Page 40 of Single Mom's Mountain Men
"Yeah me, either. It's fine. We should probably just not talk about it."
Charlie opens his mouth like he wants to oppose, but then he just sighs again and nods.
“Although,” I take a deep breath debating whether or not to say this next part. On one hand, it might cause problems, but on the other, I need to be honest and I would rather Charlie find it out from me than from anyone else. “You should know that I hooked up with Wes earlier this week. Itwas stupid and it was unplanned, kind of like this was. I never should have done it, and I hate that I'm telling you this right now because it doesn't look good on my part. It's just.. I don’t want to come between brothers, you know?"
“You won't’" he says. “I already knew.”
“You did?" I blink. 'Wes told you?"
"No, I figured it out."
As I try to understand the ramifications of that, he seems to measure his next words carefully before he speaks. “Do you like Wes?”
I bite my lip.How do I answer that question?
"I don’t know," I admit. "I like all of you I suppose, but I'm not really in a great place in my life to explore that. At all."
"What do you mean?" Charlie asks, but before I answer we hear harried footsteps returning.
"Charlie," Wes barks.
"What?"
"Get out here. It's serious. Banker came over, and I think Mitch might kill him."
CHAPTER 14
Mitch
Sam Banker is a short, pudgy toad of a man with a shifty gaze and a constant five o'clock shadow. Added to that, he has a potbelly that he constantly compresses under shirts that are far too small. All that mixed in with his gelled comb-over and eerily white veneers makes him look like a cheap car salesman or the type of lawyer that only represents the worst kind of criminals.
Banker is neither of those things. Somehow he’s even worse.
It's not just his looks that turn off most people. It’s the cold and penetrating gleam in his eyes that reminds me of a shark when it smells blood in the water. My mom used to say that he has the eyes of a demon seeking to corrupt mortal souls.
And the more I discover about the man, the more I learn ma's description wasn't too far off.
As one of the wealthiest men in Montana, Banker's family owns much of the wild lands in the state, and word on the street is that he’s always looking to purchase more. According to my sources, he finds businesses that arestruggling, underhandedly edges them a little closer to that red point and when they're desperate for cash and can't help themselves anymore, he scoops the place up for cheap.
I also have it on good authority that he might be part of the reason my father's business was in the state that it was when my brothers and I returned. It seems he’s had his eye on our land for years now and even after my parents refused to sell it, even afterIrefused to sell too, he keeps coming back.
“Mitchell,” he says coughing as he walks into the shed. I don't stop my planing, blowing more dust in the air. I also don't offer him any headgear to prevent the wood chippings from flying into his face, and I definitely don't offer him a seat. I want to make him as uncomfortable as possible so he can, in turn, make this visit as short as possible.
“Working hard as always I see. Damn, y'all never take a break, do you? It's impressive. Seeing you hard at work all the time both inspires and exhausts me.”
I ignore him, stopping briefly to turn the timber over, so I can send it back through the planer the reverse side now facing upwards.
“Business is good I hear,” Banker says. “I’ve heard from Jerry and his boys that you’ve been using their transportation services more. That’s great. I’m glad to hear it.”
“What the fuck do you want Banker?” I was going to give him the silent treatment until he left, but his chatter is far too irritating to ignore.
“You know what I want Mitchell. The same thing I’ve always wanted.”
“And just like I've told you many times before, the answer is ‘no’.”
“Oh, come now, Mitch. You’re just trying to be difficult.”
“And you’re being a pain in my ass.” I straighten to stare him directly in the eyes, feeling my irritation course throughmy body. Something about this man gets under my skin, even beyond his predatory behavior.
