by Violet Paige
“You look like a princess, Mommy," Emma encouraged with an angelic smile.
“So do you,” I said taking her hand.
I don’t think I ever felt as much joy as the moment I walked down the aisle. Emma was in front of me delicately dropping one rose petal at a time. Just beyond her stood the man of my dreams; the man that would be mine for the rest of our lives.
Hawk looked so dashing in his tailored suit with his close-cut beard and slicked back black hair. It nearly took my breath away.
“Hi, Daddy," Emma called much to the amusement of the small crowd.
"Hi, honey,” he said giving his little girl a wink.
Emma dropped her last petal and went to stand next to Savannah, my maid of honor.
It was like a dream as I came to stand before Hawk. I couldn’t seem to tare my gaze away from the joy that seemed to glow out of his green eyes.
We each spoke the vows we had written, and before I knew it, he was kissing me for the first time as his wife. Amid the cheers, he reached down and picked up Emma. Holding Emma with one arm and taking my hand with the other, we walked down the aisle and into our new life as a whole family.
Double Mountain Trouble
Copyright © 2018 by Katerina Cole
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
One
Lee
The snow crunched under Lee’s heavy boots. He pulled the last bag from the back of his SUV. The cold air filled his lungs. It was going to be a long ninety days, but he needed it. He glanced up at the cabin in front of him.
Cabin wasn’t the right word. It was a fucking palace buried in Colorado’s mountainous wilderness. Made from local timber, it was a piece of architectural art. It was a shame no one would ever see its beauty hidden in the forest. There was nothing for miles. It was exactly what he needed. No stores. No offices. No restaurants or bars. And no one bothering him about meetings or professional shit.
It was a total unplug. A detox from the corporate world. A chance to recharge his batteries after the last battle with the StarCon Global Board. Lee shook his head, remembering how horribly the last meeting had gone. But he was here now.
Three full months to cut wood. Start fires. Hike up the mountain. Hell, he could hunt if he wanted. And the best part was going to be growing his beard. He was tired of being clean-shaven every day. He was over the suits and the polished shoes. Done with banquets and cocktail parties. No more formal balls or luncheons for the next ninety days.
He was going to wear flannel and jeans and burn things. Fuck decorum and rules. He could finally divulge his primal nature here. He laughed as he climbed the stairs to the cabin.
Tyler was standing in the hallway with a beer when Lee walked through the door. He’d beaten him to the cabin by several hours. The bastard always got a head start.
“What are you laughing about?” his best friend asked.
“How fucking insane this is.” He kicked the snow and ice from his boots as he walked inside.
“We’ve had crazier ideas.” Tyler handed him a beer as soon as his suitcases were on the hardwood floor.
Lee twisted the top off. “Nothing comes to mind,” he grumbled. “Nothing extreme like this, Ty. Nothing.”
Tyler slapped him on the back. “It will do you some good. We need the break.”
“And we let the company slide?”
Tyler shrugged. “We’ve made billions. We deserve a break. And this is the only place we can escape without the press or the board. Both are a pain in the ass. I’d rather be here than in the shit storm in the city.”
“No arguments there.” The beer tasted good. Better than Lee expected. “When this is all over maybe you’ll be headed back to Denver on your own. I could see myself staying in a place like this. I’ll just let you run the show, man.”
Tyler laughed. “You’re a moody son of a bitch. I can see that. You might want to stay up here and live like a mountain man after all.”
“Maybe I will.” It was amazing how quickly he adapted to his surroundings. He’d been called a chameleon so many times he’d lost track. But maybe there was a reason for it. Maybe there was something about this place that called to him.
After years of being a polished business shark it was time for a change. The kind of change that caused an avalanche. He wanted to get changed and explore outside. He wanted to get out of the confines of the house. He was going to immerse himself in this experience.
He reached for a bag and threw it over his shoulder, climbing the stairs.
“Which wing is mine?” he asked. “I’m sure you’ve already claimed the best view.”
“All the views are incredible. You get the east though. I know what an early riser you are. I’m not keeping the same schedule while we’re here. I’m going to do whatever the fuck I want to do. You can get up and work out.”
“Sounds like you have it all figured out. I’ll find my rooms. Thanks.”
It was another perk of the cabin. Each man had his own wing inside the compound. It was possible they could live here for the next several months and never see each other. Lee realized there were a lot of benefits to moving here. As he reached the top of the stairs he felt a chill. He turned to see one of the hall windows was open. He pressed his fingers into the sill to close it. The snow was starting to come down harder now. It didn’t deter him from wanting to hike.
He changed and jogged down the back staircase, pushing the door open and taking in a gulp of cold air. The snow coated his eyelashes and the end of his nose. But he didn’t care. He took off for a path behind the house.
This was what he needed. The quiet hush of the forest. Solitude. Peace.
Two
Brooke
Brooke pressed her ear to the door. It was crazy enough that she was eavesdropping in the hall, but she couldn’t back out now. They were talking about her. She was sure of it. The sounds were muffled, but she could hear enough of the conversation to know all hell was about to break loose. Her hell. The louder the voices were, the more she realized they didn’t care if she overheard them. They didn’t whisper. They didn’t use code words. They were clear and specific.
The fear shot down her spine with every syllable they spoke. They didn’t care about her at all. When had they?
She shook her head in disbelief when she finally realized what was happening on the other side of the door. The two men talking mentioned her as if she were some kind of bargaining tool. She pressed her ear closer to the door, straining to make out what her cousin Niall said.
He had never respected her. Never treated her as an equal in the family, even though they were the same age. Once he became the head of the McIntosh family he forgot all the years they had grown up together. He didn’t remember Christmases or birthdays. He forgot their mothers were sisters. None of it mattered to him.
“She needs to be delivered this morning,” he stated. “As soon as possible.”
No. No, he couldn’t do this. How was this happening? Who in the hell did he think he was? This wasn’t Ireland in the 1800s. She was a grown woman living in Denver. She had rights he couldn’t begin to understand.
“When will she be ready?” the other man asked her cousin. He had shown up this morning. She’d never seen him before, but knew she’d never forget him. He was enormous and unfriendly.
“You can take her now,” Niall responded. “The sooner I get this debt paid, the better.”
Brooke paused in shock. Did he just say that? Did he actually speak about her as a form of currency? She balled her fists at her side ready to pummel him. She wanted to give him a black eye and a bloody lip. He deserved both and a swift kick to the balls.
“I told her to wait for our meeting to be over. She should be in the hallway. Why don’t you pick h
er up on the way out?” he suggested to the brute.
Shit. Punching Niall was one thing. Taking on the freakishly strong stranger was something else. The panic almost paralyzed her. She looked for a place to hide. There wasn’t enough time to make it to her car. The hall closet was her only option.
She whipped open the door and pushed the winter coats aside. She huddled in the back of the closet, stilling her breath. She inhaled the scent of heavy cologne. It had seeped into her cousin’s wool coats. She turned her head toward the wall so she wouldn’t gag from the odor.
Maybe if she squeezed her eyes tighter the heavy footsteps she heard would keep walking. This was insane. She shouldn’t be hiding in a closet. But Niall had promised her to the thug in his office and she knew logic didn’t apply when it came to the family business. The footsteps grew increasingly louder.
Niall had turned a once reputable business into something she no longer recognized. Her parents, aunts, and uncles would be horrified if they knew what kind of man he had become. He was trashing their good name.
“Where is she?” the man barked.
Niall was only feet away from the closet. “I told her to wait here. She’s in the house. The alarm is on, so I know she didn’t leave. She’s here somewhere. I’ll check upstairs.”
“If you back out, Niall my clients are going to fuck you over. Big time.”
“Calm down. I’m not about to back out. I want my debt to be zero with Star. She’s here. I’ll find her. You can take her with you. Just calm the fuck down and look for her. Will you?”
Brooke’s chest hurt from keeping the air in her lungs. They were burning like they were on fire. God, this was a nightmare. She looked through the crack where the door met the floor. Her view was blocked by a shadow.
Oh shit. He was there. Right there.
The door flew open. The light hit her between the eyes as a pair of rough hands grabbed her shoulders and yanked her to her feet.
“Hey!” she screamed, trying to wiggle free. The heels on her boots gave her a disadvantage, not to mention this guy was a giant. She teetered on her feet, desperate to get some kind of leverage against him.
“Got her!” the man yelled up the stairs. “Looks like you’re off the hook, Mac.”
“Let me go.” Brooke pushed off his chest, but it was like a wall of granite. “Get your hands off me.”
“Not going to happen,” he seethed. “You’re coming with me. I have orders to deliver you.”
“Deliver me where?” She knew what kind of men Niall gambled with. The men who invested in his shady business ventures. Nothing good could come from this. If he had promised her to one of those men she may never be the same again.
Niall ran down the stairs. “Come on, Brooke. You were hiding? You were never good at the game when we were kids. Silly pretty good.”
She glared at him. “I heard what you were talking about. I’m not going with him.” She looked at her captor. “You have no right, Niall. You are way overstepping your authority.”
He looked past her at the man who held her. “She’s yours now. You’ll deliver her today?”
He nodded. “I’ll take her immediately. It’s going to be a few hours though. They’re out of town now.”
“A few hours? Where?” She tried to stomp her feet. “Where are you taking me. Niall!”
“Good.” Her cousin looked satisfied. “I want my debt paid. I don’t need him breathing down my neck. I want this over quickly.”
“I’m standing right here, Niall. Don’t talk like I’m not in the room. You can’t do this.” She continued to struggle, no matter how useless it was to fight the man responsible for finding her. “I’m not your property. Or his. I’m certainly not something you can barter.”
Niall walked to the door that led to the basement, continuing to ignore Brooke’s protests. “You can take her out back. Less eyes on you. Especially if she keeps that up,” he explained.
“Good,” he grunted. Brooke doubted he had much of a vocabulary. “I prefer quiet exits.”
“There is no way I’m going anywhere with this asshole.” Brooke dug her heels against the hardwoods, but it only made it easier for the man to slide her toward the door.
“Come on, the bosses are waiting.” In a single lunge, the man swung her on to his shoulder and dangled her as if she weighed the same as a bag of sugar. “It’s going to be a long ride if you keep this up, sweetheart.”
She kicked harder, her feet ramming into his chest. She beat her fists into his back. Nothing fazed him. He was like a steel wall. Nothing moved him.
“Niall! Don’t do this!” She jerked her head forward to grab his attention. “Niall! Don’t let this happen.”
“It’s already done, cuz.”
She spat in his direction. “Where am I going?”
He scratched the back of his head. “Out of the city. That’s all I know. Enjoy your vacation.”
“Niall!”
The last thing she saw as she descended into the McIntosh family basement was the smirk on her cousin’s face. The image burned into her memory. She would never forget this moment. She’d never forgive him. And one day, he’d know the mistake he had made.
Three
Tyler
It had been a month. A long fucking cold month trapped up in the mountains. Ok, it wasn’t a trap, but some days it felt like it. He knew he could leave anytime he wanted, but that wasn’t the point of seclusion. It wasn’t the agreement. And he wasn’t the kind of man to break his word, no matter the circumstances.
There were demons chasing them back in Denver. He and Lee agreed the only way to escape the scandals and the corporate entanglements was to separate themselves from StarCon Global for an extended period of time. But thirty days in and Tyler didn’t know how much longer he could take it. He had agreed to three full months, and one had already driven him crazy. How did Lee stay so calm all the time?
His best friend seemed to fucking love it. He had a beard that grew in overnight. The man was jacked. He had cut more firewood than they could possibly burn in the cabin’s ten fireplaces.
He had learned how to ice fish in the pond. He hiked and hunted. And at one point Tyler thought he was sharpening knives to whittle long pieces of wood. He was a genuine mountain man in every way.
And that’s why Tyler did what he did. The woods didn’t appeal to him like they did to Lee. He needed more excitement. He needed something to preoccupy him and keep his mind off of the shit at StarCon.
It made sense. He finally agreed to let Niall McIntosh settle his debt.
He looked out the window in from his study. Lee was in the yard, stacking wood next to the fire pit. Tyler grabbed his heavy coat and stomped out into the snow.
“What’s this?” he pointed to the stones.
“Rebuilt the pit,” Lee explained.
Tyler nodded. “Hey, I need to talk to you about something.”
“Why don’t you chop and talk?” Lee handed him an ax.
“Do we really need more wood?”
Lee grunted.
Tyler swung the ax instead of arguing. The wood split evenly. It felt good, watching it splinter and slice so easily. His muscles were tense and tight. He needed this kind of exercise. He raised the ax over his head and spilt the next piece. He grinned.
“Not bad.” Lee examined his work. “What did you want to talk to me about?”
“I know we’re not supposed to have interviews, but we have one on the way,” he explained.
Lee looked up from arranging the stones in a circle. “What the fuck, man?”
“The house is big enough for an army. You won’t even know she’s here.”
“She?” His eyes bulged. “Seriously? No women. Not happening. Take her to town. You can drive somewhere if you need to get laid. I don’t care what you do, but she’s not coming here.”
Tyler let the ax fall heavy to the next log. It crunched as it severed it in half. He watched as the two sides hit the ground with a bounce an
d thud. Lee didn’t seem to understand.
“I think you’ll see this differently in a few hours.”
They continued to cut wood and prep the stone fire pit. Neither one of them talking for what seemed like hours.
Tyler stacked the last log from his stack. “I’ve got to go in and get ready. She’ll be here soon. Join me for the meeting. I can fill you in on the details.”
“Fill me in now.”
It was starting to get dark. She’d be here soon.
“Look. Niall McIntosh is sending her. He owed me.”
“McIntosh?” He sounded surprised. Tyler stared at the bits of snow and ice gathered in his friend’s beard.
“Yeah. I know he’s a bastard, but he lost a serious bet. And he finally had a way to pay it off. I thought the timing was perfect.”
“In the middle of going off the grid? Why in the hell would you open us up to an outsider? Especially one we can’t trust. He’s not someone I want to know our location.”
“He doesn’t and he won’t. I’m handling the transportation. Niall has no clue where we are.”
“And what about the woman? Who’s to say she won’t run her mouth? If she’s one of Niall’s girls, she’s as untrustworthy as he is. This is a bad plan. Just wait until you’re back in the city. Then you can deal with him how you want to. Leave me out it. And don’t fuck up the cabin with a woman here. I like things the way they are.”
Tyler placed the ax off to the side. “I’m going to get cleaned up. I think you need to do the same. She’ll be here soon. It’s been a while since we’ve shared a woman. Don’t you think it’s time?”
Lee shook his head. “The timing is off.”
Tyler laughed. “You need to look in the mirror, brother. The timing couldn’t be better. You need a woman. And if there’s two things we know how to do well, it’s make millions and fuck a woman properly.”
