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

by Crowne, K. C.

  I held my hands up and carefully lowered myself to the ground, depositing the gun at my feet. “Listen, you don’t want her anyway. You want me. And you can have me,” I said. “Just let her go.”

  “And why can’t I just end both of you?” the man snarled.

  “Do you really want to hurt an innocent woman and child?”

  I don’t know why I bothered asking such a question. It was clear I was working with some of the vilest, evil men. I could only see the look in the man’s eyes, but he hesitated. There was some part of him that didn’t want to hurt Cassie. I had to work with that.

  “You don’t have to do everything he tells you to do, you know. You could let her go. If you have me, that’s enough for him - more than enough. And you don’t have to hurt her and the baby. No one has to know.”

  The man stared at me, and I watched as he processed my request in his eyes. But then he gripped the gun tighter, pressing it harder against Cassie’s head.

  “Just please spare my child,” she whimpered, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Please don’t hurt my baby.”

  I was weighing my options. Reach down and pick up the gun, hoping I was fast enough and he hesitated or continue trying to talk him out of it.

  The sound of a gunshot stopped my thoughts. At first, I wasn’t even sure where the sound had come from. When I saw blood splattering Cassie’s shirt, I cried out and ran to her, my heart stopping in my chest.

  She fell to her knees, Owen in her arms. She was holding him so tightly. It took me a moment to realize that the blood all over her wasn’t her blood.

  The man who held onto her fell to the ground, his hands clasping at his chest. But he was dead before he even hit the ground, I was sure of it.

  Cassie was in my arms, shaking and crying. I checked her, staring at her face and making sure none of that blood was hers. I couldn’t bear it if she was hurt.

  She kept saying, “I’m alright. I’m okay,” as if to reassure both of us. She kept searching Owen, whose screams sounded so far away thanks to our hearing being temporarily damaged from the gunshots.

  But he was crying, which was good. It meant he was alive.

  They were both alive.

  Graham was by our side in a flash.

  “We need to get something on that wound,” he said to me.

  “I’m fine.” I flinched as I moved, the pain hitting me hard now that the adrenaline was leaving my body.

  “You’re not fine,” he said.

  I looked up at him and said, “It’s just a surface wound. Isn’t that what you called it before?”

  “Nah, that one’s pretty deep, Jack,” he said. “Ambulances are supposed to be on the way, but let me get Mason to look at it for now.”

  He pushed himself up to his feet and started back toward the meeting location. He turned around and looked at me really quickly as if to make sure we were okay.

  “I’m fine,” I said. “This is over, right?”

  “Yeah, it’s over,” he said, his voice low. “Teddy and the rest of his men were able to capture everyone.”

  “Including Hank?”

  “Not sure yet. I took off after you,” he said. “But I’m confident they have it under control.”

  I heard sirens in the distance. The ambulances were getting close now.

  It was over. At least for now.

  And even though I had resisted for so long, we had to call in the police. At least those who Teddy trusted. It was an under-the-table operation, but I trusted Teddy and knew that he trusted the men who were there. If Hank could be caught, I had to believe he would be.

  I looked at Cassie and Owen. I had to believe that they were finally safe.

  * * *

  My eyes felt heavy, but I managed to peel them open and stare into the blinding light around me.

  “Welcome back.” Cassie’s voice spoke from somewhere in the room.

  It took me a while to remember where I was. The beeping around me gave it away eventually, just as my eyes opened all the way. I was in the hospital, just getting out of surgery to remove the bullet from my shoulder. Unlike Graham, this was more than just a surface wound. The bullet had lodged itself in there deep.

  As my vision cleared, I saw Cassie more clearly now. In her arms, tucked away and sleeping peacefully, was our baby boy. My eyes stung with tears as I realized that both of my loves were safe.

  After I heard the sirens, an EMT had rushed over and took us away. I never had a chance to talk to Teddy or any of my brothers.

  “Did they…”

  “They caught him,” Cassie said, her lips in a soft smile. “They arrested Hank Gillespie.”

  I’d never told her his name, not even in the end. So the fact that she knew it said so much. It was true. They had the man at the top.

  “Right now, the entire world is going nuts,” she said. “No one can believe it, but Teddy says there’s more than enough proof to convict him.”

  It was finally over.

  There was a knock at the door, and Cassie turned to speak to a nurse. I heard bits and pieces of what they were saying.

  “Visitors? Now?” she asked. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “Let them in,” I called.

  Cassie looked at me and seemed conflicted. But I needed to see my brothers. I needed to thank them. Especially Graham. I had acted like they had failed me, but when it really mattered, everyone came together.

  So whoever wanted to see me, well, I probably owed them a thank you.

  “Alright,” Cassie said after a moment. “But only for a few minutes. You need your rest.” She returned to my side, and after a minute or two, the door to the room opened.

  Cassie gasped, and I had to admit, I was equally as surprised as she was. “What are you doing here, Dad?” Her voice rose slightly as if she was ready for a fight. “If you’re here to cause trouble, you just need to leave right now.”

  He cut her off by holding his hands up, almost as if he were surrendering. “Cassie, I’m not here to cause problems. I just—I needed to see you.”

  “You can see me later,” she snapped. “Now isn’t the time.”

  Her father continued. “I heard what happened. Everyone’s talking about it, Cassie. Your mom and I were terrified.”

  “Well, obviously, I’m fine.”

  “And people are saying Jack is a hero. That he and some other men brought down a crime ring that threatened you and Owen, along with others. Is that true?”

  She sniffed and said, “It is.”

  Her father ran a hand over his thinning hair, and he turned his eyes toward me. For most of my life, I knew the Lorenzos detested me. They thought lesser of Madison and me. They were wealthy and well-to-do, and my family was just trash to them.

  But I saw something in his eyes I never thought I would see.

  Gratitude.

  “Well then, I think I need to say thank you.”

  Before I could respond, Cassie piped up. “And?”

  “And?” her dad stammered. He seemed confused for a moment before sighing. “And I’m sorry. For everything, Jack. Clearly, you’re not the monster I thought you were.”

  “Thanks, Mr. Lorenzo.” My voice was low. I hadn’t been prepared for this. I wasn’t used to having people call me a hero. I was merely doing what I had to do.

  Cassie cocked an eyebrow and looked back and forth between the two of us. Finally, she asked, “So Dad, does this mean you’re not going to disown me for being with him?”

  The room was silent, deafeningly so. I thought she might be asking too much from her dear old dad, but he surprised us both when he simply nodded.

  Cassie

  Owen was nestled against my chest in a carrier, and Jack was at my side. He’d been released from the hospital, and while he needed to take it easy for a couple of weeks, he was practically back to normal. Thankfully, the bullet hadn’t hit any serious muscles or organs.

  With Hank Gillespie behind bars and the crime ring Jack’s dad was
involved with dismantled, we finally felt safe enough to be together.

  We walked into the cabin, where we’d be staying for a while until we got back on our feet. My father was willing to help us, but I was still being cautious with him. I wanted to stand on my own two feet, without Daddy’s help, but he was still willing to pay for me to finish law school. I wasn’t about to go to Philadelphia, however, so I would be starting at Utah University the following fall. We had a few months to get things settled. Being a new mom was still taking its toll on me, but after the last few weeks, I realized I could do anything.

  And now I wouldn’t have to do it alone.

  Graham and the others were crowded into the living room when we entered. There was a banner hanging over them, saying, “We Love You, Jack.” That was Madison’s touch.

  Even my family was there. Dad included. Everyone crowded around us as soon as we entered. My face hurt from smiling so much.

  “Welcome home,” Graham said to Jack, patting him on the back.

  “Thanks, though I promise we won’t intrude long and find our own place soon,” Jack said.

  Graham shared a look with his brothers. “About that…we bought this plot of land and the house for you and Cassie. Cassie helped pick it out, though she didn’t realize it at the time.”

  My jaw dropped. I’d gone and looked at places with them while Jack was recovering in the hospital. They’d asked my opinions, and I thought it was for one of them to live in.

  “I had no idea— Are you serious?” I asked.

  “We are,” Graham said, grinning broadly. “And you don’t need to worry about money either.”

  He handed an envelope to Jack. He opened it, a confused look on his face. I leaned in to see what it was, and my eyes nearly popped out of my head.

  “We can’t take this,” Jack said immediately, trying to hand the check back to Graham.

  “You can, and you will. It’s your part of Dad’s inheritance,” Graham said. “Dad wanted you to have it, and we all agree; it’s rightfully yours.”

  Jack held the check in his hand. Graham wasn’t about to take it back.

  “You’re one of us now,” Graham said. He turned and looked at Madison, who was standing nearby with Zoey. “And even though we’re not related by blood, Madison, you’re officially adopted as one of us as well.”

  He handed her a similar envelope.

  “I can’t—” she said, not taking it. “Your father isn’t my dad. I have no claim to anything.”

  “We don’t need all the money our dad left us, and if there’s one thing our mama taught us, it’s family comes first. And family isn’t always just about blood. It’s the family we’ve made for ourselves.”

  Madison still didn’t take the envelope. Graham set it down near her on the table. “Trust me. We have more than enough to be taken care of for the rest of our lives.”

  There was a knock on the door, and Madison used that as an excuse to step away from the conversation. It was clear she didn’t feel comfortable taking any money from them. She was in shock.

  She returned to the room with Pat Wiley, Jack’s mother, and the room went silent at first. Even though the Harvey boys thought they had enough evidence that Jack was their half-brother, no one had gone to his mom and asked. There simply hadn’t been a right time.

  Jack cleared his throat and said, “Mom, can we talk for a second?”

  “Sure, sweetie.”

  She gave her son a big hug and smiled from ear-to-ear. His mother had struggled with drugs and alcohol most of her life, and while they were growing up, she wasn’t much of a mother to them. But in the last year or so, she’d been trying really hard to make up for all that. She was clean for the first time in her adult life, and she had a job. Jack was still not that close to her, however.

  I let the two of them step away to talk for a bit. There was a lot she didn’t know - including that Owen was her grandson - but I figured Jack was finally asking her about the possible affair with Graham’s father.

  While I waited for Jack to return, I sat with my own family, who still hadn’t had a lot of time with their grandson. Isabelle squealed as soon as little Owen’s eyes turned toward her. She reached for him and held him, covering his face in kisses before my mom asked to hold him. My father doted upon his grandson, and I swear, he even smiled. He smiled more than I could remember him smiling in a long time. It felt good to see him happy and loving on his grandson, something I never thought I would see.

  I was so distracted, I was surprised by a hand on my waist. I turned around to find Jack behind me. “Well?”

  Pat came into the room squealing with joy, rushing over to us. I froze as she stepped right up to my dad, who was holding Owen. My father didn’t care for Jack’s parents. He might be willing to accept Jack as a changed man, but I wasn’t sure how he would respond to his mom. I sucked in a breath and was afraid to let it out.

  “Can I see my grandson, pretty please?” she begged. Her voice was high-pitched and filled with excitement.

  “I guess you told her, huh?”

  Jack just chuckled.

  I watched my father as he contemplated Pat’s request. The town had been talking a lot about her transformation as well. She had a job working at a local insurance office. She was going to church regularly. She would often be seen in town with Madison and Zoey, being a doting grandmother. But was all of that enough for my dad?

  He looked at me, and I said, “Pat just found out about Owen,” I said. “She hasn’t had a chance to meet him yet.”

  I smiled at him and gave him a look that said I approved. We were all family now; it was time that we got along. My father carefully handed Owen to Pat, who seemed to wiggle with absolute joy.

  Jack leaned into me, his lips against my ear, “She admitted that Glen wasn’t my father.”

  I turned around in shock, my mouth opening but no words coming out. I didn’t want to spread their personal drama all through the room, but I was shocked that it came about so easily.

  With Owen in good hands with my family and Pat, Jack led me to a hallway nearby. He took my hands in his and said, “So for a few months before I was born, her and Dad— err, I mean, Glen – had broken up. She was staying with her sister in Vegas when she met my real dad. They were together for only a week, nothing serious before he left town. He was there for a convention. She didn’t get his last name or any of his personal details and feared she would never see him again. She was pregnant when she got back with Glen but was too scared to tell him. He was a violent man. So she let him believe I was his son.”

  So many emotions passed over Jack’s face, and my heart ached for him. His father wasn’t a good man by any means, but the idea that his whole life had been a lie had to sting.

  He took a deep breath and sighed, running a hand over his face. “So I guess Graham is right. I am entitled to my real father’s inheritance. Even if I don’t think I’m worthy of it.”

  I stepped forward and took Jack’s face in my hands. His beard tickled my palms as I ran my fingers over his face, staring deep into his eyes. “Jack, it’s not your fault that you never got to know your real father. You didn’t have the childhood that Graham and the others had. You didn’t have the stable home they did, either. You can’t blame yourself for the things you’ve had to do, but I can tell you one thing - you’re a good man. An amazing man. I guarantee that your father would be proud of you based on how you turned out.”

  Jack didn’t respond with words. He leaned in and kissed my lips. “I love you so much, do you know that?”

  “I love you too, Jack.”

  “I want to spend the rest of my life of you,” he said.

  My heart stopped. Before I could second guess myself, he pulled a ring box from his pocket.

  “I know it’s early,” he said. “But I’ve known you most of my life, and I can’t imagine my life without you, Cassie.” He flipped it open to showcase a brilliant diamond solitaire. I gasped, my hands covering my mouth. “I as
ked Graham for his help while I was in the hospital. I wanted to plan a big, elaborate proposal for you, but this just felt so perfect to me. Please be my wife, Cassie?”

  The tears stung my eyes, and I couldn’t get any words out at first. I nodded my head so hard I could have given myself whiplash and finally managed to say, “Yes, of course, Jack.”

  He slipped the ring onto my shaky hand, and I stared down at it. I could hardly believe the ring was mine. It was so beautiful, better than anything I could have imagined.

  I kissed Jack, and he held me for a long time. I didn’t want the moment to end, but I reminded myself that we would have our whole life to be together now.

  Nothing would ever tear us apart again.

  “We should go check on Owen,” he said, whispering against my lips.

  “Yes, and all these people are here to see you, so maybe we should mingle a bit too.”

  “All I need are you and Owen,” he said. “But yeah, you’re probably right.”

  He took my hand, and together, we joined the party. My sister was the first one to notice the ring on my finger, and she couldn’t contain her excitement.

  Soon, the entire room heard the news.

  Jack and I were getting married.

  * * *

  Graham and the others had helped set our new home up - including an adjacent nursery for Owen. He would never be far away from us again, but we would still have our privacy.

  I put Owen down to sleep, savoring the silence of our new home. It took Jack a while to accept that this place was ours - free and clear - since he didn’t like handouts, but Graham told him it was part of his inheritance and a way for their father to make up for all the years he missed. Jack had never had it easy, nothing had ever been given to him before, and I knew it was hard for him.

  But he was a Harvey, and his dad had wanted him taken care of, and eventually, he relented.

  Our little slice of heaven was a four bedroom with an extra loft that would make an amazing playroom for Owen one day. And we had plenty of space to have more children in the future.