Page 189 of Mountain Men Heroes

Trinity

“And Mac told me about the job offer. It sounds like a great opportunity. And of course, you’ve always been so bright and so hard working. You’ll be perfect for the position. Oh, look, there’s Sawyer’s uncle. Let me go grab him so you have a chance to chat with him.” Sawyer’s mother launched her petite frame from the worn leather chair and weaved her way through the people in the room.

I blinked and looked around myself. In the two hours since Sawyer’s mother had arrived, other family members had streamed in slowly but surely. Most of them I knew to some degree. Wild Ridge was a small town and I worked at two of the favorite hangouts for the locals.

But my interactions with all of them had always been superficial. I wore my customer service smile like it was part of my uniform. I’d made a lot of assumptions over the years about others' opinions of me. Assumptions I was starting to think were completely unfounded.

From the moment she’d arrived, Sawyer’s mother had been warm and welcoming. Not to mention chatty. I don’t think she’d come up for breath for longer than a few seconds unless she was running off to greet a newcomer.

And while not all of Sawyer’s relatives shared her chattiness, all of them had been nothing but kind and friendly. Of course, part of the reason for that may have been the fact Sawyer kept his arm thrown over my shoulders and my body plastered to his side for a good portion of the afternoon. I don’t think anyone had any intentions of being anything but nice to me, but should the thought have occurred to them, the fiercely protective looks Sawyer kept giving me would have made it clear it wouldn’t be tolerated.

I sank deeper into the cushions of the chair I’d been sitting in while Sawyer’s mom and I talked. Sipping the glass of cherry lemonade that had seemed to magically stay filled all afternoon, I took the opportunity to look around the room.

Sawyer’s brothers arrived shortly after their mother. A few cousins and aunts and uncles wandered in, most carrying food or beer or wine. Mac strolled by a little while ago. He’d given me a wave but didn’t stop on his path to the counters laden with food.

As each person walked in, my stomach became a roiling pit of dread. I’d waited all afternoon, but not one snide comment or nasty look had been pointed in my direction.

In fact, quite the opposite had happened. Everyone had been unfailingly polite, but more, they’d been interested in me and my life. Several had given me off-handed compliments, admiring everything from my work ethic to my masses of dark hair, my jewelry.

Which brought me to now, alone for the first moment since Sawyer’s house had begun filling with people. I took the opportunity to check in with myself and figure out how I felt about being thrust into this crowd of Sawyer’s friends and family.

And what I came up with was—content. I felt content and happy and like I wasn’t the little girl with her nose pressed against the glass looking at what everyone else had but never me.

Sawyer had given me a gift beyond anything I could remember receiving before. He’d shared his family with me and made me feel a part of it. And the feeling was indescribable. Unlike anything I’d ever felt before.

Sort of like my feelings for Sawyer.

I scanned the room, searching for him with my gaze. I located him standing with a group of his cousins. Sawyer was shaking his head at whatever one of the men was saying, a small grin tipping up the corners of his lips.

And as I kept my eyes pinned to him, I swear, he sensed me. His head turned and his gaze landed on me in an instant. He tipped his head to the side and raised an eyebrow.

I offered him a soft smile, and I knew I must have worn the lovesick look. But for the first time in my life, I didn’t care if my true feelings showed on my face. Didn’t care if Sawyer could see the crazy kaleidoscope of feelings he set free inside of me.

One of his cousins said something and clapped a hand on Sawyer’s shoulder. Sawyer offered me one last grin before turning his attention back to his conversation.

But the warmth that had been unfurling in my chest from the second our eyes met didn’t dissipate when he looked away. It continued to grow. And a feeling I almost didn’t recognize sprouted up deep inside me.

Hope.

“I see Sawyer didn’t waste any time marking you. Men.” A woman I recognized dropped into the chair Sawyer’s mom vacated moments ago.

I drew my brows together, not quite sure what she meant. “Hey, Krista. I didn’t realize you were related to the Beckers.”

Krista Phelps had graduated high school the year before I did. I can’t say she’d never made snide comments about me or sent me nasty looks, but in her case, it didn’t make me special. Krista was tall, platinum blonde, gorgeous, the perfect set of tits, and predatory. I didn’t know if it was her looks or something in her genes, but she’d always had an overabundance of confidence. Confidence that made her feel superior to all of us mere mortals.

She waved her hand dismissively. “I’m not related to the Beckers. I came with Sawyer’s cousin.”

I nodded and pasted on a smile. It came as a shock to realize it was the first time all day I’d pulled out the smile I reserved for customers, broad but not quite genuine.

“So how did you manage to convince Sawyer to take you to bed?” she asked.

My brows shot up. “Excuse me?”

She smiled the smile of someone with a juicy story. Or maybe the smile of a serial killer. I had no frame of reference, but if I had to guess it was the second one.

“Your mother would die if she found out you’d finally managed to convince one of the Becker men to give you what she wanted all those years,” Krista said.

I froze in my spot and everything inside me turned cold and brittle. When I spoke, I could do no more than whisper. “What the fuck are you talking about, Krista?”