by Frankie Love
Hearing a car pull up in the driveway, I grab Sammy's leash and walk outside, grabbing my bouquet, and telling the Judge to come stand under the arbor. Then I pop around the side of the house, Sammy at my side.
Nerves threaten to swallow me whole, but they are nerves of excitement and when the men walk into the house, I focus and try to listen.
"What's... what's all this?" Harrison asks, stepping out onto the patio. Behind him, Sully begins playing wedding music as if on cue. Well, it is on cue, actually, and Harrison, unknowingly, walks into his own wedding.
"What's going on?" he asks his brother, but the judge is the one to speak.
"I think you belong here, next to me, Harrison," he says naturally as if he marries unknowing people every day.
"What's all this about?" Harrison asks. I can see him now, in his flannel shirt and snug fitting blue jeans. His beard is thick but trimmed and I see his blue eyes flitting around the patio, taking in the cake and flowers.
He is standing under the arbor, his brother and best man by his side. Sully taps his phone, and the Wedding March begins to play.
"Did you do this?" he turns to his brother to ask, but then he stops--his eyes are fixed on me as I begin walking down our makeshift aisle, Sammy at my side.
"Hannah?" he asks, his single word bathed in emotion, and I feel seen and wanted and loved all at once. "Hannah, you came back."
I beam up at him, walking toward the man I love, the man I chose.
"I couldn't stay away."
"God, look at you," he says, and I'm close enough now to see the tears in his eyes, just the same as ones brimming in my own and I don't dare blink them away, I let them fall.
I want to feel all of this--every tender moment--the good and the bad, the hard and the soft. The broken and the beautiful.
"I love you, Harrison," I tell him. "And I want to spend my life with you. Not because you ordered me, but because we found one another, and together we are stronger than we are apart."
"You believe that? After such a short amount of time?" he asks.
"I do. Some people have love at first sight, but I call this love at first break down. Our love story isn't perfect--it's messy--but it's ours. And it's the only one I want."
"You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear that. After I hurt you, after everything--"
"I know. I got your letters. Thank you," I say through the tears, remembering his heartfelt confessions and sincere apologies that he had sent me via Isabela at the agency. "But I understand you better now, and we can keep learning, together."
Sammy barks playfully and offers Harrison her paw.
"Who is this?" he asks, taking Sammy's paw and shaking it.
"It's Sammy. Your PTSD service dog."
"Really?" He looks at me with wide-eyed appreciation.
"Yeah, she's your buddy now," I tell him, handing him her leash. "And someone will come out to the house in a few days to help you guys get acquainted with one another, but she's your support, your rock. But not your only one. I'm here too, for you, if you'll have me."
"Oh, Hannah," Harrison says, wrapping his arms around me. "It's all I want."
Epilogue
Harrison
One year later...
"This is a little insane, isn't it?" Hannah asks me as we pack up our suitcase.
I give her a wry smile. "Sullivan is a little insane."
"I know, it's just a little spur of the moment," she says, sighing. "I'd rather stay here, in bed. With you."
"I know, but it's the last time you'll be able to fly for a while. And he insists we all come to the wedding." I stand behind her and wrap my arms around her waist, my hands resting on her baby bump.
"True." Then turning around to face me, she showers me with a smile. "You know, we could always join the mile-high club."
"It's an eight-person plane, Hannah. I don't think that would work."
She laughs, and with our bags packed, we head to the living room. "You don't think it's a dorky wedding gift?" she asks, reaching for the basket she has made up.
It's filled to the brim with her amazing creations. After we got married, I explained to her how well her cream worked on my skin and urged her to go forward with her company.
"Whoever this woman is, I'm sure she'll love it. Everyone does."
She pushes up on her tiptoes and kisses me. "Thanks, love." Then she wiggles her eyebrows. "You know, I reached my goal this week on orders."
"Good, maybe my shout-out to you in my survival guide is paying off."
She slaps my butt, laughing. "You are such a man. Thinking this is about you." Then she shrugs, grinning. "Though, to be fair, 75% of the comments on the orders said they heard about Healing Hearts from your guide. So..."
"So, what you're saying is I should get some sort of finder’s fee," I say, pulling her against me.
She licks her lips. "What kind of fee were you thinking of?"
"Oh, Hannah, you know."
She twists her lips playfully. "Hmmm, you want a hand massage with some of the lotions in my new line?"
"Hand massage? Not exactly."
Hannah plays along, her fingers running over my belt, unhooking it, and kneeling to the floor. "A different kind of massage then?" she asks, and her eyes lift to meet mine. She takes my cock from my pants, running her hand up and down the thick length.
I groan as she runs her tongue over her teeth, as she begins to stroke my cock, making me feel like a man--her man.
I look down at my wife, knowing she is more than any man could ever deserve.
She's cured me. In fact, she's healed my heart.
Preview
Claimed By The Mountain Man
PROLOGUE
EVERLY
Grabbing the Prosecco from the fridge, Everly finds three mason jars, pops the cork, and divvies up the bubbly. The goal tonight is to forget the reality of the situation she and her two best friends have found themselves in.
Homeless. Jobless. Boy-less.
Champagne will certainly help the cause.
“Is that the last bottle?” Delta asks, as Everly balances all three glasses in her hands and walks back into the living room.
Everly moans as she delivers the drinks. She’s wearing her hair in a messy bun and her nerd-girl glasses contribute to her low-key appearance. But tonight she isn’t acting low-key. Tonight she is dramatic and drunk.
A dangerous pairing for any twenty-two-year-old woman.
“The state of my checking account was so depressing I was like, eff it, and bought two more bottles,” she says.
“That’s what I love about you, Everly,” Delta snorts. “You’re just so damn responsible.” She takes the glass from Everly’s hand and sets it on the coffee table before screwing the cap back on a bottle of eco-friendly nail polish. She’s just painted daisies on her big toes, as if declaring herself the ultimate flower child. Her long hair and boho dress complete the look. She’s a vegan, through and through, and living in Portland, Oregon makes her lifestyle easy.
Clinking the rims of their glasses, Everly takes a long sip. “I know, it’s hard to be such a put-together adult, but somebody has to do it.” She smirks, knowing she’s anything but put-together.
“No, but like, for reals, what are we going to do?” Amelia, who is braiding her hair, asks. She’s in ratty sweats and a tank top, but she gets a pass considering Derrick, her boyfriend of four years, just broke up with her. “I mean, all of us were legit counting on staying at Derrick’s summer house for the next three months. Now we’re going to get kicked out of here in a week. Then what?”
“Calm down. It’s all going to work out,” Everly tells her, not believing the words herself, but knowing Amelia needs the affirmation—considering she’s the one recovering from an unexpected break-up.
Everly falls onto the couch, squeezing between her two best friends. They all take drinks of the bubbly, each lamenting their own personal hell.
They aren’t exactly on top of the
world. And they feel deceived. The entire universe led them to believe that if they went to college they would be grown-ups. But here they are, all three of them a week out of Oregon State College, with no job prospects, no boyfriends, and—apparently—no housing.
“This sucks,” Amelia says, her head falling on Everly’s shoulder. “Why didn’t a career counselor ever mention the fact that a Fine Arts degree wouldn’t help me? All it did was teach me that I’m more of a hobbyist in terms of creating visual masterpieces. Like, I can legit scrapbook, but that isn’t a job.”
“Um, sweetie,” Delta says, “my degree is in Hospitality. There are literally no jobs for me.”
“You can be a hotel desk clerk,” Everly suggests.
“Yeah, except I didn’t need a degree for that, and it won’t offer me health insurance or pay my student loans. It’s not realistic.”
“I know,” Everly says. “Even if I sold a story to some magazine, I’d make what—fifty bucks if I was lucky? And I can’t afford to sit here and write the next great American novel. That won’t pay any of the bills.”
Everly thought a degree in English Literature would help her become a writer, but so far she’s only completed a few short stories about her life as a college student. Not exactly inspiring.
“At this point I would do anything to stop feeling so out of control. I just want a plan,” Amelia says. “I feel desperate.”
“I’m not desperate, I’m just horny as hell. I haven’t been with someone in like, three months,” Delta moans. “I want a husband, someone to keep me warm at night and fuck me all day long.”
“Then we should have gotten MRS degrees, not BAs,” Everly says, sighing into her champagne. “Not that I’m exactly ready for marriage.”
Delta and Amelia both look at Everly, giving her puppy dog eyes. It’s no secret that she’s a virgin, and if anyone needs a man, it’s her.
“What?” Everly shrugs. “I’m not holding out for Mr. Right. The problem is, I’m just never going to meet a guy who is okay with taking it slow.”
“You don’t need to take it slow,” Amelia says. “You need a man who isn’t going to take no for an answer.”
“I don’t need to take it slow, either,” Delta says. “I just want to take it, if you know what I mean.”
Amelia shoves a pillow in Delta’s face. “Yes, we get it. You want to get laid. But on a more serious note, maybe there are new apartments on Craigslist?” Amelia suggests. “You know, since we’re getting evicted.”
“Not evicted,” Everly reminds her. “It’s just we’re in campus housing. We have to go.”
“Like, in a week.” Delta sighs. “This is dumb. Let’s do something bananas. Like, move to a commune. Or become Amish.”
Noticing the now-empty glasses, Everly returns to the kitchen and brings back some more champagne. “I just want a nice house and a normal life. Nothing crazy, just something regular.”
“With good sex,” Delta adds, winking. “And on that note, let’s look in the Help Wanted section with an open mind.” She opens her laptop. “At this point we don’t have many requirements.”
“I just want to get out of this college town,” Amelia says. Forgoing a glass, she grabs the bottle from Everly’s hand and takes a swig. “I can’t handle it here,” she says, wiping her mouth. “There are way too many memories of Derrick and me in this town, and I need to move on. Stat.”
Delta scrolls through the housing pages, and it’s more of what they’ve already seen. Tiny studios or massive houses requiring three months’ security deposit.
“Hmmm.” Delta keeps clicking, but there are no new listings. Eventually she takes the bottle from Amelia and drinks before passing it to Everly.
Everly follows suit, then sits between them once again, starting to feel more than a little tipsy.
“There’s nothing,” Amelia moans.
“Even if there were,” Everly adds, “it doesn’t matter. None of us have jobs. That’s priority number one.”
“Tell me again why none of us have parents who can help out?”
The three of them were roommates freshman year, and instantly bonded over the fact they’d all been raised by their grandparents. It was such a coincidence—it felt like destiny, and they had to stick together.
And they always did, through thick and thin, for four years. They put Delta’s grandpa in assisted living, attended the funeral for Everly’s grandma and grandpa, and were there when Amelia’s grandma moved in with her older sister.
They have family that love them, but not family that can support them, or even house them.
It’s time they figure this out on their own.
“Okay, go to the want ads,” Everly says, pointing at the tab on the screen.
“Let’s see, here.” Delta takes another sip as the page loads.
The three of them read the job descriptions, not one of them remotely appealing.
Dog walker, ten hours a week.
Editor, must be proficient in Dutch.
Smoothie stand, pasties the required uniform.
“Well, we could do that,” Delta says, laughing. “We all have decent racks.”
“More than decent, but that doesn’t mean I could do it,” Everly says, frowning, knowing her looks have never been her problem.
The problem is, she’s never had a real boyfriend because she always gets so nervous and shy around guys.
“We’re all cute enough so the tips would be good,” Amelia says, considering the smoothie stand position. “But, it just seems so cold.” She covers her chest with her hands, cracking up.
Okay, so they are definitely buzzed.
“This is stupid.” Everly hovers her fingers over Delta’s keyboard. “Let’s try something totally different.”
In the search bar, she types: pretty girls, college degrees, open-minded, need jobs.
The first hit causes all three girls to tilt their heads to the side, and reach for the champagne, simultaneously.
Huh.
WANTED:
MODERN MAIL ORDER BRIDES
FOR ALASKAN MOUNTAIN MEN.
More Modern-Mail Order Brides:
CLAIMED BY THE MOUNTAIN MAN
ORDERED BY THE MOUNTAIN MAN
WIFED BY THE MOUNTAIN MAN
EXPLORED BY THE MOUNTAIN MAN
Also by Frankie Love
THE ENTIRE FRANKIE LOVE COLLECTION
New Releases:
His Old Fashioned
Dirty Cute
The Mountain Man’s Muse
* * *
The Mountain Man’s Babies:
TIMBER
BUCKED
WILDER
HONORED
CHERISHED
BUILT
CHISELED
* * *
MOUNTAIN MEN OF LINESWORTH:
MOUNTAIN MAN CANDY
MOUNTAIN MAN CAKE
MOUNTAIN MAN BUN
Stand-Alone Romance:
B.I.L.F.
BEAUTY AND THE MOUNTAIN MAN
HIS Everything
HIS BILLION DOLLAR SECRET BABY
UNTAMED
RUGGED
HIS MAKE BELIEVE BRIDE
HIS KINKY VIRGIN
WILD AND TRUE
BIG BAD WOLF
MISTLETOE MOUNTAIN: A MOUNTAIN MAN’S CHRISTMAS
Our Virgin:
Protecting Our Virgin
Craving Our Virgin
Forever Our Virgin
F*ck Club:
A-List F*ck Club
Small Town F*ck Club
The Modern-Mail Order Brides:
CLAIMED BY THE MOUNTAIN MAN
ORDERED BY THE MOUNTAIN MAN
WIFED BY THE MOUNTAIN MAN
EXPLORED BY THE MOUNTAIN MAN
CROWN ME:
COURTED BY THE MOUNTAIN PRINCE
CHARMED BY THE MOUNTAIN PRINCE
CROWNED BY THE MOUNTAIN PRINCE
CROWN ME, PRINCE: The Complete Collection
Las Vega
s Bad Boys:
ACE
KING
MCQUEEN
JACK
Los Angeles Bad Boys:
COLD HARD CASH
HOLLYWOOD HOLDEN
SAINT JUDE
THE COMPLETE COLLECTION
❤️❤️❤️
The Charlie Hart Collection
(Frankie's reverse-harem pseudonym)
Our Virgin:
Protecting Our Virgin
Craving Our Virgin
Forever Our Virgin
* * *
Daughters of Olympus:
Their Siren (12/1)
Their Mate
Their Phoenix
Their Shade
* * *
Six Men of Alaska:
* * *
The Wife Lottery The Wife Protectors
The Wife Gamble
The Wife Code
The Wife Pact
The Wife Legacy
About the Author
Frankie Love writes sexy stories about bad boys and mountain men. As a thirty-something mom to six who is ridiculously in love with her own bearded hottie, she believes in love-at-first-sight and happily-ever-afters. She also believes in the power of a quickie.
* * *
Find Frankie here:
www.frankielove.net
[email protected]
