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“So you’re gonna be Luna McRae?” Every time he speaks, the low rumble of his voice takes me by surprise. It’s like I canfeelit, vibrating through my body. But hey, maybe that’s the truck. “Or will you keep Lindgren?”
I glance at my driver, mortified. He knows I’m a mail order bride? Is it that obvious? I mean, it’s not like I’m wandering around in a veil and bridal gown. I’m not ashamed of what I’m doing here, but I’m not exactly out to brag about it either, because what girl wants to admit that she couldn’t find love the ordinary way?
I’m a die hard romantic. A big believer in fate.
And yet the dating scene back in the city… it left me cold. Cold and jaded and lonely.
“Some of the locals call this Mail Order Mountain,” Griff explains, like he somehow read the emotions flitting across my face even with his eyes fixed on the road. “We get a lot of brides turning up here for a fresh start. Grooms, too. Hard to meet someone when it’s just you, your cabin, and some trees.”
Yeah. Aiden said as much in his emails.
“But what’s your excuse?” Dark eyes flick to me, then back to the road. “No one up to your standards in the city, Luna? Or did you want the authentic mountain man experience? A man to chop wood shirtless then carry you back to his cabin? Spread you out by the fire and make you forget about all the hassles of modern life?”
Jerk.
Knotting my fingers in my lap, I glare out of the passenger window in furious silence. Did I think Griff was nice? I was wrong. So wrong. He’s a judgmental asshole who thinks he knows me from one glance, and I can’t wait to get far, far away from him. Aiden McRae’s cabin can’t come soon enough.
Spread me out by the fire.Ugh. Please.
I’ve never been ‘spread’ in my whole life. Jackass.
And the longer we go without speaking, the more pissed off I get, so there’s no use for it. I clear my throat and force the words to come out evenly. “You don’t know me.”
Griff grunts. “I’ve seen it happen around here enough times. City girls swan in, looking for an exotic thrill, and within a few weeks they’re gone, leaving nothing but broken hearts behind. Couldn’t hack the mountain life.”
Did that happen to him? Is that why he’s so grouchy with me? My belly drops at the thought.
“Well, I’m not like that.”
He shrugs, his grip tight on the wheel. “We’ll see.”
Such an ass. I frown out at the trees, their bark tinged blue in the fading light, and hate that I’m reliant on this man to get where I’m going. Hate that he’s helping me out even as he judges me to hell and back.
At least it’s a big mountain. Once I’m tucked up safe with Aiden, I’ll hardly ever see Griff again.
Can’t wait. I’m counting the minutes. The truck lurches beneath me and I grip the door handle with a clammy hand, suddenly feeling sick.
At least when Idosee Griff in the future, he’ll know he got me all wrong. That I’m not some tourist here for a whirlwind romance; that I’m here for the long haul.
Because my heart is heavy duty. I may not have been in love before, but I know instinctively—once my heart is gone, it’sgone.
It’s been a long time waiting. Hoping and yearning.
And I sure hope Aiden is the man I’ve been looking for.
Two
Griff
The mail order programs have a lot to answer for. So many broken-hearted idiots mooning around their cabins; so many city slickers trekking out here only to discover that they prefer WiFi to romance after all. As the head of Mountain Rescue, I’ve dug more than my share of rental cars out of the dirt; I’ve saved dozens of runaway brides from winter storms. They always say the same thing: it’s not how they imagined it would be.
Those dreams of romance are dangerous. Literally.
“So.” Luna’s voice is hoarse, but it can’t be from talking. We’ve been bouncing along the rocky dirt track in taut silence, both staring out at the road with our jaws clenched. And I hate hearing the strain in her soft voice, hate knowing that I put it there, but what’s the sense in trying to fix it?
We’ll be at Aiden’s cabin in less than two hours. Two hours, and then she’s another man’s girl to soothe.
“So,” I prompt when she says nothing else. Damn me, I should know better than to take an interest, but there’s something about this girl that piques my curiosity.
