Page 4 of Comforted By The Mountain Man (Eden Ridge: Hunter Brothers #1)

As if reading my mind, he says, “One of my brothers loves to cook enough to feed an army. He dropped off tons of meals I put in the freezer last night. I can never get through them all. Would you guys maybe want to take some until you get settled?”

I stare into those green eyes, asking questions in my mind, hoping he could read those too. I want him to ease the suspicions that I’m purposely piling on to counteract this weird ease I feel in his presence.

Without answering, I take the breakfast sandwich and bite into it, leaning back against the counter, facing Ryder. Or perhaps it was answer enough because Asher nods, unwraps his own and starts eating.

The three of us quietly partake in our meal, and for a few minutes, there’s peace.

Ryder hums in appreciation of his bites, making a show of popping a peach into his mouth.

Smiling, I take another bite of the best damn sandwich I’ve ever had.

Which is kind of sad if I think about it too hard, but at this moment, I don’t care.

Small gifts. I have to take them when they come.

A ringing breaks the bubble we settled into.

“Scuse me,” Asher says, popping his last bite before answering his cell. “Yeah.”

He walks off to the living area, which is just a few feet away.

I take Ryder’s plate and set it in the sink.

Again, second nature has me turning on the faucet to rinse it.

Rolling my eyes, I leave it there for now but take the gallon on the counter, wet a paper towel, and wrestle with a whiny Ryder who hates when I clean off his face and hands.

“What do you mean, they’re not balanced?” Asher’s voice grumbles.

I pick Ryder up and set him on the floor. “Hey, baby,” I finger-comb his wild curls off his forehead. “All of your toys are in your Hulk bag in your new room.” He’s already bouncing on the balls of his feet. “Why don’t you go play while I clean up in here?”

“Is Mr. Hulk staying?” he asks.

“Who?”

He points at Asher, who’s still on the phone. “Hims. Mr. Hulk?”

“His last name’s Hunter, honey. And no, he’s not staying long.”

Ryder’s face falls into that stubborn expression, which unfortunately he totally gets from me. “But I want him to stay.”

“Ryder,” I use my maternal tone. “Be happy he brought us breakfast. That was kind of him. He’ll be around for a little bit, but then he has to go home. Okay?”

Grumpy-faced, he concedes and nods. I kiss his head and love tap his butt. “Go play, baby.”

Ryder heads to the smaller bedroom I set him up in last night. “Don’t leave without goodbye,” Ryder demands as he runs to the room.

Asher waves at him, still deep in his conversation. I pretend to ignore it while I clean up the best I can.

“But you recorded the correct amounts, so why are they saying it’s wrong?”

My mind latches on automatically to the familiar dilemma.

Sighing, Asher rubs his forehead, frustrated. “Ezra, I don’t know. Ma handled the books. If the amounts match what’s on the ledger, the fuck up can’t be ours.”

“Unless it’s an Error of Commission,” I say out loud, thinking I said it in my head.

“What?”

Facing him, my fingers twist at my waist. “Sorry. I didn’t mean?—,”

“No, it’s fine. You know about balancing books for business?” he asks.

“Um. Well, math’s always come easy to me,” I shrug. Stepping closer, I ask, “Is he sure he recorded them in accounts payable and not receivable?”

Asher repeats my question to whoever is on the phone, but then puts it on speaker.

“Fuck, I don’t know. I thought so,” the male voice says on the line.

“It’s not hard to fix if not. Just have to reverse the previous entry to nullify the recorded transaction. Post the correct one after, adjust the affected accounts, and then just verify it in the end.”

Silence.

“You need a job?” the person on the phone scoffs.

My eyes widen. He’s obviously joking.

“Actually,” Asher says, but then takes the speaker phone off and tells the person he’ll call them back.

“Is that something you’d be interested in?” Asher asks.

When I don’t respond, he continues. “Clearly, you’re knowledgeable about bookkeeping. Before losing our Ma, she handled that for my Dad at the Distillery. We’ve been making do, occasionally hiring outside help during tax season, but honestly, there’s too much to do with all our businesses.”

My mind reels.

A job. Doing something I’m good at. Which is a very short list. I never got to go to college; my only job was three weeks as a waitress in high school.

Then I met Oscar who promised me a better life after my father kicked me out for getting pregnant.

Oscar never let me get an actual job. He was the man.

He was the provider. My focus was to raise our son.

Living at the MC clubhouse, I didn’t even get to make and maintain a proper home. We lived in one of the club rooms. Thankfully, Oscar was out most nights cheating on me in other bedrooms, so Ryder slept next to me in the king-sized bed.

Half of the cash I hid in different spots for years is already gone. We used it for gas and food to get here from Southern California. I can afford a small grocery for this week, but what’s the cost going to be to fix all this water damage?

“I have Ryder,” I say on autopilot.

I guess, if they’d let me, I could take him with me. Keep him entertained in a corner, out of sight.

“I have to discuss it with my brothers, but as you heard, Ezra’s desperate. My older brother, Beckett, and his wife, Grace, would probably love to babysit. They live on the property. Up the mountain. She works outdoors a lot. They have a large garden for food and flowers. Bet Ryder would love it.”

This all sounds too good to be true.

“Could I…could I maybe meet her before deciding?” Honestly, I don’t even know if I could part from my son. Who knows if we should stay under the radar? What if they’re still looking for us? What if Oscar’s choice isn’t far enough to keep us safe?

Asher’s eyes soften. “Of course. Look, this place needs a lot of cleanup. I can fix the pipe and get the water running clean for now. Let me make a call, but if you’re up for it, we can head over to Beckett’s for dinner.

You can meet Grace and see their place. By then, I’ll have confirmed about the job. ”

“Why?” I ask. His face scrunches in confusion. “Why are you doing all this? It’s a lot to do for a stranger.”

“I told you last night. It’s the right thing to do. Small town hospitality, I guess,” he shrugs, but he’s nervous.

And that slight flush on his bearded cheeks puts me at ease. Enough to be open to the offers.

“How about we play it by ear? Check back with me after you’ve talked to your brothers.” I say, then pause, my body locking. “When you say, brothers…you mean, like blood relations? Or?”

Asher’s eyes intently watch my reactions. “Brothers by blood. Seven of us. Same mother and father. But it’s just the seven of us now.”

The instant cloud of sadness that takes over his entire expression and frame softens my fear. I can almost physically feel the grief and pain. So much so, I don’t understand what possesses my hand to reach out and lightly squeeze his.

His body gives a slight jerk from the unexpected contact. I let go immediately and turn around, busying myself with the gallon of water to try and clean out the burned pot.

A heavy silence coated with unspoken words settles into the kitchen before he clears his throat.

“If it’s okay, I’ll head to the bathroom and get started.”

“Sure,” I say, nervously scrubbing.

His heavy booted steps grow distant before my boy’s enthused voice starts peppering Asher with questions.

And there’s that light again that only my Ryder can shine, even when darkness tries to suffocate my edges.