Mountain Man's Rival: An Enemies to Lovers Romance (Mountain Men of Liberty Book 13)

by K. C. Crowne

  “Tucker cheated on her, several times over, so yeah, she finally grew a backbone, I guess. I think she and Carl live in Las Vegas now and work at the casinos, but to be honest, I hear most of my info from the local gossip mill, so who knows?”

  “Wow, I never thought the four of you would fall out like that, but I guess a lot changes in fifteen years.”

  “Yeah, well, I was only friends with them because I didn’t want them to turn on me,” she confessed. “I was a coward back then, and I’m sorry. I tried to remove the slides with the photos on them, but Amy put them right back in before graduation started and it was too late for me to change anything.”

  “It’s okay,” I said with a smile. And I meant it. “We were stupid kids back then, and every one of us was dealing with our own stuff. So how are you doing? Based on your last name, I’m assuming you’re married? Who’s the lucky guy?”

  She giggled. “Lucky girl, actually,” she said. “I met my wife, Victoria, in college. She works at the Liberty Hospital in labor and delivery, and she’s pregnant with our first child.”

  “Wow, I’m so happy for you,” I said, and I meant it.

  This Jessica seemed kind and warm, like a genuinely good person.

  She smiled at me and said, “Thank you. I’m always here if you have any questions, and if you’re going to be in town for much longer, I’d love to get together for coffee. If you’d be up for that.”

  “I’d like that actually.”

  She had to get to other patients, so she slipped out and I dressed. The entire time, I was filled with a warmth I hadn’t expected.

  I was filled with a peace that I’d never expected. Not just from finally knowing for sure that I was pregnant, but also, that forgiving someone I never, in my wildest dreams, thought I would ever be able to forgive.

  And damn, it felt good.

  Chapter 15

  Declan

  My phone buzzed, pulling my attention away from the blueprints I was staring at. Matt’s name flashed across my screen, and I immediately thought something was wrong. It was the middle of a school day. I answered right away.

  “Hey man, what’s up?”

  He didn’t answer my question, but instead asked one of his own. “Have you read any of the latest gossip online today?”

  I chuckled. “No. Why would I read gossip online?”

  Matt sighed with relief. “Good. Listen, I only have a few minutes until my next class starts, but promise me you won’t look online, and if you hear anything, please know that the media lies and often gets things wrong, so please don’t believe everything you read.”

  “Now I’m curious, Matt,” I said, no longer interested in the plans sitting in front of me. I sat down in my chair and began typing on my laptop.

  “Please, Declan, I’ll talk to Eva after school today and get to the bottom of this. Don’t do anything rash, promise me?”

  “Of course, man,” I said slowly. I frowned as I realized I had no idea where to even go for gossip these days. Twitter, maybe? I’d never used Twitter, nor did I have any desire to learn it. But I was crazy curious. “Can’t you just tell me?”

  In the background a bell rang. “Sorry, I have to go, but like I said, I’ll talk to Eva as soon as I can. I’ll head over to the hotel after work today.”

  The line went dead, and I stared at a black screen. I tried to push what he said out of my mind – only about an hour left in the school day, so we’d get to the bottom of this before long. Still, a part of me was curious about this so-called gossip and what had Matt all shaken up.

  I couldn’t focus on my work, so I said, “Fuck it” and left my office.

  I came across a construction coordinator sitting in one of the cubicles in the open area.

  “Hey, Molly, do you have a minute?”

  “Sure, what do you need, Mr. Wilde?”

  “Please, call me Declan. I’m sorry to bother you, but have you read any celebrity gossip today?”

  “Excuse me?” the woman asked, staring up at me through her glasses with her brow furrowed. “Are you asking me this because I’m a woman?”

  “No, no, I just saw you first. That’s all.”

  Her frown deepened. “I don’t care about celebrities or gossip, especially when I’m working.”

  “Sorry for bothering you, Molly. I really am.” I backed away from her desk and surveyed the rest of the office. Who here might have the latest gossip or at least know where I could find it?

  Tamara, our receptionist, was chatting with Johnna, a landscaper who often worked with us and had a temporary office in our building. Tamara was sitting at her desk and Johnna was leaning close, as if she was dishing some juicy gossip of her own. They both looked up at me as I walked over to them.

  “Excuse me, but I have a stupid question for you.”

  Tamara cocked an eyebrow as Johnna laughed. “Go on. Sounds interesting.”

  “So Ezra told me that some of the women who work here are into celebrity gossip, and they were the ones who broke the news to him that I was in New York City recently. I’m wondering who that might be?”

  Being antisocial and keeping to yourself, even at work, had its downfalls, clearly. I felt terrible for hardly knowing some of our employees. I thought I had, but I couldn’t even fathom which one of the women in our office would be in the know.

  Johnna chuckled and looked at Tamara. “So are we going to out one of our own?”

  “I don’t know, should we?”

  “They’re not in trouble, I swear. I actually have a question,” I said.

  “Well, if I had to wager a guess, I’d say it was Stephanie, Ezra’s intern. But as you know, her internship ended last week, so…”

  “Dammit,” I muttered. “Well, I guess I just have to wait and find out.”

  “Find out what?” Tamara asked with a curious smile.

  “Oh, there’s some gossip about Eva Stone, maybe including me, I don’t really know, and I don’t know where to go and find it.”

  Tamara laughed out loud, then covered her mouth with her hand and said, “Sorry.” She turned to her computer, and I assumed that was my sign to leave, but she said, “No, hold on. I’ll look it up for you. You know you could just Google Eva’s name or yours and likely find it, right?”

  “I don’t know why I didn’t think of that. I guess I assumed it might be something a little more complicated, based on the way Matt was talking.”

  “Maybe, but— Oh God…” Tamara looked at Johnna, who leaned in to see the screen. Johnna let out a surprised gasp.

  “What? What did you find?” I felt so stupid.

  The two women looked at each other, and Tamara said, “I think he has a right to know.”

  “I agree,” Johnna said. “But is this how he should find out?”

  “Find out what?” I tried to move closer to see the computer screen, but Tamara turned it away from me.

  “So are you and Eva a thing?” Johnna asked me, raising an eyebrow. “Like…serious, or whatever?”

  “Not really. We’re trying to be friends. Why?”

  Johnna exchanged a glance with Tamara. “What if she doesn’t tell him?”

  “Tell me what?” I said, feeling even more lost than before.

  The two women were still going back and forth as to whether they should tell me, and then it hit me what a dumbass I was. I had my phone in my pocket, and if Tamara found out by simply Googling, why couldn’t I?

  I whipped out my phone and typed Eva’s name, and my heart stopped. The article from a news site called Hollyword staring back at me stated with absolute certainty, “Eva Stone Pregnant. Is Mystery Man the Father?”

  “Declan…” Johnna turned around and must have seen the look on my face.

  “I need to sit down.”

  “You know not everything Hollyword says is true, right?”

  “Uh huh,” I muttered, remembering what Matt had said as well. “I still need to sit down.”

  I backed away from the two women, i
gnoring their calls as I headed back to my office.

  It might not be true, I told myself.

  I locked myself in my office and pulled the article back up, reading it in its entirety.

  Hollyword has received confirmation from a source that wishes to remain anonymous that artist and socialite Eva Stone is, indeed, pregnant. Her pregnancy was confirmed by a local doctor’s office in Sunville, Utah. Yes, you read that right - our Manhattan princess is in Utah, of all places! Makes you wonder if she’s there visiting Mystery Man, who has been identified as architect Declan Wilde, because he’s the father?

  I couldn’t wait for Matt to talk to Eva. If this were true and I was the father of her child, she’d been keeping it from me. And if she wanted it to remain a secret, this might cause her to flee again.

  I dialed her number and waited as it rang and rang. It went to voicemail.

  Dammit, Eva. Why don’t you answer your phone or return my messages?

  I left her a message telling her to call me and added that I thought it was ridiculous that she kept avoiding me because we needed to talk. I didn’t tell her what I’d read. I didn’t want to scare her away but made sure she knew it was important.

  I hung up and tried to get back to work but kept checking my phone for any more news. More and more outlets began reporting the pregnancy, saying they had confirmation of it. Some of the more reputable ones left me out of it, probably because there was no proof.

  I did the math, and there’d be plenty of time for her to get a positive pregnancy test. It could be mine. It was likely mine since we weren’t careful.

  My heart pounded in my chest, and I knew I couldn’t just sit there. I had to do something. Anything. I left the office and headed for my car, hoping to clear my head and distract myself while waiting for news from either Eva or Matt.

  Chapter 16

  Eva

  I hadn’t looked at my phone in hours and hadn’t had service for most of that time. I’d decided to drive out to the mountains to a secret little spot that I used to love visiting and paint to my heart’s content. The storm clouds began to roll in, sending me back into town. Once I finally got back to the hotel, I was met with the news of a lifetime. I stared at my name in the headlines again. I’d experienced it so often in my life, you would think I’d be used to it.

  Most times, it didn’t even faze me, but this was different. This wasn’t just about me. And my blood was boiling.

  Jessica… it had to be Jessica. She pretended to be my friend and then went behind my back and spilled the beans. Except, I knew there were strict laws regarding patient confidentiality.

  If I could prove this…

  She seemed so genuine, though. I’d wanted to believe her, that she had changed. But I knew the media paid big money for news like this.

  She clearly wasn’t hurting for money, though… Married to a doctor, from a family of rich doctors… but greed was one hell of a drug. Maybe she wanted more, or maybe it wasn’t about the money.

  I called her office.

  “Hello. This is Eva Stone,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm. “May I speak with Dr. Fisher, please?”

  I thought she might be with a patient, but the nurse responded that she’d be on the line in a few minutes. Not even a minute later, Jessica picked up the phone.

  “Hi, Eva? Is everything okay?” She sounded legitimately concerned, and I wanted to believe her - I really did.

  Tears stung at my eyes, but I wiped them away. “Uh, yes. I mean, yes and no. I have some concerns about my confidentiality after visiting the office recently. The media has apparently confirmed that I’m pregnant from an anonymous source—”

  Before I could finish, Jessica gasped. “Oh my… Do you think it was someone at my office? I take these issues very seriously, Eva. We don’t get many celebrities of your caliber in our office, but I assure you, we do not release patient details to anyone, especially not the media. Is there anything I can do? I will conduct an investigation to be sure no one here said anything. Is there anyone else who knows?”

  “Well, only one person, but she’s my best friend,” I said matter-of-factly. “And she wouldn’t have told anyone.”

  “I understand, and like I said, I will look into it further. If someone released confidential information to the press, you can rest assured that person will no longer be working for me.”

  “Thanks, Jessica,” I said, and I believed her. It would ruin her professionally if this got out. She would be in such legal trouble, her entire career would be in the toilet. Who would risk that for some petty revenge?

  I hung up the phone, no closer to the truth than I was before, and feeling like I might explode from all the emotions coursing through my veins.

  There was only one person I could speak to.

  I pulled myself off the bed and walked out of the room, heading next door. I knocked on the door and heard sounds inside that should have warned me that something was wrong.

  Voices. Multiple voices, at that.

  Lily wasn’t alone. The voices sounded panicked, like she’d gotten caught. Who did she know in Liberty, I wondered.

  “Lily?” I called out.

  “One second,” Lily responded.

  “Everything okay? Who’s in there with you?” I asked. She didn’t answer. “Lily?”

  “No one,” she said. “Do you mind giving me a minute? I can come over to your room.”

  I hesitated, wondering who she might have in her room.

  Jessica’s words ran through my brain, “Is there anyone else who knows?”

  Only Lily knew.

  I thought back to other stories that had broken over the years, all small compared to this. Several of them, I wondered, “How could they have known that?”

  Lily always blamed the media on being vultures who were watching me at every corner. I believed her because that’s what it seemed like. But now I had to wonder… did they have an inside source the entire time?

  She seemed to handle the press well, which was one of the reasons she made a damned good assistant. I knew she had dreams of being a journalist. Was this her way in?

  I swallowed a lump in my throat as I began to put the pieces together. The entire time, I’d been blind to it because she was my only friend.

  My best friend.

  Perhaps that was a ruse?

  “Eva? Are you still there?” Lily called out.

  “Yes,” I said meekly.

  Her door opened, but she snuck out by only opening it the tiniest bit. I tried to peer past her and into the room, but she closed the door as quickly as she could. Her cheeks were flushed, and she wouldn’t look me in the eye.

  “Who’s in there? Do you have a date?” I asked, noting her messy hair and disheveled appearance. Normally she wouldn’t let anyone see her like that, so it did give me hope.

  “A date?” She laughed really loudly. Too loudly. “No, no one’s in there. I was just taking a nap with the TV on.” She feigned a yawn.

  “I heard voices.”

  “No, must have been the TV. Yes, definitely the TV because I was completely alone in my room just now.”

  She still wasn’t looking me in the eye.

  “Lily, I can tell when you’re lying.”

  She opened her mouth as if to argue with me, then the tears began to fall. “I’m sorry, Eva. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

  “How could you?” I stammered. “Of all the people in the world, I trust you the most.”

  “I know, and I’m sorry. You’re my best friend and I don’t know how I could have done this to you.”

  My blood was on fire. I didn’t know if it was the pregnancy hormones or what, but I was ready to punch the wall.

  “You need to pack your bags, Lily. And once you’re in New York City, you need to find yourself another job, because you are no longer employed as my assistant.”

  Chapter 17

  Declan

  The sky had opened and it was pouring down rain. A chill ran throug
h my body as I remembered the last time we’d seen rain as heavy as this, and that the damage from the flooding could still be seen around town. According to the weather, this was supposed to be a short, spring storm and nothing more, and I was grateful for that.

  I drove slower on the mountain roads, heading toward town, feeling calmer already. My phone rang and I pulled over to check it, expecting it to be Ezra asking why I had stormed out of the office.

  It was Matt. I answered as quickly as possible.

  “Hey Matt. Did you talk to Eva?”

  “No,” he said, his voice sounding weird. “I was hoping you might have heard from her. I screwed up, man, and she’s not answering my calls. She knows about Lily and me.”

  “Wait, back up a second,” I said. “Tell me everything.”

  “Well, I went to the hotel after school, looking for her. Lily said she was out, and even though I tried finding her, we had no luck. Lily and I got to talking, and one thing led to another in her hotel room, and Eva knocked on the door and caught us. Lily tried to hide it, but she knew. She fired Lily and rushed out of the hotel. We both tried to catch her, but we were too late. Her car is still in the parking lot, so she’s out walking in this, Declan. I don’t know what to do.”

  “I’ll look for her. When did this happen?”

  “About ten, maybe fifteen, minutes ago.”

  “She couldn’t have gone far, just stay at the hotel in case she comes back there,” I said. “I can’t imagine that she would fire Lily over this.”

  “Lily told me she asked her to wait to start anything with me, and that’s all I can get out of her. Lily is in tears, she feels horrible, and I can’t believe I fucked up this badly.”

  “I’ll find her, man. Don’t worry. And she will come around. She’s probably just hurting at the moment, but we’ll figure it out.”

  “I hope so.”

  I got off the phone with Matt and continued heading into town, turning toward the hotel. I slowed down and kept an eye on the sidewalks. No one was out walking; the sidewalks and even the streets were empty.