A Mail-Order Hope (Miners to Millionaires Book 3) Page 2

  He could’ve sent her away at any time, told her he wasn’t interested in what she had to offer, but he’d done neither. In truth, he’d looked forward to her visits.

  But that didn’t mean they could continue, he reminded himself as he returned the note to the basket. She didn’t belong on the mountain, and she had no business visiting him. She had no business interfering in his life.

  He was his own man and had his own reasons for his seclusion. The fact was, Belle represented the very reason why he needed to remain here. She was gorgeous, lovely, amusing, and everything else he would’ve found favorable in a woman...before.

  He shut down that line of thought immediately. The past didn’t matter. All that mattered was now. Belle could push and pull him however she wanted, but he would not budge. He didn’t have anything to offer the world, and he refused to put others in jeopardy from his inability ever again.

  If a man couldn’t defend his own fiancée, then what use was he?

  Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

  Asher wanted to avoid town. He’d thought up a ream of excuses he could give for missing his monthly supply run, but all of them fell flat.

  So instead of staying in the woods, he’d hauled his hide out of the cabin and down the mountain into town. There really was very little to worry about anyway. Belle, or any of Ivan’s other would-be brides, would likely still be at their home this early in the morning. Women with no need to work generally didn’t rise with the sun. And that worked out just fine, because if he thought he would run into Belle, it might’ve made him stay home.

  “Good morning,” Asher called out as he walked into the mercantile.

  Mr. Stevens poked his balding head around a mountain of bagged flour. “Asher? You’re early.”

  “I thought I’d get a head start today.” His ears burned at the falsehood, and he cleared his throat, hoping to sweep away the discomfort.

  The man stepped around the merchandise, wiping his hands on a pristine apron. Asher knew that apron would stay spotless throughout the day, even if the owner had to change it several times.

  “I can come back later if it’s not a good time.”

  “Now’s as good as ever. Perhaps even better, since we aren’t flooded with customers.” He stepped around to the counter and pulled out Asher’s invoice. “Do you want anything out of the ordinary?”

  “The usual will do.”

  “All right then,” he agreed before taking the amount due from Asher. “Gabe isn’t here yet to help you load. He’ll be here in an hour if you want to come back, or you can load it yourself.”

  “I’ll manage.” He had no desire to linger in town. The longer he stayed, the more likely it was that he’d run into the person—woman—he was avoiding.

  “Suit yourself. It’s all in the back room.”

  “Thanks.”

  Mr. Stevens nodded before snapping his fingers. “I almost forgot.” He fished a paper out from behind the desk. “I thought you might be interested in this. Figured you wouldn’t have heard about it yet.”

  Asher took the paper and glanced down at the announcement. “A scavenger hunt? Since when does the town sponsor something like that?”

  The shop owner raise his eyebrows knowingly. “Since those brides came to town.”

  Of course. It all had to do with the women and the men who were trying to win their hands.

  “Pretty big cash prize is being offered.” Mr. Stevens nodded toward the paper for Asher to take a second look. “All you need is a partner.”

  “I work alone.” Not that he was even interested in the scavenger hunt.

  “If you want to enter to win this contest, you’ll need a companion. It’s written in the rules. Better to woo women when you’re paired off, I guess.”

  The man’s grin irked Asher, but he didn’t let it show. “Thank you.” He added before heading off to load his supplies. He had no desire to pair himself with anyone, let alone a woman that needed courting, but he admitted, even if it was just to himself, that the challenge sparked something within him. Except for helping find Clara, it’d been awhile since he’d used his skills for hunting anything other than game.

  He glanced at the paper one last time before tucking it into his pocket. But what did he need the prize money for? He already had plenty, and he had no intention of changing his lifestyle. The cabin was his home. His life.

  His prison.

  Disgusted with himself, he hauled two bags of flour and a few other supplies outside and started loading them into his wagon. All he wanted to do was get back home, close the door, and forget all about the scavenger hunt.

  “Mr. Walker?”

  The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as Belle’s soft voice floated through the air. He closed his eyes and ticked off a few second before turning toward her. “You’re in town early.”

  “So are you.” She eyed him skeptically. “You wouldn’t be avoiding me, would you?”

  “Of course not.” He almost believed himself he’d sounded so convincing. “There’s just a lot to do.”

  “Hmm.” She’d already dismounted from her horse and was now walking around to view the back of his wagon. “No doubt you spend countless hours watching flies buzz around the meadow. Busy work, that.”

  He swallowed his smile, not wanting to be charmed by her. He needed to get away before he did something foolish—like give her any hope. “If only life were so easy. A lot goes into supporting one’s self, especially when they live far from town.”

  “No doubt,” she said, but doubt tinged her voice. “I hope you enjoyed the basket I left. Or I should say, I hope there was something left inside the basket I left. Did animals get to it first?” Her arched brow challenged him.

  She knew he’d run off, but darn it, he really had needed fresh meat. “I enjoyed several muffins.”

  “Good, but you could’ve enjoyed them warm if you had, you know, been around. Where were you?”

  He bent low to grab a sack of sugar on the ground, a snort of amusement escaped him before he could stop it. “I appreciate the determination, Miss Sweeney, but that isn’t any of your business.”

  “Belle.” She tilted her head as if testing him to see if he’d agree. “And I’m going to call you Asher.”

  He shrugged. It didn’t matter what they called each other. The fact was, she was pushing in where she didn’t belong. “Belle, then. Regardless, it’s still none of your business.”

  “You know I’m not going to stop,” she said, handing a crock of butter to him from the ground. “I told you it didn’t matter how long I’d have to hound you.”

  “And I’ve already told you that it won’t change things.”

  He leaned over to pick up more supplies, and the folded announcement for the scavenger hunt fell out of his pocket. Before he could reach for it, she swooped down and scooped it up.

  “What this?” Unfolding the paper, she read the flyer.

  “That could’ve been private,” he said dryly.

  Her cheeks pinked, but she spoke boldly. “Well, it wasn’t.” She folded the paper back up, but didn’t hand it back to him. “The scavenger hunt. I thought about entering.” She tapped the paper on her chin. “I wonder how much prize money there will be?”

  “No idea.” He hefted another bag into the wagon. “Don’t care.”

  “Truly? It says it’ll be a lot. I know they’re hoping the women pair up with some of the men.”

  “Probably. It’s just a marriage scheme.”

  Her lips twitched, but she didn’t call him out on his careless comment.

  “Well,” she began as she stepped forward and tucked the paper back into the front pocket of his shirt, “We wouldn’t want you to fall into any such scheme, would we?”

  She was shorter than him, and he could smell the honeysuckle scent of her glossy, light brown hair just inches from his eyes. Lord! He wanted to hold her there so he could smell her all day. Not even his meadow after the rain could compete with it. He gu
lped, but couldn’t bring himself to step away from her. “No. I won’t be involved in it.”

  “Pity.” Her eyes met his and held a moment before she stepped away.

  He felt the loss of her presence and cursed himself. He shouldn’t even want her there.

  “Guess I’ll just have to find someone else to partner with. I’m sure there’s plenty of men who wouldn’t mind.”

  Oh, he could just imagine it. Any man would want to take a big bite out of her. She was warm, lovely, and lively. “You can’t just go off with someone you don’t know.”

  “Why not? It’s not like we’d ever be completely alone. Plus, I was willing to go with you, and I don’t know you either.”

  He gritted his teeth. She spoke the truth. She didn’t know him, but he knew her. At least he was coming to know her. After all the visits to his cabin, he knew things he shouldn’t. The worst of it was, he wanted to know even more. He never could predict what she’d do, what she would say. And after spending so much time in the wilderness, coming to know the habits of life out there, her unpredictable nature was a breath of fresh air.

  “Exactly my point,” he finally said. “You don’t know any of the men in town.”

  “This is what the whole scavenger hunt is for. We’re supposed to pair up to get to know one another. How am I, or any of the other women, supposed to form attachments when there aren’t opportunities to get to know each other? How will we fall in love?”

  “Love?” He finally gave her his full attention. “Is that what you’re after? I didn’t think that figured in to the equation, since you came to marry Ivan.”

  Silence followed his words, and the minute he’d said them, he wished he could call them back. “Forgive me. I didn’t mean it to sound that way.”

  Red tinged her cheeks with her upset. “You mean, you didn’t intend to say that I only cared about his money?”

  “No. Of course not.”

  Instead of running away as he expected, she stepped forward, challenging him. “I may have agreed to marry Ivan, but it was never for his money. I didn’t even know how much he had—”

  “You don’t need to explain—”

  “I know I don’t.” She poked him in the chest. “My parents died right before I wrote to Ivan. I didn’t have anywhere to go, nowhere to live. If I hadn’t accepted Ivan, I would be living on the street, hungry and scared—or worse. So while I accepted Ivan out of desperation, I don’t ever intend to do so again, now that it’s not forced upon me.”

  Could he feel any lower? “I understand. I’m sorry.”

  She stepped back with a deep breath. “You don’t need to be sorry. Ivan was wealthy. There’s no denying that, but there’s so much more to the story. To any story.” She eyed him. “I thought you, of all people, would know that.”

  Her words felt like an invisible slap. “What do you mean by that?”

  “Only that you have an unknown past. I know a few of the details of what happened to your fiancée, but that’s only the tip.”

  “I don’t want to talk about her.” He growled like an animal. In truth, he felt like one on the inside whenever Lily was brought up.

  Belle wasn’t deterred. “Or what about your relationship with Ronan? Everyone knows you don’t like each other, but no one knows why. It’s a mystery. You’re a mystery.”

  “There’s nothing interesting about me.” He quickly loaded the last few things in his wagon. “There’s no hidden story here worth your time.”

  “Oh, I don’t know about that.”

  He rounded the wagon, and she slowly trailed behind him. Before he hefted himself into the driver seat, he turned to her. “What can I do to convince you to rid yourself of your interest in me?”

  She cocked her head to the side. “Nothing. You’re stuck with me, whether you want to be or not. It would be easier if you’d just accept it.” She paused before adding, “Join me for the scavenger hunt.”

  “No.”

  “At least teach me how to track. Teach me some skill I can use for the contest.”

  He snorted. Did she think he was an idiot? She didn’t need to know how to do any of that stuff. “No.”

  “Fine.” She shrugged. She already knew what his response would be. “I guess I’ll have to go up into the woods and figure it out on my own. Shouldn’t be too difficult anyway.” She turned and sauntered off.

  His nostrils flared. There were so many dangers out there, she had no idea. Anything could happen to her. “Wait.”

  “Yes?” she asked, looking over her shoulder.

  There was no way he was going to let her wander around the mountain. The path to his cabin was one thing, but going anywhere else was dangerous. And the worst part was, she knew it. He could see it in her eyes. “Fine. I’ll help you.”

  He wanted to hate her for pushing him, but he couldn’t. In fact, as much as he was loathed to admit it, he admired her tenacity.

  Her smiled cracked like lightning, and he felt it deep within. “Excellent. Shall we start tomorrow then? I could come to your cabin.”

  He should say no. Tell her he’d changed his mind, but he knew she would only go off on her own just to drive him crazy, regardless if it was safe or not. “Fine,” he ground out. “But after this, I don’t care if you hike up the cliff, then jump off. Once I teach you how to be safe out there, you’re on your own.”

  Her face sobered, but he could still see the smile she hid shining in her gorgeous green eyes. “I understand.”

  One lesson, he promised himself. Then he could rid his conscience of any guilt.

  Chapter 3

  Bright and early, Belle strode up the mountain trail to Asher’s cabin. It might have been a little too early for most people, the sun just barely risen in the sky, but she guessed he was an early riser just like her. And she intended to spend as much time with him as possible today.

  This was her opportunity to crack him, to open him up and make him reenter society. All he needed was a little push. She was great at pushing.

  She smiled to herself as she waltzed up his front porch steps and knocked on his door.

  He opened it almost immediately, eyeing her for a moment before he opened the door wider. “You’re early.”

  “I figured there was no point in waiting. You were up early yesterday too.”

  He grunted, then walked back into the house and allowed her to close the door behind her.

  “If you’re not ready to go, I can wait.”

  “I’m ready.”

  She watched him shovel some supplies in a pack. “There’s no rush.” She held up her hands. “Honest. Why don’t I cook you some breakfast? It’s the least I can do.”

  He grunted.

  Well, wasn’t he reduced to animal language in the morning. She could deal with that. “I’m not sure what that sound means.”

  He didn’t glance her way. “It means I’m not sure I want to dare your cooking.”

  “Why is that?”

  “I don’t want to be poisoned.”

  She couldn’t hold back her laughter a moment longer. “I’m not going to poison you.”

  “Maybe not on purpose,” he muttered under his breath.

  It hit her then… “You don’t think I can cook.” She heard the shock in her own voice. “Of course I can. Why would you think that?”

  He didn’t bother denying it, but he did finally glance in her direction, which she took as progress. Even if it was at the expense of her pride.

  “You came to marry Ivan; you wouldn’t need the skill.”

  “As I told you yesterday,” she said, refusing to feel insulted, “I came to Ivan out of desperation. My family wasn’t wealthy. Some of the other women’s were, but mine wasn’t. We weren’t destitute or anything, but my mother and I did all the cooking. I’ll cook you bacon and eggs that will have your tongue lulling out in surrender.”

  His rough chuckle was worth all the sparring. If only she could get him to relax a little more. Perhaps with some food. “Point
me in the direction of your bacon and eggs.”

  He pointed out where she could find food and pans, then went back to his task. There wasn’t much more speaking after that. Belle didn’t mind it though. It felt nice. Comfortable even.

  How crazy was that? Alone with a man in the woods and relaxed? She shook her head as she cracked eggs into a bowl, splashing some milk inside, before mixing them together. Humming, she let her mind wander as she started cooking the bacon.

  “What’s that song?”

  She jumped a little at his voice. He’d moved right behind her, looking over her shoulder, and she hadn’t even realized it. How long had he been there watching her?

  “Oh”—she cleared her throat—“just a song my mother used to sing.”

  “It’s nice.”

  She glanced over her shoulder as he rubbed the back of his neck.

  “My mom used to sing that to me too.”

  “Really?” Food forgotten, she turned to him. It was something, just a small snippet from his past, but she was fascinated. “Tell me about her. Is she still alive?”

  “Yes. My parents live in Virginia.”

  “Do you miss them?” She scolded herself when his face fell. “Of course you do. I know I miss mine.” She turned her attention back to the food, making sure not to burn his breakfast. That would only start things off poorly.

  “I do miss them. I haven’t seen them in a long time.”

  She wanted to ask why, but she held her tongue. “Plates?”

  He handed her two.

  “Thank you.”

  He raised a brow when she gave him most of the food.

  “I ate before coming here, but it’s never fun to eat alone,” she explained

  He took both plates and placed them on the table. The thoughtful gesture touched her.

  “Thank you.”

  They seated themselves, and he dug into the meal with gusto. When his eyes closed halfway, and a soft noise sounded in his throat, she had to hide her smile by taking a sip of water.

  “This is amazing,” he finally said after a few more forkfuls. “Are you a witch?”