Page 10 of A Mountain to Climb

“I guess I wanted to see if she would even want to see me. After that, I really didn’t have a solid plan.”

“You know she’s dead, right?” he spits out.

“I didn’t before I got here, but your dad told me.” I’m still a little in shock. It’s been a long time since I heard from her, but I’m not sure how I feel knowing that she’s dead.

“So, what will you do now?”

“Not sure yet. I’ll talk to your dad when he finds us and figure something out.”

“Adult stuff?” he asks, earning me another eye roll.

“You got it, little man.” I ruffle his hair, finally getting a full laugh out of him. I think I might like sticking around here to get to know him better.

“Ugh! My Pops says that to me too.”

“That’s dumb,” I laugh back with him.

“I agree.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

MOUNTAIN

I jog for probably a half mile before slowing to a brisk walk. Connor couldn’t possibly have made it this far without me finding him. Where the hell did my boy disappear to this time? I swear, if he climbed another tree . . . he’ll probably break a leg this time, instead of his arm again.

Turning around, I decide to take an off-path way back to the yard. Maybe he thought he’d hide better in a denser area. I’m almost back to the path when I step over a fallen tree trunk and almost fall flat on my ass. Stupid decaying leaves are slippery fuckers. I’m just glad that Lana wasn’t around to see me do that. It’d be pretty hard to impress her and convince her I’m a badass if I trip over a damn tree.

I make it back to the path, all limbs intact, and start my walk back to the clearing. I get a bit further before I’m stopped by the sound of full-out laughter. I try to hear who’s talking, but I assume it’s Connor and Lana, though any of my Brothers could be out here too. I walk slowly, trying not to draw any attention to myself, and finally see them sitting on a pile of rocks on the path’s edge. They seem to be having a good conversation, based on the pleasant tones of voices coming from their way.

Quite honestly, it’s nice to see Connor talking to someone he’s related to. Everyone who lives in the clubhouse is considered family, but he’s the only one who isn’t being raised by his mother. The other Old Ladies and wives have helped me when I needed it, but it isn’t the same as him having a mother of his own.

Brick and I have an amazing mother. She and my father were great parents. I wish my mom was still here in Wisconsin with us, but a couple years ago her health made moving away necessary. Our bitter cold winters became too much for her rheumatoid arthritis, so she and her sister, Sally, moved to Arizona. They visit us twice a year, but it’s not the same. She would know what to do about this situation.

I’m not watching the ground at this point, so when I step on a stick and it cracks under my boot, they stop talking and look in my direction. I’m frozen in my tracks. With no word to either of us, Connor jumps up and takes off running again, this time back toward the clubhouse.

“Not again.” I hurry forward to where Lana is standing. “Connor! Get back here right now!” I bellow out, hoping he can hear me.

“I know it’s not really my place to say anything, but maybe let him go. You can talk to him when he calms down.”

“What?” I’m stunned, half at her and half at myself. I can’t believe she would tell me how to handle my son when she hasn’t even been here for a whole day. Why don’t I find myself mad that she told me what to do? What’s this woman doing to me? I’m not known for being much of a pushover.

My size is only part of the reason I have the road name Mountain. The most obvious reason for the name is because my last name is Hill, and a mountain is bigger than a hill. But the real reason is because one day while renovating the clubhouse, Bear jumped off the unfinished stairs and slipped on a pile of sawdust, dislocating his shoulder when he landed. I laid into him about being safe and not doing dumb things. His only comeback was, “If you yell any damn louder, you’ll make the mountains around us crumble down.” That made me yell at him again about how we didn’t live in the mountains, but at that point, it didn’t matter. The rest of the guys heard what he said and it stuck.

“We talked a little while waiting for you, and I think he needs to be allowed to be mad. I mean, I show up and he catches us kissing before getting a chance to know me. I’d be pretty upset, if I was him.” Lana has a point. Doesn’t make his attitude okay, but it makes sense.

I wonder if she’ll let me kiss her again now that we’re alone. Hell, we did it once and she didn’t stop me. Hopefully, I can do it again . . . and maybe a little more. I step in front of her and tuck a strand of auburn hair behind her tiny ear. She drops her head back and meets my eyes. Her sparkling blues are almost intoxicating—I could dive right in and get lost in their heavenly depths. Where in the world are these words coming from? I’ve never just looked at a girl and had these thoughts.

“Are you gonna kiss me again, or just stare at me like a creeper?” Her question breaks through any resistance I had, and I walk her back against the nearest tree. I reach down to lift her by the hips, and she jumps up, wrapping her legs around my waist.

“Hold your horses, Blue. I’ll kiss you when I’m good and ready.” Which has to be right damn now. I don’t think a tornado could stop me from kissing this woman again.

I kiss her with no intention of stopping any time soon. My tongue strokes hers and I let my hands start to do some exploring. Her arms loop around my neck, so I have no fear of her falling. I brace one palm on the tree above her head and fill the other with the softness of her breast. It’s more than a handful, and that’s saying a lot because my hands are huge. I rock my hips forward into her center and it causes her to moan out into my lips. We fight for breath every few seconds and her sounds are starting to drive me insane.

Before I lose my mind completely, the brain between my ears reminds me I have a son to talk to, so I slow down before I fuck her through this damn tree. I move my kisses across her cheek and stop to let us breathe when my lips are just below her ear. I give her earlobe one nip and then back up just a bit. She drops her legs, but I keep hold of her hips until she has a proper footing on the uneven ground.

“I’d like to continue that later, but we should get back before someone comes looking for us and sees something they shouldn’t.”

“I agree. And you have a kiddo to talk to.” Lana pulls her ponytail out and shakes her hair. She twists it around and wraps it into a messy pile on top of her head. Can someone get more attractive when they do their hair a different way?

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