Big Bear Mountain - The Complete Series Read Online Free PDF Page A

be setting
yourself up for more heartache, she reminded
herself.
    Maybe a little diversion, then. No
strings and all that. I could be dead tomorrow, after all …
    “I said I’ll get a fire started, if you
like.” His impassioned, reassuring voice broke through her inner debate.
    “Ah … of course. That would be lovely.
There’s nothing like an open fire,” she responded lamely, having been caught
daydreaming by him. Again.
    “Is something wrong? You look … I don’t
know … distracted?” he asked.
    “I’m alright. I just feel like I need a
shower and I don’t even have a change of clothes or anything.” Her nose
wrinkled when she looked down at her sweaty blouse and disheveled skirt.
    “I’ll try to find something for you to
wear. You can shower while I get the fire started and cook you some dinner.
Hungry?”
    A pang of jealousy stabbed at the pit of
her stomach as the thought of him having a pile of women’s clothes on hand.
Left overs from his other ‘conquests’, she figured. How could she be so stupid to
even think he might be interested in a curvy girl like her? Even if he was,
she’d be one of many he’d brought to his ‘fancy pants’ bachelor lair, only to
discard her when he’d had his fun.
    Men! They’re all the same. Even out here
in the fucking wilderness!

Chapter 13
     
    F reshly showered,
her wet hair smelling of the green apple scented hair products she found in the
shower stall, Elle emerged tentatively from the bathroom and into the adjoining
guest bedroom. She found herself alone and began to relax, although a small
part of her was disappointed Jarrad wasn’t there. She’d heard him fossicking
about while she was drying herself.
    Emerging in her
underwear with only a towel wrapped around her, she saw that her clothes had
been whisked away. Lying on the bed, where she had left her clothes was the
most enormous sweatshirt and hoodie she had ever seen. Elle had no idea who or
what the Montana Grizzlies were, but apparently, they wore clothing fit for
some kind of giant.
    The sweatshirt had
a large grizzly bear on the front and the words “The Last Best Place” stenciled
across it. The hoodie was more subtle with the words Montana Grizzlies splashed
across it in giant letters and a massive bear paw print.
    Elle was beginning
to see a theme emerging with the bears.
    And the XXXXXL
sizing.
    OK, maybe not
hand-me-downs from other playmates. But bears? Seriously? Hey, does he really think
I’m that plus size? How rude!
    After rugging
herself in the oversized garments, Elle made her way downstairs, drawn as much
by the delicious aroma coming from the kitchen as the need to give Jarrad a
piece of her mind for leaving her such ridiculous apparel.
    “Ah, there you
are,” Jarrad said as she entered the kitchen.
    Elle stopped short
and simply stood in the middle of the kitchen, staring down at her sleeves
nearly dragging on the floor, like a child wearing an adult’s shirt, before
fixing a cold stare on Jarrad.
    “Yeah, about that
… I don’t get many visitors up here and my old college sweats were the only
things I had that I thought might do the job. I’ve bulked up a lot since then.”
    She looked from
her massive, flapping hoodie to Jarrad and back again, realizing that he was
right. His current sizing would have been even more ridiculous. If that were at
all possible.
    “Thanks. I
appreciate the thought. At first, I thought you were making fun of my figure.”
    “What? Are you
kidding? You’ve got an awesome figure.” Jarrad quickly turned his attention
back to the stove where he’d been working before Elle came in, embarrassed by the
openness of his words.
    Is he flirting
with me?
    “Been checking me
out, have you? Bet you say that to all the curvy women you rescue and bring
back to your mountain hideaway,” she probed.
    Jarrad suddenly
became fascinated by whatever he had happening on the stove as he stirred one
saucepan vigorously while closely examining the contents