by Lauren Wood
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Copyright © 2018 by Lauren Wood
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.
This is a work of fiction. While, as in all fiction , the literary perceptions and insights are based on life experiences and conclusions drawn from research, all names, characters, places and specific instances are products of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously. No actual reference to any real person, living or dead, is intended or inferred.
Mountain Man’s Proposal – A Mountain Man Romance
Published by Wood Publication, CA
MOUNTAIN MAN’S PROPOSAL
A MOUNTAIN MAN ROMANCE
BY: LAUREN WOOD
Contents
MOUNTAIN MAN’S PROPOSAL
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
CHARISTMAS PRESENT: A BAD BOY ROMANCE
FALLING FOR MY EX: A SECOND CHANCE ROMANCE
A BILLIONAIRE ROMANCE SERIES
MORE BAD BOY ROMANCE BY LAUREN WOOD
Exclusive Steamy Romance: “NEXT DOOR TEMPTATION” A HOT Never Before Published Full Length Novel!
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I’M SO GLAD YOU’RE HERE!
I would like to personally thank you for choosing to read my book and open your heart to my words. I am grateful to have you on board!
I appreciate feedbacks; feel free to write me at [email protected].
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Love,
Lauren Wood
P.S.: For your reading enjoyment, I have included a steamy bad boy romance – “Next Door Temptation”. Please check the table of content.
MOUNTAIN MAN’S PROPOSAL
Chapter 1
Merle
Getting a ride the last part of the journey was easier said than done. I had several offers but they were from sketchy people and I was sure that I would be found next year when the snows melted in some far off place by hunters.
I finally found a female that was going to Nome and I was lucky enough to talk her into letting me tag along. I had a couple of duffel bags with all of my equipment in it, so I had to toss those in the back of the truck and get in. It was a couple of hours and that gave me time to learn more about the place where I was headed. Molly was an older woman and she liked to talk. I got a basic tour of everywhere we passed by and when we got to our destination, I felt like I had actually learned quite a bit. She would have been perfect to do tours. It was like Molly was made for it.
“Well good luck Merle. I hear that the diving out there right now is dangerous. Have you ever done it before?”
I told her that I had, just not with the cold that was Nome, Alaska right now. It was easy to see how it was dangerous, but I’d always wanted to dive for gold. It was literally just sitting on the bottom of the ocean and I wanted to go scoop it up. This was to be how I paid for my last year of school. I came up here with high hopes and a name that I was supposed to contact when I got here.
At the moment I was outside of a small bar that had drink specials on a board. I wasn’t here for a drink, but directions. Molly hadn’t known the man I was looking for. His name was Kevin and that made me nervous that she didn’t know him. Everyone kind of knew everyone in places like Nome and I wasn’t sure what that meant for the man who had a rig and was supposed to hire me. I had come a long ways and I didn’t even want to think about the idea that I was not going to have a contact here. The season was already in full swing and it might be hard to pick up some work now. I certainly wouldn’t get the good percentages that I was promised before by Kevin.
When I made my way in, it was hard to see because it was so dark in the interior. I had to go slow and let my eyes adjust to the new surroundings before I was able to start noticing faces and trying to find the one face that I was there for. Kevin told me to meet him here. He said he was here if he wasn’t on the rig. Now I was sure that it was a dead end, but I went up to the bar and waited for the bartender to make his way to me.
The bushy-haired man’s eyes matched the brown hair on top of his head. He looked like he was fresh from electrocution and I had to look away before the smile on my face got bigger. It wasn’t a good way to start the day. Of that I was sure and I straightened up enough so that I could ask about Kevin. I half figured that the bartender wouldn’t know who I was talking about and I was going to be stuck here with no real direction of what to do next. I didn’t have a plan in place and I was nervous now. It had been a big leap of faith, I knew that, but maybe it was bigger than I would have imagined.
“Oh Kevin Leer. You must be talking about that newbie that came down. He says he is going to make his fortune on the gold here, but I don’t think he will. He is usually held up in that back booth, shooting the shit with someone, but he is out on the water today.”
I was worried that he had found someone else to take my place and I wasn’t going to be wanted or needed when it comes down to it. I was so afraid of him picking a local that had more experience than taking a chance on me. I knew that I had what it took, but as I had never dove in these conditions before, I know there was a question of if I was going to be able to do it or not.
“Do you know where I could find him?”
The bartender gave me direction, but told me that I had most likely missed Kevin. If he was sober before noon, he would be out on the water early. It was sounding like he liked to take his gold and melt it down for cash pretty quickly and once he had ran out, it was time to go out and get some more. I wasn’t sure if I was comfortable with that arrangement, but I just needed a chance. If I could have a few good dives, there is a possibility that I could find a spot with another captain and boat.
So I made my way down to the shoreline. He was in walking distance from what the bartender
told me. I just had to find the boat, Second Chances. It was a name that sounded about right for Kevin. He was fresh from a divorce and after losing everything in the divorce, he planned to get his money back by picking it up off the sea floor. It was one hell of a gamble, but it was the same one that brought me here so I knew the chances too, yet here I was, gambling it all.
I walked down the dockside and saw hundreds of boats of all shapes and sizes. It looked like about half of them were set up to gold mine and I started to get excited. It was strange to realize that I was finally here and I had a feeling that I was going to find my fortune out here as well. It may have been misplaced, but I was starting to have hope again. I just had to find Kevin and I was sure that I was going to get what I came here for.
Chapter 2
Merle
“Hey are you looking for me?”
I turned around, hoping that it was Kevin, but it wasn’t and my face must have showed my disappointment.
“Not used to that sort of reaction.”
“Sorry, I thought you were Kevin. I have been waiting out here for quite some time. His boat is here, but Kevin is nowhere to be seen.”
“He is most likely passed out in there the whole time. He must not have been sober enough to get it started. That pull start can be a bitch. Do you want me to check and see if he is in there for you?”
I looked to the rigged up boat in front of me and I knew that if what he said was true, I was going to be pissed. I had been waiting for quite some time for this guy and if he was in the boat the whole time, I knew that I was going to be pissed. I was freezing and I didn’t have to wait this long, yeah I was going to be mad that I hadn’t thought to check.
The man that had walked up and asked if I was looking for him was studying my face.
“You are new around here, huh?”
I told him that I was. It was a small town and I was sure that everyone would know that I was new here soon enough.
“Yeah, just got in this afternoon and I have been looking for Kevin ever since. I have a job with him, but I haven’t made contact yet. Would you mind checking the boat? I don’t know if barging in on him with me being new and all is a good idea.”
“Sure, Kevin is a bear in the morning, but you just ignore him and he is fine after he gets some coffee in him.”
“Well thanks for the heads up. I am starting to worry that I hitched my wagon to the wrong boat. Is he doing any good this year?”
The man that introduced himself as Charlie grinned and then shrugged a little. “When he is sober, he does well. Always have someone else on deck to keep you safe while you are down there. Don’t trust Kevin to do it for you. And I think he is going to have a field day with a pretty thing like you. Does he know what you look like?”
I thought that was a weird question and I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to take that as a compliment or not. It was hard to tell and I wasn’t sure which was to go about it. Charlie had a disabling smile that I was trying hard to ignore, but in a way I didn’t want to. It had been so long since I had flirted with a guy that I had just met and in Nome no less. I hadn’t saw that coming.
“No, I don’t think so. I mean, I didn’t put my face on the resume.”
He just shook his head. “Well I doubt he is going to be able to talk around you. We don’t get many women that look like you out here. What are you supposed to be doing?”
“Diving.”
He looked at me as if he didn’t believe me and that bothered me a little bit. I knew that it was going to be an uphill battle with the area men, but I wasn’t ready for it like I thought I would be. It was a shame that just because I was a woman I was going to have to prove myself, but it wasn’t anything that I hadn’t saw coming nonetheless.
“Yeah, diving.”
“Well I can’t say that I have seen someone your size diving. The equipment is rather heavy.”
I tried not to sigh too loudly. He was trying to be helpful, but he wasn’t being very helpful in my eyes.
“Yeah I have done it before, so I am sure I will be okay. Do you work out on the boats?”
“I have a couple out there right now, but I don’t dive anymore. It is easier to get the young ones like you to do it so I don’t have to break my back getting out there every morning. I was thinking that they should be back by now, but it looked like I have a little time on my hands. Seems to be good luck.”
“Well I would appreciate any help you can give me in locating Kevin. I just want to get my things put up and find a bed for the night.”
“There are a couple of places in town that will take boarders. Some people live in tents and yurts down on the beach. Even though the weather is nice, I wouldn’t recommend that route for you. It can be a dangerous place for women on their own.”
“Yeah that’s what I hear. I think that most of the people that know I came up here think that I’m going to get attacked by a local or a bear.”
“It happens.”
He left it like that and I felt a little ominous in the way that he was being so serious. There wasn’t a smile on his face or anything else. He couldn’t be for real, right? I mean, it’s not like there is something wrong with a woman being out on her own, even in Alaska.
“Well I am sure I will be okay. I have lived a lot of places and I haven’t been afraid yet.”
“Good, don’t let the stories get you down. It is a great place to live if you are willing to work for it. There is no easy life out here, but if you are planning on diving, then I guess that’s not what you are looking for. Let me go grab Kevin and get you two acquainted. If you are any good, I am always looking for another diver for my own boats.”
I nodded, but didn’t say anything more. I was promised to Kevin as long as he was going out and it was time for the day to begin. I was ready to hit the ground running.
Chapter 3
Charlie
The girl was hot as fuck and I almost didn’t want to go get Kevin. The lucky bastard didn’t deserve such a hot assistant and I wanted to sweep her up and have her work on one of my boats. If I had her to look forward to, I think I would be able to get my ass up a little earlier than usual. Merle was a sight for sore eyes and it almost helped me to forget about another new person to the community that was off limits. If Merle wasn’t here with someone, it meant that I would have a chance.
I walked onto the other boat and looked around. The place was a mess and maybe I wouldn’t have to do anything at all. The girl might get an eyeful of the place here she would be expecting to work at and she might decide that it isn’t for her. Not unless she isn’t too keen on safety. I saw many problems with his rigging and worried about the woman. It wasn’t that safe when the equipment wasn’t taken care of properly.
“Kevin, are you in here?”
I heard a slight sound of waking up and I could have guessed that it was already happy hour somewhere for Kevin. He was inebriated and I didn’t even have to find his slumped over body that was in and out of it to know. He was never sober for long and today wasn’t one of his sober days.
“What do you want Charlie? It’s too damn early for all of that hollering.”
“I’m here to get you up because you have someone waiting for you. A diver.”
He popped his eyes open and nodded his head. “That’s right. So how does he look?”
It told me that Kevin had no idea who he’d hired, though I was sure that he was going to be just fine with who showed up. Merle was gorgeous and even if she can’t dive, that didn’t mean that she couldn’t be something pretty to look at for everyone else. She would be a good addition to any boat and I didn’t even have to see what she had to offer to know that I wanted her on mine.
“Well, I will say that the person is a little small. I don’t know how they are going to be diving, but the weight issue may come up. I don’t know if they can even pull the dredge.”
“I was told that the diver was small, but assured that the weight wasn’t an issue. Damnit. I don’t wan
t some fairy boy making me look like an idiot.”
I wanted to assure him that it wouldn’t do him any good to get all upset about it. If Merle said she could dive, I was inclined to believe her because she didn’t seem like the type that would lie about something just to lie.
“Seems to have a good head on their shoulders. Why don’t you meet them and then you can decide if the wait for the diver was worth it. Said that you two have been talking since back in September.”
“Yeah, I have to do better this year or I am going to lose my slip. You know that can’t take my house, but they will take my boat.”
“I’m sorry; I didn’t know that it was that bad for you. Are you sure you don’t want anything bought for the boat.” If he didn’t find some gold, enough to replace what he lost, then what are we going to do? I didn’t want to imagine a day that I wasn’t running into Kevin on the shoreline, talking about the next big score that was just moments from getting pulled out of the water. H seemed like a lifer and I didn’t like the idea of him getting pushed out.
“Well I am not throwing in the towel yet. Thought I would bring some young blood in and see if that helps at all. Merle sounds like a stand-up guy and I look forward to meeting him.”
“Well he is outside right now if you want to finish what was started.”
“I will. Thanks for waking me up. Are you actually going to go out yourself and get some work done?”
I told them that I wasn’t sure because I really wasn’t and it started to rub on me. It is definitely not a subject I like to think about.
“You know that I try to stay off the rigs if I can. I like the gold they bring back, but I am still not a fan of all of that freezing water and waves. I feel myself getting sick just thinking about it.”
Kevin chuckled as he got up and wiped his mouth. From everything that was going on and more, I wanted off of the raggedy boat that was making me a little uneasy. I had been told more than once that I was in the wrong business because of my dislike of water and the feel of it around me. It was devastating to have a fear of it because I was surrounded by water. It was something that I really needed to get over.
