Chapter 7

I've never thought about what kind of guy I"d like to end up with someday – maybe because the examples of manhood I"ve had up till now have been pretty lousy.

Dad took off when I was seven. I"ve tried really hard to have neutral feelings about my brother – we"re supposed to be helping each other out – but now that I see him through Barrett"s eyes, there"s no way to varnish the truth anymore. Carl is, frankly, a loser, and I suspect he"s into some really shady things.

Luckily, Barrett doesn"t pry into that. It does, however, feel like he"s genuinely trying to be more chatty, and we spend a fantastic day with him cooking and me assisting whenever possible. By the time he carries me to the couch after dinner, there"s no denying it anymore: we want each other.

His phone vibrates for the first time all day, clattering slightly on the coffee table. "Sorry," he mutters.

"No problem. Anything important?"

He glances at the screen, shaking his head. "Just my brother Baz. A bunch of us are getting coffee next week to figure out a solution to the tourist problem."

"Tourist problem?"

He pushes the phone aside, then pulls me so that I"m sitting with my legs over his lap. This way I can either lean back against the arm of the couch, or cuddle into his shoulder. Naturally, I choose his shoulder. It still seems like he wants to be extremely careful with me. Me, I want to give him clear signals that maybe he doesn"t have to.

"The town council of Old Hemlock Valley is meeting in a few months about bringing in more tourists. Which is fine, but we want them to be careful about who they target."

"You only want the right kind of tourists?"

"Exactly." Barrett frowns, somehow grumbling without making a sound.

"You hate tourists that much?"

He looks at me carefully. "Not all of them. Just the disrespectful ones."

"Like the ones who litter."

"Yeah. Or the ones that tear bunches of leaves off the trees for some craft project. The ones who don"t come prepared with any supplies or protective gear. Don"t get me started on the morons who make a fire in the middle of the forest with no idea what they"re doing, just for some dumb video."

"So you don"t want so-called influencers or content creators. You want actual nature lovers."

"Yeah."

"Birders!" I can"t help but laugh at his look of confusion in response to my wide smile. "Seriously. They"re always quiet and respectful, and they tend to read the rules before they go anywhere. They"re big on research."

"That"s the problem. On the public trails there are no official rules."

"Couldn"t the town make them?" I stop staring at Barrett for a moment to look out the window at the darkening forest. "You can make a big sign right at the trailhead, on the gate. So that they have to walk right beside it to go by."

"Sure. But do people even read signs these days?"

"They might if you made it funny. Give them a hashtag to share their best photos. Bloggers love their hashtags. Oh, and maybe something about how you have to read the rules then high five the sign as a virtual signature before you"re allowed entrance."

"Even if it"s all on the honor system?" Barrett chuckles, nodding. "Well, I guess all it would cost us is a sign and a couple of nails." He threads his fingers through mine, then looks down at our hands. "You"re very smart, Sage. I like that."

"And I like how dedicated you are to the forest." My fingers squeeze his. "It"s very admirable. Sweet, even."

His head shakes, smiling ruefully. "You"re the only person who has ever called me sweet besides my mother. And even then she was probably just being polite."

"Really?" Somehow I find the courage to walk my fingers up his shoulder to caress the back of his ear gently. "I think it"s incredibly sweet that you cooked for me all day. Re-bandaged my foot. And that you"re letting me stay here while I heal."

As soon as I say the words, I want to bite them back. The thought of leaving him and this place fills me with a strange, almost sickening sense of dread. Which is completely nuts, since we"ve just met, but I can"t help it. Everything I feel about Barrett is more real and honest and natural than anything I"ve ever felt before.

"Sage." He faces me head on. "You"re the sweet one. You deserve to get everything you want out of life."

He hesitates, and it"s surprising and charming to see such a strong man looking slightly vulnerable. "Completely hypothetically, of course, princess – could you ever see yourself living in a tiny town on a mountain instead of in a city?"

"Definitely." My immediate, certain response lowers his shoulders half an inch.

"Good. Don"t want to get my hopes up if there"s zero chance." He stares so deeply into my eyes I feel like I"m falling. I love it. "These feelings. They"re…new for me." His rough voice is even grittier. "Dunno what I"m supposed to say. But I need you to know that I want you. Not just while your foot heals. More. A lot more."

I"m already nodding. "I don"t know what I"m supposed to say either. But we"re on the same page."

"Good." His expressive eyes seem to make the few words he says more intense. "Now, my little birder, should I carry you to bed?"

My fingers grip the back of his hair snugly and I squint at him. "You"ll stay with me, right?"

There"s a faint clicking sound, which I think is his back teeth grinding. "I"ll take the couch."

"No. You can"t take the couch again," I sigh. "You can bounce back from one night of sleeping strangely. Two nights in a bad bed makes a person miserable."

"In case you hadn"t noticed, I"m already miserable. Ask anyone."

"I don"t think you"re miserable."

His eyebrows raise sky-high. "Really?"

"Really. You"re set in your ways, sure. Stoic. Quiet. That"s fine." I grin. "You have some strong opinions about tourists, but only because you want to keep the forest pristine. I agree with that."

Again, he manages to grumble without making a sound.

"And… Mayyybe if you relaxed with me, you"d be less miserable?" I shift, bringing my hands to the front of his chest. "Your bed is huge. I really don"t take up much room. Why not share? Then we"ll both be comfy."

More clicking. "And if I reach for you in my sleep?"

"Then we snuggle. All good."

Suddenly I realize why he has me sitting on the couch with just my legs stretched across his lap. My knee is now brushing against a massive, rock-hard erection.

Fighting the urge to giggle, I"m touched by how much he wants to keep things respectable.

"I won"t be offended." My hands gently circle the thick swaths of muscle across his chest as my knee very deliberately brushes against him. "You obviously like nature. It"s natural for animals to cuddle for warmth, isn"t it?"

A smile slowly spreads across his lips. "Saucy. Didn"t know I liked that. Huh."

Barrett carries me to the bedroom, and I change in the bathroom. He"s given me a t-shirt to wear as a nightgown that literally hangs to my knees. I love that he uses unscented laundry soap – there"s nothing to compete with the smell of fresh cotton, the scent of the forest through the cracked open bedroom window, and the faint, masculine musk of my sexy mountain man.

I come back out and slip into bed, where I"m delighted to discover that he"s wearing nothing but those snug-fitting boxer briefs. His broad, tanned chest and thick arms are savage and powerful in the dim light of the bedside lamp. He looks like a warrior. Timeless. Noble.

Maybe I should feel like a frightened jackrabbit near a man this…virile. But I don"t. We definitely want the same thing. Weird that he"s more concerned about taking our time than I am.

But sweet.

Barrett matter-of-factly grabs my foot and loosens the elastic bandage a bit more. "Releasing the pressure gradually like this will increase the circulation and make sure your skin knits together well. I"ll change the bandage again tomorrow."

"Thank you."

He massages around my heel, then my toes, avoiding the cut itself but bringing a bit of extra circulation to the area. "Wiggle those little cloudy toes for me." I wiggle obligingly. "No pain?"

"No. There"s a slight…tension. Stiffness, I guess?"

"Good. Healing fine." He scrunches his face up, trying to look stern. "As long as you behave and stay off it."

I grin. "Yes, Mr. Medic, sir."

He tucks me carefully into the blankets, then fluffs up my pillow. At first I"m incredulous that he"s so fussy, then I realize he"s actually joking. My laugh seems to delight Barrett as I sweep my hair to the side and snuggle in beside him.

"If I hold you too tight, just shove me away," he murmurs. "You won"t offend me if you need some space."

"Yeah. The same goes for you."

He grins, squeezing his arms around me gently. "Think I like you in my space."

"Good. I"m glad. But if you need to go work, or run errands, or need me to leave, just say?—"

"No." The word is quiet, but forceful. "Stay as long as you like." His hand slides down to caress my hip, and I"m suddenly excruciatingly aware of how close his palm is to my underwear.

I can feel his hesitation, so I stay silent, encouraging him to speak again. He doesn"t. Instead, he slowly pulls me against him. There"s something subtly possessive about him moving my body instead of him leaning closer to me. It makes the center of my chest feel overheated. And between my legs. And…oh wow, everywhere.

I don"t know where this is going to go. I don"t know when Barrett is going to cross the line and stop being such a gentleman, but I hope it"s soon.

Because I"ve never wanted a man like this. And I couldn"t imagine a more caring guy to share my first time with.

No matter what happens.