?”

I took the stool nearest the register and wrapped my hands around the mug. “She left my place last night like the floor was on fire.”

“Did you deserve it?”

I didn’t answer. Which, of course, was an answer.

Nellie gave a knowing hum and grabbed a rag, wiping down a clean section of the counter just for something to do. “You know, I told myself I wouldn’t meddle. But that poor girl came in here this morning lookin’ like someone canceled Christmas.”

My jaw tensed. “She’s writing a story.”

“About you?”

“No. About the town. About rentals. Maybe now about the list.”

Her hand stilled. “Ah.”

“She doesn’t know yet,” I added quickly. “Not about me being on it. But she will.”

“Then you’ve got two choices, sugar. Wait for her to find out and assume the worst or beat her to it and show her the truth.”

“And what if the truth doesn’t make a damn difference?”

“Then you’ll know you tried.” Nellie folded her arms, eyes sharp and steady. “But if you don’t tell her who you are—really are—then you’re just proving the list right.”

I stared into the steam rising off my coffee. Every instinct I had screamed at me to protect what little peace I’d built. But peace wasn’t the same thing as happiness. And with Joely? I’d had a taste of something different. Something real.

“I’m tired, Nellie,” I said quietly. “Of hiding. Of pretending like I don’t want more.”

“Then stop,” she said, gentle now. “Wanting more doesn’t make you weak. It makes you brave.”

I stood slowly, the weight in my chest easing just enough to let the air back in. “You think it’s too late?”

Nellie smiled, soft but certain. “Not if you get off that stool and go tell her.”

My mind spun. “Can you do me a favor?”

“Just say the word.”

“Convince Joely to meet me at the clearing between our cabins? I’ve got something in mind.”

She nodded. “I’ll make sure she’s there.”

I headed for the door, her voice chasing after me.

“Try not to screw it up, Thatcher.”

I was going to do my best.

* * *

The waterfall looked exactly the way it had the last time I’d been here. Hidden by a curtain of fir and pine, the water spilled down the face of the rocks into a deep pool below. It was a magical place and until now, it had been all mine. It was time to stop keeping things to myself.

I wasn’t sure whether she would show, but Nellie said she'd make her come. And I trusted Nellie more than I trusted myself these days.

I retraced my steps to the clearing where I asked Nellie to have Joely meet me.

Bear must have sensed how much I needed him because he stayed at my side.

Even though I hadn’t come close to breaking a sweat, my heart pounded like I’d just hauled a full load of timber up a mountain.

I’d never been nervous around a woman before, though I’d never let one close enough to need a moment like this.

But Joely wasn’t like anyone I’d ever known. She saw through me. Actually, saw the real me. And I’d pushed her away.

I could still picture the moment she’d turned to go.

How the hurt shone in her eyes as I broke her beautiful heart.

I’d followed her back to Nellie’s to make sure she got there safely without saying a fucking word.

Then I’d gone home and taken my frustration out on a woodpile, hating myself for every word I didn’t say.

For every wall I’d rebuilt just when she’d finally started to scale them.

Now it was all on me to tear them down. Holt once told me some things were better left buried, and I believed him for a long time. That might work for him, but I’d started to think some things are worth digging up, even if it’s hard as hell.

A soft rustle behind me had my breath jamming in my throat.

I turned to catch Joely stepping out of the trees.

The wind caught the hem of my flannel shirt she’d shrugged on over a tank top, and her hair fell in a long braid over her shoulder.

She had on hiking boots and jeans with a look on her face that told me she didn’t know what she was walking into and wasn’t sure she wanted to find out.

“Hey. Thanks for coming.”

“Nellie said you had something to show me.” She held up an envelope with my name scrawled across the front. “I’ve got something to show you too.”

Whatever was in that envelope could wait. First, I needed her to know I was ready to let her in.

“Will you come with me?” I wanted to reach for her hand but wasn’t sure I could handle rejection, so I nudged my chin toward the path ahead.

Her chin tipped up, she took a step toward me. “Lead the way.”

I’d worn this trail into the dirt over the years, every bend and root etched into my memory.

But today, everything felt unfamiliar and awkward.

My boots dragged. My breath caught. The only sound between us was the breeze blowing through the pines and the sound of water flowing over the rocks. I slowed as we approached the clearing.

“We’re almost there,” I said, keeping my voice low. “The first time I found this spot, I didn’t tell anyone. Not even my brothers.”

Joely didn’t answer, but I sensed the anticipation. Felt it like a nudge against my ribs. I pushed the last branches aside and held them back for her to step through.

The waterfall crashed over smooth rock, foaming into a deep blue pool. Late morning light filtered through the canopy, catching the spray and painting rainbows across the clearing. The air was cooler here, damp with mist. I turned, waiting for her reaction.

She stepped past me, her lips parting, eyes wide. “It’s amazing.”

“I know,” I said, my voice tight. “I’m glad you got to see it. I wasn’t sure you’d come.”

“Nellie made me,” she said, stopping just shy of the pool. “She said you’d make it worth my while.”

Her eyes darted to mine, guarded and cautious with the slightest hint of a challenge.

I cleared my throat. “This place has always been mine. It’s where I come when I need to remember who the hell I am.”

“And who’s that, exactly?” she whispered.

I was done hiding. Done trying to tell myself it wouldn’t be worth it to put myself out there. I’d found something worth fighting for in Joely and it was time to let down my guard. “I’m just a guy who’s learning how to open up a little at a time.”

She didn’t say anything, but something in her expression softened, like maybe she was starting to believe me.

“I’ve never wanted to share this place with anyone,” I said. “Now that you’re here, I can say it’s definitely better with company.”

“I figured you’d be out clearing trails or avoiding people.”

“Usually, yeah. But I asked Nellie to send you here. Told her I needed a chance to fix what I broke.”

Joely crossed her arms. “Is that what this is? A peace offering from the town ghost?”

Ouch.

“I deserve that,” I said, taking a step closer. “And worse.”

She didn’t argue.

“I didn’t mean to shut you out, Joely. I was scared. Hell, I still am. You walked into my life and shook the ground under my feet. I didn’t know what to do with that.”

She raised an eyebrow. “So, you thought blowing me off would make it easier?”

Her words stung. That’s not what I’d intended. “I thought if I backed off before you got too close, maybe it wouldn’t hurt so much when you left.”

Joely’s face softened, but only a little. “What changed?”

“I realized something.”

She tilted her chin up.

“I’m tired of being a ghost. Tired of hiding out in the woods like I don’t belong anywhere. You made me want to be seen again, Joely. And that scares the hell out of me—but I’m standing here anyway.”

Her throat bobbed. “Why here?”

I nodded toward the waterfall. “Because I wanted to share this with you. Wanted to be the one to show you the way.”

She looked up at the cascade of water, lips pressed together, eyes glassy.

“I didn’t know you were on the list,” she said.

“That’s not why I brought you here.” I took a step forward. “I brought you here because I’ve been a coward. You made me feel something I didn’t think I was allowed to want anymore.”

Her brows edged up with interest, and I pressed on.

“I spent years making damn sure nobody got close. Figured if I didn’t let anyone in, I couldn’t lose anything. I didn’t plan on someone like you showing up. Someone who just laughed while I growled, who chased skunks through hardware stores?—”

A ghost of a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

“Someone who made me question everything.”

Her arms loosened, but she didn’t move.

“You said something when we first met. About how I wasn’t as scary as I thought I was,” I continued.

“You were wrong. I am scary. But not for the reasons you think. I’m scary because I care too damn much and don’t know what to do with it.

I’m scary because the thought of losing you makes my chest feel like it’s being ripped open. ”

She stepped closer, but still not near enough to touch.

I took a breath and went for it. “I told myself I couldn’t have you. That people like you don’t stay. But maybe that’s just a story I’ve been telling myself to avoid the truth.”

“What’s the truth?” Her voice was soft, but it didn’t waver.

“That I want you to stay. Not for a night. Not for the summer. For good.”

Her eyes searched mine, looking for the truth. “What if I leave anyway?”

My heart cracked clean in half, but I nodded. “Then I’ll be proud of myself for telling you what you mean to me. And I’ll still think of you every single second of every fucking day.”

We stood in the silence, the falls behind us, the space between us charged with everything unsaid.

Finally, Joely exhaled. “You asshole.”

My brows shot up.

“You can’t just bring me to the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen and say all that.” Her voice broke on the last word.

I took another step forward. “Why not?”

“Because I’m trying really hard not to fall for you.”

My fingers twitched. “Then let me help you fall.”

She laughed through a sob. “You’re infuriating.”

“And yours if you’ll have me,” I said.

She didn’t respond. Instead, she crossed the last of the space between us, wrapped her arms around my neck, and kissed me like I was the only man in the world.

The waterfall kept crashing, birds kept singing, but everything else stilled. There was only Joely, soft and sure in my arms, tasting like tears and the happy ever after I never thought I’d deserve.

When we finally broke apart, she rested her forehead against mine.

“I’m not writing the article about The Ex-List,” she whispered. “I don’t want to tell the story the way the world expected. I want to write something real.”

“Then that’s what you should do, sweetpea.” My heart was so full I thought it might split from happiness. That’s when she handed me the envelope. “What’s this?”

“I want you to know that I do see you. You’re not a ghost to me, Thatcher.”

I pulled out a sheet of paper and read over the words she’d written about me, about us. It wasn’t long, just a few paragraphs. But her words were sharp and honest and real. She saw me—not the ghost, not the grump in the woods—but the man underneath.

I folded the paper slowly, my throat thick. All the things I hadn’t known how to say… she’d already seen them. Every scar. Every wall. Every truth. So, I wrapped my arms tighter around her and said the only thing that mattered. “You might think it’s too soon, but I love you, sweetpea.”

“It’s never too soon if it’s real.” She pulled my head down for another kiss. “And I love you too, mountain man.”

We stood there in the mist, the wind tugging at our clothes, and Bear circling our legs.

I kissed her, deep and slow and full of everything I was feeling.

Her hands curled into my shirt and mine cradled her hips.

The falls were the only witness to the moment I let go of every fear I’d been holding and finally let her in. For good.