Mountain Refuge (Mountain Mutineers #1)

Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Adam

I watched Brooke leave. This time, I didn’t stop her. What would stopping her prove? We had feelings for each other, that was obvious, but that didn’t solve any problems. In fact, it complicated them. Unlike in fiction books and movies, love did not conquer all. If I stayed, it could get Brooke killed.

The further up the mountain we went, the safer my kids would be. Even when the snow cleared, making traveling easier, the terrain would still be difficult to cross. The number of hiding places on a mountain were endless.

I needed to leave with Corbin tomorrow. Then Brooke could get back to her life of solitude and peace. That was the right thing to do.

When I finally turned my attention back to Corbin, he was now leaning against the kitchen counter with his arms crossed over his massive chest. “Want to tell me about that?”

“No.”

He looked like he was about to press and then changed his mind. “Fine.” He went to the front door and brought back the duffel bag he’d brought down the mountain with him. “I wasn’t sure how soon we’d be able to get the kids out of here, so I overpacked just in case. You can thank my mom for all of this too. I had no idea what to get when it comes to babies.”

He put the bag on the table opposite of where Lydia sat finishing her snack. I came forward to see what he had.

“Jack, thankfully, had a lot of this in stock. We knew once the snow fell, getting down for more would be virtually impossible. My spare room is overflowing with baby supplies.” He reached in and pulled out a Disney princess coloring book and a box of crayons. “And this is for the princess.”

Lydia grabbed the book, thanking him profusely.

“I know you said she loves puzzles. Unfortunately, I didn’t know that while I was getting all this, and I don’t have any kids’ ones at the cabin. My mom has puzzles, though. Maybe Lydia can help her with those.”

My gratitude towards my best friend grew. “Thank you. I’m sure she’ll love it.”

“Beyond the baby food, diapers, rash cream, formula, and pacifiers, I also brought these.” He pulled infant and child snowsuits out of the duffel. Henry’s suit was dark blue with red stripes. Lydia’s was bright pink. Lydia reached for hers with glee. Corbin handed it over with some advice, “First lesson about living in the mountains in the snow, kid: never wear clothing that can blend in with the snow. Wear bright, reflective clothing that make it easier to spot you at a distance.”

She nodded. “Gotcha.”

“Second lesson: learn how to make a snowball.”

Lydia giggled. “I already know how to do that.”

“Good. I’ll be testing out your skills later.”

“You’re on, Uncle Corbin.”

Corbin’s cheeks reddened at the title, but I also saw pride on his face. He turned to me. “I wasn’t sure what you had either, so I brought gear for you too. We had given you winter clothing in the Jeep , but I wasn’t sure what you were able to bring here and what you had to leave in the car.”

“Unfortunately, we left too much in the car. I’m sorry about that. I don’t know what survived in this cold.”

“In a few days, I’ll be going out to where you left it. I’ll see what’s salvageable and what needs to be tossed. Then I’ll get with Jack about dumping it.”

I didn’t have the guts to ask for confirmation if it was stolen or not. I couldn’t add more crimes to my conscience.

“My mom is really excited about seeing you,” Corbin went on.

“I’m excited to see her too.” I hadn’t seen Mrs. Mullaney since that final day in the courtroom when the verdict had been read and Corbin had been led away in chains.

As if Corbin knew where my mind had gone, he reached for my arm. “I’ve moved on. You should too.”

“You should have never been convicted. It was wrong.”

He shrugged, a little too nonchalantly. “I survived. My dad put me through—” He paused, his eyes landing on Lydia who was now coloring in her new book. “Um, H-E-double hockey sticks. J-A-I-L was a cakewalk after eighteen years with that man.”

I couldn’t help but grin at his attempt to keep his tale kid friendly. “I’m still sorry it happened to you.”

He nodded once. “I know, and I appreciate it.”

“How did you end up out here?”

“Jack, actually. He was my…” Once again, his eyes flicked to Lydia. “My first roommate,” he evasively said. “This is his hometown. He’d moved to New Jersey after college. I won’t share his story, but, after he got out, he decided to come back here. He gave me an invitation to join him when, uh, it was my turn to leave. ”

I had yet to meet Jack. The respectful way Brooke and Corbin talked about him, as well as my own phone conversations with him, I was very curious about the man. He’d gone through great efforts to protect my kids and me. His criminal record did not concern me; if Corbin trusted him, so did I.

“Mom had moved to Florida after my conviction. She didn’t want to go, but I told her to. She needed a life outside of that house with those memories. She would travel up each year for my birthday, even though I kept telling her it wasn’t necessary. After I got out, I went south, got her, and we came here.

“Jack had already had my cabin set up for me. It was like he knew I was coming, even though we hadn’t talked in years.”

“Jack seems to know a lot of things.”

Corbin nodded. “He’s like this secret superhero. By day, he runs a general store. At night, he works with a network of people who help hunt—” His eyes went to Lydia. “Wow, how do you have any normal conversations?”

I laughed. “Very creatively.”

“This is going to take some getting used to. I hope I don’t mess things up around them.”

I shook my head. “Mistakes are okay,” I assured him. “It’s expected in parenthood. It’s how you handle those mistakes that they remember.”

“Geez, no pressure.”

“You’ll do fine. You’ll be their favorite fun uncle who lets them get away with things that their mean old dad won’t.”

Corbin grinned wide. “I can do that.”

I laughed at his confidence. Movement outside the kitchen window caught my attention and I saw Brooke walking around outside. She was bundled up similarly to how I’d first seen her when she’d knocked on the Jeep ’s window.

Corbin followed my gaze. “Takes a rare woman who can survive out in these parts. ”

“She’s certainly one of a kind.”

Lydia piped up then. “Brooke is Daddy’s new friend. I asked her and she said she’d play with him.”

Corbin’s eyebrows rose.

My face flushed hot. “It’s not how it sounds. She means that literally how a seven-year-old would think of playing.”

Corbin laughed. “Pretty sure some adults are into that too.”

I glared at him. “Nothing happened.”

“But you want it to.” Statement, not a question.

“It doesn’t matter if I do or don’t. Nothing can.”

“Why not?”

I looked pointedly at my daughter, sitting innocently at the kitchen table coloring. “My kids have to come first.”

“And they have. You got them out. They’re safe here. You weren’t followed. No one knows where you or they are. Getting stuck in a snowstorm definitely was not in the plan, but it also added to your protection. No one would be mad enough to climb a mountain in this weather.”

“And what about when this weather passes? Will we have to move on? Will we be stuck up in your cabin for the rest of our lives?”

Corbin shook his head. “Not forever. Jack is working on new identities for you. Once that paperwork is ready, you’ll be able to go anywhere you want. Do I hope you stay here? Yes, of course, but I know this lifestyle isn’t for everyone. You’ll still need to be careful. No social media, no public pictures. But, after some time passes and you want to leave, you’ll be free to go.”

“We’ll never be free.”

“Then stay. The mountain provides its own freedom. Between you and my mom, you can homeschool the kids. We’ll figure out getting them socialized with kids their own age later on.” Corbin leaned towards me. “Your kids are safe, Adam. You can relax. After everything you just told me, you deserve some happiness too.”

I shook my head. “I can’t drag her into my problems any more than I already have. She doesn’t deserve that.”

“Your problems? You act like you caused this.”

“Didn’t I?” I shot back at him. “If I had gone to the C-O-P-S when I wanted to, then none of this would be happening.”

“And you’d likely have gone to J-A-I-L. There’s no fighting a man with that much money and influence. Waiting likely saved your life as well as your kids.” Corbin ran his hand down his face, pulling on his long beard. “Look, everyone has regrets. Everyone looks back on a situation and wonders what they could have done differently. You think I don’t regret picking up that shard of glass? My revenge cost me ten years when he was going to D-I-E anyway. But think about Henry? If you’d acted when you say you wanted to, where would he be right now? Maybe he would have never been born or maybe he’d be in an even worse situation.”

“You’re not making me feel any better.” I couldn’t imagine a world without Henry. It was inconceivable.

“Rather than kicking yourself for the things you should have done, praise yourself for the things you did do . You got those kids out. You protected them when it mattered most.”

I let out a long sigh. “I know you’re right. Logically I know that. But it still doesn’t make me feel any better.”

Corbin tipped his head towards the window. “There’s someone out there who might be able to help you feel really good .”

“Really?” What were we in, high school?

“Hey, just trying to keep it PG.”

I rolled my eyes. “What time do you need us ready in the morning?”

“Early,” he said, allowing me to change the subject. “The sooner we get you and the kids up the mountain, the better. I’ll fill Jack in on the plan. He’ll be happy to hear we’re finally moving you.”