Mountain Men of Liberty (Complete Box Set)

by K. C. Crowne

  “Good.” He spoke through a yawn.

  I ordered some food and let him eat in the car since I knew he was going to pass out as soon as we got home.

  As I suspected, he fell asleep before we even pulled into the driveway. His hand was still in the bag, reaching for another fry. I took stock of what was left and decided he’d eaten enough that I was satisfied he wouldn’t wake up starving in the middle of the night and carried him inside.

  Once he was safely tucked into Tabby’s bed, I went into the living room and tried calling Andy again. It went straight to voicemail. I left another heated message then texted him as well, telling him to call me.

  I usually waited up, expecting him to eventually call or stop by, so I flipped on the TV and scrolled through Netflix until I found something enticing. I was tired too, but it was still early. I stayed up as long as I could, until my eyes grew too heavy, and I fell asleep in the middle of a movie.

  When my alarm went off at five a.m. the next morning, I checked my phone for any signs of Andy calling or texting. Nothing yet. While unusual, it didn’t send up any red flags. As the years went by, Andy became more and more selfish and entitled, calling later and later or leaving Caleb with me for longer.

  I reached for my phone and called him yet again, preparing a searing speech for him. Instead of his usual voicemail greeting, however, the mailbox was full.

  Great.

  I sent him a text, telling him to get his shit together and call me or I would get CPS involved this time. I waited for confirmation that my message went through, but it never came. All my other messages remained unread as well.

  Fuck, Andy. I rarely swore, but this time, he’d gone too far.

  Chapter 3

  Grant

  The screams echoed in my mind. I could hear them in my dreams as clear as the day it all happened. I sat up in bed, drenched in sweat and on the verge of screaming myself. Not from fear, like the people who died that day, but in frustration. I couldn’t do anything to save them; not then, and certainly not now.

  Some days, I wished I had burned up alongside them. At least then I wouldn’t have to live with the guilt and the memories of their charred remains, knowing we’d failed them. They’d trusted us, and we failed them.

  It was just after five in the morning. I pushed myself out of bed and went through my morning routine in a daze. I needed to do something, anything, to keep my mind busy.

  I’d picked up everything for the ramp at the daycare, and there was no better time than the present to take it over and install it. I was out the door by 5:30, at the daycare by 5:45. I half expected Piper to be there since the center opened at six, but there was no sign of her car.

  I quickly got to work installing the ramp, which was mostly built already. I’d started it in the basement at my home and just needed to make sure it was safely installed and in place. As I was finishing, right at six, Piper’s car pulled into the parking lot.

  When she got out of the car, I noticed her hair was still wet and she looked frantic. She didn’t even notice me, so I checked out her tight ass as she bent over to get into the backseat. When she stood up, she had Caleb in her arms. She turned and carried him toward the entrance, finally noticing me. Even though she looked to be in a hurry, she stopped and offered me a friendly smile. Like always, that smile did things to me I couldn’t explain and wanted to ignore.

  “Oh my God, Grant! This is amazing,” she said, referencing the ramp. “You did it all this morning?”

  She wasn’t wearing her usual Little Cubs t-shirt. Instead, she had on a fitted tee with a v-neck, and Caleb’s body weight pulled it down just enough to show off her perfect cleavage. It was so wrong to be checking her out, and I scolded myself as I pulled my gaze away from her, focusing on the ramp instead.

  “Not all of it, but yeah, it’s ready to go now.” I shrugged.

  “Wow, it looks great,” she gushed. “Thank you so much.”

  Before I could stop her, she moved closer to me - putting Caleb on his feet - and gave me a tight hug. I wasn’t really much of a hugger, and it was weird to feel her so close to me. It stirred things low in my body every single time, and this time was no different. I stepped away, trying to hide the tightness in my jeans.

  Thankfully, another car pulled into the lot, turning Piper’s attention to them.

  “Oh, I better get the doors unlocked,” she said with a chuckle. She dug through her jean pockets for the keys and took Caleb’s hand and guided him to the front door. The entire time, I watched her body, the way it moved, and it just drove all the blood flow south.

  I waved to Frannie as she got out of the car, turning my body away so she wouldn’t notice the erection in my jeans. Of all the places for a hard-on, the parking lot of a Goddamn daycare was not it.

  “Oh, hey, Grant, do you mind helping me with something?” Piper asked from the doorway. “There’s a box on a really high shelf in the supply closet that none of us can reach, and I don’t have a step-stool or anything.”

  I wanted to run away, to tell her I had to go, but I couldn’t say no to her when she needed my help. I nodded. “Sure, but then I need to get going.”

  I didn’t have any other plans for the day. Originally, I wanted to work on the handrails in the bathrooms, but I didn’t want to spend the day hiding an erection. I had to take care of that, and fast, especially if I would be working there from time to time.

  I followed Piper inside, and she asked Frannie to keep an eye on Caleb and the front door. Piper led the way to the supply closet and stepped inside. I joined her, and it was cramped as hell - our bodies were practically pressed against each other. Piper blushed and wouldn’t meet my gaze, obviously sensing the awkwardness.

  “It’s that one that says Art Supplies,” she said softly.

  As I strained to reach the box, Piper was pressed between me and the wall. She stared up at me with those deep, grey eyes and licked her lips. The tightness in my body worsened. I grew harder looking at her, imagining what those perfectly pink lips might taste like. It had been so long since I’d kissed anyone. I forgot what I was doing, no longer reaching for the box at all, and I leaned closer to Piper. She stood on her tiptoes, angling herself upward to close the distance. She wanted it too.

  All rational thought left my mind as our lips moved even closer together.

  “Ms. Piper?” Frannie’s voice spoke from behind us, stopping us. “Mr. Miller would like a word with you.”

  I cleared my throat and finished what I was doing, grabbing the box over our heads and handing it to her. Neither of us could look the other in the eye.

  I had to leave first to let Piper out of the closet, and I couldn’t even look at Frannie as I exited. I mumbled something about needing to go and hurried from the daycare.

  My cock was literally throbbing and aching for release when I got to the car. I was relieved to be out of there, and even more relieved that I hadn’t done something stupid in kissing her, but I couldn’t stop my thoughts. I wanted to run my hands down her curves, to feel her breasts pressed firmly against me, and not just during a friendly hug. I wanted to explore the softness of her skin, kissing every inch of her flesh. And most of all, I wanted to be inside her.

  Breathing heavily, I drove home as quickly as possible. I had to clear my head before I did something really, really stupid.

  I was barely in my own house when I dropped my pants. I made it to the couch, dropping my boxers along the way. Gripping my cock, I stroked myself as I fell into the cushions, imagining Piper’s tiny hands gripping my hard-on.

  But it wasn’t just her hands I wanted to feel.

  Years ago, before I left for the Marines, we’d come close to hooking up. She’d still been a virgin back then and had offered me a chance to deflower her. We’d come close to fucking one warm, May evening. So very close. And I’d always regretted it when I was turned on, like I was now, but when I was clear-headed, I knew stopping it had been the right thing to do.

  I could
only imagine her tight pussy clenching around my thick member, hearing her soft moans as she came around me. I wanted her to ride me, to bounce up and down on my cock until she screamed in pleasure, her petite body bucking wildly as I thrust upward into her, going as deep as humanly possible.

  Closing my eyes, I stroked my cock with a deep-seated need for release.

  The muscles in my thighs clenched as my balls tightened against my body. I imagined Piper crying out, “Come inside me” as I shot rope after rope of cum all over my belly.

  A few moments later, I opened my eyes and took a deep breath. I already felt better - like I wouldn’t explode the next time Piper pulled me into a hug.

  With a clearer mind, I could get on with the rest of my day, which probably meant going back to the daycare. At least I wouldn’t be going in with an erection.

  Ooo000ooo

  I waited a few hours before heading back to the daycare. I did some work for Leah, then went around to some of the properties I managed to check on them. Recently, with the help of Leah’s journalist friend, Elle, we’d discovered that many of our properties had a valuable mineral in the soil - lithium - which was often used for batteries. At the end of the day, we were millionaires - though neither of us wanted to sell our properties to the developers who wanted to tear up the land to get rich, so we were literally just sitting on millions and millions of dollars. We loved our small town and there was nothing anyone could do to change that.

  The increased property value did allow us to take out some financing, which in turn helped us fix up the hotel as well as some of the properties. Some of them had remained empty for so long, but with the renovations, the houses could be used for vacation rentals, bringing in a nice, steady stream of income. Leah and I were comfortable, thanks to this, and neither one of us had to work if we didn’t want to - but that’s not who we were.

  After finishing in one of the vacation rentals, getting it ready for the next family, I checked the weather. We were expecting a brutal snowstorm later in the week, the first one of the season, which was why my properties were easy to rent. People came out here to ski, and there’d finally be snow on the grounds to make it possible.

  In Liberty, we were used to harsh winters and massive amounts of snow, so it didn’t worry me too much. We were always prepared for it, and this winter was no different.

  Truthfully, I was waiting until the end of the day to head back to Little Cubs, hoping the kids would have gone home. Caleb, especially. I was torn about him. He was a sweet little guy, and I couldn’t turn him down when he wanted to help the other day. But seeing him almost always caused more memories for me, memories that led to more vivid nightmares. And God knows, I didn’t need that.

  It wasn’t his fault, though, so I didn’t want to be rude to the little guy. But I also didn’t want the reminders of my past.

  After six p.m., I drove into the daycare parking lot, and as expected, a lot of the kids had been picked up. Except one. Caleb was sitting at a table drawing with Piper when I walked inside. He jumped up from his chair and ran over to me, and I noticed he was hobbling a bit. He was a little unsteady on his feet, even for a toddler.

  “Yay! You back!” he called out to me, with his hands in the air. My chest tightened and I froze. Piper offered a friendly smile but wouldn’t look me in the eyes. “Hey, what are you still doing here?” I asked, aiming my question at Piper.

  “Andy sometimes leaves him with me,” she said. She frowned, and I could tell there was more going on than she was letting on.

  “Oh yeah?”

  “Yeah, but this time— Oh, never mind.”

  Caleb grabbed my leg, trying to pull me over to the table. “I show you something.” I followed Caleb over to the table and watched as the little boy pointed at the drawing. To me, it looked like scribbles. “It’s you and me,” he said proudly.

  “Oh, yeah, I totally see it.”

  Piper laughed, but there was still worry etched across her face.

  “Here, you draw,” Caleb said, pushing a piece of paper and the box of crayons my way.

  I didn’t feel like drawing, but it wasn’t so much as a request as it was a demand. I sat down on the floor, too tall for the little table.

  “So what’s going on with Andy?” I asked as Caleb literally forced a red crayon into my hand.

  “Draw,” he said again.

  I doodled to appease him but kept my eye on Piper. She sighed again, leaning away from the table with her hands behind her on the floor.

  “He usually calls or texts, something, if he’s going to be gone for a few days, but I’ve gotten nothing. His voicemail box is full, and my texts aren’t even being read.”

  “He’s got that big case, you know. Against the Russos. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s just caught up with work.”

  “Yeah, I know,” she said, biting her lip. “It’s just— well, I don’t have clean clothes or anything for Caleb. I stopped by on my way here this morning, but there was no sign of him. I don’t have a key, so I couldn’t get inside.”

  I wanted to tell her that her cousin was a dick, but his son was sitting right there. Not exactly the best language for a child, especially when talking about his father. Piper was staring at Caleb, and I could tell she was trying to speak carefully in front of him as well. She was more worried than she was letting on.

  “Maybe you should give Teddy a call and he could look into it.”

  “Maybe,” she said softly, still looking at Caleb. “I just don’t want social services to get involved, you know? Especially if he’s just working or on another one of his fishing trips.”

  “You’re not drawing,” Caleb scolded me.

  I looked down and realized I’d dropped the crayon during my conversation with Piper. I picked it back up and doodled some more. This brought a smile to Piper’s face.

  “You’re so good with him,” she murmured. “And considering the other kids pick on him, and his own dad is hardly around, it means a lot.”

  “Why do the kids pick on him? He seems like a pretty outgoing kid.”

  Her smile faltered a bit, and she parsed her words carefully in front of Caleb. “You’ve probably noticed he has some problem walking. I’m trying to get Andy to take him to see a specialist. I even found a good one. He can’t really run around or play any games that require balance or movement without falling behind the others. They get annoyed that we play games he can play, ones that require sitting down, for instance.”

  Caleb continued scribbling on his paper, but he understood parts of the conversation. At least the part about him not being like the other kids. He probably felt it pretty deeply too.

  “We’ll get him in to see that specialist,” I said without even thinking about it.

  “We?” Piper cocked an eyebrow.

  I shrugged. “You know what I mean.”

  I didn’t even know what I meant by that. Was I saying I’d personally help get him into the doctor? I knew what it was like to struggle with mobility, even though I had no problems now. No one even knew I had a fake leg, but it hadn’t always been easy. I didn’t want Caleb to have to deal with that, especially at his age - and especially if this were a problem we could fix. But I also knew there wasn’t much I could do since I wasn’t his parent.

  Caleb yawned, and Piper looked at the clock. “I think we’re going to head home. I doubt Andy will be coming by anytime soon.”

  I nodded. “I just came over to install the handrails. I’ll lock up when I’m done.”

  “Sounds good,” Piper said, standing up and gathering Caleb’s things.

  “Can you come with us?” he asked.

  “Sorry, buddy, I can’t,” I said. “I have work to do here.”

  “See you tomorrow?”

  I wasn’t sure if it was a question or just a new phrase he’d picked up. I chuckled and said, “Sure, little man. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  My heart was still tight in my chest, and it felt like I couldn’t breathe sometimes whe
n I was around him, but I didn’t want him to suffer because of it. He had no real father figure, the kids picked on him. I wasn’t about to shut the little man out just because it was hard for me to look at him.

  The two of them left, and I thought I’d be relieved - but I found the silence in the daycare deafening. I reminded myself that being alone was for the best and got to work.

  Chapter 4

  Piper

  I pulled up to Andy’s house, decided to check there once more before going home. But as I feared, there was no sign of him. His truck wasn’t parked out front, no lights on inside, and the mail was still piling up in the mailbox.

  I sighed.

  “Can we go inside,” Caleb said. “Please?”

  “I’m sorry, Caleb. We don’t have a key to get in.”

  “Where’s Daddy?”

  I wish I knew. I didn’t want to scare Caleb, so I kept my voice chipper and upbeat. “He’s just working, sweetheart.”

  “With that mean man?”

  My hackles were raised. I flipped around in my seat to look at Caleb. “What mean man, Caleb?” He was too little to go into specifics, so I wasn’t sure what I expected with my question.

  “The man who yells a lot.”

  “What did he yell, Caleb?”

  Caleb seemed to think for a second but then shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  “Was this man angry at your daddy for something?”

  “I don’t know,” he said again. “But he yelled at Daddy a lot.”

  It could be nothing. It was probably nothing. Andy was a lawyer, he often made people mad. But he also had a case against the Russo’s, and since they’d come to Liberty, they’d been bad news. They tried to intimidate people into selling their property, which was worth millions, apparently. And when that hadn’t worked, they went as far as arson. Only one of the brothers was found guilty of that, however. The other - Lars Russo - insisted his brother had acted alone but no one actually bought that. They just couldn’t prove otherwise. And since Andy had a civil case against them, seeking damages to several properties around town, it seemed convenient that he might disappear.