Mountain Man's Secret Baby

by Lauren Wood

  I’d left, saying that I was looking for something and I was no closer to finding it now as I was then. I had an idea that it was the wrong want anyways.

  “Never did.”

  “Still searching huh?”

  “I’ve stopped searching. I know what it is now.”

  She smiled and told me that she was happy that I had. I wanted to tell her what it was, but I knew better. I had to ease into this slowly. Molly didn’t like to be told what to do and I knew that me coming in after all of these years, changing her world was going to be met with some resistance. I had to be delicate in how I played it.

  Chapter 4

  Molly

  “That’s good that it’s gone so well. Wife, kids, the whole she-bang?”

  It was something that we had talked about before and since I had shied away from it, I had to wonder if he did as well. I wished well for him of course, I had cared deeply for him at one time, but at the same time I knew that it was going to be bothersome if he had done it all and I had failed at that part of my life. The man was handsome and made of money; I couldn’t see him not doing all of those things.

  “No, I never went that route. I almost did at one time…”

  He stopped and gave me a look that was hard to ignore. I had been the one that he had almost married, but things had gone awry and it never happened. His parents liked us together, but everyone had agreed that waiting was what needed to happen. It was in that wait that Chris decided that he had to do more in his life. He left Alaska and left me with my head spinning and my heart breaking. For a long time, I blamed them, but then I had to think that if it was meant to be, nothing would have stood in our way.

  “I remember.” I hated how soft my voice was and I knew that it was because I was going back to the time and it still hurt to think about.

  “You? Did you find a husband to have that family with? I seem to recall that you were very good at that part.”

  My cheeks got red and I just shook my head. I didn’t want to tell him out loud that I had failed in that respect. I hadn’t been able to ever give anyone another chance because he had never been too far from my mind. Even now, I was sure that I thought about him in passing almost every day. We had so many memories together that it was impossible not to see something that jump-started a memory that I hadn’t thought of before.

  “That is hard to imagine.”

  “Well, it just never happened I guess. As I got older, I decided that it was never going to happen and I stopped worrying about it. Life is good, but sometimes it doesn’t work out the way you think it is going to.”

  “Yes, I can definitely say that I agree with you there, but you’re not that old. We are the same age and you look the same as when I left.”

  I wasn’t even going to comment on that last part. I wanted to know why he was here, the real reason because I knew it wasn’t just to chat over a cup of cheap coffee.

  “So why are you really here Chris? I know that it isn’t for a trip back down memory lane. I have to start cooking soon, so if you could get out with it, I would be a lot happier.”

  “I don’t know how to say this.”

  “Straight out is the best way.”

  He didn’t look so sure of that and it made me wonder what it was. Chris had always been a straight forward kind of guy and I wondered what it was that made him change that. It couldn’t be good and that doomed feeling was back in my stomach again.

  “Are you sure?”

  “I’m already sitting down, out with it.”

  “Well damn Molly, it’s been a while and I forgot how direct you are. That’s a rare quality nowadays.”

  He was flattering me and I don’t know why. He wanted something. He was up here because he wanted something and even though I was reacting to him in a way that was normal for us, I couldn’t forget how he could be when he wanted me to go along with something.

  “Okay Chris, what are you here for?”

  “My parents died a couple of months ago and I just went to a will reading not too long ago. You were in it and I’m here to see what you want to do about your inheritance.”

  I felt immediately bad because I thought he was here for his own reasons. I put a hand over his with the knowledge that his parents had just passed. “I’m so sorry Chris. I didn’t hear anything about Ruth and Paul.”

  I wanted to ask what happened. They were in great shape the last time I’d seen them and they weren’t that old.

  “It’s okay. It was fast, but they didn’t suffer and the accident came out of nowhere. They went together, like they always talked about.”

  The couple was one that I wanted to model my marriage off of. They were so in love and it showed in everything that they did. I’d always love the way they were together and I was instantly saddened to hear of their passing.

  “Wow, yeah.”

  I was stumped at what to say and my mind went to the face of the smiling couple in my memory. Even without thinking I envision them together because they were always at each other’s side.

  “I thought you would have known, the way this place is.”

  “I’ve tried to stay away from the gossip mills. They come in here, but I ignore it. Nome is too much in everyone’s business and I’m trying to stay out of it. I wish I would have heard. I would have sent flowers or something.”

  My guard was down. I wasn’t expecting Chris, but I wasn’t expecting to hear about such a tragedy. I really liked his parents and I talked to them ever so often after Chris and I broke up.

  “It’s probably for the best you stay away from it. I remember you used to get so riled up sometimes over it. I always said you would do better to ignore it all together.”

  “You were right and I finally figured it out. It took long enough.”

  He agreed and we sat in silence for a moment. Chris mentioned the will again, but I was still stuck on the gone part to have even remembered.

  “The lawyer is coming here in a week to sign everything.”

  “This feels weird Chris. I didn’t even know they were gone. I don’t want anything from them.”

  “They left you all of the land they own on the other side of Gipson’s farm.”

  That was shocking. That was a lot of land. “Who owns the other side of it now?”

  “Me. You got the east and I get the west. I think they are trying to play matchmaker from their graves. Sounds about right. Mom never forgot about you and she told me all of the time that I’d messed up losing you. She always was right.”

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  MOUNTAIN MAN’S BRIDE

  BLURB:

  Her smile was innocent, but her body was so damn hot.

  She got a job and I got a new outlook on life.

  As soon as I saw Merle, I knew that she was going to have to be mine.

  She brought out the side of me that I didn’t even know was alive.

  With her, I started to think about the future.

  Merle:

  As soon as I got to Nome, I knew that I was in for a rough ride.

  Coming up in a hurry, I wasn’t prepared for what came next.

  Charlie came out of nowhere and saved me.

  Now I was around him all the time and I wanted him.

  It was all that I thought about; his hands, his thick thighs and my own needs.

  My mind was lost and when he touched me, my body was as well.

  My mountain man changed everything.

  Charlie:

  I found her walking the ocean’s edge.

  She was perfect, down to earth and sexy as hell.

  Merle started diving for me and then everything got complicated.

  I shouldn’t think about her in such naughty ways, but I did.

  Her body writhing beneath mine was the goal.

  I n
ever lost and I wasn’t going to this time.

  I was going to claim Merle for my own.

  ***

  Chapter 1

  Merle

  Getting a ride the last part of the journey was easier said than done. I had several offers but they were from sketchy people and I was sure that I would be found next year when the snows melted in some far off place by hunters.

  I finally found a female that was going to Nome and I was lucky enough to talk her into letting me tag along. I had a couple of duffel bags with all of my equipment in it, so I had to toss those in the back of the truck and get in. It was a couple of hours and that gave me time to learn more about the place where I was headed. Molly was an older woman and she liked to talk. I got a basic tour of everywhere we passed by and when we got to our destination, I felt like I had actually learned quite a bit. She would have been perfect to do tours. It was like Molly was made for it.

  “Well good luck Merle. I hear that the diving out there right now is dangerous. Have you ever done it before?”

  I told her that I had, just not with the cold that was Nome, Alaska right now. It was easy to see how it was dangerous, but I’d always wanted to dive for gold. It was literally just sitting on the bottom of the ocean and I wanted to go scoop it up. This was to be how I paid for my last year of school. I came up here with high hopes and a name that I was supposed to contact when I got here.

  At the moment I was outside of a small bar that had drink specials on a board. I wasn’t here for a drink, but directions. Molly hadn’t known the man I was looking for. His name was Kevin and that made me nervous that she didn’t know him. Everyone kind of knew everyone in places like Nome and I wasn’t sure what that meant for the man who had a rig and was supposed to hire me. I had come a long ways and I didn’t even want to think about the idea that I was not going to have a contact here. The season was already in full swing and it might be hard to pick up some work now. I certainly wouldn’t get the good percentages that I was promised before by Kevin.

  When I made my way in, it was hard to see because it was so dark in the interior. I had to go slow and let my eyes adjust to the new surroundings before I was able to start noticing faces and trying to find the one face that I was there for. Kevin told me to meet him here. He said he was here if he wasn’t on the rig. Now I was sure that it was a dead end, but I went up to the bar and waited for the bartender to make his way to me.

  The bushy-haired man’s eyes matched the brown hair on top of his head. He looked like he was fresh from electrocution and I had to look away before the smile on my face got bigger. It wasn’t a good way to start the day. Of that I was sure and I straightened up enough so that I could ask about Kevin. I half figured that the bartender wouldn’t know who I was talking about and I was going to be stuck here with no real direction of what to do next. I didn’t have a plan in place and I was nervous now. It had been a big leap of faith, I knew that, but maybe it was bigger than I would have imagined.

  “Oh Kevin Leer. You must be talking about that newbie that came down. He says he is going to make his fortune on the gold here, but I don’t think he will. He is usually held up in that back booth, shooting the shit with someone, but he is out on the water today.”

  I was worried that he had found someone else to take my place and I wasn’t going to be wanted or needed when it comes down to it. I was so afraid of him picking a local that had more experience than taking a chance on me. I knew that I had what it took, but as I had never dove in these conditions before, I know there was a question of if I was going to be able to do it or not.

  “Do you know where I could find him?”

  The bartender gave me direction, but told me that I had most likely missed Kevin. If he was sober before noon, he would be out on the water early. It was sounding like he liked to take his gold and melt it down for cash pretty quickly and once he had ran out, it was time to go out and get some more. I wasn’t sure if I was comfortable with that arrangement, but I just needed a chance. If I could have a few good dives, there is a possibility that I could find a spot with another captain and boat.

  So I made my way down to the shoreline. He was in walking distance from what the bartender told me. I just had to find the boat, Second Chances. It was a name that sounded about right for Kevin. He was fresh from a divorce and after losing everything in the divorce, he planned to get his money back by picking it up off the sea floor. It was one hell of a gamble, but it was the same one that brought me here so I knew the chances too, yet here I was, gambling it all.

  I walked down the dockside and saw hundreds of boats of all shapes and sizes. It looked like about half of them were set up to gold mine and I started to get excited. It was strange to realize that I was finally here and I had a feeling that I was going to find my fortune out here as well. It may have been misplaced, but I was starting to have hope again. I just had to find Kevin and I was sure that I was going to get what I came here for.

  Chapter 2

  Merle

  “Hey are you looking for me?”

  I turned around, hoping that it was Kevin, but it wasn’t and my face must have showed my disappointment.

  “Not used to that sort of reaction.”

  “Sorry, I thought you were Kevin. I have been waiting out here for quite some time. His boat is here, but Kevin is nowhere to be seen.”

  “He is most likely passed out in there the whole time. He must not have been sober enough to get it started. That pull start can be a bitch. Do you want me to check and see if he is in there for you?”

  I looked to the rigged up boat in front of me and I knew that if what he said was true, I was going to be pissed. I had been waiting for quite some time for this guy and if he was in the boat the whole time, I knew that I was going to be pissed. I was freezing and I didn’t have to wait this long, yeah I was going to be mad that I hadn’t thought to check.

  The man that had walked up and asked if I was looking for him was studying my face.

  “You are new around here, huh?”

  I told him that I was. It was a small town and I was sure that everyone would know that I was new here soon enough.

  “Yeah, just got in this afternoon and I have been looking for Kevin ever since. I have a job with him, but I haven’t made contact yet. Would you mind checking the boat? I don’t know if barging in on him with me being new and all is a good idea.”

  “Sure, Kevin is a bear in the morning, but you just ignore him and he is fine after he gets some coffee in him.”

  “Well thanks for the heads up. I am starting to worry that I hitched my wagon to the wrong boat. Is he doing any good this year?”

  The man that introduced himself as Charlie grinned and then shrugged a little. “When he is sober, he does well. Always have someone else on deck to keep you safe while you are down there. Don’t trust Kevin to do it for you. And I think he is going to have a field day with a pretty thing like you. Does he know what you look like?”

  I thought that was a weird question and I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to take that as a compliment or not. It was hard to tell and I wasn’t sure which was to go about it. Charlie had a disabling smile that I was trying hard to ignore, but in a way I didn’t want to. It had been so long since I had flirted with a guy that I had just met and in Nome no less. I hadn’t saw that coming.

  “No, I don’t think so. I mean, I didn’t put my face on the resume.”

  He just shook his head. “Well I doubt he is going to be able to talk around you. We don’t get many women that look like you out here. What are you supposed to be doing?”

  “Diving.”

  He looked at me as if he didn’t believe me and that bothered me a little bit. I knew that it was going to be an uphill battle with the area men, but I wasn’t ready for it like I thought I would be. It was a shame that just because I was a woman I was going to have to prove myself, but it wasn’t anything that I hadn’t saw coming nonetheless.

  “Yeah, diving.”


  “Well I can’t say that I have seen someone your size diving. The equipment is rather heavy.”

  I tried not to sigh too loudly. He was trying to be helpful, but he wasn’t being very helpful in my eyes.

  “Yeah I have done it before, so I am sure I will be okay. Do you work out on the boats?”

  “I have a couple out there right now, but I don’t dive anymore. It is easier to get the young ones like you to do it so I don’t have to break my back getting out there every morning. I was thinking that they should be back by now, but it looked like I have a little time on my hands. Seems to be good luck.”

  “Well I would appreciate any help you can give me in locating Kevin. I just want to get my things put up and find a bed for the night.”

  “There are a couple of places in town that will take boarders. Some people live in tents and yurts down on the beach. Even though the weather is nice, I wouldn’t recommend that route for you. It can be a dangerous place for women on their own.”

  “Yeah that’s what I hear. I think that most of the people that know I came up here think that I’m going to get attacked by a local or a bear.”

  “It happens.”

  He left it like that and I felt a little ominous in the way that he was being so serious. There wasn’t a smile on his face or anything else. He couldn’t be for real, right? I mean, it’s not like there is something wrong with a woman being out on her own, even in Alaska.

  “Well I am sure I will be okay. I have lived a lot of places and I haven’t been afraid yet.”

  “Good, don’t let the stories get you down. It is a great place to live if you are willing to work for it. There is no easy life out here, but if you are planning on diving, then I guess that’s not what you are looking for. Let me go grab Kevin and get you two acquainted. If you are any good, I am always looking for another diver for my own boats.”

  I nodded, but didn’t say anything more. I was promised to Kevin as long as he was going out and it was time for the day to begin. I was ready to hit the ground running.