Page 1 of Loved By the Mountain Man

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KOBE

Dark clouds envelop the mountain as I pull into the parking lot of Angie’s Bar. My knee twinges as I climb out of my pickup and I rub it absently, trying to get blood into the damaged tissue. If I didn’t already know by the clouds, my bad leg is a pretty good barometer of when it’s going to snow.

It’s not a good night to be out, but I never miss a vets night with the ex-marines from my former unit.

If I didn’t organize these monthly meet ups, I doubt some of them would come down the mountain at all. The mountains are a good place for hiding and healing, which is why so many of us ended up back here on Wild Heart Mountain.

Some days I’m not sure which one I’m doing.

A blast of warm air greets me as I cross the threshold of Angie’s Bar. She’s got the fire blasting even though the place is almost empty. I make a mental note to bring more firewood next time I’m in town. She’ll need it if she has the fire going every night.

A couple of the guys are ready at a table near the dartboard.I give them a nod before heading to the bar.

Angie gives me a tired smile. “Looks like snow tonight.”

I give her a quick peck on the cheek, and when I look up, Corbin’s eyeing me with his brows furrowed.

I tilt my hand to my mouth, silently asking if he needs another drink.

He gives me a nod and keeps his eyes on us.

If I didn’t know Corbin better, I’d probably be terrified of his intense looks. But quiet and brooding is just his way.

Angie’s kids are at a booth in the restaurant area with homework spread out on the table. And aside from our group, there’s only one other table of diners.

It’s worrying how empty the place is. I grew up with Angie and her husband. He was the only one in our unit who didn’t come home.

She struggles with this place, not that she’d ever admit it. Her family opened the bar back in the nineties and named it after her. When we were kids, this was the only bar in town and the center of the community. It got run down over the years, and Angie and Paul were going to bring it back to life.

They did some renovations every time he was back on leave, and his plan was to retire from the military and help her run the place.

Now she’s stuck with a half renovated bar and two kids to raise on her own.

Any of us would step up to help out Paul’s widow, but she won’t accept money from us. So we find other ways to help.

Which is why I brought my tool kit in with me.

“Where’s the door that needs fixing?” I ask.

“Upstairs. Damn lock’s broken, and I’ve got a tenant.”

My eyebrows raise in surprise. Angie’s got a spare room above the bar that she rents out on short lease. It’s easy to find tenants during the tourist season, but with winter coming there aren’t many travelers to the mountain.

“She’s a young girl who’s helping me out at the bar for a few weeks. She’s not in town for much longer, but I can’t have her staying with a door that doesn’t lock.”

I wonder what kind of crazy kid comes to the mountain in winter. But it’s extra income for Angie, so thank God for the crazies.

“I’ll say hello to the boys, then I’ll head up.”

At that moment, one of her kids comes running over. Her hair is wild, there’s a hole in her woolen sweater, and her shoes look almost worn. It breaks my heart to see Paul’s kids like this. But Angie’s too proud to take cash.

“Hey, sweetheart.” I bend down so I’m level with the little girl. Fran is five years old and doesn’t remember her Daddy. I slide a twenty-dollar bill into her hand.

“Go share this with your brother.”

The little girl’s face lights up.

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