Falling for the Babysitter

Rosie smirks. “I don’t know, Buck. Right now I think Harper and I are mostly worried about our boy Dean Wilder, here,” she says, pointing to me. “About finding him a good, solid wife. And I don’t see how that’s going to happen in Seattle.”

Jaxon laughs. “Yeah, you don’t want some woman who can’t hack it in the woods.”

Rosie furrows her brow. “Buck tells me you weren’t always a mountain man yourself, Jaxon. Careful now.”

Jaxon runs his hand over his beard, shaking his head at us. “Yeah, but you and Harper have the right disposition for this life. Not every woman does, is all.”

“I’m right here, you know,” I tell them, raising an eyebrow at this crew who thinks they know what I need.

“We know, Wilder, we know.” Buck laughs, lifting his coffee to his mouth. “We just feel bad for you. Never getting laid, all by your lonesome up there in your tiny cabin.”

I laugh, “You guys are a bunch of fuckers, you know that?”

Rosie clucks her tongue. “Regardless, we know that you need a woman, but not some city-slicker girl who won’t play nice with us.”

“You’re telling me not to get laid when I’m in Seattle?” I shake my head, knowing I’d never tell Rosie this, but the prospect of getting laid tonight is half the reason I said I’d go.

“You can sleep with whomever, Wilder. I’m just saying, don’t knock anybody up that we haven’t approved.”

ask Buck. He just grins like a lovesick puppy. Rosie winks at her husband before going back to the

giving you

just want you to be happy,” Jaxon says. “And selfishly

mountains is great. I set my own hours, am my own boss, and work with the greatest guys I’ve ever known. But damn, Jaxon, my oldest friend, hit the nail on

I tell them, before I take another drink of my coffee,

need to get off this mountain more than

go get laid.

2

my sister can’t just support me. That’s what I need. That’s all I’ve wanted. My family to have

sip of her mimosa before

we all aren’t married to stockbrokers living in posh waterfront homes. Some of us are just trying to pay rent and a reality

you’ll make more money updating the homes

frown. “Buying furniture for mansions is

someone out to be the villain. What if that person is you? Your