Jingle Bell Bride For The Mountain Grump (Mountain Man Brides For Christmas #15)

Chapter 1

Chloe

“Isn’t this great???!!!” my friend Astrid asked excitedly.

“Yeah.. amazing.” I tried to summon the same amount of cheer as Astrid, but it didn’t work.

She was enthusiastic enough for both of us, though. So she didn’t notice that my smile was plastered on instead of natural.

We were in the middle of nowhere, on top of a mountain, waiting in line for A Snowy Sleigh Ride With Santa.

Her ex-boyfriend had bought the tickets a month ago. Unfortunately for Astrid, that same man became her ex before the sleigh ride happened.

There’d been some heated blow-out over the tickets, and before I could blink an eye, they’d gone from the cute couple traipsing towards the wedding aisle to bitter exes who hissed whenever the other’s name was mentioned.

Or at least, Astrid was hissing. I didn’t know if her ex was actually doing that, too.

But us ladies have to stick together, which was the reason I’d skipped out on an extra shift at the diner, and let my friend drive me an hour away from civilization and deep into the Ozark Mountains to stand in the frigid snow waiting for Santa.

I mustered up enough enthusiasm to say, “Oh, look! There’s the sleigh now.”

But the words dried up in my throat when I saw Santa.

“He doesn’t look like the Santa on the website,” Astrid said.

“No, he doesn’t.”

Santa was hot. Hot-as-fuck hot.

Anyone could see that.

“I guess he has his own beard, so he didn’t need to use a fake one,” she added while I tried valiantly to shut my mouth from where it had fallen open.

This Santa looked sexy… and more than a little grumpy.

His beard wasn’t white. It was dark brown, the same as his eyes. And he’d forgotten to put on his Santa suit. He was wearing a flannel, a pair of old jeans, a black winter coat, and a pair of thick, sturdy boots.

The only Santa thing about him was the sleigh and the hat on his head. Some of his hair was hanging down under the Santa hat, and it was dark brown, too… almost black.

I had a thing for men with dark hair. A parade of blonde men could sashay by me in nothing but their underwear, and I’d be looking past them for the dark-haired man brooding in the corner.

But I wasn’t looking for trouble today. In fact, I’d sworn off trouble. And I could tell already that Sexy Santa was trouble with a capital T.

His eyes flashed to the front of the line where Astrid and I were waiting, then stopped on me for a second, his lips furling down into a deep-set frown.

The second our eyes met, my breath caught in my throat, and my pulse started fluttering. I couldn’t look away. I was instantly trapped in his web.

Which was a problem, because I’d been in my life-after-men phase ever since Todd and I split up. But Santa was making me reconsider my decision to live life without a man.

“I didn’t know they made men that hot,” Astrid whispered to me.

“That one’s not for you. You’re still in mourning,” I dead-panned. “If anyone gets him, I do.”

“Mourning! It’s not like Jeff died. He just forgot to hide his asshole side from me. Besides, what would you do with a stud like that?” Astrid knew I was still a virgin.

I giggled, and the first real smile of the day popped out on my lips. “Don’t worry about that. I’d figure something out.”

Then we both laughed.

We were far enough away and talking quietly, so I was certain he couldn’t hear what we’d just said about him.

But despite that, his eyes flashed in irritation, and he growled, “Hurry up. All you get is fifteen minutes whether you’re in the sleigh or not. Clock’s ticking.”

There weren’t any reindeer. Just one tired horse. And the sleigh looked rickety up close. They must have photo-shopped the chipped paint away for the website picture.

Astrid hopped right on, but I asked, “Is it safe?”

The last thing I could afford was a sleigh-riding accident taking me out of commission for a while. Ever since Todd and I split, I’d been living worse than paycheck to paycheck. I needed every shift I could get.

It had caused me to become cautious in life.

“Yeah,” he barked, “it’s safe. Get on, or let the next group ride.”

Astrid grabbed my hand and pulled me in. “Come on, Chloe. You heard Santa. Get on.”

“Are there seatbelts?” I asked as I sat down on the bench seat.

Sexy Santa shook his head and muttered, “City women.” Then he urged the horse to start moving.

I guessed that was a no about the seatbelts.

“I’m Astrid, and this is my best friend, Chloe. Have you been doing this for a long time?”

“No. I’m just a fill-in,” he grumbled.

Hm. Definitely a grumpy one.

She continued, “We’re from Fernwood. We’ve never been to Red Oak Mountain before. It’s pretty here. Do you like it?”

He let out an audible sigh. “I’m just the driver. There’s no tour guide on this sleigh ride.”

Sexy Santa didn’t want to talk.

That was okay. I didn’t mind. I could just sit here and stare at his broad shoulders for the entire ride. My eyes drifted up to the flash of dark hair peeking out from under the Santa hat. His hair wasn’t long or short. It was in between, as though he were a few months overdue for a haircut.

I wanted to reach out and run my fingers through it, to find out if it was as soft as it looked.

Astrid continued, “Does it get cold? I imagine it must, riding around in a sleigh all day. What if it storms? Do you still do the sleigh rides then? I’d like to do one after an ice storm sometime. The whole world turns into an ice forest. It’s magical.”

His shoulders stiffened, and I could tell he just wanted silence. It must have been imperceptible to Astrid, even though I’d noticed it like a flashing neon warning sign. He spoke without words.

Don’t poke the bear.

“I’m just filling in. Look at the scenery. That’s the point of the ride. Not talking to me,” he rumbled, exasperation evident in his voice.

He must have a lot going on in his life.

There was no other explanation. My friend Astrid was gorgeous and a natural flirt. Most men fell over backward trying to get attention from her. And he was rebuffing her hard.

I almost felt bad for him. Whatever burden he was carrying seemed heavier than mine. My mood lifted for the second time today, and I found myself wanting to protect him. Which was a crazy response.

When Astrid started asking him another question, I cut her off quickly, squeezing her hand to get her attention and shaking my head no.

She looked confused but stopped talking.

The silence was actually nice. The three of us rode through the cold winter landscape with nothing but the sound of wind for company. A hush fell upon us, and I felt at peace for the first time in over a year. Maybe for the first time since I’d met Todd.

Dating him had been a terrible decision. Moving in with him had been even worse.

But now, for the first time since I’d left him, I could see a future life for myself.

Maybe I need to spend more time in nature.

Red Oak Mountain was beautiful. And all the fresh air seemed to be calming me.

My gaze drifted back to the nape of Santa’s neck again. He looked more relaxed now, as though the silence was working on him, too.

Only Astrid seemed discomforted. She was giving me what-the-fuck-is-wrong-with-you eyes, while squeezing my hand in a pattern that could have potentially been Morse code.

But then she couldn’t hold back any longer, her natural enthusiasm for life needing to fill every quiet moment like a vacuum.

“Have you lived here all your life? Do you like it here? Does it get lonely? Or do you have a family at home? Wife? Kids? No wedding ring. But a man like you must surely be married.”

He sighed and looked over his shoulder at us, making eye contact with me again. It felt like a wildfire flying between us, and a slow burn of heat erupted inside me. Just the man’s eyes made me melt. Add that to the timber of his voice, all rumbly and deep, and I turned into a puddle.

Sexy Santa was making me feel crazy inside. I wanted to climb into the front of his sleigh and ride him all the way to Christmas. A tiny giggle slipped out at the idea.

I should give him my V-card.

I’d been clutching on to it tight for years, waiting for the right man to whisk me off my feet and ride me into the sunset. Sexy Santa might ride me for a while, but I didn’t know if there’d be any happily ever afters.

Maybe that didn’t matter.

I just knew he was the one I wanted to give it to.

He opened his mouth and rumbled, “You haven’t said a word.” Then he flicked his eyes over to Astrid. “And you haven’t stopped talking. How does that work in a friendship?”