Coming Home to the Mountain: Complete Edition

9. Lemon

CHAPTER 9

Lemon

W e all turn to look at Mac. The awkward question hangs in the air.

“What were you doing with my sister?” he repeats.

Clearly, something has been going on between Anchor and me.

I don’t know what Anchor is going to do. I imagine most guys from Home pulling back and dodging the question because my brothers are intimidating and somehow my cousin Cash is here just piling on.

But Anchor isn't like other guys. He doesn't know the Roughs or the Rowdys and he isn't intimidated in the least.

Instead, he wraps his arms around my shoulders and pulls me close on the couch, kissing the side of my head.

“I just met your sister yesterday,” he says, giving me a squeeze, “but I'm halfway to falling in love with her. Call me crazy but I've been called worse things in my life.” His words are sure, firm. My heart, it flutters and my belly flip-flops and damn, this man is special.

“Hell, we just talked about that reality TV show,” Anchor continues. “So you know those details. Everyone there called me an asshole jerk as well as some other names that I'm not exactly sure I want Lemon knowing. Let's just say it wasn't my finest moment. But meeting your sister? It feels like home, being with her.”

Mac and Graham look at one another, frowning, having a silent conversation.

Probably about whether or not they should beat this guy up.

But Cash just drops his head back and laughs. “Well, damn, Lemon. Where were we a month ago? At Rye’s wedding, joking about you coming up here and fishing for a man. Looks like you did pretty well for yourself. Anchor’s quite a catch.”

“Stop it, Cash,” I say, half mortified and also ridiculously smitten with the idea of Anchor being mine.

I press my lips together, wondering if the bad luck I thought I had my whole life is gone. Because this all feels too good to be true.

“So are you going to answer the question?” Graham asks. “You say you’re falling in love, but I'm just wondering what you're doing now that you're not some fancy-ass reality TV show star who won a million bucks.”

I stand, moving to refill our coffee mugs, letting him answer the question. I listen fromthe kitchen, munching on a croissant as Anchor explains the story I heard while we had dinner last night.

“I build kayaks,” he tells them. “I've been making custom boats for a while now. In fact, I just sold my company last week: Glide.”

“Shit, that's you?” Max laughs. “I have one of those kayaks. I use it in the Rough River. Damn.” Mac is clearly impressed.

“You make them by hand?” Graham asks.

Anchor nods. “Yeah, for a while, but then I scaled up. I was bought out by a big recreation company based out of Seattle. And now I'm just trying to figure out what I'm going to do from here.” He looks over at me in the kitchen. I feel proud of Anchor’s accomplishments, and my heart is full as I look at him, talking to my brothers without missing a step. Anchor is not just sexy as sin; he is also a confident, capable man who makes me feel really damn good.

My brothers follow his gaze, and they must realize that whatever's happening is really serious. I am sure I am all heart-eyes when I look at Anchor, but I have nothing to hide. Whatever I am feeling right now is as real as anything. I’ve never been one to be swept up in emotions, but right now, Anchor has pulled me into his orbit and I don’t want him to let me go.

Cash whistles low. “Damn, so you're fucking loaded. Right?”

Anchor runs a hand over his beard, clearly uncomfortable, and I'm glad I'm not the only one who's getting embarrassed.

“Something like that,” he says, “but it was never about the money for me. I love boats, I didn’t want my family’s tragedy to overtake all those good memories I had on the water. Making kayaks was kind of coming full circle.”

“And that’s the end of the story? You retire early and bang my cousin?” Cash asks.

Graham chuckles. “He’s an original, a country boy to the core.”

Anchor just laughs, taking Cash’s wild personality in stride. “Not sure about that. That's what I was coming out here to figure out. Bought myself a house on the lake and am gonna work out my next steps.” Taking the heat off himself, he turns back to my cousin. “How’d you get that cut? A horse give you that??”

Cash grins. “Nah, I got four brothers; one of those assholes did it. I'm the oldest of five so I got to keep things in check over there at our ranch.”

The cousins all laugh and punch each other, in typical fashion, really.

Wanting to break up the rough housing, I tell Anchor, “Cash’s horses are some of the best rodeo horses this side of the Rockies.” I turn to my oldest cousin and add, “Your mama would be proud.”

Anchor's eyes lift. “You lost your mother too?”

Cash nods. “Yeah, cancer.”

“I'm sorry to hear that.”

“I guess I understand your pain in trying to figure life out after it's offered you some blows, huh?” Cash says, and I appreciate seeing him that way. So often Cash Rowdy is nothing but trouble. But sometimes I remember that there's some depth to that untamed cowboy. And in this moment, I'm glad he came with my brothers today because it pulled out something in Anchor that I was needing to see.

That he could handle my brothers, my cousin, my family.

Last night he was certainly able to handle me but I'm not just a solo kind of girl. I’m a package deal and my family tree is sprawled out across these mountains and valleys. Cash is a part of it just as much as Mac and Graham.

“I'm gonna go change,” I tell them. “Anchor, you think you can handle my brothers and my cousin while I'm gone?”

The guys all laugh.

“We're going to show him the property,” Graham says. “If he's new here, I guess he doesn't know much about Stout Lake.”

Not sure what that means but guessing it entails whiskey and fishing, I head up to the loft where the girls usually sleep. Even though there's a few bedrooms downstairs, the girls have taken the attic loft as our bedroom since forever.

There are several twin beds up here and Pendleton blankets cover each mattress.

Considering I'm here for my own weekend, I suppose I could have gone downstairs to one of the rooms with a queen-size bed, but yesterday I dragged my suitcase up here just like I did when I was a kid.

Of course, I didn't sleep here last night.

I slept with Anchor.

The thought still sends chills over me. Last night was everything. More than everything.

It was a dream come true.

We tiptoed around the words love and forever and life after this week . And if you would have asked me a few days ago if I could have been swept off my feet like this, I don't think I would have believed it was possible.

I exhale, opening my suitcase and picking out clothes for today: another sundress and a pair of sandals. I dress quickly, having already showered before Anchor came over with croissants and mimosas.

When I get downstairs, I see that I was right. The guys have pulled out fishing poles and spiked their coffee with whiskey.

Smirking, I realize that my birthday has been crashed by my brothers, but maybe that's okay.

This is my life. If I want to truly get away from the Rough family, I'm going to have to go to an exotic location like Iceland or Hawaii like my brothers did on their honeymoons.

I swallow. Honeymoon.

“What are you thinking?” Anchor asks, catching my eyes as we all head outside.

“Nothing,” I say, my cheeks burning. I was thinking about something so exotic I can't put words to it.

Now I understand why my brothers wanted to go somewhere far away for their honeymoons. They wanted to relax with their wives without the interruption of their family. It makes perfect sense why Abby and Bartlett whisked themselves away to the beaches of Maui and why Rye and Prairie went somewhere as decadent as Iceland. They needed space.

Maybe I don't need a week on Stout Lake. What I need is a wedding followed by a honeymoon. I laugh at that, pouring myself another birthday mimosa. “Hey Anchor,” I say, “let's go outin the boat.” I point to a small rowboat tied to the dock. “What do you think?”

My brothers are revving the motor on the boat next to it, and they ask Anchor if he wants to jump in.

“I'll catch up later,” he tells them.

Cash, Mac, and Graham head off in the bass boat with their fishing poles, and Anchor and I begin rowing out to the center of the lake.

We lean back in the rowboat, looking up at the sky.

He tucks his arm around me. “What are you thinking now? Really thinking?” he asks me.

“I'm thinking that somehow we managed to get through the most awkward morning with my brothers without any pitfalls. And if we could get through that minefield, maybe we could get through anything.”

Anchor pulls me in for a kiss. “Well, that's sweet,” he says. “Here I was thinking about fucking you silly tonight.”

“Tonight?” I protest, pressing a hand to his chest. “That's not fair. You're gonna make me wait that long on my birthday?”

He laughs. “Damn, you’re something else, Lemon.”

“Yeah, I suppose I am.”I kiss him deeply. I kiss him hard. I kiss him knowing that I have no intention of stopping.

When we get back to the house, it's late afternoon. My brothers have returned from fishing, though they didn’t catch anything. I think they were too busy shooting the shit. At least they brought stuff to grill hamburgers, and Anchor preps a salad. Cash and I play cards as they get dinner going. My feet are propped up on a chair, taking in the late afternoon sun. We have music on and there's laughter everywhere. The day feels perfect.

Until Graham’s phone starts ringing. He takes the call, his face falling as he steps off the porch, pacing the lawn. He ends the call, walking back to me.

“Lemon,” Graham’s eyes are on me, steady, but full of emotion. “It’s Grandma Rosie.”

“Oh no,” I gasp.

“What is it?” Anchor asks.

“She’s in the hospital. She had a stroke,” Graham tells us.

Tears fill my eyes. “Oh god. We need to go home.”