by K. C. Crowne
“And my answer is the same as it was a minute ago,” I said dryly. “No way in hell. Even if I had no choice but to sell this place, you’d be the last person I’d consider now.”
“Yeah, you shouldn’t have done that,” Grant said with a smirk. He seemed more amused than anything else.
“Shouldn’t have done what?” Mr. Russo asked.
“You know what you did. And if you don’t, well, you’re stupider than any businessman I’ve met before,” Grant said with a chuckle before heading back into the kitchen.
I crossed my arms in front of my chest and glared at the man.
“You really don’t want to make her angry,” Phillip added, obviously trying to diffuse the tension.
“She’s not angry already?” Mr. Russo asked. He seemed to be mocking me.
“Oh, I can promise you,” Phillip laughed. “She’s just getting started.”
I was known for my temper, but only when people tried to take advantage of me or the ones I loved. I was a small woman, and men often thought they could walk all over me. But they were wrong.
“Mr. Russo, I won’t ask you again. Please leave before I call the sheriff. He’s an old friend of mine, and you better believe he’ll take my side in this.” “Us locals stick together. You’d best not forget that.”
The man stood there for a few more minutes, and I swore he was going to push my buttons further. But with a heaving sigh, he picked up his card and sauntered casually to the exit. He stopped before leaving, turning back to me with a smile that sent chills down my spine.
“I was hoping we could work together nicely, Ms. Barnes,” Mr. Russo said. “But I see I’m going to have to do this the hard way. And trust me when I say this - you will not come out ahead if you go to war with my company.”
“Get the fuck out of here,” I said. I flipped him the bird, just to make sure he got the message. You don’t mess with Liberty folks, and I don’t take well to threats. None of us would.
Most everyone in town had known each other all our lives. I meant it when I said I was friends with the sheriff. Teddy and I were on the debate team together. Half the guys working for him went to high school with us. In a town like Liberty, everybody knew everybody. Sometimes that was a pain in the ass, but most of the time, it came in handy.
It meant no one messed with us.
The man left, but I stayed up front in case he came back inside. With my fists balled at my side. I was fuming mad.
“Can you believe the balls on that guy?” I asked Phillip.
“Yeah, clearly he doesn’t know who he’s messing with.”
Phillip was still a young man, technically a teenager at only seventeen. He worked at the hotel during the summers ever since he was legally allowed to do so. He was heading off to college next fall, but like many in Liberty, he’d probably be back.
There was just something about this place that brought us all back.
“Leah! I was hoping I’d run into you.” A familiar voice pulled my thoughts back to the present.
Wade Harris, one of our regulars, walked around the counter - even though I had signs specifically stating it was for employees only. Wade went in for a hug, but I backed away before he could put his arms around me.
“Please, Wade, I’m having a rough day,” I said.
“Even more reason for a hug, don’t ya think?”
Wade was around thirty-five, so a bit older than myself. I didn’t know much about him, besides the fact that he often traveled to Liberty to get away from Las Vegas. Not that I blamed him. I’d go mad in a city like Vegas.
He loved the place so much, he often rented the hotel out for corporate retreats. He was some kind of manager and had the leeway to do that, so about twice a year, the place would be completely booked for a solid week. I owed him a lot, but I still didn’t want to hug him.
He was attractive enough, I supposed. A little plain. A little too prissy for my liking. His blonde hair was almost white, and I couldn’t tell if it was just that blonde or from prematurely aging.
I shot Wade a look, and he backed away from the hugging. Thankfully so. I often went along with whatever he wanted to appease him to stay on his good side. He was good for business, even if his over-the-top flirtatiousness grated on my nerves sometimes.
“What can I help you with?” Phillip asked, stepping between Wade and me. He was such a good kid; I was going to miss him when he went off to college.
“Oh, nothing. I just wanted to speak to Leah,” Wade said, his eyes on me.
“What do you need? Please tell me your room is fine. I—”
“My room is perfect, as always,” he said with a smile. “I just wanted to check in on you, see how you’re doing.”
“I’m doing okay,” I said. “How about you?”
“I’m good,” he said. “Better than good, actually. You see, I won these two tickets for a concert in Salt Lake City. Brad Paisley, have you heard of him?”
I cackled. “Of course I’ve heard of him. Congrats, by the way. I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful time.”
I started to walk toward the kitchen, but Wade jumped in the way, blocking my path. “I was hoping you might want to go with me? I don’t know anyone else who’s free that weekend.”
“I’m sorry, Wade, but I can’t. I’ve got a lot going on with the gala and everything.”
“You don’t even know when the concert is,” he said, sounding like a little boy who just discovered Santa Claus wasn’t real.
I sighed, rubbing my temples. “I don’t have any time these days, Wade. I literally live to work.”
“Maybe you should change that.”
“Sure, I’d love to, but I can’t.” I was getting a little snippy and didn’t want to do that. But I was tired of dealing with men for the day and wanted to retreat into the back and try to find a way to pay for all the repairs that needed to be done, not deal with Wade. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to work.”
I slipped past Wade and found Grant standing in the doorway with a cheeky grin. He moved out of my way, then continued blocking the door so Wade couldn’t pass. Thank the Lord for my big brother. He was my savior in that moment.
“You really shouldn’t be back here,” Grant said, pointing to the signs. “It’s for employees only.”
I hurried through the kitchen and shut myself away in my office. Sitting down at my desk, I let out a deep sigh. My head was hurting from all the bullshit I’d had to deal with already, and I still had to do payroll for the week.
“And they wonder why I have no patience with men,” I muttered to myself as I got to work.
There was a knock at the door, followed by Grant’s voice. “It’s just me.”
One of the only men I didn’t despise.
“Come in.”
My brother strode into the room, which was far too small for the likes of him. He sat down in the flimsy chair across from my desk and steeped his fingers, studying me.
“What’s up, big brother?”
“I was just thinking… are you sure you don’t want to sell the place?”
“Uh, don’t even start in on that bullshit,” I said. “Our parents would disown us if we did that.”
“Nah, they’d get over it,” he said. “Besides, dad left you this mess. Had he run the place better, you wouldn’t be in the hole.”
“Yeah, but now it’s my job to fix it.”
“Is it though?” Grant asked. “I mean, I’d hate to lose the place too, but the stress you’re under, Leah - is it really worth it?”
I took a deep breath and thought about what he was saying. “Yes, of course,” I said after a moment of thought. “This is my dream, Grant. I want to get this place up and running successfully, to turn this into a legacy I can leave my children and future grandchildren.”
“I know you say that, but Leah, this place is a mess - and Liberty will never be a tourist mecca, so what are your plans to keep people coming here?”
“Well obviously Lib
erty has caught the attention of big-time developers, so there’s something big here,” I said. “Besides, I have plans. I just need to get all the remodels done before I can implement them.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know, you want to turn this into a B&B, a relaxing mountain escape for those who yearn to avoid tourist traps,” Grant said. “But we both know that ain’t going to be easy, Leah. Not with the condition the building is in, and all the things that need repaired.”
“I know, Grant. Trust me, I know. I scour over the books day in and day out. What do you want me to say?”
“I don’t know. I just want to make sure you’re happy, that’s all.”
“I am happy.”
“Are you?” Grant asked.
“Yes,” I said. I knew he doubted me, so I decided to elaborate. “I’m as happy as I can be. I’m still hoping to settle down one day, find myself a man that isn’t a complete asswipe - but if that doesn’t happen, at least I have the hotel and everything I’ve worked toward. And I’ll have given back to the community, and to charity. At least I can say I lived my life on my own terms. Can you say that, Grant?”
Grant looked taken aback. I hadn’t meant for it to be an attack on him, but I worried about my brother. He never let anyone in. Even I had trouble sometimes. He used to have dreams too, and those seemed to be tossed aside for busy work.
“I’m starting my business,” he said.
“Good. That’s a start,” I said. “And I’m proud of you for making a friend and getting your shit together to start a business with him.”
“I hope you know I’m proud of you too, sis,” he said.
“For what?” I asked. “For not walking away when that’s the smart thing to do?”
“No, for standing up for what you believe in. For sticking by the folks of Liberty, for all that you do in our sister’s name.”
My brother rarely told me he was proud of me. It made my day to hear him praise me, something that rarely happened. Still, it felt weird and a bit awkward. My cheeks flushed and I looked away.
“Thank you,” I said softly.
“Anyway, I better get back to work. That sink ain’t going to fix itself,” Grant said.
Our sweet brother-sister moment was over, and we were back to work. Before Grant left, he turned to me and said, “And watch out for that Wade guy. I think he’s a bit obsessed with you.”
I groaned. “Tell me about it,” I said. “But he’s harmless. It’s just a silly little crush.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure—”
“Alright, you can stop the protective big brother act. I appreciate it, but I can take care of myself,” I said with a playful laugh. “Besides, he’s one of the only reasons we’re still in business, so I have to play nice.”
“Just be careful around him. He’s a bit creepy,” he said.
“Wanna talk about creepy? Wade has nothing on that Donovan Russo guy,” I muttered.
Grant’s phone rang, and he stared at it with a scrunched up face. “It’s Kellen,” he said. “I better answer this.”
“Go on,” I said, shooing him from the office. “Handle your business and leave me to mine.”
I heard his voice as he stepped out of the office, and from the sounds of it, something was wrong. I didn’t want to pry, but I couldn’t help but overhear bits and pieces of the conversation.
“No, not a problem at all, man,” Grant said. “Take all the time you need, and if you want some help, I’m here.”
Wow, my brother had made a friend. A true friend from the sounds of it.
“Of course I can run by your house and try to get things ready,” he said.
Ready for what, I wondered. I didn’t hear the rest of the phone call; Grant had stepped too far from the doorway. It was none of my business.
Did you enjoy this sneak peek of Baby For The Mountain Man Grab the full story HERE. You can also check out my full list of books in the Mountain Men of Liberty series, listed on the next page. As always thank you for your support!
About the Author
K.C. Crowne is an International Bestselling Romance Author and author of Amazon top 20 US books.
Rainbow Canyons Cowboy Series (this series) Untamed Cowboy |Taboo Cowboy |Cowboy’s Baby|Her Cowboy Daddies
Mountain Men of Liberty Series
Baby for the Mountain Man| Junior for the Mountain Man| Knocked Up by the Mountain Man| Baby For Daddy's Friend | Triplets for the Mountain Man | Taboo Mountain Daddy| Mountain Man’s Secret Baby
Big Bad Daddies Series
Big Bad Doctor | Big Bad Daddy| Big Bad Taboo Daddy | Big Bad Prince|Big Bad Mountain Man| Big Bad SEAL| Big Bad Boss| Big Bad Sugar Daddy| Big Bad Mountain Brothers
Bearded Brothers Mountain Man Series
Her Mountain Daddy| Beauty and the Beard| Bride and the Beard| Built and Bearded |
Firemen of Manhattan Series
Big Bad Fireman’s Baby| Big Bad Firefighter| Big Bad Fire Daddy|
Spenser Sisters Reverse Harem Series
Men on a Mission| Christmas with Four Firemen| Dirty Cowboys
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