Sheltered By the Mountain Man (Mountain Man Mail Order Bride 2026 #13)

Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

ARRIVAL

AVA

The road to Bitterroot Ridge wound through mountains that made my chest tighten in ways I wasn't ready to examine.

Pine-thick ridges rose on either side of the narrow highway, their peaks lost in low cloud cover that promised snow.

I'd driven through worse, had rappelled down faces steeper than anything visible from this rental sedan, but my hands still gripped the wheel too hard.

You're fine. You're just checking him out. Nothing binding.

Except the messages on my phone said otherwise.

Two weeks ago, I matched with “Griffin H.” on Mountain Mates, a dating app for people who lived too far off-grid to meet anyone the normal way.

His profile was short, direct, and strangely sincere: Looking for a wife.

Someone brave enough to build something real.

We messaged for six days. Careful, quiet, promising. Enough for me to pack my life into a rental sedan and drive across three states to see if the spark, and the job, was real.

Perfect for someone trying to disappear.

The town emerged around a bend like something out of a tourism brochure. Main Street was lined with brick storefronts, each window decorated with paper hearts and twinkle lights. A banner stretched across the street: BITTERROOT RIDGE VALENTINE'S WEEK, FIND YOUR MATCH IN THE MOUNTAINS.

I pulled into a parking spot outside Town Hall, noting the terrain.

Avalanche paths to the northeast. Cell signal weak but present.

Roads already icy despite the afternoon sun.

Beautiful, right up until it killed someone.

This was the kind of place where the weather could turn fast, trapping people before they realized the danger.

I knew that lesson too well. A lesson written in rope burns and a fall I still heard in my sleep.

The Town Hall door swung open before I'd even killed the engine. A woman in her fifties burst onto the sidewalk, practically vibrating with enthusiasm. She wore a pink blazer that matched the hearts in every window, and her smile was so wide it made me instantly suspicious.

"Ava Winters! Oh, you're even prettier than your photo!" She rushed forward as I climbed out, pulling me into a hug before I could dodge. "I'm Mayor Vivian Collins. Welcome, welcome! We are so excited you're here!"

"Thanks." I extracted myself carefully, scanning the street. "I'm looking forward to meeting the team. Is Rafe..."

"First things first!" Vivian looped her arm through mine, steering me toward Town Hall with surprising strength.

"We have a little welcome reception set up.

Just a few key community members. Nothing fancy!

Well, maybe a little fancy. It's Valentine's week, after all, and we do love our celebrations here in Bitterroot. "

Warning bells went off. I'd specifically requested a low-key arrival. Meet Rafe, tour the SAR base, review protocols. Not whatever this was.

"I really should check in with the team first..."

"Oh, they'll all be there!" Vivian pushed through the double doors into a lobby decorated with enough hearts and ribbons to stock a craft store. A table held pink cupcakes and a punch bowl. About twenty people milled around, all turning to stare as we entered.

This was not a low-key arrival.

"Everyone!" Vivian clapped her hands. "Our Mountain Mates match has arrived!"

The room went silent. I froze.

"Excuse me?"

Vivian beamed. "Oh, don’t be shy! Griffin’s profile said he was finally ready for a partner, and then you matched, and decided to come all the way out here. It’s fate, dear."

My pulse stumbled. "Hold on. I matched with someone named Griffin, yes, but I assumed he wanted to meet me. That’s why I’m here."

"Exactly!" Vivian said brightly. "And when I saw his profile sitting there, unused, gathering dust, I may have… polished it. Just a little. Added some details. Uploaded a better photo. The man refuses to advertise himself properly."

Blood rushed in my ears. "You… edited his dating profile?"

"Oh, sweetheart, I created the whole thing from scratch.”

I stared at her. "You did what?"

"Griffin never checks those things. It’s Valentine’s Week, and the grant committee found enough money for SAR and, well, everyone hereloves a heartfelt success story. Really, it all just aligned beautifully."

This was not just a misunderstanding. This was a catastrophe.

She said it like it was the most normal thing in the world.

I grabbed the folder, scanning the page. The contract I'd signed was there, but this, this clause, I would have remembered this. Wouldn't I?

You were desperate. You skimmed. You just needed out.

"This isn’t… I didn't agree to..." I looked up at the crowd, at their expectant faces, at the ridiculousness of it all. "I'm not getting married to anyone."

"Oh, it's really just a formality for the grant requirements!

" Vivian waved a dismissive hand. "The county approved funding specifically for family-focused hires.

You know how these rural programs work, they want stability, roots, commitment to the community.

We just had to get a little creative with the paperwork. "

"Creative," I repeated the word flatly.

"And Griffin is such a catch." Vivian beamed. "Strong, capable, easy on the eyes. He's been with the SAR team for about eight months now. Rafe trained him personally. You two will work beautifully together."

A murmur of agreement rippled through the crowd. Someone whistled. An older woman near the cupcakes actually applauded.

This was insane.

The door behind me slammed open hard enough to rattle the windows.

I turned.

And forgot how to breathe.

The man in the doorway was massive. Not tall-guy massive, mountain massive.

Six-four easily, shoulders broad enough to block most of the light from outside.

He wore a heavy canvas jacket over a thermal Henley, both streaked with snow, and his dark hair was windswept like he'd just come off a ridge.

His jaw was shadowed with stubble, and a scar cut through his left eyebrow, giving him a permanent look of dangerous skepticism.

But it was his eyes that stopped me cold.

Storm-gray, intense, and fixed on me with an expression somewhere between shock and fury.

"Vivian." His voice was low, rough, the kind of voice that could cut through wind and panic. "What the hell did you do?"

The mayor's smile finally flickered. "Griffin! You're just in time! I was introducing Ava to..."

"I got a call from Rafe." Griffin's gaze never left mine, sharp, assessing, and carrying a split second of something like concern before the fury reclaimed it.. "He said you hired someone. He didn't say you were marrying her off."

"It's not like that..."

"It's exactly like that." He crossed the room in three strides, and suddenly he was right there, close enough that I could smell pine and cold air and something darker underneath.

His eyes swept over me, not leering, just evaluating, the way I'd size up an anchor point before trusting my life to it.

And despite everything, the confusion, the anger, the absolute absurdity, I felt my body respond. Heat low in my belly. Awareness prickling across my skin.

Not now. Not him. Not ever.

Attraction hit like a sucker punch, fast and unwelcome.

"I didn't agree to this," I said, meeting his eyes. "I signed a contract for a SAR position. That's it."

Something shifted in his expression. Still angry, but not at me. "You didn't know."

"Not until about ninety seconds ago."

His jaw tightened. He turned to Vivian, and the temperature in the room dropped ten degrees. "We’re leaving. Now."

"Griffin, really, if you'd just let me explain..."

"Now."

Vivian's smile crumbled. She glanced at the crowd, at me, then back to Griffin. "I was trying to help. The grant requires..."

"I don't care." His voice went quieter, which somehow made it worse. "You lied to both of us. Fix it."

He didn't wait for an answer. Just turned and headed for the door, then paused with his hand on the frame. Looked back at me.

“Storm’s coming in fast. Once it hits, nobody gets in or out.” His gaze held mine, and I saw something beneath the anger, something raw and guarded. "You want to leave, I'll drive you to the junction before it hits. Your choice."

Then he was gone, the door swinging shut behind him.

I stood there, aware of twenty pairs of eyes on me, my heart pounding for reasons that had nothing to do with altitude.

Vivian cleared her throat. "He's usually much more charming."

I didn't respond. Just stared at the closed door, my hands still trembling.

Not from fear.

From the sudden, irrational certainty that Griffin Hayes was the most dangerous thing in these mountains.

And I was about to be trapped in a storm with him.