Free The Reunion: Ashley's Mountain Retreat (Starting Over Series) by Angelina Rose Page B

jeans and a white button up dress shirt that was rolled up on his forearms.
     
    “You must be Ashley…” he yelled from across the yard as he waved and smiled. His teeth were white and perfectly straight. They accented his sun-kissed tan and dark brown hair. She wondered to herself how he could look like he just stepped off the beach when it was the middle of Fall.
     
    “I am. And you must be Parker,” she said reaching out to shake his hand. “Nice truck…”
     
    “Oh, thanks. It gets me around up here. Some of these hills can be kind of tough. I’m surprised your little rental car made it up the mountain,” he said smiling as he pointed at her sad little car.
     
    “Me too. It was a little dicey…” Ashley couldn’t help but feel a little strange being out in the middle of the woods with this overly handsome, rugged cowboy-inspired real estate agent. For a moment, she wondered if her friend was going to great lengths to set her up on a date, but she quickly dismissed that idea.
     
    “So, are you ready to see the place?” he asked with a smile that made her knees feel a little weak.
     
    “Absolutely. I’ve been looking forward to it all week,” she said smiling back.
     
    They walked up the stairs onto the wide front porch. Ashley caught a chill as the wind swept across the porch. October in the north Georgia mountains was a lot colder than in Texas. Ashley shivered as she looked around the porch.
     
    “Are you cold?” he asked looking concerned.
     
    “A bit. It’s colder up on this mountain than it is in Texas…” she said with a smile as she tried to keep her teeth from chattering.
     
    “Hang on…” he said as he jogged over to his truck. As he came back, she could see a denim jacket in his hands. “Here. I always keep this in my truck just in case the weather changes.”
     
    She took the jacket and slipped it on. It was so large that it engulfed her body. “Thanks. Much better.”
     
    “It’s a might big, ain’t it?” he said with a laugh.
     
    “Just a little. But, I am much warmer now. Thanks…” she said looking down with a shyness that she wasn’t used to feeling.
     
    He unlocked the door to the cabin and they stepped inside. Ashley loved the floorplan with its high ceilings and authentic log woodwork. The kitchen was open to the family room and had a breakfast bar with granite countertops.
     
    “Wow. This place is really nice,” she said as she walked around and touched her fingers to the log walls.
     
    “Yeah, it is. Lots of cabins up here are kind of beaten up, but the owner took real good care of this one. He renovated it not long ago,” he said as he placed the keys and some paperwork on the breakfast bar.
     
    “Can we go upstairs?” Ashley asked thinking naughty thoughts in her mind.
     
    “Of course,” he said. She could tell he was all about business right now. She walked up the stairs with him following behind her. There were three bedrooms, each furnished with log furniture. There was also a bathroom between two of the bedrooms. It had a stand-up shower and garden tub.
     
    Ashley walked out onto the deck that was off the master bedroom. The view was stunning as they looked out across the mountains which were glittering in shades of orange and yellow as the sun started to set.
     
    “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything so beautiful,” she whispered in awe of the peaceful scene in front of her.
     
    “I have…” he muttered under his breath as he looked at her.
     
    “You have?” she asked smiling as she realized the compliment.
     
    “We don’t get many women that are as pretty as you up here, if you don’t mind me saying so…” he said with a smirk.
     
    “Well, thank you. That’s quite a compliment.” Ashley wasn’t sure what to say or do. In other circumstances, she might have run back to her car for fear of a stalker attacking her. In this case, she knew he was harmless and just being a Southern gentleman.
     
    “I hope you