Page 8 of Rugged Mountain Man (Cold Mountain Nights #1)

Chapter eight

Cormac

When I woke, I reached for Mika’s soft, curvy warmth. But the bed was empty. I grumbled with disappointment. Had she moved away from me in the middle of the night?

I reached further. The sheets were cold. Frowning, I lifted my head and cracked one eye open.

She was gone.

My stomach twisted with an edge of dread.

“Mika?” I called, sitting up.

The house was dead silent.

Had we moved too fast last night? Did she change her mind after having sex and she decided she wasn’t ready for another relationship?

Or maybe she wasn’t in love with me after all.

Swallowing around the lump of sickness in my throat at that thought, I shoved the sheets aside, adjusted my clothes, and searched the house. My chest felt tight, that familiar ache of hollowness returning.

For the past ten years, I wasn’t interested in anyone else. My ex-wife’s cheating had damaged my trust so deeply that I had resigned myself to never falling in love again.

Mika proved me wrong.

I wanted her in my arms every chance I could get. I wanted her in my home, in my bed. Hell, I wanted her to be my wife one day.

“Oh, baby, please tell me you didn’t bolt…” I muttered, as I checked every room in the house. Twice.

Fighting to keep my head clear, I made my way back into the kitchen. A yellow note pinned to the fridge with a magnet caught my attention. I hadn’t noticed it before, too preoccupied with finding Mika.

The handwriting was rounded and flowing cursive. Definitely not my blocky, unsightly letters. And Raff’s handwriting was nothing more than illegible chicken scratching.

I limped over to the fridge to get a closer look.

Went to the grocery store for breakfast supplies with Raff. Will be back soon.

Kisses, KitKat

A breath of relief rushed out of me. Mika hadn’t run away. She was just at the grocery store. I leaned back against the counter, pressing a hand to my chest in an attempt to calm my racing heart.

Then I grabbed my boots and keys, heading for my car. Waiting around here for Mika to return would only make me antsy.

Besides, if my woman wanted to go to the grocery store, I wouldn’t let Raff take the opportunity away from me. That was my job.

Juniper Creek was a small town, so there weren’t that many options for grocery stores. And Raff’s giant red truck with the Mountain Men Do It Better bumper stick was impossible to miss, parked outside Sprout & Spice.

Just as I emerged from my car, I spotted Mika hurrying out of the store. Her eyebrows were pinched together in distress and her lips were pressed into a tight, white line.

“Mika, honey, are you okay?” I called.

She glanced my way and immediately headed straight for me, flinging her arms around my neck.

“Whoa, whoa, what’s going on?” I said, holding her tight. She was shivering, but it didn't seem to be from the cold.

“I want to go home,” she mumbled.

My heart squeezed. She could have simply said that she didn't want to be here. But she had specifically used that word. Home.

“Mika—” I pulled back to look at her. Tears glistened in her eyes and her face was puffy from crying. Damn it, I couldn't stand seeing her upset like this without knowing the reason why. “Tell me what happened.”

She gulped and looked away, shaking her head.

“I should have known she crawled into another man’s bed,” came a grating voice.

Mika whimpered and curled her hands around my forearm. I pushed her behind me, squaring my shoulders as a man approached. His ice-blue eyes were cold, and the smug smirk on his face reeked of arrogance.

“Please, Cormac, can we just go?” Mika begged, staring up at me with misty brown eyes.

I glanced between her and the stranger watching us.

“That’s him, isn’t it?” I replied. “Your ex?”

She bit her lip and nodded.

“You must be the new dick she’s riding to get attention,” her ex said.

I curled my fingers into a fist.

Don’t hit him, don’t hit him.

I clasped Mika’s hand and cupped her chin, pulling her close to kiss her forehead.

“Go wait in the car, sweetheart,” I said.

“Not without you,” she replied softly.

The grocery store’s entrance opened and Raff stepped into the parking lot, scanning the area for Mika. When his gaze fell on me, I gestured for him to stay back. He frowned, confused.

My brother wouldn’t stop me from defending the woman I loved. Hell, he’d cheer me on.

But I needed him here to prevent me from going to jail for manslaughter.

I stepped forward and extended my hand.

“I’m Cormac,” I said. “Mika’s boyfriend. Soon-to-be husband.”

A bold bluff, considering I hadn’t even asked Mika yet, but her ex didn’t have to know that.

He glanced down at my hand with a sneer.

“Brock. Her ex. And glad to be rid of her. She’s your problem now. I wouldn’t bother marrying her though. She’d make a shitty wife. Take my advice—there are plenty of fish in the sea. Don’t tie yourself down to that one.”

I gritted my teeth so hard that my jaw threatened to lock up.

Raff let out a low whistle and crossed his arms with a gesture that said, he’s all yours, brother.

Despite Brock’s refusal to exchange a handshake, I grabbed his hand anyway. Crushing it as tightly as I could. I gripped his shoulder hard enough to make his knees buckle.

“What the fuck—?” he croaked.

Then I leaned in, bringing my mouth close to his ear.

“I’m a better man than you, so I won’t bury you in a shallow grave right now. But if you come anywhere near Mika ever again—let alone touch a single hair on her head—there will be nothing left of you for the cops to find. I can promise you that.”

I pushed Brock away with a shove of disgust, releasing his hand. He flexed his fingers with a look of surprise, as if he couldn’t believe that nothing was broken.

I held my ground with a menacing stare until Brock backed away and fled.

After he was gone, I turned my attention to Mika. She fidgeted with the sleeves of her coat, wide eyed. I crossed to her side and took her hands to calm her anxiety.

“You scared the shit out of me this morning, KitKat,” I said. “Next time, wake me up before you leave, all right?”

She nodded, swiping at her cheeks.

“I just wanted to surprise you with pancakes for breakfast, but you didn’t have any ingredients…”

I sighed at how sweet and thoughtful she was. Bringing her hands to my lips, I kissed her knuckles, then her palms. A small smile curved the corner of her mouth up and her eyes brightened.

“Do you really want to be my husband?” she whispered in the most hopeful voice I’d ever heard.

“You should know by now that I mean what I say,” I replied. “Especially when it comes to you. But only when you’re ready.”

“Do you…maybe…want a family, too?”

I took a breath to speak, only to realize I’d never considered it before. My ex-wife didn't want kids when she was with me, so I hadn't considered it for myself.

Could I ever be father figure material? I always assumed Raff would be the one to have kids, since he had better social skills than I did.

But I saw the eagerness in Mika’s eyes as she awaited my answer.

She would make an incredible mother. Protective, patient, and kind. If my future bride wanted to have a family, I would do everything in my power to be a good husband and a father to her children that she could be proud of.

“How many kids did you have in mind?” I asked. “One? Two?”

“Six!” Mika chirped. She was glowing , so animated at the idea of surrounding herself with a big family.

Raff wheezed with laughter, slapping his knee as he doubled over.

“Better get busy, brother. The clock is ticking and you’re not getting any younger.”

I shot him a look and took Mika’s arm, guiding her to my car.

“We should have this discussion at home, sweetheart,” I said.

“But I didn’t finish shopping for those pancakes,” she replied, mournfully.

“That’s very thoughtful, honey, but I don’t give a shit about the damn pancakes, all right? My bride-to-be has just told me she wants six kids. And if I intend to make that happen before I’m fifty, we have a lot of work ahead of us."

Mika squealed and stood on tiptoe, flinging her arms around my neck. She crashed her lips against mine with a kiss that nearly knocked me off my damn feet.

I laughed against her mouth, sneaking my hand under her coat, beneath the hem of her shirt until I found that smooth, warm skin I loved so much.

Fuck, I was head over heels for this curvy little angel.