Okay, so there's nothing particularly interesting about his message but it's a start. I suck in a breath and click over to the heart icon to learn more about Jamie and I almost drop my phone when the page loads.
"Oh. My. Greek. God." He's gorgeous. Beyond gorgeous. This man looks as if he's been chiseled out of the very mountain he's standing in front of.
In the main picture, he has what looks to be climbing gear strapped on over his jeans and bare chest that's streaked with dirt. A helmet is tucked under his arm, a head full of dark hair and a beard that makes my stomach flip. I didn't even know I was into beards, but Jamie's is thick and dark, and I can't helpbut imagine what it will feel like against my skin when he kisses me.
The beard does nothing to hide the grin he gives the camera and the sparkle in his blue eyes.
He's the most attractive man I've ever seen.
And he matched withme.
It's not that I think I'm unattractive, but I'm really quite plain. And the extra forty pounds I can't seem to shed don't help. I am completely out of Jamie's league.
But the system matched us.
It's exactly what my best friend would say if she were sitting here right now. And I definitely need more best friend cheerleader energy right now, so with that in mind, I click on the compatibility questionnaire and start scanning through the areas we match on.
After five minutes, I have to admit, the system seems to know what it's doing. Jamie and I both score very closely in important areas like family values, children, finances, spirituality and personal goals. We have obvious differences in hobbies and leisure activities, but that was to be expected. I am surprised to see that he lists reading and music as some of his top interests.
It's only once I've gone through the report twice over that I click back to the messages and type a response:
Hi, Jamie. I'm Ella. It's really nice to 'meet' you. I don't really know what I'm doing. But I guess, now we should try to get to know each other a little better. How was your day? Anything interesting?
Now all I have to do is wait.
Jamie
The day after a big rescue is always a little strange. I've been told it has something to do with adrenaline. Too much of it, followed by none at all.
Whatever it is, I always feel a littleoffthe day after a rescue. Even when it has a positive outcome the way the hiker situation did.
I know Briggs handles it by spending time with Mia and the babies. He says that his family calms his mind.
It's not something I can relate to. Especially since my little sister usually has the opposite effect on me.
I spend most of the day taking care of things I've let slide around my cabin for the last few days. I'm new to the concept of downtime. Up until recently, I was working full-time at the mill and volunteering in all my spare hours with the Rock Creek Search and Rescue.
The little town of Rock Creek has experienced a boom in population and tourism in the last few months, and for better or worse, there's now a need for full-time staff with search and rescue. It's my life calling, and if I could, I'd work twenty-four-seven. Especially since I'm just not good at time off.
Maybe that would be different if I had someone special in my life.
I have to admit, the thought has been popping into my head more and more frequently these days. And it's not just Briggs and Jaxon; it feels like all my buddies are starting to get paired up.
When I moved to Rock Creek, I more or less resigned myself to the fact that I wasn't likely to meet anyone special. At the time, it was a trade-off I was willing to make as long as I could provide for my little sister and help her through medical school.
Things have changed now.
With Mia married to Briggs, she was no longer my responsibility, and the shift has me thinking about what it might be like to have a partner of my own.
Briggs and Jaxon's sneaky as fuck move last night pissed me off because they had no right to go behind my back.
And a mail-order bride website? What the actual?—
Sure. It worked out for Jaxon. But what were the odds that it would work twice? Especially in the same middle-of-nowhere mountain town?
Still...
The thought was still picking at my brain hours later when I'd finished splitting and stacking a truckload of fresh firewood and finally called it a day.
