Take Me To The River: A Mountain Man Romance (Mountain Men of Whiskey River Book 1)

It’s been a few days of blissful sex, winter prep, and river fun. The sex in his car seemed to calm Axel, and cement in his mind, I’m his, and I’m not going anywhere. Since then, he’s been even more loving, if that’s even possible.

Once we said the ‘I love you’ to each other, it’s like we can’t stop. He doesn’t leave a room without telling me, and it’s the first words spoken when we wake up in the morning, and the last ones said, before going to bed each night.

I’ve never felt freer, more myself than I do out here with Axel. I still wear his shirt around the house with nothing underneath. We both like him having access to me in the cabin, and he uses that freedom well. But now, I have clothes to wear, when we go checking traps, or like today, when we go out hunting.

We are planning another trip into town sooner than normal, so I can get my hunting tags, and we can increase the number of animals we can hunt. I also want to get trapping permits, so we can run another trapping line.

Axel won’t say it, but I know with me here at the cabin, everything doubles. It takes twice the amount of resources to get us through the winter, and that means double the amount of meat we need for ourselves and double the amount of jerky we should sell to make money for the items we need to buy in town.

That means twice the amount of work, and while he hasn’t complained once, in fact, he’s told me how much he loves taking care of me. While he hasn’t complained, I don’t want him to stress over it either, so I’ve been trying to help as much as possible.

Axel has spent the last few days building shelves in one of the spare bedrooms to store more supplies. On our next trip into town, we’re stocking up on canned goods, and a few snacks that I find myself missing.

Since we have increased the amount of jerky we can make in between trips into town, Axel wanted somewhere to store it out of the way of our everyday life. He has gone out of his way to make sure I’m comfortable here, even building me a few bookshelves, and insisting we stop at the thrift store to fill them when we’re in town the next time.

As soon as we got home from the store, he hung up the dream catcher he bought me. He was patient about making sure we got it right where I wanted it above the bed.

I catch him looking at it and smiling often. When I asked him about it, he said it was my first stamp on our house, and he can’t wait to see what else I do with it. He encourages me to find a hobby. Something to do in my downtime, when we are snowed in. Painting, reading, sewing, or something fun he says.

So, I’m not surprised that he asks me about it, once we’re hiking to our favorite hunting spot today.

‘Have you thought anymore about a hobby, Little One?’

‘Well, I like to read, but I was thinking. What do you do with the glass jars and aluminum cans from the stuff we get in town?’

‘Until I have enough to take to town and recycle for a little cash, I store them in one of the sheds. Why?’

Chewing on my lip, I wonder what he’ll think of my idea.

‘I was thinking I can use them to make lighting decorations, and maybe, see if it sells in the store?’

He smiles at me. ‘Let me know what you need, and how I can help.’

Of course, he’s supportive. I knew he would be, but I’m just not used to that kind of unconditional love and support. Chris would have asked a million questions, and in the end, say I didn’t know what I was getting into. Axel has faith I’ll figure it out and ask for help if I can’t.

‘When we are in town next, we would need to talk to Jack to see if it would be a fit. I’d want to get some lighting materials ordered and some other things. Just a few to start.’

‘Jack can help with all that. He’ll order it, and we can pick it up at the store. Sometimes, he brings things out to me, if I feed him.’ Axel chuckles. ‘If Phoenix stops in town, he’ll bring a load out to us as well.’

As we get closer to the good hunting ground, we quieten down and start to find signs of deer in the area.

I walk behind Axel, as he watches the signs for animals, but I can’t take my eyes off of him. Despite his size, he glides through the forest, making little to no noise. He knows these woods like the back of his hand, and it shows.

When we step into a clearing, I’m thankful there are no animals nearby, because I gasp. The view is beautiful. The mountains rise up above the tree line topped in snow. It’s the most breathtaking sight I’ve ever seen in person.

Axel looks at me first with concern to make sure I’m all right, and then with delight.

‘I thought views like this only existed on postcards or in magazines,’ I say in awe, as I look around.

If only I had a way to capture this in a photograph or painting, yet, I know I’d never do it justice.

‘We can bring a picnic up here, spend the day, and just relax,’ he says.

‘That would be perfect!’

When he leans down to kiss me, I could easily get lost in him and this moment, but we’re on a mission. So, after a quick water break, we’re on the move again, and it isn’t long before we find a few deer in another clearing.

Both of us get into position, planning to get two deer today if we can. But as I am lining up my shot, I notice movement to the side of the cleaning. I point it out to Axel just as a bobcat starts stalking towards the deer.

‘The bobcat is mine,’ I whisper, and he nods.

Lining up the shot, then a soft count to three, and we fire at the same time. One deer and the bobcat drop down, and the rest of the deer go running off into the woods.

‘Good job, Little One!’ He pulls me in for a kiss, and while he won’t admit it, I catch his eyes roaming over me, and I know he’s checking to make sure I’m okay. Before picking up my stuff and making my way out to the clearing, I give a big victory hug.

Just as he taught me, I’m checking my surroundings, making sure the fresh blood isn’t attracting any animals nearby.

‘You stand guard, and I’ll get these ready to go home,’ he says, and I nod. He sets his rifle down and makes fast work of the deer and the bobcat before we secure them on our backs.

I’m carrying the bobcat, because it’s smaller, and he’s got the deer, as we head back to the cabin.

‘What will we do with him?’ I nod to the bobcat on my back.

‘Well, the pelt is worth good money, so we’ll be careful skinning him. The meat tastes like pork, so we can save some and use the rest for jerky. The last time I brought in bobcat jerky it sold really fast. If I was alone, I’d have gone for the bobcat myself.’

I smile at him, and he smiles back. I love how carefree he seems out here in the woods. This is where he belongs. Even though I could tell he wasn’t a fan of being in town, it’s one of those things you have to do. He was tense, and I know he was worried about the looks people gave him, so I just tried to show him they didn’t matter, and I could care less about what other people thought. He is mine, and I’m damn proud of it.

But the Axel here with me now in the woods is confident, sure of himself, and damn sexy.

‘You’re different out here,’ I say, and he looks at me like I’m crazy.

‘In a good way, you’re more relaxed and sexier, if that’s possible.’ I wink at him, and he shakes his head.

‘You’re more relaxed out here, too. I was worried you wouldn’t be happy in the mountains, but you have taken to it better than I did.’

‘That’s because I have you. I know you have my back, and that makes me feel free.’

When we get back to the cabin, I watch him work on skinning the bobcat and deer, before he hands me some deer meat to take in and make for dinner.

If I had told my younger self I’d be here, I wouldn’t have believed it. But this simple life is what I have been looking for. Actually, My Giant is what I have been looking for.

I’ll fight for him. For us.

Unfortunately, that fight comes knocking on our door.