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

by Crowne, K. C.

  I decided to call Oakley and cry to her about it. She was the only one who really knew about my past. I had only danced to make enough money to get on my feet.

  “It’s so not fair,” I cried to Oakley. “Part of me wishes that you were back home. But I’m happy that you and Dax are happy,” I told Oakley.

  “Hailey, you know that everything works out like it’s supposed to. If Cooper doesn’t come to his senses and see what a wonderful woman you are then it’s his loss. Maybe, he’s not the right man for you. Especially with his bitch of a mother. She might actually be the devil,” Oakley told me.

  Maybe she was right, but I still missed Cooper a lot. I went into his office and looked at that horrid picture again. I couldn’t believe that his mother would do that to me.

  I sat down in his chair and cried until I had no more tears left.

  Cooper

  My phone rang for the hundredth time but this time it was a different number. It looked to be from Hunter’s Resort. Maybe Oakley had a turn for the worse? I had better answer.

  It turned out to be Oakley calling. It was nice to hear her voice. But right away, I had found out that she had talked to Hailey and knew what had happened between us.

  “Did Hailey ask you to call me?” I asked her, kind of annoyed.

  “No. She didn’t. I wanted to call you because you won’t call her back and let her explain. So, can I explain it to you?” she asked me.

  I sighed. What was there to explain?

  “Okay, go ahead. You can try,” I told her.

  “Cooper, Hailey doesn’t talk about her past because it’s not a pleasant subject. Her parents were abusive drug addicts who never gave one single shit about her. She had to leave their house right after high school. She barely made it through high school because of them.”

  I sighed again. I’d already heard all of this.

  But Oakley continued. “Hailey worked as an exotic dancer. She did it to make enough money to get off of the streets. When she got on her feet, she quit. I know the picture looked bad, but she wasn’t a prostitute or anything even close to that. In fact, she was a virgin until she was twenty-six and had been with the same guy for three years. That was only a couple of years ago, you know,” Oakley informed me.

  “What? She was a virgin until she was twenty-six?”

  “Yeah, Cooper. And in a serious relationship at the time, even though that guy turned out to be a real asshole too. And really, she hated the dancing. She emailed me a copy of that picture. It looks really bad, but she worked for a big company, actually. She would have been booked for a party and bouncers would have been there with her. And she never got totally naked. That was probably a bachelor party you’re looking at. Nothing that bad, really. Sometimes, you have to do what you have to do to get by,” Oakley was saying. “But I guess someone like you who was born with a silver spoon in your mouth wouldn’t know anything about that, would you? You can have whatever thoughts you think you’re entitled to Cooper, but don’t you dare, for one damn second, look down on my best friend. If you do, you don’t deserve her.”

  After we hung up I started to feel bad. Maybe, I should have let Hailey explain her situation to me. I guess Oakley was right. Not everyone was born into money like I was. And sometimes you had to do what you had to do.

  And the more I thought about it, if I didn’t give Hailey a chance, I was no better than my mom who put people like Hailey in the “Help” category.

  I decided to go back over to Hailey’s and talk with her.

  Hailey

  With Cooper gone now for almost a week, I had to move on with my life. I couldn’t bring myself to pack up his stuff just yet, so I put it all into the spare room that he had been using and closed the door.

  At least I wouldn’t have to look at it. I got onto my computer and went through my emails. I had several old clients who I got in touch with to see if they needed any website or programming upgrades for their businesses.

  One got back in touch. It was a local client and they wanted to meet up with me today. I got dressed up the best I could, even though I felt like shit, and went to my meeting.

  I must have had the perfect timing because the company was looking for a part-time website manager and programmer. They really had liked the past work that I had done for them and they hired me right away.

  I would be working from home and would have to go into the office for occasional meetings. It was perfect.

  I was happy with myself for getting myself out of my rut, yet once again. Maybe Oakley was right. If Cooper couldn’t take a few minutes to at least talk with me, then he wasn’t the right man for me.

  I drove home and when I pulled onto my street, I noticed something. Cooper’s truck was parked in front of my house. My first instinct was to be mad at him. He had ignored me all week and cause me serious heartbreak.

  But he probably was just getting his “important work stuff,” and I should just let him take his stuff and get out of my life.

  A little angry now, I parked my car and headed into my house. I walked in to find Cooper sitting at my desk looking at my computer.

  What was he doing? Trying to spy on me and find more dirt on me? I scowled at him.

  “Hailey,” he said. “Sorry. I was just trying to look at your calendar and see where you were,” he gave me a slight smile.

  I just stood there and looked at him. I wasn’t sure how to take him anymore.

  “Well, I’m here now,” I told him. “Did you come to get your stuff?” I asked.

  I wasn’t going to beg him for his forgiveness. I actually didn’t do anything to him when it came down to it.

  “No,” he replied, eyeing me.

  What did he want then?

  “You look beautiful,” he continued. “Why didn’t you tell me,”

  Oh no, here it came…

  “... about this graphic design and programming stuff you do?”

  “What?” I asked him not thinking that was going to be the question.

  “Your stuff is really good,” he said, motioning to my computer.

  “I don’t know. Because I haven't done it in a while, I guess. I’ve been working with Oakley as her assistant pretty much full time. But it’s always I something I can fall back on,” I told him.

  “How did you interview go?” he asked me.

  I wanted to yell at him for looking at my business on my computer, but his eyes were showing a kindness that I had missed.

  “It went well. I got the job,” I told him.

  I tried not to smile at him but couldn’t hold it in.

  “That’s great,” he said, smiling at me too.

  He got up and came to stand in front of me. We looked at each other for a long minute. I wasn’t sure what to say to him.

  “I’m sorry for taking off on you like that. I let my mother get the best of me,” he confessed.

  “Okay,” I said, still upset with him.

  “I understand about the picture,” he went on.

  “How do you understand?” I asked him. “You wouldn’t even let me explain about the picture.”

  “I know. Please, Hailey, forgive me. I’m an idiot sometimes. I’ve missed you so much,” he said sincerely.

  “You still didn’t answer the question. How do you understand the picture?” I asked again.

  “Don’t be mad at her, but Oakley called. She explained everything that I was too stupid and stubborn to let you explain yourself. And she called me an asshole. And unworthy of you,” he added.

  A slow smile spread across my face. “She did, eh?”

  “She did. And she was one hundred percent right.”

  Cooper smiled at me.

  “I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you about all of that stuff. It’s my past. Not who I am now,” I told him.

  “You know, I bet you were just as nice and kind and loving back then. You were just in a bad place. I bet, if I would have met you then, I would have fallen hard for you then, too,” he said, giving me his
sexy grin.

  “I don’t know about that,” I said, giggling.

  He laughed with me and bent down to kiss me. Those lips. I had missed them so much.

  “Do you forgive me?” he asked.

  I nodded.

  “Can I come back? I hate my apartment. This place feels so much more like home than that place ever will,” he told me.

  “Yes, Cooper.”

  “Thank you. I’m never ever leaving you again,” he told me.

  “Promise?” I asked him.

  “Promise.”

  “What about your mom?” I had to ask.

  “I’ll think of something,” he replied. “She’ll have to learn to accept you,” he told me.

  “I don’t know about that,” I said.

  “Well, I have something to kick off the process with,” he told me.

  “What?” I asked, smiling.

  Cooper got down on one knee and took out a small box from his pocket.

  “Cooper, what are you doing?” I asked him.

  “Hailey, I meant it when I said that I’m never leaving again. And I keep my promises. Will you marry me?” he asked me.

  I burst out into tears for the hundredth time that week. This time, they were tears of bliss.

  “Yes! Yes, Cooper Stone, I will marry you!” I cried out with joy.

  Cooper slid the ring onto my finger and kissed my hand. He stood up and I threw my arms around his neck.

  He held me so tight. “I’m never letting you go, Hailey. Never again. I love you.”

  I looked up into his eyes. “Cooper, I love you, too. So much!”

  A tear formed in his eye and dropped down his cheek. I reached up and wiped the tear away, caressing his cheek as I did so.

  “I missed you so much,” I told him.

  “I missed you too.”

  Cooper bent down and kissed my lips. His kiss was filled with love and devotion and I knew that I was going to spend the rest of my life with this man.

  I loved him so much.

  The End

  Book Five - Bride and The Beard

  “Let's get married.”

  When business sends me to Vegas...

  I wasn't ready to meet Emily

  The sexy knockout who didn't like me from the

  start.

  But I had a plan.

  Wine her.

  And dine her in the city that never sleeps.

  What I didn't plan on was waking up to a marriage certificate.

  She thinks we made the biggest mistake of our lives, but I disagree.

  Fortune favors the bold and I'll prove to Emily I'm the man for her.

  She may live a thousand miles from my mountain town but I’m Harley Hunter, and when I want something, nothing stands in my way.

  Harley

  “I’m going to tell them all about it this morning,” I said confidently to my reflection in the mirror. “And they will agree with me.”

  My proposal was a great idea, not only because it was my idea, but because it was as beneficial to the resort as it was for myself. And it was about time I expressed my opinions, that I told my brothers about my plan and how I truly felt. I was part owner, after all.

  But how did I really feel? Bored? No, not bored. I loved the resort. Restless? Yes, restless with the need for more.

  My family could easily understand about my restlessness. I was spontaneous, always on the move, and I’d enjoyed looking for ways to improve the resort in the past. But I’d never proposed something this big. It was a risk, but one well worth taking.

  I just needed to find a way to explain it to my family. They had to understand that the idea had been a dream of mine for a long time, and I’d thought it out long and well. Then they would have to understand and agree.

  Unfortunately, my brothers were very set in their ways. Old fashioned, even. None of that was of any help to my cause.

  I jumped at the sound of the loud rattling on my dresser. Tearing my blue eyes from their own reflection, I glanced at the object causing the racket. I reached and grabbed my phone right before it buzzed off the edge. Glancing at the screen, I saw that it was almost seven a.m. Shit, I thought. It’s almost time for the meeting.

  “Hi, Dax,” I answered.

  “Are you doing it today?” he asked me.

  Dax was only a couple years older than me and a savvy tech genius, so he understood me more than our two older brothers, Brad and Cole, did.

  “I’m gonna do it,” I grinned into the phone.

  “Good. I called to wish you luck. I hope they listen to the voice of reason.”

  “Me too. Even though I have my doubts. Those old men are stuck in their ways,” I joked.

  Dax chuckled. “Yeah. That’s for sure. But it’s a great idea. A spa addition to the resort would give me some fresh advertising material to work with. I’ve already got some ideas. Plus, it’ll bring in new guests, if you ask me.”

  “So, when Brad does ask you for your opinion, you’ll tell him that?” I prodded.

  “Just like I promised you I would,” Dax assured me. “Whatever I can do to help. And, if you ─ we ─ can convince Brad, Cole will eventually get on board.”

  “I think so too. Great. Thanks, Dax. See you in a bit.”

  “See ya there.”

  I hung up and took a deep breath. I already knew what Brad’s argument would be. We are a mountain retreat. A ski resort, not a day spa. I was glad Dax got it and was on my side.

  Brad respected his opinion, but when it came down to it, most five-star resorts did have a spa. Brad and Cole needed to understand that. Technically, Hunter’s Mountain Ski Resort was a five-star outdoor activity resort. Even if our guests preferred skiing, snowmobiling, hiking, and fishing, we should offer a five-star spa experience for those who might not be as outdoor savvy.

  I’d gotten to know a lot of our regular guests through ski lessons and outings. Many of the guests popped into the gym during their stay and sometimes stayed for a fitness class or just to get their workout in. Regulars from town attended my weekly classes, which had become more and more popular over the last couple of years. Several guests had mentioned they would love a relaxing massage, facial, or enjoy the sauna after a workout or a fun day of skiing or hiking. A relaxing experience before heading home ─ back to the grind of their everyday lives.

  Additionally, the resort had acquired a lot more female guests ─ thanks to Dax’s ads targeting them ─ who came just to relax. Some of them didn’t even bother with skiing or fishing or hiking. They came to enjoy the picturesque beauty and peacefulness of the high Colorado Mountains and Blue River valley.

  Over the last year, I’d been given many suggestions from regular guests that a spa would be appealing to them. Those suggestions had fit in perfectly with my dream to advance my personal fitness career. I wanted to offer private physical training sessions and to gain more local clientele. I’d had several people in town tell me they would sign up for personal training sessions or even a membership if we had more equipment to choose from.

  Bottom line, my gym was just too small with only a stand-alone, tiny building with the basic equipment and two changing rooms with one shower each. It could be so much more than that. With an addition and upgrade, I could offer state of the art equipment and a fully functioning gym with larger changing rooms, showers, a sauna, and maybe even a juice bar. With a devoted spa next door, it would give the locals more reason to travel up the mountain. There wasn’t another fully functioning spa around for miles. And the guests would love it.

  And why not kill two birds with one stone? We could expand the building at the resort, add newer equipment, and I could start my own business: Harley’s Gym, Personal Training, and Spa. I’d loved the ring to it as soon as it popped into my head.

  Of course, I was no masseuse, so I’d have to hire someone to run the spa part of the business and provide the services. But with me running the gym, fitness programs, and as the personal trainer, my business would be successfu
l. Plus, it would be a win-win for the resort.

  That was the basis of my pitch. I hoped my brothers would see it as I did. If they said no, I’d considered starting a new business in town. The problem with that was I’d be taking some business away from the resort. I would also be taking myself away from the resort. Being part owner, that option wasn’t ideal and not what I wanted at all. It would be more beneficial for all of us if I were to stay put, to grow my business as an addition to the resort.

  I looked into my own eyes in the reflection, a pep talk in my head. I can do this. The easy part was over ─ establishing the plan and preparing the proposal. Now for the hard part ─ to get my brothers to listen. And even harder yet, to get them to agree with me.

  I finished getting ready for the weekly Monday morning breakfast meeting. Every Monday, it was custom for my entire family to meet for breakfast in The River Room. The River Room was the resort’s restaurant, main lounge, and event room. We had a five-star chef on board who’d won himself and the restaurant many awards over the years.

  I wanted to look good for my presentation that morning. Not that it mattered to my brothers, who would probably not even notice. But it was important to me, so I dressed to fit the part in a black dress shirt with the top button undone. No need for a tie at breakfast. I slid into a dark blue, stiff pair of jeans and my black leather boots.

  Taking one last look in the dresser mirror, I appreciated the man who looked back at me. My short, spiky dark hair and well-manicured beard were trimmed and styled perfectly, as usual. Bright blue, confident eyes beamed back at me.

  I straightened to my full six-one and admired my muscles bulging against the black leather as I slipped into my jacket. I ran my fingers through my thick hair, roughing it up a bit before I grabbed my proposal from the dresser and hurried downstairs and out of my cabin to my SUV.