Mountain Man's Secret Baby

by Lauren Wood

  Chapter 3

  Charlie

  The girl was hot as fuck and I almost didn’t want to go get Kevin. The lucky bastard didn’t deserve such a hot assistant and I wanted to sweep her up and have her work on one of my boats. If I had her to look forward to, I think I would be able to get my ass up a little earlier than usual. Merle was a sight for sore eyes and it almost helped me to forget about another new person to the community that was off limits. If Merle wasn’t here with someone, it meant that I would have a chance.

  I walked onto the other boat and looked around. The place was a mess and maybe I wouldn’t have to do anything at all. The girl might get an eyeful of the place here she would be expecting to work at and she might decide that it isn’t for her. Not unless she isn’t too keen on safety. I saw many problems with his rigging and worried about the woman. It wasn’t that safe when the equipment wasn’t taken care of properly.

  “Kevin, are you in here?”

  I heard a slight sound of waking up and I could have guessed that it was already happy hour somewhere for Kevin. He was inebriated and I didn’t even have to find his slumped over body that was in and out of it to know. He was never sober for long and today wasn’t one of his sober days.

  “What do you want Charlie? It’s too damn early for all of that hollering.”

  “I’m here to get you up because you have someone waiting for you. A diver.”

  He popped his eyes open and nodded his head. “That’s right. So how does he look?”

  It told me that Kevin had no idea who he’d hired, though I was sure that he was going to be just fine with who showed up. Merle was gorgeous and even if she can’t dive, that didn’t mean that she couldn’t be something pretty to look at for everyone else. She would be a good addition to any boat and I didn’t even have to see what she had to offer to know that I wanted her on mine.

  “Well, I will say that the person is a little small. I don’t know how they are going to be diving, but the weight issue may come up. I don’t know if they can even pull the dredge.”

  “I was told that the diver was small, but assured that the weight wasn’t an issue. Damnit. I don’t want some fairy boy making me look like an idiot.”

  I wanted to assure him that it wouldn’t do him any good to get all upset about it. If Merle said she could dive, I was inclined to believe her because she didn’t seem like the type that would lie about something just to lie.

  “Seems to have a good head on their shoulders. Why don’t you meet them and then you can decide if the wait for the diver was worth it. Said that you two have been talking since back in September.”

  “Yeah, I have to do better this year or I am going to lose my slip. You know that can’t take my house, but they will take my boat.”

  “I’m sorry; I didn’t know that it was that bad for you. Are you sure you don’t want anything bought for the boat.” If he didn’t find some gold, enough to replace what he lost, then what are we going to do? I didn’t want to imagine a day that I wasn’t running into Kevin on the shoreline, talking about the next big score that was just moments from getting pulled out of the water. H seemed like a lifer and I didn’t like the idea of him getting pushed out.

  “Well I am not throwing in the towel yet. Thought I would bring some young blood in and see if that helps at all. Merle sounds like a stand-up guy and I look forward to meeting him.”

  “Well he is outside right now if you want to finish what was started.”

  “I will. Thanks for waking me up. Are you actually going to go out yourself and get some work done?”

  I told them that I wasn’t sure because I really wasn’t and it started to rub on me. It is definitely not a subject I like to think about.

  “You know that I try to stay off the rigs if I can. I like the gold they bring back, but I am still not a fan of all of that freezing water and waves. I feel myself getting sick just thinking about it.”

  Kevin chuckled as he got up and wiped his mouth. From everything that was going on and more, I wanted off of the raggedy boat that was making me a little uneasy. I had been told more than once that I was in the wrong business because of my dislike of water and the feel of it around me. It was devastating to have a fear of it because I was surrounded by water. It was something that I really needed to get over.

  “Well I guess it is as good of a time as any to get up. What time is it?”

  I looked at my watch and gave him an answer. It didn’t faze him that he had been awaiting for her for an hour. I almost tried to get him up again, but I was convinced that he wasn’t as bad as he appeared. I’d seen Kevin function on far more in his system, I was sure of it. Kevin finally wobbled up, even though he was swaying badly.

  I went out to the top side and breathed a sigh of relief when I was off of the boat and my back was to the water. The dock moved underneath my feet and it was like before. This time the woman was in front of me and instead of it doing what I was supposed to, I felt the queasiness take over. So I went to follow her and the dock moved again. I tried to steady myself, but I was going face first into the water before I knew it.

  The water was so damn cold, an immediate shock to my system. Damnit, it looked like my day had just taken a turn for the worst. I sputtered out the cold water and tried to push back the flash backs that they caused.

  Chapter 4

  Merle

  Kevin was not at all what I expected, but it was the man in the water that got my attention back. Charlie was hauling himself up from the cold water and I could tell that he wasn’t happy. I felt responsible somehow because he had only gone to get Kevin because of me. Now he was soaked and even though he was trying to hide it, he was shivering and I knew that it wasn’t good. Hypothermia could happen quickly and he didn’t even have a wet suit on to dampen the blow. I knew that he was cold and I knew that I was going to have to do something about it. At least I had my bags with me, even if I didn’t have a vehicle at the moment.

  “Come here Charlie. I have some extra blankets in here. You need to get out of these clothes before you catch your death.”

  He tried to shrug me off and said that he was fine, but his lips were trembling and I knew that it wasn’t the case. I proceeded to take his shirt off and when I realized that he was too tall, I had to ask him to bend over.

  “You don’t take no for an answer Merle, do you?”

  I told him that I didn’t. It was easier if he knew what he was up against. I wasn’t going to let him off of the hook until I knew that he was dry and warmer than he was. He wasn’t going to get sick from helping me. I wasn’t going to allow it.

  “Come on Charlie, just work with me or I am going to have to strip you down the rest of the way.”

  He stopped and looked down at me. “I don’t think I would mind at all.”

  His blue eyes were twinkling and I got the impression that he was calling my bluff. The funny thing was though that I wasn’t bluffing. I was going to do what I set out to do and when he moved closer, my hand went for his jeans and he finally got the hint that I wasn’t joking around.

  “I didn’t think you were being serious.”

  “I am. I have extra blankets and clothes that will probably fit you. You can’t be out here in this wind as wet as you are. I don’t want something to happen to you because you helped me.”

  Kevin chimed in after a moment. He was not sure who the woman was, but he liked the show that she was putting on and he liked how uncomfortable his friend was at the moment.

  “Oh Charlie, when did you get so shy? I am starting to think that I am back in the bottom of the boat and this is a dream. Where else would she come from?”

  “I don’t know where she came from, but this isn’t a dream. She is your new diver.”

  I saw the look on Kevin’s face and I can’t say that he looked like he was too impressed. It wasn’t how I had meant to meet my boss, pulling another man’s pants off, but Charlie had taken over and I handed him a blanket before I went to my new boss wit
h an outstretched hand. I wanted him to know that this wasn’t how I usually was, but I was afraid of Charlie getting sick. Hopefully he would see it as fast thinking, but when I got to Kevin, it was clear that he was looking at me about like the other guy had.

  “So you are my diver?”

  “Yes Sir. Merle Clannahan. We talked several times on the phone. I was waiting out here for you because I didn’t realize that you were on the boat. Nice nap?”

  Kevin’s eyes moved over my body and I can’t say that it was the most comfortable assessment that I have ever had. I felt like I was being weighed and measured and I hoped that he saw enough in me to be found approving.

  “Why yes, I remember talking to you, but I don’t remember you being a girl.”

  I sighed to myself and nodded my head. Did he want me to apologize for it or something? I wasn’t really sure, but I was sure that I didn’t want to let him know how aggravated with it all I was. Yes, I was a girl. Was I the only one there that wasn’t male because both men were acting like I had horns on my head or something and I was a bit surprised by the reaction. I thought this was a state that was used to going against the status quo.

  “Well, I am a girl. I thought that my voice would have given it away.”

  The man looked at me sheepishly and I paid attention to the other man that was covering himself in a blanket from out of my bag. Charlie had refused it at first, but I could see that he was at least not shaking as badly as before.

  “Girl or not, can you dive?”

  It was a question that he had asked me before and since I had answered it several times already, I was going to chalk it up to something that he wanted to make sure of because of my gender. I told him again that I could and I tried to ignore the half-naked man that was standing next to me. Charlie was huge and when he had gotten down to his skivvies, there wasn’t much left to the imagination. I tried not to let the sight of him bother me, but it really was impossible not to let it. He was distracting and when he smiled at me in such a disarming manner, I knew that I was going to have to get it together.

  “Yes I can dive Kevin. I was hoping that we could get out there and do a run before the sun goes down today. No time like the present.”

  Kevin agreed, but I could tell that he was hung over. I was going to have to be careful working for him. I turned to Charlie and told him to keep the blanket and clothes that he had managed to find that fit him. I was glad that I had kept some of my ex’s things now.

  “I can’t take your supplies.”

  “Well then find me later when you don’t need them and you can give them to me then.” I waved to the distraction and tried my best not to think about the hard lines he possessed. I was going to be surrounded by hot, rugged men. I was going to have to do a better job of hiding my lust if I was ever going to make it here.

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  MOUNTAIN MAN’S BEAUTY - SNEAK PEAK

  PREVIEWS

  A MOUNTAIN MAN ROMANCE

  MOUNTAIN MAN’S BEAUTY

  Ayla:

  My mountain man saved me.

  Now all I can think about is him.

  It’s cold outside and it drives me to his bed.

  He warms me up in more ways than one.

  A stranger has never been so tempting before.

  Now I can’t get him out of my mind.

  Bill:

  I found her in a desperate position.

  She was so damn hot,

  Far more beautiful than what I was used to in this rugged place.

  I had moved to Alaska to get away from it all.

  But something pulled me to Ayla.

  I needed her and I couldn’t resist her innocence.

  or her lips.

  After one night she was mine.

  I had claimed her and I was never letting her go.

  I wasn’t going to let anything stand in our way, nothing.

  ***

  Chapter 1

  Ayla

  I was on an adventure, or that is what I told myself anyways. This wasn’t the kind of adventure that I had really planned for, but it was the kind of adventure that I had read about in books. This adventure was one done out of desperation and opportunity that sort of fell into my lap and I was left to navigate it on my own.

  I was freshly divorced from a bad marriage and when my great aunt Angie died and left me a plot of land far to the north of where I lived in Seattle, I was quick to jump on it. But now I was wondering if I had made the right decision after all. It was June and all I could see was snow all around me. This didn’t seem like the start that I’d envisioned for myself.

  It didn’t seem to be the start of an adventure, but more of a start to a nightmare that I hadn’t seen coming. The snow was everywhere and so bright that it hurt my eyes when I was driving. I knew that I was going to have to figure this out. I had sold my house and most of my belongings to make the trip into the unknown wild part of the country. I was starting to wonder if I had just plain lost my mind and this was what I got for leaving Washington. I had never seen so much snow and such a desolate place in my life. Bad part was I still had a ways to go before I was at my destination, though I wasn’t really sure how far. A mile up here seemed like ten.

  Looking around me, I felt the nerves go higher as the road started to get a little worse for wear. I had gotten new tires on the old VW van that I was driving up in and the only reason that I was getting so nervous was because I wasn’t used to this weather.

  Checking the GPS, it told me that I only had a few more miles to go, but I saw nothing in the wide open white space around me and that made me a little worried about everything. How was I going to live in a place like this? I had read all that I could about Alaska and I thought I was prepared as best as I could be, but I was wrong. Nothing could prepare me for this, no matter how much I had read. The book didn’t tell me that I was going to get this sinking feeling when I got there and I was going to wonder what the hell I was doing. That’s all I could think of now. What the hell was I thinking when I agreed to this? Why didn’t I just sell the land and the small cabin that was so remote and go on about my life? Had I really had to go so far to get away from it all, to get away from Dennis?

  I was a woman of extremes and quick decisions. This was one of those times that I had done a little of both and I wasn’t sure how it was all going to turn out. I’m afraid that this time around, I had made a bad decision that was going to haunt me unless I turned around right now. Even as I thought it though, I knew that I had nothing and no reason to go back.

  I never did listen to the smart side of my conscious. A person would think that I would have learned from the same streak that had me married after 6 weeks of courting, but they would be wrong. I obviously never learned my lesson.

  Paying far too much attention to the little box that was stuck to my windshield, telling me where to turn, I ran off the road a little bit and overcorrected too much. The tires spun and before I knew what was happening, I was in a snow bank and quickly realized that I couldn’t get out of it. I cursed at my bad luck of my driving skills, not sure which one was worse and sat in the van for several moments, trying to figure out what it was that I was going to do now. I was screwed and it was getting late and it was getting cold. It was the beginning of summer in the rest of the world, but here is just felt like the middle of winter and I was never going to be able to get warm again.

  Going to the back, I got on another coat and tried to find my boots. I was bent over, rummaging through a suitcase when I heard a loud knock at the van door and the sound startled me so much that I was unable to stop myself from jumping.

  “Miss, can I help you?”

  I didn’t know who the rough, gravelly voice was that was asking, but I did need help. I went back to the driver’s side and sa
t in the seat, opening the door in a rush. I had only socks on and I couldn’t find my shoes that I had just taken off in the dark. It had gotten dark so quickly and it was scary to me how fast it had all happened.

  “Um, yes please. I think I am stuck. Do you have a way to pull me out?”

  He said that he didn’t and I couldn’t see much about him from the heavy coat and the hood that cast his whole face in shadows. I knew that I must look a wreck, but when I saw what he was driving, I kind of sighed to myself. I may get some help, but this van wasn’t going anywhere tonight. The snow mobile was probably more practical, but not with what I was wearing. I had on leggings, no shoes and a very large coat that made it hard to maneuver.

  “No, no way to pull this van out tonight, but I can give you a ride to wherever it is that you are going. I would suggest you get dressed a little warmer though and maybe get some shoes on.”

  I could hear mirth in his voice and I wasn’t honestly feeling very happy about his pleasure in what was going on. I tried not to be rude, he was trying to make light of the situation and that was nice of him in a way, but at the same time, I felt like I was at the end of my rope. There was a big part of me that wanted to say something smart, but I was afraid that he would be offended and leave. So I told him that I was in the process of finding my boots so that I could get out and start walking.

  “You don’t want to walk around here at this time of night miss. I will give you a ride home and then we can figure out a way to get your van out in the morning. I have a truck that will do it, but not tonight.”

  “Thank you Sir. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t come along. I haven’t seen a car in a long time.’