Protected by the Mountain Man (Whiskey Mountain #2)

Chapter Two

Scott

It’s her.

Ava. The girl I pulled out of a burning house five years ago and have thought about often since. She was so scared, trembling in my arms as I pulled her from her home as it crumbled around her. When I set her in the back of the ambulance, she looked up at me with tear-filled hazel eyes like the world had just ended. In a way, hers had. But mine was just beginning.

That was my first week on the job. I was freshly back from six years in the military, twenty-five and not sure how to adjust back to civilian life. My mentor had suggested I join the fire department as a way to ease back in after years spent on deployment. I had just finished my training and was settling in at the firehouse when we got the call that a house had gone up in smoke and a girl needed to be rescued.

So, for the first time, I threw on all of my gear, jumped on the truck, and took the call that changed my life. When I got up to that window and saw the most beautiful girl I had ever seen, long brown hair and freckled cheeks, gorgeous despite the terror she was facing, I knew I was meant to be at the fire department that day.

As I brought her down to the ground, I knew I had to walk away. I could already tell I was too old for her, that she was going through the worst night of her life, now wasn’t the time to pursue something more. So, I made sure she was okay and headed back to my team, but not before she stopped me, yelling out her thanks.

I never forgot her name, or how she made sure to thank me in the midst of the biggest tragedy of her life. I checked around for her for a few months after that, but found out her family only summered in Whiskey Mountain and had decided not to rebuild. I caught wind of when her parents would visit their small cabin, but never her. Until now .

When she says my name, something lights up inside of me. She remembers. I can’t help but hope she thought of me as often as I thought of her these last few years.

“Ava,” I say, dropping her burger in front of her. Ethan and Luna are looking back and forth at us like they can’t believe what they’re hearing. After a slightly awkward silence, Ava continues.

“You… you remember me?” she asks, her pale cheeks turning red. The last five years have treated her well, her maturing features have only made her more beautiful. Her hair falls in gorgeous waves and I can’t believe that this is happening.

“Of course I remember you, honey,” I say with a wink, struck by my own confidence in this moment. “Could never forget the woman from my first fire call.” She laughs at that. “I could never forget you either,” she says.

“Back up,” Ethan interrupts. “How do you know each other?”

“Remember when I first got back from Afghanistan and couldn’t figure out what to do with myself so I joined the firehouse?” Ethan nods, he experienced something similar when he got back, and that’s how we connected and eventually opened up this spot. It gave us something to learn and focus on, and we both think it was the best thing we’ve ever done. It’s helped Whiskey Mountain and given us a purpose.

“Well, Ava here was my first rescue. Her house went up in flames my first night on duty and I pulled her out of a window.”

“He did,” Ava confirms. “You saved my life,” she says, looking straight at me, brown-green eyes piercing me like they did back then.

“It was nothing, honey,” I say, staring right back.

“Well, looks like we should let you two catch up,” Luna says with a laugh. “It was so nice to finally meet you, Ava.” She pulls Ethan along with her and they get back to work.

Ava pulls her plate closer to her, looking unsure of whether she should start eating or not.

“Dig in, I don’t want to let it get cold. What are you drinking?”

“Cider. I’ve tried it from the grocery store before, but it’s eve better on draught,” she says before lifting the burger to her mouth. She takes a bit and the moan she lets out sends blood rushing straight to my dick.

I wonder if she would make the same sound if it was me in her mouth instead?

I snap back to reality, eager for anything to take my mind of how attracted to her I am. How attracted to her I’ve been for the last five years . I clear my throat, trying to pull my eyes away from her lips. “Oh, yeah… we brew it here. It took us a few years to perfect it, but it’s our most popular drink. I’m working on developing a pear cider next, maybe you can be my taste tester.”

She laughs and tells me she’d be happy to try anything I make, which again sends my mind straight to the gutter.

“When did you open this place?” she asks, picking a fry up and dipping it in her ranch. Just the way I like them, too. It’s like she was made for me.

“About three years ago. Ethan and I connected at a local veteran’s group and when this space came up, we thought it was the perfect opportunity to start something new.”

“That’s great. I always wondered if you were still a firefighter, or if you even still lived here,” she says, meeting my eyes once again.

“I still volunteer at the house once a month, but decided I needed something a little less stressful for my daily life. I stayed on for a few years after I met you, but knew I needed something different, more stable.”

“Well, I’m glad you found it.”

“What happened to you after the fire?” I ask, no longer able to contain my curiosity. I want to know everything about her, and I don’t see any use in trying to hide that. She looks surprised at my bluntness, but quickly shakes it off.

“My parents decided it wasn’t worth rebuilding with me going off to school and spending less time here. They kept our cabin, but I didn’t feel ready to come back yet. I took a year off instead of heading straight to school. I was dealing with a lot of guilt, thinking that the fire was my fault, and really needed to do something to clear my head. I spent the year travelling and searching for plants around the country. The time in nature helped me get back on track and this year I graduated with a degree in botany. I’m back here, searching to see if this specific type of fern can grow in mountain climates, and if it could help in reforestation efforts in California. I hope to continue my research at the local university… but that’ll only happen if I find something.”

She finishes, looking sheepish at how much she just told me. I reach out my hand and place it on hers on the bar, wanting her to know I could listen to her talk for hours.

“That’s great, honey. I’m sorry you dealt with so much pain after the fire, you know it wasn’t your fault, right?”

“I do. I know it turned out to be electrical, but for so long after I was terrified to even look at an oven. School and lots of time outside, and endless talks with my parents, have helped me realize that nothing I could have done would have stopped it.” She flips her palm upwards under mine and squeezes my hand.

“Thank you,” she says, still holding my hand. “For saving me that night. For remembering me now. It means a lot.”

I squeeze her hand back. “I have to check on some things out back, but don’t leave until you see me,” I say, more demanding than asking. But I can’t let her get away this time. This time, she’s mine.

“Okay,” she says with a smile, before letting go of my hand and bringing her cider to her lips. I walk away, but not without turning to give her a wink. She laughs again and I think it might be the best sound I’ve ever heard.

I head back to the office, needing to finish up the ordering before the 10 o’clock deadline, rushing through it so I can get back to Ava as soon as possible.

As I’m clicking submit, a shuffle by the door sends me turning around, where I see my best friend looking at me with a shit eating grin on his face. The expression makes me laugh before he even starts speaking.

“Honeyyyyy,” Ethan says, still grinning. “How the hell have you never told me about her?”

“I don’t know, honestly. She was my first rescue and she seemed so young, and honestly, I never thought I would see her again after I heard her parents weren’t rebuilding. But I guess fate had other plans,” I say.

“Well, you better get her this time. I’ve never seen you so smitten, and we’ve been friends for years,” Ethan says. “Now get back out there before she leaves without you.” He slaps me on the back as I squeeze past him and head back to the front.

I step back into the bar area and see Luna chatting with customers, but the look she throws me tells me something is wrong. I look to where Ava was sitting and see some guy saddled right up next to her, arm balanced over the back of her chair. She clearly looks uncomfortable, and I’m in no mood to have her feeling anything but fucking delighted while she’s in my brewery.

I stomp over, seeing read as the fucker next to her turns to me, slicked back hair and red-rimmed eyes meet me. He’s wearing a button-down shirt with a quarter zip sweater over it, very clearly a guy from the finance retreat in town this week. I’ve had enough of them, their drunken antics, and their shitty tips.

“Move,” I say.

“Whose gonna make me?” the slimeball says, slurring his words. God, this guy is pathetic.

“The owner of this fucking place,” I growl, tossing his arm off the back of Ava’s chair and taking my place beside her. She looks at me with thanks in her eyes, clearly glad to have someone get this loser off her back.

“Jesus, man. She’s a free woman. Isn’t that right, Anna?”

“It’s Ava, you piece of shit. Get the fuck out of my bar. Better yet, get the fuck out of my town. People like you are the reason tourists get a bad rap.” I reach forward and pull his chair back. He finally gets the hint and stands, wobbling off while muttering something about being too rich to get treated like this. Good fucking riddance.

I promptly take his seat and pull Ava’s chair closer to mine. No use beating around the bush.

She laughs as I pull her in, turning the chair so her legs are wedged between mine and it feels so perfect, so natural, that I know she was meant to be in here tonight.

“That guy was a fucking moron,” I say.

“He was telling me about how I should invest in a boat,” she says, rolling her eyes. “Thanks for saving me… again.”

“I’ll always save you, honey.” I wink at her before flagging down Luna to pass us a few drinks. I want to get to know everything I can about this woman because I have a feeling she’s going to be mine.