RUINED IN THE MOUNTAINS

instalove, mountain man, stepbrother, forbidden, forced proximity, shy virgin heroine, hurt/comfort, HEA

explicit sexual content, profanity, stepbrother (pseudo-incest), divorce and parental abandonment

Chapter 1

Bailey

“Sweetie, you’re going to fall in love with it too. I promise.”

I roll my eyes at my mom, hefting my suitcase into the backseat with a thud.

“I still can’t believe you’re moving to the mountains. My mother, of all people.”

“Hawthorne is a beautiful town,” she says, all dreamy and defensive.

“So it has nothing to do with the mysterious mountain man you just married?” I laugh.

Now it’s her turn to roll her eyes at me, that knowing look tugging at the corner of her mouth.

My mother—of all people—deserves happiness. After my father walked out on us when I was three, leaving her a single mom overnight, she carried the weight of our world on her shoulders without ever letting it crush her. Two jobs, night classes for her degree, still somehow making time for bedtime stories and those warm, sleepy snuggles that made me feel safe.

That’s why her call last month blindsided me. Out of nowhere, she announced she’d gotten married—married—after a single weekend away for a work retreat. My sophisticated, fiercely independent mother had fallen for Travis, a brooding, broad-shouldered lumberjack from some tiny mountain town. And yet…I’ve never seen her look as radiant as she does now.

So, we’re headed there today so she can begin her life with Travis in his secluded cabin in the woods.

“I’m so happy you’re spending the summer with us before you head off to college. I still can’t believe it. My baby girl, all grown up.” She hauls me into a hug so tight my ribs protest.

“I’m not going anywhere—if you don’t stop crushing me,” I gasp, half laughing, half wheezing.

She releases me with a reluctant smile, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear like she’s been doing since I was little.
“I’m going to miss you, Bailey. So much. It’s always been you and me, kiddo, and now everything’s changing. But…I’m so excited for this next chapter.”

“Me too, Mom.”

She pulls me into a one-armed hug and presses a kiss to my cheek, the familiar scent of her perfume wrapping around me. We both turn for one last look at the house she raised me in. The place that held eighteen years of our life within its walls.

The future feels wide-open and uncertain, but there’s a pull in my chest—a quiet knowing—that this will be a summer I’ll never forget.

***

Two hours—and two very stiff legs—later, we finally roll up to Travis’s cabin.

It’s exactly what you’d imagine. Rustic and charming, with a wide wraparound porch hugging its frame, and thick forest in every direction. My mom was right, it’s absolutely beautiful here.

I step out of the car, stretching until my spine pops, and she follows suit.

Then, the front door swings open.

A man steps out, and I know instantly this has to be Travis. My mother wasn’t exaggerating. He’s built like a damn tank, broad shoulders filling the doorway as if the cabin itself has to make room for him.

Before I can say anything, she’s running toward him. He comes down the steps in long, sure strides, and she leaps straight into his arms like a scene from a movie.

He kisses her deeply, and when they finally pull apart—breathless—the way they look at each other like no one else exists steals the air from my lungs.

For a moment, I wonder if this is what true love really looks like… and I pray it lasts. My mother doesn’t deserve another heartbreak, not after what my father did to us.

But even as I watch them, so obviously wrapped up in each other, I can’t quite believe in it. If love like that were real, my dad wouldn’t have walked away. Right.

My mother finally turns back to me with a laugh, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “Oh! Travis, this is my lovely daughter, Bailey.”

He steps forward and extends his hand—massive, warm, and steady when I take it.

“Bailey, I’m happy to finally meet you,” he says, his voice a low, gruff rumble. “From the way Cheryl talks about you, I feel like I practically know you already.”

“It’s nice to finally meet you too. And I could say the same.” I wink at my mother.

Travis turns back to her. “So listen, Cash is home early from his hunting trip. I didn’t expect him back so soon, which means we’ll need to rethink sleeping arrangements.”

My mother’s face instantly flames, and a look of pure shock overtakes her features. Her hands shoot up to her cheeks, and she glances at me. “How could I have forgotten to tell you!? Between packing and putting in my retirement—”

“Mom, slow down. Tell me what?”

“Travis has a son. Bailey…you have a stepbrother.”

I stare at her, disbelief pinching my chest. I get that she’s been swamped with everything, but how could she forget something that important?

My mind starts spinning. What’s he like? How old is he? I’ve always been an only child. I have no clue how to navigate having a sibling, let alone a stepbrother.

“Welcome to the mountain, sis.” A deep voice comes from behind us, low and teasing, the word sis dragging in a way that makes my stomach lurch. We all turn, and there he is, standing on the porch like a younger version of Travis.

Devastatingly handsome, all tattooed muscle and easy confidence.

He steps off the porch, sauntering toward us, and pulls my mom into a hug. When she pulls back, she says, “Cash, it’s so good to see you again. I’d like you to meet my daughter, Bailey.”

He turns to me—bright, piercing blue eyes locking onto mine—and for a split second, I forget how to speak. There’s no possible way this is my stepbrother. 

Not this man. 

Nope. 

No way. 

And I definitely shouldn’t be aching in places I shouldn’t.

“Earth to Bailey,” my mom says, snapping me back.

“Oh…right. Hi…um…me…Bailey.” My words tumble out, clumsy and breathless.

“What a pretty name…Bailey.” Cash grins, then pulls me into his arms. I inhale, caught up in his scent, and for a dizzying moment, it feels like I’m seeing the sun, the moon, and the stars all at once.

What the hell is happening?

He steps back, and I sway on my feet, trying to find my balance.

“You alright?” he asks, voice low, smooth.

“Yeah…sorry. Crazy long car ride,” I murmur, pretending to stretch all over again, hoping I look casual.

I back away toward the car and start yanking my suitcase from the backseat. Suddenly, Cash is beside me, taking it from my hands.

“Let me,” he says.

“Thank you.” I offer an awkward smile and turn to my mother. “So…what’s the deal with the sleeping arrangements?”

Before she can answer, Cash interrupts. “Bailey can stay with me in my cabin. I’m looking forward to getting to know my new stepsister this summer.”

I gawk at him. He did not just say we’d be sharing his cabin for the next two months.

“I’m sure you two would appreciate some much needed privacy,” he adds, turning to me. “Bailey, you don’t mind, right?”

He wasn’t wrong. And really…was I going to be so selfish as to deny my mom that? After everything she’s done for me—always there, always giving—this is the least I can do.

I glance at my mom, glowing, in love. “Yeah. It’s no problem.” She catches my gaze, and we share a knowing look.

I’d do anything for her—including sharing a cabin with my ridiculously hot, off-limits stepbrother for the summer.

I mean…what’s the worst that could happen, right?