The Mountain Man's Reward

  The Mountain Man’s Reward

  L Nicole

  Copyright © 2020 by L. Nicole

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, including but not limited to being stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the author.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, groups, businesses, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  WARNING: This book contains sexual situations, violence and other adult themes. Recommended for 18 and above.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Title Image

  Blurb

  1. Cora

  2. Judd

  3. Cora

  4. Judd

  5. Cora

  6. Judd

  7. Cora

  8. Judd

  9. Cora

  10. Judd

  11. Cora

  12. Judd

  13. Cora

  14. Judd

  15. Cora

  16. Judd

  17. Cora

  18. Judd

  19. Cora

  20. Judd

  21. Cora

  Epilogue

  Keep In Touch

  Also by L Nicole

  By:

  L. Nicole

  Funny, sweet, curvy, and giving, Cora Lance is almost perfect.

  She owns the local beauty shop, Hair to Eternity.

  (Yeah, she’s a little quirky.)

  Firefighter, Judd Wellington has had his eyes on Cora for quite a while.

  He likes everything he sees in the pretty little red head.

  He hasn’t made a move, because she’s the Fire Chief’s daughter.

  That means sweet little Cora is off limits.

  Judd is determined to lock down his need for Cora.

  He figures the best way to do that is to avoid her and to never, ever be alone with her.

  But what happens when the town of Thickwood, Colorado, is flooded, leaving Cora and Judd trapped in his cabin completely alone with nothing to do.

  But each other.

  1

  Cora

  “Thank you, Daddy,” I say, while grabbing the keys to my Mustang. My father changed the oil in my car while I was at work today and I’d walked over to the station to pick it up.

  “You’re welcome, baby,” he responds, throwing his meaty arms around me for a bear hug. After a few seconds, I untangle myself from his embrace, eager to leave. It’s late and I’m extremely tired.

  When I was young, the fire station felt like my second home. Dad’s been the Chief as long as I can remember, and growing up, it felt like Mom and I dropped by every day when he was on duty. I couldn’t get enough of the excitement of the place.

  Now that I’m older, I don’t stop by as much. Between work at my salon, Hair to Eternity, and mentoring the younger stylists I’ve hired, I don’t have as much time as I used to.

  It’s probably for the best, though.

  Staying away from the station keeps me out of trouble and out of the vicinity of Judd Wellington. He’s been at my dad’s station for several years now and while he’s absolutely a nice guy — the nicest, really — he’s also someone I definitely need to avoid.

  Judd’s one of those guys that could have walked right off the silver screen. Like most of the guys in Dad’s station, he’s gorgeous, ripped, strong and fearless.

  But Judd’s special.

  Judd’s not afflicted with the stereotypical fireman’s ego—he’s humble and soft-spoken. He’s the kind of guy that would rescue a kitten from the tree and then go the extra step and decide to adopt it afterwards.

  He’s tall and breathtakingly handsome and his smile is so electric, I’m surprised he doesn’t start fires with it himself.

  He’s perfect.

  And that’s the problem.

  Because while he may be the perfect specimen of masculinity, he’s so off limits it’s not even funny.

  Dad may be a career firefighter himself, but there’s no way in hell he’d allow me to end up with one myself. I learned that the hard way when I was eighteen and had a brief flirtation with one of the guys on his crew. He saw the sparks flying between us and told me in no uncertain terms that if I ever dated a fire-eater, it would be over his dead body.

  That’s why my attraction to Judd is such a problem.

  Unfortunately, as much as I try to avoid him and pretend I don’t want to climb him like a tree, life just keeps putting us in each other’s path.

  Thickwood, Colorado, is a small town. One of those places where everyone knows everyone else. It’s impossible to avoid each other.

  So, I run into Judd often—at the station, at the grocery store, and even at the damned gas station after work sometimes.

  It’s maddening.

  I’m pretty sure he feels the same way, because he avoids me like the plague, refusing to meet my eyes most of the time. But remember how nice I said he was? Yeah, his polite avoidance makes those run-ins quite awkward. So, that’s why I want to get out of here as fast as I can — to avoid another one.

  I pull away from Dad and kiss him on the cheek before heading back out to my car.

  “Hey, the weather’s supposed to be bad this weekend, Cora, so stay off the roads!”

  “Sure, Dad!” I call out, sliding into my pride and joy — my brand-new Mustang coupe. I’d saved up for a year to buy this car and driving it had become my new favorite past time. I turn the key and she roars to life, her lights shining beautifully on the dashboard.

  With a smile, I put her in gear and headed towards my favorite place to unwind from a long week at work.

  2

  Judd

  This time, I heard Cora before I saw her. Which, fortunately, allowed me the time I needed to wait in the hallway until I heard the roar of her Mustang and the crunch of her tires driving away.

  I’ve been avoiding her like the plague lately, because I know that if I got involved with the petite little redhead, she would most definitely be the death of me.

  Not only would the Chief fire me, he’d most likely kill me, too.

  Cora is the ultimate forbidden fruit and everyone in the station knows it.

  That doesn’t make her any less attractive, unfortunately. I’ve been crushing on her for years, despite my best efforts to divert my attention elsewhere. No matter what I did, my mind always came back to Cora.

  Always.

  She was the only one I wanted and that meant…I’m doomed.

  I work damned hard to stay away from her. It just makes my misery easier to deal with when I don’t have to lay my eyes on her.

  When I don’t have to look at the woman who haunts my dreams.

  Once the sound of Cora’s car disappears, I let out the breath I’m holding in and walk out into the kitchen to join the rest of the guys.

  “Hey, Judd,” the Chief calls.

  “Chief,” I nod, respectfully.

  Jeremy, one of the other firefighters that works the next shift, walks in.

  “What are you doing here?” Chief questions him.

  “Chief, can I start my shift early? Ashley and I are fighting like cats and dogs and she kicked me out of the house again. I’m due to start at seven tomorrow morning. It’s only a few hours.”

  “Jeremy, you two need to go to counseling or something,” Chief grumbles, clearly not happy. He’s probably not. This is like the fifth time in the last two weeks that Jeremy has opted to stay at the stati
on because he and Ashley can’t quit fighting.

  “I know, but she isn’t interested,” Jeremy said. “I can’t do anything right, according to her.”

  “Okay, son, I understand. Young love is difficult,” Chief said. “Tell you what, Judd, why don’t you take the rest of the night off? Jeremy can work your shift tonight. You only have a few more hours left anyway.”

  “You sure?” I asked. “I heard the weather might get bad this weekend, so I was thinking of just staying in town.” I parroted what he’d warned Cora about. The truth was, I would love to go home early, but I didn’t want to seem too eager to not do my job. I’ve got my eye on the Chief’s job when he retires—even if it takes decades of hard work to get there.

  “We’ve got it,” he said. “You’ve worked your ass off this week.”

  “Okay, Chief, whatever you say,” I replied, a surge of excitement running through me. It wasn’t often I had an unexpected night off and my mind raced with all the relaxing things I could do — meaning I would end up sitting on my back deck and downing a six pack of beer, listening to the roaring river rush by under the moonlight.

  I’d bought a little cabin at the base of the mountain, just on the outskirts of town, about six months ago. I spend as much time there as I can since moving in and I’m damn proud of it. It’s like my own slice of Heaven.

  Fifteen minutes later, I’m behind the wheel of my truck and heading home. The rain is steadily increasing, and I do a mental inventory of the supplies I have on hand at the cabin. By now, everything is closed in our little town, so I’ll just have to make do.

  3

  Cora

  Driving through Thickwood is scenic enough, but once you get to the outskirts of town, towards the foothills of the mountains, it turns into the most serene, breathtaking drive. Smooth, curvy roads cling to the base of the mountain, wrapping around its beauty like one continuous hug, with towering pines dancing overhead.

  There’s not much more that brings me inner peace like this drive usually does after a long day’s work.

  It’s not working today, though.

  Today, I’d made a grave mistake. The rain had picked up immensely and is now pelting down on the Mustang and the roads, making each curve morph into a dark, death-defying adventure instead of the Zen meditation it usually served as. The Mustang’s windshield wipers are struggling to keep up enough to give me a proper view of the road at all.

  My fingers grip the wheel as I round each curve. Searching for a place to turn around, I curse myself for not going directly home. With my eyes glued to the road, I maneuver carefully around each twisting turn. A bright flash of lightning lights up the sky, a roar of thunder vibrating through the car.

  “Dammit!” I mutter, shaking my head. I take a deep breath, remembering all the driving tips and lessons Dad gave me when he taught me how to drive. Most likely, he’d tell me to pull over and wait for the storm to pass. But since I have nowhere to do that on this narrow two-lane road. I’ve slowed down as much as possible and keep going, doing my damnedest to follow the quickly fading white lines and not run my car into the ditch on the side of the road.

  “It’s okay, I’ve got this,” I whisper, the rapid swoosh of my wiper blades my saving grace. Peering through the windshield, I round another curve, and I’m immediately blinded by the bright lights of an oncoming car that veers into my lane. I swerve to avoid a collision, but I pull too hard, sending my car cascading into the ditch that I was desperately trying to avoid.

  My heart pounds with fear as the violent sound of metal scraping against concrete and rocks ricochets through the night. My car comes to a stop, half in the ditch and half out. The car I’d swerved to avoid doesn’t even bother to stop. My entire body is trembling with fear, but thankfully, I realize that I’ve come out of this unscathed.

  My car, on the other hand, is not so lucky.

  I roll down the window and check for oncoming cars, before opening my door and pulling myself out of the car. The rain pours down onto me in heavy waves, soaking me to the bone within seconds. I run around to the front of the car, my heart sinking when I see the damage.

  The front tire is completely flat, and the fender is not only dented there’s a portion of it pulled back. It’s impossible to see what damage has been done to the undercarriage—at least in this darkness.

  “Fuck!” I shout, my words swallowed up by the storm. I look around and realize just how screwed I am. The darkness is punctuated by the pounding rain, making the roads and the forest surrounding me seem even blacker than usual.

  With not another car or building in sight, I’m left all alone in the middle of the night with a broken down car.

  This is how horror movies begin, I think, my stomach sinking with dread.

  4

  Judd

  Thankful for the new tires I’d put on my truck last week, I round curve after curve on the way to my place, and I do it with confidence. I’m happy to get home. I’ve been away for a few days, living at the station during my shift and I missed my cabin while I was gone.

  Braden, my best friend and former firefighter, lives pretty close to me and I have him check on my dog and cabin while I’m gone. In fact, I’d asked him to check on it tonight, thinking I’d be gone till tomorrow. He’ll be surprised to see me there, but that’s not a bad thing. This way, he will join me for a few beers, and I can shoot the shit with him.

  Braden was injured during a fire and he’s become a hermit ever since. Hell, I think I’m the only person he truly talks to and I have to work to draw him out.

  I round one of the last sharp turns, before I turn off the main road to get to my cabin. “Holy shit,” I whisper, as the sight of blinking hazard lights and a car stranded on the side of the road up ahead is not what anyone wants to see at this time of night.

  I ease my truck behind the vehicle and throw my own hazard lights on. The rain makes it almost impossible to even make out the scene, but I grab my flashlight and jump out of the truck, prepared to help as best as I can.

  I take a few steps and freeze when I realize it’s Cora’s Mustang. I know it is hers from the personalized license plate — “CUTNDYE”.

  Hell, I’d have known her car anywhere, just because it’s her.

  My feet start running before I even register what I’m doing.

  “Cora!” I shout, fear gripping my heart, as the rain pours over me. I run to the window, peering in and preparing myself for what I might find.

  It’s empty.

  I stand up and that’s when I see her, standing in front of the car, the headlights illuminating her soaked frame.

  “Cora!” I shout, relief pushing through me as I try to get her attention over the pouring rain and thunder in the background.

  She looks at me in surprise, as I let my eyes rake over her body to make sure she’s not injured.

  Holy fuck.

  Her clothes are soaked and pinned to her body, showing every fucking curve she has. My cock immediately hardens, pushing against my jeans. Christ.

  This is going to mean trouble. I need to get her home to her father…and soon.

  Not only has the rain put all of her ample assets on display, her normally wild, ginger-colored curls are now dripping wet and clinging to her face. Her lips are glossy as the slick road beneath our feet. The white cotton dress she’s wearing is now completely see-thru and her nipples are jutted out like little buttons because of the cold.

  “Judd!” My gaze snaps back up, meeting her eyes. “What are you doing here?”

  “Me?” I ask, shaking my head. “What the hell happened? Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” she said, with a frustrated wave of her hand. “My car slid off the road. Someone swerved towards me and I went too far to avoid him.”

  My gaze drifts down again, landing on her chest. The white dress seems to have me hypnotized. If she is wearing a bra, then it’s definitely not doing its job.

  “Do you live around here?” she asks.

  �
��Uh, yeah,” I nod, trying to force myself to stop staring at her breasts.

  What am I supposed to do, though?

  They are staring back at me, alert and taut and just begging me to look at them. To suck on them.

  “What the hell are you doing out here, Cora?” I mutter, sounding annoyed, because I am. I’ve taken great pains to stay away from Cora and now she’s jeopardizing everything.

  “I was just going for a drive.”

  “At this time of night? In this weather?” I demand, frustration giving way to a thread of the anger that’s rising in my chest. She could have been hurt. Hell, she could have been killed.

  And then what? I’d have been left pining over a dead girl. My fucking hand trembles at just the thought.

  “I like to unwind by taking a drive every now and then.”

  “Well, you picked a hell of a time to unwind!” I complain loudly, realizing quickly that we are both shouting in the pouring rain. I need to get her out of it before she catches pneumonia. I quickly run through a list of solutions.

  “I’m going to call for help,” I inform her. “My cellphone’s in the car.”

  “I already tried that,” she said, holding up her phone in her hand. “No service. I was going to call my dad, but I think the lightning took out the cell tower or something.”

  “Shit!” I hiss. There was one cell tower up here and it was as unreliable as a dollar store pregnancy test. I turn away from her and my mind instantly clears and I’m able to focus. I should have taken action a lot sooner, but something about that girl just takes all of my intelligence away.