Page 26 of Mountain Men’s Nanny

“You aren’t supposed to win,” I said, playfully bumping shoulders with her. “You’re just supposed to accept that you’re a rotten egg.”

We strolled through the small store from aisle to aisle and hardly saw anyone. The winter tourists hadn’t started making their way down yet, and the place was practically deserted. I pushed Lexi down one aisle and up another, following Brie while she packed items into the cart and crossed them off the list.

“So how are you finding the dating scene? Anything interesting? Anyone interesting?” I asked, trying to keep things casual, but hearing myself speak, I knew I had failed dismally.

“Who would Brie date?” Lexi asked. “She never goes out, and she’s just stuck with me, you, Gideon, and Dad.”

She had an answer for everything and somehow made her interjections adorable.

“What do you know about dating Lexi?” I asked.

“I just know,” she smiled.

Brie shrugged, “Well Lexi has a point. I’m at work all day, every day. There’s absolutely no time for dating.”

I nodded, not because I agreed, but because I was considering what she had said. She was at work all day, every day. This was her first outing since she had come to stay in the cabin, but it didn’t mean there was no room for fun.

“Well, no woman is an island and all that. Living in the cabin means you have a limited range, but since I’m part of that range, it isn’t really slim pickings, is it?” I joked. “What do you think, Lexi? I’m the handsome one, right?”

Lexi rolled her eyes. “Brie can’t date you. You like animals and being outside, and she doesn’t.”

Lexi had brought it down to a simple reason: it was easy to think of reasons not to, but the chemistry I knew existed between Brie and me was unmistakable. It wasn’t something I could just walk away from, not before I knew without a doubt that Brie wasn’t interested. And from where I stood, she seemed very interested.

“Really?” I asked. “Do you agree, Brie? Even when I recite poetry?”

She laughed, that cute little laugh she did with the scrunched-up nose and her hand over her mouth. “Especially when you recite poetry. You’re so corny.”

I played out my disappointment complete with the down-turned lips, making Lexi laugh.

“Seriously, though,” Brie said, adding a can of crushed tomatoes to the cart. “I don’t mix business with pleasure, and since work has just become my entire life, there just isn’t room for any of that anymore.”

I didn’t believe a word she was saying. My instincts were never wrong, and I could tell she was interested in becoming more than just polite colleagues. I didn’t look at colleagues the way she looked at me. I didn’t stare at their lips when they talked, and I definitely didn’t invade their dreams like Brie invaded mine.

“Daddy!” Lexi squealed.

Tobias strode down the noodle aisle with a concerned look on his face.

“This is taking longer than I expected,” he said. “We need to split up and get moving. I’ll take Lexi.”

He rushed off with the cart, Lexi telling him about the alphabet soup she saw, the spices Brie had bought, and all the recipes she was going to learn. The woman had transformed our lives in the short time she’d been at the cabin, and even though we felt it, each of us was holding onto the same excitement Lexi so freely shared.

“Alone at last,” I whispered, leading her into the detergent aisle. The thick flowery smell filled my nose, but I couldn’t care less. I was with Brie.

“Alone? We’re in the middle of a grocery store. Besides, what do we need to be alone for?”

I stared at the way her mouth moved, how she tilted her head when she didn’t understand. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her into a kiss. A soft, gentle kiss at first, but the longer I pressed my lips against hers, the deeper she fell into it, parting her lips and meeting my tongue with hers as I held her. Her body softened, and for a few seconds I felt all her weight lean into me. She was swooning in my arms, giving in to the recklessness she had said she wanted no part in just a few minutes before.

I stepped back, and it should have been just for a few seconds, just long enough to catch my breath and confirm this was real. But I opened my eyes only to see Gideon glaring at me from the end of the aisle.

13

Breaking The Tension

~

Brie

My phone was useless, absolutely useless, and had been for the past few days. Since the wind started rattling everything that wasn’t fully tacked down, I hadn’t had any signal, and now the satellite phone was out too.