Jolly with the Mountain Man (Log Cabin Christmas 2025 #18)

Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

Crimson

“You’re going to chop down your own Christmas tree? Do you know how insane you sound right now?” Cora, my younger sister, shouted over our FaceTime call before bursting into hysterical laughter. “You seriously mean with an axe and shit?”

I glared at her and stuck out my tongue. “Yes. Why not? I work out.”

“You walk on the treadmill, sis. No offense but swinging an axe over and over is no joke. And then who is dragging the huge ass tree back to the car?”

Crap. I guess I didn’t really think this through. Oh well. I was here now.

“Crim? Hello?”

“Sorry. I got distracted.”

“Second guessing yourself? Good. How about you come here, and we’ll go buy a tree together at the lot.”

I studied the sign reading Cut your own Christmas tree here! Bring your own axe and pick a tree. Glancing at the axe on my passenger seat, I swallowed hard.

Why the fuck am I doing this again?

Because you want the real experience of a fresh Christmas tree and you don’t need a man’s help. Right? Right.

“I got this, Cora. You’ll see. There’re a few people around. If I need help, I’ll just ask. Besides, how many times have we tied a tree to the roof of a car? A thousand.” I forced a more confident smile than I felt. “I’ll call you when I’m done, okay?”

“Fine. But be careful. If I don’t hear from you in thirty minutes, I’m calling you nonstop and if you don’t answer, I’m calling the police.”

“You’re ridiculous, but I love you. Peace.” I blew her a kiss before ending the video call.

With a deep breath, I tucked my phone in my pocket, shut the car off, and put the keys in my cross-body bag slung across my chest. I grabbed the axe and climbed out, shutting and locking the door behind me.

“Hello, miss, welcome to Appleridge Tree Farm. Are you cutting a tree today?” An older man greeted me at the sign.

I smiled and nodded. “Yes, please.” I held up my axe.

He waved me inside. “Follow the signs. Be careful. If you need help carrying it out, let me know.”

“Thank you.” I walked past him and over to the trees, browsing through them. Several feet separated each one, giving plenty of space to cut it down.

Finally, I settled on a smaller but full tree, the perfect size for my living room.

I got into position like my father had shown me so many times before.

It was a family tradition to cut our own tree, probably why I thought this would be a great idea.

Why didn’t I drag Cora along in the first place?

I swung the axe back and hauled it forward, the sharp blade slamming into the tree bark and barely making a dent. Over and over, I swung and connected, barely making any progress each time.

“Phew,” I muttered to myself and dropped the axe next to me, my hand burning. This was a lot harder than I thought.

The loud crack of a tree stump breaking and the whoosh of a tree falling pierced the air, and I turned towards the sound.

Someone had cut down their tree, the large branches now on their side.

My eyes took in the sheer size of the tree when suddenly, a man appeared above it, looking it over.

I squinted. I needed to get closer.

From where I stood, he looked hot as hell, and I just knew he’d be smoking hot once I got a good view.

The tall, muscular man bent over and hoisted the tree up, resting the stump on his shoulder as he moved forward, dragging the tree behind him. I couldn’t let him get away.

I needed his help.

I needed him to cut my tree.

Abandoning my axe next to the tree, I hurried over to him. “Hey! Wait up! Excuse me, sir!”

He stopped in his tracks and turned towards me. A playful smile stretched across his sexy mouth. “Hi.”

The muscles in his arms flexed beneath his tight flannel and my mouth watered. If ink covered those arms of his, I swear my ovaries would burst into flames.

Where the hell has he been hiding in this small town?

“I know you’re a little pre-occupied right now, but would you mind helping me?”

“With?” He cocked his side to the side and smirked.

“I was trying to cut my own tree down, but it’s a little harder than I thought.”

He placed his tree down gently and walked towards me. Every step he took caused my heart to race a little faster as his handsome features fully came into view.

Green eyes reflected at me from underneath his backward ball cap, tufts of brown hair peeking out. If my ovaries hadn’t exploded already, they sure did now.

A dark brown beard covered his face, with neatly trimmed hair and lines, down to his broad, strong shoulders, and wide stance. Like a tall, burly, large teddy bear, he made me feel protected, comforted, and fucking turned the hell on.

An ache throbbed between my legs, an intensity I’d never experienced before and fuck if I didn’t want to climb him like the sexy beast of a man he was.

“Which one?” He practically growled, and I melted into a puddle of swoony goo.

Is that what my friends meant when they talked about meeting a sexy mountain man for the first time? Because holy shit…

I nodded toward my tree and he followed along. I swear I could feel his eyes on me, and I nearly tripped on an imaginary branch.

“This one.” I pointed to the tree while picking up my axe. “I tried myself, but as you can tell, I failed miserably.”

He chuckled, the sound low and deep in his throat. He held out his hand, and I handed him the axe. “Step back.” He instructed as he got into position.

Again, I nearly tripped while moving out of the way and keeping my eyes focused on his sexy, muscular body.

The muscles in his arms and shoulders flexed as he swung the axe hard, the tree bark instantly snapping.

One, two, three more swings, and the tree toppled over. “Timber!” He called as he watched it proudly.

“Thank you! I would’ve been here all night.”

“Not a problem. Do you need help carrying it out?”

“I’ll find someone who works here. You have your own tree to carry. But thank you, seriously. I kind of went a bit overboard thinking I could do this on my own. I’m Crimson, by the way. Nice to meet you.”

“Crimson. Like your pretty red hair. I’m Ridge. It’s nice to meet you too.”

My cheeks flushed at his compliment.

We stared at each other as silence fell between us.

Something happened between us, something electric and terrifying all at the same time.

“Would you like to drive around and see some Christmas lights with me?” Ridge asked, breaking the quiet stillness.

I hardly knew the guy, but before I could stop myself, the answer slipped out loud and clear.

“Yes.”