Page 7 of Scarred Mountain Man
“Not very crowded,” she said. “That’s a good thing.”
I glanced at her. For a moment, something flashed through my mind. Was she worried about being seen with a guy with a big scar on his cheek? I’d never been self-conscious about it. In fact, I was damn proud of it.
Not many people knew the story behind that scar, though, and it felt like I was less attractive to women. It hadn’t really mattered until now. I’d sworn off dating. I’d lost too many people I cared about. I couldn’t even stomach the thought of falling for someone and knowing I could lose her.
But suddenly, I was questioning all that. And it also made me aware that I wanted to be the best person possible for the woman seated next to me.
“You okay?” she asked.
I realized I’d been sitting there staring at the restaurant as my thoughts spun. No doubt to her, it looked more than a little weird.
“Yeah, fine.” I reached for my door handle. “Let’s go get some tacos.”
5
SUMMER
The man seated across from me was a true hero. I thought I’d met heroes in my life—men who helped women change flat tires or rescued cats from burning buildings. But this guy had actually put his life on the line to rescue hostages. Was there anything sexier than that?
“My food’s a little noisy,” Ryder said with a grimace.
It took me a second to realize what he was talking about, but then I heard it—a sizzling sound that signaled the approach of his fajitas. I’d been sipping on my margarita and enjoying my chips and salsa so much, I’d forgotten food was on the way.
That was a first, and it had everything to do with the man seated across from me. I just felt like we were in our own world when we were together.
It all felt so natural. I was nervous, sure, but the conversation flowed. He seemed like he’d be a man of few words, but he was great at asking questions and listening. I’d never dated anyone like that before.
Was this a date? No, I was buying him dinner to thank him for helping me out. That was all.
Once my combo platter and his fajitas were in front of us and the server was gone, I picked up the conversation by asking about him. “Where did you grow up?”
He looked up, eyes wide. My question had clearly surprised him. Did he expect me to just keep talking about myself? Probably. That was what the average person would do. But I genuinely wanted to know more about him.
“I grew up all over,” he said, returning his attention to the still-sizzling plate of food in front of him.
“Was your dad in the military?”
He shook his head. “My dad was never around. My mom had issues, so I was shuffled from relative to relative. Luckily, I had a lot of them, but they were spread out all over the country.”
His tone had shifted now. I sensed a hint of sadness, as though he was fighting to hide the pain that was always there.
Maybe I should change the subject. I didn’t want to take him down a dark road.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “We can talk about something else.”
“No.” He shook his head. “It’s no big deal.”
He didn’t look at me as he said the words. Sure, he was busy. He was stacking meat and onions and peppers onto his tortilla. But I had a feeling the lack of eye contact had little to do with that.
He wasn’t normally someone who opened up about this type of stuff. I definitely sensed that. But he wasn’t exactly opening up.
“So, where was your favorite place you ever lived?” I asked, eager to shift the topic to something more cheerful.
“Hawaii, without a doubt,” he said. “But you know what? If we’re counting my life so far, including where I lived during my time in the military, I’d say Seduction Summit. This is, hands-down, my favorite.”
My eyes widened. I could see that. It was a beautiful town, especially as you drove up into the mountains. We were in cottages that didn’t even have a view, though, and as hard as I’d been working lately, I’d spent very little time exploring the town.
That was about to change. Daisy had made it clear we were going to take the kids on some excursions. But it wouldn’t be the same as having Ryder show me around.
