by K. C. Crowne
Mountain Daddy’s Fate
A Mountain Man’s Baby Romance
K.C. Crowne
Copyright © 2021 by K.C. Crowne
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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Contents
Also by K.C. Crowne
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Epilogue
Delivering His Gifts (Preview)
About the Author
Also by K.C. Crowne
Mountain Men of Liberty Series
Baby for the Mountain Man| Junior for the Mountain Man| Knocked Up by the Mountain Man| Baby For Daddy's Friend | Triplets for the Mountain Man | Taken by the Mountain Man| Secret Baby for the Mountain Man | Mountain Man’s Accidental Surprise | Quadruplets for the Mountain Man | Delivering His Gifts| Mountain Daddy’s Fate| Mountain Daddy’s Fate | Mountain Man’s Treasure (special pre-order price)
Doctors of Denver Series
Doctor’s Secret | Doctor’s Surprise Delivery | The Irish Doctor (special pre-order price)
Lumberjacks of Grizzly Falls Series
Lumberjacked | Lumberjack’s Baby
Rainbow Canyons Cowboy Series
Untamed Cowboy |Taboo Cowboy |Cowboy’s Baby|Her Cowboy Daddies | Southern Charm| Cowboy’s Bride
Big Bad Daddies Series
Big Bad Doctor | Big Bad Daddy| Big Bad Taboo Daddy | Big Bad Prince|Big Bad Mountain Man| Big Bad SEAL| Big Bad Boss| Big Bad Sugar Daddy| Big Bad Mountain Brothers
Bearded Brothers Mountain Man Series
Her Mountain Daddy| Beauty and the Beard| Bride and the Beard| Built and Bearded |
Firemen of Manhattan Series
Big Bad Fireman’s Baby| Big Bad Firefighter| Big Bad Fire Daddy|
Spenser Sisters Reverse Harem Series
Men on a Mission| Christmas with Four Firemen| Dirty Cowboys
Checkout KC’s full Amazon Catalog
All books are FREE on Kindle Unlimited and can be read as standalones.
Description
A secret this BIG is what broke us in the first place.
There are three things I know about Eli:
1. I broke his heart over a decade ago.
2. The reason I left him was unspeakable. A secret I've kept hidden all these years.
3. Even though I'm engaged to another man I'm still madly in love with him. How is this my life!?!
And now, Eli's about to receive the biggest shock of his life.
But are there some wounds that time simply can't heal?!?
K.C. Crown is an Amazon US Top 8 Bestselling Author.
Chapter 1
Charlotte
How did it come to this? I stared at my reflection in the mirror, unable to believe that the person staring back at me was me. I dabbed more concealed below my eye, flinching as I touched the bruised skin. He hit you, Charlotte. You can no longer deny that he’s abusive.
The wedding was a week away, and I wasn’t even sure the black eye would be healed enough by then.
Are you seriously still thinking of going through with it?
I stopped and dropped the makeup sponge on the sink. My heart hadn’t steadied itself since the argument an hour before.
All of this because of an argument over my bouquet. The plan had been that I would arrange all the flowers for myself and the bridesmaids, that was my one request. Peter picked out everything else from the insanely expensive venue to the food options, which were the finest cuts of steak and some fancy fish dish I’d never even heard of before dating him. He had even had a say in my dress, picking out an elaborate princess gown that cost five times what I had originally budgeted for the dress. I, like many girls, had an idea of what my wedding day would be like, but this was not it. We were spending what some people made in ten years of working, all for one day.
But I let it go. Peter was a lawyer with political ambitions. He invited folks he wanted to impress. This was as much a career move and networking event as it was our wedding, and I had to accept it.
The flowers though… that was one the thing I had requested control over. He knew how much my garden meant to me, how much thought and care I put into growing every flower. I picked them out to match the theme and the colors, but once he saw the mock-up of the bouquet I had planned for the ceremony, he told me no, we needed calla lilies and white roses. He wanted the bouquet all white, like my dress.
I told him no, this was the one thing I had requested, and I wanted color in my bouquet. Purples and blues, nothing too wild and out there for a late winter wedding.
And then I said some things I probably shouldn’t have, but they were true.
“You care more about what people think than you care about me.”
I clenched my eyes shut as I remembered how he’d pushed me against the wall. The anger had bubbled over, pushing out all the fear. I couldn’t remember what else I’d said, not that it mattered, because I’d lost control of my mouth.
But Peter had lost control of his fist.
My phone buzzed, causing me to jump. I stared down at it on the counter next to the sink.
Can’t wait to see you!!! We’re about an hour away!
I reached for my phone and texted my sister back.
Lex, I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can meet you for lunch today after all. Too busy.
Her reply was swift.
Too busy for your little sister who drove all the way from Atlanta to see you? Sorry, I’m not buying it. Luna and I will see you at the cafe in just over an hour. Smooches!
I swallowed hard. I knew that Alexis wouldn’t let me out of this so easily. She was right. She and her girlfriend had driven all the way from Atlanta to our little Tennessee town just to see me. Well, that and to attend the wedding that was supposed to be happening a week from now, but that was now up in the air.
I looked back at my reflection. The bruising would be worse tomorrow, so better today than later. Maybe there was still a chance to cover it up with something…
The makeup that sat on my counter was old. I didn’t need to wear a concealer much anymore, being that I was well into my thirties and breakouts were a thing of the past - mostly. I didn’t care much for makeup personally, only wore it when going out to events with Peter, so my supply - and my knowledge- was lacking.
But there was no way I could let Alexis see me like this. My baby sister had a temper on her, and she would jump down Peter’s throat and wouldn’t relent. She was fiercely protective of those she cared about, a trait I’d admired about her, but I needed to work this out on my own. If - no, when - I left Peter, I needed to do so quietly and on my own terms. He couldn’t see it coming because he had access to all of the money, and he could drain my
checking account within seconds, leaving me helpless. Not that I had much in my checking account anyway, not enough to leave town or to even rent a hotel room for more than a couple nights. No, he controlled all of the money except for what I earned on my own, and I hadn’t been working as much lately.
No, I had to be patient. I had to be smart.
I had to find a way out, but it would take time.
You don’t have time, Charlotte. You have a week.
I needed to meet with Alexis and Luna first. And having Alexis go off on Peter would give me even less time. So I needed to hide the bruise as best as possible.
I cleaned myself up and grabbed my bag, heading to the CVS down the street from my house. I had an hour until my sister arrived, so I needed to make it a quick trip - in and out. I parked my car, and before getting out, I threw on some sunglasses. It was cloudy and likely to rain, but I didn’t want anyone staring at me or asking questions while I was in the store, especially anyone I knew.
As I walked through the revolving doors, a familiar voice called out to me.
“Charlotte? Is that you?”
I stopped just feet away from the entrance. The voice had come from behind me, so even if I had wanted to turn and walk out of the pharmacy, I’d be walking right toward the person who had called my name.
And I knew who it was before even turning around.
Taking a deep breath, I plastered a smile on my face and turned to face the mother of my high school ex-boyfriend.
Lillian Harvey was in her late sixties, if not early seventies, but for a woman of her age, she looked fantastic. Her hair was white, and her face was that of someone who’d seen a lot of years on the planet, but her warm smile and bright eyes made her look at least twenty years younger.
Lillian walked over to me; her hair pulled back into a simple braid. A floppy hat sat perched on her head, as if she too was looking for an escape from the non-existent sun outside. I knew in her case, the hat was merely for fashion, not practical uses.
“Why look at you,” Mrs. Harvey said as she approached. “I heard you’re getting married next weekend. My condolences to you dear… No, sorry, I’m just kidding. Congratulations.”
Her smile faltered as she tried to meet my gaze, which was blocked by the sunglasses. She tilted her head to the side and seemed to contemplate my unusual fashion accessory considering we were both indoors and there wasn’t any sun to be seen outside.
“Thank you, Mrs. Harvey. How have you been?” I said, doing my best to be polite. After all, even after everything with her son, Eli, she was always so very kind to me. Her family had been a large part of my life for many years as a teenager, and even though I had left her son without much as a goodbye, she was always very pleasant when we ran into each other in town. Which was easy to do considering Red River wasn’t that large.
“Oh, I’ve been good. I just got back from a senior’s cruise last week, and last month, I was visiting my sons in Utah. How about you? Besides the wedding and all, everything going okay?”
I really didn’t want to sit there and chat, especially since the clock was ticking down. Alexis would be in town soon, and she was expecting to meet up for lunch before the bridesmaid fittings later this afternoon.
“Everything is fine,” I said, speaking through clenched teeth.
“Why do I get the idea you’re not being honest with me, dear?”
Lillian Harvey was always one to speak her mind. The older she got, the bolder she became. She didn’t mince words or beat around the bush anymore, clearly.
“Well, umm--” I wasn’t exactly sure what to say to her.
She reached up for my sunglasses, her hand inches from them. “May I?”
I knew that asking her not to remove the glasses would tell her the same thing as leaving them on. Meeting her eyes, I knew that she already suspected something, and there was nothing I was going to say to convince her otherwise. I nodded.
She slipped the glasses off, flinching as she saw my face. She reacted as if someone had hit her. Her eyes filled with tears.
“What happened?” she asked me. “And I want the truth, none of this ‘I ran into a door’ business. I’ve been around long enough to know when someone is being abused.”
I couldn’t deny that Peter had abused me, even if I had wanted to - and I didn’t want to. The very idea of defending him after what he’d done to me turned my stomach.
“I just need more time,” I said, taking the sunglasses from her and slipping them back on my face.
“That’s not what I asked, but since you’re already thinking of leaving, let me help you with that.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, we can get you out of town and away from that monster. There’s no way you’re going to marry him next weekend.”
That wasn’t even a question from her, more a statement of fact.
“But I don’t have any money… And Peter is powerful, I have to be smart about this,” I said, lowering my voice and stepping in closer so others wouldn’t hear me. “Where would I go?”
“Well, if you’re feeling threatened, dear, I know just the place.” She placed a hand on my arm, and offered a gentle, kind smile.
“You do?”
“Yes, my boys can protect you from anything, especially the likes of a man like Peter Simmons.”
I took a step back. It was like all the air had left my lungs.
“Your boys? As in--”
“Yes, Graham, Sam, Mason, and Eli,” she said matter-of-factly, like it was no big deal whatsoever to drop me in the middle of Utah with the man whose heart I’d broken many years ago and his three brothers.
“Oh no, Mrs. Harvey, I don’t think I could-- I haven’t seen Eli since--”
“Hush, that was so long ago, I’m sure he would be happy to help you.”
“Considering how I ended things, I’m not so sure.”
Mrs. Harvey cocked her head to the side and gave me the sincerest look.
“I promise you, he will be happy to help you. And I’ll be with you, dear.”
“I--I don’t know. I need to think about this.”
“I understand, but please, don’t think too long. You only have a week until the wedding, and I’m worried about you. We need to get you out of there.”
She handed me a slip of paper with her phone number written on it. She then asked me for my number, and I gave it to her.
“Please, do not hesitate to reach out to me. Even if you decide not to go to Utah, I want to help you, Charlotte. I’ve seen too many friends of mine hurt by men like Peter, and at least one of them didn’t make it out alive. I do not want to see that happening to a sweet girl like you.”
After what I’d done to her son, she still thought of me as a sweet girl. I had a hard time grasping that but was thankful she could forgive and forget. I wasn’t sure it would be so easy for Eli.
I slipped her phone number into my pocket and thanked her profusely. I finished up my shopping and hurried to the car when my phone started ringing.
“We’re here!” Alexis’s voice was sing-songy. “We’re parking at the cafe now.”
My eyes landed across the street, and I saw my sister’s Red Toyota. She didn’t see me yet though.
Damn small towns.
“Uhh, I have to run home really quickly and--”
“Run home? Where are you?”
I couldn’t lie to my sister. “I’m actually across the street at the pharmacy.”
“Oh, awesome. We’ll be right there.”
I watched as her vehicle turned into the parking lot and headed toward me. I dropped the bag of makeup into the car and made sure my sunglasses were in place. I knew it was unlikely that I could wear them all throughout lunch and bridesmaid dress shopping, but dangit, I was going to keep those suckers on for as long as possible.
Luna was the one driving and she parked next to me. Alexis jumped from the vehicle before it had even come to a complete stop.
My baby siste
r looked a lot like me - the same light red hair, the same green eyes, and even the same freckles. She was about two inches shorter than me and as thin as a rail, taking after our father. I took after our mother with a more curvaceous figure.
“Sis!” Alexis shouted, wrapping her arms around me.
From the way she bounced up and down, you would have thought we hadn’t seen each other in years, but she had just visited over the Christmas holidays a few months back.
Luna got out of the car and smiled at me. She always looked so stylish with her black bob and lithe, tall figure. It was easy to see what my sister saw her in, she was a stunning woman. She had been one of the models on a photoshoot my sister was in charge of, and the way she glided toward me, it seemed like she was imagining this parking lot as her own personal catwalk.
“Charlotte, it’s great to see you again,” Luna said, giving me a half hug since my sister had still not let go of me.
“Always a pleasure to see you again too, Luna,” I said.
“Your sister has done nothing but talk about this trip for weeks now,” Luna said with a laugh.
“Yeah, because my big sister is getting married. I’m just so excited.”
My smile wavered as I was reminded of the wedding, and of everyone coming into town for it. My family. His family. Friends from all over the country. There were four hundred people expecting a beautiful ceremony and reception in just a few short days, and I was going to put a stop to all of that, I had to.