Protective (Mail Order Mountain Men #1)

Chapter Six

Chevy

“So, you’re just sitting in the parking lot staring at her?” my buddy Ryder says with a chuckle. “Dude, just tell her who you are. I’m sure she’d take a ride from you if she knew you were the guy she’s been talking to.”

I’ve never thought of myself as an insecure guy, but right now, I’m feeling like a thirteen-year-old at a high school prom. Maybe it’s because I haven’t dated in so long, or maybe it’s because Heather is so beautiful. I don’t know how she’s single. “She wasn’t into me, man. I could tell.”

“What? She wasn’t into you or you weren’t into her?” Saws draw in the background as Ryder talks. He’s down at the sawmill in the valley.

“No, I’m really into her. She’s gorgeous. She’s just… young. When she saw me, she looked like she was talking to an old man.”

“How young?”

“Mid-thirties, maybe.”

“Okay,” Ryder groans. “That’s younger than you, but it’s not too young. Dude, you’re in your head. You said her tires are flat, so I’m sure she didn’t recognize your voice because she’s stressed. Go introduce yourself. You’re a great guy. She’d be lucky to know you.”

“Thanks, Mom.” I stare out the window like a creep from the other side of the treeline. I figured sitting in the lot any longer would make me look like a stalker, though I think this would fall under the category of stalking as well. That said, there’s no way I’m leaving her here alone with the incoming snowstorm and all four tires deflated. That doesn’t just happen. Someone caused that. Someone who’s going to get their ass kicked.

“You’ve got this, so I gotta run. I’ve gotta grab thirty more boards before this storm puts us out.”

I turn down the heater. “Good luck, man. I’ll call you for a beer when the weather clears.”

“I’m countin’ on it.” He hangs up the line and I go back staring through the pine toward the gorgeous girl in the parking lot. Her head leans back against the seat and she draws in a deep breath before releasing it. Her lips are pink and plump, and her blonde hair lays softly on her shoulder as she fingers through it.

I shouldn’t be picturing those pretty lips dropping open as she moans the way she did earlier, but I can’t help myself. Picturing her innocent curved frame moaning and arching, touching herself… fuck .

My cock is hard again at the thought. Not only that but seeing her in person has me wanting things I didn’t think I’d want with anyone. I’m seeing a house full of kids, a family Christmas, and late nights snuggled up on the couch. Shit I’m not even sure I can have any of that anymore. Who the fuck am I to try and have kids at this age?

What the fuck is wrong with me?

Snow falls heavier and clouds the view from this side of the parking lot to the next, but it’s clear enough that I notice a black pickup truck pull into the lot in front of Heather’s car. My chest tightens as I watch a young man in a down jacket climb from the vehicle with a shit-eating grin.

Here we fucking go! Blood boils under my skin. There's no doubt in my mind who this asshole is, and though I’m sure I’d be best suited to sit here and let this scenario play out on its own, I see red, lay on the gas, and drive my ass right back into the parking lot with my pistol drawn.

This is why I’ll always be alone.