I had to get a hold of myself before Chloe got home. She wouldn’t understand why I was so upset. Explaining my feelings for Harley to Chloe would confuse her. She was way too young to understand, and she would be sad too. She liked Harley.
I went upstairs and changed into something comfortable. I made a pot of tea and waited for Kellan and Chloe. I kept my mind as blank as possible, concentrated on my breathing, and sipped on chamomile tea. The last thing I needed was a panic attack to take control of me now.
Even though I felt panicky at first, the sorrow that had developed in my gut took over instead.
* * *
Every Sunday evening, Shawn and I changed custody for the week. Normally, Penny, the live-in nanny, picked up Chloe from my house at seven o’clock. I looked outside for Penny’s red Toyota Camry. To my dismay, a black town car pulled up to the curb instead.
“Shit,” I said aloud.
“What, Mommy?” Chloe asked, her eyes not moving from her show on TV.
“Nothing, babe. I think your father’s here for you. Go get your things,” I told her as Shawn climbed out of the backseat of the town car.
I watched as he strode up the walk to the porch. I didn’t want to let him inside but opened the screen door for him anyway. Just get this over with, I thought.
As soon as I saw Shawn’s face, I knew something was wrong. He looked angry. Sighing, I stepped aside and let him into the living room.
“Shawn,” I greeted him, as nonchalantly as I could muster.
“Emily, we need to talk,” he said in a condescending tone.
“What about?” I asked in a steady voice.
“I know about your little fling. The one you had right in front of our daughter.”
My eyes widened, but I quickly made my face emotionless again, hoping he didn’t notice my surprise. “What?” I asked him as if I didn’t hear what he’d said.
He exhaled loudly. “Don’t act stupid, Emily. I saw you.”
“You were spying on me?” I asked, anger in my tone.
“Not spying. Keeping an eye on my daughter. I heard you were with some guy, so I had to check on Chloe.”
“That’s called spying, Shawn. And I was not having a fling. If I wasn’t serious about him, I wouldn’t have introduced Chloe to him,” I defended, though my tone wasn’t defensive. I refused to let him make me defend myself against his controlling ways. “I’m a grown woman, and I’m allowed to have a relationship with a man if I choose.”
“If you think for one minute it’s okay for you to act like a whore in front of my daughter, you got another think coming,” he replied in a threatening tenor.
“I am no whore,” I hissed furiously. “And who I spend my time with is none of your goddamn business. If I decide to remarry, it will be my decision alone.”
“Remarry? You?” Shawn sneered. “I saw the car that man was driving. Why would anyone like him want to marry someone like you? Unless you’re trying to get to his bank account.”
“Fuck you,” I said, pursing my lips.
“I noticed you pawn her off on your brother so you could leave with him. Are you fucking him? Has he spent the night in this house with my daughter?” Shawn leered.
“First of all, she’s our daughter,” I reminded him scathingly. “Second of all, I don’t have to explain myself to you. You don’t rule my life or my decisions, so back the fuck off,” I spit angrily.
He leaned close and spoke, his tone low and menacing. “But I can make your life difficult Emily, and you know it. I can have your joint custody revoked so fast your head will spin.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but Chloe came clomping down the hall with her small overnight bag. She only needed to take a few of her favorite stuffed animals and toys with her as she had everything else she needed at her father’s house.
“Bye Mommy,” Chloe said, putting her arms up for a kiss and hug. I bent down and hugged her tightly before kissing her rosy cheek.
“I love you, Chloe. I’ll talk to you in a couple of days on the phone. Call me anytime,” I reminded her.
“I will. Love you too, Mommy,” she said and went to the door. Shawn followed her outside without another word to me.
I watched as he opened the back of the town car for Chloe. Before he climbed in beside her, he looked back and gave me an ‘I’m watching you’ glare. I made sure he saw me roll my eyes.
Damn him, I thought after they left. I should have known. He’d told me before that he would always be watching me. Enough time had passed without incident that I’d assumed he’d given up on the full custody threat. He didn’t spend any time with Chloe anyway; he just got off on having me under his thumb. In his eyes, I was the one who’d screwed up. I was supposed to be the doting wife and mother who let him do whatever the fuck he wanted whenever the fuck he wanted and just shut up about it. My divorcing him had been a black mark on his name, and he seemed hell-bent on punishing me for it for the rest of my life.
I slammed the front door and put my head in my hands. What was I going to do? There was no way I could leave Washington. Ever.
I pictured Harley in my mind, and the panic I’d felt welling up inside me subsided. I took deep breaths, and the panic was replaced by the numbness I’d been living with since the moment Harley had left.
I thought about calling him. Hearing Harley’s caring voice would mean the world to me, but I didn’t. I didn’t want to learn to depend on him. It hurt too bad knowing we could never be together.
* * *
The week passed slowly. Then another and another. I became more and more desensitized to the world around me. Kellan noticed my demeanor, but no matter how much I tried to stop my downward slide, it just got worse.
“You can’t live like this,” Kellan told me one evening after work.
I shrugged. I appreciated Kellan’s concern, but nobody could talk me out of this hole. I wanted what I couldn’t have.
Chloe was at Shawn’s for the week, which allowed me to sulk in peace. I faked it well when she was home, even though it was exhausted. I slumped back on the couch and flipped through the TV channels. Nothing looked appealing. I simply wanted the noise to drown out Kellan’s concerned voice.
My cell phone rang, and I ignored it.
“Are you going to get that?” Kellan asked me, knowing it was Harley calling.
I shook my head. What was the point? The phone stopped ringing. A moment later, it started again.
“Em, if you don’t get that phone, I will.”
I didn’t move and watched as Kellan grabbed my phone and answered it. He left the room to talk to Harley. I sighed and kept flipping through the TV channels.
Let them talk, I thought. It wasn’t going to change anything.
Kellan was gone for a long time, and wondered what they were discussing. I heard Kellan saying that either he or I would call Harley back in a few minutes.
“Emily, Harley has invited us to the resort,” Kellan said when he came back into the room.
I looked at my brother with a raised brow. “Us?” I asked.
“Yes, us. And we’re going. Next week when Chole gets home. I’ll take a week of my vacation time. You do the same.”
I sat up and made an excuse. “I don’t know if I can request a week of vacation last minute.”
“Yes, you can. Your boss is reasonable, and you haven’t used any sick days and only the three vacation days. You have lots of time built up. Tell Vicky it’s an emergency and you must go out of town for the week. She’ll give it to you.” He pointed at me. “Do it first thing in the morning so she has time to replace you next week.”
Shocked by his attitude, I asked, “What did Harley say to you?”
“He said he’s been asking you to come for a visit, and you keep brushing him off. I don’t know what’s going to come out of this, Emily. But what’s going on with you now is unacceptable. It has to stop,” Kellan replied seriously. “Chloe’s starting to notice something’s wrong with her mama.”
>
I looked at the floor. Could we go to Colorado for a week? I’d love to see Harley again. But what about the threat Shawn made? Though I legally didn’t have to, I should inform him if I was leaving the state with Chloe. But if I did that, he’d never agree to let me take her without threatening to take me back to court.
“Don’t tell anyone where you’re going,” Kellan read my mind. “Shawn doesn’t know Harley lives in Colorado. We’ll call it a family vacation. A ski trip up north, just the three of us. That’s what I’ll tell Mom and Dad, too, in case for some odd reason Shawn asks them.”
I was still nervous Shawn would find out, but I couldn’t let that damn man run my life forever. I had to stand up. I nodded to Kellan. “Fine. We’ll go.”
Kellan smiled. “Great. Now call Harley back and tell him the good news,” he smiled and tossed the cell phone to me.
I glared at him and dialed his number. “Hello,” Harley answered on the first ring.
“We’re coming next week,” I reported with a grin.
“Thank you, Em. I need to see you. I’m dying here,” Harley said passionately.
“I know,” I agreed. “I can’t wait to be with you again.”
“I’ll reserve a cabin for the three of you,” he told me. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Thank you. I’ll see you next week,” I said.
“Bye.”
I hung up the phone, and my whole demeanor changed. I didn’t know what would come out of our visit, but one thing I did know was that I needed to stop letting Shawn call the shots. If he wanted a fight, he would get one.
Harley
Impatiently, I watched the runway from the airport’s floor to ceiling windows. I tapped my food in aggravation and checked my watch every few seconds. The airline’s website had said there would be a short delay, but forty-five minutes seemed excessive. I was just getting ready to go to the airline’s desk to ask the attendant what was going on when I caught a glimpse of white in the sky descending toward the runway.
I watched as the plane taxied on the runway before pulling up in front of the correct gate. Excitement filled me; they were here! A few minutes later, I heard a tiny voice sing out my name.
“Harley, we made it!”
“Morning, Chloe.” I stooped to greet the little girl. She gave me a hug, and I smiled and hugged her, the feel of her little arms such a sweet moment.
Emily was beaming as she and Kellan waited for Chloe to finish saying hello. Chloe babbled on about the plane trip, and in her excitement, I couldn’t understand everything she was saying.
I couldn’t wait to get Emily in my arms, but I was patient. After I greeted Kellan and thanked him for bringing Em and Chloe, I reached over and grabbed Emily’s hand, pulling her to me. She threw her arms around my neck and hugged me tightly. I wrapped my arms around her waist and held her to my chest.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” I whispered in her ear before planting a kiss on her temple.
She moved back to look me in the eyes. “Me, too.”
I kissed her quickly on the lips and took her travel bag from her. We went to the luggage claim and waited on their suitcases, chatting. Soon a yellow, flowery rolling case came around on the belt. I rolled my eyes.
Catching my eye roll, Emily grinned, “Yes, I still have it.”
Smiling, I picked up Emily’s suitcase as it came by while Kellan grabbed his suitcase and a smaller one that was Chloe’s. I led them to my SUV in the main parking area. I held Emily’s hand and told them all a little about the resort as we walked.
I reached my SUV first and hit the key fob to unlock the hatchback. I tossed in Emily’s bags and glanced back to get Kellan’s and Chloe’s. Everyone had stopped in their tracks, confused looks on Emily and Kellan’s faces. I followed their gaze and realized they were looking at my SUV, a 1996, two-toned Ford Bronco with oversized tires. It was white with a light-blue mid-stripe and was kind of beat up in its old age. The only car these guys saw me drive was the 2018 BMW M6 Gran Coupe. They were probably expecting something similar.
Chuckling, I came around the side. “This is my baby.” I patted the truck above the back-seat door. “You need big tires to get where we’re going.”
Kellan recovered first and smiled. He tossed his bag and Chloe’s small suitcase into the back and closed the hatch. I’d borrowed one of my niece’s car seats for the ride and had it strapped in the back for Chloe.
Emily’s gaze remained on the Bronco as she hoisted Chloe up into the back seat. “Cool,” I heard Chloe murmur as she was strapped into the big ride. Kellan joined Chloe in the back from the opposite door. I went around to open the passenger side door for Emily. I took her hand for support as she lifted herself inside. With the oversized wheels, the lifted truck looked humongous against Emily’s petite frame.
I jumped into the driver’s seat with ease and turned the key. The old engine roared to life, and I smiled, as usual, at the impressive sound. The truck just screamed power, and I loved it. I noticed Emily watching me from the corner of my eye. I glanced at her and gave her my signature charming smile.
Her lips curved upward. I watched her until I got a full-fledged smile from her, one of those that lit up her face. She couldn’t resist me.
“What year is this truck?” Kellan asked from behind.
“1996,” I answered.
“It’s in really good shape for being so old,” Kellan considered.
“It was my Dad’s. I wanted it after he passed away, and my brothers let me have it. I’ve kept it well-maintained. Added some upgrades, too,” I explained. “I’ll drive it as long as it wants to be driven.”
I put the Bronco in drive and pushed on the gas. The SUV surged forward easily, and we started our trip back to the resort. The mountain road up to the resort would be a doozy because of a big storm the previous night that had knocked down several trees. I’d had to drive over a couple saplings and carefully maneuver around another two larger ones.
As we left the town of Eagle, the scenery spread out before us. Tree-speckled, burnt-red mountains rose in the distance and all around us. For miles, all you could see were ridged rocks. The only signs of life were a few other drivers on I70 and the several secluded homesteads we passed.
When we reached Vale, a popular ski resort town, the population rose again, and I pointed out some green ski slopes to our right.
“Why are they covered in grass?” Chloe asked.
“Because we’re at a low elevation here. The snow melts in April at these ski lodges,” I tried to explain to her, wondering if she knew what elevation meant after I’d answered her and saw her scrunched up face.
She looked over at Kellan for a better answer. “We aren’t high up in the mountains now, so it’s warmer down here. The snow melts in April when spring comes. The snow will come back in the winter. But some places might still have snow in the summer. High on the mountain tops, it stays cold, so the snow doesn’t melt.”
“Ohhhh, do you have snow where you live?” she asked me.
“Yes and no. I do live higher up in the mountains, and I can see snow on the very tops of the peaks. But starting in June usually, and in July and August, the snow does melt where I live, too. So we must find other things to do in the summer.”
“Like what?” Chloe inquired.
“Like hiking, mountain bike riding, disk golf, group games, fishing, boating on the river, a zip line that travels down the ski slope, and other events we come up with.”
“What’s a zip line?” she asked.
I loved her curiosity. “It’s a long rope attached to the top and bottom of the ski slope. When people want to use the zip line, we hook small seats to it. They sit on the seat and slide down the rope,” I tried to explain to her.
“Ooh, can I zip line?” Chloe asked me.
“Absolutely not,” she answered without hesitation.
I chuckled, but when I looked in the rearview mirror and saw Chloe’s scowl, I stopped. That wasn’t the end of
the conversation, I feared.
As we neared town, we could see the tallest peaks looming in the distance. “Look up there, Chole,” I pointed. “You can see the snow.”
Chole followed the direction of my finger, and her eyes got wide. “Wow, it really is snow! You see, Mommy?” she asked excitedly.
“I do, baby. It’s beautiful,” she said.
We got to Blue Haven, and I gave them a quick tour of my small hometown as we drove through it. “In case you guys wanted to come down here one day. Stay on Main Street and you should be able to find anything you need,” I told them. “The post office, Sherriff’s Department, Town Hall, and a nice restaurant are all in the town square. And you can find small specialty shops, a diner, a general store, and a couple of watering holes along the main road here. Plus, there’s a grocery store on the right before you head out of town.”
“Okay, thanks,” Kellan said.
“That’s it?” Emily asked me, her head swiveling as she looked around.
“I told you I was from a really small town,” I reminded her with a shrug.
“I didn’t believe you. Well, not entirely.”
I looked at her with a raised brow. “Why not believe me?” I asked, amused.
“I don’t know. You just seemed to be too professional or something. Not like someone who lives in a town like this,” she laughed, looking over her shoulder at how small the town was.
I smiled to myself. Soon after leaving the town center, houses lined Main Street on either side. After a few blocks, the houses lessened, and the road turned back into plain old Route 9. I continued for a short distance until we reached a blue steel bridge.
As I drove over it, I said, “This is the Blue River. It runs parallel to the resort in the valley below us.” A couple of fishing boats bobbing on the blue water delighted Chloe.
I crossed the bridge and made the first right onto Mountain Road. A large sign announced the presence of Hunter’s Mountain Ski Resort at the turn.
“This is your road?” Emily inquired.
Take a Mountain Man Home for Christmas: A Mountain Man Romance Christmas Collection Page 72