Page 27 of Single Mom for the Mountain Men (Mountain Men Why Choose #3)

I can’t believe that my shitty ex burned the boys’ cabin down and took our daughter. And in the middle of a snowstorm, of all things. I’m shaking with rage as I pace around my chilly living room.

The boys are making a game plan, but I can’t seem to focus on anything but my anger. Finally, Aiden comes over and makes me go to my bedroom to put on warmer clothing. My fingers are so cold that he has to help me get dressed.

I think about the unrestrained passion that we all shared just an hour ago, and I can’t access those feelings. All I feel is rage, and fear, and a determination to find my child.

When had James become so evil? I knew he was a bad person when I was living with him, but I had been able to convince myself that he was just a jerk to me. I knew that his business was a little shady, but I hadn’t ever looked at it too closely.

Now, I felt dirty that I spent the money that he earned.

I had used money from people like Tanner who were trying to hide from their demons to feed my child, to buy myself clothes, and to pay for my other bills.

I feel sticky with James’ sins, and I rub my cold hands together as if that will help them to feel clean again.

What else was James involved in? He was clearly far more comfortable with terrible things than I had thought.

I could never have imagined him burning someone’s house down or kidnapping Sophie.

I had just thought that he wanted to hurt me because he hated me for some reason.

Now that the boys have been harmed and Sophie is in danger, I feel terribly foolish for just running to the mountains to try and hide.

Clearly, I had been incredibly na?ve about the lengths that my ex would go to in order to get his way.

“I can take the snowmobile down to town and get the police,” Tanner is saying as I walk back into the kitchen. He’s pulling a hat he left here onto his head. I notice that none of them have jackets, and I feel terrible. They’ve lost everything in the fire.

“Probably for the best. Aiden and I will stay up here with Lena and help her to think of places to look for Sophie. There aren’t many places he can take her up here, but he must have had some kind of camp set up since he’s been skulking around for over a week.”

“Lena,” Brody says, before coughing loudly for the umpteenth time. He inhaled a lot of smoke in the fire. “What is your ex’s name? I don’t think any of us thought to ask you what it was.”

I swallow hard and bare my teeth a little as I say, “James Sanders,” I manage to force out through my clenched teeth.

“Good to know. I’ll tell the police about him and about what’s been going on up here,” Tanner says while grabbing the key for the snowmobile off the counter. “I’ll try and call you when I know whether the police are going to be able to make it up the mountain to help.”

“Thanks,” Aiden says distractedly, trying to get a fire going in my little wood-burning stove.

I shiver and wrap my arms around myself. I look at Brody and Aiden, not sure what to do now. I’m terrified that my child is out there somewhere in the snow with my crazy ex, just wandering around in her pajamas.

“Are there any other cabins or homesteads up here?” I ask the men.

Aiden thinks for a moment and shakes his head. “There’s only the Lane place, but they’re four miles from here.”

“That can’t be where he’s been,” I say out loud before cursing colorfully. The two men look at me in surprise, and I manage a little smile at their reaction. “I know how to say bad words, too.”

“Wait a minute,” Brody says, his voice still hoarse. “There’s the old Jesperson place down the road.”

Aiden frowns a little. “That place has been abandoned for more than twenty years. There are barely any walls left standing, Brody.”

Brody lifts a shoulder in a shrug. “It would be a good place to hole up where no one would look for you. I could make a go of it there, even in bad weather.”

Aiden continues to feed the small fire he’s building. “Do you think he would go back there to wait out the storm?”

Brody nods. “It’s madness to go down the hill like Tanner is doing. You’re just as likely to slide off the side of the road and go over a cliff than anything else.”

My heart pinches in my chest. “Wait, what?” I say fearfully. “Is Tanner in danger?”

“We’re all in danger,” Brody says sharply to me. “And all because of his foolishness. He has to be the one to take the risk to go down the mountain and get the police.”

I bite my lip, but I make myself nod. I don’t have time to argue.

“How long of a walk is it to the Jesperson place?” I ask.

“About a half hour on a good day. Maybe longer in this snow,” Aiden replies.

“You can’t go out there with us to look for Sophie,” Brody says before giving in to another coughing fit.

I glare at him and stomp my foot. “Brody, I won’t listen to you bossing me around anymore tonight.

My child has been kidnapped by my crazy ex, it’s freezing and snowing hard, and she must be scared.

You won’t be able to say anything to me that will convince me to stay here while you two go looking for her. ”

“She has a point,” Aiden says.

“Traitor,” Brody mumbles under his breath, but he just sighs and wipes a big hand down his face. His skin is still blackened with soot, and his eyes are red and irritated from the smoke and the fire.

“We need to get going,” Aiden states. “Sophie is probably very cold and scared, and the longer that she’s with James, the more at risk she is.”

“Hurry and grab some of Sophie’s clothes,” Brody says to me simply. He steps closer and presses a hard kiss to my lips. “I won’t stand for you to get killed out there, woman,” he says to me. “See that you don’t.”

I watch him as he walks over to Aiden, and my heart feels overflowing with love. Love . Yes, I know that I love all of them. Now isn’t the time to tell them, but once we get through all of this mess, I’m going to say it over and over again.