Rough Patch – Coming Home to the Mountain Read Online Frankie Love

Categories Genre: Angst, Contemporary, Insta-Love, Romance Tags Authors: Frankie Love Advertisement

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4

MEADOW

When we turn the bend toward Reuben's A-frame cottage, my breath catches. "This is where you live?" I ask.

He nods. I'm still nestled against him and his warmth makes this sunny day all the better.

"Yep," he says, "I built this cabin with my brothers and dad."

"It's amazing," I say, taking it in. The cottage is nestled in the heart of the mountain. The trim is painted dark green and it has a back porch, which is the side of the house we’ve come up to. It has a barbecue and a table and chairs, a small hot tub. There's a grassy area that we're reaching now with a circle of six Adirondack chairs and a fire pit.

"Here," he says, "I'm going to set you down right here before I jog into the house to get some bandages to wrap your ankle. Does that sound all right?"

"Sure," I say as he places me gently into the comfortable chair.

"This is so pretty back here. It's like you're in a little fairy tale."

He chuckles. "Yeah, I am pretty fond of this mountain myself. Just a sec, all right?"

I try to not overthink the way I look. My hair is messy. I'm wearing a dirty linen dress and didn’t even bother to put on a bra this morning. Not exactly dressed to impress.

A minute later, Reuben returns with an ACE bandage.

"All right," he says, "let's take care of this." He kneels before me and begins to wrap my ankle firmly.

"You've done this before?"

He nods. "Of course. I'm just wondering if we should take you into the clinic, have a doctor look at it to make sure it's nothing more than a sprain."

I shake my head. "No, it's really okay. I'm sure by tomorrow it'll be perfectly fine."

“There's urgent care right in town."

"Are you really that worried?"

"Yeah," he says, "I'm worried about you. I would feel terrible if your ankle was fractured and I didn't take you in to see a doctor."

Considering his words, I bite my bottom lip. "Maybe you're right," I say. "I'd feel really foolish also."

"That seals it. Come on, Meadow. We're getting in my truck."

I laugh. "All right."

Then he's picking me back up and carrying me to a dusty truck in the driveway. With one hand, he opens the door and slides me in. Then he jogs around the other side of the truck and gets into the driver's seat. He sets his backpack between us and unzips the front pouch.

"Do you want to call someone?" he asks. "You can use my phone, or I could always take you to your parents and they could take you to the doctor. I'm not trying to get into your business."

"No," I say, not wanting my time with this man to end so soon. "I appreciate it. I'll just call my sister real quick."

I dial Lulu's phone number. She picks up right away. "Hey," I say. I look over at Reuben as he turns on the ignition. Sitting in the passenger seat, I'm able to take in the front of his house. It's even more charming up here. There's a nice porch, a rock path leading toward the creek. It's literally the most beautiful place.

"Everything all right?" she asks. "What number is this?"

"Yeah, my phone died while I was out on a walk and I sprained my ankle, I think. I fell and it was pretty bad."

"Oh my God," she says, "where are you? Nate and I can come right away."

"That's all right. I met a guy, Reuben." I look over at him and smile. "He helped me get back to the land of the living. I was a little lost out there in the woods."

"Okay. Do you need something?" Lulu asks.

"I just wanted you to know that Reuben's driving me into town. I'm going to go to urgent care to just make sure there's nothing wrong with my foot. I'll feel like a fool if I broke something and I didn't realize it until it was too late."

"Of course," Lulu says, "do you want me to meet you down there?"

I swallow. "Sure," I say. "How about you meet me in town in two hours? If it goes more quickly, I can always go grab a coffee at that cafe we went to yesterday. Don't worry about me," I say.

"All right," she says, "talk soon."

I end the call and look over at Reuben. "I appreciate you letting me borrow your phone." "Course. Oh," he says, "you can charge yours while we drive."

Taking him up on his offer, I plug my phone into the charger in his car and he backs down the driveway. As we drive over a small bridge toward town, he points out a large homestead to the right.

"That's my parents' place," he says.

"Oh wow," I say, "that's a huge house."

"Yeah." He chuckles. "I told you my dad runs a construction company. Building homes runs in my blood."

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