Take a Mountain Man Home for Christmas: A Mountain Man Romance Christmas Collection

by Crowne, K. C.

  “We were careful,” Reid replied, his tone brushing irritated, but he obviously knew better because he smiled at his gram.

  “Yeah, we know not to get too close to the water,” Bryce assured her.

  “I know, but with so much snow, I’d just feel better if you waited before going back down there. Your shack will still be there in a couple of days,” she informed them.

  They agreed reluctantly, giving each other a knowing look as if they had expected this conversation to take place.

  “Guys, maybe we can build a snowman tomorrow,” I suggested. “Today, we have crafts and bingo already planned. But tomorrow we can get a group together for snowman building. Maybe make it a contest.”

  “That would be fun,” said Mary Beth, nodding her head in agreement, and the boys, while agreeing, weren’t terribly enthusiastic.

  We helped everyone find a seat and get supplies. Mary Beth had set up some wooden fold-out chairs around a big, oblong fold-out table. The kids sat around the table while the adults sat on the couches and the other furniture in the room, chatting about adult things while their children were busy.

  A fire burned high in the fireplace. Ms. Everett showed up with a tray of coffee and hot chocolate that she set out on the coffee table. It was a lovely scene, everyone gathering in the common room, drinking hot cocoa or coffee by the fire.

  Crafting lasted for the next hour, and then Mary Beth announced that bingo would begin in the dining room at two. The children ran off with their newly painted chests, and most of the parents said they’d return for bingo.

  We cleaned up the common room and folded up the chairs and table and began setting up bingo in the dining room. All the guests agreed to play, so we charged a quarter a card, and the winner or winners took all. It was a fun time.

  I didn’t see Brad all afternoon, assuming he was outside taking care of business. Bingo lasted for a couple of hours, and then we cleaned up for dinner. I was busy all day and didn’t once think about the black sedan or who might be in it. Grateful, I decided I would help every day that I could, when I wasn’t teaching the boys.

  We got our plates, and about twenty minutes later, Brad, Cole, and even Bella came lumbering into the dining room. Brad smiled at me and grabbed a plate of food before joining us. Cole followed as Bella took a seat by the table. I patted her on the head, talking to her in the baby talk people use for dogs.

  “It’s crazy out there,” remarked Cole as he plopped down at the table, looking exhausted. “I could hardly keep up with the walkways and roads. I was worried about the guests staying in the cabins. One family had their car stuck in the snow. Thank goodness Brad showed up, and we were finally able to pull it out,” Cole said, forking a piece of meat into his mouth.

  “Yeah, there’s no way we’re going to be able to keep the road to the ski lifts open after this evening if it keeps snowing like this. There’s nowhere else to plow the snow. The road is down to a narrow lane now,” Brad told his mother, who nodded.

  “Yeah, but at least nobody can drive off the side of the mountain,” Cole joked. “The snowbanks will stop them if they slide.”

  Brad chuckled. “We can make a decision later, but I don’t know if we can open the lifts tomorrow. The problem is that the guests who are here will be stuck with the mountain road closed.”

  “I got an idea!” Cole said, clapping his hands loudly and jarring everyone at the table. “We can shuttle skiers up and down the road tomorrow. Not let them drive themselves for safety reasons.” He looked at Brad. “I’d feel better keeping the lifts running if we can. We are a ski resort, after all. Can’t do any fishing or hiking right now.”

  “That sounds like a good plan,” Brad said, nodding his head. “We’ll talk to Harley and Dax when they come back down later.”

  Brad turned to me and asked if I would like to bartend for a couple of hours with him. I agreed, and we headed to the bar after finishing our meal. As we bartended, we noticed that the weather had turned for the worse. Cole and Bella went to check on the guests in the cabins and gave them an emergency cell phone number to call if they needed anything. He said he’d be clearing roads first thing in the morning.

  The wind was blowing hard, and the electricity blinked.

  “Shit,” Brad swore, glancing up. He peered out the windows, frowning. “This is getting worse.”

  A few minutes later, the electricity went out, and some of the guests cried out, then laughed at themselves when some of the lights blinked back on in seconds.

  “The generator kicked in,” Brad informed me. “The guests will all have electricity in their rooms along with some emergency lighting. Unfortunately, we’ll have no electricity up at the house.”

  “That’s okay. Maybe we can get a family game going?” I suggested.

  “Sounds like a plan,” Brad said, starting to close the bar.

  Mary Beth found us and told us she’d put the staff up in the extra rooms for the night since they couldn’t safely drive home. “Ms. Everett is going to take one of the rooms as well. And Katie agreed to work at the front desk for the night. Obviously, old man Clark can’t get up the road. I told Katie to take a nap in the office. I set up a cot for her.”

  “I was thinking we could have a family game night,” I told Mary Beth.

  “That’s a wonderful idea. I’m going to do one more check on the guests and make sure they’re settled in for the night. I’ll meet you back at the house.”

  “No, Mom, we’ll wait for you. I’m not letting you walk up to the house by yourself in this weather,” Brad told her.

  “Okay,” she agreed. “I’ll be right back then, and we’ll all head up.” She spun to walk away but hesitated and asked, “Will you call up at the lodge? I’m worried about Dax and Harley. I know they have a generator, but they should be heading down soon. Tell them to meet us at the house, and we’ll bring them dinner.”

  “Sure,” Brad agreed, reaching for the bar phone. He talked for a minute and hung up. “They’re fine,” he said. “They made sure the guests got back down the hill, alright. We’ll see them at the house.”

  The dining room was empty, leaving Brad and me alone. He reached over and grabbed me by the waist. He kissed me deeply for a long minute.

  “I don’t think we’re going to get any alone time tonight,” he informed me.

  “That’s okay,” I answered.

  “I want to get my kisses in now then,” Brad said as he kissed me again.

  I put my arms around his neck and kissed him back.

  Brad

  We ended up waiting for everyone to show up at the resort’s main building so we could go up to the house together. No one had time to plow the road up to the houses, so Cole took his truck with the plow and rode ahead of us, clearing the way.

  “Dad, can we ride with Uncle Cole?” Bryce asked, his eyes wide in excitement.

  “Yeah, Dad, can we? I want to watch Uncle Cole plow the road.”

  I looked at Cole, eyebrows raised, and he nodded his head yes. “Okay, go ahead,” I told them.

  Cole and the boys piled into the cab of the pickup. Bella jumped into the back, prepared for a rough ride. Angela, Mom, and I got into the jeep, and Harley had his SUV and Dax his pickup. We lined up and followed Cole up the driveway to the house.

  The trip was slow as Cole’s truck pushed through the deep snow. Not being touched in two days, the snow was packed and rigid, and we watched as big chunks were forced to either side of the plow in front of Cole's truck. Bella watched from the bed, teetering every time the truck surged up the hill.

  “I’ve never seen anything like this,” Angela remarked.

  “Welcome to the mountains,” I told her.

  “Yeah, you never know what kind of weather you’ll get up here. I think, over the years, we’ve had snow in almost every month of the year,” Mom told Angela.

  “Wow, that’s crazy,” she answered, looking out the window at the whiteout conditions.

  The wind howled, and we fe
lt the Wrangler shiver with each gust. Finally, we made it up to the main house. Cole swept in toward the house with the plow to give us a place to park. Then, he continued past his own house to Dax’s and Harley’s to make a path for them.

  We parked in front of the main house. I had boxed up some dinner for Dax and Harley, who hadn't eaten yet, along with some snacks for the rest of us. I also brought up a bottle of wine for Angela and Mom, and a case of beer for my brothers and me.

  This is going to be a long night, I thought as I began to unload the jeep.

  Angela carried the wine and a bag of food, and Mom grabbed another bag. I carried in the case of beer. The steps were covered with snow again, and I warned everyone to be careful. I put down the beer on the porch and got the broom to sweep off the snow before the boys and Cole got back.

  Inside, I found some candles and lit them throughout the house. Mom made a fire in the living room while Dax and Harley ate. I heard the screened door bang and knew Cole and the boys had made it back. Mom grimaced at the loud bang, and I smiled.

  “Let’s play a game,” Angela announced once everyone was in the house.

  “Let’s play Apples to Apples,” Reid suggested. “It’s fun with a lot of people.”

  Harley passed out beers, and I poured Angela and Mom a glass of wine. The boys begged for a soda, and luckily, I’d grabbed a couple as a treat for them. Excited, they each grabbed on and popped them open immediately. We set up the game on the dining room table, and each took a chair.

  We played the game into the night, cracking up at each other’s responses. It was a good time. When I noticed the boys yawning, we decided to wrap up the game. The boys headed into the living room and laid on the couches. Bella jumped up and laid at Bryce’s feet.

  The adults had another round of drinks and discussed the game plan for Monday. And somehow, Angela’s ex came up in the conversation.

  “It’s a good thing he didn’t try and come up here,” Dax said matter-of-factly.

  “Yeah,” Harley agreed. “He’d be stupid to come up here.”

  “Thanks, guys, for keeping an eye out for him. It means a lot to me,” Angela murmured, a little uncomfortable talking about it.

  “Of course,” Cole said. “What a crazy bastard.”

  “He is crazy,” Angela agreed.

  “We’re happy to do it,” replied Dax.

  We talked for a while longer, and then my brothers announced they were heading home. They planned to meet us first thing in the morning. Bella jumped from the couch to follow Cole, but both boys had passed out.

  I felt bad moving them, so I covered them each with a blanket and blew out the candle in the living room before putting another log on the fire.

  “I’m heading to bed,” Mom called.

  I looked at Angela. “Do you want one more drink by the fire in the study?”

  “That’d be great,” she replied.

  I blew out the rest of the candles in the dining room and kitchen except one that I carried to the study and placed on the desk. I poured us each one more drink and built a fire in the fireplace between the bookshelves.

  “This room is beautiful,” Angela remarked, running her hand over the deep-brown finish of the hand-carved desk.

  “Yeah, my dad liked to read. He used this room as an office, and we all used it over the years as a library. He collected all of these books,” I said, motioning my hand around the room at the packed bookcases.

  The large desk and armchair were positioned on the right side of the room, facing a brown leather couch along with two matching armchairs that faced a big wooden mantle. The mantle was built of the same kind of dark wood as the desk. There was a huge brown bear rug on the floor in front of the couch before the fireplace. We nestled in on the couch, and I arranged a quilt over our laps.

  We sipped on our drinks by the firelight and watched the snow falling outside of the big picture windows. The ambiance was warm and romantic.

  At one point, I looked at Angela, and her eyes were closed. I took her glass from her hand and placed it and my beer bottle on the end table beside the couch. I leaned back, and Angela nuzzled into me as I put my arm around her and wrapped the quilt around us.

  We both fell fast asleep, cuddling on the couch in front of the fireplace.

  Angela

  I woke up early Monday morning in Brad’s arms. Looking out the window, I saw that it wasn’t dawn yet.

  “Good morning, beautiful,” Brad murmured when he noticed I was awake.

  “Good morning,” I answered, gazing up at him. My heart fluttered when he smiled at me.

  Brad pulled me close to him, and we cuddled for a few more minutes. He reached down and kissed me before getting up. He checked on the twins, who were still fast asleep, so we headed to the kitchen to make coffee.

  “Do you want to watch the sunrise?” Brad asked me. “I know it’s cold out, but we can sit on the front porch.”

  “I’d love to.”

  “I’ll grab a blanket; you grab the coffee.”

  After sliding into our boots and coats, he hefted a comforter and I carted the cups of coffee onto the porch and sat on the porch swing. The snow had slowed to only flurries. The road was covered again, though, from the whiteout conditions of the night before. The sun rose over the mountains and was the most beautiful sight I’d ever seen. I glanced at Brad, who was looking at me, so I leaned over and kissed him.

  His lips were warm and sweet from the coffee. I pushed my lips against his. He put his hand behind my neck and slid his fingers through my hair.

  “I’ve hoped you’d be here to watch the sunrise with me,” he confessed.

  I smiled and felt warm inside, even though it was freezing out.

  We drank our coffee until the sun rose higher in the sky. A few minutes later, we heard a scraping sound down the road, and a moment later, Cole and his plow came barreling down the driveway, clearing a path.

  Cole stopped to talk with Brad for a minute while Bella watched from the truck window. While they were talking, Harley and then Dax showed up as well. The brothers decided they would clear the road to the ski lodge, and if it was still bad, run a shuttle to take guests up.

  I wandered inside to see if the boys were up and to put our cups in the sink. They stirred when I entered the living room. The electricity had come back on, but I wasn’t sure about the internet. We didn’t necessarily need the internet to have school, but I entered attendance through the web.

  The boys were quick to inform me the internet was down once they were up and moving, and upon watching the news on TV, we learned that all the schools in the area were closed today for a snow day.

  “That means we’re closed, too, right?” Bryce asked me, hoping I’d say yes.

  “I guess that’s what it means,” I confirmed.

  “Yay!” Reid cheered. “Now we can do the snowman group today! Right after lunch.”

  “Okay, that sounds like a plan,” I agreed with him.

  “Boys, go next door and get cleaned up. Dress warm,” Brad ordered them. “Then we’ll have a quick breakfast before we go down to the resort.”

  “Okay, Dad.” They turned and left together, discussing plans for their snowman.

  “I’ll grab something to eat after I get the roads cleared,” Cole said. “I want to get to the cabin roads so those people can get out when they get up.”

  “Okay,” Brad agreed. “I’ll come help you as soon as I get the boys something to eat.”

  “Sounds good. See you down there.”

  Mary Beth was in the kitchen without any of us noticing her and started to make eggs, bacon, and toast. When the boys got back, we ate a quick breakfast, and Mary Beth and I talked about doing the snowman building sign up. She would let all the guests with kids know, as well as those who weren’t planning on spending the day skiing.

  “I’m so excited,” I admitted with a laugh. “It’s been years since I’ve built a snowman. Sounds like lots of fun.”

  “Yeah,
it is. Makes you feel like a kid again,” Mary Beth chuckled.

  After breakfast, Brad drove me, Mary Beth, and the boys to the resort. Then he went off to find Cole. Mary Beth, the boys, and I hurried into the resort out of the cold. The boys wanted to hang out in the common room and watch some TV since we wouldn’t let them go outside. Mary Beth appointed me to help with prep in the kitchen.

  “While you work on that, I’ll get the signup sheet going,” she told me. “I’ll go around letting everyone know. I like to check on the guests around ten o’clock unless they have a ‘do not disturb’ sign on their door.”

  As I was chopping, the two cooks came into the kitchen, waving pleasantly at me. I enjoyed working with them, and we did so in comfortable silence. The waitresses came in about an hour later and started making side salads and mixing the homemade dressings. Everyone who worked at the resort was friendly, and I easily fit in with them, joining the quiet conversation when there was some.

  Mary Beth returned just as I was finishing and told me she had about twelve guests signed up, plus us and the twins.

  “What fun,” I exclaimed, smiling at her.

  Mary Beth had me do several other small tasks around the kitchen, and lunch came quickly. We took a break to eat from the buffet the cooks had just put out. The boys joined us and were excited about the snowman building. That was all they talked about while eating their lunches.

  As soon as we finished eating and the guests who were participating in the event gathered in the common room, we dressed in coats, gloves, scarves, and boots.

  “Everyone ready?” Mary Beth called out to the group, waving her arm for them to head to the door.

  The crowd murmured excitedly and followed her lead. The boys and I grinned; we were equally excited.

  “I had Brad and Cole clear the path to the meadow,” Mary Beth told me as we led the troops. “Thought that would be the best place to build the snowmen. Lots of untouched, fresh snow.”