Mountain Men of Liberty (Complete Box Set)

by K. C. Crowne

  “It’s not a problem.” I shrugged. “I like to stay busy.”

  I looked down at the ground and walked into the kitchen. Piper didn’t need to lead the way. I’d been working at the daycare since we decided to turn it into the daycare, and I knew the layout like the back of my hand.

  Still, Piper waited as if she wanted to tell me something. I waited for a second, giving her a chance to speak, but she stood there with a smile on her pretty face. She was an odd girl sometimes, a little more talkative than I often cared for. She was sweet as hell, though, so it was damn near impossible to get annoyed at her for it.

  “Do you need any help?” she asked.

  “No, I think I can handle this on my own,” I muttered.

  “You sure? I could—”

  “I’m missing a leg, Piper, not an arm,” I grumbled.

  “Okay then.”

  Dammit. Now I felt like an asshole.

  I was underneath the kitchen sink, so I couldn’t see her face, but I heard the hurt in her voice. Before I could think of anything to say, Piper said, “Caleb? What’s wrong, buddy?”

  I listened as her footsteps walked away from the sink, and I was relieved. For a second, at least. I heard some muffled crying, and my instincts kicked in. I tried to see who was crying and why but ended up hitting my face on the cabinet instead.

  “Goddammit,” I growled, holding my hand to my nose.

  “Grant? You okay?” Piper called out to me.

  The crying had stopped. I was now staring up at the sink from underneath the cabinet, feeling like an absolute buffoon. “I’m fine.”

  “You sure? You hit your head pretty hard. Let me take a look.”

  “I said, I’m fine. Take care of the kid,” I said roughly.

  “Caleb’s fine, aren’t you, buddy?”

  I heard a muffled, “Yes.”

  “Some of the other kids are just mean to him sometimes. We’re trying to work on that.”

  I finished cleaning the garbage disposal, which was clogged. Nothing serious. I cleaned it out while Piper and the little boy played a game in the background. I couldn’t make out what they were doing, but Piper was singing, and every now and then, the little boy would join in.

  Once I finished, I pulled myself out from under the sink and wiped the sweat from my brow. I found Piper sitting on the kitchen floor with the little boy with the big eyes. The one that reminded me of Firash.

  My heart hurt too much to stick around.

  “Uh, if you don’t have anything else for me, I think I’m going to head out.”

  Piper stood up and dusted off her pants; the little boy followed her. The two of them looked a lot alike. He could almost be her child, except I knew Piper didn’t have any kids of her own.

  “Thanks, Grant,” she said with a friendly smile.

  My eyes fell on the little boy again. “Is this Andy’s son?”

  “Yeah, how can you tell?” she giggled.

  “He looks just like you, figured he had to be family.”

  Piper didn’t really have much family. Just her and her sister and her cousin, Andy, who was hardly ever around. I knew the guy in high school, but he always thought he was too good for the rest of us. Still did, working as a bigshot lawyer and all.

  “Yeah, he’s family,” she said, ruffling the little guy’s hair. “Aren’t you, rascal?”

  Andy and his wife Lori had had a baby about three years ago, but I’d never met the boy. And I only knew that because Leah told me how obvious it was Lori and Andy didn’t want to be parents. Lori died of an opiate overdose a few months later, leaving Andy a single father of a boy he barely wanted.

  The little boy didn’t respond to Piper’s question, just stared at me with his big eyes. I turned my attention back to Piper.

  “I should get going. Leah has some work that needs to be done.”

  The little boy reached up and tugged on my pant leg.

  “Yes?” I wasn’t exactly sure how to respond to him.

  “I help?” he asked.

  “Oh, no,” Piper said, cutting in before I could say anything. “No, I don’t think that’s a good idea, Caleb.”

  “Why?” Caleb asked.

  “Because Grant has to do grownup stuff, and we’re getting ready to play a game with Miss Tabby. Won’t that be fun?”

  Caleb continued looking up at me, and the more he stared at me with those puppy dog eyes, the more my heart ached for the last little boy who’d clung to my side.

  Caleb shrugged his little shoulders and looked like someone had knocked the wind out of his sails. He really didn’t want to go back in there and play with those other kids. If he was being bullied, I didn’t blame him. But it wasn’t my problem. Piper was the expert; she could handle it. There was nothing I could do about it.

  “I’m sorry, little man,” I said, running a hand over the stubble on my face. “I think you’ll have a lot more fun playing games with Piper and Tabby than with me.”

  Caleb didn’t look so sure. I hated seeing the little guy so sad and downtrodden, but Piper took his little hands.

  “Come on, Caleb. I’ll let you pick the game. How does that sound?”

  She shot me a sweet smile, mouthing “Thank you” over her shoulder. I watched the two of them leave the kitchen, mainly looking at Piper. Damn, she had a nice body. I tried to avoid being alone with her as much as possible, afraid that I might say or do something to jeopardize her friendship with my sister, but if she were anyone else… well, let’s face it. I hadn’t been too interested in dating anyone since I got back. Not even someone as sexy as Piper could change that.

  Sure, I missed sex. But I was too broken to get into a relationship. I knew Piper wanted a husband and kids one day, and she deserved that. But I couldn’t give that to anyone.

  I was better off alone.

  Chapter 2

  Piper

  My mind was racing almost as fast as my heart was pounding. I had to play it cool, especially around the kids, but damn… Every time Grant came in to work on something, I might as well be a pile of goo. He looked so good in those jeans too.

  I was warm, and my cheeks were flushed. My sister gave me a strange look when she saw me.

  “What’s going on with you?”

  “Nothing. Just got a little overheated, that’s all,” I lied.

  Grant came out of the kitchen after us. Tabitha took one look at him, then raised her eyebrow at me. “Uh-huh. Now I see why.”

  She knew better than to go into more detail around the kids, which was a blessing. Tabitha had always teased me about my crush on Grant, but we were adults now and had moved on with our lives. I could appreciate the fact that he looked hot as hell without pining over him like a love-drunk teenager.

  I waved at Grant as he exited the daycare, both relieved and saddened by his departure. Relieved because I was at work and there was no time for the thoughts in my head, but saddened, because damn, he did some crazy things to my insides.

  Tabitha giggled, giving me a wry grin. I decided to change the subject.

  “I promised Caleb he could pick the next game we played as a group,” I announced. Caleb was still by my side, staring at the other children gathered in the center of the room. I could tell he wanted to join them, but he struggled to do so. He had trouble keeping up with them, especially when they ran around. It wasn’t too obvious, but he had a bit of a limp and some issues walking.

  “Great! What would you like to play, Caleb?”

  Caleb looked at me, then at Tabitha. He wasn’t very good at anything that required moving around, but he loved being a part of the group and getting to play with the older kids.

  “How about Pass the Ball?” I asked. His eyes lit up and he nodded, practically wiggling in place.

  Jacob, a five-year-old that often liked to pick on Caleb, groaned. “That game is boring. I want to play musical statues.”

  Other kids joined in, exclaiming that they too wanted to play the dancing game instead. I looked at Tabi
tha. Musical statues was a popular game where we played some silly music, the kids would dance until the music stopped and they have to freeze in place. It was a fun game, and it wore them out - which was often a good thing early in the day, before naptime.

  But I’d promised Caleb he could pick the game.

  “We can dance afterward, Jacob,” I said. “First, we’re going to play pass the ball! Everyone, get in a circle, please.” I glanced around. “Jacob, Olivia, please join us.”

  I motioned for Jacob and his friend to join the group. They were standing off to the side. Olivia wasn’t usually a troublemaker, but she looked up to Jacob and seemed torn between joining the other kids in the center of the room or staying with her friend.

  Caleb sat down beside me on the floor. He was usually my little shadow, but I wanted him to be around other kids. It would do him some good. His home life was a wreck, so I wanted him to have some sort of normal life at daycare. But it was hard to get him to interact with anyone, especially with older kids like Jacob picking on him every change he could get.

  Eventually, Olivia gave up and joined the circle. Jacob stood out from the group. His arms were crossed in front of his chest as he stood defiantly off to the side. Caleb looked at him with hurt in his eyes.

  Tabitha knew what to do, however, and took over from there. She took care of Jacob, which would include a conversation on why it wasn’t very nice to talk to us like that as well as basic manners towards other classmates. It was possible that we would need to involve his parents soon if his behavior didn’t change.

  I got the game started by pressing the button on the little handheld radio and passed the ball to Caleb. Caleb passed it to Olivia, and from there, the kids were smiling and getting along. When the music stopped, a three-year-old named Madison was holding the ball. She grinned happily as Tabitha re-joined the circle and took her over for her prize. Jacob sat down and joined his classmates. We continued playing the game until everyone had a chance to win a small prize - which mostly included things like toothbrushes and books, most of which were donated by the local dentists or the library in town. I picked up a few little toys as well, whenever I could.

  Just as the game was wrapping up, the front door to the center opened and Grant came back inside. I scrambled to my feet, feeling the heat rising inside of me.

  “What are you doing back? I mean, not that I’m complaining, but—” God, I really should just keep my mouth shut sometimes.

  Grant didn’t seem phased by my poor choice of words. “I’m running to the home improvement store for a few things, wanted to get some measurements for the ramp and the hand railings.”

  “Oh, thank you. Is there anything I can do to help?”

  Caleb walked over to me, and I took his little hand in mine. “Help?” he asked, staring at Grant with the most adorable look on his face.

  “Nah, little man. I got this,” Grant said.

  My heart pitter-pattered in my chest when he talked to little Caleb. I’d never really seen him around kids before, so to see him interact so well with my young cousin made me swoon.

  “I help, please?” Caleb asked, his voice a little whinier. “Please?”

  “I’m just getting some measurements,” Grant said with a shrug. “I’m sure he could help hold the tape measure, I guess. Or something.”

  You’d have thought we’d told him we were taking him to Disney World by how excited he got, wiggling and smiling. It warmed my heart to see him so happy, especially since we’d been having a lot of trouble with the other kids, and I knew his father was hardly ever home.

  And to see Grant with Caleb by his side just made my insides turn to mush. It made him even sexier to me. I’m not sure what it was about a man who was good with kids, but it upped their attraction by a million.

  I made sure Tabitha was good with the rest of the kids, and as we walked by the nursery, I saw that Frannie, the town grandma, had everything under control in there.

  Grant started on the bathrooms, measuring the space for some new handrails. The ones we had in place were a little high. Just as promised, he allowed Caleb to help him - Caleb thought he was helping, anyway.

  “Here, hold this for me right here,” Grant prompted.

  Caleb looked at the end of the tape measure and placed his hand on it, acting like it was serious business - like it was the most important job in the world.

  My face hurt from smiling so much. I didn’t say a word or get involved, I just stood back and supervised. I trusted Grant with Caleb, but because he wasn’t a licensed daycare provider, I couldn’t leave him alone with the kids.

  Caleb’s hand slipped, and the end of the tape measure slipped down the wall and crashed to the ground. He covered his ears and said, “Uh-oh.”

  “It’s okay, little man,” Grant said, placing the tape measure back where it was supposed to go. Caleb held it again, this time without dropping it.

  There was a look in Grant’s eyes I couldn’t place. While he was so kind and gentle with Caleb, I could see a hesitancy there. A darkness, even. He did everything he could to hurry the job along, and at times, it felt like he wasn’t looking at the boy. When he did, there was a sadness in his eyes I’d never seen before.

  “Alright,” Grant said, rolling up the tape measure. “I think we’re good for today. Thanks, little man.”

  “You welcome!” Caleb said proudly.

  I reached for Caleb’s hand and said a quick word to Grant. “That was sweet of you.”

  “Don’t mention it.”

  “I mean it, though.”

  “So do I,” he grumbled. “Seriously, don’t mention it. The kid obviously needed it today. And hell—I mean, heck— we’ve all been there.”

  Grant seemed extra eager to leave after that, but Caleb was as happy as a clam.

  Ooo000ooo

  “Hey, Andy, it’s getting late and I want to go home. Just wondering when you’re going to pick Caleb up? Also, did you call the orthopedic specialist I told you about? You really should get his feet checked out.”

  I sighed as I hung up the phone. Caleb yawned as he sat at the table with his crayons and coloring book in front of him. He wasn’t coloring, though; he was watching to see what we were going to do.

  It wasn’t the first time my cousin had forgotten to pick up his son, and I was certain it wouldn’t be the last. Andy was way too selfish to be a father, much less a single father. Of course, most of the time, he was buried in his work, but even when he wasn’t, he was off on some fishing excursion he forgot to tell me about, leaving me to watch his son for a few days while he took off. He’d tell me about it after he left, saying, “I thought I told you and you agreed to watch him.”

  Nope. Never did.

  If it wasn’t for Caleb, I’d have cut ties with him long ago. He was the only family, beside Tabby, that I had left after our father died, but that didn’t give him free rein to treat me like shit either. But Caleb needed at least one adult figure in his life to make sure he was being taken care of, and that person was me.

  I couldn’t afford to take him to the doctor for his feet, however. I’d already done the research, found a great doctor, and passed that info off to Andy, but he was in denial that his son had any issues. He didn’t see him struggling to play with the other kids or to keep up with kids his own age. He struggled to walk, and I knew if it wasn’t taken care of soon, it might cause permanent damage.

  My hands were tied, however, since I wasn’t his legal guardian. I couldn’t seek out medical care for him without his dad’s permission, which I was working on. I nagged him about it every chance I got.

  “Alright, buddy,” I said after a few minutes and no call back from Andy. “Looks like you’re coming home with me tonight.”

  Caleb smiled. “Can we watch Mickey?”

  “It’s a little late for Mickey, bud,” I told him, ruffling his hair.

  Some kids might hate the idea of not going home or their parents not picking them up, but Caleb was used to it -
and he seemed to like my house well enough. Even if it wasn’t kid-friendly, he got to sleep in Tabby’s room when she was away in Salt Lake for college. Luckily, she’d left earlier that afternoon for the next few days.

  We packed Caleb’s stuff, and I continued checking my phone. Andy usually called me right back, saying he was sorry, talking about how he got held up at work or thought he’d mentioned going out of town. But there was nothing. It was almost eight p.m. and everyone else had gone home except for us. It was Caleb’s bedtime, and all he’d had for dinner so far were some of the snacks I kept on hand for snack time or lunch. I made a mental note to grab something fast on the way home, knowing my fridge at home wasn’t well-stocked at the moment.

  Luckily, I did have a car seat for him in my car; for that I was thankful. Andy let me borrow the extra one once, and I guess he knew I’d be taking his kid around a lot, so he just never asked for it back.

  I buckled him in the car seat and climbed into the driver’s seat, checking my phone one more time before turning on the engine. Still nothing. I put my phone away and drove home. Caleb used to ask all kinds of questions - where is my daddy? Why are we going to your house? When will he pick me up? - but he didn’t this time. It was now the norm, and he seemed to know what to expect. We’d get home, and usually Andy would come by after he fell asleep - around ten or eleven, sometimes later - or the next day. Or he’d call and tell me he’d be a few days.

  Caleb yawned again in the backseat.

  “We’re almost there, Caleb,” I said, pulling into a McDonald’s drive thru. It was the one and only fast food restaurant on the outskirts of our small town. I hated feeding the boy fast food, he needed real food, but he also needed to get to bed soon - and there was no time to run to the store.

  Caleb perked up at the sight of the golden arches.

  “You hungry, bud?”

  “Yes,” he said, eyes still heavy with sleepiness.

  “We’ll get you a happy meal. How does that sound?”