Page 1 of Pining for Porter (Mountain Men Fall Harder #8)

Stella

"Oh my, she has pie!"

Joy Munson's sing-song voice greets us as my best friend, Monroe, follows me through the front door of the Maple Ridge General Store thank you."

"There's an awful lot of leaves on the ground, Stella. You might not have a choice in the matter," Joy says, and I stare at her blankly.

"They say when the leaves fall in Maple Ridge, the mountain men fall too," Martha supplies with a wink.

I swivel my head toward Monroe, who rolls her eyes. "It's an old wives tale."

"Well, you're talking to two old wives, who have seen a thing or two," Martha jokes good-naturedly.

"Well, thank you for thinking of me, but I'm focused on baking pies these days. No time for dating. None. At all, ladies." My eyes dart between the two of them, waiting for a response or some kind of affirmation, but both women blink at me without saying a single word.

Still eyeing them suspiciously, I give Monroe a quick hug before hightailing it to work.

Time to get my weekly fix of heartache.