Page 16 of Road Trip with Her Bodyguard (Love Along Route 14 #9)
DANE
* Four Years Later *
N obody was surprised when we eloped two years ago.
Jorie has resumed an email relationship with her mother, but she has never expressed any interest in speaking with her father.
She keeps up with some of her friends through video calls, and occasional short trips.
Most of them have moved on, though. We’ve been making new friends when we drive through part of Route 14 every spring and fall, taking a week to see a big stretch of the country.
Other than any view of my beautiful wife, the vista out the front windshield is always one of my favorites.
Plus, Jorie met some very nice people through her massage training program. She truly is talented and was hired straight out of school.
I’m a few minutes early as I pull up in front of the red brick building where she works now.
This is the perfect place for Jorie: one side of the clinic is devoted to physiotherapy, for people with injuries. The other side is for people with stressed muscles and overall tension who need a massage.
I was a bit worried when she started working here until she told me about the owner’s strict policy that any men who come for a massage can only have a male masseur for the first ten treatments. After that, if everyone has a good feeling about them, they can be scheduled with one of the women.
I’ve also met the owner and he’s agreed to keep an eye on any clients who book a treatment with my gorgeous wife.
Is it overkill? Hell yes. Do I care? Hell no.
I watch through the huge front window as she comes out to reception, then meet her at the front door, where she flies into my arms. My girl is still magnificent, but now she has dropped the model-perfect glamour.
Her hair is tied up in a few loose bohemian braids with a flower clip and she wears breezy cotton and bamboo clothing, so she always feels free.
I help her into the truck, and as soon as I’m in as well she reaches over to grab my leg. “I know we were going to make burgers tonight, but?—”
“The Roadhouse?”
She laughs. “Yes, please.”
“Good thing I already made a reservation. It’s busy on Fridays.”
She laughs again, squeezing my knee. “Have I ever mentioned that you’re the best husband in the world?”
“Not in the past minute or two, but I’ll allow it. Have I ever mentioned that you’re the most beautiful, stunning, talented, and adorable wife in the world?”
She playfully bats my shoulder. “You’re just saying that so you can try to knock me up tonight.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
Jorie pulls out her phone, thumbing through the fertility-tracking app she’s been using for the past three months. “According to this, we have a three-day window.”
“In that case, I guess we’re going to be ordering in food all weekend. Let’s cancel the reservation and just get takeout.”
Her eyes blaze as she nods. “Definitely. We should be professional and get right to work.”
“That’s my girl.”
We drive into the sunset toward The Roadhouse, picking up enough food for dinner as well as snacks all night. Then it’s off to our house that Jorie has turned into a comfortable home that vaguely resembles the cabin.
My heart fills with warmth, as it does hundreds of times every single day. My amazing woman has given my life… life .
I’ve had many strange jobs in my life. The gig as Jorie’s bodyguard was never supposed to be permanent.
I’ve never been so happy to be utterly, completely wrong.
Join us in June 2025 for steamy romances from some of your favorite romance short authors! This series is packed with secret billionaires, MC and mountain men, celebrities, and all the instalove to make your heart melt.
Love on Route 14
Want more hot bodyguards?
I'd never crossed a line with a client before, yet our chemistry was so scorching hot I couldn't resist her… Ashley was so sexy and innocent that my need to care for her took over.
Click for more… Her New Bodyguard: Jackson
If you’re into hulking, grumpy mountain men, check out Rescued by the Surly Woodsman …
Sage
I line up my shot, zooming in as much as I can without distortion, then slowly walk closer.
I scream as my foot slides out from under me and sideways into a jagged branch. The wood pierces right through my sneaker and into my skin, while I land on my butt, hard.
The warbler looks down at me, blinks, then flies away at top speed.
Ow ow freakin' OW.
At least my camera landed on my stomach instead of on the ground. I take a moment to catch my breath, my foot already throbbing with a sickening, stabbing pain. My butt and hip begin to ache.
The sun dips over the mountain, and the forest darkens as if someone had turned down a dimmer switch. And I haven't heard anyone else out here on the trails over the past hour or so.
Tears prick my eyes. Why couldn't this have happened this morning, when there were a ton of hikers around?
I pack away my camera safely, then take a deep breath and try to stand. Owww. Seriously bad idea. Putting any weight on that foot makes the open wound rub against the torn canvas. Plus, it's so slippery right here that I might fall on my face next time.
"Hello?" I holler in the direction of the trail.
No answer. There is a huge boulder directly between me and the trail, and I can't exactly shout straight through it. Still, I'll have to try.
I scream my head off for five minutes straight until my voice gives out and I start to sound like an old blues singer.
Then thunder rumbles in the distance, sending a shiver up my spine.
Was that a voice calling out? It was too faint to be sure. I call back, but my voice is blown out. Gathering up my things, I try to roll to the side, then bring myself to kneeling.
Some twigs snap right beside the boulder. I shrink back in shock.
Oh my… Is that a bear?
No. A gigantic man is lumbering toward me!
He's definitely a local mountain guy, wearing a green plaid flannel shirt, well worn jeans, and work boots. And his thick arms have definitely chopped down a few trees.
He's tall, dark and, frankly, grouchy looking, but there's something about him that radiates strength and confidence. He's obviously the kind of take-charge guy who will probably think I'm a pitiful mess.
As he comes closer, my mouth falls open in shock at the warmth and depth in his beautiful dark hazel eyes.
It doesn't matter that he's scowling as if I've just ruined his day.
He's gorgeous. No, not just gorgeous… He's panty-drenching sexy .
You’re going to love Sage & Barrett in
Rescued by the Surly Woodsman