My Mountain Man Valentine (Wild Heart Mountain: Mountain Heroes #7)

1. Ethan

1

ETHAN

T hunder rumbles overhead, and I glance up at the grey clouds gathering above us. We’ve got about an hour left of light before this search becomes more difficult.

A lost schoolgirl always brings a town together, and this afternoon half of the folks from Wild Heart Mountain are out in force. Even the Wild Riders Motorcycle Club have ridden across from their side of the mountain to join the search.

I trudge through the mud that the combination of rain and too many boots has created to check in at the temporary search headquarters.

“There’s no sign of her down the Sunburst Trail.”

Suzie thrusts a hot drink into my hand, and I clasp it between my cold fingers and let the heat seep into my bones.

I’ve been out searching for the last hour, ever since we got the call that there was a girl missing. A school group came up from Winter Town today, about an hour south of the mountain, and one of them disappeared while they were taking shelter from a downpour.

Within an hour we had a team up here and pop-up canopy set up where we could run our operations.

I give Suzie an update on the specifics of where I’ve searched, and she marks it on the map which is laid out on a trestle table.

“That man taking you out for Valentine’s Day tonight?” I try a half smile, hoping to get Suzie’s mind on something other than the missing girl.

She smiles thinly. “He was. But he’s joined the search with Alex so…” She trails off and shrugs her shoulders.

“So we’ll find the girl and all get home in time for our dates,” I say confidently.

Suzie raises her eyebrows incredulously. “You’ve got a date?”

“Not me.” I shake my head. “I’ve got a date with my TV and a cold beer. I meant all you other loved up suckers.”

She laughs and shakes her head before glancing at the map and turning serious again. “In the name of making sure the residents of Wild Heart Mountain can all go home in time for their Valentine’s Day dates, where else can we search for this girl?”

She points to the map of the area spread out on the table. “We’ve got Alex and the dog heading south down the Mid Peak Trail, a team of parents and locals spread out through the forest in the immediate vicinity, and Landon is leading a team north.”

She worries her bottom lip as her finger trails to the one area we haven’t yet searched. The waterfall.

“I can’t see how she would have got that far in the short time she’s been missing…” Suzie trails off, no doubt thinking about her own kids.

A shiver goes down my spine. I’m childless, but no one wants to think about what might have happened to this little girl if she’s gone to the waterfall and not wandered down the trail heading back to town like we hope.

“I’ll go. I’ll check the caves behind Giant’s Balls--” which refers to the name the locals give the part of the stream where giant boulders make for a short burst of burbling rapids, “—then head down to the main waterfall.”

I trace the path I’m going to take on the map, and Suzie makes some notes.

I grab a protein bar from the desk and throw a few extra into my backpack before heading back out.

Behind the canopy, parents stand in clusters holding their kids tightly. One family gives an interview to a local TV station.

I think about going over there and telling them to get the hell off my mountain. A little girl is missing while on a school trip, and they’re spreading fear and speculation about what might have happened. In reality, she probably wandered off the trail and is sheltering from the rain somewhere. But the media is already speculating about bear attacks and abduction.

I pull the hood up on my high vis jacket and head down the trail that leads to the stream. There’s a good place to cross the river about a mile out that will take me to the caves.

The trail heads down a short slope to the water, and I scan the area as I walk. A team has already checked the river but I keep an eye out for anything purple, which is the color of the coat she was wearing.

I turn the bend and stop short at the sight before me.

A woman is bent over examining something on the ground. She’s bent from the hips, sending a perfect round peach of an ass into the air. Her black leggings hug her voluptuous butt, making me want to reach a hand out and squeeze just to see how juicy her peaches are.

I shake my head to clear it, because this is not the time to fantasize about some stranger’s perfect butt. I’m not an asshole, and a girl is missing.

“You see something down there?”

The woman startles at my voice and jerks upright. She spins around with one hand over her chest, a chest that heaves up and down, showing off the outline of breasts that are just as juicy as the ass that was on display. Not that I can see the breasts under her coat. It’s zipped right up to her neck, not even allowing me a peek of skin.

“You startled me.” Her voice is faint, barely a whisper, and I step closer to hear her.

The woman wears her dark hair pulled back in a severe bun, and she pushes wire framed glasses back up on her nose. “I was trying to decide if that’s a shoe print or just a smudge.”

She steps back so I can take a look, and as I shuffle past her I catch the scent, so faint, of lavender and rain.

I crouch in the dirt and look at the print she’s talking about. There’s definitely an indent in the mud. With the rain we had earlier, the earth is damp, making for good prints. But that’s not a human print.

“A bobcat.”

The woman gasps, and her hand goes to her chest again. “Poor Olivia.”

I really shouldn’t have said that out loud.

“It’s an old print,” I lie. “And there’s no sign the little girl went this way.”

The woman regards me with sharp eyes. I’m not fooling her. “Then why are you here?”

I run a hand over my chin, grazing my fingers on the stubble that’s starting to form. “Because we’re covering all our bases. There are caves this way, and I want to check that she’s not holed up in there.”

The woman nods once as if approving of my reasoning. “I’m coming with you.”

It’s off the main trail and treacherous with the rain we’ve had, more of a scramble than a walk and not good for civilians. “If you want to help, you’re better off staying with the other parents. I’m sure Olivia will be found soon.” I put on my best reassuring voice but the woman keeps staring at me intently, like she can see right through me.

“I’m not a parent.” She looks away, and her bottom lip wobbles. For a horrible moment, I think she’s going to cry. Then she straightens her shoulders and turns back to me with resolve. “I’m her teacher.”

My gaze scans over the woman in front of me with her sensible walking shoes, zipped up coat, severe hair, and wire rimmed glasses. If I had to pick a teacher out of a line up, she’d be it. But that doesn’t mean I want a civilian trailing me.

“I’m sorry this happened on your school trip. But you’re better off waiting back at the tent. Suzie will be the first to know if there’s any news.”

She shakes her head. “No. I’m coming with you. Especially if there’s a bobcat around.” She shivers. “I can’t bear the thought of Olivia…”

She frowns and looks away, and I put a hand on her shoulder. It’s supposed to be reassuring, but something sparks between us. A jolt of electric current. Her head turns in surprise, and I pull my hand away.

The woman looks up at me with wide green eyes made wider through her glasses, like jewels that sparkle in her un-made up face. My breath hitches, and a strange feeling spreads in my chest. She’s pretty, despite hiding behind her severe expression.

“I’m coming with you,” she says again. “Olivia was my responsibility. I’m not leaving her behind.”

“No one’s leaving her behind,” I say gently. “But you’ll be better off with one of the other groups if you want to help. This way might be treacherous.”

Her gaze sweeps over me. “You’re an ex-military man, right?”

I raise my eyebrows, but I shouldn’t be surprised that a schoolteacher can read me so easily. “Yeah.”

“I thought so.” She smiles briefly, then it’s gone. “Would you leave a man behind? When you were serving?”

“No, of course not.”

“I’m not leaving Olivia behind. Plenty of other people are searching the trails. I’m coming with you. She loved waterfalls. She might be here.”

She’s determined, and this conversation is wasting time. If this woman wants to trail me, then I’m not going to waste precious light arguing with her.

“Fine. But don’t do anything stupid. We’ve got a child missing. We don’t need another injury.”

She nods once and falls into step behind me.

As I push though the shrub that leads down to the river, I wonder if I’ve done the right thing, but there’s something about this curvy teacher trailing behind me that gives me a new energy.