I laughed with her. “I’ve only met Brad, but you can definitely call him a ‘hefty husky hunk,’ I suppose. So, Brad was the only one who ever married, huh? How many brothers does he have?”
“There’s four of them. All handsome, mountain men type,” she said with a big grin as she warmed up to the gossip. “The one brother, Dax, dated a bunch of girls but never settled with any of them. He comes down to the local bar sometimes. The other ones I don’t see too much.” She glanced towards another table. “Excuse me.” She walked away to attend to her other customer.
I returned to my salad, thinking about what Cindy had told me about the Hunter brothers. I found it interesting that four good-looking men were all single. Where I came from, that was unheard of.
Cindy poured me another glass of iced tea and left me my check. I was hesitant to leave the diner and walk back home just to sit there alone and think. There was a small park up the road, and I thought I’d walk over for a bit to kill some time.
I glanced at my phone. Still no phone call from Brad.
I paid the check and got an iced tea to go. I strolled up Main Street and headed to the park in the center of town. Once there, I sat across from a big stone fountain. Blue, sparkling water sprayed from it and made a relaxing sound as it splashed back into the pool below. The beautiful, sunny spring day was one meant to enjoy, which was what I hoped my worried mind would let me do.
The park formed a square in the center of town, with various shops and businesses surrounding the streets around it. I people-watched for a while and sipped on my tea, enjoying the breeze. I was wondering what to do next when my cell phone rang. I looked at the caller ID and noted the number was familiar.
Trying not to sound too excited, I answered, “Hello?”
“Hello, is this Angela?” the smoky voice of Brad Hunter asked.
“Yes, this is her,” I replied.
“I’m sorry to keep you waiting for my reply about the teaching position. But I would like to hire you if you’re still interested?”
Am I still interested? I wanted to yell yes, I was so excited.
Instead, I calmly replied, “Yes, I am still interested. Thank you so much.”
“Okay, good,” Brad replied. I could imagine his sexy smile as he talked to me. “I was thinking of starting on Monday. Is that okay with you? We usually have a family meeting on Monday mornings, so why don’t you come in a bit later, say ten o’clock?”
“Okay, that sounds fine,” I told him. “Where should I come?”
“You’ll be teaching the kids at my home. We live at the resort, up the driveway from the main buildings. Just meet me where we had the interview, and I’ll take you up to the house.”
“Okay, great. Should I bring anything? I do have a state-approved lesson plan for seventh graders that I can prepare. I know it’s the last quarter of the school year, so have you informed the middle school? I’ll need their grades to report to the state at the end of the year, as well.”
“I’ll go down to the middle school on Friday and sign them out. There’ll be some papers for us to both sign for the state, and I’ll make sure to have everything I need to proceed with the homeschooling,” he answered. “The kids both have a laptop and basic school supplies, so just bring whatever you need to teach with.”
“Alright, that sounds perfect. So, I’ll see you and the boys on Monday at ten o’clock,” I said, hearing the enthusiasm in my voice.
“Yes, see you then. If you have any questions, feel free to call me at this number. It’s my cell phone.”
We ended the call, and I tried not to squeal out loud. I was ecstatic. This is just what I need.
The only thing I needed to do now was ask Brad about paying me in cash. I thought about asking him over the phone and decided against it when the conversation of payment didn’t come up. I knew what the position paid, as he’d stated the salary in the original ad.
I sighed, frustrated that every part of my life these days was filled with trepidation. But I wasn’t going to let stress ruin my happy moment. I wanted to call Hope and tell her the good news, but she would be at work right now. I started walking home, and by the time I got there, it would be a good time to call her.
As I walked, I passed the Wine Shop and stopped in to buy a good bottle of Chardonnay to celebrate with. Too bad I had to celebrate alone. But in less than a week, I would be starting a new job, and that was something to look forward to.
I bought my wine and walked home. I should get my garden started while I have the chance, I thought. The weather was nice for early April, and I could get the seeds started in starting pods and keep them on my back porch. That would give me something to do with my time for the next few days.
Excited, I ran inside to pour a glass of wine and call my best friend as soon as I got home.
“Hey, girl,” Hope sang as she greeted me.
“Hey,” I returned in the same sing-song voice.
“You sound happy,” Hope commented. “Did you get a job?”
I giggled. “I got the homeschooling job that I told you about!”
“That’s great! Congratulations!” she said, sharing my enthusiasm.
“Thanks, Hope. I couldn’t wait to tell you. It’s the perfect job for me. And I met the family, and they are so great.”
“Cool. What’s the family like?” she asked.
“Well, there’s just the dad, Brad, and his twelve-year-old twin boys,” I told her.
“What’s Brad like?” she inquired. “Where’s the mother?”
“The mother died a few years ago. I heard that she had cancer,” I said.
“Wow, that’s sad.”
“Yeah, I know. I feel so bad for them. I can’t imagine losing my mom at such a young age,” I told Hope, shaking my head.
“I know. We’re lucky to have both of our parents still.”
“For sure.”
“So, what’s Brad like? He’s single. Is he cute?” Hope asked.
“Hope!”
“Well, inquiring minds need to know,” she said, giggling again.
I giggled with her. “Yes, he’s handsome. He’s rugged mountain man handsome.”
“A mountain man! Does he have a friend for me?” Hope asked, laughing.
“He has three brothers for you,” I informed her, grinning.
“Now you’re talking,” she said. “When can I come for a visit?”
“Come anytime you want,” I said, more seriously now. “I miss you. I wish you could come for the weekend?”
“Maybe I can,” Hope replied, stretching her words as she thought, a hint of worry in her voice. “Though I’m a bit concerned that John might be keeping an eye on me to see if I go see you. I don’t want to lead him right to you.”
“That’s a possibility for sure,” I agreed, my jaw clenching. “He’s sneaky like that. You would have to use all cash and make sure he doesn’t follow you out of town.”
“I hate this!” Hope cried. “It’s so not fair.”
“I know. Let’s just wait, I guess. I’m hoping he finds another girlfriend soon and forgets all about me.”
“That would be great. But I feel really bad for the next girl, you know?” Hope said quietly.
I sighed and shook my head. “Yeah, I know. Hey look, I’m gonna get going. I just wanted to let you know about the job. And to hear your voice. I really miss you.”
“I really miss you too, but I’m so happy for you. I’ll give you a call later, cool?”
“Cool. I look forward to it.” I told her goodbye, and we hung up.
Now what? I thought, sipping my wine.
I slipped one of my favorite romance movies, Love Story, into the DVD player and settled back to watch.
Unfortunately, I was too consumed with thoughts of Brad Hunter to pay much attention.
Brad
I woke up Monday morning and instantly remembered today was the day Angela was coming to the resort. I’d been thinking about her nonstop since our last meeti
ng.
I decided to dress up for the occasion. I typically wore a dress shirt and slacks as I dealt with the guests and vendors more than the others did. When I had work to do outdoors or participated in an activity, I would wear a flannel and jeans, or something of the sort.
Today, however, I wanted to look good. Professional. I pulled out my light-pink, silk dress shirt I saved for special occasions. I found a pair of black dress pants and slid into them, then rummaged through my closet until I found my good leather dress shoes.
I admired myself in the mirror and briefly wondered what the fuck I was doing. Why did I feel the need to dress to impress Angela? I thought about the dream I’d had about her the night before, and my pants became uncomfortably tight.
“Down boy,” I told my dick, shaking my head. After I composed myself, I headed out.
I headed downstairs to make sure the boys were up and getting ready. We had our Monday morning breakfast meeting to go to before Angela arrived. Looking around, there was no sign of them. I crossed the living room and went to the boys’ bedroom doors. I stole a peek inside Reid's room. He was up, getting dressed.
“Dad! Don’t you know how to knock?” he cried.
“Sorry. I didn’t hear anything and thought you were still sleeping. It’s not like you have anything I haven't seen before, you know?” I joked.
He just scowled at me. Closing his door, I went to Bryce’s room and lightly knocked but got no answer. Opening the door, I heard him snoring.
I smiled and went over to shake him awake. “Bryce, it’s time to get up.”
“What?” he whispered, eyes flickering, still asleep.
“It’s time to get up,” I repeated, a bit louder.
“Okay, I’m up,” Bryce said, giving me a half-asleep look.
“Wear something nice today,” I told him. “It’s Angela’s first day. I want you guys to look presentable.”
“Okay,” Bryce mumbled.
I waited until I saw him get up and then left him to it. I went to the kitchen to pour a cup of coffee and watch the news. I didn’t need to tell Reid to dress nicely. He would do so by himself. After about fifteen minutes, both appeared in the kitchen and announced they were ready to go to the meeting at the restaurant.
“Wow, Dad, you look spiffy,” Bryce exclaimed, eyeing my dress attire.
“Yeah, Dad. Love the pink shirt,” Reid chimed in, a touch of sarcasm in his tone.
“What? You don’t like the pink?”
He snorted and said, “No, no, it’s fine.” The two of them exchanged a look and laughed. I chose to ignore their teenaged judgement. “You dress up just for Angela?”
“I want to look professional today. Since I’m Angela’s boss, you know, and it’s her first day.”
Before we headed down to meet the family, I wanted to talk with them for a minute about how they felt about Angela coming in to teach them. We’d touched base on it some over the weekend, but not too much. Reid was still struggling with the concept of not going to school.
“I’m good with it,” Bryce said after I asked. “I don’t care about anyone at that school. I’ll still see Adam at baseball practice this week. And you said he could come and sleep over next weekend.”
“Yes, you’ll see him at practice, and I said you two could plan a weekend sleepover,” I assured him, ruffling his shaggy hair. Adam was his best friend and lived in town. He beamed at me. Bryce was so easy-going. I turned to the more high maintenance of the two. “And, Reid, are you good? How are you feeling today?”
“I’m okay,” he mumbled.
I looked at him, concerned. “Are you sure? Talk to me, Reid.”
He shrugged. “I’ve been thinking about it. Even though I will miss my friends at school, I know it’s what Mom wanted. I want Mom to be happy.”
“And she wants you to be happy,” I reminded him, detecting the touch of sadness that remained in his voice. “I really feel this is the right move to make. And, as I promised, you can join that computer club at the community center. Your friend Josh is joining too, right?”
“Yeah, he asked his mom, and she said yes, so that’s good,” Reid told me, which made me feel better since he showed some excitement.
“That’s good to hear. And, you can ask Josh to come over anytime.” I looked between them. “I want you boys to be active with your friends. I don’t wanna take you away from them. I just want you to get a personalized education that a private teacher can offer. And it’s time you guys learn the ropes of the business. You two will be take over one day, you know.”
“Work?” Bryce questioned, making an exaggerated frowny face and crossing his blue eyes.
Reid rolled his eyes at him. “Your face is going to get stuck like that.”
“Looks better than your stupid face,” he replied.
“No way,” he said, in a muffled voice, frowning, eyes crossed. He turned from me to Reid in a zombie-like gesture.
He looked so silly, and I laughed at him too. Bryce tried to keep his face steady, but couldn’t do it, and soon, all three of us were cracking up hysterically.
Tears rolling down my cheeks, I coughed out, “Ready for breakfast? It’s time to gooo…”
“Yep!” Their laughter amped as I wiped the tears from my eyes with a napkin. “Dad’s crying!”
“Dad, it wasn’t sad!”
“Don’t be a wuss!”
I pointed at them, my fake threat lost when I laughed again. “Watch it. Now get your butts in the jeep.”
We drove down to the resort in my Jeep Wrangler, and as soon as I parked, the boys jumped out and ran inside. How do they have so much energy all the time, I wondered. Me, I wasn’t a morning person.
I wandered into The Blue River and found my seat at the head of the table, just as Ms. Everette was placing a serving plate of scrambled eggs and bacon on the table. I watched as everyone grabbed for the serving spoon at once. Smiling big, Bryce won the race.
“Eggs?” he asked. He dumped a pile on Reid’s plate, then began dishing the eggs onto the outheld plates of his uncles. I was impressed by his graciousness.
“Thanks, Bryce,” Harley and Cole said as they got a scoop of eggs from him.
“Sure,” he answered, grinning at his cleverness.
I saw Mom smiling at him, proud of her grandson. Boy, the kids grow up fast, I thought as I held out my plate to him.
“So, Brad, today is the day that the teacher’s coming. Angela, right?” Mom asked. “You look very nice, by the way,” she told me, smiling at me.
“Yeah, Brad, I was just about to ask what the occasion was? You look like you’re going to a big business meeting,” Dax exclaimed, eyeing my attire. “A pink dress shirt, huh? Looks good. Looks good.”
“Thanks, guys. No, no big meeting. Just want to look professional today with the new teacher coming in,” I tried to explain.
I saw Harley giving me the eye and grinning to himself.
“Seriously,” I said to him.
“Yeah, yeah,” he said as he scooped eggs into his mouth, still grinning.
“I heard she’s hot,” Harley contributed, chewing on an entire piece of toast he’d shoved into his mouth.
“Harley! How many times do I have to remind you about table manners?” Mom exclaimed. “Don’t talk with your mouth full!”
Harley just laughed and made his usual comment. “Sorry, Mom.”
Everyone laughed, and Mom gave everyone at the table a long stare. She couldn’t keep her face straight with everyone giggling, though, and allowed a smile to escape her lips.
“You boys,” she said as she shook her head and began to eat. “And, Harley, I didn’t say Angela is hot. I said she’s a good-looking girl. I only got a glimpse of her the other day.”
“Oh,” Harley said, more worried about the disappearing bacon on the serving plate. “Does anyone want any more bacon?” he asked, waiting to scoop up the last pieces.
“No,” everyone chimed in unison.
I was relieved
when they dropped the Angela conversation. I didn’t owe them an explanation. I could wear what I wanted. It didn’t matter if she was hot or not.
We had our normal Monday morning meeting and helped ourselves to seconds. Looking at the clock as I sat back with a full belly, I realized that it was almost ten.
“Boys, why don’t you run up to the house and get your school things ready?” I asked them. “I want to speak to Angela in my office before she starts your lessons for the day.”
“Okay, Dad,” they replied and shoved off from the table to run outside.
“I didn’t mean actually to run,” I called out after them, but they were already gone.
“Boys,” Mom repeated as she began to clear the table. I helped her and Ms. Everette take some dishes to the kitchen, then went to the common room to wait on Angela. To my surprise, she was already there, waiting for me.
The sight of her nearly took my breath away.
She looked up and smiled when she saw me enter the room, and her blue-green eyes twinkled. She was wearing a light blue, sleeveless dress with a black crocheted shawl draped over her shoulders. The dress flowed around her knees instead of being tight but was just as lovely on her as the last one was.
Get a hold of yourself, man.
I composed myself and hurried to greet her. I extended my hand to her. Again, I noticed how soft her hand felt in mine.
“It’s nice to see you again,” I greeted her, looking into her lovely eyes.
“Likewise,” Angela answered, smiling.
I heard my mom’s voice at the front desk and saw Angela glance over. “That’s my mom, Mary Beth,” I informed her. “Mom, come over here for a minute.”
Mom strolled over, her long, flowery dress flowing around her ankles. She was still wearing her apron from working in the kitchen.
“Angela, this is my mom, Mary Beth. Mom, Angela,” I introduced them.
“It’s so nice to meet you, Angela,” Mom said in a genuine tone, smiling at her.
“It’s very nice to meet you,” Angela answered politely, taking her outstretched hand.
“So, you’re going to be teaching my grandchildren?” my mom asked. “I would wish you luck, but I know you won’t need it. They’re good kids, my Reid and Bryce.”
Take a Mountain Man Home for Christmas: A Mountain Man Romance Christmas Collection Page 4