Mountain Cure (Stone Brothers Duet, #2)

by Jadin, Bethany

  The older man ignores Colt’s biting tone and slaps a hand on the edge of the bed, trying to shake the truck. “Pretty fucking solid. What are you boys up to that you can afford this?”

  Remi purses his lips and shrugs. “You know, we just took after you and knocked over a few joints.”

  “Always a wiseass, aren’t ya? You’d think you could share some of that money with your old man.”

  “There’s an idea,” Remi scoffs.

  “What are you doing here?” Colt’s giving him the stare of death. “You’re so drunk you can’t even stand up straight.”

  The man points a finger at Colt. “You watch your smart mouth, son. I’m not drunk. You’d know if I were fucking drunk. I can handle my liquor, boy.”

  Wes has those big, tattooed arms of his folded over his chest. “Yeah, we fucking know what you’re like when you’re shitfaced, Dad.”

  Dad. Oh boy.

  I shrink away from the doorframe, not wanting to insert myself into a family... whatever this is. But after a moment, my curiosity gets the better of me, and I tip-toe back over to peek out.

  Colt’s off the porch now, reaching for the liquor bottle in his dad’s hands.

  Their father lurches away from him, holding the bottle out to the other side of his body. “My own fucking sons didn’t even come bail me out last month. You have enough money to buy a new truck, but you can’t come get your old man out of jail?”

  “It’s where you belong,” Colt snaps. “I don’t even know what you were in for last time, to tell you the truth. What was it? A bar fight? Break into Hollister’s again to steal another bottle? Or did they catch you driving drunk on your suspended license? Again.”

  Wes shakes his head. “Keep drinking, Dad. Soon you won’t be anyone’s problem anymore.”

  “That’ll be a fucking day of celebration,” Remi adds.

  Their father jabs a belligerent finger at each of his boys. “If your mother were still here, she’d be fucking ashamed of you, talking to me like that.”

  Colt laughs bitterly. “You do love to rewrite history, don’t you? Here’s some news for you — none of us give a fuck what lies you spin. We stopped believing anything you had to say before we were old enough to walk.”

  Remi points at the rusted, beat up car in their driveway. “You need to get the fuck off our property, Frank. So why don’t you get in that piece of junk and go drive yourself off the cliff at Lake Falls Overlook?”

  “If Mom was here, I’d help her push you off that goddamn cliff, myself,” Wes says solemnly.

  Their father stumbles toward them, red-faced and seething. “You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about, you little shits. Living up here by yourselves like a bunch of dickless hermits. You three don’t know a damn thing about women. You’ve gotta keep bitches in their place. If she’d done right, I never woulda had to raise a hand—”

  I suck in a sharp breath, cringing as Colt lands a massive, heavy-fisted uppercut directly into his father’s jaw. It lifts the older man off his feet, and his limp body goes airborne for a split second before crumpling to the ground in an awkward heap.

  Face buried in my hands, I watch between my fingers as Wes and Remi make their way over to him and stand beside Colt. The three of them look down at their father, disgust in their eyes.

  Remi picks up the liquor bottle and empties the contents into the dirt.

  I’m not sure whether to stay inside and keep myself out of the fray while they deal with their father, or to go out there and lend my support... whatever that would be worth.

  Really, I have no idea what to do.

  I’ve only ever seen a fight once before in my life, and that was a couple of drunk guys at a bar who were pulled apart by their friends after a few seconds — and then the party went back to business as usual.

  This — this is so very different.

  Even from my view through the crack in the door, I could hear the pain in their voices and the scars of a terrible childhood etched into their words.

  I had no idea.

  I finally decide that, whatever this situation is, I’m only driving myself crazy by remaining inside. I step out onto the front porch, and all the guys look up as they hear the creak of the door when I shut it behind me.

  Remi straightens up, his body rigid and tense, and Wes’s eyes go wild, darting between me and his brothers.

  But Colt’s shoulders just slump, an air of defeat coming over him as we make eye contact.

  I see the shame and embarrassment in his dark expression. And the years of hell he’s kept tucked away.

  These strong, beautiful men, with wounds so deep. I want to just run and throw my arms around them. But even though this whole scenario is so foreign to me, I know that a man who just knocked his father unconscious probably doesn’t want someone to rush over and wrap him up in a big hug.

  Pacing myself, I slowly make my way over to them, and that heaviness I’ve been sensing all day comes to rest hard in my chest.

  They’ve made this an amazing vacation for me, a mountain escape away from the reality of my situation back home — fun adventures, amazing new experiences, and the sexiest nights of my life.

  But their reality is laying sprawled out on the ground in the middle of their driveway.

  The blissful, idyllic existence I’d dreamt up about their life here, imagining this as the ultimate retreat, tucked away from the world’s troubles — it feels so naive and childish now.

  The illusion shatters inside me, tearing my heart into a million pieces for them.

  As I draw near, Colt’s gruff voice breaks the silence. He turns his gaze away from me and nods at his brothers. “Help me get him in the back of the truck. Can one of you follow us in Frank’s car? Who knows if the damn thing will even make it back down the mountain, but I don’t want it up here.”

  None of them look at me as Colt and Remi grab their father’s arms and legs and hoist him up into the back of their truck.

  An odd mixture of wanting to feel useful and desperately needing to express some gesture of tenderness swells up inside me, and I run back into the cabin to grab the throw blanket from the back of the couch.

  Colt has already shut the tailgate and is heading for the driver’s seat as I emerge. I climb up onto the bed of the truck and tuck the blanket around their unconscious father.

  I work quickly, but the sour, metallic smell wafting off him nearly takes my breath away. His skin is yellowed and his face is aged beyond his years, but there’s still a small hint of the same handsome features his sons’ possess. I have the feeling that the strong jawline he has might be the only good thing he ever gave them.

  When I hop down, I notice Remi’s watching me as he stands beside the front passenger door of the truck, the door held open.

  He averts his eyes, but not before I see a shine of moisture in them. My heart lurches into my throat and I freeze, wanting desperately to reach out to him but feeling like it would just make it worse for him.

  “Come on,” Colt says to us from the driver’s seat. “Get in the truck. I wanna get him back to town before he comes to so I’m not tempted to run his ass over.”

  Remi moves to the side to make way for me to get in the front seat, but I place a hand on his arm. “It’s okay. I’ll take the back. You sit up front with your brother.”

  He keeps his eyes averted from me, but Remi nods silently, and we all climb in. Behind us, Frank’s old car stutters to life with Wes behind the wheel.

  The ride down is pretty fucking awful.

  The long spells of silence are only interrupted by Colt and Remi snapping at one another. I can feel the anger coming off of them, but by their words, I can tell it isn’t because their father showed up drunk or that Colt knocked his lights out — it’s because they didn’t want me to see any of this.

  I tuck myself into the seat and stare out the window, trying to give them as much privacy as I can, wishing for their sake I could just disappear. Anything to make this s
ituation less stressful for them.

  I know they’ve been doing their damnedest to keep all this away from me, whether from sheer embarrassment or because they didn’t want to sully my vacation, I don’t know. Probably both.

  It’s true I’ve been enjoying the hell out of the sparkling snow and steamy nights, but the truth is, as excruciatingly uncomfortable as the drive into town is, there’s this weird underlying peace, too.

  Like, maybe I get the guys a little more now.

  The scene that unfolded helped me learn something deeply personal about their lives, even if it happened in a terrible way.

  The hostile exchange with their father was short-lived, but it was enough to give me an idea of what these men grew up with — and what they’re still dealing with.

  I understand so much better now why they love the remoteness of this land and why they’re happy to disappear up into that mountain cabin.

  Kind of like how I wanted to disappear from what was going on in my life by flying out here to begin with. Kind of like how I’ve thrown myself into every adventure they’ve offered me — anything to stay wrapped up in the fantasy I’ve been living ever since I woke up in Remi’s bed after my tumble down that ravine.

  Maybe we’re not that different on that score.

  Only, my situation is so trivial compared to theirs. Jason may be the world’s biggest cheating douchebag, but at least he’s a temporary trauma.

  What they’ve been dealing with... it’s been a lifetime of hell.

  No wonder they keep to themselves. By the sounds of it, their father would attempt to bleed them dry if he knew that their woodworking business allowed them to afford things like this new truck and all the land they’ve been quietly buying up.

  We slow to a halt as we approach the entrance of the Silverthorne resort. Colt doesn’t turn up the drive, but instead pulls onto the shoulder of the road, gravel crunching under the wheels. Wes pulls in behind us, the engine of Frank’s car clunking and sputtering.

  Colt puts the truck in park and closes his eyes, jaw tight. “I’m so sorry, Addie, but we can’t drive up there with Frank’s drunk ass lying unconscious in the back.”

  “I understand,” I say. “I can walk. I’ll just get out here.”

  He shakes his head. “I don’t want you to walk. That’s a long damn way in the cold.”

  Remi jerks his thumb, pointing behind us. “If you wanna hop in the car, Wes can take you up.”

  “It’s okay,” I insist. “You guys need to deal with your dad right now. I’m not gonna freeze to death just walking up this driveway, I promise. It’s not even that cold today.”

  Remi and Colt exchange a look — one that says they’re not happy with this plan.

  “Guys. Really. Let me walk. I can take care of myself. Your dad can’t right now.”

  I immediately regret the words when I see Colt’s lips form a tight line.

  He draws in a breath before he speaks, his voice full of regret. “He hasn’t been able to take care of himself for years, Addie. I’m sorry you had to see that.”

  “It’s okay. You should see my family around the holidays. We’re a mess.”

  My attempt at levity doesn’t completely break the tension, but it does ease it a little.

  Colt shifts in the seat, twisting around to face me more fully. “You asked about Christmas earlier, before we were so rudely interrupted.”

  I perk up, suddenly nervous. “Yeah? I offered to make dinner.”

  He nods. “That sounds heavenly, but we’re going to be gone for a few days. We have a supply run to make that we’ve been putting off for weeks.”

  Remi looks over his shoulder, a softness in his expression for the first time in a while. “But we’ll be back before your vacation’s over. Don’t you dare disappear while we’re gone.”

  “And stay off the ridge tops,” Colt says, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

  I lick my lips, my throat suddenly dry at the prospect of not seeing them for the next couple days. “When do you leave?”

  “Tomorrow,” Colt says. “But we’ll be back the day after Christmas. I’m sorry our asshole father wrecked our plans — we wanted to have a really nice day with you before we left.”

  “Every day with you guys has been wonderful,” I assure him, but there’s a big lump in my throat, and my stomach is free-falling into an abyss.

  I give myself a swift mental kick in the ass, annoyed at myself for feeling so emotional about the news of their trip. If I’m falling apart now at the idea of going a few days without them, how the fuck am I going to cope when I go back to the city?

  Pull your shit together, Addie.

  It’s not like I can pack them up and take them home with me when my vacation’s over — and I’ve known this the whole damn time.

  But dammit. I thought I had more time with them.

  And I really don’t want to spend Christmas alone, just pining away at the resort by my lonesome, but with the promise of seeing them afterward... I’ll just have to tough it out.

  Colt notices my fallen expression. “When we get back, we’d love to have that dinner you offered. And maybe do something else special before you leave, if you’re up for it?”

  Flashing the two of them a smile, I take a deep breath and focus on the fact that at least I get to see them again before my time here is up.

  “Definitely. I’d love that,” I tell them.

  I hop out of the truck, and both Colt and Remi get out, too, while Wes slides out of the idling car and approaches us. As many times as they’ve dropped me off, there’s something different about this one.

  We’re all a bundle of raw nerves this evening, albeit for very diverse reasons. But there’s another layer of emotion underpinning our goodbyes — when the guys lower their lips to mine, there’s a sweet, deep tenderness in their kisses that makes me choke up.

  By the time the last of them pulls away from me, I’m blinking back tears and trying to hide the fact that my breath is hitching in my chest.

  As I turn to start the walk up the resort drive, there’s a mixture of passion, longing, and grief in my heart, threatening to spill out of me in big sobs, but I keep it in because the guys are watching me.

  They wait there on the shoulder of the road as I head up the paved drive, and every time I look back, their eyes are following me. It’s the longest time before they finally pull away.

  As soon as they do, the sadness I’ve been holding back finally hits me full force. I let the tears roll down my cheeks, grieving for the pain they’ve been carrying, grieving for the last goodbye that’s coming.

  11

  “EARTH TO ADDIE.”

  I blink a few times, realizing I’ve stopped walking and am just staring across the street at nothing. “Sorry, Natalie, I spaced out for a second there.”

  “Hey, I’d have those dreamy eyes, too.” There’s a knowing smile on her lips.

  As much as the guys keep to themselves, they have a very tight core group of friends, and that chosen family seems to revolve around Tank and Natalie. I doubt the guys keep much from them. And even if they did, she’s seen me together with all three of the brothers enough times to at least wonder.

  I’m sure she has her guesses on how well the guys share. But there’s no judgement in her statement, no disapproval in her gaze as she looks at me — just curiosity and amusement and... something akin to glee, like she’s tickled pink about this development.

  Still, an embarrassed blush flares up my cheeks, and I decide to change the subject. It’s very freeing to let go of all my inhibitions when it’s just me and the guys together in private, but it’s another thing to discuss those activities with someone else.

  I like Natalie a lot, though. If my fantasy plans ever come to fruition and I do move here one day, I think we could become really good friends.

  “Thanks again for showing me around to all these places,” I tell her. “There’s some great hand-crafted goods in these little stores. Not that expensive,
either.”

  A surprise phone call from Natalie this morning was just what I didn’t know I needed — she offered to show me around town, take me to some shops so I could browse for Christmas gifts, and have a girl’s day together. Hanging out with her has helped get me out of the funk of missing the guys. They’re not leaving until sometime today, but the clock started ticking for me last night, as soon as they dropped me off. I already feel time stretching out to eternity waiting for them to return.

  She looks at me with a small smile. Natalie’s baby girl is bundled up like a fuzzy bear and slung across her chest as we walk. “You’re staying at Silverthorne, and you’re concerned about price?”

  “Oh, the room was already paid for. Not by me.”

  “Ah.” Natalie looks at me, waiting for me to fill in the blanks, but I really don’t want to talk about Jason.

  “It’s a long story,” I tell her.

  She nods, and we keep walking together in a comfortable silence, taking in the sights and sounds as we stroll through the town’s shopping district.

  This part of Meadowbrook has more resemblance to a quaint European village than it does to the shopping centers in the city. I’m sure it looks pretty year-round, but right now, all jazzed up for the holidays, it’s really charming.

  The plows have come through, shoving most of the snow to the curb, but the gabled rooftops and the benches along the sidewalks are still covered with blankets of heavy snow.

  Big clay plots with evergreen topiaries sit at each corner, and strings of white lights wrap around each lamppost and crisscross the narrow streets from store to store like a canopy of twinkling stars.

  She breaks the silence. “You know, if you’re looking for some unique Christmas gifts, you should ask the guys to select a couple pieces for you while you’re here. I’m sure they’d be delighted to do that for you, for free. And ship them wherever you want.”

  During one of my visits to the cabin, the brothers gave me a tour of their work space, and I marveled over their exquisite craftsmanship. They do impressive stuff in that workshop, making the kind of world-class furniture that’s worth a ridiculous amount of money to the right buyer.