Page 15 of Single Mom’s Mountain Men (Mountain Men Reverse Harem #1)

Charlie

I t’s easy for us to fall into a routine.

Every morning, I wake up to the scent of freshly cooked bacon and pancakes.

Or hash browns and eggs, or French toast, or some other delicacy that Patty has concocted.

I’ve never been a morning kind of guy, but I have to admit that I’m starting to look forward to the delectable breakfast meals she manages to serve so perfectly.

We haven't had such a wide assortment since Mom died.

Usually, it's whatever crap Wes and I can scrounge up with minimal effort.

Eating had become a necessity, not a pleasure, and it was only now that we were realizing just how much we missed proper home-cooked food, served with love and pride, and eaten with joy and contentment.

But it wasn’t just the breakfasts of course. Last night I almost found myself moaning with delight as I swallowed a forkful of perfectly cooked steak pie, served with peas, carrots, sweetcorn, and buttery mashed potatoes, all smothered in delicious brown gravy.

And now, as the sun sits low in the sky, I'm in a rush to get back and check out tonight's dinner .

Although, that’s not the only reason I am hurrying to the kitchen.

Part of it, a huge part, is because I want to see Patty again.

I know I’ve told myself to avoid her, if for no other reason than to wait until I have learned to get over the hot, melting feeling she triggers in me.

But avoiding her isn't helping. I still think about her when I'm working.

Whenever we cross paths and she shoots me that tentative smile, I want to kiss her lips until they sigh.

Whenever she looks at me, I want to draw her into my arms and even just that hint of vulnerability in her eyes makes me want to get down on one knee and swear to protect her for eternity.

Which is a ridiculous thought to have about someone you only just met mere days ago.

If I didn’t know better I would think that I was going certifiably insane.

I’ve certainly felt insane, because Patty is starting to consume my thoughts.

I nearly took the tip of my finger off with a pulp hook because I was thinking about how pretty she looked this morning with her yellow hairband that matches her yellow flannel shirt and her golden blonde hair. .

And it’s not like she’s even trying to drive me to distraction. I was fantasizing about her in a flannel shirt and jean shorts that go down to her knees FFS! By no stretch of the imagination could the outfit be called seductive, but Patty herself draws me in like nobody else ever has.

And I need to get over it.

But as I head back to the kitchen for dinner, my heart quickens again.

“Quit that,” I mutter to myself.

“Quit what?” I glance to my left and see Wes approaching from the other side. His hair is wet like he dunked his head in a stream before coming here. "You talking to ghosts now, brother? Do we have to call that psychiatrist that mom took you to?”

I ignore him. When he gets close, he slings his arm over my shoulder.

“Now I don’t know if it’s just me, but I've noticed you’re always early for dinner nowadays. And you sit and eat with us instead of skulking off to your room with your meal like you always used to do. Any particular reason for that, brother?”

I shove Wes’s arm off me, but that doesn’t stop the smirk from spreading across his face. “Can’t say I blame you though. The grub has been amazing lately. And the view is even better."

“Don’t get used to it.” I’m not sure how long Patty's staying but it can’t be that long.

Eventually, she’ll want to continue on her journey to Colorado or wherever else she’s headed, and all that will be left is the ghost of her presence.

I’m trying to steel myself for that eventuality, so that statement was as much for my own benefit as for Wes'. “She won’t be here long.”

“Oh, but brother, she might be here longer than you think.”

I pause and glance at him sharply. “What do you mean?”

Wes smirks at me like he does whenever he knows something I don’t.

I sigh, wondering how long he’s going to stretch it and hold this secret over my head, but he decides to just tell me.

“She and Mitch were talking earlier, and she was asking him if he knew of anyone hiring around town. It sounded like she wants to stay for a bit and raise some money before she heads back home.”

“Why would she need to raise money when she’s on vacation?’

Wes raises an eyebrow. “Really? Don’t tell me you believed that 'vacation' story. I swear to God you can be naive sometimes."

I frown and he continues, “She’s obviously short on cash and I don’t know exactly why she’s here, but it's definitely not a vacation. No one looks that stressed out on a vacation, even with two kids in tow. Maybe she was in some trouble wherever she was, or maybe her landlord kicked her out and she lost her job. Who knows? Either way, she asked Mitch and he told her that there weren’t a ton of places hiring in town.

But he did offer her a role as our new housekeeper. ”

“He did?” That surprised me. Mitch has so far been pretty anal about not hiring any extra staff to keep running costs low.

“Yeah. They have to discuss the pay and all that, but if she takes the job, I imagine she'll be here for a while."

“Oh.”

I'm not sure how to feel about that, don’t know whether to rejoice or groan at the agony. It’s going to be heaven and hell continuously being around her yet being unable to act on these feelings.

Who says you can’t act on it? Temptation lurks in the back of my conscience, but I push the feeling away. I don't even wanna go there mentally right now. It might lead me down a dark road.

As we walk into the kitchen, we find Patty at the stove with her two girls already seated at the table. Katie is reading a large picture book, while Maddie is fiddling around with one of her toys.

“Hello!” They chorus when we enter. Patty spins around grinning at us.

“Hello my princesses. How are y’all doing?”

“Hi Uncle Wes!” Maddie grins. “You going to take us on another tour today? ”

Wes took Patty and the girls on a tour of the land the other day, leading them in and out of the woods too. He showed them the sheds where we worked and even let the girls take a turn gearing up, trying some of the safer tools and asking questions about it.

I saw them pass by me while I was felling a branch, and couldn’t help but feel a little jealous at the way the kids giggled and hung off his arms, while Patty smiled at him.

Even though I knew Mitch would chew our younger brother out for ‘wasting time’, it was worth it to see the looks of happiness on girls’ faces.

I got my turn to make them happy soon enough though.

That weekend while Patty was working in the kitchen, Maddie came out onto the porch to watch me on the log loader.

She made loud whoosh and thump sounds respectively each time I lifted and dropped logs of wood.

I grinned, enjoying her adorable soundtrack, occasionally holding for a dramatic pause on the descent to make it more exciting for her.

And eventually, when I took a break and hopped off the machine, she ran to me to ask if she could ride with me too.

“No can do, darling,” I told her, ruffling her hair. “Pretty sure you gotta be at least twelve to ride.”

“Aww,” she pouted. “That’s a long time from now.”

“Not that long,” I said, although I understood how it would feel like an infinity to a kid like her.

“I may not even be here by then.” She crossed her arms over her chest and I smiled, squatting so I could meet her gaze.

“Tell you what,” I said. “Your mom has my number. Wherever you are, you turn twelve and you still want to ride a log loader, just tell her and I’ll come get y’all.”

Maddie’s eyes widened. “Really? ”

“Really.” I extended my hand for a handshake and she grinned and grabbed it with her little hands, shaking it enthusiastically.

It was at that point that Patty came out of the kitchen with a look of apprehension on her face. Katie was by her side, her cheek dusted with flour which told me she was helping her mother bake.

“Is it safe for her to be there with you?” Patty asked.

“Yup. But I’ll be sending her back in a second so I can get back to work.”

Patty nodded and then I picked Maddie up in my arms while she asked me a hundred and one questions about riding a log loader.

I smiled as I answered them and even let her sit briefly in the vehicle, during which she made vroom noises pretending to drive it.

Then once we were done, I carried her back in to her mother and got back to work.

Maddie must have told her sister about our deal because Katie asked me at breakfast the next day if she could ride in the loader with me too when she turned twelve. I told her yes and it was the first time she grinned so brightly at me, similar to how she’s beaming at Wes now.

“Not today,” Wes says, to answer Maddie’s question. But as the child’s expression falls, he adds, “But how about we plan a picnic sometime soon?”

“Yay picnic!” Maddie cheers and Katie grins too. I’m not surprised Wes has won the girls over in such a short time. He’s good with kids. I am too, but it usually takes them a little bit of time to warm up to me.

I’m a little envious of Wes’ budding closeness with Patty’s daughters until Katie’s head swivels to me as she asks, “Will you be coming to the picnic too, Uncle Charlie?”

Wow. ‘Uncle Charlie’ instead of ‘Mr Charlie’? I guess I’ve won her over after all .

“Sure,” I say and return her smile. And then Patty spins around grinning at us.

Yellow again today. She looks like the sun.

“Patty hon, what is that delicious-smelling thing you have for us today?” Wes inquires.

“It’s pork ribs in a barbecue sauce, with mashed potatoes and sweetcorn. All local produce too.”

“Jesus. You’re making me pack on at least twenty pounds per week. It'll ruin my lovely figure. But those ribs are gonna be worth it."