Chapter 7

Valery

G lancing over my shoulder, I watch Karter and his brother—two of the best-looking men I’ve ever seen in real life—walk out of the diner.

“Hot, huh?” Dinah giggles from her seat.

“They’re like the Hemsworth brothers or something. I mean, they don’t look like them, but good genes must run in the family because even Kevin is a silver fox.”

“I don’t know who that is, but their sister is beautiful too.” Dinah smiles at the server as she approaches the table. “Hey Lucille.”

“Hey Dinah. Did I see Kade and Karter walking out?”

“Yep. This is Valery. She’s here with Karter.” The way Dinah says it, drawing out his name in a singsong manner with a sly smile on her face, has my gaze bouncing between the women. Is it abnormal for Karter to be seen out and about with a woman? Has he introduced none of his girlfriends to his family?

“Oh?” Lucille turns her nose up and sniffs the air before dropping her chin and smiling at me. “It’s nice to meet you, Valery.”

“Nice to meet you too…” I drawl, unsure of what subtext is being exchanged.

“Can we have four iced teas and a menu?” Dinah interjects.

“Coming right up.” Lucille winks at me and turns on her heel, walking back into the kitchen.

“That was… weird.” I wrinkle my nose and turn to Dinah. “How well does she know Karter and Kade?”

“You can imagine how small the communities are around here. Kade says they’ve been coming to this diner for fifteen years. Lucille watched them grow up.”

“Ah.” That doesn’t explain her reaction to me, but with a missing mom, maybe she has a maternal protectiveness for them.

“Kade says your van broke down?” Dinah continues the conversation.

“Yeah, serpentine belt and pulley. We picked up the parts in Great Falls and after we eat we’ll head back, do the repairs, and get me on the road.”

“Are you in a hurry? Is somebody waiting for you?”

My mouth opens but no words come out as I’m once again reminded that there is no one waiting for me anywhere. Yes, I have friends I keep in touch with online, and I had my happy hour crew from work that I used to grab drinks with once or twice a month, and there was the FWB I hooked up with on and off for a couple of years, but no one of real importance. No one who would drop everything to be there for me. “I’m on my schedule but I check in with friends daily.”

Dinah giggles. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you nervous. I’m really asking if you can hang out for a while?”

“What do you have in mind?”

She shrugs. “I don’t know. The guys love to barbecue.”

It makes no sense to stick around for a barbecue, although I suppose it’s as good of a reason as any. There’s something about Karter that makes me feel settled for the first time in a long time, and part of me wouldn’t mind dragging out the repairs for a couple days just so I can get to know him. Once my van is ready, I have no legitimate reason to stay. And it’s not like there’s a hotel or campground in Fortune Falls where I can park for a few days while hiking Glacier and taking wildlife photos. Hell, I’d never heard of the town until last night and I still can’t find it on a map. “While I do love a good barbecue, it might be weird inviting myself to a family get-together.”

“Nonsense. I’m sure Karter would love for you to hang around and meet the family.”

“Why do you say that?”

She shrugs again. “I don’t know. I have a hunch about these things. What do you think of him?”

Dinah, while very sweet, is super nosy. Is it a sister-in-law thing? I suppose they don’t get a lot of fresh meat in these parts. Even though Karter did press his naked body against me this morning, he’s been an absolute gentleman since then, and even held my hand while I cried over my parents.

But is he actually interested?

Or is it boredom?

Lucille sets down four iced teas and a menu. “I’ll give you a few minutes.”

I grab a straw and strip off the paper wrapper, twisting and tearing it into tiny pieces. “Uh… I’m not sure how to answer that. We only met three hours ago.”

“Sometimes you know instantly,” she says with a casualness I do not feel. I glance up from my iced tea to find her busying herself with the sugar packets as she doctors up their drinks.

Taking a sip, I turned the conversation to her. “How long have you and Kade been together?”

“A little over four months.”

Choking on my tea, my head snaps back. “Four months and you’re already engaged?”

“We were engaged within twenty-four hours of meeting each other. There’s a lot more to the story, but when you know, you know. Do you believe in love at first sight?”

“No. I don’t. At least, I’ve never experienced it myself.”

“I hadn’t either until I met Kade. Honestly, I didn’t know what I was feeling, but then a wise woman gave me some advice.”

“What advice was that?”

“Use your female intuition and trust your heart.”

Before I can ask her what that is supposed to mean, her eyes light up as Kade and Karter walk towards the table. I wouldn’t believe it if I wasn’t sitting across from her, but her entire body radiates a woman thoroughly in love as Kade slides in next to her. His love is evident too, as he immediately touches her, his hand on her thigh under the table, his lips pressed to her temple again.

Karter takes a seat next to me, his thigh pressed against mine, the heat from his body seeping into my bones. “Sorry it took so long.”

“No worries. We’re getting to know each other.”

Lucille walks up at the same time. “Do you know what you want?”

Three pairs of expectant eyes turn on me.

“Oh, uh, I haven’t looked yet. Do you not need to look at the menu?”

Karter smiles and shakes his head. “We always get the same thing—the breakfast special. It has a bit of everything.”

I shrug and hand the menu to Lucille. “I’ll take the special.”

“Good call.” She rattles off the options, and everyone confirms their order before she walks to another table.

“What were you ladies talking about?” Kade settles back in his seat, his gaze set on Karter.

“Barbecue,” Dinah chirps brightly. “If Valery isn’t in a hurry, I thought Karter could bring her over for a party or something.”

“Oh, man.” Kade grins. “Jimmy built this insane fire pit in between the houses and clinic. It’s really nice. We could throw a get-together on Saturday.”

Saturday is four days from now. What excuse do I have for staying an extra four days? Although, it sure seems like they are working hard to give me an excuse. “Maybe.”

“Karter says you’re touring the national park?” Kade continues, undeterred by my noncommittal answer. “If you came from Washington, why are you hitting the park on the east side? Or did you drive through already?”

“No. This trip was last minute, so I didn’t have a reservation for the Sun Road. Besides, I really want to find this waterfall near the St. Mary’s entrance.”

“Why is that?” Karter asks as he throws his arm behind my shoulders to rest on the top of the bench. This table isn’t small, but the brothers are so broad and muscled that it makes it cozy. That apple cinnamon scent wafts off him again, my muscles and bones turning into jelly as I take in a deep breath. But it’s not just my muscles relaxing, it’s the tingles making my legs feel weightless and my gut tightening in anticipation for something more. Aroused, I can’t stop myself from settling against him and spilling my secrets.

“After my parents died, I was admitted to the hospital for a couple of days, and then put on medication and bedrest for a few weeks. With nothing else to do, I doom scrolled Instagram and TikTok and stumbled upon these wildlife cam videos. There are these three bears who live near a lakeside cabin and they do the most outrageous things. Even though they look full grown, they act like cubs, playing in hammocks and climbing treehouses and falling off of swing sets. They even stumbled into a park and climbed the jungle gyms. Sometimes there are mountain lions and wolves in the background, but mostly it’s the bears.”

“Three bears in this area?” Karter asks with his gaze glued on his brother.

“Well, it doesn’t say where they are, but a bunch of followers have done some cyber digging and found a few videos early in their channel that geo-tagged them in this area. No one actually knows who is posting the videos.”

“Show us,” Kade says casually. “Maybe we’ll recognize the area.”

Giddy, I dig my phone out of my purse and bring up YouTube. “I know it’s silly, but they made me laugh when nothing else did.”

Scrolling to my favorite video where two of them steal a tug-and-toss ball from a horse corral and play with it near a waterfall, I hold the screen up for the table and press play. Both men narrow their eyes as they watch the video, Karter’s jaw muscles flexing. “Play one that shows the lakeside cabin.”

“Okay.” I scroll, find one, and play it for them.

“Huh,” Kade says, his tongue flicking against his canine. “It could be around here. Honestly, you should have Karter take you hiking. You shouldn’t traipse through the woods around Fortune Falls alone and we have a lake and hidden waterfall to explore.”

“You do?” Excitement bubbles in my belly as I turn wide eyes on Karter. I don’t know what it is about these bears, but they make me happy, almost like I’m reliving a portion of my childhood.

At that moment, Lucille walks up with a giant tray stacked full of plates. As she lays down our food and distracts Kade and Dinah, Karter leans over and pseudo-whispers in my ear, “We do. I could take you tomorrow, if you like.”

“Tomorrow? That means I’d have to stay another night.” I bat my lashes. Yeah, these three are definitely giving me reasons to stay.

Matchmaker much?

“That’s exactly what it means.” His eyes sparkle and lips quirk into a coy smile.

I narrow my eyes but keep my lips curled into a soft smile. “Are you flirting with me, Karter?”

He blushes again. Damn, it’s fucking adorable to see a man his size—all muscle, power, and raw virility—blush for little ol’ me. “I’m trying to. I’ll be honest, I have no experience flirting with a beautiful woman.”

“None?” I glance at Kade and Dinah who are pretending to be engrossed in their food and not eavesdropping on our conversation. “Well, you’re doing a good job. I like the way you flirt.”

“Good.” Karter brushes a curl from my face, tucking it behind my ear, and glances down at my plate. “Eat something, babe.”

Babe? I like how the word rolls off his tongue. Winking, I dig into my plate of food with the rest of them, my empty stomach grumbling with the first bite.