Page 2 of Crushing on the Mountain Man (Mountain Man Summer #3)
Knox
I give the woman a friendly nod but quietly let out a little curse.
I thought we had another week before the tourists started trickling in for the summer season.
I love this lake at all times of the year, but the tourist season is my least favorite.
I prefer the peace and quiet over the loud music, constant line of people demanding things and idiots who drink too much.
But if it wasn’t for the tourists, I wouldn’t get to live this life I love so much. Independent of my family money. Not having to answer to anybody.
Inside the shop I watch the woman as she wanders down the isles.
She’s wearing shorts almost to her knees and a t-shirt.
Her clothes aren’t flaunting her figure, but she’s got some nice curves on her.
I wait for her to look up to see if she is as pretty as she looked in that first glance on her way in.
Brown hair tied up in a high pony. Her skin is pale white at the moment, but if she is here for the summer then it won’t be long till she has a golden tan.
As she approaches the counter there is something familiar about her. I study her face. Embarrassed, she looks away. But that is when it clicks. I know her. Little Brandy.
“Brandy Barns?” I ask with a big smile.
She nods and frowns.
“Knox Kingsley. Is the whole family here?” The Barns used to come every summer.
Brandy’s older brother was around my age and he and I had a great time hanging out.
Little Brandy was always tagging along. Her mother tried to make her stay home with her younger sister but Brandy was always determined to hang out with us boys. I haven’t seen them in years.
“No, it’s just me. I’ve come to fix up Gran’s cabin. We might rent it out or sell it.”
“Is gran okay?” The old woman had always welcomed me, fed me, she was close with my family. She had the cabin next door for as long as I could remember. And when the Barns family stopped coming here for summer, old Gran just came on her own so I always checked in on her.
“She’s fine. Just getting older and we don’t like her coming out here on her own. We are trying to get her into an assisted living place but she is fighting it.”
“I bet she is.” That old woman wouldn’t like to be cooped up in a home. She’s got a wild spirit that I can relate to. A need to be free.
I look down at the items Brandy has put on the counter.
A deadbolt, a padlock, pepper spray and a can of beans.
This isn’t the sort of place where people lock their doors.
Or feel the need for defensive weapons. I frown.
A feeling of protectiveness coming over me.
I don’t like the idea of little Brandy Barns alone and scared. I don’t like it at all.
I look at Brandy and her face tells me she doesn’t want to discuss her purchases. Tight lips, a slight blush of color on her face. I bag up the items and hand them to her with a smile.
“Now I know you’re back in the cabin, I’ll have to stop by and say hello. We could go out on the boat or jump off the jetty like old times.”
She shakes her head. “I’ll be busy. I’m not here for a holiday. There is lots to do to fix up the cabin.”
“Well, maybe I’ll just check in and make sure everything is okay. If you need me I’m usually around here or I’m staying in the cabin at the back of the property.”
“You’re not staying in the house?”
Now it’s my turn to shake my head and hand her her shopping, not wanting to answer her questions.
As Brandy leaves I still can’t believe she is all grown up. She was my friend's little kid sister. Absolutely determined not to be left out or left behind. She fished with us, swam, built forts, jumped off rocks. Everything.
With her comment about the house reminds me I should go check in on it. It’s not good to leave the old place empty and unused for so long.
It’s a point of pride that I don’t live in the family house. Not that it matters. It’s just one of many houses owned by the family. And I am still on Kingsley land. But it matters to me. To show them I don’t care about that life. I can do without their houses, their money, their obligations.