Matched to the Mountain Man (Mountain Man Mail Order Bride)

Jamie

T he weight of the mission still clings to me as I push open the heavy door of the Rock Creek Search and Rescue office in Rock Creek. The small room smells of stale coffee and damp clothing. I step inside and let the door swing shut behind me.

I drop my bag on the chair and attempt to roll the ache from my shoulders. All my muscles scream in protest, and my mind still replays the chaos of the last forty-eight hours.

"I didn't expect you back here tonight," a familiar voice comes from across the room. "It's late, ."

"I could say the same to you."

Briggs, leaning back in his chair with his boots propped up on the old wooden table, smirks at me. His green eyes, although exhausted the way we all are, glitter with amusement.

"Someone has to hold down the fort," he says.

Ignoring him, I cross the room and grab a water bottle from the fridge. "It was a team effort," I say after draining half the bottle. "And you know it."

He nods in agreement. Rescuing the lost hiker from the mountain had gone smoothly as far as rescue operations go, but that's only because all of us work so well together and have mutual respect for each other's skills.

Plus, we're all close in real life. It helps to know the guys who have your back on the mountain also have it at home.

"You should go home and get some sleep, . You look exhausted."

If anyone should go home, it's him. After all, he was the one with a wife and twin babies. "Shouldn't you be the one leaving?" I drop into the overstuffed chair across from him. "To my sister." The moment the words are out of my mouth, I regret them. "That will never stop being weird."

Briggs is my best friend and now, also my brother-in-law. My kid sister surprised me with a visit to Rock Creek when I was away on a training mission, so I put my best friend in charge of keeping her safe until I got back, and...well...like I said, they're now married—very, very happily—and have twin babies.

Don't get me wrong. I love to see Mia happy. She means everything to me. And Briggs is a great guy—otherwise, he wouldn't be my best friend—but it's still strange seeing them make out in front of me. Which they did. A lot.

"You love it," Briggs says with a laugh, and when I raise my eyebrow, he adds, "Well, maybe you don't love all of it. But you'd feel differently if you had your own woman."

I shake my head and finish off my water. Maybe. But I can't possibly know that. Because I don't have one. And in a town as small as Rock Creek, it's not like there are a lot of options.

"I don't see that happening, Briggs. Not all of us are lucky enough to fall in love with our best friend's sisters." I crumple up my empty bottle and toss it into the recycling bin. "Unless you have a sister you haven't told me about yet?"

"If I did, I'd keep her the hell away from you, ." My buddy laughs. "That's just too weird thinking about your baby sister getting bent over?—"

"No!" I hold up my hand to stop any further description because hearing the details of their very active sex life is the last thing I need after the day I've had.

Briggs is still laughing when the door opens a minute later and his brother, Jaxon, walks in. "What's so funny?" Jaxon looks between us. "Also, good job out on the mountain today, ."

We exchange a fist bump and Jaxon takes the chair next to mine.

"Thanks. I'm just glad it all worked out for the guy. Hopefully next time, he'll be more prepared before he heads out into the backcountry."

Jaxon nods in agreement before turning his attention back to his brother. "Did you tell him?"

Briggs, who'd finally stopped laughing, shakes his head and I look between my friends. "Tell me what?" Again, they exchange glances and I groan. "Seriously, guys. I do not. What's going on?"

"Remember a minute ago when you said there aren't any women up here on the mountain?" I'm not entirely sure I like where this is going, especially given the shifty way they're looking at each other.

Before I can answer, it's Briggs who picks up the question. "What about if that woman wasn't on the mountain but she wants to be?"

"What does that mean?" I focus my gaze on Jaxon because I'm pretty sure I do know what it means, and I don't like it.

He pulls his cell phone from his back pocket and busies himself with the screen for a moment before holding it out in my direction. "Don't get mad."

"I think I already am." My jaw twitches and I clench my teeth together. I'm way too tired for this bullshit.

Briggs holds up a hand. "Just wait until you?—"

"This better not be about that stupid website, Jax. I already told you, I'm not interested in ordering a bride." A few months ago, Jaxon Wolf used a website, like a lunatic, and ordered a mail-order bride who got on a bus and came to Rock Creek without even knowing what he looked like. The whole concept is insane.

Only it worked out for Jaxon and Ava.

It worked out really, really well actually. They were happily married with a baby due in a few months.

"I'm choosing not to knock you out for that comment," Jaxon says. "It's not a stupid website, . It gave me Ava."

I'm already shaking my head. This isn't happening right now. "And I'm glad for you," I say. "But you have to admit, that's pretty random. The odds of it working twice are?—"

"Pretty fucking good," Briggs says. "I looked into it, Mountain Mates has an excellent track record. You know I wouldn't let my best friend get involved with anything shady."

Jaxon smacks his brother in the chest. "But your brother?—"

"You didn't tell any of us you were doing it," Briggs says. "And if you had, we probably would have tried to talk you out of it." He looks at me. "But that was before I investigated it myself. This is legit, ."

"No." I cross my arms. I don't care what they've looked into or investigated or anything.

"But wait until you see her."

"I don't care."

"She's perfect, ."

"No." I turn away.

"But, it's such a good?—"

"Wait a minute." I spin around on my chair and focus on Jaxon. "Did you say she ?"

He nods and I don't miss the grin he exchanges with his brother. "You matched."

"I what?"

"It's a perfect match."

"Perfect?" My voice is low and cautious. I need to proceed with caution here. These two are up to something, and I'm pretty sure I don't want anything to do with it. "Do not tell me you matched me with someone."

Neither of them speaks. They don't need to.

"You created a fake profile and?—"

"It's not fake," Jaxon says. "It's all you. We used your photos and all of your info. It's legit."

"Fuck you." I'm too tired to be really angry. But I am way too tired to deal with whatever they're trying to pull. Slowly, I stand and stretch my aching muscles. I need a hot shower and a good night's sleep. I do not need to deal with these two assholes and whatever match-making game they're up to. "I'm out of here."

"You don't even want to know her name?"

"No."

"She's perfect," Jaxon says.

"Just look at a picture," Briggs tries.

"No." I grab my bag and sling it over my shoulder as I pull the door open. I have one foot out when I hear Jaxon say, "I'll email you the login information in case you change your mind."

I won't.

Moments before the door slams behind me, I hear Briggs mutter, "Fuck, I hope he looks."