Page 7 of The Mountain Man's Determined Bride

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Who knew chopping wood was such a stress reliever. “I don’t think the bulk of my real stress has hit me yet.”She’s about a buck twenty, full of spit and vinegar and that’s noexaggeration.“Don’t I just love walking into a ball of fire?” Luke had no clue where in the cabin she was but he’d been outside for hours, was darn near frozen to the bone and had to go in. That is if she didn’t lock the doors on him.

Luke twisted the door handle ever so slowly in hopes to not evoke squeaks. It was an old cabin so stranger things could happen and knowing her, the she-devil would hear a pin drop in a haystack. He stepped carefully into the kitchen, not knowing where there may be creaky floor boards but stopped dead in his tracks. There was an amazing smell coming from the cook stove.

Not seeing her in the general vicinity, he hurried to peel off his winter layers and approached the smell anxiously. “Sweet! She cooked for me again.” His whispered words were exuberant but none-the-less, whispered. He was a little surprised however that he hadn’t alerted her to his presence inside yet. Oh well, he supposed she’d get over it.

Luke lifted the lid off the boiling pot, only to elicit a loud growl from the depths of his less than full stomach. “Must have worn off that breakfast already. Wonder if she’ll mind me eating.” Of course that was a question that could answer itself so he made the wiser choice, replaced the lid after stirring the mixture a little and went in search of his little she-devil.

After a glance at the empty bedroom, his eyes landed on the precious site nestled so sweetly under a throw blanket at the end of the couch. Reminiscing really wasn’t his thing but seeing her there reminded him of some of their best memories together. He just didn’t understand what went wrong. What made her leave? He needed answers. He needed her as well but could he get through to her? Maybe a little extra sleep would help her wake up in a good mood? He could only hope.

Careful not to disturb her, he shuffled back to the kitchen where he’d noticed earlier a couple of the cabinet doors were loose. He could do some handy work while she slept. No harm in that right?

“Depends on who you ask I suppose. Bill would appreciate not having to trek up here to do it but miss independent is all about doing things herself. Well, too bad.”

Luke glanced back at the cook stove one more time and noticed the timer was about to go off. He couldn’t have her waking up just yet. He switched the dial to the off position and moved the pot of boiling potatoes to the wash basin to cool. Once he had the doors fixed, he’d drain off and mash the potatoes. She definitely wasn’t letting him near her bed but he could bring her some dinner to the couch.

“Time to woo her.”Carefullyhe thought to himself.

Chapter Seven

Morgan took her sweet time riding Pepper up the trail to her Uncle’s cabin. It was such a warm summer day and the scenery on the mountain was beautiful. The two of them made this trip so many times, Pepper could do it by himself. After passing the Christmas Pines, it wasn’t much further so she decided to walk, leading the way with Pepper in tow.

This was going to be a special day today. It was her birthday and she was meeting the love of her life in their special place. It seemed like they’d been together forever. Maybe at twenty-two love could be blind but it seemed only logical, at least to her, that they take the next step. Did he feel the same way?

Ten feet or so from entering the clearing beside the cabin she heard a woman’s voice. Wasn’t she supposed to be meeting Luke alone? She tied Pepper to a small sapling with just enough tension so he wouldn’t follow her and then tip-toed the last few feet to the edge of the woods. This way she could see whoever was there but they wouldn’t see her until she was ready for them to.

“Margie, thank you so much for being here with me. You were my savior…” She heard Luke say right before he wrapped himself around her best friend.

Margie’s words were mumbled thanks to her face being buried into Luke’s chest but she was sure she heard “There’s no place I’d rather be right now.” Then her lips found his neck.

Could this even be possible? Did she really hear what she thought? Luke and Margie? How could they?

“She was supposed to be my best friend and he was supposed toloveme.” The tears came before she realized it. Her heart was breaking.

At a complete loss, Morgan only knew she had to leave, had to get out of there and quick. Except she couldn’t move; her feet seemed frozen to the ground. She must have rustled some of the underbrush even though she didn’t hear it because both Luke and Margie turned to look right in her direction. She carefully backed away from the clearing, made a bee-line for Pepper and loosened the reigns as she mounted the saddle, spurring the horse to move quickly down the trail. She prayed neither of them caught a glimpse of her.

Then from somewhere in the near vicinity, Morgan heard what sounded like a big tree hitting the ground, startling her…

“What in the world…”

“Damn, I am so sorry” Luke tried to explain as he picked up the two pieces of cut log from the cabin floor.

“I was trying so hard not to wake you. I think you were having a dream because you were all over that couch. I’ve covered you back up twice now.”

Morgan felt as if she were in a daze, a confusing daze. That dream was so real, like it was six years ago and she was actually standing at the woods edge watching her dreams shatter. And then he’s here, doing whatever it is he’s doing here.

“Was I asleep?” She rubbed her fingers over the soft spots at her temples.

“Oh yeah, out like a light except for the dream. You mumbled a lot and moved around even more.”

“Oh shoot, I forgot all about the potatoes on the cook stove.” As she threw off the blanket attempting to get up from the couch, Luke stopped her.”

“Hold up there. I already took care of them, they’re mashed. Stew’s done too. Are you hungry?” The look on Morgan’s face told him she thought he’d gone nuts.

“You mashed the potatoes?”

“I do know how to do a few things you know. I’m no super chef but I don’t starve on my ranch. Now sit still, I’ll bring the food to you.”