Mountain Man's Rival: An Enemies to Lovers Romance (Mountain Men of Liberty Book 13)

by K. C. Crowne

  I swallowed a lump in my throat. “I understand.”

  Matt opened the door and led me into the house.

  Just like the outside, not much had changed on the inside either, except for the painting that greeted us as we first stepped inside. Or rather, a print of one of my paintings.

  I stopped and stared at my work - one of my earlier works, before I was well-known. It had more color than most of my work these days with the bright vivid blues and purples highlighting a sky filled with turmoil. I’d taken inspiration from Starry Night combined with a photo I found from war, where the sky was lit up with bombs. I had painted it during a tumultuous time of my own life, where I had been feeling the pull to do something greater than myself and still dealing with my entire world falling apart around me.

  Matt spoke from behind me. “That was one of dad’s favorites. He had me order a print a couple years ago. He wanted everyone who entered to see how talented his daughter is.”

  My hand rested on my chest, as if I wasn’t sure my heart was still beating. “I didn’t think Dad cared for my art,” I said softly.

  “He loved your work, Eva. When you were in high school, he was just afraid that art wouldn’t be a lucrative career, but he still has all your work from back then. Most of it’s hung up in the house still.”

  My eyes stung, and I hated that all I did was cry these days. It wasn’t just over everything that had happened in the last few days, but because all this time, I thought my dad didn’t like my work.

  Silly girl, of all the things to cry about now, you’re going to cry about your dad being proud of you?

  Matt placed a hand on my shoulder, and I turned to face him.

  “He really is sorry, you know.”

  I wasn’t sure how to respond, so I didn’t. I squeezed Matt’s hand and together, we walked down the hallway toward the living room.

  For some reason, I assumed our father would be set up in his room, but when we stepped into the living room, I found that the couch and all the familiar furniture had been removed or shuffled around to make room for a hospital bed and a bunch of equipment.

  My father was lying in bed, though to be fair, it looked nothing like the big, strong man I’d left behind. He was as small as a child now. It was warm in the house, almost too warm, but he was covered with a thin blanket. An oxygen tank sat beside the bed, connected to my father and helping him breathe. His eyes were closed when we entered, and I thought he might be asleep, but he opened his eyes and stared at me. He didn’t say anything at first. And neither did I.

  Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he whispered, “Evelyn? Is that really you?”

  “Yes, Dad,” I said through choked sobs.

  I walked over to him, leaving my brother’s side, and stood over him, staring into brown eyes that were almost larger than his whole face. He’d aged five decades in those fifteen years, but I still recognized my father in his features.

  I took his shaking hand in mine.

  “I’m not dreaming again?” he asked.

  “No,” I said with a small smile. “You’re not dreaming. It’s really me, Daddy.”

  And then came the rush of tears from both of us. I’d never seen my father cry, not even when our mother walked out on us. The crying caused him to cough, and it scared both Matt and me for a few seconds before he was able to catch his breath and calm the fit.

  “Evelyn, I’m so sorry,” he said, his voice weak.

  “We don’t have to talk about that now, Dad.”

  “Yes, we do,” he said. “Because we don’t know how much time I have left, and I want to be sure you know that I’m truly sorry for how I treated you. I thought I was doing the right thing, being hard on you like that. When your mom left…” He coughed and took a moment to catch his breath before continuing. “When she left, I honestly had no idea how to raise a girl. It’s no excuse for what I said to you the day you left. I was drinking back then and not in my right mind, but please know that I have always been proud of you. I’ve always wanted what was best for you, and I don’t think that you’re a…” He trailed off, unable to say the words as another coughing fit took over.

  “Shh, Dad, please, don’t overdo it. Hopefully we’ll have some more time to talk. Please, just rest.”

  “You’re not leaving?” he asked.

  “I—” I hadn’t known what the plan was when I hopped on the plane that morning, but sitting beside him, I knew I couldn’t just hop on another plane and leave. I needed to see this through, I needed to be at his side, and I hoped we could make amends, whatever that might look like. We both needed it. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  He gave my hand a squeeze as his eyes threatened to close on him.

  “Get some rest, Dad. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

  He offered me a frail smile before closing his eyes, and his hand fell away from mine. I stayed next to him for a few moments, staring down at my father. I never pictured him broken like this, I always assumed he would be the loud, strong man I’d grown up with. I never pictured him growing old or sick or anything.

  I think part of me always assumed he’d be around forever.

  But clearly that wasn’t so.

  “Are you okay?” Matt asked from behind me.

  “I don’t know, honestly.”

  “Did you mean it? You’re going to stay?”

  “I will need to make some calls,” I told him. “I have to clear my schedule for the next few weeks and try to set things up to work here.”

  Matt cocked his brow. “You’re staying that long?’

  “I plan to stay until the end, Matt. No matter how long it might be.” I knew in my heart that I would regret it if I left.

  Matt stared at me for a long moment before saying, “Good. I think that’s for the best.”

  I did too, but there was something else in the back of my mind… The pregnancy test. I hadn’t had a chance to really think it through, to determine if it was true or a false positive, and I wasn’t sure I was ready to face it if it were true.

  I couldn’t tell Matt, however. Not with everything he was already dealing with.

  “I’ll call Lily and see about setting things up here,” I said softly, stepping away from my brother.

  I slipped into the hallway and down to my old bedroom. When I opened the door, a flood of emotions hit me all at once.

  My room looked the same as it did the day I left, down to the posters on the wall. The walls were painted pink, a color I’d hated most of my teenage years, but my parents never got around to painting for me. My bedding was in stark contrast to the cheerful colors of the walls, jet black. I’d gone through a serious goth phase back in those days, and most everything in my room represented that.

  I closed the door behind me, resting against it as I called Lily and closing my eyes to block everything out.

  She answered on the first ring. “Eva? Did you make it to Utah alright?”

  “I did,” I said. “And I think I’m going to stay longer than planned. Can you please clear my schedule for this week and next week, and put any requests on hold until we know for sure how long my dad has left?”

  “Of course,” she said. “Would you like me to issue a statement?”

  “No,” I said too quickly. “I mean, I don’t want anything about my personal life released. Just tell people that I’ve taken a vacation and will be back within the next month…or two.”

  “Okay…” Lily didn’t sound certain, but I trusted her to handle everything. “Is there anything else I can do for you, Eva?”

  “Besides flying out here? I don’t think so,” I said with a dry laugh.

  “If you’d like me to fly out there, I can do that as soon as I handle everything here. I know you could use the support. Professionally, of course.”

  She was more than just my assistant, and I’d told her that before. But some days, I wasn’t sure she believed it.

  “I would like that, Lily. Thank you. If it’s not too much trouble
for you, I’d appreciate having you here.”

  “I’m happy to get out of the city for a while, and I’ve never been to Utah,” she said softly. “And I think it would be easier to help you from there.”

  We both knew the help I needed wasn’t necessarily of a business nature.

  “Thank you, Lily. You’re the best, truly. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

  “I know you need a friend, Eva. Especially right now, with everything you’re going through.”

  Chapter 11

  Declan

  Just like the day before, I was sitting at the diner and waiting on Matt. My former best friend slipped into the booth across from me and before I could even say hi, he started talking.

  “Listen, man. I’m sorry for how I reacted the other day. I’m under a lot of stress right now with my dad and everything, and I was feeling protective of my sister.” He stopped to take a deep breath before continuing. “But I talked to Eva and she told me she made it clear to you that she didn’t want anything serious, and you were respecting her wishes. Clearly I was in the wrong here.”

  “It’s okay, Matt,” I said. “Eva told me about everything going on, and I’m sorry. I really am.”

  “Thanks, Declan. It’s been hard the last few months,” he said with a sigh. “But with Eva back, I feel like things are a little easier. I’m not the only one in charge of Dad’s care, for one thing, and he’s in a lot better spirits now that the two of them have made amends. And honestly, I think a large part of why she came back was because of you, so I should thank you.”

  “Because of me?” I asked, astonished.

  “Yeah, she won’t admit it, I’m sure, but had you two not gotten along so well, she might have been more hesitant to come back. I think you apologizing to her helped her get over the past. That’s my theory, anyway.”

  “I dunno about all that, man, but if I did help bring your family back together, I’m glad. I’ve been feeling bad about what happened for years and seeing Eva and your dad reconcile helps put it behind me as well.”

  Matt’s eyes moved past me to the door. He smiled and stood up, muttering to me, “Speak of the devil…”

  I turned around to see what he was talking about and my heart nearly stopped. Eva stood in the entry of the diner; her gaze aimed in another direction. She was talking to the woman from the auction, Lily, I thought. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she was dressed in a pair of jeans and an off-shoulder top that was in her favorite color, red. Even dressed casually, she was the most beautiful woman in the diner, and it felt like everyone turned to look at her. The way her tight jeans hugged her hips… the hint of cleavage that peeked from the top… even her bare shoulders were beautiful.

  Matt called out. “Eva, over here!” The classic rock playing in the diner seemed to drown out his voice.

  “Did you invite them?” I asked under my breath.

  “Nah, I didn’t even know Lily was coming into town.” His smile widened as his gaze moved over the brunette's body. She was petite, and even though Eva wasn’t super tall, Lily was a tiny thing standing next to her coming in around five feet, at most, without her heels. Lily was in a pencil skirt and a fitted white top with a frilly collar up to her neck. Both women stood out in their stylist clothes.

  Lily turned to look at Matt and her mouth opened in surprise. She nudged Eva and pointed in our direction.

  Eva’s dark eyes turned our way and landed on her brother first. A smile stretched across those perfect lips, but then she saw me and that smile faded slightly. She said something to Lily and both women looked very serious for a second.

  “Alright, I’m gonna go see what the problem is,” Matt said with a laugh. “No reason they shouldn’t join us.”

  Matt walked to the front of the restaurant, and I turned back to the menu. I didn’t want to put any pressure on Eva, nor did I want to make her uncomfortable. A few seconds later, I heard Matt’s voice.

  “No, it’s no problem at all. You should join us.”

  “Are you sure? I’d hate to intrude on guy time,” Eva asked.

  “Nah, seriously, sis. We’d love to have you,” Matt said, slipping back into the booth and sliding down. I moved closer to the wall to make room for the ladies. Lily took the seat next to Matt, eagerly sitting down beside him with a giant smile on her face.

  “So when did you get into town?” Matt asked Lily.

  “Just now, actually,” she said. “Eva picked me up at the airport, and since I hadn’t had dinner yet, we decided to stop in here.”

  Eva slowly sat down beside me, but her body was stiff. I hugged the wall, wanting to give her as much space as she needed.

  “What do you think of Liberty so far?” Matt asked.

  “I haven’t seen much yet, but it seems nice.”

  I cleared my throat, trying to think of something to say that would break the awkward silence between Eva and me, but my mind was blank. She glanced at me and offered a small smile.

  “How are you doing?” I asked, deciding to go with the obvious.

  “I’m fine, considering everything we’re dealing with,” she answered, letting her gaze fall to her hands.

  It was hard to believe that just a few days ago, she was the confident woman taking my hand and pulling me into her penthouse. Something was off, but considering everything she was dealing with, I didn’t want to pry.

  A waitress came over and took our order, which helped ease the awkwardness a bit. Eva looked up at her, smiled, and ordered her food like normal.

  “I’ll have the breakfast platter with my eggs over-easy.” Eva jumped and muttered, “Ow! What was that for, Lily?”

  “I think you should order your eggs cooked all the way through,” Lily said, raising her brows as she spoke as if trying to convey a message to her through telepathy.

  “Oh…okay. Yes, I’ll have them scrambled instead,” Eva said, her voice lower than before. “And… bacon?” She glanced at Lily, as if asking her for permission. Lily nodded her head. Eva continued. “And coffee, please.” Eva cried ouch again and scowled at Lily before saying. “Oh fine, no coffee. Water, it is. I guess I’ll just sleep tonight.”

  “Sleep is good, you know,” Lily said.

  Matt and I exchanged a look, and I shrugged. He seemed as confused about what was happening as I was.

  “I have a lot of work to do, Lily. I have that commission for the mayor of New York to complete this month, and I’ve already lost a few days of work.”

  “And what is one more night. Besides, caffeine isn’t good for… you.”

  As long as I’d known Eva, she drank coffee like it was giving her life. Day, night, it hadn’t mattered, she was always chugging it left and right. To hear her order water was foreign to me, but I.

  The rest of us ordered our food as well, and the waitress scurried away. When she brought back the drinks, Eva stared at her water with a frown.

  “At least it has lemon,” Lily said. Then she frowned, reached over, and grabbed the lemon from Eva’s drink, plopping it on a napkin beside her.

  “What was that about? I can’t have lemon either?”

  Lily leaned close and said, “Well, I’ve read about how the lemons at restaurants frequently have fecal matter on them, so probably better not.”

  Eva let out a sigh before drinking her water. “Sometimes I wish you didn’t read so much, you know that?”

  “Well, I like to stay informed, is that a crime? Besides, maybe one day I’ll land my dream job – not that working for you isn’t a dream already.” She added the last bit quickly.

  “Oh, I know you’d rather be writing,” Eva said with a chuckle. “I’m not offended, Lily. And hopefully one day you’ll actually submit your work and make that dream come true.”

  “You want to be a writer?” Matt asked.

  Lily turned her attention to Matt, giggling as she told him about her Master of Fine Arts in creative writing and how stupid it was for her to get it since she loved writing but was
terrified of actually submitting her work anywhere so it was likely a complete waste of her time. He wanted to chuckle at her rushed speech, but he refrained.

  “So how’s your dad?” I asked Eva, again reaching for the easy topics.

  “He seems to be doing well for someone who only has a few weeks left to live,” she murmured. She seemed hesitant to look at me, choosing to look straight ahead or at the table instead.

  Lily bust in with, “I’m so glad we did this. It’s so much fun being on a double date with you two.”

  Eva and I said at the same time, “Double date?”

  Matt seemed pleased, which confirmed what I already suspected – he was into Lily. And like I’d told him at the auction, she was clearly into him as well.

  “Yeah, because you know, you two, well…” Lily trailed off, her cheeks red. “And I guess technically it’s not a date because Matt and I are just friends, so I don’t know why I said that. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay,” Matt said with a chuckle. “Maybe one of these days we can make it an official double date.”

  He winked at me, and I looked away.

  Eva began ripping pieces off her napkin, focusing on that like it was her latest work of art.

  Yeah, I didn’t really see any chance of a double date anytime soon.

  At least not one with Eva and I included.

  Chapter 12

  Eva

  Lily and Matt were lost in conversation as we left the restaurant. They hadn’t even noticed that Declan and I trailed behind as they walked to where my rental car was parked.

  “Are you staying at your dad’s?” Declan asked me as I stared at my brother and my assistant, both giddy like little kids on Christmas morning. Why hadn’t I noticed the chemistry between them before?

  “Uh no, actually… Lily and I are staying at the local bed and breakfast. My room,” I scoffed. “Well, the bed hasn’t been replaced since I was eight and it wasn’t comfortable when I slept on it years ago, much less now. And there’s no room for Lily there. I’d hate her to be at the hotel alone in a strange town.”