Page 10 of Her Silver Fox Mountain Men

Mr. Ronald steps forward, perhaps in an attempt to make himself look intimidating, but he’s clearly uncomfortable. “Tell me, what’s your relationship to Miss Morris here specifically since you’re so eager to threaten me on her behalf?” He pauses to look at me. “I can always end the lease agreement early, you know.”

“We’re currently hosting her at our place,” James says.

“Which means we have to make sure she comes back to safer living conditions,” Oliver adds. “Otherwise, we’re just going toplay a game of back-and-forth until one day, somebody does get killed in this place because you were too cheap to do your goddamn duties as a landlord.”

“I resent that!”

“And we resent grown-ass men taking advantage of hard-working women,” Roman growls. That’s enough to force Mr. Ronald back a step or two.

Oliver leans forward and Mr. Ronald reacts as if he were slapped in the face. “Here’s what you’re going to do. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. You’re going to hire a crew to come fix this place up. You’ll replace the door and all of the windows with solid and impenetrable frames. No exceptions. The crew will follow code to the letter, they will double check that the wiring is safe, that all of the utilities are functional, and that no one living under this roof will ever fear for their lives again.”

“You’re also going to hire a cleaning crew to come in and scrub the place down. You’ll be replacing some of the furniture, too,” James continues. “This couch has seen better days.”

“I’m not liking those kitchen counters either,” Oliver plays along. “And that front porch is going to fall apart during the first blizzard.”

Roman stifles a chuckle while I watch the exchange with wide eyes, utterly fascinated by Oliver’s determination to get the best outcome for me. Hell, these three put together are basically unstoppable.

“Y’all are giving me a headache,” Mr. Ronald groans. “It’s too much. The expense ain’t worth it.”

“I know how much Elise pays you,” Oliver refuses to yield. “Use thirty percent of that from the next six months, and you’ll have the investment covered.”

“I have medication to pay for!”

“You’re fully insured, old man. Don’t take me for an idiot. In the meantime, Elise will stay at our house. Be thankful I’m not chargingyoufor this inconvenience.”

It’s hard not to laugh. I manage to take a deep breath as I look at Mr. Ronald. “I work hard for every penny I make, sir. If I’m going to keep paying you rent, you need to provide me with the appropriate conditions.”

“And don’t even think about renting this out to somebody else in the meantime,” Oliver says. “I’ll make your life a living hell if you do. No one’s going to want to get anywhere near this place. They’ll run screaming for the hills long before they stumble upon another mountain lion.”

Mr. Ronald is at an impasse. He could go the hard-headed way and cancel my tenancy agreement. But I can tell that Oliver is serious with every promise that he’s made so far, and my landlord knows it. His only other option is to oblige and get cracking on the repairs. He shakes his head slowly, running his fingers through his thinning, white hair before putting his red ballcap back on.

“Fine, fine. I’ll get a crew together,” he grumbles. “Don’t be surprised if I up the rent.”

“What did I just say?” Oliver snaps.

“Well, how the hell else am I going to make a profit?!”

“You should’ve thought of that before you let this cabin rot!” Oliver replies. “I’ve been here long enough to understand Rustic and its people. Nobody’s going to side with you if you resort to such predatory practices. Elise has been a model tenant up to this point. You’re the one who’s been falling short on your end of things. Be a decent man and do the right thing, or I will get our lawyers involved.”

That’s enough to get Mr. Ronald’s knees rattling.

“There’s no winning with you three,” he says, shaking his head in dismay. “I should’ve known better than to come up here on my own.”

“We’re just trying to make sure Elise gets a fair housing deal,” James replies. “You’re a God-fearing man, and while I understand that you’re eager to turn a decent profit on this place, I think we can all agree that you do need to invest in order to get that kind of return. What happened here last night should never be allowed to happen again.”

“Had James not answered his phone, I don’t know what I would’ve done,” I add with a trembling voice. “It would’ve taken the sheriff a lot longer to reach me.”

“I truly am sorry that you were put in that position,” Mr. Ronald replies, lowering his gaze. “I’ll fix this cabin up to the best of my ability so you can come back to live in peace and safety.”

“Thank you, Mr. Ronald. That’s all I want.”

He heads for the door, giving the room one last look before he steps out.

We wait until we hear the sound of his car engine rumbling before the guys get up from the sofa. The three of them smileand pat each other on the back, understandably pleased with themselves. All I can do is smile. “You were amazing,” I tell them. “I doubt I would’ve gotten him to agree to any of that.”

“It was our pleasure,” Oliver chuckles lightly, the morning sunlight capturing the subtle copper in his blonde hair. It makes his eyes seem even bluer and brighter. “I’m no stranger to negotiations.”

“Yeah, I could tell.”

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