Mysterious Mountain Man

Rebecca couldn’t afford to accept his decision. She glanced around the room, which had fallen silent with the departure of the other diners. She could hear the couple who ran the place talking in the kitchen. Her gaze went to the grimy windows and, looking past them, to the desolate landscape.

In an effort to buy herself needed time to think of a different approach, she asked, “This is where you grew up?”

“That’s right.”

“It’s rather isolated, isn’t it?”

His small smile was lopsided. “Yep.”

“What is there here for you to do?”

The fact that he’d been asking himself the same question during the past few days didn’t endear her to him. “I don’t need much to survive.”

“My father used to say that you thrived on challenge.”

He nodded toward the window. “There’s challenge enough.”

“Is there?” She tilted her head slightly and looked at him. “Physically, I suppose there is. But mentally? Emotionally? What kind of challenges are you finding here?”

“What is this? A new form of job interview?”

She nodded. “That’s exactly what it is, Jake. CPI needs you and your talents. You must know that. Your leaving was a blow to the company as well as to my father, whether he ever admitted it or not. I don’t think either one fully recovered from your absence. If you’d been there, none of this would have happened. The transition after my dad’s death would have been orderly and without the turmoil we’ve been going through.”

“No one’s indispensable, ‘Becca.”

“True. But some positions are more easily filled than others.”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the card he’d placed there earlier. He gave a flip to his wrist, and the card landed between them. “Who’s Woodrow Forrester?”

She didn’t need to read the card. “He’s in charge of accounting. Dad hired him not long after you left. He’s the one who pointed out the urgency of the situation we’re in. When I told him about you and what I felt you could do for us, he volunteered to come looking for you.”

Jake drummed his fingers on the table. Then he ran his fingers through his hair. “It wouldn’t work,” he finally muttered.

“Why not?”

He just shook his head, refusing to say anything more.

Her chest ached and she realized that she’d been holding her breath. She forced herself to fill her lungs with much-needed air, praying for inspiration. She’d counted on the fact that once he knew how serious the situation was, he would be willing to return.

Regardless of her personal reaction to him, she knew that Jake Taggart was exactly what the company needed.

“Is it because of me? I mean, what you said earlier about my appearing uncomfortable around you? Is it that you don’t want to work for me?”

“I’ve never given a thought about your opinion of me, one way or the other. As far as I was concerned, we both worked for the same company and had similar goals. We didn’t have to like each other.”

She glanced down at her clasped hands. “It isn’t that I dislike you, Jake,” she said slowly, searching for words that might make a difference to his decision. “I used to feel— That is, there were times when I felt as though you could read my mind, as though I had no secrets where you were concerned.” She gave a nervous chuckle. “Let’s face it. You can be rather intimidating at times.”

He didn’t say anything right away. Instead, he waited until she looked up at him before he said quietly, “You’ve got a very expressive face, ‘Becca. It isn’t difficult to tell what you’re thinking most of the time.”

She kept her gaze steady. “Then you must know how badly I need your help at the plant. I’ve tried these past few months to keep everything together. I’ve taken on more staff, mostly in personnel, to free me for other areas. I never wanted to be the one running things. My father understood that, which is why he trained you for the job. He’d intended to retire and—” Her voice broke and she couldn’t go on.

Jake looked around the small café, feeling uneasy about the turn in the conversation. He’d told her no, hadn’t he? He’d told her that he was happy where he was, but was he being completely honest with himself? Hadn’t CPI been his focus for several years?

Leaving the company had been one of the toughest things he’d ever done. He’d felt betrayed by Brock Adams and the choices the man had made despite Jake’s warnings. Jake had expected more from Brock than that. Hell, he’d looked up to Brock, admired him, wanted to be just like him...until the day Jake realized that his own integrity was more important to him than his ambition.

Rebecca’s voice broke into his thoughts. “I understand you live in those mountains.” She nodded toward the windows.

“That’s right.”

“Is it difficult to get to your home?”

He shrugged. “Depends on how you define difficult. You can’t drive all the way. There’s quite a hike once I leave the truck.”

“You like it there?”

“Yeah. It’s peaceful. I’ve always enjoyed the mountains.”

“Would you show me where you live?”

His grin was unexpected. He so rarely smiled...and she’d never heard him laugh in all the years she’d known him. She blinked in surprise at the change his smile made. He was much more approachable. And devastatingly attractive.

“I’m afraid you wouldn’t get far in that outfit.”

He hadn’t said no. “I brought other clothes with me,” she offered. “When Woody told me you lived in an isolated mountain area, I came prepared to look for you, no matter where you were.”

He hadn’t expected that, she could tell. She hurried on before he could speak. “If you’ll give me time to change my clothes, I’d very much like to see where you live. I also brought several reports that I’d like you to read. They can show you much better than anything I can say exactly what’s been happening to the company these past months.” She looked away for a moment before returning her gaze to him once more. “I would also like to have a chance to change your mind about coming back to work at CPI.”

“You think spending the night with me is going to convince me?”

She could feel her cheeks warm with color. “That’s not what I meant and you know it. You know me better than that, Jake.”

“What makes you say that? I don’t know you at all, ‘Becca.” He didn’t need to add that he had no intention of remedying the situation. It was in his tone of voice.

“Let me show you the reports before you turn me down, Jake. If nothing else, give me your thoughts on what could be done to protect us from what’s occurring in the plant. I freely admit that I don’t know where to turn or what else to do. Looking for you is my last, desperate attempt to hang on to the company.”

He scratched his chin thoughtfully. Her offer to go home with him intrigued him, damned if it didn’t. It was totally out of character for the woman he thought she was. But then, he’d been correct in saying he didn’t know her.

Brock Adams was dead and his company was up for grabs. Jake could just see what his sudden reappearance might do to a few people he recalled who spent their working days jockeying for more powerful positions in the company. The thought made him smile slightly.

Her gaze never left his face. When he realized how hopefully she was watching him, he said, “There’s a rest room through those doors—” he nodded his head toward an opening in the back wall “—where you can change clothes. Hope you brought some hiking boots.”

She needed no more urging. With quick strides she hurried to the door and out to the parking lot. He watched as she disappeared from view, then shook his head. He must be more lonesome than he thought to even consider the idea of taking Rebecca Adams up to his mountain retreat.

No one had ever been there before. He’d deliberately chosen a small meadow area that could be reached only through a narrow hidden canyon. Why, after all these years, was he willing to share it with another person?

And why her?

Once Rebecca returned from the car carrying a small bag, Jake pulled out his wallet and walked over to where Betty worked behind the counter. They both watched Rebecca go into the rest room before Betty looked back at Jake.