Wild Daddy (The Hardrock Mountain Daddies #2)

1. Milo

Milo

“Wow, you just can’t beat Hardrock Park,” I say, my smile beaming and my heart racing as I slow my pedaling and bring my mountain bike to a standstill. “Why would anyone ever want to walk away from this ?”

I take a look across the full vista from left to right.

Everywhere I look is nothing but Grade A natural beauty.

We have tall, ancient oak trees that are full, thick, and have lived through so much history from their early years as saplings to their grand years towering high in the sky.

To my right we have the rocky ranges of Mount Boulder. In the winter, the various peaks will be covered with snow and look dreamlike in their beauty. Now, in the height of summer, they still look majestic. Totally a wicked-cool place to hike and enjoy a picnic.

There are also waterfalls, valleys, all kinds of wonderous paths and creeks all around too. So much in fact that I don’t think in my twenty-two years I’ve even come close to exploring it all.

But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to stop trying.

Far from it, in fact.

I try and come out to explore as often as I’m able to, work and other responsibilities aside. And now that I’ve got a brand-new mountain bike to do the exploring on, I’m bringing a whole new level of thrill to the proceedings.

“Okay, let’s freakin’ do this!” I holler, pushing off on my bike and making a swerving, skidding, and seriously way too fast descent down a narrow pathway that winds and whips. “Oh, crap!”

I nearly come off the bike as I tear around the final corner but manage to retain my balance.

Just . That was close. Maybe too close. But as I look around and see what can only be described as the most pristine little pool of fresh water, I know that I made the right choice in letting my adventurous side come to the fore.

“Shoot,” I grumble, regretting my last-minute decision to come without any swimwear. “Next time.”

I guess in theory I could go for a little skinny dip though…

It’s not like there’s anyone out here to see me or anything.

For a moment, I’m seriously tempted. I take a look around at the thick woodland that surrounds the lake and there’s not a single sign of life. Well, if you exclude the birds I can hear chirping and making merry that is.

But my sensible side takes back control, and I decide that today isn’t the day to risk anyone seeing me naked. Plus there’s the fact that I haven’t even got a towel with me and don’t really fancy cycling in wet clothes for the next couple of hours.

“Okay. You win this time, sensible brain,” I chuckle to myself, taking my phone out of my pocket and marking this spot down on the map for future reference. “But make no mistake, I will be back. And I will swim in this water!”

And when I say I’ll do something, I mean it.

I might be a reliable and sensible boy, but don’t mistake that for weakness. I’m as determined and stubborn as they come. When I set my mind to doing something, then I make sure I get it done. Nothing or no one can stop me when I’m locked in and focused.

In so many ways, my determined side has been a huge strength for me. It enabled me to turn down a college scholarship because I knew two things: one, I didn’t want to leave home, and two I simply knew in my heart that what I wanted more than anything was my own business.

I guess it might have been cool to get a degree or whatever. But deep down I knew that I would just be wasting my time when all I wanted to do was get out into the real world and live my life the way I wanted to.

And that’s exactly what I did.

I’ve had a few businesses up and running since I was eighteen.

First, there was the baked potato stall I ran.

That made money, was a ton of fun, and served up some of the most creative potato fillings that the state has ever seen.

In the end though, it kind of ran out of steam. I was ready to move on…

Next up I worked making my own pizzas outside the Woody Hollow.

It was super-fun to serve up piping hot pizza slices to the patrons at the tavern, and I must admit that I enjoyed the complimentary beers that came with the deal too in exchange for me making the tavern staff a pizza at the end of the night.

But like with the potatoes, making pizzas had a shelf-life and it was time to think of something new. Which brings us right up to date…

Right now, I’m working on setting up a mobile coffee set-up, the kind that I can cycle around town with and find some fun spots to serve up the best coffee. Oh, and there would be something a little extra…

This particular coffee stand will have a selection of books for sale too. I figure I’ll curate a little selection myself of the interesting and fun indie books I like, plus some of the recent big hitters too. Oh, and I’ll take requests from my regular customers.

See, I’ve thought this all through!

Right now I’ve got most of the money I need to get the bike and have it converted into the kind of shiny, retro coffee bicycle I want. But I still need to save a little more so I can get the best coffee equipment and make sure that I’m fully stocked up on supplies.

I guess I could get a loan but I’d rather not put myself into debt. This is something that my grandmother always used to tell me when I would go to her house on a Sunday and sit with her for cookies and milk…

It’s better to go without for a week, than be in debt for a month!

Sometimes I would roll my eyes because I wanted everything right there and then, but deep down I knew that my grandmother was talking sense. Hey, I might be stubborn but I’m not stupid!

Anyway…

My coffee business is exciting, but right now I’m taking myself fully out of business mode and enjoying the free roaming fun life in the great outdoors and it’s time to get moving again.

As I cycle along the path to my right, I power up a short hill and find myself back in a spot where I can check out the views.

“ Hmmm , where are you?” I ponder out loud.

I know there is an apparently spectacular waterfall somewhere around here. Or at least that’s what my friend Taron told me. And despite being a city slicker who only moved here a few months ago, Taron is already pretty damn knowledgeable when it comes to the mountains.

Or should I say, Taron’s Daddy is knowledgeable.

Like me, Taron is a Little and we’ve been great friends ever since we bumped into one another at the Woody Hollow when he was there with Kaleb, his Daddy. They’re a great couple and definitely a pair who are going to be together Forever .

I must admit that sometimes I get a little bit jealous of just how perfect Taron’s life is. I mean, I know everyone has stresses and struggles that perhaps they keep to themselves or go through at various points.

But come on… Taron has found his Forever Daddy and gets to write novels all day! And the fact that Kaleb is a big, strong tree surgeon is so hot it’s almost unreal. And, yeah, he’s all kinds of handsome.

In fact, if Taron and I weren’t such natural born BFFs, I’d probably hate his guts.

Just kidding.

Well, kinda …

But rather than dwell on what I don’t have in my personal life, I decide to make the most of my adventure time and cast my eyes around for this supposedly superb waterfall that should be around here somewhere.

The only question is whether I pedal right or left?

Either way, I’m all set to have some serious fun…

* * *

“ Argh . What the hell!” I spit, my face etched in pain as I find myself on my ass with my mountain bike a few feet away and looking like it’s pretty much stuck in a big ass bush at the bottom of an incline…

I seriously don’t know how I lost control like that.

One minute I was cruising along, pedaling for fun as I navigated a pretty basic pathway.

I was on the way to the waterfall, having finally remembered a few of the pointers that Taron gave me.

And the next moment, my rear wheel slipped, my balance went, and I just about managed to do a sideways exit off the bike and onto the hard dirt track where I now find myself.

“Anything broken?” I ask myself, a wry smile on my face as I gingerly haul myself to my feet. “I guess not…”

I do think I’m going to have a couple of bruises come tomorrow though. I came off the bike at a pretty awkward angle and I definitely didn’t land as gracefully as my years of high school gymnastics taught me.

But no breakages is a pretty decent result all told so I’m not about to complain too much…

“Oh, no, wait…” I say, looking around and seeing a partially covered wire fence looping around me. “I’m not… I can’t be… can I?”

Suddenly, my relief at not being seriously injured turns to panic.

I don’t know for sure, but something deep in my gut is telling me that I’m technically no longer on public land. The wire fence might be somewhat obstructed but it’s definitely there amongst the overgrown bushes and wildflowers.

“C-C-C-Connor… K-K-K-K-King,” I mutter, taking my phone from my pocket and trying to get some signal so I can check my map. “Is this… Skull Cabin Creek?”

I walk off the pain in my right ankle and get close to the edge of the pathway, close enough that I’m able to look skyward.

“Yup, Skull Cabin Creek,” I say, my breath skipping a beat as I see the unmistakable curvature of the mountain range that tells me I’m exactly where I do not want to be right now. “ Ooops .”

If I was on anyone else’s land, I wouldn’t be too worried.

We’re a friendly community and even the gruffest mountain men are pretty much okay once you get past their rougher edges. I’d simply make a quick exit and in the event of being seen by the owner, I’d tell them I made a mistake and that would be the end of it.

But Connor King?

He’s no ordinary Hardrock Park resident.

Rarely seen in the town, to say that Connor keeps himself to himself is an understatement.

Some people say that he’s on the run from the law.

Others gossip that he’s a former government agent, some kind of retired Black Ops man who had to retreat to the woods because he made so many enemies over the years.

You might think that all this sounds a little far-fetched and nothing more than local tittle-tattle that gotten out of hand.

But you’ve never met Connor.

Or seen him.

I’ve only had a couple of sightings myself, and they were from years and years ago. All I can remember is that he walked with a menacing air to him. He’s big, broad, and has a look in his eyes that has stayed with me ever since.

Shiver.

I need to get out of here.

ASAP…

But I’ve got a problem. I need to get my bike back from that thick undergrowth that looks full of sharp thorns, stingy nettles, and who knows what else.

“ Urgh , I’m screwed,” I say, peering down toward my bike.

Then, out of nowhere, I hear rustling behind me. I feel my chest tighten and a surge of intense adrenalin rushes over me. I know without looking that this isn’t a curious mountain lion come to have a look—and right now, I’d really take that over who I know is behind me.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” the man says as I turn to meet his piercing gaze.

“I was lost. I f-f-f-fell,” I say, my bottom lip trembling in fear as I look him up and down and see without a shadow of a doubt that this is indeed Connor King. “I wasn’t trespassing. Well, I guess I was. But not like that. Not on purpose. Please don’t kill me!”

Argh.

Idiot.

Why did I say that? He’s totally going to kill me now!

I stand totally frozen to the spot, like a little mouse waiting to be devoured by one of the forest’s predators.

As Connor steps through the undergrowth toward me, my mind races with all the tales of how people have disappeared when walking around his land…

Or how he once fought and killed a brown bear with his bare hands…

Or how apparently he has a wooden cabin where he stores all his weapons and the details of his many confirmed kills from his time working as a Black Ops agent, just in case anyone is foolish enough to try and track him down to seek vengeance.

“Hey, I’ll just run home,” I say, dizzy with nerves. “Keep my bike. Sell it. Ride it. It’s all good. Just don’t hurt me, please!”

But Connor doesn’t respond to my panicky offer.

In fact, he doesn’t even look at me in the eye as he walks past me and begins to make his way down toward the bike.

“Rude,” I mutter under my breath, not quite sure what to make of all this.

Is he actually going to just get my bike and take it for himself? And then what? For all I know, he’s going to take the bike and then make me disappear…

“ Erm , hello,” I say, doing my best to not sound too nervous as I watch Connor wrangle the bike free from the bushes, his thick arms visible his sleeveless plaid vest jacket hugs his torso. “I… umm …”

The truth is that as much as I’m trying to talk, I’m kind of speechless too.

The sight of this mysterious Mountain Man freeing my bike and then carrying it back up toward the path in one hand like it barely weighs a single pound is doing something to me that I’m not entirely sure I can control.

Without even thinking, I cross my legs to try and stop my special place from tingling so overwhelmingly. But it’s not good. I feel my nipples stiffen underneath my flimsy white t-shirt—and the fact that I’m wearing especially tight pants is also definitely something I’m regretting right now.

But before I can get too bogged down in how obviously aroused I am, Connor places the bike down on the dirt and begins to cast his eye over it.

“You’ve got a couple of issues here,” Connor says, his voice gruff and plain speaking. “Busted chain. Gear lever is a write off. You’ll need a new front wheel too. Some minor damage to the paintwork.”

“Okay…” I say, a little flummoxed.

Is this really the infamous Connor King that I grew up fearing? For a moment I have to check myself, but then he shoots me a cold, hard stare that I just know means it’s him.

“Follow me,” he says. “I’ll put this on my truck and drive you back to town. From there, it’s down to you.”

And just like that, Connor picks the bike up once more and begins to walk up the path from where he emerged.

Can I actually follow him?

Should I?

Or more to the point… do I even have a choice?