Page 18 of Single Mom’s Mountain Men (Mountain Men Reverse Harem #1)

Mitch

S am Banker is a short, pudgy toad of a man with a shifty gaze and a constant five o'clock shadow.

Added to that, he has a potbelly that he constantly compresses under shirts that are far too small.

All that mixed in with his gelled comb-over and eerily white veneers makes him look like a cheap car salesman or the type of lawyer that only represents the worst kind of criminals.

Banker is neither of those things. Somehow he’s even worse.

It's not just his looks that turn off most people. It’s the cold and penetrating gleam in his eyes that reminds me of a shark when it smells blood in the water. My mom used to say that he has the eyes of a demon seeking to corrupt mortal souls.

And the more I discover about the man, the more I learn ma's description wasn't too far off.

As one of the wealthiest men in Montana, Banker's family owns much of the wild lands in the state, and word on the street is that he’s always looking to purchase more.

According to my sources, he finds businesses that are struggling, underhandedly edges them a little closer to that red point and when they're desperate for cash and can't help themselves anymore, he scoops the place up for cheap.

I also have it on good authority that he might be part of the reason my father's business was in the state that it was when my brothers and I returned. It seems he’s had his eye on our land for years now and even after my parents refused to sell it, even after I refused to sell too, he keeps coming back.

“Mitchell,” he says coughing as he walks into the shed.

I don't stop my planing, blowing more dust in the air.

I also don't offer him any headgear to prevent the wood chippings from flying into his face, and I definitely don't offer him a seat.

I want to make him as uncomfortable as possible so he can, in turn, make this visit as short as possible.

“Working hard as always I see. Damn, y'all never take a break, do you? It's impressive. Seeing you hard at work all the time both inspires and exhausts me.”

I ignore him, stopping briefly to turn the timber over, so I can send it back through the planer the reverse side now facing upwards.

“Business is good I hear,” Banker says. “I’ve heard from Jerry and his boys that you’ve been using their transportation services more. That’s great. I’m glad to hear it.”

“What the fuck do you want Banker?” I was going to give him the silent treatment until he left, but his chatter is far too irritating to ignore.

“You know what I want Mitchell. The same thing I’ve always wanted.”

“And just like I've told you many times before, the answer is ‘no’.”

“Oh, come now, Mitch. You’re just trying to be difficult.”

“And you’re being a pain in my ass.” I straighten to stare him directly in the eyes, feeling my irritation course through my body. Something about this man gets under my skin, even beyond his predatory behavior.

Maybe it's his two-facedness. He’s the type that will say one thing to your face and something entirely different behind your back. I've always hated that in a man, thought it showed incredible weakness.

Banker sighs. “Five acres Mitchell. That’s all I’m asking for. Five acres by the road where I can build a quaint little property that I can rent to out-of-towners. I’m offering a fair price for it too. Give me that, and I’ll never bother you again."

“Even if I believed that were true, I still wouldn’t sell it.”

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t fucking want to, Banker." My voice is tense as I rise. I see my brother appear and disappear by the doorway in my periphery but I keep my eyes on Banker. “Because it’s my land and I can do whatever the fuck I want with it, and currently what I want is to not sell it to you.”

I turn back to my work on my wood, expecting Banker to walk out in a huff like he always does whenever I turn him down.

But instead, he says “You sure your brothers agree with that?”

I spare him a single droll glance. If Banker thinks he can get his hands on the land through my brothers then he has another thing coming.

My brothers may not necessarily enjoy everything about working here and they may not have the same sense of responsibility that I do, but I know that they wouldn’t betray my parent’s memory by selling any of it off to this toad.

And even if they wanted to, they would still need my say-so.

“You know your parents were stubborn about selling the land too.” Banker continues like a gnat buzzing around the room.

“I offered them plenty of times to take some of it off their hands. Your father was growing older and his business was struggling. He had to keep letting go of employees one by one until there was none left. And still, the stubborn man refused to sell to me, working himself to a heart attack.” He shrugs.

“Maybe things would be different now if only your father has been less stubborn.”

Red hot rage whizzes in my ears and before I know it, I’m grabbing the bastard by the front of his shirt, pulling him towards me.

“Mitch!” I hear someone shout my name, but I don’t care, I’m too busy pulling the S.O.B. into range, getting ready to punch that smarmy smile right off his face.

“Don’t you ever fucking talk about either of my parents in that tone of voice, you toad,” I snarl at him.

Banker shrugs, his smarmy smile still not leaving his ugly, piggy face.

“Why not? It’s a free world I can talk about whatever the fuck I want. And your daddy was indeed far too bullheaded for his own good. Your mother was more reasonable. I almost convinced her to sell, but she died before I could. Sad."

“Mitchell.” A hand lands on my shoulder, and I glance aside to see Charlie’s steady eyes. “Don’t.”

“Yeah,” Wes is standing behind him near the entrance, beside a wide-eyed Patty.

"Don't give him the satisfaction. It’s probably what he wants, for you to hit him, so then he can sue you for assault. He’ll be sure to embellish the story though, to make you look crazy and violent, like a bunch of people already think you are.

And the lawsuit will tie you up with legal fees so that way you won’t be able to work and then we’ll be forced to sell to him. ”

I turn back to Banker, the buzz receding in my ears enough for me to see the annoyed glint in his. Sneaky bastard. I realize that Wes is right, this is exactly what he intended.

My brother is also right in that this toad isn’t worth my anger and I can't believe I nearly fell for his damned schemes.

I shove him away from me and he hits the edge of the work desk, but not hard enough to bruise, sadly. Then he straightens, adjusting his suit, agitation in his movement.

“You damn hillbillies,” he says. “Can’t you see I’m trying to help you here? I’m offering you more than enough compensation for that piece of land, and y’all are just holding out, out of sheer stubbornness.”

“It’s none of your damn business why we’re holding out,” Wes says. “We’re not selling to you and that’s that."

Banker opens his mouth to say something else and then his eyes fall on Patty. He frowns, eyebrows furrowing.

“Do I know you from somewhere?" he asks, and Patty starts at being addressed so unexpectedly.

Suddenly, I feel my body moving. There's a clatter of tools hitting the floor as all my brothers move too, until we form a protective shield around Patty blocking her entirely from his view.

“Get out,” I tell Banker, even more irritated now that he’s addressed Patty.

I don't even want the bastard looking at her and getting any ideas for his schemes.

“I’m not going to ask nicely again, Banker.

You don't leave here, I'm going to hurt you. And trust me, I know ways to cause you a lot of pain without leaving a single mark.”

Banker swallows, his face reddening. “Your parents will be ashamed to see what you’ve let this place turn into, to see what you’ve turned into. Biker trash, all of you." He spits and I’m almost tempted to knock his teeth out, just on principle, but then Charlie holds me back as Banker walks out .

After he’s gone, my younger brother speaks up. “You shouldn’t let him get you riled up like that.”

I stare at Charlie’s stable gaze.

"You know what he’s after. And this won’t be the last we see of him. The last thing you need is to fall into one of his nasty little traps. “

“I know, “I say. Normally, Banker wouldn't even get a rise out of me, but today has been an off day. It started with an argument with Wes and then discovering that Charlie hasn't completed the Reddington order irritated me even more.

“Where were you anyway?” I ask him. "We cannot afford to slack off right now. With Banker sniffing around, it's even more important that we work hard to get ourselves back in the green. Then we can get more employees and have more presence around here."

“I was busy” is all Charlie says and then he turns to Patty. “You okay?’ he nods.

“Yeah.” She glances at me out of the corner of her eye, and once more I regret losing my temper. I hope I didn't scare her.

“Do you know him?" Wes asks. She’d previously indicated that she didn’t know anyone in this city but Banker sincerely looked perplexed at her appearance.

Patty shakes her head and then she asks, “What did he mean when he called you guys biker trash?"

We share a look. I suppose we haven’t explained our reputation to her yet, and it’s only fair that we do, since she lives and works here.

"I guess there's something we need to tell you," I say.