Taboo Mountain Daddy (Mountain Men of Liberty Read online

  Taboo Mountain Daddy

  A Secret Baby Romance

  K.C. Crowne

  Contents

  Also by K.C. Crowne

  Description

  1. Madison

  2. Teddy

  3. Madison

  4. Teddy

  5. Madison

  6. Teddy

  7. Madison

  8. Teddy

  9. Madison

  10. Teddy

  11. Madison

  12. Teddy

  13. Madison

  14. Teddy

  15. Madison

  16. Teddy

  17. Madison

  18. Teddy

  19. Madison

  20. Teddy

  21. Teddy

  22. Madison

  23. Teddy

  24. Madison

  Epilogue

  Triplets For The Mountain Man (Preview)

  About the Author

  Also by K.C. Crowne

  Mountain Men of Liberty Series (this series):

  Baby for the Mountain Man| Junior for the Mountain Man| Knocked Up by the Mountain Man| Baby For Daddy’s Friend | Triplets for the Mountain Man

  Bearded Brothers Mountain Man Series

  Her Mountain Daddy| Beauty and the Beard| Bride and the Beard| Built and Bearded |

  Big Bad Daddies Series:

  Big Bad Daddy| Big Bad Doctor| Big Bad Taboo Daddy | Big Bad Prince|

  Big Bad Mountain Man | Big Bad SEAL| Big Bad Boss| Big Bad Sugar Daddy|

  Big Bad Firefighter| Big Bad Fire Daddy |Big Bad Fireman’s Baby

  Triple Team Reverse Harem Series

  Men on a Mission| Christmas with Four Firemen| Dirty Cowboys

  All books are FREE on Kindle Unlimited and can be read as standalones.

  Here’s my full bookshelf.

  Follow me on Bookbub for new release notices

  Get a free steamy book.

  Description

  Liberty is the place I fled years ago.

  And Teddy is a man I once considered my enemy.

  Now, a mysterious death brings me back.

  And our unexpected affair is keeping me from leaving.

  Thanks to my family’s reputation I’m the black sheep of this town.

  And to make matters worse, Teddy is the Sherriff.

  Couple that with our 14 years ago gap,

  And you’ve got a gossip story fit for any small town.

  My father’s death has me digging up skeletons from the past.

  Will I regret ever returning to this cold mountain town?

  Or wilI I finally have the family I’ve never had?

  And will Teddy be the daddy my unborn baby and I so DESPERATELY need?

  Madison

  Welcome to Liberty!

  My stomach dropped as soon as I saw the sign.

  It took everything in me to not turn my car around and head back to California.

  Truth be told, I’d never really felt welcome here, and the only thing that could bring me back was burying my father.

  And I was determined to find out the truth behind his death.

  Only then could I get back to my life.

  Years ago, putting this town in my past was the best damn decision I’d made. As if the small town wanted to prove my point, sirens lit up my back window as the thought crossed my mind.

  Dammit! I haven’t been in town for one whole minute, and I’m already getting pulled over.

  I rolled my eyes as I pulled to the side of the road.

  I glanced in the rear-view mirror, and not too surprisingly, I saw a familiar face headed my way. I expected him to look older. After all, it had been six years since I’d left town. But Teddy looked almost exactly as I remembered him, with just a little more grey around the ears that only made him look more attractive. His hair was still a rich, dark chocolate brown, cut short and trimmed on the sides. His beard was the same brown, also neat and trim.

  Teddy Williams had been a pain in my ass growing up, so I didn’t let that rock-hard body, chiseled jawline, and friendly smile fool me.

  Rolling my window down, I let out a deep sigh rather than a greeting.

  “Well, look who we have here,” Teddy schmoozed in a playful tone, leaning down to look into the window of my Toyota Corolla. “Long time, no see.”

  “Yeah, well, I wish it could have been a bit longer,” I retorted smartly. “No offense, but considering you’re pulling me over and all.”

  “Yeah, just like old times, huh?”

  He meant that to be a joke, but I wasn’t feeling it. I scowled at him. “What do you want, Teddy? Still getting off on picking on my family and me?”

  He frowned down at me. “Listen, I never got off on anything like that.” His face was serious, his eyes sincere. I almost believed him.

  “Oh, so it’s not because you ran my plates and realized it was me?”

  “I only ran your plates because you’re going fifty-five in a thirty-five, Ms. Wiley.”

  “Don’t Ms. Wiley me,” I grumbled. “I’m not my mother. And the speed limit has always been fifty-five until you hit the general store, so try again.”

  Teddy motioned with his hand, pointing at something in the distance. I squinted at where he was pointing. A sign, not even twenty feet in front of my car, says Speed Limit: 35 MPH.

  “I’m not there yet,” I countered. I knew full well I couldn’t have slowed down in time, but it sounded like a decent argument in my head.

  “There’s another one back there. I can show you if you’d like,” he offered, a laugh in his voice as he pointed behind me. “About four years ago, the city voted to lower the speed limit along Lick Creek Road and into town. A lot of families live along this road. Their kids often walk up this way to grab the school bus, and they didn’t think it was safe for people to be driving fifty-five miles an hour anymore.”

  I sighed, having no choice but to admit defeat. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize they’d changed it. Old habits die hard, I suppose, but admit it - you enjoy this. You’ve always enjoyed picking on me.”

  “I never enjoyed any of it,” Teddy said, his brown eyes meeting mine. “Just doing my job.”

  I clenched the steering wheel with both hands. I felt like screaming. I knew Teddy was probably right – I’d been a hellcat back in my younger days. I’d done a lot of things I shouldn’t have, mostly to survive. Had Teddy, or anyone else, actually cared, maybe I wouldn’t have had to steal food to feed myself and my brother. I met Teddy’s gaze again, and I wanted to believe he cared about me as a person and wasn’t just meeting a personal quota.

  But I didn’t trust him.

  I didn’t trust anyone in Liberty besides my two best friends, Hannah and Cassie.

  “So, are you gonna give me a ticket or what?” I asked. “Because I have places to be.”

  “Nah, no ticket,” he replied, waving his hand. “Just a warning since you weren’t aware and probably a bit distracted.”

  I cringed, knowing what was coming next.

  “I’m really sorry about your father, Madison.”

  I let out a deep breath, trying to calm myself before speaking, but it didn’t work. “Are you really, though?” I asked, my eyes narrowed. My heart clenched in my chest as I stared into those deep, brown eyes.

  Oh boy. He really is handsome, I thought, especially when he wasn’t scolding me for something.

  “Aren’t you at least a smidge happy that you don’t have to deal with my father anymore? I know he didn’t make your job easy.”

  “I’d never wish harm on anyone, Madison. Not even a criminal or a man with his demons,” he said pointedly. “Your father had issues
that ran deeper than any of us will ever know, and I’m sorry about that. I’m sorry I couldn’t have done more.”

  “You know, there’s still more you can do,” I said, speaking softly.

  “What do you mean?”

  I looked him hard in the eyes. “We both know there’s no way my dad would have killed himself. That man thought too highly of himself to ever take his own life.”

  Teddy remained silent for a moment, but I could see the wheels turning in his head. He didn’t seem entirely surprised by my suggestion. “We’re looking into every possible angle.”

  “Are you? Or are you going to just write it off as a suicide and thank the heavens that someone finally took the old man out?”

  “Like I said—”

  I interrupted with a hand wave. “I know, I know, you’d never wish harm on anyone. But his death isn’t exactly the last thing folks here have wanted. No more drunken bar fights, no more DUIs, no more drama. Liberty is free of Glen Wiley.”

  I knew how the old sheriff used to talk about him. Teddy was just a deputy back in those days, but his boss had told my dad the world would be better off without him many times over the years. Hell, everyone in Liberty hated my dad. When he walked into a business, people would stop and stare, muttering to themselves. Some would leave, others would hang around to see what drama he might cause.

  Teddy’s radio made a sound and pulled his attention away from me. “Listen, Madison, I have to go, alright? I really am sorry about your dad. Take care of yourself.”

  “Yes Sir,” I said, taking the written warning Teddy handed to me. “Thank you for letting me off.”

  “Believe it or not, I don’t like making your life difficult.” He straightened and walked back to his police cruiser. I couldn’t help it; I watched his ass as he walked.

  Ass like that should be illegal.

  He kept himself in good shape, even though most Liberty deputies didn’t have to do much. Not like the little town was riddled with crime. Especially now.

  I drove off, feeling even more frustrated than I had before. I had to keep reminding myself that I was only there for a few days. Just a few days, and I could head back to California’s golden coast. I could head back to my life and far away from this town.

  I pulled up to the diner and parked in the tiny parking lot.

  Smothered in Love. The place was new. It used to be a shitty greasy spoon without a name. My brother Jack and I would sometimes eat there when he had some money. The restaurant looked much nicer now.

  I got out of my car, and my eye’s widened when I saw Hannah at the front entrance. My best friend ran toward me, and we hugged tightly.

  “Gosh, your hair has gotten so long,” she cooed, pulling at my blonde strands, which fell below my bra.

  “Yours too,” I said. “It looks beautiful curly.”

  Hannah’s auburn hair fell in big curls over her shoulders. “Yeah, trying this new method to work with my natural features instead of against them.” She giggled happily. “I think it’s working.”

  “I’d say so. You look good.”

  “Thanks, babe. You do too. California is taking good care of you, I see.”

  “Well, it is summertime,” I said with a laugh. “I spend a lot of time at the beach.”

  “Explains the tan,” she observed with a big smile. “I need to come back and visit you again soon.”

  “I agree. Or make the move. We could be roommates, you know.”

  Hannah’s face fell. “I could never leave Liberty. I’m not like you and Cassie. You know that. This is my home. But I’ll visit again soon, I promise.”

  Hannah had come to visit me twice since I’d moved away, but neither of us had an abundance of money, which made it hard to see each other often. I missed my best friends, and hangouts via Skype weren’t cutting it anymore. Her mentioning our other best friend, Cassie, was like a knife through my heart.

  “I miss Cassie,” I murmured.

  “Me too. But she’s doing well, following her dream. She’ll be a lawyer in no time.”

  “Yeah, I know. I just wish we could all hang out again, like the old days.” I smiled as brightly as I could manage. “But at least I have a few days in town with you.”

  She grinned back and pulled on my hand. “Come on; you’re going to love what Felicity has done with the place. We’re a little late for breakfast, but her sandwiches are the bomb dot com!”

  I followed Hannah through the door, and we found seats by the window. Summer in Utah was pretty – bright green trees and colorful flowers lined the sidewalk outside. People were out and about. Kids were out of school, so the playground across the street was bustling with activity.

  I felt relaxation in my shoulders as I looked across the table at Hannah. She smiled at me again, but I saw the pity.

  “So, you haven’t talked to your mom or brother yet?” Hannah asked.

  And there went my relaxing moment.

  “No,” I said bluntly. “Neither of them has my number, and I don’t know Jack’s. And we both know I have no desire to talk to my mother.”

  Hannah reached for my hands from across the table, squeezing them firmly. “Maybe you can see Jack again.”

  “Have you seen him?”

  “Well, he’s been pretty reclusive ever since he was paroled. Not that I blame him considering the way people talk in this town.”

  A waitress came over and gave us some menus, but I didn’t bother to open mine. Suddenly, I wasn’t very hungry.

  “Can we talk about something else?”

  “Sure,” Hannah said. “How are you doing? How’s school? Work?”

  “School is good, just slow. I can only take a class or two a semester, at most,” I said with a shrug. “And work is…well, work. I make decent tips, at least.”

  “Still living with roommates?”

  “I have no choice, it’s LA,” I chuckled. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to afford my own place. Even after I get my degree.”

  “Why do you stay there?” Hannah cocked her head to the side, studying me.

  Normally when people asked me that question, I told them it was the sunshine and the beaches that kept me there, which wasn’t a complete lie. But in all honesty, it was the first place I’d stopped, where I landed after leaving Liberty, and I just never left. I knew there were cheaper places to live, but I was settled in now. I had a job. I had an apartment, even if I shared it with a revolving door of strangers. It beat the home I grew up in, which set a pretty low bar.

  “I dunno, Hannah. It just feels right, you know? Why do you stay here?”

  “Because it’s home,” she stated simply as if it were the easiest answer in the world. “I like visiting other places, but Liberty is home to me.”

  Hannah and I were a lot alike, but in many ways, we were different. This was one of them. Hannah had a fairly normal childhood, which I envied. Perhaps if I’d had parents like hers, I wouldn’t hate this place as much as I did.

  I caught a glimpse of someone walking toward the door.

  “Oh shit,” I muttered. “Is he following me or what?”

  “Who?” Hannah asked, turning around.

  Teddy walked in the door, and when he saw me, he tipped his hat.

  “Afternoon, Ms. Wiley.”

  Teddy

  Madison Wiley.

  That was a name I hadn’t heard in a while.

  Her name brought back a lot of memories.

  Not all of them good, though I blamed her circumstances mostly.

  When I saw her little Toyota speeding down the road, I called in her plates. Her record as an adult was clean. Call me a little shocked, but I was also pleasantly surprised.

  Good for her. She seemed to be leaving her family’s legacy behind. It made me proud.

  Both her parents had turned to crime, alcohol, and drugs. Her brother raised her, stole food to feed them, and did what he could.

  It was sad that he’d ended up in jail, but he’d recently been released af
ter years of serving time.

  When I stepped up to the side of her car, I was caught off guard by her beauty.

  The last time I saw her, she’d been very much a kid. Eighteen, but in my eyes, still a child.

  But now she was grown up.

  Her honey-blonde hair fell over her shoulders, not the bleach blonde that her mother often strived for, but her natural color.

  Blue eyes. Big and wide.

  When she was younger, she’d perfected the sweet, innocent look, giving me doe-eyed looks when I stopped her for anything. She’d fooled me a few times back then. She still had that look about her, but it felt more sincere.

  It felt real.

  But dammit if it didn’t stir up a desire I wasn’t exactly comfortable with.

  I had to be a good fourteen years her senior. She was a beautiful young woman, and she’d stolen my breath.

  Truth be told, she’d made all the blood flow straight to my groin.

  I struggled to force the thoughts of her out of my head. She was too damn young, and I was too damn set in my ways to be thinking about Madison Wiley as anything but another community member under my protection while she was in town.

  Later that day, when I saw her at the restaurant, she frowned at me. I knew it was going to be a very interesting second encounter.

  The girl practically shot me daggers from across the dining room before getting up from her table and marching over to where I was seated.