Page 15 of Single Mom for the Mountain Men (Mountain Men Why Choose #3)

“ D owntown?” Aiden questions with a cocked brow. “Are you sure about taking Lena and Sophie down there?”

“Why shouldn’t I be?” I reply, leaning back into the sofa.

“Everyone has been on their guard since that asshole fucked with Lena, and I think the two of them could use a break from the state of vigilance they’ve been in since then.

They haven’t seen the fun parts of Whitefish yet, have they?

The farmers’ market will be festive today. They’ll enjoy it.”

Brody’s brows are furrowed together as his jaw clenches, his eyes flitting over to a quiet, but attentive, Lena, who’s sitting a comfortable distance away from me on the sofa. Her face is void of any emotion, her expression making it clear that she’s lost in thought.

“To be fair,” I begin, crossing my arms, “we could use a break, too. We have been relentlessly teaching Lena while also keeping watch during the night. It’ll be a fun, relaxing trip for all of us.”

“The market is crowded at this time of the year. Too many people, too many variables we can’t control,” Brody replies brusquely. What he means is that Lena’s psycho ex could stalk us into the market, where he would be able to sneak through the crowd and attack her.

“I think it’s a good idea,” Lena finally states her opinion.

Aiden blinks at her. “I really want some good memories in Whitefish. Things up until now have been…hectic and stressful, to say the least. I think Soph would also prefer to be out of the cabin and around other people for a while. Plus, I’m not worried about being attacked, not with you guys being there to protect us. ”

The honest trust and belief in her eyes floors me momentarily. Aiden nods, convinced. “So, we’ll go today?”

I grin widely, excited. Brody’s lack of disagreement is all we can hope to get from him, but it’s an affirmation, regardless.

Piling into my jeep and Brody’s car, we decide to head to town directly after lunch. Sophie is awake and active as usual, nearly bouncing around in the car as we drive.

Whitefish is beautiful as the fall extends into winter. Not too cold, and not too hot, either. The further we move away from the mountains, down into the flatter plains, the more signs of life greet us. Houses appear, with people doing their thing out in their gardens and porches.

Roads are smoother, and the hustle and bustle of life welcomes us. Sophie’s face is glued to the window, her little nose pressed against the glass as she oohs and aahs at everything. Lena’s face is peaceful, a small smile gracing her gentle features as we drive through town.

The farmers’ market is at its busiest right now, with street performers standing at every corner. The stalls are full of vendors, chatting loudly with their customers. It’s lively, and exactly what Lena and Sophie need.

Lena heads towards the fresh fruit stalls first, making small talk with all the older ladies who have set up their stalls there.

They coo over Sophie and compliment her beauty, which she very much enjoys.

The softest shade of red colors Lena’s cheeks, and a soft but genuine smile decorates her lips.

She looks beautiful, like a flower blooming in spring for the first time. The three of us give her a wide berth, but we still hover around her in a triangle, keeping a sharp eye on everyone who comes close to her.

I protect her to the south while Brody and Aiden keep to her east and west sides, respectively.

Sophie soon grows bored, trying to get her mother to let go of her hand. Lena tries to be as patient as possible, reasoning with Sophie that she can’t have three candy apples at the same time.

Sophie starts to get more and more antsy as they move toward a vegetable stall, not interested in being with her mother any longer. She tries catching a glimpse of one of us, so we will rescue her, but her height limits her view.

“Soph, please,” I hear Lena reason with the child. “I told you just a bit more, baby, then we can go get your candy apple.”

“I wouldn’t have come with you if I knew you were going to be boring like this,” Sophie whines and tries to tug her hand away again.

“Soph, that’s not very nice, is it?” Lena reprimands.

“I don’t care! I want to hang out with Brody, or Tanner, or Aiden. They listen to me.”

Lena takes a deep breath and crouches down in front of her daughter.

Ah, Sophie’s gonna get an earful, isn’t she ?

Lena is probably overstimulated with all of the noise and bustle around us, and Sophie has been of no help.

This is going to be the first time I have seen her getting short with her daughter.

“You like those three a lot, don’t you?” she asks, and Sophie pauses, confused by the suddenness of the question.

“Yeah, Mom,” Sophie answers like it should have been obvious.

“I like them, too. They give you a lot of things that you like, don’t they?”

“They do.”

“I want to give you so much more than that, Sophie. But Mommy has to take care of your health, your teeth, and everything else about you. I could buy you the whole candy store, but I know it gives you a tummy ache if you eat too many sweets. I know I sound mean when I say no, but it’s because I don’t want you to get hurt, Soph. ”

Gently tucking her daughter’s hair behind her ear, she kisses the girl’s hands. “Do you understand? I promise, after we get the veggies I want, I will take you to the candy stall.”

Sophie nods, pacified, and Lena smiles before pressing a kiss to Sophie’s forehead.

Surprisingly, Sophie stops misbehaving after that. She stands patiently at her mother’s side, switching from one foot to the other.

Lena’s patience surprises me. Here I was, thinking she would yell at her daughter for being annoying like all mothers do, but she kindly explained the situation to her daughter.

Kids are smarter than you think they are.

If you treat them as intelligent people, they respond accordingly.

Lena knows that, which makes her a better mother than most I’ve seen.

It’s impressive and admirable. It only makes her more attractive in my eyes.

Lena waves me down after a bit, asking me to accompany her and Sophie to the candy stall. I’m not able to say no, especially after the girl whips out her puppy dog eyes at me.

Sophie swings our hands together as we walk, the other in her mother’s grip.

I see a few heads turn our way, and I remain hypervigilant.

When I see that it’s mostly older women, cooing over how cute the family of three is, I relax.

My ears heat up a bit, the assumption making me weirdly happy as we head toward the next stall.

I order Sophie one apple and another for myself. Lena shakes her head with mock exasperation as I ask her if she’s jealous of being left out.

“No, thanks. I’d rather not get diabetes,” she retorts.

Sophie giggles as I poke my tongue out at her mother.

“How’s the farmers’ market been?” I ask Lena after I pay for the treats, against Lena’s insistence.

“It’s a lovely place. I can see myself coming here twice a week for groceries. The produce is fresh, and the ladies are so sweet and wonderful.”

“Yeah, everyone in Whitefish tends to get along with each other. Peace-loving folks, I’d say,” I comment, getting lost in Lena’s smile yet again.

Which is why I am caught off-guard when a hand swings me backwards by a rough grip on my jacket.

“What the fu—” I begin, only for the words to die on my lips as I tumble backward.

“Tanner!” Lena’s voice yells out.

“Tanner Pratt. Long time no see,” a voice mocks me as I regain my footing.

“Dude, what is your fucking problem?” I growl after pushing away the man with both palms. The man, a short but sturdy guy with a goatee, glares at me. His fists clench and unclench by his sides.

“My problem? Have you forgotten this easily who I am?”

“You have the wrong Tanner, asshat,” I spit out, fixing my collar as I bare my teeth at him. “I’m not Tanner Pratt.”

“You think you can lie to me again and again?” The man barks out a laugh that grates on my ears. “You take me for some dumb fool, you piece of shit? You can’t cheat me again, Tanner Pratt. You give me my money now, or your girl and kid are gonna get it.”

Money? Fucking hell, is this the shark loan I’ve been running away from for the past seven months? That fucking goatee, fuck, how the fuck did I not recognize his wretched face?

Squaring my shoulders as I crack my neck, I growl, “Keep them out of it.”

“Move it, asshole,” Aiden calls out as he stands shoulder-to-shoulder with me, blocking Lena and Sophie from the loan shark’s line of vision.

“Take Lena and Sophie, and get the fuck out of here,” I hiss at Aiden, pushing him away when I see the little man with the goatee call out for his men. “This is a fucking ambush. I don’t want them hurt.”

“Brody will back you up.” He grabs a hold of Lena’s hand, who looks half-confused and half-scared out of her wits.

“No,” I grit my teeth, “both of you. Take them, and get the fuck out of here. I know how to deal with this, and you two will only get in my way.”

I know for a fact that’s not true, and I can definitely use their help. Probably fucking need it, to be honest, but this is my mess, and I’ll get out of it alone. I won’t bring them into it.

“You owe me money!” the man spits once he sees his backup on their way, and he rears his fist back, swinging at me with full-force. I block the strike easily, knocking him out with a single uppercut. Then, I break into a run.

His men chase after me through the farmers’ market. Shrill, feminine screams ring in my ears as I dodge and block the kicks and punches, wrecking and tumbling into fruit and canned goods stalls alike.

I pay the cursing vendors no mind. Aiden has disappeared along with Lena and Sophie, and that is all the reassurance I need before I dash off even faster, pumping my legs as quickly as I can.

I don’t want to create any more of a scene, so I refrain from hitting the men back, choosing instead to side-step all their attacks.

My feet thump over the ground, my mind scanning for a place to hide until the gang loses its interest or thinks that I have escaped.

There are innocent people here who could suffer harm because of me, and I don’t want that at all.

“Where did he go?”

“ That way!”

The men are right on my tail, and I spot a wrecked car a few paces from me, hidden in a thin and seedy-looking alleyway.

I dart toward the alley, stumbling into a crouched position as I slide under the car. There is no light here that will give away my shadow, and I bring down my breathing to a near silent level.

The thumping of feet stops right before the alley, and I can hear heaving breaths and grunts creeping through the darkness.

“You guys, go that way! We’ll head back into the market, so the fucker can’t escape.”

The alley becomes silent as the guys dip. I wait patiently until my breathing returns to normal, my heart no longer pounding in my ears. If their strength is divided, I can probably take them on, but I won’t. I just have to get to my car and get the fuck out of here.

Sliding out from my hiding spot when I know for sure that no one else is there, I creep back into the farmers’ market, taking the route which will lead me directly to the parking area. My jeep is parked right by the gate, but I’m spotted as soon as I get inside my car.

Zooming away isn’t a problem, as the men aren’t experienced enough with the area to keep track of me. Soon enough, I lose them and head toward home, the ride becoming more and more bumpy as I near our cabin.

I park the jeep and kill the ignition, sitting for a moment so I can catch my breath. The adrenaline has drained out of my system by now, leaving me slightly cold and shaky.

Leaving my jeep, I hiss as I realize that my forearms have been scratched up, probably from when I was squeezing under the car.

The door to our cabin is open, and inside, I find Lena walking in circles. She stops when she sees me.

“Tanner!” she breathes before jogging forward until she comes to a stop before me. “Are you all right? What happened back there? Who were those people?”

“It’s cool, Lena,” I tell her calmly, chugging a bottle of water that is sitting on the table. I wince as more and more scrapes and bruises make themselves known, smarting all over my body. “They haven’t followed me. We’re safe.”

Brody nods simply. “Good.”

“Who the fuck were those people? Why didn’t you tell me that there were loan sharks or whatever after you? We would have been more careful with Lena and Sophie. We certainly wouldn’t have let you hang around them, if we knew,” Aiden mutters under his breath.

“Save some questions for tomorrow,” I retort, not bothering to give him an explanation. His words piss me off, and the less I show that, the better. I don’t want to make a scene in front of Lena, of all people.

“It’s not even about us. They wanted to hurt you, Tanner. That’s scary. You should tell your brothers who they are, so they know how to keep you safe,” Lena reprimands me.

My annoyance increasing the more they all push, I roll my eyes. “I’m not a fucking kid. I can protect myself.”

“That’s not what she meant, and you know that!” Aiden scowls and moves toward me.

“You lot are being so fucking annoying right now. I’m going to my room, and don’t fucking bother me, or else it’s going to get ugly.”

I storm off to my room, not even stopping when I hear Lena calling out to me, sounding dumbfounded.