“The other one was my hunting cabin,” he said. “The land of more fertile down there and has more water for the garden and loads of game for my winter meat. Up here in the higher altitude, the veggies don’t grow as well. On top of that, it was easier getting back and forth to the school each day.”
“Speaking of school, I am booked solid next week for shots, plus the Autumn Equinox Festival next weekend,” she said to him.
“I’ll have to ride in to work with you since I can’t drive with this cast on,” he said.
“You can ride with me anywhere you want to buddy,” she said with a wink.
Beau fiddled with the edge of his shirt, full of questions, concerns and other matters which he wasn’t sure how to address. He spoke softly, asking the one question that he felt truly mattered.
“Khloe, are we going to be alright?”
“You still love me?” She asked.
“Damn straight I do,” he said, poking out his chest to display his manliness.
“Then we are going to be just fine,” she said, moving to him and slipping her arms around his neck. “You might want to kiss me now before my husband gets home. He doesn’t play. If he catches us together, I don’t know what he might do to you. That Beau Montgomery, that’s my husband, he is really the jealous type in the worst kind of way. Mister, you don’t want to mess with him, you know why?”
“I heard he’s one big mufucka,” Beau said.
“Yeah he is,” she said, kissing him with all the joy which had been set free with the opening of the locked strongbox. Years of self-recrimination and doubt flittered away as Beau and Khloe started the next leg of their lives together. The big house on top of the hill of Montgomery land became the gathering place for family meals and celebrations. The pain behind her, she focused on a future with a big burly man who enjoyed cuddling. Her smile became a trademark to the locals who brought in children, the elderly and family for wellness checks by the nurse who knew as much as a doctor. On late night phone calls, they chatted amicably amongst the neighbors, sharing stories they’d learned from the nurse about faraway places they saw on the internet. Recipes were shared via email on foods she’d spoken about and seasonings they’d never heard of but were eager to try. Through the use of Amazon and mail-order services, neighbors pooled their money for Jethro to make monthly purchases with his credit card. The online sales gave Khloe an idea.
Montgomery Communications, in the years to come, was acquired by a national cable company moving in the Harbuck area. The same year, Nurse Montgomery began to swell with child, and a doctor and his family moved to town, freeing both Khloe and Beau to start new ventures and a country store in Harbuck. Their wares could easily be purchased by visitors who came to the annual Autumn Equinox Festival, now held in town, where Honey Montgomery was often heard speaking to visitors about her Coon hash.
“I don’t eat just anybody’s coon,” she often told newcomers to the festival. “You have to know how to clean ‘em, get those musk glands out. Here, try some.”
A nice young woman in citified clothing, begged off, swearing to Honey she didn’t eat meat. She held up her hands in defense, trying to ward off Honey’s advances with the spoon filled with coon. Nearly escaping, she found herself cornered, telling Honey, “I am a vegetarian.”
“It don’t matter what religion you are; we are even nice to that Lutheran family that moved to town a few years back,” Honey said.
Khloe watched her mother-in-law with pride as she shoved spoonfuls of the horrible hash into people’s mouths on plastic spoons. Honey bragged to everyone she met, that her daughter-in-law was a Black woman. It embarrassed Beau to no end, but to Khloe, it was okay.
It felt good to have a family who was proud to call her their own. She felt even better when she talked with old Army soldiers she’d served with over the years who found her on social media. Reaching out, desiring to connect and talk about old times, she always refused, never wanting to look back, only forward to her life with the Tennessee Mountain man who called her woman.
It still made her nipples tingle when he said it with that loud booming voice. However, Beau still said please and thank you when she did a nice thing for him, and in return, she graced him with warm smiles that touched his heart because he’d been able to keep his promise to her.
She smiled often and the old bear knew, it was a result of him. That was good enough to earn him special treats from the honeypot that made him smile like a fool as well. At the end of the day, he grinned into the mirror of his new pick up truck as he made his way home to a nerdy little woman, who was far from an idiot who thought he was cool as fuck.
Epilogue
Several days after the birth of their first child, Khloe made a phone call to an old friend in New York. Coraline had come to Harbuck for the grand opening of Montgomery Mercantile, even buying several jars on Honey’s jam, swearing the sweet goodness would kill her waistline. Making a promise to send a gift when the child arrives, today’s phone call was to inform the matchmaker that the basket of goodies made it safely to the new child. A little boy, with a shock of red hair, hazel green eyes and an intense facial expression. No matter how much his father coochied or cooed at the baby, he only looked on in infant boredom.
“How’s that adorable little boy of yours Khloe?” Coraline asked.
“He is absolutely wonderful,” she said, with a huge smile. “So is this basket of wonderful gifts. Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness.”
“You and that big bear of a husband of yours are more than welcome. How is Beau?”
“Prouder than a peacock. He even made the crib Johnathan sleeps in,” she said with pride. “How goes the matchmaking business?’
Coraline snickered into the line. Papers were heard in the background being shuffled about on her desk. Another snickered followed a loud sigh.
“Spit it out matchmaker, what did you do?” Khloe asked, leaning closer to the phone to hear the juicy details about the next lady to get herself a husband.
“Me? What makes you think I did something?”
“Coy doesn’t work with me,” Khloe chuckled. “I secretly think you’re a witch.”
“Oh, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard that line,” she responded running her finger over her chin. In her hand she held the photos of two sisters, so unlike yet having the same taste in men. So much so, they perfectly matched with the same man.
“So, tell me, oh great soothsayer, who is the lucky husband next on the way down the wedding aisle?”
“Mr. Arizona. However, I have added a twist to this one,” Coraline said. “Two sisters came in, only one wanted my services, the other sort of helicopters the younger one’s life. Real tight-mouthed kind of lady works for the F.B.I. This is going to be fun.”
“Fun?”
“Oh yeah, I convinced Big Sis to travel with her mail order bride little sister to Arizona, but I added a dabble or two of eyes of newt for the journey,” Coraline said, snickering again.
“I feel sorry for them both,” Khloe said.
“Don’t; there’s no need. Love has a way of sorting through the mess to find a home. I am certain at the end of the train ride across the country, the sisters will get to the bottom of what they have been afraid to say, and one of them will be getting married to an eligible bachelor who runs an alternative lifestyle ranch,” she said to Khloe.
“That man runs a hippie commune and makes his own bricks. That is not an alternative lifestyle,” Khloe said.
“Yes, but it for one of them, it will be a perfect match.”
Khloe didn’t argue with the boss. Coraline Newair knew her stuff. She was the result of her matchmaking prowess. Saying goodbye and promising to visit when she was able to travel, she leaned back in bed. Hearing the cries of her son, she rose slowly to pick him up from the bassinette, allowing him to attach to her breast to feed.
Beau would be home soon from the mercantile. Dinner still had to be made and laundry finished. Albus would
probably stop by with an excuse to have coffee a little a later and Katy Mae stopped by every day to stare at her nephew. Khloe knew she only came to decompress from the kids she actually hated teaching. The doorbell rang, bringing her sister in law over earlier than expected with a new hair color.
“I need a change Khloe,” she said slumping in the chair at the kitchen table. “I want to travel and visit some of those places in the world you’ve told me about. I need to get the hell off this mountain and out of this town.”
An idea slithered up her thigh, wrapping around Khloe’s leg and gave her a wicked plan. The new hair color gave Katy Mae a classic look and the change was pleasing to the eye. Passing Johnathan to his aunt, she asked a question.
“Katy Mae, have you ever been to New York?”
“Once, when I was in college; why do you ask?”
“I want to do something special for my friend Coraline,” she said. “But I don’t want to send this item in the mail. If you’re free this weekend, could you possibly take the item to her?”
“Sure,” Katy Mae said, patting her nephew’s back. “It will be a nice getaway.”
“The trip is on me,” Khloe said, looking about the kitchen for a useless item to send to Coraline via Katy Mae. It was sneaky, but sometimes a woman needed to take a chance.
Katherine Mae would thank her later.
-Fin-
Enjoyed the story? Here are a few book club questions I want you to ponder.
Do you think Khloe made a good decision to not test the clothes?
Dorian, didn’t understand the issues with Erica. In Khloe’s mind, he took the coward’s way out. Do you agree?
Beau learned more about his wife from his family, friends and the community. Did you feel as if he had a good understanding of his wife?
Jethro looked out for Beau. At times it seemed as if Beau didn’t appreciate the things his cousin did for him. He did seem protective of his cousin when it came to Ennis. I’d loved to hear your thoughts on their relationship.
Beau was a bit different from the rest of his family, yet they accepted his decisions. Would your family be so accepting if you brought home someone different?
Don’t forget to leave a review. You can answer some of these questions in your review. I would appreciate your feedback on the story. Thanks. - Olivia
March 2019
May 2019
January 2020
Also Coming in 2019- A New Series
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About the Author: Olivia Gaines
As an award-winning, best-selling author, Oliva loves a good laugh coupled with some steam, mixed in with a man and woman finding their way past the words of “I love you.” An author of contemporary romances, she writes heartwarming stories of blossoming relationships about couples not only falling in love but building a life after the hot sex scene.
When Olivia is not writing, she enjoys quilting, playing Scrabble online against other word lovers and spending time with her family. She is an avid world traveler who writes many of the locations into her stories. Most of the time she can be found sitting quietly with pen and paper plotting more adventures in love.
Olivia lives in Hephzibah, Georgia with her husband, son, grandson and snotty evil cat, Katness Evermean.
Learn more about her books, upcoming releases and join her bibliophile nation at www.ogaines.com
Subscribe to her email list at http://eepurl.com/OulYf
Facebook: www.facebook.com/olivia.gaines.31
Twitter: twitter.com/oliviagaines
Instagram: www.instagram.com/gaines.olivia
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Did you love The Tennessee Mountain Man? Then you should read Montana by Olivia Gaines!
Pecola Peters found herself standing in a courtroom before a judge in the middle of nowhere Montana getting married to a burly rancher with kind eyes and thick black hair - because of two ugly women. Hideous would be a correct term for how the two women looked in appearance but not in temperament, yet they had gotten married – to two good men. Good looking men of means. For a decent looking woman like Pecola with a horrible dating history, combined with the recent reality of two men physically running away from her, such an imbalance in the fairy tale is what pushed her to this ending. Today she was getting hitched. In Montana. In the middle of nowhere. To a burly rancher with kind eyes and thick black hair named Billy Joe Johnson.
Read more at Olivia Gaines’s site.
The Tennessee Mountain Man Page 18