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

by Crowne, K. C.

  “Yeah. Just do as I said,” he replied knowingly, glancing up at the monitor that showed the interior of the hardware store. The doorbell announced a customer walking through the front door. “If you need help, call me, and I’ll try and talk you through it. Or I can come up there tonight, if needed.”

  “Thanks for the offer. I’ll probably be giving you a call later,” I said, smiling.

  “No problem, dude. No problem,” he said, chuckling, heading back into the hardware store to greet his customer.

  I waited for him to take care of the man who’d come into the shop, and after a few more minutes of chitchat, I said my farewell. “We should get together sometime for a beer,” I told him. “It’s been a while.”

  “Yes, it has,” Alec agreed. “Been so busy around here lately. I know you guys are busy, too, with all the snow.”

  “Yeah, we have been pretty busy. You should come up sometime for an afternoon. We can take the snowmobiles out or something,” I offered.

  “That’s just what I need,” Alec said, nodding his head. “A nice afternoon getaway. If I don’t hear from you about this motor, I’ll give you a call maybe next week one day?”

  “Sounds good, man. Looking forward to it.” Alec and I had been friends since high school. It was always a good time hanging out with him. And he was someone who I could talk to. Someone who was on the same page as I was about most things.

  I paid for the motor with the resort’s credit account and told Alec I’d talk with him soon. Bella was patiently waiting for me in the truck, her head out the window watching the passersby. I thought about stopping for some lunch at the local diner before heading home. I had some time to kill before I could work on the ski lift at 2:30.

  I drove to the diner and blasted the heat for Bella, warming up the cab, telling her I would hurry. “I’ll bring you something to eat,” I promised. She licked her chops in anticipation as if she understood.

  I went inside and ordered a hot roast beef sandwich with French fries, all covered in gravy. I ordered Bella a plain roast beef to go and asked the waitress to cut it up for me.

  “For Bella?” she asked, her eyes twinkling.

  “You know it,” I answered. She walked away, smiling. Living here all of my life, the locals know me pretty well.

  I glanced up at the TV, which was broadcasting the midday news. There was a report of a missing man who lived near Silverthorne. The newsperson was asking to call in if you had any information on the missing person. They suspected foul play as his house was broken in to and appeared to be ransacked.

  “What a shame,” frowned the waitress as she placed a takeout container in front of me. “Been on the news all morning. Ya don’t hear of things happening like that in these parts. What are times coming to?” she asked, shaking her head in dismay as she listened to the reporter describe the missing man.

  “The outside world is catching up with us, it seems,” I commented, handing her a twenty and a five. “Keep it.”

  “Thanks, Cole. You stop back in soon, ya hear me? Don’t be a stranger like the rest of your family.” She held up a finger as if to stop me. “How are the twins doing? And the little girl? What’s her name?”

  “Abby,” I said with a grin. “Everyone’s doing fine. Thanks for asking.”

  “Good to hear. Tell Angela I said hello and to stop down sometime and bring the little one with her,” she replied as she headed back behind the counter.

  “Will do. Will do.”

  Back outside, I opened the white takeout container and let Bella go at it. She gulped it down in several bites and looked up for more.

  “You don’t think that’s enough?” I asked, rubbing behind her pitched ears. She wagged her tail in reply. “Guess not,” I said, smiling.

  Looking at my watch, I was relieved to see that it was almost two o’clock. It was time to get back to work on the lift.

  * * *

  I pulled into the ski lift lot half expecting to see the widow Sandra there. Thank goodness she wasn’t. Sighing a breath of relief, Bella and I got out of the truck. I retrieved the heavy box from the back of my truck and lugged it over to the control box. Letting it drop, I looked around for Harley or Mark.

  The lifts weren’t running, and I hoped there hadn’t been any incidents while I was gone. Harley’s SUV was still in the lot, so I figured he was inside the lodge. I headed in to let him know I had arrived.

  “Any incidents to report?” I asked him when I saw him sitting at the bar, talking with Michelle, the new bartender and equipment assistant at the lodge.

  “Nah, we just finished about twenty minutes ago. The lift was running so slow,” he said. “I was just waiting for it to stop entirely at any minute.”

  “I got the motor and parts I need. Going to work on it now.”

  “Need any help?” Harley offered.

  “No, I should be fine. It’s a tight space. I’ll call you if I need you.”

  “Okay. Good luck,” he said, turning back to his conversation with Michelle.

  When I walked back outside, big snowflakes were falling, the kind that sticks. What is this? They weren’t calling for any snow today last time I checked the weather. That didn’t really mean anything in the mountains. Shit, I’d better get a move on. If we get snow, we get skiers, and my workload would double.

  I returned to my truck and grabbed my tool belt. Wrapping it around my waist, I went back to the control box and began working on pulling out the rundown motor. As I was working, the snow fell faster.

  “How’s it going?”

  I jumped and hit my head on the top of the metal control box. “Harley! Damn you! Why did you sneak up on me like that?” I yelled at him.

  “How could you not have heard me?” he asked, laughing. “I crunched through all of this ice,” he replied, motioning at the ground and his approaching footprints.

  I was shocked to see at least two inches of icy snow packed on the ground. Shit! I thought again. While my head was in the metal box, the snow was falling fast. I rubbed my head just as I Bella perked up and looked toward the woods beyond the lot and lodge building. She let out a low growl.

  “Bella,” I called, glancing at her. That wasn’t like her at all. I figured it was a guest, but when I looked, there was nobody there.

  “What’s gotten into her?” Harley asked, just as surprised as I was. He, too, was scanning the empty lot and tree line beyond it.

  “Don’t know,” I responded. “Maybe someone on the lodge trail?”

  Beyond the lot, other than the trail I’d salted yesterday, there was nothing but forest for miles.

  “I didn’t see anyone else up here. When I closed the lifts, everyone left for the day. I told Michelle to close up early too. No point keeping the lodge open with a broken-down lift,” he said.

  “Yeah,” I agreed, turning back to the motor. I was almost done. On top of the dense, falling snow, it was going to get dark soon.

  Bella began to bark, and I heard Harley tell her to stop. She obeyed but kept whining as if something was bothering her. I had no clue what it was, and truthfully, I didn’t have the time to worry about it.

  Michelle came out of the lodge and called out a goodbye. I waved from my position inside the control box, and Harley went over to speak with her in her car. Bella was still whimpering at the trees. I looked again but saw nothing.

  All I wanted to do was to get the motor installed and running. There would be tons of complaints if the lift weren’t running tomorrow morning, not to mention a broken lift would put a dent in the bottom line. I finally thought that I had it and pulled myself out from the box.

  Harley was standing behind me again. “Is it fixed?”

  “I hope so,” I replied, pushing the green button and pulling on the lever. To my surprise, the ski lift lurched into action.

  “Yes!” Harley exclaimed and raised his hand for a high-five. “You’ve done it again, my brother. Saved the day.”

  “I don’t know about all of that,
but thank goodness this is fixed,” I replied, smacking his hand. “And, I learned how to change out a motor today,” I added, pleased with myself.

  The sun was going down behind the tree line, and the snow was falling fast. I was relieved to be done with this task. I put the outer grate back on the control box and pushed it into place.

  Good to go. I said my farewells to Harley and called for Bella. She was still gazing at the tree line. I took another gander, but still couldn’t see a thing. Probably an animal, I thought.

  “Let’s go, Bella,” I called to her again. “I need to get out of these wet clothes.”

  The wind was picking up, and my damp clothes were giving me the chills. I wanted a beer, a hot shower, and a hot dinner. In exactly that order.

  Bella reluctantly turned from her scrutiny of the tree line and walked toward the truck. When I opened the door for her, she turned again to look at the forest. She let out a soft whine and turned to look at me.

  “What?” I asked her. “What’s out there? I don’t see a thing. Get in please,” I urged her, trying not to be annoyed at my loyal companion.

  She jumped into the passenger seat, and I threw my tool belt into the back seat. I went around and climbed into the driver’s side. As I was pulling out of the lot, I turned to look one more time at the trees. At first glance, I thought I saw a slight movement. Looking closer, I realized it was probably just the wind blowing through the trees.

  I drove out of the lot and headed home.

  Cole

  I spent the day clearing and salting the roads and walkways. Thankfully, Brad helped me because my regular help was out with a broken foot. And the other guy who occasionally worked for me couldn’t make it up the mountain road this morning. We got more snow than was called for.

  With the mountain road closed for the day, no more guests could show up. We had six cabins filled and about ten rooms, and thankfully, they were all planning on staying for the entire weekend. With the slopes open, nobody complained about being stuck up here for a day or so. And, I was extremely thankful I’d replaced that motor when I had.

  Brad called the township and asked when they were planning on clearing the mountain road. It was good to know, just in case. They told him tomorrow morning or afternoon at the latest, which was Friday. That was perfect because we had guests coming in for the weekend. And, with all of this snow, we planned on being packed.

  When we got snowed in like this, the entire family had to pitch in to help out. Most of the staff lived in town, so they couldn’t make it up the road to get here for their shifts. This mostly impacted the kitchen and restaurant and the housekeeping and laundry.

  Years ago, we offered Michael, our Head Chef, room and board here as part of his salary. He’d been renting a small efficiency on Main Street, so he was happy to take us up on the offer. We built an extra one-room cabin for him that was near the other cabins off the ski lodge road. To give him some privacy, we put it back into the trees and gave him a private driveway to park his truck.

  Brad was relieved to have Michael there full time. He’d been with us since Dad was alive, and he’d really made The River Room what it was today. Reservations for dinner, lunch gatherings, parties, and weddings filled up nearly every day. Guests loved his food. In fact, The River Room had won the local “Chef’s Choice Award,” and the resort won the local “Art of Hospitality Award” three years in a row now.

  Our mother, Mary Beth, helped in the kitchen, so we were good there. Angela, Brad’s wife, would bartend in the lounge and help serve food over dinner. Old man Clark, who was our overnight desk attendant, had offered to work the desk for the day. Dax took over the desk in the morning, giving Clark a break to nap on the cot in the small office behind the front desk.

  Harley would be up at the lodge. He would have to run between the lifts and the bar until Dax got up there after his shift at the front desk. That just left housekeeping, Brad’s least favorite task. But with the entire kitchen staff out, Michael needed Mom. And Brad was guest relations, after all. After he finished with the walkways, he told me he was going to check on guests and see if they needed anything.

  That left me to finish the roads myself. I stopped at the maintenance garage and filled up my salter one more time. I made one extra run over all the roads and parking areas of the resort. That should keep them good for a while. I was guessing I’d have to come out again this evening with the plow and salter.

  As I passed the cabins down by the river, I checked on the guests. Three cabins out of the five were rented. Only one couple was at home, and they told me they were okay. The other two cabin occupants must have been out fishing still. I told them to call my cell phone if they needed anything and left two post-it notes on the other doors with my cell number.

  With everything done for the moment, I figured I’d go up to my cabin and let Bella out. With the snow falling and wind blowing, I didn’t want her out with me today.

  I remembered that my mom had said she was heating up a lot of soup today for lunch and dinner and making beef stew and broccoli and cheese homemade bread bowls. My mouth watered at the thought, and I couldn’t resist stopping in to pick one up.

  “Hey, Mom,” I greeted my mother in the kitchen. “How’s it going in here?”

  “It’s going okay, considering it’s just Michael and me,” she replied, leaning over for a peck on the cheek. “Oh, my, you’re freezing!” she exclaimed.

  “It’s cold out there,” I agreed.

  “I’m guessing you want to try one of my famous homemade bread bowls? What kind? I’ve got beef stew, broccoli cheese, or clam chowder.”

  “I’ll take beef stew, thanks, Mom,” I answered.

  “Sure, dear. Here you go. Ready to go.” She handed me a white plastic bag. “I packed some extra beef cubes for Bella. Mix them in with her dog food.”

  “How did you know?” I asked grinning.

  “I know that my ‘husky hefty hunks’ would never pass up my homemade soup bread bowls. I packed a bag for each of you boys,” Mom informed me, her lips forming a small grin.

  I just smiled as I accepted the bag. As I was getting ready to head out, Brad walked in, and Mom reached over to the counter to hand Brad several large bags full of take out.

  “A feast for five,” she informed him.

  Brad’s grin matched mine. Surprised, but not really. “Just what I was looking for.” He kissed Mom on the cheek. “I’m going to give Angela a break at the bar to eat, then take the rest up to the twins and Abby. Time to check in on them anyway,” he said as he headed out the double swinging doors leading to the restaurant’s dining room.

  I thanked Mom again and was leaving out the side door when she called me back. She had a broccoli and cheese bread bowl with a glass of milk laid out on a serving tray.

  “Will you take this to Clark on the way out, please,” she asked me.

  “Sure thing, Mom.” I took the tray from her with one hand and pushed open the swinging door with my foot. “See you later, Mom. Call me if you need anything.”

  “Will do, honey. Have a good night if I don’t see you later.”

  “You, too. Love you,” I replied and went to deliver Clark’s dinner tray.

  “Ooh, my!” Clark exclaimed, wide-eyed as he accepted the tray. “Looks yums. I got to go and thank Ms. Hunter,” he said, licking his lips.

  “Eat first,” I told him, smiling. “You’ve had a long day.”

  “Long but good.”

  “Glad to hear,” I responded. “Have a good night.”

  “You do the same.” Clark waved as I walked out the front door.

  * * *

  Back at my cabin, Bella and I had a good dinner. I sucked down a cold one and decided to go and do some work in my work shed for a while. Christmas was approaching fast, and I was only about half done with the rocking horse for Abby.

  We headed outside, and I shoveled a walkway to the work shed. Inside, I barred the door and lit a fire inside the wood-burning stove. The
small building warmed up quickly. I put on the radio in hopes to catch the local news and weather. The newscaster was reporting on the missing man again.

  “Harvey Stewart from the Silverthorne, Colorado, area is still missing. He’s about 5’ 8” and 175 pounds. His hair is brown and greying. He was last seen the day before yesterday. He was wearing red flannel and dark pants when his neighbor last saw him. Since the break-in happened at about one a.m., it is thought that he might have been wearing pajamas or clothes to sleep in. If you have any information on Mr. Stewart’s whereabouts, call 911 or the anonymous hotline listed on the screen. His family is worried sick about him.”

  Geez, I thought. I couldn’t believe they hadn’t found him yet. Everyone knew everyone in these small towns around here. It was hard to believe nobody knew anything.

  As I was sanding the head of the rocking horse and listening to the local weather, Bella began barking loudly.

  “What is it, girl?” I asked her.

  She looked at me and whined. “Is something out there?” Bella continued to bark.

  Figuring it was probably one of my brothers who’d pulled up to my house, I opened the woodshed door to check. Bella bolted out of the door.

  “Bellaaa!” I yelled after her when she kept on running behind the shed. “What is she doing?” I asked myself, a bit annoyed that I had to chase her in the snow. I was only dressed in my heavy flannel and blue jeans, not expecting that I’d have to trudge through the snow after my dog. Good thing I still had my boots on from work today.

  “Bella!” I called again when I turned the corner and headed behind the work shed. I couldn’t see where she went but saw her footprints in the snow. “Bellaaa!” I called one more time. When she didn’t respond, I started to get worried. This wasn’t like her at all.

  I could only see a few feet in front of me with all the snow. I followed Bella’s tracks into the tree line behind the cabin. At first, I couldn’t see her, and I lost track of her prints.

  “Bella?” I heard whining. I walked into the trees for about twenty feet before I finally saw her. “Bella, what are you doing?” I asked her, totally annoyed that I had to chase her into the forests.