Claimed By The Mountain Man Lord

Noah
Cady Springs and the Colorado Rockies are my home where I’ve amassed a large real estate portfolio. I care about this community and make friends with just about everyone. I’m an easy going guy who loves hands-on work and being outdoors … a lot.  

I never wanted a long term relationship with anyone, until I got to know Evelyn. Strange as it may sound, we met because of the actions (and non-actions) of other people. Seems there was a little fate going on behind the scenes.

Evelyn can be a little grumpy at times and would rather be holed up in a reading nook. From the first time I saw her, I loved the curvy package set before me like a cuddly gift to unwrap. I know she’s carrying some kind of hurt inside and maybe that’s one thing we both have in common

After she gives me a personal book reading, Evelyn has me entertaining the idea of reading for pleasure and keeping her in my life forever. Imagine that!

Evelyn

I know I can be a little fussy and sometimes just need to be by myself. I need to be in control of my environment. This makes me feel safe and like my world is in order.

I accepted the position of Library Director here in Cady Springs after two important people in my life betrayed me -- hurting me so badly I had to have a new start.

My book boyfriends are my safe comfort zone. They’re always attentive; close by when I need them; and give me my happily ever after.

All that changed when Noah walked into the library. Instantly, I realized how different we were. He sports a golden tan compared to my indoor (never sees the sun) complexion, and he is huge in stature like a bear with a hard body built from work. But he doesn’t read!

I must admit I was completely smitten, fantasizing about him from our first meeting. But I live in my head most of the time and ignore my base impulses until my life makes a giant u-turn. Everything heats up when I realize Noah has to be my mountain man lord.

Prelude

Noah

Jace is my favorite new bartender. He remembers what type of beer I like and keeps it in stock for the few weekly visits I come into The Old Saloon. It’s a really cool building that I renovated, along with a crew I hired. The place has become a local hot spot — one of the few in this small town. Jace and his brother, Toby, are leasing the renovated historic tavern from me, and I wish them well in their business endeavor.

Today, he’s curious why I haven’t tied the knot with a lady yet. I laugh when he asks me this and let the mystery continue to surround me like a misty cloud that makes people wonder. Pretty women I like to get to know short term, but a long-term commitment hasn’t been in the cards for me. I know why I haven’t wanted a permanent relationship, and it’s for good reasons.

I take another sip of the cold brew and think of how my life was relatively stable until the day my world turned upside down. That was when I found out that my mother had left dad and I for another man. Abruptly, she moved across the country. After that, nothing was the same.

It wasn’t just about losing her. It was also about the fear of abandonment that slowly crept into my life. My mom never came back. She barely communicated with me at all. She wasn’t there for all the important moments a mom should be. It left me feeling hollow, and I needed to fill that hole. I could have been one of those kids that turned to drugs or got in trouble with the law. Luckily, I found another way to forget the sadness.

I grew up surrounded by my father’s real estate properties in this area of the Colorado Rockies. Soon, I realized how much stability I could derive from owning physical things, especially permanent things like land. Only a natural disaster like an earthquake or volcano could prevent land from being taken from me. This comforted me and helped me cope with the loss I felt from my mom’s quick departure and lasting absence. I skipped higher education in favor of on-the-job training. I made use of the things my father taught me and the school of hard knocks.

I learned to work very hard and keep myself busy as I grew my late father’s business I inherited into an enterprise three times its original size. The more I stay busy, the less time I have to think about not having a beautiful wife waiting for me at the end of the day. I focus on my circle of friends and the small town I grew up in.

Then I met Evelyn, and everything changed. That’s why I need to sit here and drink a few beers. I don’t know what to do about this insane attraction I feel toward this woman. I want her to be mine — like permanently.

Evelyn is beautiful and kind, strong, but vulnerable. She’s funny and seems to lack knowing simple things, but is a genius about so many topics. She reads a lot and I never read a lot. I’m a hands-on kind of guy.

Overall, it seems like we are poorly matched. Yet the attraction is powerful and I need to be around her as much as she’ll let me. I believe we have more in common than I originally thought.

Her presence makes me want to believe in love - to have hope that things will be different - that she wouldn’t leave me for another man like my mother did my dad.

Trust, it’s a tough task I may not be able to accomplish. Deep down, there is still a part of me that is afraid of being hurt.

Evelyn

When my brother called me and said the library in Cady Springs was searching for a new director, the timing felt perfect. Zach knew how distraught I was over finding my best friend since childhood and my fiancé entangled together in bed.

I needed a change — a big one. Leaving Denver and coming to this quaint, small town has been a wicked but wise choice for me. It’s beautiful here with majestic mountains, an immense lake surrounded by pines, and natural spring water runoff.

I’m away from my parents — which is sometimes fantastic. At other moments, I really miss dropping in for Sunday dinners with them. But at least my brother, Zach, is here, and he’s very supportive, allowing me to stay with him until I find the right apartment.

I’ve never managed an entire library before, so this is a first. I worked as a Deputy Librarian at the main Denver library and while this job pays only a little more, it’s worth it to start anew somewhere.

One thing I’ve learned from this is that moving somewhere new doesn’t erase the trauma of what happened before. But somehow, it eases things, as you have to get acclimated to a new place and people.

It’s been two weeks since I started working at the Cady Springs library and I’m really enjoying it. Compared to Denver, this town is tiny. But the people are friendly. I’ve been working on curating the library’s collection and making sure we have a good mix of physical books and digital resources. I’m also spearheading an ongoing program for children in the community, which I hope is a big hit.

But there’s one thing that’s been bothering me since I got here: the men. I know it’s not fair to generalize, but there is something about the way they look at me that sets off alarm bells in my head. I can’t help but feel like they’re sizing me up, like I’m some kind of prize to be won. It’s not just my imagination either. I’ve caught a few of them leering at me when they thought I wasn’t looking.

I try to keep my distance from them as much as possible. I don’t need a man in my life. My book boyfriends are doing the trick just fine.

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