Page 1 of Wild for the Mountain Man

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LIVVY

“Ihear you, Mom. But I don’t have time for this right now. I just worked a double at the cafe and I’m exhausted.”

“But what about the party, honey? It’s your nana’s sixtieth birthday. I promised her that you’d stop by.”

“You shouldn’t have done that. I talked to nana the other day and told her that I wasn’t sure I would make it. And I need to get home for Sam. He’s been with the babysitter all day.”

“Mrs. Madison is your neighbor. She’s a little more than just a babysitter, dear.”

“Right. But I haven’t seen my son since this morning and I’m tired. So I’m going home. I will see nana another day.”

“Your father is gonna have something to say about this, Livvy. I don’t know how I’m going to tell him.”

I roll my eyes and I’m lucky I don’t drive off the damn road. “I’m sure that you’ll come up with a way to tell him though.”

“Behave yourself, darling.”

“I have to go, Mom. It’s dark and I don’t want to drive off a mountain.”

“You really shouldn’t work so late, dear. It’s not safe. Who knows what you’ll run into out that late at night. I’m sure there are bears and wolves and all kinds of terrible things out…”

“Meebrrr.I’m sorry, Mom. I think there’s interference or something. You’re breaking up.”

“Alright. Make sure and text me when you get home.”

“Right. Good-night.” Sighing, I hang up the phone. I love my mother. Love my whole family but they are a lot to take on a good night. Tonight? No…just no.

Because tonight is the four year anniversary of Jesse’s death. And I’m gonna be face to face with our son and thinking about his deadbeat father once again. Another year. Another trip around the sun to wonder why I did the things I did and how I ended up here. Up the mountain, alone and raising my seven year old son.

Not that he’d ever admit it even if he lived. Or his family. Nope. I’m just dirt to them so there’s no way their perfect son would have even made a baby with someone like me.

The lights of my little cabin pop up out of the woods and I let the familiar feeling of home wash over me. This place is all I have. Except for my son. But it’s all I need.

The front door opens and Mrs. Madison pops out on the porch, shot gun raised and locked on my car. Holding my hands up, I step out and smile. “Hey, Mrs. Madison. It’s just me. How did everything go tonight?”

She puts the gun down to her side and smiles, her toothy grin rimmed with her signature bright red lipstick. “Hi, girl. All’s been quiet tonight but you can never be too careful you know.”

Nodding, I pace up the walk, grinning back at her. She’s the first person that actually treated me like I wasn’t some piece of gum stuck to the bottom of her shoe. She’s always been fair to me no matter what other people in town said.

“That’s good. I’m ready for some peace and quiet. The diner was an absolute zoo today.”

“I’m sorry, dear. Is that why you got stuck with a double shift?”

“Yeah. Theresa called off sick. Food poisoning I think. Although from what I understand she went to a concert last night. Seems to me that it might be a little jack problem not a food problem.”

“Yeah. I’m sorry to hear that.” She slips her bifocals on the chain around her neck up. “I’ve got to be heading back home. If I’m not there Jerome can’t sleep. He says I’m his perfect sleep pillow,” she giggles.

A flash of something like regret roils in my belly. I thought I was going to have that with Jesse. That we would grow old together and be totally inseparable.

“Humph!” I snort under my breath. We hadn’t even made it a couple of months before he was running out the door like his ass was on fire.

And that right there was why I no longer had any interest in any man. The bastard’s never stuck around or if they did, they just made your life more complicated and sticky.

Enter my parents’ relationship. Their love story was like something out of a horror story to me. I mean…they were stuck with each other and they seemed happy enough but both of them were such attention whores that it was a drain just being around them.

My whole family was like that. Just nothing but trouble. My older brother is currently in jail. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and say that he didn’t mean to get in a bar fight that paralyzed the man that was fighting with him. But he couldn’t avoid the drink long enough to stay out of trouble.

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