Page 2 of Picked By the Mountain Man (Fall for a Mountain Man #6)
Keaton
The sharp blade of the axe slices through the rotten wood like a hot knife through butter. Repeatedly hacking away at the trunk helps to alleviate some of the frustration at having to clean up after another fallen tree from the neighboring property.
It’s become a regular occurrence as the land fell into disrepair with the demise of the previous owner. The crotchety old man refused to admit he could no longer take care of it and instead let the orchard become overgrown and worthless.
When he passed I thought I could finally get my hands on the acreage and expand my farm, but it’s been taking much longer than I anticipated.
The realtor assured me it would be a quick and easy transaction, seeing how the man’s children wanted nothing to do with the place.
It’s as good as mine, but it has been weeks and we still haven’t signed any paperwork.
I’ve been itching to get started on tearing out the old orchard so I can plow the ground.
It’s going to take a while to get all the trees and stumps out of there on top of the workload I have already.
Once the snow hits and the ground freezes, it’ll be impossible, and I’ll never have time to get it done before next year’s growing season.
For now, I’m left cleaning up after messes wreaking havoc on the small portion of land I have available for my crops. Every time this happens, I lose a chunk of produce. It’s money down the drain, plus time wasted planting and tending to the crops as well as the cleanup required.
I’m working with a tight budget as it is and cannot afford to keep losing income. The bank has approved me for a loan to purchase the neighboring property. Now, I just need the current owners to sell.
I don’t mean to be insensitive. They did just lose a family member, but from what I witnessed the last five years, they left the old man on his own. Never once did I see anyone come and visit him. Not that I could blame them. He was a cantankerous old coot who refused to listen to reason.
Dropping the axe, I reach for my blue and green flannel shirt and use it to mop up the trails of perspiration rolling down my face. I shed the garment not long after I started chopping up the tree. It may be fall, but the temperatures are still warm enough to have a guy working up a sweat.
Tossing the shirt back on the side-by-side UTV, I survey how much I’ve completed so far. My hands fall to my hips at the realization of how much more I have to get done. I sigh at the thought while my right hand rubs at my beard.
The rustling of the overgrown underbrush in the orchard draws my attention.
A woman emerges, stumbling into the open, clad in a dress and flip-flops of all things.
The purple fabric covered in burrs and vines clings to her lush curves like saran wrap.
There are two twigs tangled in her honey blonde curls, which just brush the tops of her shoulders.
She stops short as she catches sight of me. “Oh,” she gasps, her jaw dropping.
I wait for her to say something, but she continues standing there, mouth gaping like a fish.
“What are you doing out here? Don’t you know you’re trespassing?” I finally break the silence, since she doesn’t seem inclined to.
Her eyes narrow as her arms cross under plump tits, creating spectacular cleavage. “Excuse me? I’m trespassing? No, you’re trespassing, and you’ve cut up my tree.”
My brows furrow at her announcement. “Your tree? Look lady, I don’t know who the hell you think you are, but this is my property, and this tree fell over on it. It was rotten, just like the others I’ve had to clean up because they haven’t been taken care of for far too long.”
“But this is my orchard!” She stabs a finger at the ground.
“No, this is my orchard, well it will be as soon as the paperwork is signed.”
“Look, I don’t know where you got the idea it’s yours, but this was my grandparents’ property and I just bought it from my parents. I didn’t know it had gotten into such disrepair, but don’t worry, I’ll be whipping it back into shape first thing.”
Blood thunders in my ears at her declaration. “What do you mean you bought? I was in the process of buying it!”
She shakes her head. “I don’t know anything about that. My parents never said they had an offer on the place. I’m sorry if that was the case, but it’s mine now, and I have plans for it. I’m going to get it back into working order.”
I scoff, “You’ve got to be joking. The place is falling apart. Half the trees need to be cut down they’re so rotten.” I rub at my beard, my frustration mounting.
She shrugs. “That’s fine. I figured I would have to cut some down to make room for the tent platforms anyway.”
My eyes widen. “What do you mean, tent platforms?”
“I’m putting in glamping tents for tourists to stay in.”
“Like hell you are. I don’t want a bunch of strangers ruining the peace up here.”
“Well, since I own the land, it seems you don’t have much say in what I do.”
“Yeah, we’ll just see about that. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done. Once you realize that, you’ll be selling to me quicker than a rattlesnake strike.”
“The only snake around here is you. I wouldn’t sell to you even if I were so broke I had to strip to make money.” With that, she spins around, flip-flops slapping as she stomps off through the brush back the way she came.
Her parting shot leaves me with my jaw hanging open and my dick twitching at the thought of seeing those plush curves naked and wrapped around a pole.