Trouble with the Mountain Man
(2026)(A book in the Cold Mountain Nights series)
A novel by Alana Gray
Cliff
Search and rescue wasn't just my job. It was who I was.
Then my boss forced me to take my vacation time, and I couldn't stand sitting still.
My sister's solution? Volunteer at a summer camp.
Since it was fall, I figured the campers would all be gone. Instead, when I pulled in, I found a few dozen teenagers waiting for me... along with the camp's sexy redheaded director.
I wasn't thrilled the teens were still there, but when they started asking questions I knew could save their lives one day, I couldn't bring myself to brush them off.
Before long, I found myself bonding with a group of lovable misfits.
And with Kat.
After the campers headed home, Kat and I set off to scout new trails for next year's orienteering program.
Then an early snowstorm trapped us in one tent...
Suddenly surviving the wilderness felt a whole lot easier than surviving the way she made me feel.
Kat
I'd spent years building a camp where kids could discover just how strong they really were. Unfortunately, getting teenagers to pay attention when social media existed was an uphill battle even I couldn't hike.
When my friend Skye convinced her search-and-rescue brother to volunteer, I expected an expert outdoorsman.
I didn't expect the grumpiest man I'd ever met.
Cliff barely smiled.
He barked orders.
He looked like he'd rather wrestle a bear than spend five minutes talking to a teenager.
But every day, I watched another crack appear in the walls he'd built around himself.
The campers noticed it too.
They adored the man who insisted he didn't even like them.
Somewhere between grumbling over pancakes, teaching survival skills, and watching him become the mentor those kids needed, I started falling for him.
Then one mountain hike changed everything.
Snow closed in.
One tent became our only shelter.
Maybe it kept us warm.
Maybe we were lying to ourselves that sharing one bed was for survival.
Now I had to decide whether Cliff was only passing through my world... or whether the man who spent his life rescuing everyone else was finally ready to let someone rescue his heart.
A grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity romance featuring a rugged search-and-rescue hero, a camp director who refuses to give up on anyone, unforgettable campers, one unexpected snowstorm, and a love worth finding even when you're completely off the map.
Genre: Romance
Search and rescue wasn't just my job. It was who I was.
Then my boss forced me to take my vacation time, and I couldn't stand sitting still.
My sister's solution? Volunteer at a summer camp.
Since it was fall, I figured the campers would all be gone. Instead, when I pulled in, I found a few dozen teenagers waiting for me... along with the camp's sexy redheaded director.
I wasn't thrilled the teens were still there, but when they started asking questions I knew could save their lives one day, I couldn't bring myself to brush them off.
Before long, I found myself bonding with a group of lovable misfits.
And with Kat.
After the campers headed home, Kat and I set off to scout new trails for next year's orienteering program.
Then an early snowstorm trapped us in one tent...
Suddenly surviving the wilderness felt a whole lot easier than surviving the way she made me feel.
Kat
I'd spent years building a camp where kids could discover just how strong they really were. Unfortunately, getting teenagers to pay attention when social media existed was an uphill battle even I couldn't hike.
When my friend Skye convinced her search-and-rescue brother to volunteer, I expected an expert outdoorsman.
I didn't expect the grumpiest man I'd ever met.
Cliff barely smiled.
He barked orders.
He looked like he'd rather wrestle a bear than spend five minutes talking to a teenager.
But every day, I watched another crack appear in the walls he'd built around himself.
The campers noticed it too.
They adored the man who insisted he didn't even like them.
Somewhere between grumbling over pancakes, teaching survival skills, and watching him become the mentor those kids needed, I started falling for him.
Then one mountain hike changed everything.
Snow closed in.
One tent became our only shelter.
Maybe it kept us warm.
Maybe we were lying to ourselves that sharing one bed was for survival.
Now I had to decide whether Cliff was only passing through my world... or whether the man who spent his life rescuing everyone else was finally ready to let someone rescue his heart.
A grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity romance featuring a rugged search-and-rescue hero, a camp director who refuses to give up on anyone, unforgettable campers, one unexpected snowstorm, and a love worth finding even when you're completely off the map.
Genre: Romance