Mountain Man Inn Love

  Christmas in Candy Cane Creek #2

  By Hazel J. North

  Copyright

  © Mountain Man Inn Love by Hazel J. North

  2023

  All Rights Reserved

  * * *

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  Mountain Man Inn Love

  Cassie

  Getting an invite to speak at the most prestigious trade show convention for outdoor brands is a dream come true as a junior marketing assistant at Roaming Ridge Outfitters. But when we arrive at the inn where we’ll be staying, there’s a mix-up with our reservation. My boss and I will have to share a room—and a bed.

  While our company rules don’t explicitly state that you can’t share a bed with your boss, I imagine HR would disapprove. Then again, what am I supposed to do? Sleep on the street at Christmas time? Unlike our brand’s tagline, I’m not built for enduring wilderness adventures, so I suck it up and hop into bed with him.

  The only thing I didn’t count on was my boss being so… bossy in the bedroom we now have to share. Is it bad to admit I’m enjoying every second of it?

  Mountain Man Inn Love is a short and steamy instalove romance full of heat and heart with NO cliffhanger, NO cheating, and a Guaranteed HEA. This book is part of Christmas in Candy Cane Creek, a steamy instalove romance series set in a small mountain town where every rugged mountain man finds a sweet, curvy woman to love during the holidays.

  Chapter One

  Cassie

  I don’t have many regrets, but not being in better shape is definitely one of them.

  Never finding the time to work out is all good and chill until you have a plane to catch and find yourself running through the airport, screaming at people to please get out of the way. I’m not proud of it. I hate being this bossy. Usually, I’m more of the quiet type, but today calls for an exception. I’m on my way to—hopefully—catch a plane to Candy Cane Creek, a small, cozy mountain town. My boss has probably already boarded with his seatback in the upright position and his tray table locked. If I miss my flight, I’ll miss my chance of finally attending the most prestigious trade show convention for outdoor brands. As a junior marketing assistant at Roaming Ridge Outfitters, that would be a nightmare.

  “Excuse me. You can’t let Flight 7210 leave without me,” I shout to no one in particular while waving my boarding pass in the air with the kind of ragged breathing that makes it sound as if I’m about to take my last breath. Ever.

  By the time I make it to the gate, I’m afraid I won’t survive long enough to board. I clutch my side in the hopes of easing the stabbing pains shooting through my body while simultaneously smiling at the flight attendant behind the desk.

  “Miss, are you okay? We can’t let sick people board the plane,” the flight attendant says with a horrified look.

  Her hairdo and make-up are immaculate, unlike mine. I left the house looking great, but somewhere between a pile-up on the freeway and an unfortunate parking incident where my cab driver got into a fight with another driver, my perfect look withered.

  “I’m doing great,” I wheeze, slamming my boarding pass on the counter.

  “Okay, if you’re sure.” She raises an eyebrow as she eyes my boarding pass. “And your ID?”

  With shaking fingers, I get my ID out of my purse. “Here you go.”

  I let out a whimper of pain, hoping that the flight attendant doesn’t hear me. The last thing I need is for the airline to deny me access to this flight because I look and sound like a horrible mess.

  She stares at me for half a minute, taps something into her computer, and then sighs. “Go on. Hurry. Everyone’s waiting for you.”

  “Thank you,” I say as she lets me through.

  The jet bridge isn’t long, but it looks like an endless tunnel to me. All I want is to sit down and get my breathing under control. And maybe sign up for aerobics classes. I’ve been postponing that for far too long, always too busy working.

  I half-stumble through the plane's door and see that everyone is already buckled in, just as I feared. I make it through the aisle and spot my boss, Logan, sitting next to an empty seat, which is most definitely mine. I give him a little wave, but he looks at me with a big frown.

  I slide into the empty seat and muster up my biggest smile. “I made it.”

  “Barely,” he says. “What took you so long, Cassie? The plane almost left without you. I need you at the conference. And what happened to your shirt?”

  “Nothing,” I say, chancing a glance at my shirt.

  To my horror, there’s a giant red stain on the front of my white shirt. Shit. I shouldn’t have eaten that raspberry jam muffin in the cab without looking in the mirror afterward. It must’ve happened when my cab driver slammed his brakes so hard that I nearly flew out of the window.

  “This is not blood,” I tell him.

  “I didn’t think it was,” he says with an arched eyebrow. “But now I’m not so sure.”

  Great. Now he thinks I’ve lost my sanity. “It’s just jam.”

  He gives me a short nod and stares out of the window. My God, this is so not how I wanted to start this trip. This is my chance to impress Logan. And to spend time with him in a way that’s not possible at work. We only talk during meetings, so I’ve never been alone with him for longer than ten minutes or talked to him about things other than work.

  I click my seatbelt into place as the pilot makes an announcement over the speaker system.

  “Attention, cabin crew. Boarding is now complete. Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. On behalf of the entire crew, I’d like to welcome you aboard Flight 7210. We kindly ask you to fasten your seatbelts and ensure your tray tables and seatbacks are in the upright position. Thank you for choosing to fly with us today.”

  I let out a relieved sigh. We’re ready for take-off, and they’re not leaving without me.

  “Candy Cane Creek, here we come,” I say in an excited tone. “This is going to be a fun week.”

  Logan nods. “That’s right. By the way, I went over your presentation last night, and it looks good. With a few tweaks, it will be great.”

  “Thanks.”

  I can’t help but smile. Getting a compliment for your work achievements is always nice, especially when the compliment comes from someone like Logan. I’ll deny it until I’m blue in the face, but I’ve had a major crush on my boss since my first day working at his company. He’s not your typical stiff-suit type kind of guy. Logan is in his mid-thirties and has the smile of a movie star. And the hair. And the physique. Too bad he’s my boss because I’d love to work under him in another way, if you know what I mean. I sigh. He’s so hot it’s almost annoying. And unfair to the rest of the men out there. They’ll never be able to compete with him.

  “Cassie?”

  “Hmm?” I whip my head in his direction. I was so busy daydreaming about ripping my boss’s flannel shirt off that I didn’t hear a word he said. “I’m sorry, I was thinking about work.”

  He grins. “I asked if you’ve ever been to the mountains during the winter months.”

  I shake my head. “No, I hardly have the budget to travel.”

  “Are we paying you that bad?” he jokes.

  “No, but I’m not opposed to earning more,” I say with a laugh. “How about you? Are you a mountain lover?”

  The roar of the plane’s engine is so loud that he has to speak up. “I grew up in the mountains, in a town like Candy Cane Creek. You’ll love it there, I promise.”

  Wow. How come I didn’t know Logan was a mountain man? It does explain his dislike of formal wear. The guy often shows up to meetings in a flannel shirt and denim pants. Then again, as CEO of a company that sells outdoor apparel, it would be weird not to dress accordingly, right? He’d look out of place if he were dressed like a Wall Street shark.

  As soon as we’re in the air, Logan gets his laptop out and opens the presentation I sent him earlier. “Do you mind going over this one more time?” He flicks me a concerned gaze. “Not that your presentation isn’t good already. You’re great at your job, but we have to work together to make it the best it can be.”

  “Of course. I’d love to work on you. I mean, with you. On this.”

  His gaze dips to my mouth, only for a second, but long enough for me to catch the gesture. I instinctively lick my lips. What if there’s jam left on there too? Is that why he’s scrutinizing me?

  Logan quickly looks away, his eyes firmly trained on the presentation in front of him. “We should, um, get this done.”

  I nod. “Of course.”

  He starts giving me his feedback, but only half of it registers since I can’t stop obsessing about the fact that we’re sitting super close. Close enough for me to touch his fingers if I move my hand an inch to the right. Close enough to find out he uses shampoo that smells like eucalyptus. Close enough to realize I’m almost crossing a lin e with him.

  With Logan.

  With my boss—someone who’s completely off-limits.

  Chapter Two

  Logan

  If Cassie weren’t our junior marketing assistant, I wouldn’t have brought her on this important work trip. Don’t get me wrong, she’s excellent at her job, but whenever she’s around, I have a hard time concentrating.

  I’ve had a thing for her since the day she started at Roaming Ridge Outfitters, but since I’m her boss, she’s completely off-limits. Not pursuing her is the right thing to do, no matter how difficult. I mean, look at her. Cassie’s curves and sweet smile make my dick hard whenever I think about them. And then there are these things she does that I’m sure no one else notices, but I do. The way she twirls her hair around her fingers when she’s deep in thought or how she touches her earlobe when she’s nervous. That, plus her amazing personality, is… like a dream. It was love at first sight, and I didn’t even believe in that notion before I met Cassie. I thought it was foolish and naïve, but I know better now. It’s fucking real.

  Every day, I fight my feelings for her because I’m a professional guy who follows the rules and doesn’t fall for one of his employees. Or at least, that’s what I keep telling myself so I don’t cross a line with her.

  The plane makes a smooth landing despite the weather concerns I read about this morning. From here, it should be a fast transfer to Candy Cane Creek.

  “Look at this,” Cassie says as we reach the top of the escalator leading into the arrivals hall. “Are all these people here for the trade show convention?”

  I look up to see the arrivals hall packed with people. “I don’t think so. All these families and elderly couples don’t look like they’re attending a professional trade show. Something else must be going on.”

  “I wonder if it’s the weather. They said on the news that there was a chance of a snowstorm rolling through the area,” Cassie remarks.

  “Could be. I think it’ll be a few more days until the weather gets so bad that flights get canceled. My bet is the holidays are causing a peak in travel numbers, not the possibility of getting snowed in somewhere.”

  She looks at me with a worried expression. I’d love to be able to wrap her in my arms and tell her everything will be okay and that I’ll protect her, but that would be crazy. There are boundaries, and I can’t cross them.

  “Do you think we’ll get snowed in here? I’d hate to miss Christmas with my family,” she says.

  “Don’t worry. We’ll be home in time for Christmas,” I tell her, even though I’m not sure if that’s true. “We need to focus on the trade show now.”

  Her worried expression melts away. “I’m super excited to finally be able to attend. I look at the pictures every year and always experience FOMO.”

  I get it. The trade show isn’t just business deals and networking. It’s also lots of amazing dinners, crazy parties, fun conversations, and trying out new brands or hiking equipment before anyone else. It’s a real privilege, to be honest.

  “The fun is already starting tonight. I got invited to pre-show drinks in the local bar. Just a few dozen people,” I say.

  “Let me guess. All of them company owners like you?”

  “That’s right. I’d love you to come and meet some of them,” I tell her.

  “Are you sure? I don’t want to intrude. Maybe I should work on the presentation instead.”

  I pin her with a stern look. “Cassie, come on. I love that you’re so committed, but we already went over the presentation on the plane. Twice. It’s okay to let loose for a night.”

  She smiles, and a beautiful sparkle lights her eyes that almost takes my breath away. “If you’re ordering me to go, I guess I don’t have a choice.”

  I swallow hard. “Yup. Boss’s orders. No room for saying no.”

  Her eyes widen. “Okay. I’ll tag along.”

  I mean it as a joke, but deep down, I hope she’ll like this bossy side of me. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t do anything she’s uncomfortable with, but maybe she feels something for me too. No one would know if we acted on those feelings. We’re far from the rest of the world, in our bubble in Candy Cane Creek. A man can dream, right?

  We make our way through the crowd and head for the taxi stand. I come here every year for the trade show Cassie and I will be attending. Every time I see these mountains, I get a little homesick. I grew up in a place like this, with family-owned bars and coffee shops, crystal blue lakes, and mountains to get lost in. Air to simply breathe. I sigh. The mountains are nothing like the concrete jungle of the city. If there were a way to keep my job while not having to live in the city, I’d grab that opportunity with both hands.

  We only have to wait five minutes to catch a taxi to Candy Cane Creek. During the short ride, Cassie talks about the upcoming trade show with such excitement that my heart is about to melt. I wish I could wrap her in my arms and kiss her senselessly. The air between us feels electric, even though neither of us says a word about it. By the time the taxi stops at the inn, I’m grateful for the ice-cold winds outside because I’m on the verge of overheating.

  I offer to carry her luggage inside and give the taxi driver a generous tip before he takes off again.

  The lobby of the Cinnamon Crest Ridge is packed to the brim. Everywhere I look, people are standing around, sitting, reading, pulling suitcases behind them, getting into and out of the elevator… I’ve never seen the place this busy, and I stay here every year.

  “Seems like a popular inn,” Cassie remarks as we join the queue for the check-in counter.

  “I didn’t realize they had this many rooms,” I say with a frown as I let my gaze wander through the lobby.

  Right in front of us is a couple of twenty-somethings who are clearly on a love vacation or a honeymoon. The girl keeps giggling until the guy stops her with a kiss so passionate that I catch Cassie blushing.

  “I’d say they’d better get a room, but I guess that’s exactly what they are doing,” she says with a laugh.

  “Let’s pray your or my room isn’t right next to theirs, or we’ll get no sleep.” I chuckle.

  The guy grabs his lover’s ass and the girl whimpers. She lets her tongue trail the guy’s neck, right here in the lobby where everyone can see them. Good grief, why won’t this queue move? Witnessing their passionate display of affection makes me long for Cassie even more. I wish that were her tongue on my skin and my hands on her round ass.

  Cassie clears her throat while she nervously touches her earlobe. “Is it hot in here, or is it me?”

  I grin and motion to the couple in front of us. “It’s not you. It’s these two. They are heating the place up.”

  When the man behind the reception desk calls out for them, they finally break their kiss, and the queue moves along. It only takes them five minutes to get checked in. They grab their luggage and speed walk to the elevator.

  I raise an eyebrow. “We don’t have to guess why they’re in such a hurry.”

  Cassie smiles at me, her cheeks fully pink. “Yeah, I know. Good for them. Better to have passion than nothing at all. Don’t you ever dream of that?”

  “Of what?” I ask while I show the man behind the reception desk a screenshot of our reservations.

  “Of being so in love that you can’t wait to tear your lover’s clothes off and…” She shakes her head. “Sorry, this is such an inappropriate conversation to have with your boss.”

  I lock eyes with her, and my heart skips more beats than is healthy. “I get what you mean. And yes, I dream about that too.”

  “I’ve never experienced anything like that,” she confesses. “No one has ever been that interested in me.”

  Her longing gaze lands on the closing elevator doors. Before I can push the issue further, Tristan, the guy doing the check-ins, turns to us with a concerned look—a look like that never bodes well.

  “Is something wrong?” I ask.

  “I’m afraid so. The weather is getting worse by the hour, and some people aren’t able to leave Candy Cane Creek yet due to canceled flights.”

  I frown. That explains the crowds at the airport earlier. “And what do other guests’ canceled flights have to do with us?”

 

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