Mountain Men of Liberty (Complete Box Set)

by K. C. Crowne

  “Oh, come on,” Elle said, yanking my arm. “I hear the guys coming up the hill. We have to get you out of sight.”

  Elle and the girls slipped me into one of the tents we’d set up for us to prepare in. Once nestled inside, Elle handed me a glass of champagne. My dress was hung up on the side, waiting for me to slip it on. The tent was big enough that we all stood inside comfortably. There were chairs set up along with mirrors for hair and makeup. We had a lot to do before the ceremony.

  I heard Cyrus’s voice outside the tent, talking to Grant. I couldn’t resist. I pulled back the tent just enough to see my handsome husband, but not enough for him to see me.

  He wasn’t dressed in his suit yet, but rather working on the arch, adding more flowers to it. He’d built it himself and seemed to take great pride in it, making it special for me.

  Seeing him brought warm, fuzzy feelings inside of me still. We’d been together for almost two years, but still, I got all tingly when he was close by. He was definitely the one for me, I had no doubt.

  Evie let out a cry, and I had to focus on her. I closed the tent but had the biggest smile on my face.

  “What’s that look about?” Elle asked me.

  “I’m just so deliriously happy. Who knew it was possible to be this happy?” I asked.

  Elle smiled. “Well, how about we start getting everyone ready so you can marry that big hunk of a man once and for all.”

  “We’re kinda already married, though.”

  “Ah, legally so, but this is the real one.”

  The tent doors parted, and my mother walked inside. She’d been driven up in a shuttle we were providing for our guests. As soon as she saw me, we embraced. There’s nothing stronger than the bond between a mother and child, especially a single mother and her daughter. Every day I was grateful to still have her in my life.

  “You look beautiful, honey,” she gushed, a little sob in her voice.

  I laughed. “I’m not even in my dress and my hair isn’t made up yet.”

  “Yeah, but you’re still beautiful. And clearly, you’re so deeply in love. You just radiate with it.”

  The girls and I got ready as quickly as possible. I was eager to make our marriage official - again. I wanted Cyrus to see me decked out, and I wanted to have the perfect wedding to show the world how perfect we were for each other.

  The rest of the morning went by in a blur, and before I knew it, the wedding march started to play.

  I walked down the aisle, my eyes locked with Cyrus’. His eyes were on me, and there were tears. I’d only seen him cry once or twice, all relating to the birth of Evie. But now, he was crying tears of joy as I joined him at the floral archway.

  The wind rustled in my hair, which was loose and flowing over my shoulders - just the way Cyrus liked. We took each other’s hands, and it was like the entire world around us had simply disappeared.

  It was just the two of us, at the top of the mountain, where it had all begun.

  The End

  Book Four - Daddy’s Best Friend

  Elle

  Brace yourself, Elle.

  The sound of footsteps outside my office door grew louder and louder.

  Butterflies fluttered in my belly.

  “Eleanor. Mae. Shaeffer.”

  I recognized the raw and fiery passion in the man’s deep manly voice.

  Jeremiah Jenkins was the mayor of Liberty. Growing up, he insisted I call him Jeremiah, instead of Mr. Jenkins. He was also the man of my very wet dreams ever since I was old enough to dream about men. Too bad he was my late father’s best friend, and far too loyal of a friend to cross the line with me.

  Besides being handsome as sin, he was such an awesome guy. He never spoke to me like I was just a kid but talked to me like I was an adult.

  I loved the sound of my full name escaping the scrumptious lips of my adolescent crush. If it were a song, I’d play that shit on repeat.

  The door to my office swung open. As if seeing things in slow-motion, I watched as the fine man sauntered in.

  Hot dddddamn!

  Tall, built, and insanely handsome but now with a few light patches of grey on his head. It made him look even sexier than I remembered. How was that even possible?

  His gaze had a kind of intensity. It was almost as if his striking blue eyes could touch me and I felt that touch everywhere on my body.

  On my arms.

  My legs.

  My neck.

  And especially on my nipples and in between my thighs.

  I felt moisture gather at my center and soak the thin fabric of my panties. Even at the age of twenty-eight, my body was responding to him like a hormonal virgin. What was wrong with me? The man was old enough to be my father and I still felt this way about him, even years later.

  Get it together, Elle.

  Sure, I’d been turned on by other men in the past, but none of them had ever made me feel as hot and bothered as Jeremiah was doing at that very moment. Only a few minutes around him and he already had the strongest effect on me.

  My cheeks warmed and flushed a bright red as I pressed my thighs together to find some relief.

  Needing something to focus on other than the striking blue of his gaze, I cleared my throat and sorted the documents on my desk.

  It was highly unlikely he felt the same way about me. While he was now a single dad, he always had plenty of grown and established women flocking for his affection.

  “Yes?” I asked, cocking an eyebrow. “And it’s nice to see you again too, Jeremiah. It’s been awhile. Over five years? You’re looking good. Keeping in shape, I see?”

  He scowled at me, but he was still as handsome as he’d ever been. It was hard not to squirm in my seat. Without breaking our eye contact, he took a deep breath and then opened those perfect lips.

  “Young lady, do you know what you’ve done?”

  Young lady.

  My thighs rubbed together involuntarily, building pressure between my legs.

  A shiver ran down my spine at the way he spoke, and I couldn’t help but smile. The closer he got, the stronger the scent of his delicious cologne became.

  I pulled a deep breath through my mouth and grew a bit taller in my spine. My new posture made my large boobs stick out a bit and, I could see Jeremiah forcing his gaze away from my ample cleavage.

  I smiled.

  Thank you Victoria Secret push-up bra.

  His brow furrowed, the dark brows pushing together. Jeremiah might have a little more grey around the temples, but his hair was still as brown as I remembered it, and silky smooth. He wore it short as he always had because he couldn’t be bothered to style it.

  There was also a little silver sprinkled through his trimmed brown beard. His face looked younger than his forty-five years, even with the scowl.

  That facial expression reminded me of the time he had to pick me up from a party, the one time in high school I’d decided to try alcohol. He was the reason I never touched the stuff again.

  He threw a copy of the latest Liberty Leader on my desk. His face was plastered on the front, no less gorgeous in black and white than it was in color. The by-line on the article was, of course, my name. Eleanor Shaeffer.

  My friends called me Elle. Jeremiah used to too, unless he was angry. And right now, he was very angry.

  “Look I know this must have come as a surprise, but everything I wrote about you is positive and accurate. Why are you angry?”

  “The fact that it’s been well over five years since I’ve even seen you and our first interaction is after you’ve written an article on my personal life without my consent. How should I feel?”

  “You make it sound like I painted you in a bad light.”

  “You know what I mean. This is all so out of character for you.”

  I leaned forward in amazement. “I left you several messages to approve the article but your staff never got back to me, even after I provided deadlines of its publication. The town wants to know their mayor, and I
wrote what I knew. With the upcoming election, it’s important to draw attention away from all the false drama in the news about you. I thought I had a realistic perspective that others might appreciate. It’s my duty as a friend and a citizen of this town.”

  “You wrote about my daughters.”

  “I mentioned you have two little girls, but that’s it. Beside the fact that you’re a single dad. I mean, none of that is false, is it?”

  His gaze narrowed on me, and he leaned closer.

  “You’re no longer a kid, Elle. We’re in the real world and if I let myself get concerned about all the allegations about me then I probably shouldn’t be a mayor anyway. Life isn’t fair and we just need to focus on what we can control. You’re better off not wasting your time, or mine.”

  He was back to calling me Elle, that was a good sign.

  It made me sad to think about how jaded he must have become since the last time I’d seen him. Perhaps all the drama from the office had really gotten to him – and that coupled with his being a single dad to twins could make anyone feel fed-up.

  On the good side, the scent of him was the same as when I was younger. Musky and natural, but delightful to my nostrils.

  I closed my eyes for a second and inhaled the scent, taken back to a different time.

  A time when my dad was alive.

  Of BBQs on our back patio.

  Flaunting my shapely bikini body around Jeremiah at the poolside.

  I knew he had a distinct appreciation for curvaceous women. Compared to my classmates in school, I leaned on the side of curvy and voluptuous and I always loved that about my body.

  When it came to Jeremiah, I didn’t think twice about flaunting my curves. I yearned for his attention like a giddy little school girl.

  Much to my disappointment, Jeremiah was always a gentleman. He never came even close to crossing the taboo line I yearned for him to cross. No matter how hard I tried, and boy did I try.

  “Are you even listening to me?”

  “Yes,” I lied.

  “Then what did I say?” He stared down at me with such a serious expression on his face that I burst out laughing.

  “What’s so funny?” He crossed his arms in front of his chest.

  “Just that you remind me of my dad right now,” I said, wiping the tear from my eye from laughing so hard. “So serious. So mad. You look like you’re ready to burst a blood vessel or something.”

  He stared at me stone faced. He was always composed. Collected. I loved that about him. His composure was a galaxy away from the manners of all the immature boys I grew up around.

  “I am mad.”

  “But why, Jeremiah?” My chair made a scratching sound as I scooted back from my desk. I stood up, but even standing, he still towered over me. He was at least a foot taller than me, but I didn’t let that phase me. He had never scared me before, and I wasn’t about to let him get to me now either. “You’ve always taught me to focus on the positive. It was all good, all very positive.”

  “When I’m ready to share my personal life in the media I want it by my terms, Elle.” He placed his hands on the desk and leaned across.

  I leaned forward too, my hands on the desk, mirroring him.

  “Jeremiah, I hate to break it to you, but once you became a public figure, your personal life became fair game. And if I wasn’t writing about you, then who would you prefer? Others are writing about you right now, and I’m sure you’re aware it isn’t all that good. I thought you could use some positive publicity for a change, considering all that’s going on in the mayor’s office right now, and talks of possible jail time. It’s all too absurd for me to just stand around and not do anything!”

  I didn’t think it was possible for his frown to deepen, but he did it. Deep frown lines etched into his face, making him more attractive and adorable.

  God, he’s perfect.

  “My daughters mean the world to me. And everything you know about me because of my friendship with your father is off limits, got it?”

  Hot as sin and a great dad. How much more perfect can he be?

  “Don’t you want to get re-elected, Jeremiah? We need to distract the media from the shitstorm and showing that you’re a good family man does exactly that.”

  Jeremiah’s eyes fell. He stared down at my desk, at nothing in particular. He didn’t answer me. I gave him a good two minutes, and he didn’t say a word.

  Finally, he growled, “Please respect my wishes, Elle.” He straightened himself and turned on his heels.

  My eyes fell to his ass even though I knew I should behave myself.

  Yep, still as tight as ever.

  The years hadn’t taken any sort of a negative toll on that man’s body.

  He didn’t say anything more to me, just punctuated his point with a slamming of my office door. I stood at my desk for a moment, staring at the door. His scent lingered in the room, surrounding me like a familiar blanket.

  I closed my eyes again, and this time, the memories came flooding through me.

  “Come on, Elle. You’re making words up now,” Jeremiah barked. “Whizbang? Carl, get over here. Your daughter’s cheating again.”

  I giggled. “Whizbang is a word! Look it up on that fancy smartphone of yours.”

  The year was 2007, and the first iPhone had just come out. Jeremiah had never been excited about the latest gadgets, but he was the owner of a big, fancy construction company. His contractors and insisted the phone would replace his laptop for work. He didn’t even use the damn thing; it stayed in his pocket most of the time.

  He nodded and pulled it out. “Alright, I’ll do that.”

  “For the record, it’s an adjective that means lively or sensational. It was also used during World War II. A small caliber, high velocity shell.”

  I watched as his eyes nearly popped from his skull. “How did you know that?”

  I shrugged and took a sip from my lemonade and gave him a flirtatious blink. I was sixteen years old, still in high school, and I loved educating the older man. Especially since Jeremiah was smart - super smart. He had an engineering background, so math and science were more his forte.

  Still, I loved impressing him with my vocabulary, and often learned new words just so I could have moments like this.

  If only I had the words to articulate how I felt about him.

  A knock on the door pulled me from the reverie.

  “Yes?” I muttered, secretly hoping it was Jeremiah. I wanted nothing more than for him to come back into my office and tell me how happy he was to see me back in Liberty. To tell me he missed me and was so grateful for what I’d done.

  But it wasn’t Jeremiah. My assistant editor, Lucy, stood in the open doorway. “Is everything okay in here?”

  “Yeah, everything’s fine.” I sat down at my desk, my gaze falling on the paper Jeremiah had left behind.

  My pride and joy, my entire life’s work, was wrapped up in that paper. As the owner and editor of the Liberty Leader, it was my responsibility to bring the news to the people. It has always been my dream - maybe not so much in Liberty, but I aged, I felt compelled to return to my roots.

  This was where I was happiest in life and I wanted to return to that.

  Especially after losing my dad.

  Lucy took a seat across from me and saw the paper. Her face scrunched up as she read the headline and the first few lines. “What was he upset about? I don’t get it.”

  A sigh escaped my lips. “It’s a long story, Lucy. A very long story.”

  This newspaper was everything I had worked for. My dream. I should be happy; I had everything I needed. Yet something was still missing.

  “Well, if it’s any consolation, my mama always said that if someone doesn’t like what people say about them, maybe they should be a better person.”

  I frowned. “Jeremiah is already a good person. One of the best people I’ve met. That’s the problem. I only wrote about the good things, the person I know and—”

 
; Lucy wasn’t getting it. The lights were on, sure, and she was watching me with her big, brown eyes, but not an ounce of what I was saying would matter to her. Unless you knew Jeremiah - really knew him - you wouldn’t get it. He didn’t open up to just anyone, and most people would never get to know the side of him I did.

  “Never mind. Let’s drop it. How’s the article on the Liberty basketball team coming along?”

  “It’s coming along just fine. But, I mean they lost badly. We’re writing about it anyway. There’s not much else going on to replace it.”

  The question was did anyone really care? We weren’t a sports town, which was fine. Our kids played basketball for fun, not glory. It kept the game a little purer, in my opinion.

  “You know what? Nix it. Don’t write about them losing. Maybe interview the coach instead, talk to him about the teamwork or something else. Don’t focus on the negative.”

  “But it’s the news,” Lucy said.

  “Yes, but let’s be honest, Lucy, It’ll only bring the kids down, and this town doesn’t need another disappointment.”

  I sighed and rubbed my temples. The fact was, print journalism was on the way out, and no one really cared about it much anyway. Liberty was small enough that everyone knew what was going on without picking up a paper. It was tradition for many families to do so, the older citizens, of course. But the younger generation had yet to pick up on that habit, if they ever would.

  I was on a sinking ship, and I knew it. I knew it when I bought the paper from Jasper Townsend, but I thought I could turn it around. I thought there’d be some kind of news, talking to the local businesses, exploring the beauty of Liberty, and of course, covering the good side of politics.