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

by Crowne, K. C.

  I took my truck, not my police car. Better to blend in, I thought to myself.

  I pulled up beside Mike at the hotel and saw the familiar black car from the day before. I waved Mike on, and he drove off. As soon as he disappeared, the car turned around in the hotel parking lot and headed out of the lot. I followed them.

  We didn’t drive very far, just on the outskirts of town to a dive bar. They pulled into the parking lot and drove to the far side of the building, but they didn’t get out of the car.

  I stayed in the truck, a safe distance away on the street.

  A truck pulled up beside them, and Jack Wiley stepped out of the truck and walked to the car. The man from the other day got out, and the two men started talking.

  The hair on the back of my neck stood up. Jack was talking to these men. Madison so badly wanted to think he had left the life of crime behind, that he was innocent, but he was chatting with his father’s cohorts.

  I couldn’t hear what they were saying. I couldn’t get any closer without giving myself away. So I just watched.

  Robert McBride handed Jack something, but I couldn’t make out what it was. Jack stared down at it then after a moment, then slipped it inside his coat pocket before hurrying to his truck and driving away.

  From what I could tell, he took some money or something from the men. For what? What was he doing working for them?

  I knew I didn’t have much to go off of, didn’t have proof of any wrongdoing. But I knew whatever I witnessed, I had to tell Madison.

  Because whatever happened, I needed to make sure she was safe. I forgot everything else I was doing and drove straight back to the hotel. As I drove past the diner, I saw her walking out and pulled over and parked illegally nearby. As soon as she saw me, she stopped and stared at me with a weird look on her face. I climbed out of my truck and rushed over to her.

  “What’s going on, Teddy?” she asked.

  “It’s Jack,” I said, lowering my voice so only she could hear me. “He was meeting with the McBride’s.”

  “What? Are you sure?” she asked. She put her hands on her hips and studied my face with a scrutiny I’d expect from one of my detectives. When she saw that I was serious, her face fell.

  “Yes, I saw him meeting with Robert McBride, and he was handed something. I’m assuming money, but I can’t be sure.” I paused for a second to let her process. “Listen, Madison. I know you want to think the best of your brother, but you really need to be careful.”

  “I have to talk to Jack,” she announced.

  “You need to leave this alone.”

  “He’ll tell me the truth,” she said, kicking her chin out.

  “I think it’s best if you stay out of all of this,” I said. “In fact, you need to leave town. Head back to Los Angeles today.”

  “If you want to get rid of me, Teddy, you could just stop coming around, you know? I told you I’m okay with nothing serious, but nobody is gonna tell me what to do.”

  “It’s not that,” I said, cringing. “I’m worried about you.”

  “And I’m a big girl, Teddy,” she said, pushing past me. “I can take care of myself.”

  “Madison, please—”

  “No, Teddy. We slept together. I get that it was pretty awesome. I like you a lot, but you’re not gonna tell me what to do. I need to talk to Jack and figure out what’s going on.”

  I grabbed Madison’s arm, and she glared at me. “Madison, please—leave town and never look back. It’s the best thing for you.”

  She yanked her arm free, giving me a death glare. “You are not the boss of me, Teddy. Remember that,” she growled furiously. She walked toward the hotel, calling back to me. “And don’t you dare think of following me. I’m not in the mood.”

  I had to fight the urge to disobey that order. I wanted to follow her back to her room. I didn’t want to watch her walk away. She was right - I couldn’t tell her what to do, but I damn sure wasn’t going to let anything happen to her. If she wasn’t going to listen to me, then I’d have to make sure to keep an eye on her.

  Dammit, Madison. Why do you have to be so stubborn?

  And why does your attitude turn me on so much?

  I was hard just watching her walk away from me, her sumptuous ass swishing with each step. Her jeans hugged those curves of hers so well. My mouth was watering, and I wanted to follow her back, not just to keep her safe, but to have my way with her.

  But it was better for us both if I didn’t. And somehow, I found the strength to stay put.

  Madison

  “So, have you told Jack you’re leaving town yet?” Hannah asked, lacing up her tennis shoes.

  “No, because the asshole won’t answer my calls or respond to my texts,” I muttered, standing up straight, stretching from side to side to prepare for the hike. “That’s why I’ve decided enough is enough. I wanted to stay for him, but if he won’t talk to me, what am I supposed to do? I can’t force a relationship when the other party isn’t willing.”

  “I’m sorry, Maddy,” Hannah said, standing up and mirroring my stretching.

  Years ago, we’d hike almost every weekend. I wanted to get out of the house, and Hannah was in love with hiking. It passed the time and was a great way to avoid my parents when they were at their worst.

  “Ready?” I asked her, changing the subject.

  “Whenever you are,” she exclaimed happily. “Think you can keep up, city girl?”

  “Hey, I work on my feet all day, every day.”

  “It’s not the same as hiking these steep hills, girl,” Hannah reminded me.

  “Oh, we’ll see about that,” I said confidently.

  I took off in front of her, turning around to face her while walking backward up the first hill. “See you at the top?” I teased.

  Hannah laughed. “Can I ask you something?”

  “Sure,” I said, slowing down until Hannah caught up with me, and we walked together side-by-side.

  “What’s wrong? Just a few days ago you were talking about not leaving until you spoke to your brother, and now you’re ready to hitch the next bus out of town.”

  “I never intended to stay forever,” I said with a shrug. “And like I said, if Jack is adamant about me leaving him alone, why continue forcing the issue?”

  “It’s not just Jack, though,” Hannah countered. “I can tell something else is bothering you.”

  I nibbled my lip and stared at the ground. I hadn’t told Hannah about what happened with Teddy, and for that reason, I felt bad. Plus, there was more on my mind than just the amazing sex we’d had.

  “I did something stupid, Hannah.”

  She lifted an eyebrow and side-eyed me. “We’ve all done stupid shit, Madison. God knows I’ve done my fair share, and you were usually right there, cheering me on. So whatever it is, it can’t be that bad, right?”

  “I don’t know. I really fucked up this time.”

  “Like fucked up as in getting caught with vodka when we were fifteen or…”

  “Worse.”

  I finally managed to lift my head to stare at the beauty around me. Trees overflowing with flowers, bushes ripe with berries that I knew from experience were edible. The air smelled so clean. I didn’t even realize how bad it smelled in L.A until I came back to Liberty. I took a deep breath before continuing, and once I started, I blurted it all out.

  “I had unprotected sex with Teddy. Twice. And while it’s too soon to know for sure, I’m worried I might be pregnant.”

  Hannah froze, staring at me in shock. “Teddy? As in Sheriff Teddy?”

  I nodded, shoving my hands in the pockets of shorts.

  “As in, the man who used to terrorize us when we were teens?”

  “Yes,” I said. “But he’s not like that anymore. He’s actually nice.”

  “Oh, I know that,” Hannah said, resuming walking. “Once I grew up and got out of my rebellious stage, I realized he was just trying to help us.”

  “Exactly.”

&nbs
p; “So you could do worse, you know. He’s a good man, Madison,” she said nonchalantly.

  “Hannah, it doesn’t matter if he’s a good man or not. I hardly know him. I can’t have his baby.”

  Hannah shrugged. She clearly wasn’t getting this.

  “I don’t want to be forced back here. I have to leave. I can’t stay here.”

  “But what if you are pregnant? You can’t keep the baby from him,” Hannah said.

  “God, I know,” I sighed. “But I’m hoping I’m not. That I got lucky. I was stupid, but maybe I get a pass this time. I’ve never had unprotected sex before, so let’s hope the two times I lapse in judgment doesn’t end up costing me everything I’ve worked for.”

  Hannah didn’t say anything for a few moments, but my head was loud enough.

  I had to get out of town. Not just because of Jack, but because I didn’t want to fall for Teddy. I didn’t want to keep having these lapses in judgment until I ended up pregnant and stuck in this town forever.

  “You know, this place isn’t so bad…”

  I looked up at her, prepared to argue about how horrible this place was. But in the distance, behind her, I caught sight of the town below us.

  The world around us was quiet except for the chirping of some birds nearby. In the distance, I could faintly hear the sound of water rushing from a nearby mountain stream. The air smelled crisp and clear, with floral hints on the breeze. Wildflowers dotted our path. In the distance, past Liberty, were mountains and valleys as far as the eye could see.

  For a second, I wanted to agree with her. Maybe there were worse things than living in Liberty and raising a child with Teddy.

  No, Madison, I scolded myself. Stop it. You can’t think like that. Even if you did stay in Liberty, Teddy and you might not be a good match long-term. He has said he’s not looking for anything serious. And neither are you. You have plans for your future.

  “Maddy?” Hannah nudged me.

  “Yeah, sorry, just thinking.” I shook myself out of my thoughts.

  “What were you thinking about?” Hannah smiled at me, and I knew what she was hoping. She wanted me back in Liberty. She missed me, as I did her.

  “Just that it’s beautiful up here,” I said. “Has it always been this way?”

  “Every summer, yes,” she said with a laugh. “You just never noticed it. You never wanted anything to tie yourself to this place, I suppose.”

  I cringed but couldn’t deny she was right. My childhood had tainted me on Liberty. How could you love a place with so many bad memories? Where everyone in town knew about your family and refused to believe you could be any different?

  “You know, the cost of living here is a lot cheaper, and you could probably finish school a lot faster at a local university.” Hannah continued praising Liberty, and she wasn’t wrong. There were a lot of reasons it would make my life easier to return home.

  But there were just as many reasons why my life would be more difficult too.

  We reached the summit without me saying another word. I stood up there on the top of the hill, overlooking the beauty before me.

  I felt alive. I saw Liberty through a fresh lens, pushing away all the bad thoughts. If I could get past everything with Jack, avoid my mother forever, and work things out with Teddy, maybe it wouldn’t be a bad place to stay.

  Oh yeah, and get rid of my dad’s friends, who I still saw around town now and then. Then again, I always saw Teddy around too. Almost like he was watching me as closely as the McBrides were.

  I’d been avoiding him for the last week or so, afraid I could be falling for him. That’s why I snapped at him. I knew he wasn’t pushing me away because he didn’t want me there, but it made it easier to cut ties if we ended things on bad terms. Without realizing it, I had tried to start a fight just to ease the splitting up.

  It hadn’t worked, though. I still thought of him at night before falling asleep. I still touched myself while imagining the things he’d done to my body.

  It’s too much, I thought to myself. Just too fucking much.

  “So, I called Cassie. I asked her if she would help Jack with his legal issues.”

  Hannah laughed. “Yeah, she would do anything for Jack.”

  “Come on, that was a childhood crush. We’re adults now,” I said, chuckling with her, remembering Cassie’s intense crush on my brother. It was cute now that I thought about it, but at the time, it was slightly annoying. She couldn’t stop talking about him.

  “Yeah, I’m sure you’re right. Think Jack will be up for meeting with her?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t think he’ll have much choice. You know how Cassie is. She doesn’t take no for an answer.”

  “She’s determined, alright. And you know, even though he didn’t act on it, I think he kind of liked her too.”

  “Yeah, he did seem to hand around more when she was around,” I said with a chuckle.

  “I hope she’ll make time for her besties while she’s in town.”

  “I hope so too,” I said softly. It had been so long, and I was dying to see her. I wished we didn’t have to live on opposite ends of the country, and she was always so busy. But she was doing us a big favor by meeting with Jack. I knew when worse came to worst, we always had each other’s back.

  Teddy

  I’d kept my eye on Madison. Originally, she was only going to be in town for a few days. So why was she still here over three weeks later?

  I was on my way to lunch at the diner. I pulled open the door when Madison glanced up and saw me. I let the door close and waited for her on the sidewalk out front. She walked up to me, and even though she looked mad as hell, I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She was so beautiful, it hurt.

  “I know what you’re doing,” she said matter-of-factly, arms crossed in front of her chest.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I commented, injecting innocence into my tone. “I’m just coming for lunch like I do every day.”

  “No, not right now,” she scoffed, tapping her foot once. “You’ve been watching me. I know it.”

  I chuckled. “Are we doing that again? Accusing me of following you around?”

  “I know you are, Teddy.” She stared at me, waiting for me to deny it. I couldn’t.

  I chuckled quietly. “Yeah, I been keeping an eye on you. But not for the reasons you think.” She cocked an eyebrow. “I’m worried about you. The break-ins in town are intensifying, and the more I learn about the McBride’s, the more nervous I am knowing they’re hanging around.”

  “If you’re so worried about me, why are you keeping your distance?” she asked, tilting her head to the side curiously. “You could just ask me how I’m doing.”

  I flinched. She was right again. “I know, it’s just—well, it’s better for both of us if we don’t get too close. We decided that already, early on. I’m just trying to honor that.”

  “And what if I don’t leave Liberty? What then? Are you going to avoid me forever?”

  I raised an eyebrow. “You plan to stay in Liberty?”

  Madison’s face blanched. She averted her gaze and focused on her feet instead of looking at me. “I’m not really planning it, no. But I’m trying to figure some things out.”

  “With Jack?” I asked. “Or is there something else going on?”

  “There’s a lot going on right now, Teddy. Jack. My mother. And stuff you don’t even know about.”

  “What kinda stuff?”

  She finally managed to look me in the eye, and there was heat in them now. “Listen, I appreciate the concern, but we’re not dating, remember? Even if I changed my mind, you made it clear you’re not looking for anything serious with me, so…” She lifted her hands and shrugged her shoulders dramatically.

  “Do you know why I don’t want anything serious?”

  “No.”

  “It has nothing to do with you, it’s all me.” Every muscle in my body tightened. I wasn’t ready to have this talk with anyone, but Madison
deserved to know the truth. “I’m married to my work first and foremost. I don’t really have time for anyone else. I learned this the hard way when my ex-fiancé cheated on me because I never made time for her. I’m just like my dad in that regard, and he didn’t have time for my mother or me.” I paused and offered my own shrug. “I don’t want anyone else going through what we did.”

  Her mouth opened as if she wanted to say something, but no sound came out. She closed it and stared at me for a moment. Something passed over her face. Something was wrong, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.

  “Understood,” Madison said coldly. “Can I go inside now?”

  “Madison—”

  She waved her hand, interrupting me. “It’s okay, Teddy. I knew all of this going into it. It’s just—”

  “What?”

  “Never mind,” she mumbled, rolling her eyes in irritation. When she spoke again, she changed the subject. “I’m meeting with my mom. I thought it was about time to try and mend fences. Jack might make an appearance too.”

  “Be careful with Jack, Madison.”

  “He’s my brother, Teddy,” she retorted, her voice slightly mocking. I wanted to chuckle because it was adorable. “He’s been there for me when no one else has,” she reminded me. “I don’t have to watch myself with Jack.”

  “It’s not Jack I’m worried about so much. It’s the people he’s caught up with.”

  Madison sighed, putting her fingers on the bridge of her nose as if a headache might be building. “I’m hoping to talk to him about all that. So if you don’t mind, I’d like to go inside and meet with my family.”

  I held the door open for her and let her enter. I followed her inside, but we went our separate ways. I took my usual booth while she sat in the far corner, joining her mom at a table. I heard her mother squeal with delight. She was sober, yes, but she was still a character. Always loud. Always dramatic about everything she did. Patrons of the restaurant turned and stared, some of them mumbling under their breath. Likely gossiping.