Mountain Man: A Single Dad, Older Man Younger Woman Romance (A Man Who Knows What He Wants Book 36)

by Flora Ferrari

  I try and stay calm, but this is my family we’re talking about.

  Trinity takes the men inside and I follow. I can see they’re nervous. They should be. I’m much bigger and stronger than ten of these office types.

  The men ask the kids a few questions. They answer quickly and correctly. I think back and remember those types of questions. They’re asking middle school or even high school level questions to our children.

  The men see the books in the house and then turn and look at one another. They nod and quickly finish their drinks.

  We all step outside.

  “Technically, these kids are supposed to be in school. Under the law if you’re practicing a certain kind of religion then you’re protected—”

  “My family is protected by my will, my grit, and these two hands,” I say. The men look down at my giant hands and realize this is a battle they’re not about to win…especially not with words. They may take me for a mountain hick, but I went through the same school system they did and passed with flying colors.

  “But as we can tell by our questions your children are actually proficient well beyond their years. Congratulations on raising such bright kids. We won’t trouble you again,” the one man with the badge on his shirt says.

  “Thanks for coming,” my wife says. She rushes to give them a jar of our homemade honey.

  “Thank you, ma’am!” the one man says.

  “You can take a scoop or two as you walk back. It will give you energy for the trek.”

  “We’ll do that. Thanks again.”

  The men walk away and talk quickly as they smile and look at the jar of honey. The one man hands it to the other who removes the lid and smells it. He turns his head towards the other man and I can just make out that his eyes are closed. He’s on cloud nine, as he should be. Trinity cooks better than any woman in the world. She got the hang of it real quick and now there’s not a better meal prepared on this planet.

  “Why were those two men here, pa?”

  I look down and see Woods by my side. We named him after the woodshed which he was conceived in.

  “They just wanted to make sure your ma and I were giving you a proper education.”

  “Are they going to come back?” Johnny asks. He was our second, conceived out by the apple tree. Johnny, like Johnny Appleseed, sounded appropriate for a name.

  “They know better than to come back.”

  I step inside and see Trinity tending to our newborn, Sequoia. She’s got a sister just a year and a half older named Rain.

  We’re a family of seven now. I’m still hoping we can get to ten. I know I’ve got what it takes. Looking at that woman still turns me on like nothing else in this world.

  Even after seven years I can’t keep my hands off her. And thankfully we expanded the cabin by a magnitude of three. We have our own room now, and a lot more privacy. We definitely take advantage of that most every night, in addition to the times we just enjoy each other in the forest, or in the stream in the summer, or by the fire, or anywhere else nature intended.

  Tonight after the kids go to sleep I’m going to do everything I can to shoot for number eight. Our sixth child and a family of eight. But I know my thirst for her and a bigger family will never be quenched.

  Eight definitely isn’t enough. With her nothing is. I’ll never get enough of her, and I’ll never get enough of all these little ones calling me pa and her ma. That’s truly what life’s all about.

  And I live the luckiest life of any man. And it’s all because of her.

  EXTENDED EPILOGUE

  Trinity

  Two years later

  “Mom it popped!”

  “That’s what jars do when they seal, honey. Now we’ll be able to store those green beans and eat them in the winter when it’s cold out.”

  “Those are the green beans I picked?”

  “Not only picked. You planted them, picked them, snapped them, and then the two of us canned them. You did everything.”

  “Wow,” Sequoia says.

  “Wow is right,” I say.

  But not just a wow because of the green beans. Wow, because all our kids help out so much with everything. They never complain. Whether they have to carry buckets of water up from the stream, pull weeds from the garden all day, or trounce out in the snow in the wintertime they always keep a positive attitude.

  I think it’s because they know we’re living the life. What may seem like hardships to some are opportunities for us. Opportunities to bond, become closer as a family, and to love and to share.

  There’s something about coming together to battle the elements. And although things are great now, once winter rears her ugly head that will all change.

  But it wasn’t always that way. It was that one cold winter’s day that brought me here, and for that I’ll always be grateful even though I was lost, confused, and literally being hunted at the time.

  But now the only one hunting me is Elijah.

  “Oh!” I say. I feel his hand squeeze my butt. He always makes sure the children aren’t watching though.

  And this past year we’ve had more time to ourselves where we can do whatever we like without worry about anyone seeing.

  Elijah has loosened up a bit and allowed me to take the kids into town and socialize with other kids their own age.

  It works great both ways. The other kids are so curious about their lives and our kids are equally as curious about theirs.

  Next week we’re even going to host a gathering for some of the other families that our kids have befriended. One of the fathers offered to have it catered, which we laughed at.

  No catering company will haul food up here nor would we want them to. Why would we eat anything other than the fresh food we grow and hunt right here? No packages and no preservatives.

  But speaking of packages I might need to go into town and find some wrappers for Elijah’s…uh…member. He likes to do everything naturally, including sexy time. I’m all for it, but at some point I’m not sure if I’m going to be able to go through labor anymore. Seven kids and a family of nine is getting to be plenty to handle. I think once we get ten I’m going to have to take drastic measures. I laugh at the idea of him wrapping his penis in sheepskin or getting snipped. No way he’ll go for that, especially when he wants more children so badly.

  Who am I fooling? I want the same thing. As much as carrying children around in my belly can be tiring there’s nothing more enjoyable and when they’re born there’s no greater moment in life.

  And life is perfect thanks to him.

  “Did I ever tell you how much I love you and how perfect you are and how much you’re a perfect wife and mother.”

  I smile at the mouthful of words. “Every day,” I say.

  “Well it should be every hour if not every minute, because that’s almost how often I’m thinking of you.”

  “Almost?” I say. I playfully spank him with a spatula.

  “Almost, because the honest answer is I think about you every second. Day and night. Even when I dream, I dream of you.”

  “Awww,” I say. I give him a big hug. He wraps me up in those big safe arms of his and holds me with his Paul Bunyan-like hands.

  I feel safe, secure, and loved. And I feel that way always, and it’s all because of him.

  “I love you,” I say.

  “I love you,” he says.

  He leans down and kisses me on the lips.

  His beard tickles my face and thoughts of him still tingle in my heart.

  I’ve got my very own mountain man. A rugged man who will love me and protect me against anything nature can throw our way.

  And I know with him, we’ll always come out on top.

  And by us, I mean all nine of us. Our entire family. Together.

  SEAL’s Justice

  I gave my blood, sweat, and tears to my country.

  But they turned their back on me. What do I care? I’m better off alone anyways.

  I decide to get
away from it all yet somehow my past just keeps catching up with me.

  But this time what's locked in the dark depths of years gone by holds the key for the one person who can help me unlock a brighter future.

  Her.

  She’s young. She’s feisty. She’s exactly the kind of woman I’ve been looking for.

  But she’s trying to see into my past while I’ve got my sights set on the future.

  But in order to get what we both want we’ll need to see eye to eye.

  I’m going to do whatever it takes to show her I’ve got my eyes on the prize, and the only prize for me is her.

  *SEAL’s Justice is a 56,000+ word standalone romantic suspense with an HEA, no cheating, and no cliffhanger.

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