Mountain Man
Wood Hollow Stories #3
by Lane Hayes
Blurb:
The police chief, the lumberjack, and a new start…
Reg
I don’t usually hand out tickets, but the new lumberjack isn’t barreling into town on my watch. We take law and order seriously in the Four Forest area. And yes, okay…I’m a little curious about the mountain man.
Waylon is funny, charming, cool, and confident, and like it or not, I’m attracted to him.
Reality check: I’m also a single dad juggling stressful family issues and a high-profile job. My schedule doesn’t leave much room for extracurricular activities.
But a temporary, no-strings fling? Yeah…that could be interesting.
Waylon
I should be irked about getting pulled over. I mean, c’mon. I wasn’t going that fast.
The thing is…I’ll take any excuse that puts me in the police chief’s orbit. Reg is a quintessential silver fox. Seriously. He’s also a good man, a great dad, and a cool human. I like him, and I love Wood Hollow, but at the end of my contract, I’m heading home. My family needs me.
In the meantime, there’s no crime against having some fun. And it’s not as if I’m gonna develop feelings, or—
Too late.
Mountain Man is an MM bisexual small-town romance featuring Wood Hollow’s silver fox police chief, the new lumberjack, and some single-dad shenanigans.
Trigger/Content Warnings: Father of MC has dementia, mention of sibling with addiction issues
*****
Excerpt:
Reg inclined his head while scanning the crowd as if on the lookout for troublemakers.
That feeling was back. The heat and sizzle of electricity buzzed between us. Or maybe I was just…hot. It was August, for fuck’s sake. That made more sense than a straight cop flirting with me at a family-friendly event.
Talk about wishful thinking. My long dry spell was messin’ with my mind. If I wasn’t careful, I’d self-combust or—
“I’m going to be in Burlington tomorrow too,” Reg blurted, eyes fixed ahead.
“You are?”
“Yeah. Business. I’ll give you my number. If you feel like meeting for a drink before you get on the road, shoot me a text. There’s a sports bar near campus that makes a killer burger.”
I couldn’t make my mouth move for a few precious seconds.
A drink? In Burlington? With Reg?
“I…okay.” I handed him my cell automatically, like anyone would if a policeman asked for it. “I don’t know if the timing will work, but I—”
“No worries. Just thought I’d mention it. Either way, drive safe.”
I snorted. “Yes, sir.”
His smile was X-rated. I could have sworn he knew every dirty thought churning in my brain, and he wholeheartedly approved.
No, that was me going off the rails.
Reg squeezed my shoulder and headed toward the group of kids running like hooligans. He waved Emmett over, kneeled so they were eye level, and held his palm up for a high five. Then he tousled Em’s hair and made his way to the flag football game without so much as a peek in my direction.
Okay, so…I was imagining things.
Damn, I really needed to get laid. Stat.
*****
Review:
Reg is carrying so much on his shoulders – work, kids, an ex, and his dad’s failing health. He’s just so overwhelmed and doesn’t feel like he can take on more thing. Especially an attraction to the new lumberjack in town. Because a town as small and in each other’s pockets as Wood Hollow, private lives don’t stay private. And while Waylon may be attracted to Reg too, he’s not staying. Being in town only temporarily brings its own complications.
Mountain Man is a slow slide from hookups to something more and it is such an easy ride. Hayes is so very good at that. Like the other stories in the Wood Hollow Stories series, it’s low angst but not boring. Because Hayes’s stories are comfort reads, with lovely characters and emotional romances. Full of people living life and working toward a future. They just have to decide what that future looks like, and if it includes them together.
*****
Author Info:
Lane Hayes lives in sunny Southern California with her amazing husband, who thankfully doesn’t mind cooking, and their fabulous fox red Labrador, George, who’s pure mischief. Both provide oodles of inspiration for the low-angst, humorous books Lane loves to write.
She’s been telling stories about sexy, funny, sometimes geeky and quirky men who find love for a dozen years now and loving every minute. In her previous life, she sat at a desk and dealt with numbers, so yes…romance is much more satisfying!
Lane loves tea, travel, and chocolate…in any order. Add a book and she’s set!
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