One Bride for Five Mountain Men

“I hear you,” I sigh, meeting her angry eyes as I disconnect the call. I raise my hands to show her that I mean her no harm. “Okay, listen. You’re not gonna like this. We need to take a little trip.”

Chapter 8

Lola

Slowly he puts the cell phone back in a drawer and closes it behind him. I look all around the room, taking it all in again. This isn’t just some mountain man, I suddenly realize. The LED lights, the security panels… Hell, even the upgraded plumbing mean this cabin is just made to look like it’s rustic. But really, it’s just some rich guy’s hideaway. It’s basically a blanket fort, in the forest.

“Okay, why don’t you try telling me what’s really going on here?” I say, trying to look aggressive. It’s pretty hard when I can only stand on one foot and I’m wearing the overly large robe I found behind the bathroom door. But whatever. I could probably claw his eyes out if I had to. At least one eye, for sure.

He shrugs. “I was going to ask you the same thing. Is your name Lola?”

The hairs stand up on my arms. “Who told you that?”

“I’ll take that as a yes,” he sighs, shuffling over to the window and looking through it. I can see a wedge of blue sky from here and figure the snow must be over, just as he said.

“Yes, my name is Lola Grace. What about it? What’s your name?”

“Jake.”

“Jake what?”

“Just Jake.”

Great, another smart guy. Just another bullshit artist who almost had me fooled with his glorious beard and silver streaks in his hair. Man, are there any real men anymore? Does everybody have to be full of shit all the time?

“Fine, Jake,” I sneer. “If that’s even your name. What was all that about? On the phone?”

“I think it would be best if we just head up to the house, get everything in order. We can get you a pretty ironclad NDA… Maybe a settlement if that’s what you’re looking for… And then get you on your way.”

My mind reels. “A non-disclosure agreement? Are you kidding me? I’m not signing anything!”

“It’s a pretty generous settlement,” he shrugs, twisting his mouth into a frown.

“You think I came here for… Money? Dude, I don’t even know who you are. I don’t want to go to your house, and I don’t want your money, okay?”

“So what do you want?” he asks me softly. His eyes meet mine, curious and steady. As the question hangs in the air, I have to ask myself the same thing. What, exactly, do I want?

“Well… Why can’t I just stay here?”

He raises his bushy, unruly eyebrows. “Excuse me? I think there are people looking for you.”

I cross my arms in front of me and sit down hard in the easy chair. “Then I definitely want to stay here.”

“You can’t, I mean… There’s only supplies for a few days, maybe a couple of weeks. You can’t just… What are you even talking about?”

I just shrug, not entirely sure. But as I say the words, it sounds kind of wonderful. Like I just stumbled upon a fairytale cabin in the woods, away from all the pressure and all the Chads, so why would I want to leave? If this is where fate brought me, maybe I should just accept it.

Would it be so bad? I mean, it’s pretty luxurious as log cabins go. That shower was pretty terrific. And what do I really have to go back to? No fiancé. The dwindling prospect of a half-ass job. And a best friend who may or may not have just tried to set me up with a married man for reasons that I can’t even begin to surmise. To embarrass me? To get dirt she could use as leverage in her own career? Anything is possible with Nance.

“So, is this like your getaway cabin? Your secret hideout?”

He sighs, looking around. It’s amazing how when he takes a deep breath, he seems to occupy a substantially larger portion of the room.

“You could say that. Everybody needs a place to get away,” he explains.

“That’s totally true,” I answer pointedly.

He starts pacing back and forth, muttering to himself. His eyes flicker over to me every few seconds, and I notice how they linger around my bare knees, my toes, and my neck, still damp from the shower. I can sense the attraction between us, even through the beastly exterior of his shitty attitude.