Her Silver Fox Mountain Men (Lucky Lady Reverse Harems)

Chapter 6

6

Oliver

I t’s going to be an interesting few weeks, if not months.

Frankly, I hope old Ronald drags his ass if it means we get to enjoy Elise’s company for as long as possible. I could tell from the first time I saw her, cursing when her car wouldn’t start outside the diner, that she was an interesting woman.

Roman got the same vibe when he spotted her at the grocery store, long before James carried her into the house, scared out of her mind. I’m guessing she’s from the city, most likely some place cold. She didn’t seem too affected by Colorado’s last winter.

“I don’t like the strawberries,” Tricia moans as I add more fruit to her cereal bowl. It’s how I get the girls to eat enough fiber, by making their cereal breakfast colorful and fun though they don’t always see it that way.

“Strawberries are good for you,” I remind her. By the look I get I’m guessing she’s not buying what I’m trying to sell today.

“Eat your strawberries, ladies,” Roman warns as he joins us in the kitchen. “Or I’ll add more broccoli to your dinner plates tonight.”

“Not cool,” Ainsley grumbles. Still, despite the protests, she eventually eats the strawberry and Cheerios combination.

By the time James comes downstairs and gets more coffee brewing in the pot, Tricia is firmly staying on the fence.

“I won’t eat the broccoli, either,” she insists.

“I thought we went over this,” James enters into the conversation.

Roman shakes his head slowly. “Nothing seems to be working today.”

“We don’t like strawberries,” Ainsley says, scrunching her nose at us.

“Can I have more Cheerios, please?” Tricia chimes in with an innocent smile.

Elise is the last to come down and her presence changes the entire atmosphere around the breakfast table. “What do you mean you don’t like strawberries?” she asks as she stops to pull her honey-blonde hair up in a loose bun, her pale pink diner uniform neatly pressed and looking sharp. “Strawberries are awesome.”

“Awesome?” Tricia echoes.

“Why, yes! They’re full of fiber and vitamins, the kind of stuff that helps you grow big and strong,” Elise says. I can’t take my eyes off her.

“I wanna grow,” Ainsley mumbles. “I wanna grow up real fast.”

James chuckles as he adds a breadbasket to the table. “That’s the last thing I want. The two of you growing up real fast.”

“Why do you want to grow up so fast?” Elise asks. I pour her a cup of coffee.

“Because I wanna be old enough to eat whatever I want,” Ainsley proudly declares.

That gets a round of laughter from all of us.

“Oh, honey, trust me. Don’t be in any big hurry to grow up. Right now all you need to do is go to school and play with your friends and toys. But when you get older, you have responsibilities and bills,” Elise tells her.

“Those don’t sound like fun,” Ainsley says.

I can’t help but laugh. “They aren’t.”

“I think you look very pretty today, Elise,” Tricia interjects.

“You’re too kind,” Elise says.

“Daddy likes you,” Ainsley cuts in.

Enter the awkward silence. Elise freezes, the coffee mug glued to her lips, eyes immediately darting over to James, who’s just as speechless. I hold back a laugh. Roman seems relaxed, but I know deep down he’s pining, too. He changes the subject by making sure the girls eat their breakfast.

“Here, have more Cheerios,” he tells the twins as he adds another scoop to each bowl.

“I’ll get the milk,” James offers.

Elise nods in agreement. “I’d like some, too, for my coffee.”

“Aren’t you going to eat anything?” he asks her.

She smiles softly. “I always grab a bite at the diner. The morning shift is great; Maury always bakes a few extra scones for us.”

“That’s mighty kind of him,” I reply.

“Yeah, he’s good people,” Roman chimes in.

“I’m not sure how quickly Mr. Ronald will move with the renovation work,” Elise mutters.

Roman turns on the tablet, letting the girls watch a few educational videos while they eat. His eyes often go back to Elise, though, scanning, analyzing, memorizing. I know him too well; he’s tumbling down the rabbit hole with the rest of us.

“You don’t have to worry about that,” James replies. “He’s not going to charge you any rent for the duration of the repairs, so it’ll be in his best interest to get it done as quickly as possible.”

“He’s not going to charge me rent?”

I shake my head. “Landlords are not allowed to do that, not while you’re unable to live there because of necessary repairs. We looked into it. Right now, it’s considered an uninhabitable structure.”

“You looked into it?”

“You sound surprised,” James replies, somewhat amused.

“It’s just… I’m not used to any of this,” Elise mumbles, lowering her gaze as she finishes her coffee. “All this kindness and generosity. Taking me into your home.”

“It’s merely a temporary solution to a serious problem,” James insists. “You are more than welcome to stay here for as long as you need to.”

“Which reminds me,” I say and take out a spare set of keys from my jeans pocket. “These are yours; they’re for the house.”

Elise stares at them for a moment before reaching out with uncertain fingers.

“I already gave you the spare for the Ford, right?” James asks her.

“Yes, thank you. Gosh, I can never repay you guys enough.”

“There’s nothing to repay anybody for,” I say. “We’re just being neighborly. Maybe building something more in the meantime, you never know.”

And just like that the seed is planted. Elise looks at each of us with a shimmer of excitement in her soft blue eyes. She nods slowly, then gets up and rinses the mug in the sink before giving us one last smile. “I’ll see you all later, then.”

“Bye, Elise!” Tricia calls out.

“Don’t forget we’re painting later!” Ainsley reminds her with a broad grin before she’s sucked back into the videos.

“You won’t let me forget,” Elise laughs as she walks out the door. A moment later, she’s gone.

The girls are done eating and almost ready for kindergarten. It’s my turn to drive them. Roman looks through his emails while James gets to work on his own plate, occasionally stealing a glance at his daughters.

“Are we going to address the elephant in the room?” I ask, smirking as I finish my breakfast. “Or are we going to pretend that there’s nothing going on here?”

“Do you mean Elise?” James asks tentatively.

“Obviously.”

“We like her,” Ainsley says.

“Why don’t you two go and brush your teeth?” I suggest. “You’re done eating anyway.”

Tricia shoots me a cool grin. “We ate all the strawberries, too.”

“You’re not getting an award for that,” Roman replies.

Tricia rolls her eyes dramatically. “Fine. Come on, Ains.”

“But the video…”

“We can watch it later.”

“Elise and I had a moment.” James sighs deeply once the girls have gone upstairs and he’s certain they are out of earshot. “I don’t know where it will lead, though.”

“Somewhere good,” I say. “It’s just a feeling I have.”

“Or it’s the hope that we get our wish granted,” he counters. “I’m honestly surprised, given what happened with Shauna.”

“Elise is different.”

“She’s not indifferent to us, that much is obvious,” Roman cuts in, setting his phone aside. “That’s rare.”

James gives him a curious look. “So it’s not just my impression.”

“No, I see it, too,” I tell him.

The fleeting glances. The lustful expression on her face, her lips parting ever so slowly whenever any of us get just a little too close. The way in which her voice softens when she speaks to us. The twirling of fingers in her long, honey-colored hair. And the fact that she’s already had first contact with James only serves to reinforce my suspicions.

“I don’t think it’ll be a Shauna do-over, though,” I say. “That woman’s a mess. Way too fixated on you, James.”

“Through no fault of my own,” he defends.

“We know that,” Roman chuckles. “Let this be the least of our trouble.”

James gives him a long look. “Don’t you miss some excitement in your life? You loved the Ranger era if I remember correctly. Dodging bullets, fighting the enemy, stepping carefully across a minefield… you once said that was a favorable time in your life.”

“Yeah, in a previous life. I’m looking for peace and quiet now,” Roman admits, a smile testing his lips. “Elise might work out. We’re not going to know until we try.”

“We need to go easy on her,” James warns.

I sense there’s a part of her past that she’s determined to keep to herself. I’ve met enough people who are running from something, hiding from something, to recognize the signs. The sadness, the fear, the trauma masked behind hesitant voices and forced smiles.

Something or some one made Elise come here to Rustic, Colorado. And it wasn’t the Rockies.