Mountain Man #vibes (Bitterroot Mountain Range #1)

Chapter 1

M ac Callahan didn't trust strangers. Not in the mountains. Not in his campground. And especially not when they showed up in a vehicle that looked like it had been spit out by the Bitterroot Mountain Range itself.

He stood outside the lodge, arms crossed over his chest, watching the Jeep inch along the gravel road as if it were begging for someone to put it out of its misery. Dust clung to the windshield, and the tires were on the brink of a blowout.

He could tell it was a woman driver by the way she parked in front of the lodge like she'd done it a hundred times before. Like she belonged here.

Men, when they pulled up, drove slower, swiveled their heads more, and looked at the scenery as they reached the alpine lake.

The visitor was out of her element.

The driver's side door creaked open. Mac narrowed his eyes.

A woman jumped down. He grunted. She was young, maybe in her mid-twenties, wearing a sundress and a backpack slung over one bare shoulder.

He ogled her curves. Her whiskey-colored hair was twisted into a messy bun, and her cowgirl boots looked fresh from a department store, not a trailhead.

If he hadn't spoken directly with every camper that had ever stayed at the campground, he at least had gotten a good look at them, and he hadn't seen her before.

She shaded her eyes and looked up at him with the prettiest white smile he'd ever seen. "Is this where I check into the Bitterroot Mountain Range Campground?"

Her voice was soft. Not timid, but gentle. Like she hadn't experienced any hardships in her life yet.

"It is," he said finally.

"Do you work here?"

He dipped his chin.

She moved forward. Her boots kicked up little dust clouds with each step. "I have a reservation for a month-long stay. My name's Lauren Holt."

He didn't need to check the ledger. He remembered the name. It had come through two weeks ago, booked online. Paid in full with an added note. Social Media Content Creator seeking solitude.

He called bullshit. Around here, there was no Wi-Fi, no cell service, and nobody to serve her a glass of wine or make her bed. If she really wanted solitude, he gave her a week before she hightailed it out of the mountains.

"Check-in time isn't until two o'clock," he said.

"I figured I'd beat the storm." She raked her teeth over her bottom lip, letting go of it with a snap. "I can wait in my Jeep until the cabin is ready." She looked behind her and smiled. "Maybe sit by the lake."

He glanced at the sky. Heavy, gray clouds were rolling in fast. She wasn't wrong. But that didn't mean he liked her timing. When things failed to run on a schedule, it made him irritable. He wanted to know what was going to happen. He hated surprises.

"Sorry, I didn't get your name," she blurted.

"Mac. You'll be in Cabin Four," he said. "Keys are inside."

She nodded but made no move to go on her way. "I'd like to explore while I'm here. Do you have a map of different areas of the mountain?"

"Stay on the paths. Don't wander."

She frowned. "Do you tell all visitors that?"

"I'd tell any woman who is here alone not to wander off." He paused. "The mountains don't forgive."

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"There's rugged terrain out there. The mountain doesn't give anyone second chances. You must respect nature for the wildness it offers. If you go out there without acknowledging that the mountain is more dangerous than its beauty suggests, you'll pay a steep price."

"Are you trying to scare me?"

Mac's jaw tightened. "You asked. I answered."

She smiled again, and this time it hit him low and hard. Like a gut punch he hadn't braced for.

"I guess I'll find out." She peered around her.

"I can't believe how gorgeous it is here.

I'm excited to check out the lake and the trails.

I've never stayed in a cabin without electricity before.

Though I've gone tent camping twice over the weekend.

It was fun, but the ground was hard. Some people told me I needed an air mattress.

" She laughed. "Of course, I learned that after the trips.

This time I'm better prepared. I brought so much stuff, knowing I was going to stay in a cabin. It's almost like I'm moving in."

She talked too much. She also disregarded everything he'd warned her about.

The world was full of danger. In the Bitterroot Mountain Range, it was ten times worse. If two-legged creatures didn't get you, then four-legged creatures would. Not to mention one stumble, one wrong turn could get you killed.

Lauren looked at him again. "How dangerous are the hiking trails? Like, beginner, moderate, experienced hikers only?"

His problem with her asking sent warning bells off for him. Campers, vacationers, and nature lovers visited for the calmness they found around the lake. The wildlife they got to commune with. The slower pace away from cell phones and work.

They didn't come asking how dangerous the campground was right off the bat or mention they were on social media—whatever the fuck that entailed. More than likely, she'll be inside the cabin, shut off from the world, not worrying about dangerous things.

"Just stay on the designated paths and you'll be safe," he said.

"Awesome. Thank you." She walked toward the lodge.

Her hips swayed, making him curse under his breath. He didn't do young. He didn't do soft. And he sure as hell didn't do women who belonged in the city.

But Lauren Holt was already under his skin because he had a weakness for curvy brunettes. Thick. Solid. Weighted in all the right places. Whatever she wanted to call herself, she had his idea of the perfect body.

And that was a problem.

Mac waited until she disappeared inside the lodge before he walked down the steps and headed toward the two-story pole barn.

His cousins, Beckett and Cord, were inside, tuning up the snowmobiles.

The winter season was still months away, but with summer at its peak, campers coming and going, and every cabin and tent site full, they needed to complete the time-consuming jobs when they could find free time.

"Our new camper is here," Mac said.

Cord didn't look up. "Which one?"

Mac grunted. "The social media something or other."

"Is that her official title?" Beckett wiped his hands on a rag.

"Nope." He paused. "Content creator."

Beckett tossed the rag in his direction. "By Friday, we'll have a full campsite."

Mac took a toothpick out of the front pocket of his flannel shirt and held it between his teeth. Then, he leaned against the workbench and crossed his arms. He never looked forward to peak camping season.

Cord glanced at him. "Let's hope for quiet campers, calm weather, and smooth operations."

Mac, Beckett, and Cord inherited the campground from their grandparents, Charles and Evelyn Callahan. They'd spent their childhood running wild on the mountain during the summertime, staying out of sight of the campers and exploring every inch of the land.

They went from graduating high school to helping his grandpa run the campground.

By the time he was thirty and Beckett and Cord were twenty-nine, they were managing the campground on their own.

About nine years ago, old age caught up with his grandparents, and they passed away within six months of each other.

There was never any question about whether they would keep the campground open. Now at forty-five years old, he rarely went off the mountain and preferred the solitude of his cabin.

Living here gave his son, Jetter, the childhood he deserved in the summer before he had to move back into town and live with Tara, the kid's mother.

No drama. No women. His kid could turn into a man on the mountain.

That's how he enjoyed life.

He wasn't going to let Lauren Holt get under his skin, even if she was eye candy and a long-term camper. She'd paid for a month's stay, but she'd probably be gone by the weekend.

"I'm going down to the lake and make sure the Fraiser party returned all the canoes." He stepped out of the pole building. "When is the new hire from town coming? Did you say her name's Ava?"

"Avaline. Last I heard, this afternoon." Cord pulled the stool around to the front of the snowmobile. "I asked her if she wanted one of us to bring her up, but she was waiting until her ex left town so that she could bring her car. Apparently, she doesn't want him finding her."

"Bad business," mumbled Beckett.

Avaline approached them the moment the snow melted that spring, asking for a job.

They took a chance and hired Avaline to spend the summer managing reservations, the lodge, and cleaning the cabins after guests left.

Until now, they had only considered the idea of hiring an outsider.

In return, Avaline would have a safe place to escape her abusive ex-husband.

Her arrival would allow Mac to work around the campground with less interaction with the people.

If it worked out and Avaline planned to work next summer, she was free to spend the winter in one of the cabins.

He scanned the area and spotted Lauren sitting outside Cabin Four, wrapped in a blanket, staring out at the lake like the water held secrets. Her hair was now loose around her shoulders, and she had her head tilted, studying the scene in front of her.

She looked peaceful. But Mac knew better.

Women like that were always looking for trouble.

"Where's Jetter?" Cord sat on the stool.

He looked away from the young woman. "He was up and out of the cabin by the time I woke up. He's probably fishing at the end of the lake."

''The boy does love to fish."

So had his grandpa. There were days he sure missed the old man. It would've been nice for Jetter to learn the skills he had, living off the land, from the one who'd taught him everything he knew.