Mountain Man Next Door (Mountain Men Book 1) Read online

  Copyright Ava Grace 2018

  All Rights Reserved

  This book is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to person’s living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.

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  Warning: This book contains material that some readers might find disturbing or objectionable and is intended for mature readers only.

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  Mountain Man Next Door

  Ava Grace

  Chapter One

  As my trusty old car chugged its way up the mountain away from the center of the sleepy Colorado town of Creede, I scanned the horizon looking for the log cabin that was about to become my new home.

  I’d seen a couple of photographs of the cabin on the internet and that had been enough to know that it was where I wanted to lay my hat. I’d called up the number listed in the ad, spoken to the agent, and, after having sent over my references and a check for a modest deposit and the first month’s rent, I was on my way to start my new life.

  Or at least I would have been if I could have found the darn place.

  The town sounded perfect. A small, friendly haven in the mountains that was popular with hikers during the summer months, but quiet during the rest of the year.

  After the hectic pace of Denver, quiet was exactly what I was looking for.

  As I drove higher up the mountain, I worried that I’d managed to miss the cabin and considered turning around and heading back into town to ask for directions. My little car had last me well thus far, but I doubted her ability to complete the journey if we climbed much higher up the mountain.

  If Creede was going to become my permanent home, I’d have to consider buying a vehicle that would be better equipped for the snow and ice. It didn’t take a genius to know that the mountain road would be treacherous to navigate in winter. But at least there were another three months until the season descended so I didn’t have to worry about getting rid of my baby just yet.

  Just as I’d made my mind up to turn the car around and head back down the mountain, a large cabin came into view and, as luck would have it, there was a giant of a man out front, chopping wood. I didn’t like the idea of having to stop and speak to the stranger as past experiences had made me cautious, but I was rapidly running out of options. And gas.

  With no feasible alternatives, I turned the car into his drive and wound my way up to the house. As I approached, the man stopped what he was doing then spun around, ax in hand. Instead of the friendly, inquisitive look that I’d hoped to see on his face, the expression that greeted me was closer to chagrin. Crap.

  I hesitated for a moment before switching off the engine and getting out of the car. This move was supposed to be about a fresh start. A new life and a new me—at least that was what I’d promised myself before I left Denver. I was tired of being afraid. If there was ever a time to pull up my big girl panties and be the person I used to be before I let all the crap that entered my life change me, then this was it.

  I squared my shoulders and strode in his direction. His wide muscular frame intimidated me somewhat, but I didn’t let it show on my face. Trying not to focus on the ax he held in his hand, I made myself meet his gaze.

  “Hello,” I greeted, forcing my lips into a smile. “I’m Libby. Libby Barnes.”

  His grunt of a reply gave me pause and I arched my eyebrows in the hope that he’d cut me some slack. He looked me over and it was then that I became aware of how handsome he was. A thick beard covered the bottom half of his face, but there was no hiding his high cheekbones and long, straight nose and I could have got lost for days in his pretty green eyes.

  “Mason Young,” he said at last.

  The low timbre of his voice made a shiver roll over my body.

  I ignored it.

  Before I could ask him about the cabin, a beautiful sandy colored Labrador Retriever came bounding towards me with an excited yip.

  “Hey, gorgeous,” I said, leaning down to pet the beautiful animal. “What’s your name?”

  It jumped up to lick my face, causing me to giggle.

  “Duke,” Mason offered, his tone clipped.

  When I stood up to my full height again, Duke sat on my feet then leaned his big body against my leg.

  Mason frowned.

  “Uh, I’m looking for the Johnson property.” I eyed the ax that Mason still held in his hand then cleared my throat. “I was hoping you’d be able to point me in the right direction.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “What do you want with Harry’s old place?”

  My smile faltered. “Umm, I’ve rented it?” The inflection at the end of the sentence turned my statement into a question. “It’s going to be my new home.”

  When his frown turned into a scowl, I suspected he wasn’t jumping for joy with the news but I couldn’t for the heck of me imagine why. Did he have something against strangers? Was his issue with women in general or was it just me he had taken a dislike to?

  I tried not to take offense, but his indifference was jarring.

  “Can you tell me where it is?”

  My snippy tone didn’t seem to bother him in the slightest.

  He stared at me for a couple of beats—not too long that it became creepy but long enough that it made me uncomfortable.

  I was seconds away from turning around and running back to my car when his mouth twisted into a sour grin and he nodded to his left. I followed his line of sight, my mouth dropping open when I took in the dilapidated log cabin he’d indicated that was right next door to his, slightly higher up the mountain. I’d noticed the place when I’d pulled into his drive, but it had appeared so inhabitable and unwelcoming that I hadn’t given it a second glance.

  I shook my head. “No, that can’t be right. That’s not the place I’ve rented.”

  I reached into my pocket and pulled out my cell phone. Shaking my head in disbelief, I scrolled through my pics then pulled up the photograph of the cabin I had saved on my phone. I showed it to him. Throughout it all, Duke remained at my feet.

  Mason glanced at the screen before nodding curtly. “That’s the place though it hasn’t looked like that in ten years or more.”

  My shoulders slumped. “Oh.”

  Crap.

  No wonder I’d rented the cabin for such a good price. It was practically a ruin. The saying ‘if it’s too good to be true…’ ran through my mind. I felt the prickle of tears form behind my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I would not cry in front of this man. There would be no sympathy or comfort here. I’d just have to call up the realtor and demand that they return my money so that I could find somewhere else to let.

  But where else could I go?

  My worldly possessions were stuffed into the back of my car.

&nbs
p; It wasn’t like I could go back to my old condo in Denver. I’d already handed in the keys and collected my deposit.

  Not that I wanted to go back there even if I could.

  The condo that I’d lived in for the past three years held too many painful memories and reminded me of a time in my life that I’d rather forget. Perhaps the cabin wasn’t as terrible on the inside as I expected it to be.

  It wouldn’t hurt to take a look.

  There was a pathway that wound from Mason’s place up the mountain to the cabin, but surely that couldn’t be the only way to access it. I didn’t relish the prospect of carrying all my belongings up that mountain.

  “Does it have its own driveway?”

  I sounded dumb even to my own ears, but once the question was out of my mouth, I couldn’t take it back. Mason’s lips curved into a grin, making me feel like an even bigger idiot. The idea that this handsome stranger was laughing at me caused a sour taste in my mouth. I hated feeling stupid, especially in front of someone like him.

  “Go back out onto the road then head up the mountain,” he directed, managing to keep the sarcasm at bay. “It’s the next turning on the left.”

  Of course it was.

  The heat of a blush spread across my cheeks. “Right, well thanks for your help.”

  I’d been about to say it was good to meet him, but that would have been a lie. Why was it that nearly all the good looking men turned out to be assholes?

  He grunted a reply then turned, giving me his back and returned to his task of chopping wood, essentially dismissing me.

  “Duke!” he called forcefully.

  The dog didn’t move.

  “Go on, boy,” I said quietly.

  The dog did as I asked reluctantly strolling to his master’s side before settling down at his feet.

  Mason glared down at the dog, but he never said another word or glanced in my direction again.

  Not that I’d expected him to.

  I’d had this idea in my mind of what my new life in a small town would be like. I’d imagined a warm, friendly environment where everyone knew everyone else and people went out of their way to help you.

  I couldn’t have been further from the truth.

  Thoroughly dejected, I trudged back to my car then made my way to the run-down old property that would likely have to be home for at least one night and possibly more.

  I’d just have to call the realtor and get them to sort out this darn mess.

  Had the move to Creede just been the biggest mistake of my life?

  Chapter Two

  I swung the ax, bringing it down into the block of wood then did it again and again—the monotony and familiarity of the task providing a strange sort of comfort. Only when the woman, Libby, had disappeared out of my driveway did I stop what I was doing, stand up straight and stretch out my frame. I scrubbed a hand over my face, wiping away the beads of sweat that had formed on my forehead and upper lip. I looked down at Duke and scowled.

  “Traitor,” I groused.

  Duke ignored me and kept staring out to the road where Libby’s car had disappeared. It was as if he was waiting for her to come back. I’d never seen him take so much interest in anyone before.

  What had gotten into him?

  And what in the hell did Harry think he was playing at by renting out that run-down old cabin? It would have been better if he’d torn the place down then sold off the land. I would have bought it to ensure that no one else did.

  I’d got used to my privacy over the last couple of years and I didn’t want that to change. The sentimental old fool must have thought that the cabin which held so many good memories for him could do with a woman’s touch.

  Damn it all to hell.

  I had enough women turning up on my doorstep with pot roasts and pies and an array of baked goods that I didn’t want and didn’t need. Now I had to have one living right next door to me.

  And not just any woman either.

  No, she had to be beautiful and sexy as all get out with pretty chocolate brown eyes set in an even prettier face.

  But she wasn’t fooling anyone with her fake smile.

  Her eyes held secrets she was failing to hide. She’d been through a world of pain and whatever wounds she’d suffered were still wide open and festering. The weight on her shoulders was weighing her down and I wasn’t the man to help her carry it.

  I held too heavy a load of my own.

  I watched her pull her car in front of Harry’s place then cut the engine. She was probably plucking up the courage to go inside and see how bad it was. I hadn’t said anything earlier because I hadn’t wanted to encourage her, but I knew that on the inside, the cabin was in good shape. Harry and his wife used to spend every summer there before cancer stole her away from him a couple of years ago.

  Since then, he’d paid a cleaning company to look after it and they did a good job. I kept an eye on the place for him so I was pretty damn pissed that he hadn’t told me he’d decided to rent it to someone. I knew that the outside of the property needed work of course because it was hard to miss, but I hadn’t encouraged him to go ahead with the maintenance for my own selfish reasons. If it looked ugly on the outside, then no one would be interested in it, hence, I would be left in peace, with no neighbors in my immediate vicinity.

  When Libby opened her car door and got out, I turned my attention back to my wood pile. I didn’t want her to see that I was watching her. It might give her ideas. But as I picked up a few pieces of wood and carried them to my porch, I couldn’t resist another glance in her direction. She moved with grace, unconsciously but seductively swaying her hips as she walked. When the sight of her started to get me hard, I growled out an expletive then dumped the wood in a pile with the rest before storming into my house.

  When Duke refused to follow me inside, I shrugged then slammed the front door shut behind me.

  Goddamn it.

  Even though I didn’t want anything to do with that woman, I shouldn’t have been surprised that my dick had other ideas. It had been a long time since I got laid and my hand barely satisfied my need. I headed for the shower, stripping off my clothes and tossing them aside as I went.

  The water was cold at first, but I got under the spray anyway, hoping the shock would make my erection go away.

  It didn’t.

  Annoyed that I had no control over my own body, I took my dick in my hand and began to work it. As the water heated, I quickened my pace.

  I would not think of that woman or her sad brown eyes, but as my hand moved up and down my dick, a picture of her face formed in my mind and I couldn’t shake it free—even though I honest to Christ wanted to.

  An orgasm started in the base of my spine and as it built in intensity, I tried to picture one of the women from town, anyone but her in fact. It didn’t matter who they were because I wouldn’t think of them again after the deed was done.

  It was no use.

  As I came, painting the walls of the shower with cum, it was Libby’s face I saw in my mind’s eye and her name that fell from my lips like a curse.

  Chapter Three

  I looked around at the neat and tidy space in utter amazement.

  The inside of the cabin had clearly been taken care of so why had the outside of the property been allowed to fall into disrepair?

  It didn’t make any sense.

  Relief flooded my system as I went from room to room, cataloging all the good points and making a mental list of all the things I needed to do to turn the place into a home.

  The main living area was snug but comfortable, the bedroom had plenty of closet space—not that I needed much anyway, and the bathroom had a huge tub that I could unwind in at the end of a busy day. There was also a separate shower.

  I still intended to contact Mr. Johnson to chew him out for renting me the property under false pretenses, but after all was said and done, I was pretty sure I could make the space work for me.

  The last thing I needed was to hav
e to find somewhere else—even if it meant that I might get better neighbors who could look at me with kindness in their eyes instead of disdain.

  In all honesty, I was grateful that Mr. Grumpy Pants next door didn’t want anything to do with me. I was vulnerable so I don't think I’d have been able to resist him if he'd been nice to me—especially considering how darn sexy he was.

  I was still healing from the last jerk I’d invited into my life.

  I put a hand on my chest and was sure I could feel the scar there throb beneath my fingers. The ugly, jagged red mark was a constant reminder of what could happen when I let someone get too close.

  I didn’t need or want to invite another stranger into my life, even though on the surface, Mason Young was nothing like my ex Brandon Fisher had been.

  Unlike Mason’s gruff demeanor, Brandon had been a real charmer. I hadn’t been sure about him at first, but he’d wormed his way into my life by showering me with compliments and attention. However, the big smiles, the exuberance, and the charm had been nothing but a façade, hiding the ugliness that lived inside him.

  To my detriment, I found out too late what he was really like.

  I hated that I’d gone there—that I’d let those ugly memories back inside my mind.

  When I felt as if the walls were starting to close in on me, I ran for the front door, threw it open then stepped out on to the porch, sucking down a great big lungful of fresh air.

  At least the air was clean and pure here and I felt like I could breathe. Back in the city, I could never seem to get enough air down into my lungs to rid me of the sensation of suffocating.

  On impulse, I looked down at Mason’s front yard in time to see a black four-wheel-drive cruise into his yard. It stopped in the same place that I’d parked my old girl earlier and a tall, blonde, perfectly put together woman stepped out. She was beautiful enough that she could have graced the cover of a glossy magazine.