Bachelor 12: The Wounded Mountain Man (The Lovesbury Valentine’s Day Auction)

Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

Isla

I flicked my finger upward on my phone screen as videos and posts filled my feed on all sorts of topics. The latest in beauty, a new nut butter to try, and oh look, a fight in Walmart.

Sighing, I dropped my phone onto my desk, and it landed with a thwack. It was all the same stuff I’d seen a million times. I needed something better to do with my time than just doom-scrolling the hours away.

While my online business, Fresh Scents, did great and kept me fulfilled career-wise, I couldn’t ignore my boring life.

All I did was work. Work, work, work. I needed a change.

Something fun and fresh. I loved my hometown of Appleridge, but the itch for something new grew stronger every day.

Especially since I could work literally anywhere, as long as I had my computer and room for packing products.

I handmade my beauty products, something very important to me, despite the hard work it required.

When I looked back down at my phone, a video popped up and began playing. The catchy tune caught my attention and sucked me back into my phone.

“Remember the bachelor mountain men from Lovesbury, Montana, who went viral for their pictures with puppies? I bet you do. How could you forget? All of them (plus more!) have gathered for an auction to raise money for the local veterans. What’s being auctioned off?

The men. Yes, that’s right. You’ll win a weekend with a sexy, mountain man, so come on, ladies, come bet some money for a good cause and win the weekend of your dreams! ”

An auction? Of men?

My heart jumped. Where was this place?

I clicked on the link, and my eyes greedily scanned the words on the website.

I could use a weekend away with a sexy man.

I was single, it was happening on Valentine’s Day, and I needed to get away and refresh.

Hell, maybe I’d end up moving there, who knows.

On top of everything, the cause couldn’t be more perfect. Veterans meant a lot to me.

“The Lovesbury Valentine’s Day Festival will take place in Heartstone Square inside our heated, enclosed community pavilion.

All participating men will be auctioned off to the highest bidder, subject to the auction rules.

All proceeds will be donated to the local veterans’ center.

Scroll down to see the thirteen mountain men up for grabs! ”

As their pictures popped up with brief descriptions, I squirmed in my seat. These guys were hot. Like model-type material. What the hell was in the water in that town? Who the hell was breeding them? And why am I just now seeing them?

And bachelor number twelve? Holy shit balls. I wanted a slice of him, now.

I laughed to myself as I took them all in. Phew. I needed a damn fan.

Clicking onto Google, I searched for sexy bachelors with puppies in Lovesbury, and several articles pulled up. The town had gone viral for the sexy men there. I scanned the article, recognizing a few of them. I couldn’t believe they were single. How were they not tied down?

Butterflies swirled in my belly. Should I do this?

I had plenty of life savings. It’d be going to a good cause.

Besides, my mother took off with her latest love interest, so she wasn’t around, either.

And maybe escaping my childhood home for a little while would be a good thing.

I hadn’t left Appleridge in years, not since my father passed away eighteen years ago.

At only seven years old, I had to grow up fast, needing to help my mother with so many things my father had taken care of.

Her mental health declined throughout my teen years, and then came the string of men, none of them as good as my dad was.

He died in combat. Doing something he loved. Protecting his country. How was that not admirable? Even in death, I looked up to him, to his determination, to his fearlessness, to his bravery in the military. Hence, why the veterans were so important to me.

The auction was an opportunity to donate some of my savings in honor of my father and have a little fun while I was at it.

Without letting myself contemplate further, I searched for tickets to Montana. After lots of clicking and a few curses, I got a good deal on a round-trip package. I’d arrive the day before Valentine’s Day and the auction.

Lovesbury, here I come.

I shivered as I stared out the window of my room in the local lodge in town.

Even with my fuzzy robe and warm cup of tea, I could feel the cold on the glass of the window, the roads covered in snow as flakes gently fell.

Naturally, I was used to cold temperatures, being from Appleridge, Vermont, but this cold was something else. Bone-chilling.

After surviving the below-freezing temperatures and long hours of traveling, I checked into my room and ran a warm bath right away.

I soaked and relaxed until I was a pruney mess, then dressed in my fuzzy pj’s, robe, and slippers.

Today was for relaxing, ordering room service, and bingeing reality TV.

As I shoveled food into my mouth, my phone pinged beside me with a text.

Merry: Girl! Tell me you arrived safely.

Me: Yep! Currently relaxing with a bottle of wine and a steak dinner.

Merry: Get it, sweets. You deserve it. You work too hard.

Me: Thank you.

Merry: Are you still going to the auction?

Me: Damn straight. I want my weekend with a sexy mountain man.

Merry: You’re braver than me! I’d be so shy the whole time LOL

Me: Nah, you’d be having a wild weekend getting laid.

Merry: LOL. Only you, Is, only you.

I laughed as I clicked off my phone. Merry had been my best friend since first grade.

We’ve gone through it with each other, all of life’s ups and downs, heartbreaks, wins, losses, and pain.

When I told her about the auction and flying on a solo trip, she thought I was nuts, but she supported me every step of the way.

The next day, after a delicious breakfast of room service, I checked out of my room and headed to the auction in an Uber.

Lovesbury, Montana, was picturesque with its snow-capped mountains and gorgeous views. The thick forests hugged each side of the small, winding roads. It reminded me of home, only much colder.

I took in the views, hoping for a distraction from my wild nerves. If I thought my butterflies were bad before, I was clearly mistaken. They morphed into a storm now, thrashing about. Yet I couldn’t wipe the grin off my face.

Downtown was bustling with people and cars, but my Uber driver navigated it well and dropped me off on the corner. I hurried over to the Heartstone Square and slipped inside the warm, covered pavilion. Much better.

I waited in line to register to bid and took in the surrounding sights. Whoever was running the auction did an amazing job. They decked the place out with heart balloons and various Valentine’s decorations. A small, raised stage stood front and center, with a podium off to the side.

After getting a number paddle and an information booklet, I grabbed a seat and waited for the show to begin. Only ten minutes to go.

It felt like a lifetime, but finally, music began to play, and a woman, who looked to be in her early fifties, stepped up to the podium. She had striking blue eyes and blond hair pulled back into a tight bun.

“Hello, everyone! My name is Evelyn Hartwood, and I want to personally welcome you to the Valentine’s Day Auction!

We’re about to get started.” She described the auction and listed out the rules.

The auction is running as expected, with the highest bidder winning a weekend with the mountain man you bid on.

The audience clapped and cheered when she finished.

A moment later, the show began.

As the men filed out, the crowd whooped and hollered, yet I couldn’t form a noise. Maybe because my mouth hung wide open with a great possibility of drool coming out one side.

Holy shit!

These men were even sexier in person—how is it even possible?!

They lined up in a row on the stage, all thirteen hunky men, and that’s when I saw him. The one I wanted since I laid my eyes on him the other day.

Bachelor number twelve.

Arden Waters.

A tall, rugged, muscular mountain man, with dark brown hair and eyes, and an even darker beard with some salt and pepper strands coming through.

Oh, so he was older.

My attraction to him was almost palpable, and I shifted in my seat, but it was no use. My panties were soaked, and I was a puddle of swooning goo.

I didn’t care how much I had to bid on him.

He was mine.