Tempting the Mountain Man (Sweetheart Falls)

Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

GABE

I ’ve been offered a job. It’s a good job. But...it’s in another state.”

The light dies in Polly’s eyes and they fill with hurt. Fuck. It pierces my heart to see her disappointment reflected at me.

“Where?” she asks, her voice barely above a whisper.

“It’s with Ghost Security. It’s out in Heartland, in Jefferson—a few states away. They want me to oversee a new project,” I say, forcing the words out. “It’s a solid opportunity—good pay, benefits, the works.”

“Wow,” she breathes, biting her lip. A mask comes over her features, and I know I’m on the verge of losing her. “That sounds like an amazing opportunity. You should consider it.” Her tone is supportive, but the flicker of pain in her eyes makes it clear this isn’t what she wants to hear.

“It is a good opportunity, yes, but I don’t want to leave you behind.”

Her expression shifts, a mixture of encouragement and sadness. “Gabe, if this job is what you want, you should take it. I’m not going to hold you back.”

“To be honest, I’m going to pass on the job.” It’s a strange relief to say the words, but having done so, everything is so much clearer now. “I want to stay in Sweetheart Falls.”

Polly’s head snaps up, and she looks deep into my eyes. “What? Why?”

“Because of you. I’m not leaving you,” I say, the words tumbling out in a rush.

A riot of emotions passes through Polly’s eyes, and she tilts her head. “Really?” she asks in a small voice. “You’d stay here for me ?”

“Damn straight, I’ll stay here for you. There are millions of jobs—there’s only one you.”

I lean down and capture her lips in a passionate kiss, trying to share all the emotion built up in me since Chuck sent me to pick up that birthday cake. Polly gasps, then wraps her arms around me, deepening our kiss.

When I pull back, her eyes are wide, and I see the mix of hope and fear reflected in them.

“Gabe...”

I take a deep breath, knowing I need to share more. “I have to be honest with you. I never thought I’d share my heart with anyone again, Polly. My ex, Sarah, cheated on me while I was deployed. It shattered me.”

The sadness of that memory washes over me, a dark shadow creeping in. I’ve worked hard to bury that pain, but now I know that in telling this story, I can seal the story about Sarah and put it in a box that never needs to be reopened because Polly now occupies my heart. “I never wanted to open myself up for that kind of hurt again,” I confess, my voice dropping. “But then I met you.”

Her expression shifts, empathy replacing uncertainty. “Gabe, I—”

“You’ve taken my breath away in ways I didn’t think were possible,” I continue, the words flowing more easily than I could have imagined. “You make me want to open my heart and my life to you. You’re everything I didn’t dare hope to find.”

Tears glisten in her eyes, and I see her walls beginning to crumble. “I care about you so much,” she whispers, her voice trembling.

The tension between us eases as I feel the warmth of her body against mine. I wrap my arms around her waist, pulling her closer. “You make me want to stay here, Polly. I want to build a life with you.”

She smiles up at me, her eyes sparkling with something unspoken. “So let’s figure it out. We can work through this together.”

I lean in for another kiss; this time, it’s hungry, deep, and wild like the waterfall next to us. I fall into the love she’s sharing with me, and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the future will be better and stronger than either of us could have dreamed of alone. Together, we will be unstoppable.

The mood shifts as I pull away from our kiss, the warmth of Polly’s body still lingering against mine. “So, where do we go from here?” I ask, my voice steady despite the whirlwind of emotions inside me.

Polly looks thoughtful, her brow furrowed slightly. “We take things one step at a time,” she replies. “I don’t want to rush anything, but I also don’t want to hold back.”

Her honesty resonates deep within me. “I want that too,” I say, my heart swelling. “I want to be with you. On this, I am certain.”

Polly takes a deep breath, visibly moved. “You have no idea how much that means to me,” she says, her voice trembling slightly. “My ex didn’t support my dreams at all. When I wanted to buy the bakery, he didn’t believe in me, which really hurt. He didn’t think I had enough in me to achieve my goals.”

“Oh, sweetheart. I’m sorry,” I reply, her past weighing heavily on my heart. How could her ex, or any man, hold her back from her dreams? That’s not how a man behaves. It’s how a coward behaves. “You deserve so much better than that. I see how hard you work and how passionate you are about Sweet Nothings. I will always support you and your dreams.”

Her smile brightens, and my heart fills with joy. “I never thought I’d find a man like you,” she says, her gaze locking onto mine with an intensity that takes my breath away. “You’re the best man I’ve ever met.”

The last light of day fades, and the stars glitter in the sky like diamonds against the darkening indigo of the night. More than ever, I know that I’m staying with Polly. I’ll figure out work here, but there’s no way in fucking hell I’m leaving this remarkable woman.

“Polly, I—”

“Shh,” she whispers, a finger pressed gently against my lips. “Just kiss me.”