Five Mountain Daddies Read online

  Five Mountain Daddies

  A Reverse Harem Romance

  B. B. Hamel

  Contents

  Mailing List

  1. London

  2. James

  3. London

  4. Ryan

  5. London

  6. Wyatt

  7. London

  8. Henry

  9. London

  10. James

  11. London

  12. Ryan

  13. London

  14. James

  15. London

  16. Ryan

  17. London

  18. Henry

  19. London

  20. London

  21. London

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  Copyright © 2018 by B. B. Hamel

  All rights reserved.

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  1

  London

  London?” the bald idiot says, grinning at me. “You don’t look British.”

  I sigh. As if only British people can have my name. But I’m used to comments like that at this point, especially from the small-minded jerks in my small town of Leadwood, Maine.

  My parents thought they were doing me a favor when they named me London. They wanted me to sound cosmopolitan, sophisticated, different from all the Marys and the Johns I grew up with. Of course, being different isn’t always a good thing when you’re young, especially not in a town like this.

  I don’t know the guy standing in front of me. He’s overweight, sweating, smiling like a moron, and I swear he just keeps peeking at my boobs, not even being freaking subtle about it. I’m pretty sure he works with my dad, or maybe he did at some point.

  “I’m not,” I say to him, face deadpan. “Excuse me a second, okay?”

  I quickly turn and walk away. I ignore the annoyed look on his face, not really caring if I insult some jerk I’ll never see again.

  I’m only home for the summer. I graduated with a degree in Art History from the University of Michigan, and I have an internship at the Museum of Modern Art in New York starting in September. It’ll last a year, but it comes with a stipend which will be enough to cover my living expenses. I’m home to work as much as possible to save up, since there’s nowhere cheaper than living with your parents.

  Of course, that comes with its drawbacks.

  “How are you doing, sweetie?” my mom asks me.

  “Fine,” I say.

  My mom smiles at me. She’s a good Midwestern woman, or at least she used to be. A little shorter than me, with mousey short brown hair and a big, white, straight smile. She works part-time as a cashier at the local grocery store, and she spends the rest of her time doing Bob Ross-style paintings of the glorious Maine wilderness.

  Leadwood is situated right at the base of the Longfellow Mountains, which is the biggest range in Maine. We’re right up near the Canadian border, so it’s pretty darn rural out here. I think my high school graduated like a hundred kids in my class at most, so when I say this is a small town, I really mean it.

  I couldn’t wait to get away from here. I got into Michigan and I never looked back. I had four years of freedom, living in off-campus housing with friends during the summer to avoid coming home, but I had no choice this summer. I couldn’t afford to be out there and still work and save money for my move to New York. My parents are incredibly supportive, and I feel bad that I keep staying away from them, but I can’t help it.

  “How’s she doing?” my dad asks, coming out of nowhere.

  “Fine,” my mom says, giving him a look. “Like always.”

  Dad grins at me. He’s tall and broad-shouldered, with thick brown-and-gray hair. He’s the only dentist in town, so he knows pretty much everyone around here.

  “Sorry,” I say, taking a breath. “I just don’t know any of these people.”

  “Sure you do,” Dad says. “You grew up with them.”

  “I was a kid back then.” I shrug a little bit.

  “Well, we’re happy you’re home, at least for a few months,” my mom says, putting her hand on my shoulder.

  I smile at her, and I feel bad that I was short with her. My parents really are great people, supportive and kind. I just hate the town they live in, and I can’t wait to move out to the big city.

  I grab a soda from the cooler and wander away from them. This is their annual start-of-summer party, and I had to admit, it reeks of nostalgia for me. Everything’s the same as it used to be: the coolers, the grill, the pool (not opened), the outside furniture, and the people. Even if I don’t really recognize most of the guests, they still feel familiar.

  I walk away from the main mass of people, down toward a bench up against a tree at the edge of our yard. I used to sit down here and read a lot when I was a little girl, back when I didn’t have many friends because I didn’t like to hunt or fish and I had a weird name.

  I sit down, my back to the tree, and crack open my soda. I take a sip and sigh again. I feel guilty all over that I hate this town so much, but I can’t help it. I’m trying to make a life for myself, to figure out the kind of person I want to be, and coming back home only shoves me back into my old ways of being.

  I need to make an effort, though. I’ll sit here for a minute, get myself together, then rejoin the party. I’ll smile and laugh at stupid comments and I’ll make my parents happy, because they deserve it. They’re letting me stay here, feeding me, loving me, so the least I can do is be pleasant for them. This is just what happens when you come home, you revert to the way you used to be, and I used to hate Leadwood with a burning passion.

  “Pretty boring party, huh?”

  I nearly start at the voice. I look up and there’s a man standing nearby, his phone in his hand like he just finished making a call or answering a text. He smiles at me, and I’m totally taken aback at how handsome he is.

  This guy is everything Leadwood isn’t. Attractive in a rugged sort of way with stubble cheeks, deep blue eyes, and thick dark hair. His clothes look like the sort of thing a guy from around here would wear, comfortable flannel and jeans, but these actually fit his muscular body really well. He’s older than me, probably in his early forties, but everything about him screams youth and… sex.

  I blink at him and realize I haven’t answered yet. “Uh, yeah, I mean, a little bit.” I laugh a little awkwardly.

  “I wasn’t sure I’d come. But Brad’s such a nice guy, and he’s the only dentist around, so… gotta make an appearance.” He walks over to me, head cocked. “I’m James.”

  “London,” I say.

  He nods and doesn’t comment on my name, which I like. “Good to meet you, London. How do you know these guys?”

  I hesitate a second and then grin. “I’m their daughter.”

  His eyes go wide. “You’re….? Shit.”

  I laugh at his sudden embarrassment. “Don’t worry,” I say. “I think this party is boring as hell too. And my Dad really is a nice guy.”

  James grins, a little chagrined. “I guess I should be careful who I talk shit to,” he says.

  I shrug a little. “That was about the mildest shit-talking I’ve ever heard.”<
br />
  “Oh yeah? Heard some bad stuff, huh?”

  “Sure,” I say. “Been known to dabble myself.”

  “Let’s hear it, then.” He comes over and sits down next to me, not bothering to ask if he can join. “Talk some shit to me.”

  I bite my lip, smiling, and shake my head. “I barely know you.”

  “Even better. Go ahead, talk some shit.” He nods to the fat bald man that made fun of my name. “Start with that guy.”

  “Oh, you mean turtle face?” I ask. “He looks like he only came for the food, and he’ll leave as soon as he’s eaten it all.”

  James cracks up at that. “Okay, what about her?” he asks, nodding toward a woman I’ve never seen before.

  “That’s the town’s only stripper,” I say. The woman in question is wearing a nice, buttoned-up cardigan and has a tight blonde ponytail. “She dresses like a church lady to distract from her pole dancing skills.”

  He grins, shaking his head. “And what about that dork?” He nods toward a thin man wearing glasses.

  I look at him with a straight face. “That’s my uncle,” I say.

  His expression falls. “Oh shit, I didn’t—”

  I start laughing, not able to hold it together. It takes him half a second to start laughing along with me.

  “I gotta be careful with you,” he says. “Damn. You had me going.”

  “It’s too easy. Is everyone in this town so trusting?”

  “Pretty much,” he says. “We’re a simple folk. A bunch of stupid rubes.”

  “Can’t deny that,” I say, grinning at him.

  He leans back, hands against the bench. “How come I’ve never seen you around before? It’s not like this town is big enough for the both of us.”

  I smile at that. “I’ve been at college,” I say. “And before that, I was, you know, a teenager. In high school.”

  He raises an eyebrow. “You’re younger than I thought.”

  “You’re probably older than I think you are.”

  He laughs again. “Probably.”

  I grin and watch his handsome expression. He has kind eyes, but he’s also hard and tough, a man used to working for a living.

  “So I guess you’re home for summer vacation?”

  I nod. “Just briefly. I’m working at that ATV tour place, saving up some money before I leave.”

  “Where to?” he asks.

  “New York. I got a paid internship that starts in September.”

  “Good for you,” he says, smiling. “Moving to the big fucking city. Guess it’s a lot different than this town.”

  “You’re not kidding,” I say.

  “Not a fan of Leadwood?”

  I shake my head. “It’s not really this town specifically that I don’t like… it’s just small towns in general.”

  “Sure, I get that,” he says softly. “I lived in Paris for a couple years, Berlin before that. LA when I was about your age.” He shrugs a little. “Those were good times.”

  “Seriously?” I ask. “Why are you here now?”

  “It’s funny,” he says softly. “You can leave the place you were born, but it never leaves you.”

  “Deep,” I say, rolling my eyes.

  He laughs a little. “Okay, fine. I came back to start a business with a few friends.”

  “What do you guys do?” I ask.

  “We own a steel warehouse and fabrication facility. It’s called Burned Steel.”

  “Sounds very manly,” I say.

  He grins at me. “It is. I mean, it used to be. We just own it now, we don’t actually do the fabrication anymore.”

  I nod a little bit. I’m not surprised about that. He looks like the kind of guy that could build something out of steel.

  But the fact that he lived in so many different places… it’s interesting. It’s an interesting contradiction. This guy has been all over the world, even lived in two different countries, and yet here he is, back in Leadwood. He’s handsome and seems like the kind of man that could have any woman he wants, but I don’t see a wedding ring on his finger.

  I don’t know why I’m even looking for a ring, though. I’m not here to find a guy, especially not one that’s twenty years older than me. This guy is so attractive, he’d never be interested in someone like me.

  And yet, he’s sitting here, laughing at my jokes, and I’m pretty sure he’s flirting with me.

  “Must be nice, sitting around, collecting all the profit.”

  He grins again. “Yeah, it’s nice. Sometimes. I miss working with my hands, though.” He cocks his head at me. “What are you doing at this ATV place?”

  “Just running the front desk,” I say.

  “Not running the tours? You seem like the kind of girl that likes to get dirty.”

  I can’t help but note the double entendre in his comment. “Maybe I do,” I say, “but I’m stuck behind a desk anyway.”

  “Well, if you ever want to get dirty, come find me,” he says. “I’ll give you a job.”

  I laugh a little. “I don’t know anything about fabricating steel.”

  He shrugs a little, watching me. “I could put you to work anyway,” he says.

  I sit there for a second, not sure what to say. “I’d like that,” I blurt out, feeling stupid and obvious.

  He leans toward me. “I bet you would, London,” he says softly. “Maybe I can make you think this town is interesting again.”

  “I bet you’d try,” I say.

  “I think you’re underestimating how really interesting I can be.” His eyes meet mine and I feel a chill run down my spine.

  For a second, I think he’s going to kiss me. He’s leaning toward me, eyes locked on mine, staring at me like he wants to rip my clothes off. And honestly, I don’t think I’d mind if he did. Maybe not right here, not fifty feet from my parents’ party, but still. I wouldn’t argue if he pulled me off into the woods, stripped my jeans off my tight ass, and kissed my neck while he fucked me up against a tree.

  “London! Honey!”

  I’m snapped back into reality. My mother’s waving me over.

  “Guess you gotta go,” he says to me.

  “Yeah, uh, duty calls.”

  I stand up and he watches me. “Nice meeting you, London.”

  “You too.” I hesitate a second. “Do you, uh, want my number? You know, for that job offer.” I’m blushing and I feel so stupid.

  He just smirks at me. “I’ll find you, don’t worry.”

  “Right. Okay.” I turn away and hurry over to my mom, wondering what the hell I was just thinking.

  I’ve never, ever offered my number to a random guy like that before, let alone to one like James. Sure, I did it under the guise of a job, but he could see right through that bullshit. I bet he even knows what I was just thinking about.

  God, I’m so stupid and awkward sometimes. I feel like a kid all over again, with butterflies in my stomach, losing my cool just because a handsome boy is giving me attention.

  Except he’s not a cute boy. He’s a handsome man with his own business, and twice my age at least. I know I shouldn’t be thinking about him, but I can’t help myself.

  I rejoin the party and force myself to smile as my mom parades me around to all the guests. I play along with her, but secretly I’m itching to get back to that man. As soon as I get a chance to escape, I do a lap of the party… but he’s gone.

  I’m more than a little disappointed. Still, I keep thinking about what he said. He’s going to find me… and maybe we’ll finish that little moment we started. Maybe this summer isn’t going to be that bad.

  2

  James

  I lean back in my chair and look at the guys sitting around the table.

  Ryan meets my gaze, eyebrow quirked. Henry’s looking at his phone, boredom clear on his face, while the twins throw a football back and forth across the room.

  “So, we’re all here,” Ryan prompts me.

  I clear my throat. I hesitate for a second. I
know I called this meeting, but I’m suddenly having trouble trying to remember what it was about.

  Truth is, I keep thinking about that girl from the party earlier. I had to leave before she was finished with her parents, but that’s probably for the best. I wanted to do some very impolite things to her, things I shouldn’t be considering, especially not under her father’s roof. I’m easily twice her age, or at least close to it, and yet I have this strange and intense attraction to her.

  Long legs, thick, dark hair, pretty green eyes, cute smile, curves that don’t stop. I even like her strange name. I’m honestly just thinking about when I can go find London again and finish that moment we started back there on the bench.

  Ryan raises an eyebrow and I sigh. “We should talk about the upcoming shipment,” I say to the guys.

  The twins stop throwing the ball and Henry looks up from his phone. “Is there a problem?” he asks.

  I shake my head. “Not exactly.”

  Ryan looks concerned. “You wouldn’t have brought us all here today if you didn’t have a reason for it.”

  “Spit it out,” Wyatt says.

  “I’m fucking bored,” Caleb adds.

  I grin at the twins. They’re both handsome guys, my age, with thick blond hair, tan skin, and light gray eyes. Actually, all of the guys in here are my age, and we all went to high school together back in the day.

  This business was my idea, but I couldn’t have done it without them. Ryan’s the talented one, the best of us at actually building and fabricating things. Henry’s good at sales, and the twins know the business already since their father was in the business for a long time. I took over the administrative end of things, and for the past ten years we went from a little tiny nothing to a major player on the east coast.