Their Mountain Love Read online

  “What about insurance?” she asked.

  “You’d get access to the policy we have at the same cost, but you’d be responsible for paying for it. You would also get two weeks’ vacation and sick days depending on how often you use them.”

  She was having a difficult time paying attention due to his amazing voice. She could almost swear she could feel the deep chords thrumming against her pussy. What would he look like in person? Would he be big and masculine? What was wrong with her? He was obviously married since he’d said they both had busy jobs.

  “So, are you still interested?” the man asked.

  “Yes. I’d like to interview for the position.”

  “Can you come Tuesday around three?” he asked.

  “Yes. That would be perfect. Can you give me directions?” she asked.

  He recited them, and she repeated them back to be sure she hadn’t misunderstood him. The man lived on a mountain. How interesting was that?

  They ended the call, and Lacy plugged in the directions he’d given her into her phone so she could use Google maps to find him. Excitement trilled down her spine at the prospect of something different. She loved to cook and keeping house for two adults shouldn’t be all that hard, right?

  The thought of needing to move would have been off-putting, but with her best friend moving in with her boyfriend, it didn’t seem like as big a deal. They would only be an hour away from each other. That wasn’t all that far.

  Lacy called Gail back and relayed what she’d found out. Her friend admitted that it sounded interesting but lamented that it would mean she’d have to move.

  “I’d only be an hour away, and besides, you spend most of your free time with Mike now anyway. We’ll have a girls’ weekend every once in a while.” Lacy wanted her friend to be happy for her.

  “Well, you might not get the job, so we’ll see what happens.”

  “True, but I sort of hope I do. It’s something different. I’ve needed something different for a while now.”

  “I want you to be happy, so if this is for you then you have my blessing,” Gail said.

  “Thanks. I sure don’t look forward to calling in sick for Tuesday.”

  “Oooh, good point. I wouldn’t like doing that either. I’ll have to remember that you’re sick if she comes asking about you. What is going to be wrong?” Gail asked.

  “Stomach flu,” Lacy said.

  “Gotcha. I better go. Mike is cooking lunch. Talk to you tomorrow.” Gail ended the call, leaving Lacy smiling.

  I better get busy and finish up my chores, so I can relax for a while. Work on Monday is going to be twice as rough since I’m taking off Tuesday.

  She’d have a difficult time concentrating because she’d be so excited about her job interview. If her production numbers sucked, she’d end up getting called into her boss’s office and reprimanded. It was one of the things she hated most about her job. The big, over-the-top tongue lashing she’d get if she was late, flubbed production, or just about anything the boss wanted to fuss about.

  Really, cooking and cleaning for two people couldn’t be all that difficult. She was really looking forward to the interview. Before she could take the job, she would need to be sure she could find a place to live.

  I’ll leave early Tuesday and pick up the local paper to see what’s available to rent.

  Satisfied with her decision, she hurried through her chores and selected a book to read before bed. Lacy was positive this was the right move for her.

  * * * *

  “It’s perfect. Can I let you know later this afternoon if I want it?” Lacy asked as she looked around the apartment once again.

  “Of course. You have my number. Just give me a call if you decide to rent. We can meet at my office to sign the paperwork and take care of the deposit.” Peggy Mallberry nodded and smiled.

  Lacy followed the woman out of the building, so excited she could barely stand it. Now all she had to do was nail the interview and get the job. She’d looked around town already and knew it was a perfect place to start over and put down roots. She’d miss seeing Gail on a daily basis, but with her moving in with Mike soon, she wouldn’t have seen her nearly as much anyway.

  Checking her watch, Lacy noticed she had about twenty minutes before her interview. She decided that being early was better than risking being late, so she got into her car and followed the directions from her phone up the mountain. She was thankful that she had since it took a good fifteen minutes to navigate the curves and turns. She pulled into what she was praying was the right drive and cut the engine to her car and sat there staring at the amazing log cabin in front of her.

  “Wow. It’s gorgeous.”

  It looked straight out of a magazine on the outside. She couldn’t help but wonder how it would look on the inside. Would the decorations be just as unique on the inside to complement the outside or had they decorated it to be ultra-modern? She sure hoped not.

  Lacy glanced at her watch and got out of the car. She was right on time. She walked up the front walk and knocked on the ornate door. She could hear heavy footsteps drawing nearer to the door just before it opened, and the most handsome man she’d ever seen opened the door.

  “Can I help you?” he asked.

  “Um, I’m here for the interview. I called last week about your ad in the paper,” she said.

  God, the man was at least six feet, four inches of lean muscle and wide shoulders. His dark blue eyes seemed confused at first then he nodded and stepped back.

  “I forgot that we were interviewing today. Tanner will be with you in a moment. You can wait in the living room.” The sinfully good-looking man stepped back and waited for her to walk into the entrance hall.

  “Thank you.” Lacy followed him into another room that proved to be a huge open plan that extended into the kitchen.

  A large sectional sofa took up the middle of the massive room complete with two recliners, a gas fireplace, and a big screen TV mounted on one wall. An island separated the kitchen from the living area with what appeared to be commercial-grade appliances that blended into the cabinetry.

  “Make yourself comfortable. I’ll let Tanner know you’re here.”

  Lacy watched as the toned man walked off. He had shaggy black hair that needed a cut and a short beard that did nothing to hide the ruggedly good-looking face. If anything it made it more striking, and she wasn’t usually attracted to men with facial hair. She’d easily make an exception for him though.

  Stop it. I can’t start lusting over the men I would be working for. What is wrong with me?

  It had been too long since her last sexual encounter. That was what was wrong with her. The year-long dry spell had her eyes wandering where they shouldn’t go.

  “Lacy, right? Thank you for coming. Have a seat.” A rich tenor voice jerked her out of her thoughts to focus on the equally tall man standing just inside the living room. “I’m Tanner. It’s nice to meet you.”

  Lacy shook hands with him, marveling at the strength of his grip though he didn’t hurt her. He had short dark brown hair with hazel eyes that were mesmerizing. He appeared to be just as well-built as the other man had been. She noticed he had a US Marine Semper Fi tattoo on his left arm depicting an eagle with its claws in the world. She had to drag her eyes away from the awesome artwork to focus on what Tanner was saying.

  “We can talk in here where it’s more comfortable,” he said. “Can I get you something to drink?”

  “Um, no, but thanks. It’s nice to meet you, Tanner.” She took a seat on the edge of the couch and clasped her hands in her lap after setting her purse next to her.

  Having already met Jet and now Tanner, she realized that she wouldn’t be working for a husband and wife, but for two men. Were they a couple or just two men living together? It would seem that with having such a nice house, they would be together. That was almost enough to deflate her. They were two very good-looking men. Too bad they were probably batting for the other team.

  “So, tell me a little about yourself. What made you interested in applying for this job?” Tanner asked.

  “I’m twenty-eight years old. I’ve lived in Billings most of my life and went to school there. I have a degree in business administration and currently work for a company entering data into a database for a company there in Billings. I love to cook and originally wanted to go to culinary school, but that didn’t work out,” she said.

  “Why aren’t you working in a business management area?” Tanner asked, interrupting her.

  “Evidently, it’s a popular degree because the only jobs I could find available when I got out of school were administrative assistant jobs that didn’t pay as well as the one I’m in right now. The problem with my current job is that it’s monotonous work. I’m bored and want something different.”

  “You said on the phone that you essentially ran your parents’ house for them. What do they do?” he asked.

  “They’re both attorneys there in Billings. They work long hours, and while I was at home, I kept the house going and cooked whenever they were going to be home or if they were hosting a dinner party at the house.” Lacy had thoroughly enjoyed hosting the parties. It gave her the chance to cook.

  “This job isn’t fast-paced, but you would use your cooking skills as we can’t cook at all. In addition, this job requires that you keep the house clean, grocery shop, and maintain the household books. We work from home, though, we occasionally have to fly to meetings. It would be up to you to make sure everything runs smoothly. I suppose you would use some of your management skills in this position.” Tanner sat back and nodded toward her. “Still sound like something you would be interested in?”

  “Yes. It is. I enjoyed running my parents’ house. I’m ready for a change, and this sounds perfect to me,” she told him.

  He smiled, then explained the salary and benefits. They were all exceptionally generous, even though she’d have to pay for her own insurance.

  “The hours are flexible to some extent as long as we get lunch and dinner each night. You can come and go as you want,” he said. “You would be off on Saturdays and Sundays, but we’d need something prepared that we could warm up for those two days.”

  “It all sounds perfect to me,” she said.

  “When can you start?” Tanner surprised her by asking.

  “Really? I have the job?” she asked, barely able to keep from jumping up and down.

  “It will be on a probationary period, but yes. I think you would be a good fit for us.”

  “I need to give two weeks’ notice at my current job. Would that work?” she asked.

  “Sounds good. We’ll expect you on Monday two weeks from yesterday. Let me show you around the house so you will know what to expect.” Tanner stood and waited for her to follow him.

  “The kitchen should have everything you need, but you’ll have to make a grocery list of items you’ll need and go to the grocery store first thing. We are currently existing on sandwiches and are tired of them. Jet and I are looking forward to something different. Nothing like eating the same thing twice a day for months. Talk about boring,” he said.

  He showed her the pantry to one side of the kitchen, then the laundry room on the other side of the kitchen. She couldn’t help but admire the view from the French doors that led from the breakfast area out onto a large deck.

  “I bet you enjoy spending time out there,” she said.

  “Actually, we rarely get to do that. It’s one of the reasons we decided to advertise for a housekeeper and cook, so we can relax more on the weekends without having to spend all our downtime doing chores.”

  “I’ll make sure you get that time for yourselves. It’s a crime to live up here with that view and not enjoy it,” Lacy said.

  His bright smile warmed her insides. If she wasn’t careful, she would start fantasizing about her new bosses. Both men were serious eye candy and way off-limits.

  “The bedrooms are upstairs. Our office is on the other side of the staircase off the entrance hall. We share the office space,” Tanner said.

  After showing her the house, he explained where she could park and escorted her back to her car. “Are you planning to commute from Billings or will you look for a place here in Cozy?” he asked.

  “I’ve already found a cute apartment that I can rent. I’ll be moving the weekend before I start,” she told him.

  “Great. That commute would have been tough. If you have any questions we’ll clear them up Monday,” he said.

  “Sounds good to me.”

  “Drive safe. The mountain can be tricky.”

  Lacy waved, then backed out of the drive to head back to Cozy and seal the deal for her apartment. She couldn’t wait to tell Gail all about it. She just prayed her friend would agree that she was making the right decision.

  Chapter Three

  “Did you hire her?” Jet asked.

  “Sure did. She’s perfect for the job,” Tanner said.

  “She’s going to be a distraction.”

  “Why?”

  Jet sighed. “She’s gorgeous for one, and she’s sweet for another.”

  “Yeah, well,” Tanner said.

  “Is she going to be able to do the job at least?” Jet asked.

  “She has the background. I really think she will work out.”

  “I just know how you are about redheads, and she had a head full of red curls that, with her fair coloring, is bound to be her natural hair color.” Jet stood and stretched.

  “Did you see those light blue eyes? Mesmerizing,” Tanner said.

  “I was too busy noticing her curvy figure. I’m telling you, she’s going to be a distraction. We won’t be able to get any work done thinking about her in our house with us just a few feet away.”

  “She works for us. We can’t violate that relationship. She can’t help that she’s a knockout,” Tanner pointed out.

  “Still say she’s going to be a distraction,” Jet said. “When does she start?”

  “Two weeks from yesterday. Gives us time to shore up our defenses. Besides, we won’t see her except when we eat lunch and maybe dinner,” Tanner said.

  Jet shook his head, then walked out of the office to get something to snack on and a beer. He’d spent the last two hours hashing out a deal with his current client concerning their long-term debt. He was exhausted and would have liked nothing better than to sit in the hot tub they had on their back deck with a beer and nothing but nature to listen to.

  “Thinking about the hot tub we rarely get to use?” Tanner asked.

  “How the hell did you know?” Jet asked, unscrewing the cap off a beer.

  “You’re looking out the back with a funny expression on your face. I took a wild guess,” Tanner said as he opened his own beer. “Besides, it’s what I’m thinking about, but I still have another two hours’ worth of programming to finish before I can call it a night. I’m almost behind on finishing up this project.”

  “Sucks,” Jet said, letting out a huff of breath.

  “Once we find our woman, we can slow down and still have enough money to keep her happy. I’d rather work hard now and have the time to enjoy her later than having to always balance work and time with her,” Tanner said.

  “You’re right, but it doesn’t make it any easier when I have to wonder if we’ll ever find someone to settle down with the both of us.”

  “Look at the others. They’ve found their woman. There are already three families on the mountain. Our time will come. You’ll see. I bet there will be babies before long,” Tanner said.

  “Can you see Jasper and Phillip with a baby on their hips? That I’d pay good money to see,” Jet said, imagining the two men holding a baby.

  He tried to imagine himself with a child but couldn’t get a good picture in his head. Then again, he couldn’t imagine himself with a woman either. He and Tanner had talked well into the night on many occasions while overseas about what their dream girl would be like and what they would do to make her happy. As soon as they’d gotten out, they’d enrolled to finish out their college, then followed their friends to Cozy to buy up a section of the mountain where they’d built their house. All they needed now was the perfect woman to make it a home.

  “I better get back to work,” Tanner said.

  “I’ll be in there in a few minutes. Need to wind down some. I swear this client is going to drive me insane before we get their finances straightened out,” Jet said.

  “Better you than me. I’ve got enough of a headache with this company in trouble from a data breach.” Tanner walked out of the kitchen, leaving Jet alone with his thoughts.

  He couldn’t stop imagining the pretty woman from earlier. He’d teased Tanner about her being just his type when in all actuality, she was both their types. He loved a woman with curves that begged to be worshiped. Pair that with her fiery, wild hair and those amazing blue eyes, and he was a goner. What had Tanner been thinking to hire someone who looked like her? He wouldn’t be able to work while she was in their house puttering around in their things.

  Fuck. She’s everything I want in a woman. If her personality is as perfect as her body, I’m going to kill Tanner. We can’t lust over our employee.

  But Jet was almost sure that was exactly what they were going to be doing the moment she started work. He had two weeks to shore up his defenses to ignore her siren call. Somehow, he didn’t think that two weeks would be nearly enough. Hell, an entire month might not be long enough to build a wall around himself that would keep his lustful thoughts from driving him insane with need.

  Jet finished his beer and grabbed another to take back into the office with him. He was sure he’d need it to dull the interest enough so he could get back to work.

  * * * *

  “I can’t believe you’re leaving,” Gail wailed.

  “I’m only an hour away. I have weekends off, so we can hang out when you’re not busy with Mike. Besides, you’re moving in with him next week. I would have been by myself after that anyway.” Lacy stuffed her pillows in the back seat of her car along with all her other crap. Where had she gotten all that stuff?

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