Page 143 of Mountain Daddy (Mountain Men #2)

Luther

“Hey.” I answer the phone with a smile.

“—mergency… Buddy.” Kendra’s distressed voice cracks through the speaker.

My heart drops into my stomach. “Say that again, Baby.”

The line cracks.

I stride across my living room.

“Stay on the phone and say it again.”

Fucking shitty mountain service.

I grab my truck keys and shove my feet into my boots.

The line clears, and I can hear the sound of rain and windshield wipers.

“Kendra.”

“I’m here.” Her broken inhale is audible over the background noise.

“What happened, Baby?” I keep my voice as calm as I can while jogging through the garage.

“He… He was hit by a car. His leg…” A sob cuts her off.

I climb into my truck, and I wait until I close my door before I hit the button to open the loud overhead door.

“Where are you?” I turn my engine on.

“I…”

“Take a breath.” I shift into drive and roar out of the garage. “I’m coming to you, okay? It will be okay.”

I listen as she takes a breath. “O-okay.”

I try to think of what’s closest to her. “Are you heading to the vet in Lonely?”

“I think so. I just typed emergency vet into my GPS, but…” She hiccups through another sob. “What if they won’t help him?”

“They’ll help him.”

“But he’s a wild animal.”

“They’ll help him.” I turn onto the main road. And floor it.

“Promise?” Her plea is so quiet, but I hear it so loud.

She’s asking me to promise her something.

She’s trusting me to promise her.

After everything.

After what I did.

She’ll still believe me if I promise.

“I promise, Baby.” I swallow, forcing myself to stay composed. “I need to make a call. What’s your ETA?”

“Twenty-two minutes.”

“I’ll meet you there, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Have you called Joe?”

She sniffles. “No.”

“I’ll call him. You focus on driving. Okay?”

“Okay.” My girl sniffs again. “Thank you.”

“I’d do anything for you, Baby. That includes Buddy.” I swallow down the urge to tell her I love her. But it’s not the time. “I’m going to make that call now. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“Keep your eyes on the road.” I use my commanding tone. “Be careful.”

I wait for her whispered okay, then I hang up.

I give myself thirty seconds to just breathe.

Then I search my contacts for the man I need.

It rings twice.

“Rocky.” There’s no hint of surprise in his voice, even though we’ve only spoken on the phone maybe once before.

“Ethan, I need a favor.”

“I’m not letting you fuck in my park.” His tone is so dry I almost crack a smile.

“Oh, I’m gonna fuck in your park, grump-ass. But that’s not the favor.”

He grunts. “What is it, then?”

I shake my head. He really is the least friendly bastard I know.

“I’m bringing an injured fox to the vet in Lonely.”

“You can’t bring a wild?—”

“It’s my girl’s. She’s practically adopted him, and… dude, I just need you to make this work.”

The line is silent, and I worry I’ve lost signal.

But then I hear his annoyed exhale. “The visitor area needs updates, and our funding just got cut.”

“Fine.” I press the brakes as I approach a turn.

“It’ll be ten grand at least.”

“Whatever.”

“Maybe fifteen.”

“I’ll write a check for twenty if you’ll shut the fuck up and go make whatever calls you need to.”

“Deal.”

The line goes dead.

This fox better fucking live.

Figuring I have about five minutes before I lose service for a stretch, I make another call.

It goes to voicemail. Which is probably for the best, because I don’t know how to explain why Kendra called me first.

“This is Joe from Joe’s Custom Furniture. Leave me a message.” There’s a long pause, some rustling, because Joe still hasn’t fixed his recording, then finally the voicemail clicks on.

“Joe, if you get this in the next twenty minutes, call me, not Kendra. She’s driving. Buddy was hit by a car, and she’s bringing him to the clinic in Lonely. I’m already on my way. And I’ve called in a favor.”

Hanging up, I tighten my grip on the steering wheel.

This fox has to fucking live.