Mountain Man_A Single Dad, Older Man Younger Woman Romance

by Flora Ferrari

  CHAPTER 10

  Trinity

  We re-enter the house and slide under the covers together. The fire’s still cracking just a bit. Ellie’s fast asleep and Elijah gets out of bed quickly to slide a divider in front of her bed, just in case.

  We slowly remove our clothes and he holds me in the bed. I feel so safe and this feels so romantic. We’ve had sex before, but now it’s time to make love.

  He kisses me tenderly and I feel that big beard of his tickle my chin and neck. I run my fingers through it and am reminded just how manly he really is, not that I needed any kind of reminder.

  I slowly move my hands across his body, feeling each muscle as he ripples and flexes unconsciously. It’s like an anatomy class as I get to feel how the perfect male body moves as he moves his position to kiss me on my neck, collarbone, and back up to my lips.

  His head moves back down, but this time lower finding my breasts. I arch my back and press the back of my head into the pillow.

  He kisses a trail back up to my lips and then mounts me. I feel the crown of his cock at the entrance of my opening. I’m already drenched and ready for him. He slowly slides his log inside and my eyes close as I experience his size all over again.

  But this is an entirely different kind of experience. Instead of a hot fast fuck, this is slow and tender. It’s a deeper connection between two people, and two worlds. He’s from my world, but he left it. Now I’m leaving that same world behind, knowing I was brought here by fate and now I’m his and he is mine.

  His hips rock back and forth slowly as I feel his dick along my walls each time it enters and then pulls back. It’s like a wave is washing over me, or better yet through me…inside of me.

  I hunger for the fill and long for him each time he rocks back. I need him inside me. I want him inside me.

  I open my eyes and he’s staring down at me. It’s a hungry look as it always is, but there’s something different to it. Some tenderness to the fury in his look.

  I know I’ve found my man for life and he’s found his wife.

  I reach for the sides of the bed and feel my climax begin just as he fills me with his seed.

  Moments later he pulls out of me and is down on the bed lying next to me. I roll over and cuddle up to his chest.

  “I have to tell you something,” I say.

  “Anything,” he says.

  “I’ve felt different since that first time…out in the woodshed.”

  “I felt it too.”

  I giggle, but then catch myself. I don’t want to wake up Ellie. “Not that kind of different,” I say. “Something inside me.”

  “Something more than lust you mean?”

  I playfully slap him. “Yes, but not that. I mean something biological. I’ve never been in this position before, but they say when a woman knows she just knows. I know something happened out there that day.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I think tonight when you saved my life, you saved two lives.”

  “No one’s hurting you or Ellie.”

  I laugh inside. My little speech isn’t working. “Okay, three lives.”

  “No man can hurt me,” he says.

  “Correction…four lives.”

  His head rolls over on the pillow and he looks at me with wide open eyes. His pupils dilate as he rolls over onto his side.

  “You mean to tell me your?”

  I nod my head.

  “But how do you know?”

  “I just do. I mean I can go into town and get a test, but I’m sure.”

  “Or you can do it up here, without a doctor. I don’t need another man looking at you there.”

  I smile. I just love his protectiveness. I love the way he wants me all to himself and I know he’ll only ever give himself to me.

  “Let’s talk about it in the morning,” I say. “Right now I just want you to hold me in your arms.”

  He leans back in and pulls me in close. We both know neither one of us will be able to sleep. We’re both dreaming of our future and how quickly our lives have changed since we met each other. Out of all this chaos that found me just over a week ago, I’ve been able to find calm. And I found it when I found him.

  And now that I found him I don’t ever want to lose him, to lose this thing that we have.

  This is my life now. It’s a life I never could have imagined. And now I could never imagine anything else, because anything else wouldn’t be here with him.

  CHAPTER 11

  Trinity

  I open my eyes and squint at the morning light coming in through the window.

  Once my eyes are fully open I see him. He’s there next to me, staring at me.

  “Have you been like that all night?” I joke.

  “Except for a few minutes, yes.”

  I can see he’s dead serious.

  He backs out of the bed and gets down on one knee.

  “I’ve been waiting all night for this, but really I’ve been waiting my whole life. I started working on this last week, but I didn’t want you to find out.” He opens his hands and inside is a small wooden box. He opens the top and inside is a gold ring!

  “I found the gold in the stream a couple years back, but it never had a purpose in my life until you arrived. And the diamond? It’s my great-grandmothers. She got it from her husband. He was a big, strong man from South Africa. Like me, he found his treasure but it meant nothing until he had his real life woman, his true treasure, to give it to.”

  I’m speechless. I can’t believe where the gold and diamond that went into this ring have come from. How much love has been put into them. How they’re so personal, and perfect.

  “I want you to wear this now. To be the keeper of these gems until one day Mother Nature calls for them back. But even when that day comes I’ll still be by your side. I want to be with you now and forever. Ashes to ashes and dust to dust. But all I can think about now is our future. How we’ll live off this land and build a family. But that family can only happen because of you. Will you marry me, beautiful?”

  I nod my head. “Yes,” it comes out silently. I say it again. He slides the ring onto my finger. A perfect fit.

  I lean forward as does he. We hug and then kiss.

  “Yay!” Ellie says. I hear clapping in the background and know she’s there. Soon she’ll have another little brother and sister to play with, to share this life with, and to love just as Elijah and I will…up here in the mountains where we belong…together.

  EPILOGUE

  Trinity

  One month later

  Ellie and I spent the last month working on our dresses.

  There was one day we took off though…the day I went into town to see a doctor. He confirmed my pregnancy and told me everything I needed to do to make sure I’d have a healthy baby. We told him what we eat and what we do and he kind of smiled. Strangely enough my “alternative” lifestyle was probably the healthiest for having a child. Part of the process is staying calm throughout the pregnancy and that’s exactly how things were up here in the mountains.

  It’s a bit of an oxymoron to think it’s peaceful when you’re surrounded by wolves and bears, but when you’ve got the biggest alpha of the bunch at your side I guess the other animals just know not to try anything. As crazy as it sounds they respect Elijah and know he and his family are off limits. Mess with the bull get the horns as the saying goes. And Elijah was the biggest baddest bull this side of the Mississippi.

  We stand in the forest as Ellie carefully reads the wedding vows we prepared for each other.

  I had asked Elijah when we came up with the idea if this type of wedding even “counted.”

  “If we’re here, it always counts,” he said.

  He had a way of being romantic without even trying. I think it was just his confidence and assuredness in us and our family that always melted my heart and made me know that no matter what everything was going to be perfect.

  “You may now kiss the bride,” Ellie says.
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  I watch as she closes her eyes tight and try not to laugh. She said kissing boys is “icky.” I would definitely disagree…at least when it comes to her father.

  She was excited about the idea of a sibling. She was already planning on all the things they could do and Elijah was already planning on just how he was going to add to the cabin.

  But first, we needed to make this official.

  Elijah lifted my veil and looked at me one last time as two single people. Once he kissed me we’d be officially together forever.

  “I love you,” he says.

  “I love you,” I say. It’s impossible to fight back the tears, but thankfully he takes my mind off of them as best as possible when he leans in and his lips meet mine.

  “Is it safe to look?” Ellie says.

  We both laugh.

  “Yes, it’s safe, sweetheart.”

  Her eyes open and she breathes a sigh of relief at not having to watch us lock lips.

  “Ladies and gentleman of the forest. I now present you Mr. and Mrs. Elijah and Trinity Arbor!”

  A wolf cries out in the distance.

  “Wow!” I say.

  Elijah just smirks.

  I’ve answered the call of the wild and now there’s no going back, not that I’d ever want to.

  Now, like Elijah and Ellie I’ll live here free and wild just as nature intended.

  And just as nature intended we’ll be welcoming a new addition in the coming months. It’s the reason we live in the first place…to have a family, and when I found him I found mine.

  I can’t wait to grow it as big as possible. Mother Nature can’t be the only mother up in these parts…not if Elijah and I have anything to say about it.

  EXTENDED EPILOGUE

  Elijah

  Seven years later

  I stab the pitchfork in the ground. “Can I help you?” I say.

  “Sir, we’re here on behalf of the Colorado school system. We hear you have some children here that aren’t in school.”

  I say nothing. Who do these guys think they are just coming onto my property like this unannounced?

  “Is that true, sir?”

  “What’s true is you all are trespassing.”

  I feel Trinity’s arm on my shoulder and I’m reminded to stay calm. She’s done a lot to mellow me a bit these last seven years, but I still have that fire inside. Living out here does that to you, especially when you have a family to protect.

  “Sir, all we’re asking is to see if the children are being educated. It’s for their own good.”

  “Well, what’s for your own good is—”

  I feel Trinity’s grasp on my shoulder tighten.

  “It’s okay, honey,” she says. “Would you gentleman like some lemonade?”

  “Yes, ma’am. That would be great. It was harder to get here than we thought.”

  “And a lot longer too,” the other man says.

  That’s by design. I don’t want nosey people up here in my business.

  I try and stay calm, but this is my family we’re talking about.

  Trinity takes the men inside and I follow. I can see they’re nervous. They should be. I’m much bigger and stronger than ten of these office types.

  The men ask the kids a few questions. They answer quickly and correctly. I think back and remember those types of questions. They’re asking middle school or even high school level questions to our children.

  The men see the books in the house and then turn and look at one another. They nod and quickly finish their drinks.

  We all step outside.

  “Technically, these kids are supposed to be in school. Under the law if you’re practicing a certain kind of religion then you’re protected—”

  “My family is protected by my will, my grit, and these two hands,” I say. The men look down at my giant hands and realize this is a battle they’re not about to win…especially not with words. They may take me for a mountain hick, but I went through the same school system they did and passed with flying colors.

  “But as we can tell by our questions your children are actually proficient well beyond their years. Congratulations on raising such bright kids. We won’t trouble you again,” the one man with the badge on his shirt says.

  “Thanks for coming,” my wife says. She rushes to give them a jar of our homemade honey.

  “Thank you, ma’am!” the one man says.

  “You can take a scoop or two as you walk back. It will give you energy for the trek.”

  “We’ll do that. Thanks again.”

  The men walk away and talk quickly as they smile and look at the jar of honey. The one man hands it to the other who removes the lid and smells it. He turns his head towards the other man and I can just make out that his eyes are closed. He’s on cloud nine, as he should be. Trinity cooks better than any woman in the world. She got the hang of it real quick and now there’s not a better meal prepared on this planet.

  “Why were those two men here, pa?”

  I look down and see Woods by my side. We named him after the woodshed which he was conceived in.

  “They just wanted to make sure your ma and I were giving you a proper education.”

  “Are they going to come back?” Johnny asks. He was our second, conceived out by the apple tree. Johnny, like Johnny Appleseed, sounded appropriate for a name.

  “They know better than to come back.”

  I step inside and see Trinity tending to our newborn, Sequoia. She’s got a sister just a year and a half older named Rain.

  We’re a family of seven now. I’m still hoping we can get to ten. I know I’ve got what it takes. Looking at that woman still turns me on like nothing else in this world.

  Even after seven years I can’t keep my hands off her. And thankfully we expanded the cabin by a magnitude of three. We have our own room now, and a lot more privacy. We definitely take advantage of that most every night, in addition to the times we just enjoy each other in the forest, or in the stream in the summer, or by the fire, or anywhere else nature intended.

  Tonight after the kids go to sleep I’m going to do everything I can to shoot for number eight. Our sixth child and a family of eight. But I know my thirst for her and a bigger family will never be quenched.

  Eight definitely isn’t enough. With her nothing is. I’ll never get enough of her, and I’ll never get enough of all these little ones calling me pa and her ma. That’s truly what life’s all about.

  And I live the luckiest life of any man. And it’s all because of her.

  EXTENDED EPILOGUE

  Trinity

  Two years later

  “Mom it popped!”

  “That’s what jars do when they seal, honey. Now we’ll be able to store those green beans and eat them in the winter when it’s cold out.”

  “Those are the green beans I picked?”

  “Not only picked. You planted them, picked them, snapped them, and then the two of us canned them. You did everything.”

  “Wow,” Sequoia says.

  “Wow is right,” I say.

  But not just a wow because of the green beans. Wow, because all our kids help out so much with everything. They never complain. Whether they have to carry buckets of water up from the stream, pull weeds from the garden all day, or trounce out in the snow in the wintertime they always keep a positive attitude.

  I think it’s because they know we’re living the life. What may seem like hardships to some are opportunities for us. Opportunities to bond, become closer as a family, and to love and to share.

  There’s something about coming together to battle the elements. And although things are great now, once winter rears her ugly head that will all change.

  But it wasn’t always that way. It was that one cold winter’s day that brought me here, and for that I’ll always be grateful even though I was lost, confused, and literally being hunted at the time.

  But now the only one hunting me is Elijah.

  “Oh!” I say. I fee
l his hand squeeze my butt. He always makes sure the children aren’t watching though.

  And this past year we’ve had more time to ourselves where we can do whatever we like without worry about anyone seeing.

  Elijah has loosened up a bit and allowed me to take the kids into town and socialize with other kids their own age.

  It works great both ways. The other kids are so curious about their lives and our kids are equally as curious about theirs.

  Next week we’re even going to host a gathering for some of the other families that our kids have befriended. One of the fathers offered to have it catered, which we laughed at.

  No catering company will haul food up here nor would we want them to. Why would we eat anything other than the fresh food we grow and hunt right here? No packages and no preservatives.

  But speaking of packages I might need to go into town and find some wrappers for Elijah’s…uh…member. He likes to do everything naturally, including sexy time. I’m all for it, but at some point I’m not sure if I’m going to be able to go through labor anymore. Seven kids and a family of nine is getting to be plenty to handle. I think once we get ten I’m going to have to take drastic measures. I laugh at the idea of him wrapping his penis in sheepskin or getting snipped. No way he’ll go for that, especially when he wants more children so badly.

  Who am I fooling? I want the same thing. As much as carrying children around in my belly can be tiring there’s nothing more enjoyable and when they’re born there’s no greater moment in life.

  And life is perfect thanks to him.

  “Did I ever tell you how much I love you and how perfect you are and how much you’re a perfect wife and mother.”

  I smile at the mouthful of words. “Every day,” I say.

  “Well it should be every hour if not every minute, because that’s almost how often I’m thinking of you.”

  “Almost?” I say. I playfully spank him with a spatula.

  “Almost, because the honest answer is I think about you every second. Day and night. Even when I dream, I dream of you.”

  “Awww,” I say. I give him a big hug. He wraps me up in those big safe arms of his and holds me with his Paul Bunyan-like hands.