Chapter 1
Freya
This bus ride has helped me clear my head a little. I can't believe I've gotten away from my family so easily. The Perfect Bride Agency really helped me find a match for a husband up here in the middle of nowhere.
I've talked to him a couple of times and he seems like a good person, but what I really wanted is to change my entire life. I want to be able to breathe easily without an imposing father and brothers that just don't care what I want for my life. If it were up to them, they'd sell me to the highest bidder.
As the bus reaches Hunter Peak, I start to get more and more interested in my surroundings. Everything is so beautiful here. There's tons of nature, and the mountains are majestic. It's likea dream come true. I am a city girl, but things can change in a dime if it means I'd be safe and protected by a big mountain man.
The bus driver finally says that we are at Hunter's Peak, so I get off the bus and take my small bag with me. That is all I could take from home before someone noticed I was gone. What I see around me is a beautiful town, and I am itching to explore it.
Could this really be it? Could this be the place where I change my life and live free of domineering family?I walk around the village and see some cute stores for souvenirs and then there is a general store that seems to have groceries for me to buy so I go in there and say hello to the cashier that's smiling at me as soon as I come into the store.
"Hi there, welcome to Hunter's Peak General Store. Are you new here? I haven't seen you around before. My name is Cassie."
"Hi Cassie, yes, I'm new here. I just came by bus. I probably shouldn't be saying this to stranger, but I came here to get a husband."
"Is that so? That is so interesting. What is your name?"
"My name is Freya, do you have coffee here to sell? I saw a few tables outside? Maybe you can take a break and tell me all about Hunter's Peak."
"I can definitely do that. The coffee machine is over there. Fix your coffee however you like it and I'll join you in a minute."
I go and fix myself a cup of coffee and sit outside the grocery store and just people watch. Everybody says hello and are very kind to me. They all wave as if they already know me from years past. It's very comforting to be here. I just need to find out where I am going to be sleeping tonight because my future husband is somewhere in these mountains. After about five minutes, Cassie comes out and sits down with me.
"So who's the lucky bachelor?"
"It's Connor Michaelson. He is a park ranger. I think he told me he works outdoors most of his time."
"Oh, Connor, he's a hottie. How exactly did you get him to agree to marry you?"
"Well, we met at a dating site. It's more like a mail-order bride kind of thing, and he and I got to know each other, and we got some counseling from the ladies from the Perfect Bride Agency. We just sort of clicked, and this is a trial visit to see if we get along as well as we did through online dating."
"Well, the people of Hunter's Peak are a tight community, and they just love getting into each other's business. That is something you need to get used to really quickly. I may be part of that problem, so your story will be told pretty soon all around the mountain. In general, it is an amazing place to live in."
She takes a sip of her coffee and lets out a little sigh of pleasure.
"You might need to make a few new friends because the park rangers work really hard and have almost no time off so it might be useful. Here we have quilting circle that you might be interested in."
"I would definitely be interested in that because I make designer purses for a living, so I love sewing and I love all sorts of crafts. I'd be delighted to be invited or to be included, if that's possible. But getting back to what's important, what can you tell me about Connor though? Tell me all the dirt."
That's how I spent my first afternoon in Hunter's Peak. Gossiping with the cashier at the Hunter's Peak General Store. In the end, she gave me the address that I needed to get up the mountain to find Connor Michaelson and finally claim him as a husband.
Chapter 2
Connor
Ican't believe I have a bride coming over for a trial run. We met online through the Perfect Bride Agency’s website. And we really clicked. She's shy, but she's gorgeous.
I take out the pictures I've printed of her and look at them once again. My body responds to her immediately.
Do I really want a wife? I mean, being a park ranger is a solitary endeavor. Sure, I have my team, but in the dark of the night I wish I had someone to turn to, someone to talk to, someone to confide in.
Would I be a good husband to this woman? I keep asking myself that over and over again. I go back and think about thefirst contact we had. She sent me a note saying that we were a match, and that she wanted to get to know me better.
I didn't know what to say to that, so I just started talking about something silly like the weather here in Hunter Peak. She was interested in my little mountain, and I couldn't stop talking about it.
My days are boring, but they are spent doing an important job here and in the mountain. Our town is a good size town with everything you need to have a good life.
