Scott laughed. “Aw, come on Poppy. You’re crazy, too, and you know it.”
Poppy only rolled her eyes at Scott, then left the counter again. A few minutes later, she came back with their food. She stood and watched as Anna took a bite of her sandwich.
“Wow,” Anna said. “This is the best ham and cheese melt I’ve ever tasted.” And she meant it. No wonder Joel always ate at the diner instead of cooking at home. The food here would be hard to beat.
Poppy seemed pleased by Anna’s response to her food.
“I’m glad you like it,” she beamed. “Beats anything in Pine Springs, that’s for sure.”
Down the counter, one of the locals cleared his throat. “Don’t be saying that, Poppy. We don’t want this girl going to Pine Springs and telling all the other tourists to come up. This place is just fine without a bunch of outsiders coming in.”
Anna felt her cheeks heat up and she ducked her head so that the man couldn’t see her face, but Poppy reached over and patted her arm.
“Don’t you worry, dear. Evan talks a lot of shit, but he’s harmless. Enjoy your food, and don’t worry about being an outsider. While you’re here, you’re family.”
Anna looked up and smiled at Poppy, but she still felt uneasy. She’d made the right decision when she decided that she needed to leave this mountain as soon as possible. Joel might be amazing, but there were quite a few people who clearly didn’t want her here.
But she wasn’t going to be leaving quite as soon as she’d thought. Joel reached over and put a protective hand on her shoulder, then looked around the room with fire in his eyes, as though daring anyone else to say anything bad about her.
“Don’t worry about them,” he said to her. “They’re just jealous that the prettiest girl in here has agreed to spend the afternoon with me. And don’t you worry. I’m going to make it worth your while.”
Anna felt a thrill go through her at Joel’s touch, but she also felt sad. No matter how much she loved what Joel showed her, her time with him would be short-lived. She knew it had to be this way, but that didn’t make the ache she felt in her heart any easier to bear.
A few hours later, Anna found herself in the passenger seat of Joel’s truck as he drove up toward the summit of the mountain. She could hardly believe that these roads had already been cleared, but Joel hadn’t been kidding when he said that the snowplows were quick around here. It looked like the entire mountain road had already been plowed and salted. Joel explained to her that there was something of a competition to see who could plow the fastest after big blizzards. Anna thought that was a bit strange, but Joel told her that there wasn’t much else to do in the winter except plow.
Even though the roads were clear and dry by this point, Anna still felt anxious as Joel drove up the winding curves much faster than she would have. She was sure he knew those curves like the back of his hand, but that didn’t stop her from feeling nervous. She tried to act brave, but her face must have still been as white as a sheet, because Joel looked over at her at one point and laughed.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “I know every bump and curve on this road. In fact, I usually drive about ten miles an hour faster than this. You’re perfectly safe.”
Anna only gulped and nodded in response. A few moments later, when she must have still looked just as pale, Joel slowed down. Then he reached over and squeezed her knee.
“I don’t want to scare you. If it makes you feel better, then I’ll drive slower.”
For a moment, Anna thought about pretending that she didn’t care if he kept driving fast, but then she thought better of it. She clearly wasn’t doing a good job of acting brave, anyway, so she might as well appreciate the fact that Joel was slowing down for her.
“Thank you,” she said weakly.
Now that Joel had slowed down, she could relax a little bit and enjoy the scenery. The drop-offs from the side of the road were scary, but they also afforded spectacular views. Part of her wanted to ask Joel to stop every few feet so she could take pictures, but she refrained. She told herself to enjoy the ride and the view, and perhaps they could stop on the way down. Joel seemed eager to get to wherever it was he was going.
As they drove, Anna could hardly believe that she’d nearly gotten stuck on this road in the middle of a blizzard. She shivered at the thought. No one would have known she was up here, and she would have died for sure. She was lucky she had turned around when she did, and she was lucky Joel had found her—for more reasons than one.
The last few days had made her feel like the luckiest girl in the world. Too bad it couldn’t last. Anna took a deep breath, and told herself to just enjoy the time she had remaining with Joel.
That remaining time was less than she thought it would be. Joel’s truck had a much easier time making the climb up the mountain than her little rental SUV had, and before she knew it, they were stopping.
“This is it,” Joel said as he killed the engine. “The end of the line.”
“We’re at the top?” Anna asked.
Joel nodded. “Yup. You’re at the summit of Bear Mountain.”
Anna smiled. “This is what you wanted to show me?”
“Yes. You can’t come to the mountain without seeing this.” Joel hopped out of the truck and came around to open Anna’s door for her.
“I hope no blizzards are coming in?” Anna joked, and Joel laughed.
“Nope. Weather should be clear for the next week or so, at least. Maybe I’ll actually get a little work done on my remodel. But today, I wanted to take the time to bring you up here and show you this.” He took Anna’s hand and pulled her toward the edge of the road.
Anna gasped. “You can see everything from up here. It’s breathtaking.”
The world below looked magical. Pine Springs looked like a toy town, and Anna could see other towns in the distance, all with snow-covered roofs. Lakes glimmered in the afternoon sunlight, and the bright white of snow offset the deep green of pine forests everywhere you looked. The deep blue sky made a stark contrast to the white caps of a mountain chain in the distance.
“This is incredible,” Anna whispered.
“It is,” Joe murmured softly. “When I’m up here, I feel like I’m on top of the world.”
“I can see why. I have to get a picture of this.” Anna reached to pull her camera out of her camera bag. For several minutes, Joel was quiet, just enjoying the view while she took photograph after photograph. After taking several landscape photos, she turned to Joel.
“Can I take one of you? I want to always remember the mountain man who saved me.”
Joel chuckled. “I’m not sure how photogenic I am, but sure.”
“Are you kidding? I don’t think it’s possible for you to take a bad picture!” Anna exclaimed, and she meant it. At the diner today, she’d seen that plenty of handsome men made Bear Mountain their home. But Joel was the handsomest by far. She felt a twinge of sadness again as she thought of leaving him, but she pushed that sadness away. She didn’t want to ruin this moment by moping around.
When she’d finally finished taking all the photographs she wanted, she set down her camera bag and stood there, just taking in the view.
Joel came to stand beside her, and laced his fingers with hers.
“You’re so lucky that you get to live here,” Anna said in a hushed, reverent tone. She felt as though the mountain demanded respect.
“You could live here too, if you wanted.”
Anna looked over at Joel in surprise. She hadn’t expected him to say that. After seeing how everyone in the diner acted, she hadn’t thought that it was realistic to expect Joel to ask her to stay here. And she still didn’t think it was realistic for her to actually entertain the idea.
In fact, she thought Joel was joking at first. But when she turned to look at him, she saw fire in his eyes.
“You’re serious?”
“I’m serious,” Joel insisted. “I know you might think I’m crazy for saying this after I�
�ve only known you a few days, but I know in my heart that you and I are meant to be together forever.”
For a few moments, Anna could only stare at him. “But, I have a whole other life outside of this mountain. And besides, I don’t think people here would be too happy to have me stick around. Didn’t you see the way they looked at me at the diner today? They don’t like outsiders.”
“Screw them. They’re a little wary, and I can’t blame them. People from Pine Springs are always talking so much shit about us. And, well, this mountain has secrets. I have secrets. But if you stay here, I’ll share all of those secrets with you. If you stay here, you won’t be an outsider anymore. People will learn to trust you, then learn to accept you, and then learn to love you. I promise. I learned to love you in just a few short days.”
Anna’s eyes widened. “How can you say you love me? You barely know me.”
Joel reached for her hand and drew her close. He wrapped his arms around her, and Anna could hear the beating of his heart even through his thick jacket. “It’s a little hard to explain, but I’ve been searching for you my whole life. The first time I slept with you, I knew I’d found you. We formed a bond that’s unbreakable. A bond that will be with me for the rest of my life. You’re my destiny, and—”
Anna stepped back, shaking her head. “Joel!” she interrupted. “Don’t say things like that!”
He looked shocked by her sudden outburst, but she felt shocked by his words. She hadn’t expected him to profess his undying devotion to her, and that was only going to make it that much harder for her to leave.
“Why shouldn’t I say it?” Joel asked, a wounded look in his eyes. “It’s true. I know we haven’t known each other that long, but I already know that you’re meant for me.”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” Anna said desperately. She didn’t want to admit to Joel that she had been feeling something similar. She didn’t want to admit to herself that she had been feeling something similar. “How can you know that in a matter of days?”
“It’s a little hard to explain, but I believe in fate when it comes to love. I believe that I’ve been destined to be with you since the moment I was born. I knew the moment we made love that you and I were meant to be. Please, Anna. Stay with me on this mountain. Give me a chance to show you how I feel.”
Anna took another step backward, shaking her head. She picked up her camera bag and slung it over her shoulder. “I can’t. I have a life back in California. I have students who need me. This has been a fun vacation, and the last few days have been wonderful. But it’s time to get back to real life.”
The wounded look in Joel’s eyes deepened. “But this is real life. You said yourself that you were wanting a change. You were considering moving to Pine Springs. Why would moving to Bear Mountain be so different?”
Anna shook her head and turned toward Joel’s truck. “I think we should go. I really appreciate that you brought me up here, but I can’t stay. That was all a pipe dream. I have to get back home.”
“This is home,” Joel said. “Bear Mountain is the best home anyone could ask for, and it could be your home, too.”
Anna felt her heart twisting up within her. Deep inside of her, she felt a longing to stay. She wondered if it was possible for Bear Mountain to be her home, just as it was Joel’s. But she pushed the feeling away, and continued walking toward the truck. “I need to go. I’ve been on the mountain too long already. If I stay much longer then I’m going to miss my flight back to California.”
Anna climbed into Joel’s truck and buckled in, refusing to look at Joel. He stood outside the truck for several long moments, and she thought he was going to protest again. But finally, he relented and got into his truck.
She stole a quick glance at him, but he wasn’t looking at her. His eyes were fixed straight ahead as he revved up the engine, and those eyes had darkened into storm clouds. Anna knew then that she’d lost her chance to be his. She was lost to him, and he to her.
They’d had their fun on the mountain, but what she’d told him was true. It was time to get back to real life.
She held back her tears as he drove back to his cabin, helped her gather her things, and then drove her to her rental SUV, which was still parked in the same spot in the middle of the mountain road. She kept holding back those tears as he gruffly bid her goodbye and wished her well, and she forced herself not to cry as she drove through Bear Mountain Village, knowing she would never see this place again.
But once the village disappeared from view, the tears ran down Anna’s face like a flood, and she had the strange feeling that she’d just failed the most important test of her life.
Chapter Twelve
Joel considered holing up in his cabin and never coming out again. He didn’t know how he was going to manage to face anyone now that Anna was gone. In fact, he didn’t know how he was going to face the sunshine now that Anna was gone. It seemed unbelievable to him that the sun could insist on shining when Anna was gone from his life.
But after a day by himself in his cabin, he realized that he was going to have to eat eventually. He couldn’t survive on beans for any length of time, and besides that, his supply of beans was dwindling. He’d have to go out to go to the market, and if he was going out, he might as well stop at Poppy’s diner and face the world. He was going to have to do that eventually, no matter how much he told himself that he wouldn’t.
Still, Joel wanted to ease into things. He waited until the middle of the afternoon, when he knew the diner would be relatively empty, before making the trek out. There were a few cars in the parking lot, but when he walked in, he was relieved to see that none of his close friends were there. Scott had texted Joel several times, which Joel hadn’t seen until he drove back toward town and got cell signal. But he ignored the texts as he went into the diner. He didn’t want to talk to Scott or anyone else that he knew really well. It was bad enough that he was going to have to talk to Poppy. She was sure to have a thing or two to say about Anna.
Right now, Poppy was wearing a brightly colored dress with yellow and blue flowers. It flowed around her generous curves and gave off a summery sort of vibe that made her look like she was planning a vacation in Hawaii rather than serving up chili in the middle of the winter on the mountain. That was Poppy, though. Joel had always loved the way she marched to the beat of her own drum. She didn’t care whether her clothing was appropriate. She had her own style, and she didn’t care whether anyone else approved. She also told it like it was. She was a no-nonsense kind of person, and Joel knew that she was probably going to think that the way he let Anna go was nonsense.
Maybe it was, but what was he supposed to do? Force Anna to stay on the mountain? Somehow, he didn’t think that would go over well with the local authorities. Neither the Pine Springs Police nor the Bear Mountain patrol would be supportive of Joel kidnapping a tourist in his cabin.
Joel took a seat at the front counter as quietly as he could, doing his best to ignore the looks the few customers in the diner gave him. Even though no one in here was someone that he knew well, Bear Mountain was a small enough community that everyone had certainly heard about the fact that he’d brought a full human tourist into the diner after the blizzard. The folks in here were probably wondering what had happened to her, but Joel wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction of making any comments about it.
Still, he nodded politely as he passed them. Just because his heart was broken didn’t mean he could get away with being impolite. Life in a small town demanded a certain amount of neighborliness.
But Joel wasn’t going to be any more polite than he absolutely had to be. Right now, all he wanted to do was get some food and stop the roaring in his stomach.
“The usual?” Poppy asked as he approached the counter.
Joel nodded and slipped into a barstool. He almost always ate the chili of the day when he came to the diner. Poppy was a whiz at making chili. She seemed to have a different recipe for each day of the yea
r, and each one always seemed better than the one before. Joel never got tired of her chili, and he rarely strayed from ordering it. He did occasionally branch out to order a steak or, if he was feeling really wild, he’d try the tacos or one of Poppy’s famous ham and cheese melts. But nine times out of ten, if Joel was in here, he was eating the chili of the day.
A few minutes later, Poppy placed a giant bowl of chili and a steaming mug of coffee in front of him. Then she walked away to help another customer, and Joel thought that perhaps he’d lucked out and she wasn’t going to bother him too much today. Perhaps she had taken pity on him and decided to give him some time to himself rather than trying to get all the details out of him about Anna.
Joel should have known better.
As soon as Poppy was done with her other customer, she came right back to him. She raised an eyebrow as she refilled his coffee mug, which he had drained within a minute of it being filled. He’d been out of coffee at the cabin too, and he hadn’t realized how much he’d missed it until he tasted the smooth, black liquid that Poppy served.
“Where’s the girl?” Poppy asked, getting straight to the point as was her style.
Joel sighed. He had known this was coming, and he knew there was no use trying to get out of talking to Poppy. She was one of the most stubborn women he’d ever met.
“The girl is gone,” he said gruffly. “She was only here because she was stuck in the blizzard. The blizzard’s over, and the roads are clear, so now she’s back in Pine Springs. Actually, she’s probably back in California by now. I don’t think she was planning on sticking around much longer.”
Poppy gave him a look that told him he wasn’t getting off that easily. “That’s funny. I always thought you were more of a real man than that.”
Joel snapped his head up to look at her. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Rescued on Bear Mountain Page 8