Taming Her Mountain Man: Bear's Tooth Mountain Men, #1

By Cameron Hart

I found the curvy goddess in the woods one day, searching for her ugly orange cat. I thought I made her up. There's no way such a pretty young thing is real.

 

I end up following her back to her newly-acquired cabin. She talks the whole way back, mostly to me, but sometimes to her cat, Morty. The girl talks to animals and lives in the forest. She's practically Snow White.

 

Adelyn is too young, too gorgeous, and too innocent for the likes of me. I'll ruin her with my darkness. I'll suck up every last drop of her goodness until I wring her dry. And I can't do that. She deserves so much more than I have to offer.

 

The bubbly woman has other ideas.. It seems that I can't get rid of her, and as time goes on, I find I don't want to. We're opposites in every way, but I can't deny her for much longer. I only hope she doesn't hate me when she finds out about my past.

 

What to expect from a Cameron Hart book: Curvy heroines, protective alphas, lots of heat, and plenty of sweet. No cheating, safe, guaranteed HEA!

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cameron Hart
• Release date: Nov 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223656098

Cameron Hart

Hello. I'm Cameron Hart, and I write sweet steamy romances. I’m a USA Today Bestselling author with over forty books available. I write romance with lots of heat, plenty of sweet, and just enough drama to keep things interesting. I graduated from the Iowa Writer’s Workshop in 2012 with a degree in creative writing. When I’m not working on my next book, I can be found reading, crocheting, doing yoga, and chasing around my grumpy cats. **What to expect from a Cameron Hart book: Lots of heat, plenty of sweet, and just enough drama to keep things interesting. No cheating, safe, guaranteed HEA!**

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One look at the stunning waitress carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders, and I’m a goner. I wasn’t looking for a sweet little thing with auburn hair and more baggage than I can fit on the back of my bike, but there’s no going back now. She’s mine. I’ll prove to her I’m more than capable of handling her past and making her feel safe again.

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Chapter 1

Adelyn

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I got a letter requesting my presence for the reading of the will of Martha Hutchins. The letter came at the perfect time – okay, that sounds bad. It’s never a good time for the reading of a will since, you know, someone had to die. But, still. I turned eighteen three months ago, and I had been looking for a fresh start. 

Martha, may she rest in peace, basically handed me a new life. Apparently, I was her only living relative, so I got everything. Her fully furnished log cabin up in the small mountain town of Bear’s Tooth, Montana, her life insurance money, even a freaking boat! I only wish I had met her in real life. The lawyer said she was my grandma and that she recently passed away, just a few months after her husband, Samuel, died.

I asked him to repeat himself three times, just to make sure I heard him correctly. My whole life I thought I was all alone in the world.

Standing in front of the stunning log cabin now, tears well up in my eyes just thinking about how I could have been here with my grandparents the whole time. I blink the tears away.

No use crying over lost time, isn’t that right, Morty?

I look down into the cardboard box in my arms containing my only friend in the world. The orange tabby cat stares at me with the same grumpy look he always has.

You said it, buddy. Time to move on and be grateful for this opportunity. You always get right to the punch, don’t you? I giggle at his perpetual scowl. I know I’m crazy to talk to a cat, but my life hasn’t exactly been normal. If the only damage done to my psyche is that I talk to a grumpy old cat, then I consider that a win.

I swear the old coot rolls his eyes at me right before jumping out of the box and taking off in a mad dash.

No! Morty! Come back here, you butthead!

I drop the box and chase after him. He’s way ahead of me, of course, and I don’t know anything about this place. The property is surrounded by a forest that at any other time would be majestic, but right now all I can see are a million different places for Morty to hide.

I wasn’t kidding when I said he’s my only friend. Morty was just a stray that came around the garden – one of the few places I felt at peace. He’d been my unofficial pet/best friend for the better part of two years. When I left, I took him with me. I know he can survive on his own, I just don’t know if I can.

Morty! I yell over and over. I know he’s not a dog and that he won’t respond to me. I have no doubt he knows what his name is and he knows what I want. But he’s a cat, and an old stubborn one at that, so he’s probably perched up in a tree somewhere mocking me.

I try a different tactic.

Morty-jo! I have a can of tuna with your name on it if you come here! I click my tongue a few times to no avail. I wander around the forest for a bit, hoping to maybe spot some of his orange fur or hear his undignified screech.

There's rustling off to my right and I turn, hoping to get a glimpse of my furry friend. Instead, what I see is a large man, probably a foot taller than me with messy black hair, whiskey-colored eyes, an angular nose, and a neatly trimmed beard. He has tattoos running up and down his seriously muscular arms. Arms that are holding a disheveled ball of fluff.

Mortimer Jones! I scold.

My mystery hero chuckles. It's a gravelly sound like maybe he hasn't used his voice in a while. I like the idea of me making him break his vow of silence.

This belongs to you? His lip ticks up at one side. It seems as though he’s trying to smile but forgot how.

Well, we kind of belong to each other. I mean, jeez, that sounds weird, huh? I just mean, like, he’s my best friend, so I don’t really like the idea of owning him.

Oh my gosh, could I be any more embarrassing?

Sorry, I’m being a weirdo. I’m not really used to talking to other people.

Apparently, I can.

Super handsome cat-saver-man raises his eyebrows in amusement.

Just cats then? He asks.

Yeah, pretty much, I tell him honestly. I can feel my face growing hotter with every word that tumbles out of my mouth. He’s seriously the most attractive man I’ve ever seen.

I realize I’m just standing here, a dozen feet away from this guy who is now scratching Morty behind his ears.

I’ll um, I can take him. Thanks. Thank you. Seriously, I say, taking a few steps closer to him, holding out my arms for Morty.

The man grunts, unloading my furry little jerk of a cat into my arms. I tuck the cat under one arm and calm him with little scratches under his chin.

I can’t stop staring at my mystery mountain man. He’s just so...gorgeous. Up close, I see he has a little scar on the outer edge of his left eyebrow. The jagged, pink scar cuts through his thick, black eyebrow, making him look rugged and even more handsome. I want to know how he got the scar. I want to know everything about him.

He clears his throat, pulling me back into the moment. Which consists of me basically ogling him with my mouth slightly open.

Great first impression, Adelyn.

You’re new to the mountain. It’s not a question, it’s a statement.

Yeah. Yeah, we, uh, just got here. This jerk running off was literally the first thing that happened. We haven’t even been inside our new home yet.

He grunts again in acknowledgment.

Yeah, so, um, I’ll just head back home. It’s uh... I look around but only see trees. Well, it must be this way, I point behind me. That tree definitely looks familiar. I remember looking at that knot in the trunk and thinking it could be someone’s face. It looks very wise. Like it would give some good advice.

Shut. Up. You. Weirdo.

You talk to cats and trees, but not people?

I’d be totally mortified if it weren’t for the fact that he’s smiling. Or, well, he’s trying. It’s kind of lopsided, but I find that somehow more endearing. I get the feeling I’m the only one who has seen that smile of his in a while.

Yup, that pretty much sums me up. And explains my social skills.

I try not to talk at all. Including all animal and plant life.

I snort a laugh and then clap my free hand over my mouth.

Oh, my word, that has to be the least sexy sound in all of history.

He gives me that lopsided smile again, instantly putting me at ease.

I like your laugh, beautiful.

Woah. Beautiful? Me?

He seems almost as shocked at his words as I am. The mountain man coughs and rubs his hand on the back of his neck in a nervous gesture. I have no idea what he has to be nervous about. If I had a body like his, I’d just walk around naked all the time.

Where the heck did that thought come from? I wouldn’t know the first thing about a naked man. I’ve never even seen a...well, all the parts of a man.

Stop thinking about this man and all of his parts, good lord, Adelyn!

Where you headed?

Huh? I ask. I'm sure looking like a deer caught in the headlights with my dirty thoughts still playing out in my head.

He chuckles again, a little less gravelly this time. I’ll walk with you, wherever you’re headed.

Oh, right. I, uh, I’m moving into the old Hutchins’ place. Sam and Martha?

No shit?

Nope. No shitting here. I roll my eyes at my attempt at humor. I think it’s the first swear word I’ve ever said out loud and I’m sure it sounds all clunky and awkward coming from my mouth.

It seems to do it for him though, seeing as he’s got that grin back on his face.

My big, burly mountain man mumbles something and then says, Are your parents back at the house?

Nope. It’s just Morty and me. Sam and Martha were my grandparents.

How old are you? His tone is harsh, almost a growl, while his eyebrows knit together. Those whiskey eyes go dark, all playfulness drained from them.

I turned eighteen a few months ago.