Mountain Man's Sassy Sweetheart (Passion Peak Mountain Men #2)

1. Embeth

Embeth

Iadjust my purple curls in the reflection of a picture frame and smooth down my vintage dress.

It's starting to ride up and I can't be showing my business to everyone here. People in this town already like to make my life the topic of hot conversation. Don’t want to give them more fuel for the fire.

And more importantly, I don't want to take one single solitary thing away from my best friend's grand opening.

Melody and Jace have really made something amazing here. Who would have ever thought the mountain recluse would be so welcoming to people on his farm. That's the magic of Melody though. I'm so happy for her, but I'm starting to wonder if I'll ever get a happily ever after as grand as hers.

I’ve been on at least one date with almost every eligible bachelor in town, but they all fizzled out before they could ever catch a spark.

"Jace just finished up with another tour. Says they'll be headed this way. Thought you could use some help," she says with a smile.

"Just sold the last honey mask, and the lip balms are going fast. Success looks good on you, babe."

"Feels good too," she says.

The front door of the shop opens and the crowd seems to part like the damn Red Sea, revealing the most scrumptious looking man I think I've ever seen in my life.

He scans the room with a hopeful look on his face, but as his gaze sweeps over the crowd of customers, he starts to look more and more like he's not sure he wants to be here.

"Cade," Melody squeals beside me, and before I can process what's happening, she's rushing across the room and throwing herself into the arms of the stranger.

Cade. As in Melody's brother Cade? The Army hero who wasn't supposed to be home for a visit for another month?

I watch as he catches Melody effortlessly, his strong arms wrapping around her and swinging her around effortlessly. A smile breaks across his face, transforming his serious features into something dangerously handsome.

When they pull apart, I get a good look at him.

Tall, at least six-foot-two, with broad shoulders that fill out his simple Henley perfectly.

His dark hair is longer on top than I'd expect from a military man, and the beginnings of a beard shadow his strong jaw.

But it's his eyes that catch me. Hazel with flecks of gold that somehow manage to look both warm and cold at the same time.

This can't be the same goofy kid from Melody's childhood stories. This man looks like he's carried the weight of the world on his back and barely lived to tell the tale.

"You weren't supposed to be back for another month," Melody says, wiping happy tears.

"Plans changed," he says, glancing around the crowded shop. His jaw tightens almost imperceptibly as someone drops a tray in the back with a clatter. His right hand moves slightly toward his ear before he catches himself.

Interesting. I continue to study him while she introduces him to Jace and they talk military.

Finally, I paste on my brightest smile and make my way through the crowd, very aware of my curves in this dress and the way my combat boots thud against the hardwood floor.

As I approach, his eyes travel from my bright purple hair down to my red lips, continuing their journey over my body before snapping back to my face with an intensity that makes my skin tingle.

"So this is the famous Cadence Clark," I say, extending my hand. "Embeth."

His calloused hand engulfs mine, warm and strong. A current of something electric passes between us, and I notice the slightest hitch in his breathing. His eyes darken momentarily before he settles back to neutral.

"Embeth," he repeats, and something about the way my name sounds in his deep voice makes my stomach flip. He’s the whole damn package. He could have a girl doing things she’s never done before. And by ‘a girl’, I mean me.

"This is my best friend," Melody says. "She also makes the best coffee in three counties."

"Among other talents," I add with a wink.

"Mel's mentioned you a few times."

"All terrible things, I hope."

The corner of his mouth twitches. Almost a smile but not quite.

Another crash from across the room makes him flinch, his hand moving to his right ear again. This time I'm sure of it. His expression hardens, and he scans the space like he's looking for threats instead of a roomful of customers.

"Bit crowded in here," he says to Melody. "You've done good, sis."

Just then, Jace's friend Ryder comes up to us with an urgent message about a box being knocked around or bees doing... Something. I don't know. I can't look away from Cade, but alas, I must because Jace steals him away to go help with whatever the crisis is.

Through the next hour, I catch glimpses of him as I help customers.

He's polite when introduced to people, but I notice how he lightly tugs his ear when the room gets particularly loud.

If you blinked, you'd miss it, but since I can't stop looking at him, I’ve caught it every time. He also seems to be studying lips sometimes as he’s listening.

When our eyes meet across the room, he doesn't look away.

There's a challenge there, like he's daring me to come to him, though that could just be because that's what I want to do and not actually what he wants me to do.

Instead of running over to him and asking him to take me home so I can properly thank him for his service, I just smile and raise my eyebrow slightly.

Wait... Is that... Did he just...

He totally did. He just smiled, bit his bottom lip, and looked away. That's that then. I'm not nuts. He felt what I felt. I know he did.

As the crowd thins and I'm finishing with the last customers, I make a decision. I’ll find out from Melody where he’s staying, and then tomorrow morning, I'll bring coffee to him. Just to be neighborly. Just to welcome her brother home.

It has nothing to do with those hazel eyes or how he’s built like a mountain I’d like to climb or how badly I want to get close to him.

Nope. Nothing at all.