Mountain Man’s Sugar (Loners of Wolfe Mountain #1)

Chapter 1

BEAR

“Bear! How's it going?”

I don’t really recognize the person but nod anyway, forcing my face into the slightest of smiles before taking a sip of coffee. My strides are always long when I’m out and about, hopefully sending the message that I don't have time to slow down.

"Good evening, Emerick." An older lady smiles at me, and I'm forced to pause. "Haven't seen you in a while."

"Yep, just running errands, Mrs. Pinkney. You're looking well." I lift my coffee between us and take another sip, then nod, smile, and keep going.

Small talk is really not my thing.

People in Rathlock know this. If they get anything more than a "good morning" out of me, they should buy a lottery ticket because it's their lucky day. But here in Old Hemlock Valley, everyone knows my family and assumes I'm one of those Wolfes. You know, the chatty ones.

Nope.

I've barely made it into the safety of my truck when my phone rings. "Yeah?"

"Hey, Bear. I'm really sorry to bother you—"

It's Barrett. Good guy. Woodsman type. “What's up?"

"I've been calling around, and someone said they just saw you downtown…"

Of course they did. Because everywhere a Wolfe goes is apparently gossip-worthy.

"Look, I’m real sorry to ask," he continues, "but none of the usual guys can check Maple Trail, and sunset is in twenty minutes. Would you mind cruising by, just to take a look and make sure the parking lot is empty?"

Poor bastard must be desperate if he's calling me. "Sure. On my way."

"Thanks, man. I really appreciate it."

"You owe me a beer," I grumble, then wait just long enough to hear Barrett laugh before ending the call.

I don't mind helping, actually. I only get called in to check the main trail a few times a year when no one else is available.

It's a quiet walk in the woods, sometimes just a quick check of the parking lot.

And it's good that a group of local guys have this system where one of us checks the trail every evening.

Plenty of tourists have no idea what they're doing, and who can stand the thought of someone sitting in the woods all night with a twisted ankle?

The fast-moving dark clouds are heading straight for me as I pull into the lot. When you've lived on the mountain as long as I have, you can practically time the rain to the minute. I'd wager I've got about four or five, tops.

I park by the trailhead, where the only other vehicle is a brand-new SUV with three young guys climbing in. I jump out, then notice a bicycle leaning against the trail entrance sign.

"Hey," I call out, trying to soften my voice and posture. I've frequently been told I can be intimidating to strangers. Pointing to the bike, I ask the guy getting into the driver’s seat, "Any idea whose bike that is? I'm checking for stragglers on the trail before it gets dark."

"There was a girl," a guy in the back seat calls out. “She was hiking alone when we passed her…mmm…maybe an hour ago. Maybe it’s hers?"

"Thanks. Drive safe."

I head down the trail briskly. I've never found anyone who required actual help, just stragglers that needed to be reminded to hustle back to the parking lot before the forest turns dark. If you haven’t been here before you don't understand that on a cloudy day, once that sun goes over the mountain it's like switching off a lightbulb.

"Hello?" My deep voice echoes through the trees. "Anybody here? It's about to—" A thunderclap rings out just as the sky opens and it begins to pour. It's like having a bucket of water dumped on my head.

Great.

I mutter a few curses, pull up my collar, and keep on trudging. "Hello?" I holler, over and over. "Is there anyone here?"

Dammit. In a perfect world I’d be almost home by now, warm and dry and finishing my coffee. But the thought of a young woman out here alone pricks like a thorn in the back of my mind. I won’t be able to rest until I've checked the whole trail. "Is there anybody—"

A small voice calls out from just up ahead on the left. "Hello?"

My heavy steps quicken into a jog, until I come upon a figure huddled under an enormous pine tree.

The poor thing is shivering. Soaked to the bone. When I reach her, her face tips up with a soft smile. "Are you one of those ranger guys? I'm fine. Really. I can make it back to my bike. I just thought I'd wait until the worst of the rain passes.”

My breath freezes in my chest.

Holy shit, she's beautiful.

No. Beautiful doesn't cut it. It's not graceful and precious and serious enough a word to convey the way the fading light curves around her delicate, angelic face.

She blinks through long, wet lashes. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost. Are you okay?”

I duck under the tree to join her. “I'm the one who should be asking you that."

The way she smiles sends a strange fluttering sensation through my entire chest. "All right, mister. If you want to rescue me, go ahead." She looks at my empty hands. "Do you have an umbrella?"

"N…no." The tree is saturated by now, and heavy drops of rain are slipping through.

"Some knight in shining armor," she quips, wiping a soggy tendril of hair off her face. “No umbrella…no horse to get us back to town…”

No woman has ever been so sassy with me before. Then it dawns on me.

She doesn't know who I am.

The number of times I've met a woman who didn't already know everything about my family and my grouchy demeanor…well, I could count them on one hand.

The wind picks up and a deep shiver runs through her. In a flash, I whip off my heavy jacket and wrap her in it. Then I pick up her backpack. "We need to get you warm and dry. Now."

She follows me a few steps back to the trail, her sneakers already sliding on the leaves and mud. I reach down to pick her up, then stop. I don’t know what it’s like to be a young woman, but if an unfamiliar six-foot-four mountain man grabbed me, I might freak out.

"May I carry you? This rain will make the leaves slippery as ice. I don’t want you to break an ankle."

She pushes another soggy strand of brown hair out of her face, her stunning, deep blue eyes smiling up at me. "Sure. Thank you."

I scoop her up, holding her tight to my chest. At this angle, I can tuck her face into my shoulder to protect her better from the rain.

Another surge of warmth flows through my heart. Holding this young woman feels incredible. No, more than that. It feels…preordained. Like she was always supposed to be here. Like every single time I've swung an axe or lifted weights was all so I could carry her safely right now.

This intense wave of desire is distracting, making it difficult to focus.

She shifts slightly in my arms, leaving my hand grasping her lower back close to her butt.

Her legs drape over my forearm as her arm wraps around my shoulder.

My God, what would it feel like to have those delicate fingers running through my hair?

My long strides get us to the parking lot quickly, and I wrap her in a blanket, give her a towel to dry her hair, and crank the heat in my truck.

"Th-thank you," she says through chattering teeth. "Oh! I’m Joy, by the way."

Joy. Of course that’s her name.

“Emerick. But everyone calls me Bear.”

Her bottom lip begins to quiver, and I’m starting to worry that something is wrong when her giggle explodes like a sneeze. "Women are supposed to decide if they’d rather meet a man or a bear in the woods…and I find both in one?!" Then Joy starts laughing so hard I don’t know if she’ll ever stop.

And to my complete and utter amazement…

I join her.