Movin' to the Mountains

Nearly getting killed in a mudslide only reminds me why I hate the mountains. I'm uninjured, but my car is wrecked, there's no way I can get into town, and there's no reception here. Maybe it's karma for putting this trip off. I haven't been able to bring myself to visit since Pa's funeral. And then there are the painful memories that still haunt me of my first love and heartbreak. The summer I turned eighteen, I exchanged letters with a free-spirited, long-haired boy who lived down the road. It was the best time of my life. But now I'm all alone. And then, just as I'm about to give up hope, a pickup truck pulls up. A man steps out. Big muscles, a thick beard, and an intense stare that's making me rethink my dislike of the mountains. Harrick offers me a place to stay, and despite being a total stranger, there's something familiar about him. Also, what other choice have I got? He takes me back to his cabin. I almost forget that I'm here to sell my father's house and finally move on from the guy who left me brokenhearted all those years ago. And then I find a letter in Harrick's house-one of the letters I wrote-and everything changes. Contains mature themes.

I'm a nerdy, neurodivergent librarian who lives a quiet life in the mountains. While out birdwatching one day, I stumble upon a giant of a mountain man bathing in the lake. Naked. I manage to run away, hoping he didn't see me. And then he shows up at my library. Something about him lures me in. Sure, he's tall, bearded, and insanely gorgeous, but there's a gentle curiosity in his eyes. And when he looks at me, it's like he's trying to understand me . . . Orrrr maybe I'm imagining it. Yeah, that's probably it. I mean, why would a handsome, barrel-chested lumberjack like Branum be interested in a Mr. Plain and Boring like me? Contains mature themes.

MARSH: Tal Bellamy is everything I'm not. A jet-setting playboy. A sexy silver fox. A guy who lives his life loudly and unapologetically. We've been friends for almost twenty years. When he comes to town for a visit, I make a vow. There's something I need to get off my chest. Something I've been hiding. Tal's the perfect guy to confide in because I know he won't judge me. The last thing I expect is to get plastered and hook up with him. TAL: Marsh Duncan is a big, burly mountain man. A recluse. Grouchy at times. Or at least, that's what he wants people to think. Not me. I know the man beneath the gruff exterior. When he's around his brothers or hanging out with me, his kindness and warmth shine through. The truth is, Marsh is actually one giant marshmallow. Another truth? I'm all-out, head over heels, slap-me-sideways in love with him. My plan is to confess my secret when I visit, not sleep with him. But it seems that I'm not the only one with something to reveal. Now that we've both shared our truth, the question is: have we ruined our friendship, or are we on the brink of a forever love? Contains mature themes.