Page 7 of The Mountain Man's Virgin
“Are you ok, Mr. Brady?” Jeff asked.
I hadn’t specifically told Jeff why I had retreated to the mountains, but he was a smart guy, and after my performance at the meeting, I’d be surprised if he didn’t put two and two together.
“I’m fine, Jeff,” I insisted, pulling the silk tie from my neck. It had gotten tighter as the meeting had progressed and now felt like a noose.
“Do you want me to set up the next meeting?” Jeff asked, perusing his scheduler.
I sighed. “Yes. What’s the latest date we can book it in?”
Well, there are a few milestones that both we and Torver need to hit before we can make the next move, so two weeks, three might be pushing it.
“Ok. Let’s do that.”
“Mick?” Jeff asked hesitantly.
“What,” I snapped.
“Do you want me to schedule the meeting with just the CFO, Cassidy, and the lawyer, Kirk? Only the two of them?”
He did know. This was a fucking disaster. I was one of the most successful businessmen in the country, and here I was, trying to avoid talking to women like a nerdy high school teenager.
“I’m sorry, Jeff, and no. That won’t be necessary,” I felt weak for not being able to control my frustration and that I had taken it out on my assistant. Maybe exposing myself to temptation was the only way that I could get better. That’s what Dr. Vanessa had said, but I didn’t believe her. Maybe I should’ve listened to her advice.
I left Jeff with an extensive list of tasks. I had been flying him to the Crystalid Hotel once a week to go over details and devise strategic plans. There was no internet at my cabin, which made running a corporation tough, but not impossible. Once we started putting this new merger into place, I was going to have to start spending more time in the city in meetings. I hoped that I would be ready. I could feel my cabin therapy working, but dammit it just wasn’t working fast enough.
I changed out of my suit and threw it on the chair. After spending months in my lumberjack clothes, the suit felt like a costume, the worn pants and flannel coat, like an old friend. I checked the forecast and saw an incoming front. If I wanted to beat it home, I’d have to leave immediately.
Seattle was soon just a speck in the distance behind me. The weather system was growing in intensity – a pineapple express. It was going to SOAK the coast in rain, and potentially bring multiple feet of snow to the mountains. The last time a pineapple express parked itself over my range, people were snowed in for days. Doorways were buried, and people had to dig themselves out of their cabins.
**
Once I was back at the cabin with the fire crackling and the kettle on the woodstove, I took a moment to reflect on my day. It had been tough, but I had gotten through it. Maybe Dr. Vanessa was right, maybe I was too hard on myself. After all, what red-blooded man wouldn’t think about all the positions he could put each of those women in, and what he would’ve done to each of them.
I had heard the gossip about Torver’s CEO Johnathan and the CEO blonde, Samantha’s, relationship. It had shocked the business community and been front page news for about five minutes before people moved onto the next scandal. Today, when I saw the way that Johnathan and Samantha had looked at each other, the kindness and respect between them shone, even when they disagreed with the terms of the business deal. They respected each other, and I found myself wondering if I could ever have a relationship like theirs.
“It’s just you and me pal,” I said, reaching down and scratching Chopper behind his ear, his remaining back leg kicked in time. That was his spot.
The screech of the radio interrupted my thoughts. I had been partly listening to the chatter about the incoming storm, it was going to be a bad one. Search and rescue had already been sent out to a bad accident on the mountain road. It was likely to be the first of many calls for the organization.
If things got really bad, SAR would call me in as a volunteer rescuer. I didn’t mind, I loved the adrenaline of storm flying and the satisfaction of helping people. But, if the storm continued its current path, nobody would be able to fly in it, not even a cowboy like me.
Chapter 7 – Lucy
I blinked my eyes and squeezed them tight again in an attempt to get the world to come into focus. Why was everything so gray?
I heard a strange moaning sound and tried to find its source.
Ouch. I winced to myself, it hurt to turn my neck. I reached up and felt the seat belt digging into the flesh above my collarbone.
The moaning was coming from Tania, her torso was crumpled on the steering wheel and deflated airbag. The airbags, the snow blocking the windows, that’s why everything was so gray. The pieces were slowly coming together, the girls’ trip, the icy roads, the Jeep rolling over and over down the steep mountain cliff.
I held my breath and tried to wiggle my toes, exhaling when I realized that I could move all of them. I brushed the broken chunks of glass off my shirt and shivered. How long had I been unconscious?
“Tania!” I croaked. Her moans were getting louder. “Avery, Montana,” I managed to shout, but the other girls didn’t respond. OH, MY GOD. Were they…dead?
I oriented myself and realized that the Jeep had come to a stop upright. I unclicked my seatbelt, the release of pressure an instant relief on my body. I shuffled over to Montana and felt her wrist for a pulse. It was there. “Avery, Avery, are you ok?” I tapped her on her shoulder. There was no response.
I tried to push the door open, but the snow was lodged against it. I pulled myself onto the centre console and felt Avery’s neck for a pulse. Her neck was warm, and I breathed a huge sigh of relief when I felt the thump of her pulse against my hand.
