Mountain Man Santa Bonus Scene
Jerry
One Week Later
Delilah’s face flushes when she sees Stacey and me come out of the baggage area with our luggage. Stacey’s got a brand-new plum-colored carry-on and rolling suitcase filled with a wardrobe purchased in Sin City. I lost count how much of it is made up of sexy, lacy bra and panty sets, and I’ll never forget the dressing room escapade that required Sharpie commemoration. I feel hot under the collar just thinking about it.
“Congratulations, you two!” she exclaims running over to hug Stacey and then me, her face radiating joy.
“Sounds like I owe you a massive thank you for making this happen, Dee,” I say, leaning down to hug her warmly, tears in my eyes. “My wife tells me if it wasn’t for you, I’d still be a lonely, sad man.”
She smiles from ear-to-ear, displaying far more enthusiasm than is normal for the quiet hippie artist and café owner. “Well, I couldn’t take it anymore. I knew there was a serious chance you might be mad at me, but it was worth the risk. And I’m so happy things worked out for you both. I can say with one hundred percent certainty that you were miserable apart.”
I wrap my arm around my wife, snuggling her curvy body next to mine. “It feels strange being back in Ophir City.”
“Wait until you get to Hollister. I have to say the place just isn’t the same without the Silver Fork,” the redhead observes.
“I look forward to getting back into the restaurant business. It’s been too long, although I did begrudgingly take over my grandfather’s place for a while. But it ended up having very little to do with the food industry.” I frown, trying not to think about everything that happened in New York City. “We have a lot to do, Shortie. I imagine the high school seniors we were training all found other jobs. It’ll be like starting from scratch in some ways.”
My caramel blonde wife smiles enthusiastically. “We’ll figure it out, baby. One day at a time.”
“And we have to start planning for your catering business, too,” I reply, not wanting to eclipse the plans I know she’s had in mind for a while now.
“Thank you, husband,” she says, leaning up on her tiptoes to kiss me. “I’ve been thinking about it, and I want to reach out to Cricket when we get back in town. You know, she does some catering on the side, but now that she has the triplets, her business has taken a backseat. Maybe there’s room for a partnership.”
I nod. “It’s not a bad idea, and you both get along well.”
“Sorry to rush us along, but my Jeep’s parked in the loading zone. We better get a move on before airport security decides to tow me,” Delilah says pointing towards the exit.
On the drive to Hollister, Delilah catches us up on what’s been going on in Hollister. There’s not much apart from all the babies being born at Rough & Ready Ranch. Apparently, Cricket and Christian’s triplets have become little crawling terrors, and another one of the brother’s, Logan who works search and rescue, has a fairly new baby boy with his wife, Jess, who’s a true crime reporter.
When we hit the city limits, I expect Dee to take the turn onto four eighty-eight towards my cabin. But instead, she drives down Main Street, parking behind the Silver Fork.
“Are you really putting me back on the clock so soon?” I ask, laughing.
The redhead shrugs.
“I’ve still got your key,” she says, holding it up. “And I figured you’d want to stop by and have a look around.”
I shrug. It’s not at the top of my priority list, but I don’t want to seem ungrateful, so I follow her to the backdoor to the kitchen, my arm wrapped tightly around my bride.
We walk into the darkened kitchen, and deja-vu overwhelms me. But before the feeling can get a strong foothold, the lights come and a choir of voices scream, “Surprise!”
I’m so shocked by the noise and the lights that I have to take a step back. Stacey holds me more tightly, staring up into my face to gauge my reaction. My head bobbles around the room finding all the regulars who used to make the Silver Fork a part of their routine. Every foster brother from the Rough & Ready Ranch is here with their significant others, and Wyatt, their cowboy patriarch and dad smiles widely.
There’s also Roxy and Lily, Stonie, and another of my older servers, Shelby, with her new husband Farzad. Seeing so many people turn out to welcome me catches me off-guard, and I have to turn away for a moment, covering my eyes with my hand to fight back tears. Once I get it pulled together and turn around, Turner and Hawk step forward.
Turner claps a hand on my shoulder, saying, “Without you around to run the Silver Fork, the whole city went to hell. We probably don’t tell you this enough, Jerry, but you’re a huge part of our community. You brighten all our days, keep us well-fed, and make our town a better, more welcoming place.”
“Thank you,” I say, swiping at my eyes again.
Hawk adds, “So, we put together a little something to help get the restaurant back on its feet.” Roxy steps forward holding a cardboard cutout that simulates a check. “Here’s five thousand dollars to get the place up and running again.”
“Five thousand dollars? No way, you can’t do this. I can’t accept this.”
“Yes, you can,” Lily chimes in. “Hollister is awful without you and the diner. So, we hope this is enough of a bribe to keep you around…like forever.”
“It’s a pretty damn good one. I’ve missed you all so much. Over the past two years, you’ve become my family. Having to leave unexpectedly made me realize how much I count on everyone of you day in and day out to provide me with friendship and community. So, yeah, I’ll use this incredible gift to hit the ground running and make sure you’ve got the specials, dailies, and everything else you’ve come to rely on from the Silver Fork.”
A ruckus catches our attention as Cricket and Christian rush past with three babies in tow. The blond sheriff couldn’t look more pleased, although a little exhausted, caring for his kids. “We’ll be right back,” Cricket calls over her shoulder in her smoky little voice. “Please don’t wait for us. Everybody, dive in!”
“Dive in?” I ask, raising an eyebrow towards Dee.
She smiles. “We may not have your kitchen up and running yet, but Cricket, Stonie, and I pooled our resources for appetizers and drinks in the dining room. Oh, and we have a little surprise for the newlyweds.”
Sure enough, on the other side of the kitchen door is a spread of delicious appetizers and hors d’oeuvres. In the center of the room is a two-tiered wedding cake with a cake topper of a chef and a server. Next to it, presents are stacked high in various shades of white wrapping paper. Now, it’s Stace’s turn to tear up and rub at her eyes.
“Thank you all so much! You’ve totally outdone yourselves,” I exclaim, burying my wife’s head in my chest until she’s ready to face everyone again.
Staring up at me, she whispers, “I love you, baby.”
“I love you, too, Shortie.” I lean in to kiss her, and the whole dining room breaks into applause.
Standing by the cake are Stacey’s brothers and their families as well as an older couple who turn out to be Stacey’s parents. Her dad has gray hair and bright blue eyes like his daughter. I offer him my hand, but he leans forward hugging me instead. “I’ve heard a lot of good stuff about you from Mark, Will, and Collin, and none of them are easily impressed. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the sacrifices you made and what you did to protect my girl. Welcome to the family, son.”
I try not to choke up at his words. But as I hug Stacey’s dad, her mother, and then greet her brothers and their wives and children, a welcoming warmth envelopes me. Stacey beams at me, watching her family’s reception of me.
Many hours later, we say goodbye to everyone, and Dee hands me the keys to the restaurant. “I can’t wait to have you back on Main Street with the rest of us. Although now I have to find a new employee since I’m pretty certain you’ll want Stacey back.”
“More than sure,” I grin, grabbing my gorgeous bride and picking her off the ground to twirl around.
“Alright, you two, have a fab evening. We’re all very glad to have you back in town, Jerry.”
Stacey hugs Dee warmly. “I’ll still be in and out until you find my replacement.”
“Thank you, sweetie. Have a good night!”
We both wave good night.
“I can’t believe what you, Dee, and the good folks of Hollister organized for me. Talk about choking a tough guy up. I’ve never felt more loved or accepted in one place. And I can’t tell you how much I need that sense of belonging after everything that I had to do and how it all went down with my family back East. They got what they deserved, but it still wasn’t easy.”
“My family already loves you, too, Jerr. Between your courage going undercover, how you protect me, and your great sense of humor, Dad and my brothers are sold.”
“Good because I want you to be happy, and I know a part of your happiness involves me getting along with your family.”
“You more than get along with them. They love you, and I can’t tell you how relieved Dad is that I didn’t end up with that Elliott guy.”
“Hey, hey, hey,” I chide, pulling her possessively into my arms. “I told you. I don’t want to hear another word about that guy or any other man in this town. You’re all mine, and if you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m a jealous bastard.”
“And I’m a horny wife,” she says seductively, grabbing my hand and kissing it.
“Oh, yeah? What do you have in mind?”
“I think we need another go around in your office. Only this time, I want to start with whipped cream and your cock. What do you think?” she asks, resting her hand on my chest.
My heart slams happily against my ribs, and I growl low in my throat, feeling my cock jump to life. “I don’t know how whipped cream hasn’t made our naughty list, yet. But I’m ready to let you give it a whirl. I may even allow you to swallow everything if you’re a good girl.”
Her pink tongue darts out to lick her lips, and her eyes dilate. “Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah,” I pant, squeezing her neck possessively before letting my hand slide down her neck and decolletage to her tits, rubbing my knuckles over her nipples until they go hard. “I’ve got plenty I want to do with whipped cream, too. Like cover your mouthwatering tits and pussy and then lick every inch of you clean…making you deliciously drenched, juicy, and ready to take my thick, demanding cock.”
“I like the sound of that,” she says, grabbing my other hand and sliding it up under her sundress until I’ve got a handful of her silky, wet underwear. “But I have one rule, husband.”
“And what’s that?” I ask, working hard to keep my voice steady.
“You can’t come until I tell you.”
A deep, throaty rumble rocks my chest as I wrap my arms around her, squeezing her ample ass. “Something tells me we’re pulling a late, late night at work…”
“With lots of overtime,” she says, unzipping my jeans and sliding her dainty fingers into my boxer briefs.
Want to read more about Turner and Lily, Hawk and Roxy, Farzad and Roxy, and some of the other characters from this book? Explore the Rough & Ready Country series and beyond, available now in KU.
Lily & Turner
A marriage of convenience is the only way to help my neighbor keep her family together. I tell myself it’s a practical arrangement, but my heart has other plans… Read now.
Roxy & Hawk
I’m a helicopter pilot crushing on my best friend’s little sister. An unexpected night gives me a glimmer into a world of possibilities, but will love or heartbreak win out? Read now.
Shelby & Farzad
Some call me Shelby’s guardian angel…others her stalker. God help the man who touches her. I’ll stop at nothing to keep her safe…even spiriting her away to my isolated cabin. Read now.