I came to this mountain for market research.

Now I’m sheltering from a storm with a bearded grump.

Aiden McCrae has an attitude problem. Hey, maybe that’s why he can’t keep a mail order bride—but when I lose my cool and suggest that to him, waving my clipboard on his deck, he sends me away without another word.

I don’t get far, though. Not when my car won’t start as a storm lashes against the mountainside. It’s dangerous out here, and I’m about as nature-proof as my skirt suit.

Let’s face it: I’m doomed. I’m gonna be struck by lightning, or eaten by a bear, or washed away by this torrential rain.

But insult or not, Aiden lets me shelter in his cabin… and my research has just begun.

Lonely Beard is a short and steamy instalove story, starring a reclusive mountain man and the skirt-suited answer to his prayers.