Page 8 of Scarred Mountain Man
“I’ve been working so hard,” I said. “I haven’t had a chance to really spend much time doing fun stuff here. Even when we start taking the kids up into the mountains, it’s not going to be the same as enjoying it myself.”
“We’ll have to do something about that,” Ryder said. “You know what they say about all work and no play.”
The thought of Ryder showing me how to have fun definitely appealed to me. Any excuse to be around this guy.
“That would be great,” I said. “It’s been tough. My best friend introduced me to a bunch of her friends, but everyone seems to be either married or close to it.”
I let out a sigh, then took another long sip from my margarita before returning my attention to the food in front of me. It was so delicious, I had to hold myself back from gobbling it all up.
“The buddy who brought me here is in a relationship,” he said. “Has been for a couple of months. He doesn’t talk about it, though, and I don’t ask. That’s just the way guys operate. Someone said they’re thinking about moving in together.”
I gasped and stared at him. How did I not piece this together? There weren’t that many unmarried young women in this town. My best friend was one of them—for now.
“Your friend wouldn’t be dating my best friend, would he?”
He looked confused for a second. But then he asked, “The woman I met tonight?”
“Yep. Daisy. Pretty much as soon as she moved here, she met a logger. She calls him a lumberjack. I don’t know the difference.”
“We’re all technically lumberjacks. But yeah, we don’t walk around with axes, chopping down trees manually anymore. Not unless the equipment won’t get into a certain area.”
I sat back in my seat, fork still in my hand, poised over my food, its tines dug into a heaping of refried beans. “That’s why,” I said, almost speaking to myself.
“Why what?”
“Why she acted so weird when we left together. I thought she was playing matchmaker, but I think she knew who you were.”
“Probably. If she’s dating Axel, we’re on the same logging crew. I’m one of the few single guys.”
Single. Even though I suspected it, it was nice to hear confirmation that he was completely uninvolved. I would have been heartbroken to learn he had a girlfriend.
That thought gave me more pause than the realization that my best friend was dating his friend. Heartbroken? Was my heart already that deep into this?
How had I let that happen? I was supposed to be focusing on my career and getting settled here. I didn’t have the time or mental energy to get all caught up in a guy.
But here I was, two weeks in, leaving myself vulnerable to someone. How could I resist him, though? I’d never met anyone like him. It was doubtful I ever would.
“Have you seen Point of View yet?”
His question pulled me out of my thoughts. It actually made me realize how deep I’d drifted into them.
I shook my head. “I assume that’s some sort of scenic overlook?”
“It’s at the very top of the mountain. The main road leads right up to it. It’s the uppermost lookout point in this entire town. I can show you after dinner…you know, if you’re interested.”
He wasn’t looking at me. His fajita plate had long ago stopped sizzling, so the silence that followed was more noticeable.
“Maybe we could get a to-go order of fried ice cream and eat it once we get there,” I finally said.
I’d been thinking about that fried ice cream since we sat down. Suddenly, the idea of eating it while looking out at a beautiful view next to this guy felt like the best night ever.
“What if it melts between here and the top?” Ryder asked.
I shrugged and gave him a teasing smile. “I guess that’s the challenge. Can we make it up there before it melts?”
6
RYDER
