Mountain Men of Liberty (Complete Box Set) Read online

  “It’s alright, I know it’s been a few years since I’ve been hiking. Not too many mountains in Manhattan.”

  Josie looked relieved and continued with her instructions. “So we’re going to hike to this beautiful place I know that overlooks the town of Liberty near a small stream. The sound of the rushing water revitalizes my soul.”

  “Sounds very nice,” Elle said. “But first, Josie, how the hell have you been? It’s been years since I’ve heard from you.”

  Josie’s smile wavered. “I’ve been busy, I’m sorry. And you’ve been busy with your own life. I didn’t want to bother you.”

  “That’s fine!” Elle exclaimed, seemingly unaware of the distance we all felt with Josie. “I just want to catch up, that’s all. Are you seeing anyone? Please don’t tell me you got married and didn’t invite me—”

  “No, I’m not,” Josie said, her voice colder than before. “Can we please not talk about that? I just went through an awful breakup.”

  “Sure, of course,” Elle replied quietly. “We don’t have to talk about anything you don’t want to talk about.”

  I hadn’t heard anything about Josie’s breakup. Had no idea who she’d been dating in the first place. Since she wanted to drop it, I didn’t push the subject.

  “Are we ready to head out?” Josie asked, giving us the once over.

  I’d worn jean shorts and a crop top, while Piper went for yoga pants and a tank top. Elle, on the other hand, looked as if she’d stepped from a yoga ad with her yoga pants and sports bra top, both navy blue with a red band and matching perfectly with her yoga mat. She was the only one who’d brought her own mat too.

  Josie frowned when she saw my attire, and I knew it wasn’t proper yoga attire - or even hiking attire - but I really didn’t think about it while getting dressed. If Josie had a problem with it, she didn’t say anything. She let it go. It seemed to be a common theme between us already - just letting things go, no matter how important they might be.

  Josie turned to Grant. “Are you sure you’re going to be comfortable working out in that?”

  Grant had worn his usual jeans and a t-shirt. “I’m not going to be participating. I’m only here to keep an eye on everyone.”

  Josie raised an eyebrow at that but shrugged after a moment. “Alright then. I guess we can head out. I have several bottles of water, if you need one.”

  She grabbed a backpack and some other supplies and handed out the yoga mats. For her, this was any other trek. The fact that we all used to be close didn’t seem to faze her one little bit, and for some reason, that irked me more than it should. I wanted her to care.

  I kept quiet as we began our hike, letting Elle do most of the talking. Piper joined in now and then, but I stayed toward the back with Grant.

  “Talk to her, Leah,” he pushed, reading my mind.

  “There’s nothing to talk about. She obviously doesn’t want to be my friend anymore.”

  “Nah. Something else is going on with her. Can’t you see it?”

  I looked ahead at the three women. Josie had always been fairly happy and well-adjusted, but he was right. Her head wasn’t held as high as it used to be, and her smile seemed more forced. She was the natural hippie of the group, always offering some mantra to lift our spirits or claim that a good hike in the fresh air would cure all our ills - but she was no longer happy herself.

  “I don’t know what to say.” I shrugged.

  “How about asking her out for coffee?”

  “I’ve done that,” I countered. “Many times. And it was always ‘I’m too busy, sorry.’”

  “How long ago was that?”

  I had to think to remember the last time I talked to Josie. “Two, maybe three years ago?”

  “Don’t you think, maybe, things have changed since then?”

  He had a point. Dammit, I hated when he was right and I wrong. It had been awhile; maybe Josie would be interested in catching up. Maybe she even needed it.

  “I’ll talk to her.”

  And I knew I had to talk to her about more than donating her time to Piper’s daycare fundraiser. I needed to reconnect with my old friend and make sure she was okay. Because nothing about her behavior the last few years was normal.

  “Hey, what’s going on here?” Elle said from up ahead.

  “What are they doing?” Piper stood on her tiptoes as if trying to see something in the distance. “Are they digging?”

  Josie also strained to see off into the distance, and I quickened my pace to see what everyone was staring at. Four men about one hundred yards away with some shovels and other equipment were digging. Grant came up behind me. “Probably looking for gold. You know how out-of-towners get sometimes.”

  Sure, once in a while, tourists would ask if we had gold in these mountains. Most of the locals laughed and told wild tales about finding riches in this very soil, only to later tell them that no, there was nothing of value in these mountains. Just Earth, plain and simple.

  The largest man saw us and notified the others. All four of them stared back at us.

  Grant waved. “Sorry, we didn’t mean to disturb you. If you’re digging for gold, I hate to tell ya - there’s nothing of value in this ground.”

  The biggest man looked at the others and they talked amongst themselves, but we couldn’t make out what they were saying. My eyes dropped to their shirts, which had a logo on the front. I grabbed Grant’s arm and whispered, “Look at their shirts.”

  “Russo,” Grant grumbled. “Figures.”

  “What do you think they’re doing all the way up here?”

  “Who the fuck knows.”

  “Come on,” Josie said, shrugging it off. “We should get going. We want to finish and get back before dark.”

  A shudder ran through my body as the four men continued to look at us. One of the men pulled out a cell phone and made a call. None of them took their eyes off us.

  Piper and Elle followed Josie, and Grant nudged me along.

  “She’s right. We don’t want to be stuck up here after dark.”

  “Grant, we should see what they’re doing.”

  He grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to look at him. “No, Leah, I don’t like them here anymore you do, but I can’t let you get involved in case they’re behind the fires.”

  “You think Russo is behind the fires?”

  He shrugged. “Who the hell knows, but they did start when he showed up.”

  “I don’t know, that seems a little too shady even for him,” I said. I glanced at the men one more time before turning. “But you’re right, we probably shouldn’t risk a fight all the way up here.”

  We followed the others to a spot near a stream, just like Josie had described. The sound of the running water was relaxing, but I couldn’t shut my brain off. I went through the movements with the rest of them, but all I could think about was Russo and those men. What were they digging for in the mountains? What did that have to do with the developments in town? None of it made any sense to me.

  Ooo000ooo

  “Namaste,” Josie murmured, sitting up with her legs crossed. She smiled brightly, tendrils of her hair falling around her face. She looked to be at peace.

  When she stood up, her shirt slipped up and I noticed a bruise on the side of her stomach. She quickly pulled the shirt down, covering herself again, but caught me staring. She stared back at me for a second before averting her gaze.

  “Wasn’t that wonderful?” she asked, her voice cheery.

  “Yes, it’s exactly what I needed,” Elle said.

  Neither of them seemed to sweat in the slightest, yet I was drenched. Sweat was running down my face and into my eyes, and I had to look like the Wicked Witch in The Wizard of Oz when she was melting.

  Piper also seemed to be in better spirits, stretching as she stood up. “That was nice,” she said, glancing my way after stretching. “What do you think, Leah?”

  “Sure, it was great.” I pushed back the hair that had fallen loose from
my ponytail and into my face. I had to redo my ponytail, sloppily throwing my hair back together behind my head. I was a hot mess.

  Piper could tell I didn’t really mean it, and she giggled, patting me on the back. “Thanks for being a good sport.”

  “Anything for my bestie.” Which reminded me: the fundraiser.

  I looked at Josie, who was talking to Elle. I didn’t want to jump right in and ask for a favor. Besides, I wanted to see how she was doing, catch up if she’d let me. Taking a deep breath, I walked over to them.

  “That was great, Josie. Very relaxing,” I said.

  “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.”

  “It’s been awhile. I’ve missed you,” I admitted.

  Her eyes widened, and her jaw opened, but no sound came out. She looked at Elle, like she was looking for an escape, but nothing came. Finally, she said softly, “I’ve missed you too.”

  “Maybe we should get a coffee sometime.”

  “I’d like that,” Josie said, her eyes lighting up just like they used to. “I’d like that a lot.”

  “Really?” I was surprised because in the past, it was like pulling teeth to get her to come out with us.

  “Really,” she chuckled. “Things are different now. I’ve decided to leave my past behind, and I hope to reconnect with some of my old friends.”

  “Well, we’d love that,” Piper announced. “We’ve all missed you.”

  Grant cleared his throat behind us. “I hate to break up this little family reunion, but if we want to get back into town before dark, we need to head out soon.”

  The sun sat low on the horizon, and we had about half an hour before dusk. It would take about a half hour or forty-five minutes to hike back down. We gathered our things and set out for home. As we walked back down the path, we saw the men we’d seen earlier, and they were still digging. They put down their equipment when we walked by again and stared at us.

  “What are you looking at?” I called out.

  “Leah, behave yourself,” Grant muttered.

  “What? They’re the ones acting like we’re in the wrong when we’re just hiking,” I said, throwing up my hands in annoyance. I called out, “What are you doing out here, anyway?”

  The largest man started walking toward us. Grant grabbed my arm and attempted to pull me down the path, but I yanked free from his grasp. I was tired of just walking away, of letting them think they could win. This was our home.

  The man looked a lot like Donovan Russo, only larger and slightly older. I'd bet my life they were brothers. When he got to us, he reached out his hand to me, offering to shake. I refused. He frowned and dropped his hand.

  “Who are you?” I demanded, “And what are you doing in our mountains?”

  “It’s nice to meet you too,” he said sarcastically. “My name is Lars Russo.” His lips pulled back in the perfect sneer. “And these are your mountains? I didn’t think this was private property, rather land that’s open to the public.”

  “You know what I meant.” I sneered back. “And I figured you were related to that scumbag Donovan.”

  The man chuckled, running a hand over his goatee and staring off into the distance as if he was trying to think about the best way to deal with us. When he turned back to me, he said, “You must be the infamous Leah Barnes. I’ve heard about your feisty spirit and your attitude.”

  “I don’t have an attitude. I just stand up for what I believe in.”

  Elle, Piper and Josie stood back behind us, watching the show, while Grant tugged at my arm. I refused to leave. I had to know what they were doing in these mountains.

  “Whatever you say, Ms. Barnes, but remember, the Russos always win.”

  “Not this time they won’t. You should go back to your supervillain lair and find some other small town to destroy, because this one ain’t it.” I let Grant guide me away. I had my say. There was no to talk to Lars; no way I’d get any answers from him. He was just as despicable as his younger brother, and I couldn’t stand breathing the same air as him.

  I looked over my shoulder and watched him smugly grin at me. It took everything in me not to flip him the bird, but that seemed childish. Instead I glared, hoping he could feel the weight of my hatred.

  His grin faded, and I turned back around. At least it was a small victory.

  Chapter 17

  Kellen

  Matilda was asleep, it was late, but I couldn’t sleep myself. My dreams were getting more and more vivid, just like after Henry had died. Anytime my eyes closed, I was taken back to the scene of the fire - except it wasn’t my best friend I was trying to save, it was Leah and Matilda.

  And every time, I failed. Just like I failed to save Henry.

  With all the free time, I was able to get to work on Matilda’s crib. I’d started it when she first came home but got distracted and busy with caring for her. Working with the wood, carving it by hand, soothed me in a way that nothing else could. It took focus and precision, so my mind couldn’t wander. I couldn’t think about my feelings for Leah and how I wanted to see her again. I hadn’t called her, and she hadn’t called me either. It was better that way, safest for everyone involved.

  My phone buzzed. It was Grant. He knew I was often up late, as he was too.

  I answered with a “What’s up?” since he rarely called me out of the blue. Neither one of us were much for chatting without having a reason for it.

  “I have a favor to ask you. Well, no, actually Leah has a favor to ask you,” he said with a chuckle. “But I’m acting as the mediator here.”

  “You know I can’t do much for her right now.”

  “It’s not really for her,” he said. “It’s for Piper. Leah is trying to get local businesses to donate goods and services to raise money for Piper to open her business in a space she’s providing for her.”

  “Oh yeah? What can I do for her?”

  Piper had been good to us, and it was good for the community to have her daycare open. I was part of this community, and whether I liked to admit it or not, it was growing on me. I wanted to help the people of Liberty, especially good people like Piper.

  “I had the idea, not Leah, but I know you’re really good at woodworking. Wasn’t sure if you had something you could donate, a piece you’ve built already?”

  I looked around my workspace. I had plenty of pieces I’d started, some I never finished. Most of them were just projects to keep myself busy during those long nights of no sleep. There were a few finished items. A shelf and a small table looked to be the most likely candidates for donation; they were nice, finished, and practical.

  “Yeah, I probably have a few things.”

  “Thank you, Kellen. Whatever you can give would be appreciated. I can stop by and pick them up whenever you’re ready.”

  “I’ll drop them off,” I said. “I don’t want you to leave Leah alone.”

  “You don’t mind bringing them to the hotel? That’s where we’re keeping everything.”

  Probably not the best idea to be seen in that part of town, but better than taking them to Leah’s house or having Grant come all the way out here to pick them up.

  “Yeah, I’ll make it quick.”

  “Sounds good to me then. Thanks, man.”

  I hung up the phone and got back to work. There were so many unfinished projects in the room, so many sleepless nights where I had to do something but didn’t really have a goal in mind. It was an analogy for my life. Never had a clear purpose, just doing whatever felt right at the time. I needed to change that, have something concrete for Matilda. Whether I liked it or not, I had to set up roots somewhere, and Liberty seemed as good a place as any.

  I put the finishing touches on the crib, which included sanding it smooth and staining it with the safest product money could buy. Nothing but the best for my little girl.

  It was almost two in the morning when I finished, and just about time for her middle of the night feeding. I didn’t even bother going to bed. Instead, I prepared her bott
le and waited for her cries. It wasn’t even fifteen minutes later when she woke up, and I tended to her.

  Holding her in my arms with her tiny fingers wrapped around my large ones, it was hard to believe that only weeks before, I’d considered never having kids. I didn’t think I’d make a good father, but there I was, handling middle-of-the-night feedings and caring for an infant.

  Mostly, it was my fear of getting attached to anyone and losing them again. But Matilda taught me that sometimes, the risk was worth it. Hell, maybe even all the time. I didn’t regret being close to her parents, even after losing them. The pain of losing them was still there, heavy in my heart, but my love for them would never die.

  And my love for Matilda was stronger than I ever imagined.

  Ooo000ooo

  I only slept for a few hours before I was up again with Matilda. With the sun rising, I figured there was no better time than to load the truck. I called Grant and told him I’d be dropping everything off, and we set up a time to meet. A quick in and out, that’s all I planned for. I packed Matilda into her car seat, grabbed her bag, and we drove to the hotel, with plans to stop and grab some breakfast at the cafe before heading home. I was growing rather fond of Felicity’s cooking, and I liked supporting the small businesses of Liberty as much as I could.

  I pulled up around the back of the hotel, as per Grant’s directions. There was a storage building back there, and he was going to load everything in there for now. I texted him once I was parked but didn’t get a response.

  Leah glanced out her office window and saw my truck. She waved at me; I waved back. She disappeared, and a moment later, she was coming out the back door.

  “Crap,” I muttered, looking around to see if anyone was watching us.

  “Hey there, stranger,” Leah said, sidling up to the driver’s side door.

  “Hey there,” I responded. “Do you really think this is a good idea? With Wade on the loose?”

  Leah’s face fell. “Sorry. I just figured it was fine to say hello, and to thank you for your donation. Is that so wrong?”