Mountain of Courage

After sleeping with Jake all night, and the comments he had made to me the morning after, I had to admit I had crossed over a line in my head.

I had a crush on him.

I did. I couldn't deny it at all. It was undeniably there. He was very attractive with his shirt off. He was very attractive to me in general- the way he protected me, stood up for me, spoke to me. No one had ever gone to bat for me like him before. I couldn't stop thinking about him saying I was gorgeous, beautiful, and stunning. I couldn't stop thinking about how it felt to have his strong arms around me, to fall asleep with him holding me, and to wake up laying on his chest.

I knew it couldn't go anywhere. I knew he didn't like me in that way. He was still in love with a ghost and he thought of me as a kid. He affectionately referred to me as such multiple times a day. Regardless, I was fine with that. I appreciated him in my life, even if it was only as a friend.

Rillian Wallis had moved into a remote cabin left to her by grandparents after a divorce from a powerful man which left her destitute. Having only ever lived an affluent lifestyle, she is completely out of her element. Luckily, she has a burly neighbor who comes to her rescue...time and time again.

Her childhood friend, Will, warns her about Jake. He's a violent alcoholic suspected of being involved in his wife's murder, Will says, but Rillian sees real kindness in him, and he treats her with a respect she has never experienced before.

Life gets complicated and frightening when men have been following her in the woods, but Jake comes to her rescue.

Can Jake and Rillian ignore their connection or will they cross the divide between them? Can Jake and Will protect her from the people intent on doing her harm?

Trigger Warning: This book contains mature themes and details including domestic abuse, divorce, psychological abuse, alcoholism, violence, murder, infertility, sex, grief, and pregnancy.

First published on Wattpad May 2023