Mountain Man Next Door

by Ava Grace

  Oops.

  I hoped I hadn’t got Andrea into trouble.

  “I ain’t hiring,” Coop said, his tone firm, resolute.

  I hung my head. “Oh, I see. Well, thanks anyway. I’m sorry to bother you.”

  He gave a curt nod then turned back to his buddies.

  Conversation over.

  Well, heck. That wasn’t what I’d hoped for. What a waste of time.

  I walked back to the bar and ordered a bottle of beer then grabbed one of the menus off the counter and scanned its contents. I was hungry, but I couldn’t afford to waste money on luxuries like eating out. I’d have to do a grocery shop the next day to pick up enough food to last me a few weeks. I could get my bearings when I was in town and maybe call into all the stores to introduce myself and see if any of them were hiring.

  My only concern was that I’d arrived on the wrong side of summer. Businesses were winding down at this time of the year. Sure, there were still a lot of locals in Creede, but I imagined that tourists made up the majority of the town’s trade.

  Still, I had to be positive. I’d find something. I always did.

  I nursed my beer for about ten minutes more while I tried to convince myself that I hadn’t had my heart set on a job at the bar. During that time, some of the diners finished their meals and left and a couple more people came in and found seats. Business as usual.

  I was about to get the bartender’s attention to settle up my bill when the bar door swung open and a tall, slim woman with a micro mini denim skirt sauntered into the room. I didn’t think anything of it until Coop slammed his beer down on the table and got up from his chair so quickly that it overturned.

  “Arlene, turn that skinny ass around and keep on walking until it’s out the door again!” he shouted. “You’re not welcome here anymore.”

  Yikes!

  Coop’s harsh tone would have had me running for the hills, but the woman was undeterred. She sniffed, lifted her chin then made a beeline for him.

  He cursed. Loudly.

  “Now, Coop, be reasonable.” She wiped her nose with the palm of her hand. “You know I need this job. If I don’t pay my rent, Buck will kick me out. Then where am I gonna live?”

  Her eyes were unfocused and though she spoke directly to Coop, her gaze darted around the bar, never settling on anything or anyone for more than a brief moment. She sniffed again.

  Coop glared at her and the ferocity of it even made me lean back in my chair as if unconsciously trying to get away from it.

  “You should have thought about that before you stole off me. Besides, if you paid your rent instead of buying that shit you shove up your nose, you wouldn’t be in this predicament. Now I mean it, Arlene, turn that ass around and get the hell out of my bar.”

  I had to give it to her, she had balls. She met his glare with an even more impressive one of her own. “I’m the best waitress you got!” She shouted.

  Coop snorted. “If you believe that, you’re deluded as well as stupid.”

  “You’ll never replace me,” she went on. “Who else would work so hard for you in this dumbfuck town?”

  I would!

  When every set of eyes that had been watching the exchange turned in my direction, I winced.

  Crap.

  Had I said that last thought out loud?

  Arlene transferred her glare onto me. “Who the fuck are you?”

  Coop folded his arms and cocked his head to the side as if he was as keen on hearing my answer as Arlene was.

  “Uh, I’m, um, I’m Libby,” I stammered.

  Smooth.

  Hands on her hips, Arlene looked me up and down then snorted before turning back to Coop. “You’ve got to be kidding me! You gave her my job!”

  “Mind your own fucking business,” Coop returned. “I can hire who I want.”

  Say what?

  Arlene’s mouth opened and closed a couple of times before her glare turned positively glacial.

  “She won’t last two fucking minutes here.” Taking a step closer to Coop, she pointed a bony finger in his face. “You just wait until Al hears about this.”

  She turned on her heel then strode, albeit a little unsteadily on her feet towards the door. She breezed through it before slamming it shut behind her.

  As parting comments went, it wasn’t particularly a doozy, unless of course Al was built like a linebacker and the type of man you did not want to mess with.

  “Okay, back to your business everyone,” Coop said calmly before bending to pick up the fallen chair.

  He retook his seat then said something to his buddies, causing them to chuckle.

  I wasn’t sure what had just happened exactly, but I could have sworn that at some point during that exchange, Coop had given me a job. Part of me felt that I should leave in him in peace so that he could shoot the breeze with his friends and calm the heck down. I didn’t want to talk to him when he was still angry. And I wasn’t the type of person who looked a gift horse in the mouth, either.

  But I needed to know where I stood and the suspense was killing me.

  I got up from my stool again then went to Coop’s table. He looked up as I approached, but his expression remained stoic.

  “Um, about the job,” I mumbled.

  Coop regarded me for a beat then shook his head. “I ain’t hiring.”

  I blinked, trying to process what he’d just said then blinked again. “Excuse me?”

  He leaned forward in his seat, meeting my gaze with ease. “I said I ain’t hiring.”

  My mouth opened and closed a couple of times while my brain tried to catch up.

  Okay, so now I was pissed.

  When he first told me that, I thought he meant that there wasn’t a position available, but now I knew that there was. He just didn’t want to give it to me. I put a hand on my waist and cocked my hip, glaring at him.

  “You’re hiring, you just aren’t hiring me. Have I got that about right?”

  He shrugged and my fury increased tenfold. What the heck was his problem?

  “Excuse me for needing a little clarification,” I fumed, “But would you mind telling me why you don’t want me to work for you?”

  “Sure.”

  He got up from his seat and in such close proximity, it became clear just how tall Coop was. He towered above me. He had to be even a couple of inches taller than Mason. And he wasn’t just tall, he looked ripped, too. Boy did they make ‘em big in this town. I tried not to let Coop’s height and stature intimidate me so I lifted my chin and tilted my head back a little to better meet his gaze.

  He leaned down until his face was inches away from mine. “You aren’t suitable.”

  Not… suitable?

  What the heck was that supposed to mean?

  “Not suitable,” I repeated sharply, my pitch so high, I couldn’t have been mistaken for anything other than livid. I glared at him with reproachful eyes. “Now wait just a damn minute. I’ve worked in more bars than I can damn well remember.”

  I lifted my hand and ticked off the jobs on my fingers. “I’ve tended bar. I’ve waited tables. I’ve helped out in the kitchen. I’ve done stock taking and, even, on occasions helped out with the goddamn accounting. Plus, the last time I looked in the mirror I had two arms, two legs, and my ass was still in the same damn place so how much more suitable do I need to be to get a job in your damn bar?”

  When I finally forced myself to settle down, I realized the room had gone silent. Even the jukebox had stopped playing.

  Oh boy.

  Now I’d gone and done it.

  I’d wanted to ease my way into Creede unnoticed. Instead, I’d just shouted at the owner of one of the three bars in town in front of a room full of his customers. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d raised my voice and spoken to someone like that.

  In fact, I don’t think I ever had.

  Blood began to pound in my temples. My breathing was shallow and it felt like my heart was trying to beat its way out of my
chest, but I kept my chin high and continued to meet Coop’s gaze. I was fairly confident that he was going to kick me out of his bar and ban me from ever returning, just as he’d done to Arlene. Instead, his face broke out into a grin so wide, his cheeks had to have hurt.

  “Your first shift starts at twelve tomorrow,” he said. “Get here fifteen minutes early so I can run through your duties.”

  My head spun with bewilderment, but I bit my tongue to stop myself from asking the myriad of questions that formed in my mind. Instead, I nodded my thanks then strode purposefully to the door, my head held high.

  It was only when I’d driven halfway home to the cabin that I realized I hadn’t paid for my drink.

  Crap.

  Chapter Five

  I’d been up since the crack of dawn working on the decking I was fitting to the rear of my property and it was coming along great, even if I did say so myself. But the work had ground to a halt. I needed to buy supplies before I could get anything more done. Reluctantly, I decided to run the errands I’d been putting off all morning at the same time that I was in town.

  As I packed away all my tools, I chanced a glance up to Harry’s property and caught another glimpse of Libby sitting on a chair on her back porch. Duke was lying down at her feet as if the damn dog belonged there. I scowled.

  Had Duke gone off me?

  It would seem that Libby was an early riser too, not that I’d been paying close attention to her or anything. She’d been hard to miss what with the radio on her porch cranked up high. It was tuned into some country music station and she’d been singing along to a couple of the songs. It would have been annoying if it wasn’t so damn cute.

  At first, I’d thought she was just staring out at the view and I wondered what she’d been doing with a blanket over her knees, especially in this heat, but then I realized that she was working on it. Quilting.

  The sight of her took me back to my childhood and the time when my mom and grandmother used to quilt together. I think my mom had wanted a daughter so she could pass on the tradition, but all she got was me and she wasn’t likely to ever get me to pick up a needle and thread.

  After showering and changing into clean clothes, I filled up Duke’s dry food bowl, changed his water then jumped into my truck and headed to the hardware store in town. I thought about taking Duke with me, but he seemed comfortable enough for the time being and I didn’t want to go up there and get too friendly with Libby. Even if she had to go out, Duke would be fine on his own. I’d installed a doggy door into my back door so that Duke could get in and out of the house whenever he wanted.

  There were only a couple of other things that I needed to do in town which included picking up groceries and filling the car with gas. If I did everything I had to do that morning, it would allow me to get back to work without interruptions slowing me down later.

  My number one priority was meeting with Coop to sign the papers that would finally free me from my ties to the Snack Shack, but that wasn’t something I relished doing. Not because I was upset about selling my half of the business, but because of my history with Coop which had been strained for some time.

  Coop and I had been best friends in high school, but every time I looked at him now it brought back memories I would rather forget. I let out a long sigh. Some days I’d see Coop and he’d say something funny that would almost make me smile then other days I couldn’t even be near him without wanting to punch his lights out.

  I hoped today wouldn’t be one of those days because Coop was as hot-headed as I was and he’d never back down from a fight—not that I’d start one with him intentionally. Coop and I had said everything we had on our minds years ago so there was no point rehashing the same damn arguments. Neither of us believed we were in the wrong so there was no compromise to be had. Oh well. It was what it was.

  Perhaps some people were only meant to be in your life for a short time anyhow.

  After I’d run all my errands, I stopped by the coffee shop for a cup of Mary’s cinnamon spiced latte and took my time drinking it as I watched the world go by from my seat near the window. In reality, I knew I was just stalling—biding my time until I went to see Coop, but my desire to see him was about as low as it could be. After five minutes of staring into my empty coffee cup as if waiting for it to magically refill itself, I couldn’t put it off any longer. I thanked Mary then headed down Main Street towards the Snack Shack.

  As I strolled into the parking lot, I saw Coop’s prized possession parked out front—his Harley. I didn’t usually take any notice of the cars that were parked in the lot, but on this occasion, one of them stood out like a sore thumb.

  Libby’s car.

  What the hell was she doing at the bar?

  I sped up my pace as I approached the front door.

  I didn’t like the idea of Libby being anywhere near Coop. I knew I was being irrational, but I couldn’t help it. Coop took things that were good and he messed them up.

  I didn’t want to see that happen to Libby.

  I didn’t know anything about her of course, but I suspected that she’d been through enough already. There was something delicate about her—something fragile. She needed to be protected—especially from a man like Coop.

  I pushed open the door then strode inside, scanning the room for either of them, but I when I didn’t see them, my gut clenched in anguish. The only people seated at the bar were a couple of our regular customers.

  “Hey, Jeff!” I shouted across the room. “You seen, Coop?”

  He nodded out back. “Took the girl to his office.”

  A haze of white-hot fury rushed over me.

  I balled my hands into fists and quickened my pace. My heart was beating ninety to the dozen as I headed towards Coop’s office, praying I wasn’t about to find something I wouldn’t like one damn bit. And what could I say about it anyway? Libby was none of my business and if she wanted to get involved with a man like Coop that was up to her. So why was I so bent out of shape?

  Chapter Six

  “How long are you planning on staying in town?” Coop asked.

  Despite his casual tone, the answer to the question seemed important to him.

  I shrugged. “Indefinitely.”

  He raised a single brow causing me to elaborate.

  “I like peace and quiet and Creede seems like a nice place so I’m hoping it can become my permanent home.”

  He nodded. “You mind telling me why you left the last place you were living?”

  I found it strange that he hadn’t asked me where I’d moved from, but I was grateful for it.

  I hesitated before answering. “I guess I needed a change of pace.”

  It was a half-truth, but about the best thing I could say without telling him exactly what had happened to me in Denver and why I’d been so desperate to get away.

  Coop took his feet off the corner of his desk then leaned in, placing his folded arms on the table. I could practically see the cogs in his mind turning and I fiddled with the hem of my tee while I waited for the inevitable question.

  “Are you going to bring trouble to my door, Libby?”

  There it was.

  I swallowed then shook my head. “No, Coop. Of course not.”

  It was a lie of sorts because if Brandon ever found out that I worked here, I would indeed bring trouble to Coop’s door, I had no doubt about it.

  Coop narrowed his eyes. “Anything you’re neglecting to tell me? Anything that might be important for me to know?”

  I swallowed again, averting my gaze. “Nothing comes to mind.”

  He sat back in the chair.

  And sighed.

  “Alright. I guess we’ll give this a go. But the minute I get any grief…”

  “I’ll be as good as gold,” I cut in. “You won’t know what you did without me.”

  The corner of his mouth curved up into the type of grin that I would have found sexy if I’d been interested in dating. I mean, I didn’t find him as attracti
ve as Mason, but there was something…

  “Coop, can I ask you something?”

  I needed to focus my mind on something other than the attractiveness of all the men in town.

  He raised a brow. “Shoot.”

  “Why did you finally decide to hire me?”

  He steepled his fingers and pursed his lips. “Because you showed you had a backbone. When you first walked in here asking for a job, you were all meek and shit.

  “You seemed so timid I thought you might run out the door if someone as much as looked at you in the wrong way. I don’t get much trouble here, but it’s a bar. I serve alcohol and sometimes shit happens.

  “When you spoke up to me, I saw that you had grit. That’s exactly the sort of person I need working for me.”

  Oh. Right.

  “Thank you.” I cleared my throat feeling suddenly choked up.

  “Welcome.”

  Coop had already shown me around and run through my duties when I’d first arrived. Since then, he seemed perfectly happy to just sit and chat. I suppose I shouldn’t have been worried because he was paying for my time, but perhaps he was just waiting for me to take the initiative.

  I made to get up. “Okay, well, I suppose I’d better get to—“

  The door crashed open drowning out the end of my sentence and Mason stepped through it, looking like the honest to goodness Norse God of war personified. And damn if that wasn’t attractive.

  “What the hell is going on here?” he demanded.

  I gasped, turning instinctively to Coop as if he knew what had warranted Mason’s outburst. Coop’s expression stilled and he grew serious. The muscle in his jaw ticked.

  “I’m interviewing my new waitress,” Coop replied. “What the hell is up with you?”

  Mason’s lips twisted into a smile that seemed oddly cynical. His gaze swiveled between us a couple of times and he had the good grace to look embarrassed, but his expression quickly faded.

  “Libby can’t work here,” Mason said. “She’s not suitable.”

  I gawped at him.

  This.

  Again?

  What the heck?

  And what did it have to do with him?