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

by Crowne, K. C.

  Then she sifted through the papers again. “These are for the chef. Just some ideas for him from the Stones. Oakley reminded them they’d already approved the main menu and it couldn’t be changed so late. But maybe the chef can add these items.”

  “I’ll take those too,” Brad said, accepting the papers. “What else?” he asked, glancing at the rest of her stack.

  “Dax, these are the plans for outside. Congresswoman Stone wants the entire place decorated. Do you have white lights? Like for Christmas or something?” Hailey inquired.

  “I think we do. That’s really Cole’s department. But I’ll go get him and we can get started on it,” I promised her. I looked at Brad. “If we don’t have enough white lights I can run to town and grab some.”

  Brad furrowed his brow. This was catching him off guard, which he didn’t like. He was a planner by nature. “Okay. Just do whatever you need to, Dax. Go see Cole. Let me know.”

  “Sorry, Brad,” Hailey apologized. “If they’d told us in advance, we would have ordered the lights.”

  “It’s not your fault. I just hate not being prepared and last-minute changes. We might have the lights in storage. Is there anything else we need to get?”

  “They want signs made up telling the guests where to go. Like fancy ones that match the name tags with arrows pointing here and there.” Hailey looked at me. So did Brad.

  “I can do that, too. If I have to go to Walmart, I can go later,” I said.

  “What’s Harley doing?” Brad asked Hailey.

  “He was in the meeting for a while to go over the activity schedule. The Stones seemed okay with it. Then he disappeared, so I’m not sure where he is now. I did see a few people on the lifts on my way down here.”

  “And Oakley is still with them?” I asked Hailey.

  “Yeah, I think they’re coming down here for lunch if you want to wait for her. She sent me down here with the lists so you guys can get started.”

  “No, I’ll go find Cole. No time to waste. I’ll catch up with her later. Thanks, Hailey,” I said and told Brad I’d be in touch.

  “Hey, Dax,” Brad called after me. “If someone needs to go into town, have Harley do it. We have extra help coming in after lunch so someone else can watch the lifts. I told him not to schedule any lessons today or tomorrow in case the Stones need him.”

  “Got it,” I called back. I headed to my truck and dialed Cole’s cell phone.

  “Hey,” he answered.

  “I need you,” I told him.

  He chuckled. “The Stones?”

  “Yep. Let’s meet at the maintenance garage and I’ll fill you in there,” I suggested.

  “Okay.”

  We met in the garage several minutes later, and I told him what was going on.

  “I do think we have a bunch of white lights,” Cole mused, thinking aloud. “We will need to check them, though. We bought them for that winter wonderland thing we set up that one year when all those school kids came for a winter trip.”

  “Oh, yeah. That was like seven years ago,” I chuckled, then grimaced. “Think the lights will still work?”

  “They might. I stored them carefully,” he replied, leading me to the back of the garage where he kept all the Christmas decorations. We dug through bin after bin before we found the correct ones.

  “Help me check these. We’re already behind schedule,” Cole said. “I got these extra bulbs in the drawer over there if we need to change them.”

  “Great,” I sighed. “This is going to take all day.”

  “I know. But do you have a better suggestion?” he asked me.

  I didn’t. So we checked string of lights after string of lights. And we replaced about a thousand bulbs. When the task was finally over, I realized I’d forgotten to call Brad. And, I left those papers with the decorating details on the bar. Shit.

  We jumped into Cole’s truck and we drove over to the resort. Neither of us had eaten since breakfast and it was well past lunch. I needed to pick up the plans for the outdoor decorations and to tell Brad what was going on. The Stones’ car and Cooper’s truck were parked in the lot as well. They must’ve all still been inside.

  I was happy at the thought of seeing Oakley, even if it was just for a second. Cole and I went inside and peeked into the dining room. They were all there, sitting at a round table eating and talking. Brad was with them.

  I slowly walked into the room and toward their table so I didn’t disturb them. Oakley caught my eye and I gasped when I saw her. She was wearing a bright purple blouse with ruffles and a tight black pencil skirt. Her copper hair was up in a silky bun with curls bounding out of the sides. Diamond teardrop earrings glittered against her creamy skin, as did the necklace she was wearing around her neck.

  Stunning. Absolutely stunning. And I was in wearing dirty jeans and a brown flannel. I gave her a small smile and her face lit up when she saw me. My heart melted at the sight of her beautiful smile.

  I composed myself and nodded to Brad, who stood up to greet me. “Congresswoman Stone, Peter, this is my brother, Dax. He’s been working with Miss Padin and Miss Voortman to get everything set up,” Brad informed the Stones.

  “Oh, it’s so nice to meet another Hunter brother,” Congresswoman Stone replied. Her husband nodded in agreement. Mrs. Stone was obviously the one in charge here.

  “We found the white lights,” I informed Brad. “Sorry I got busy and forgot to call you.”

  “It’s okay. So, you and Cole can take care of that? And then you’ll do the signs tonight?” Brad asked me.

  “Yep,” I answered him. All I wanted to do was to stare at Oakley. “Cole and I are going to grab a quick snack and then we’ll be heading out.”

  I gave Oakley one last smile and nod and headed to the bar to retrieve my papers. Then I went to the pantry door to find Cole.

  “Dax,” a small voice called from behind me. Oakley.

  I stopped in my tracks and whirled around and pulled her into the pantry so we’d be out of view. I wanted to kiss her so badly. Before I could say anything, she flung her arms around my neck and pushed her lips onto mine. I was shocked for only a second before I pulled her to me and kissed her back.

  She smelled wonderful, and her body was warm against mine. But I remembered how dirty I was and how pretty she looked today so I carefully extracted myself from her.

  “I’m dirty,” I told her when she gave me a puzzled look.

  “I don’t care. Kiss me, Dax. We only have a minute,” she said seductively.

  I pulled her back to me and moved my hands to her small, tight ass. Her groin pushed against my cock, and I felt it ripen with life. It was ridiculous how much I wanted this woman.

  “You look beautiful today,” I whispered in her ear.

  “Thank you,” she whispered. She laid her head on my shoulder, and we embraced for a long moment. “I need to get back,” she said unhappily.

  “How’s it going in there?” I asked her.

  “Okay,” she said with a shrug. “They’re a tough sell. It’ll be alright, though,” Oakley replied, smiling at me. Her gorgeous blue eyes shined as she looked into mine. “At least you get to work outside.”

  “Yeah,” I agreed. Though most of my work was done indoors, I typically preferred to be outside.

  “I’m sure we’ll be out to check on your progress,” she joked. “The Stones have already mentioned it.”

  “I look forward to it,” I told her. “Any chance to see you is fine with me.”

  Oakley grinned. Her red lips parted slightly, and I bent to kiss her again.

  “Okay, get going before I can’t stop myself,” I said, stepping away.

  She looked back at me once before disappearing out the door. I took a deep breath and tried to calm my racing heart. That woman was driving me to distraction. I was thrilled at her change in attitude over the past twenty-four hours.

  I just hoped it lasted.

  * * *

  The rest of the day went according to
plan. We got the lights up to the Stones’ satisfaction. I made and printed the matching signs that evening. I asked Oakley if she wanted to come with me to hang them up.

  “It would be nice to have the company, if you’re not too tired,” I told her. “I know you had a long day.”

  “No, I’d like to help you. Come pick me up.”

  I threw the signs in my truck along with the staple gun and drove down to pick her up. We drove from spot to spot to hang up the signs. Oakley’s stress seemed to have lightened, considering all the changes we were having to make. We were having a great time and I was getting to know her better.

  The twinkling white lights against the deep black of the mountain sky was breathtaking. As we drove through the resort, it looked as if thousands of tiny fireflies were lighting our way. It was romantic as hell.

  The bride and groom were due the next day as well as many of the guests. Others would come early Saturday before the ceremony began. And they would arrive to a scene from a fairy tale.

  “It’s so beautiful,” Oakley observed. “Let’s take a walk.”

  I parked my truck at the resort, and we walked around for a bit. I reached over and took her hand. That was a first for me; I wasn’t much of a hand holder. With Oakley, I loved every second of it. We stopped under one of the trees strung with white lights and Oakley stopped to admire it.

  “You guys did such a great job. I haven't thanked you for all the hard work you’ve done. So thank you. I couldn’t have pulled all of this off without you,” Oakley said sincerely.

  I grinned at her. “How could anyone say no to you?” I joked. “But really, you’re welcome. It’s a pleasure to work with you, Oakley Padin.”

  She grinned. “The pleasure is all mine, Dax Hunter.”

  I pulled her to me and hugged her. Her small, curvy body fit perfectly with my own burly frame. I wrapped my arms around her and enjoyed her closeness and the smell of her perfume.

  After a while, I asked what she wanted to do.

  “It’s getting late. We’ve got another long day tomorrow. Not like I need to remind you, though,” I chuckled.

  “I know it’s late. I wish we had more time to spend together. This wedding is so time-consuming,” she griped.

  “Well, just think. If it wasn’t for this wedding, we wouldn’t have met.”

  “That’s true,” she said. Then she paused like she wanted to say something else, but she didn’t.

  I had a feeling I knew what she was thinking. I didn’t want to bring it up either. It had crept into my mind once or twice, however. We both understood that when the wedding was over, Oakley had to go home. In fact, she was scheduled to check out on Monday morning. I sighed.

  There would be time to discuss that later. I didn’t want to ruin the magic of the moment we were sharing. I caught her watching me. Her blue eyes shined in the white lights. I felt nothing but admiration and affection for her.

  “Come on,” I said. “Let’s get you home.”

  We slowly walked back to my truck and I helped her inside. I drove her to her cabin and told her to call me when she was up in the morning. Tomorrow we would do final arrangements and set up the dining room.

  “Thanks for helping me with the signs. I had a good time,” I told her on the cabin porch. I leaned in to kiss her goodnight.

  “Why don’t you stay here with me?” she asked suddenly. “We can chill on the couch; watch a movie. I don’t think I’ll fall asleep yet anyway.”

  “What about Hailey?” I asked. “She won’t mind?”

  “She went to bed an hour before I came out. The Stones exhausted her,” Oakley informed me, chuckling. “We’ll be good,” she added. “We can just cuddle and watch a movie.”

  I would never say no to spending time with this lady. “Alright,” I agreed, and we went inside.

  And as she’d said, we popped in a silly movie and cuddled on the couch. At some point, we both passed out. I’d never slept better in my life than I had the last two nights with Oakley in my arms.

  Oakley

  The morning of the wedding, the horse and buggy rental company showed up bright and early as promised. Three buggies and six horses, each with a driver all decked out in a tux, were hired for the wedding. Dax and I decided to decorate the buggies before getting dressed ourselves so we wouldn’t get our formal attire messed up or dirty.

  After decorating the buggies, we had the drivers park at the main resort building. They would be escorting guests up and down the mountainside throughout the day. They would also bring the wedding party and bride up to the lodge.

  After the decorated buggies were to my liking, we took one last tour of the lodge, dining room, and all other areas that were of concern. Everything looked perfect. I was extremely pleased that everything was turning out so well. At a dinner party for the bride and groom the night before, Congresswoman Stone had told me she was pleased and that I was doing a great job.

  A compliment coming from her meant everything to me, and I felt as if I was on top of the world. Plus, I had a handsome man by my side, which made it even better.

  “We’d better go and get dressed before the media shows up,” I told Dax.

  “Yeah, you’re right. I expect them to start trickling in any minute. I’ll get them all in position. The broadcasters want every angle of the wedding covered. I think the reality people might be coming as well,” Dax told me.

  “Geez,” I said, shaking my head. “Imagine your entire life being documented on television.”

  “I know. It’s crazy. No privacy whatsoever.”

  “Yeah,” I agreed.

  “Do you want me to pick you up?” Dax asked me. “Where do you need to be first?”

  “I guess at the lodge to get everyone seated and get the show started,” I said after a moment of thought. “Hailey will be at the lodge making sure everyone knows to ride up in the buggies. And to help the bride and bridal party.”

  “Okay, I’ll pick you and Hailey up in about an hour.”

  * * *

  Hailey and I got ready quickly, helping each other into our dresses and with each other’s hair.

  “Did you notice how good looking the Congresswoman’s other son is?” Hailey asked me.

  “Of course!” I told her. “Cooper? He’s a total babe! And I also noticed him checking you out the entire time at lunch the first day, and he was giving you googly eyes at the dinner party yesterday,” I told her, grinning.

  “I know!” she squealed excitedly. “He gave me his phone number last night, too,” Hailey admitted. “And he asked me to hang out with him last night.”

  “Wait. You went out last night?”

  I’d thought Hailey had disappeared sometime during the night because I heard the door open and close early in the morning. I’d come in late from Dax’s and the bedroom light was off, so I was extra quiet so I wouldn’t wake her. But she hadn’t been in her bed.

  “Yeah, he asked me to come over his place for a drink and movie. I thought about leaving you a note, but I knew you were with Dax,” she shrugged. “I just figured you would stay over at his place.”

  “I was at Dax’s, but I decided to come home last night,” I told her. “He had a social media post to write about the pre-wedding dinner and stuff, so I wanted to give him some time to do it. He didn’t want me to leave and told me to stay, that he’d write it quickly, but I’ve been taking up a lot of his time lately and he hasn’t been able to do his real job at the resort.”

  “We have been holding him hostage,” she said with a laugh.

  “So, do you like him?” I inquired, returning to the subject.

  “Yeah, he’s a really sweet guy. We had an instant attraction. It was crazy, really,” she mused, a big grin on her face. “You know it’s not like me to just hook up with someone I just met. But I couldn't stop myself!” she exclaimed.

  “Look what happened when I tried to stop myself from being with Dax,” I reminded her. “Disastrous!”

  We shared a la
ugh, and she said, “I know, you’re right. It’s just so odd. Us both meeting a handsome man while we’re on a job. Nothing like this has ever happened to us in all the years we’ve been planning weddings, you know?” Hailey pointed out.

  I nodded. “Are you going to see him again?”

  “I hope so. I told him I had to work the wedding most of the day today, but he asked if I would sit with him for dinner. So, let’s see how it all plays out,” Hailey answered.

  “That’s great,” I told her. “I hope to spend some time with Dax at dinner too. By then, we should be mostly off the clock.” I smiled at her. “I’ve noticed the Stones are big drinkers. I’m sure they’ll be nice and toasty by then. So, let’s make them proud all day so we can have some fun tonight.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” she agreed.

  * * *

  Dax picked Hailey and me up right on time. When he got out of the truck, I gasped. He was wearing a black tux with a shiny purple tie. The purple matched the wedding décor and my dress. He looked absolutely amazing in a tux. His long, sandy blonde hair hung down his back in silky waves. His beard, mustache, and sideburns were all perfectly manicured, and I wanted to rip his clothes off.

  “Oakley, you look stunning,” he said as he came to me and lightly kissed my lips.

  I was decked out in a purple formal dress similar to the bridesmaid’s dresses. I usually tried to blend in with the wedding party so I didn’t call attention to myself. The day wasn’t about me. I wore my hair mostly up in a bun but let several long strands hang down.

  “Thanks, Dax,” I answered, blushing. “I love your tux. You look like royalty. Sexy, handsome royalty,” I added, my blush deepening.

  “Thanks,” he said blushing himself. “Ready to get this over with?”

  “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

  The wedding went off without a hitch. The media showed up for the ceremony, and Dax had them all squared away. There were several at the actual ceremony, some filming along the roads as the horses and buggies traveled up and down the mountainside, and some set up inside the dining room.