The Woodsman Read online

  Table of Contents

  BOOK DESCRIPTION

  PROLOGUE

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  EPILOGUE

  CHAPTER ONE – HAYLEY

  CHAPTER TWO – BECKETT

  CHAPTER THREE – HAYLEY

  CHAPTER FOUR – BECKETT

  CHAPTER FIVE – HAYLEY

  CHAPTER SIX – BECKETT

  CHAPTER SEVEN – HAYLEY

  CHAPTER EIGHT – BECKETT

  CHAPTER NINE – HAYLEY

  CHAPTER TEN – HAYLEY

  CHAPTER ELEVEN – BECKETT

  CHAPTER TWEVLE – HAYLEY

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN – HAYLEY

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN BECKETT

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN BECKETT

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN – HAYLEY

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN – HAYLEY

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN – HAYLEY

  CHAPTER NINETEEN – HAYLEY

  CHAPTER TWENTY – BECKETT

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE – HAYLEY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO – BECKETT

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE – BECKETT

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR – HAYLEY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE – BECKETT

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX – HAYLEY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN – BECKETT

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT – HAYLEY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE – HAYLEY

  EPILOGUE

  Copyright © 2017 Blake North - All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This is a work of fiction. While, as in all fiction, the literary perceptions and insights are based on life experiences and conclusions drawn from research, all names, characters, places and specific instances are products of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously. No actual reference to any real person, living or dead, is intended or inferred.

  The Woodsman

  A Single Dad & Nanny Romance

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  TITLE PAGE

  BOOK DESCRIPTION

  PROLOGUE

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  EPILOGUE

  SNEAK PEAK: BROKEN DADDY

  THE BILLIONAIRE’S SECRET

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  BOOK DESCRIPTION

  I moved up into the mountains to put my past behind me, to find some peace.

  This mountain is my sanctuary. Until some woman shows up during a snowstorm with a suitcase, insisting she’s rented my cabin for the week.

  She got scammed. Not my problem. She’s got curves in all the right places, but I send her away. The next thing I know, she’s crashed her car in the blizzard and I’m carrying her to my cabin.

  I rescued her and now we’re snowed in together. It’s all I can do to keep my hands off her. But I know she wants me, too.

  Sparks fly, and there’s no turning back. We’re all alone up in the mountains, snowed in and having the hottest fling in history.

  There’s only one problem: I don’t want to let her go.

  Make that two problems: I can’t let her find out my dark secret.

  If I tell her the truth, she’ll run away, and I’ll never see her again. If I keep the secret, I lose the girl of my dreams.

  PROLOGUE

  “It's okay,” he whispered, stepping close to me.

  His brown eyes met mine, and I could feel myself practically melting. There was a warm sensation low in my belly that spiraled up and down. My panties were growing wet with my desire. The way he looked at me made me feel as if I was the sexiest, most desirable woman in the world.

  His mouth came down on mine, slowly, probing, but not too demanding. His lips were soft—a contradiction to the rest of his hardness. I stepped closer to him, needing to feel his body against my own. I was pleasantly surprised to feel a very large and very hard erection pressed into my belly. I deepened the kiss, demanding more from this strange man who had captivated me, rubbing against that massive cock, wanting to know what it would feel like pushing inside me. I was a small woman.

  Would I be able to handle a man as big as my mountain man?

  He bent down, put an arm behind my knees, and lifted me up. My eyes widened in excitement as he lifted me. He made me feel weightless. He carried me down the short hall, used a foot to kick open a door, and strode across a very masculine bedroom. The large bed in the center of the room with a rustic headboard and large pine posts amped up my excitement, and my imagination ran wild as I thought about all the dirty sex we could have in that bed.

  I lay on his bed, intently watching to see what he would do next. I knew it was wrong, but I wanted him. I wanted him in every way. I lifted my arms, giving him full permission to remove my shirt.

  As if he would have waited for me to grant permission.

  His hands moved to unbutton the snap on my skinny jeans, and he slowly tugged them down. I was a little embarrassed I didn't have on sexy panties, but I had been thinking about comfort when I’d dressed that morning, not about sex with a hot stranger.

  He didn't seem to mind the plain old cotton panties and pulled them off immediately after my pants were gone. He slid one hand under my back, unhooked my bra, and shucked that as well. I lay there on his bed, completely naked and throbbing. I didn't know what he wanted from me, but I knew I would give it to him.

  The man never spoke, which was intimidating but arousing. He didn't need to use words. His eyes and his touch said it all.

  One of his rough, large hands slid over my breasts and down my stomach. I knew what he wanted when he looked between my legs with obvious intent. I slowly spread them a bit wider. Somewhere, in the back of my mind, I chastised myself for being so bold, but I shut that part down in a hurry. I was hot and wet and willing to do whatever the man asked if he pleased me, and deep down, I knew he would.

  He dropped to his knees at the edge of the bed and pulled my body closer to him until my butt was on the very edge. He draped my legs over his shoulders and dove between my legs. The first swipe of his tongue on the outer lips of my bare pussy nearly dro
ve me over the edge. He used two fingers to part the lips and ran his tongue oh so slowly up and then down my clit.

  One of my hands went to the top of his head, and the other gripped one of his massive shoulders as I jackknifed up. I wanted him to stop as much as I wanted him to keep going. Thankfully, the decision was not in my hands.

  He put one hand in the middle of my stomach and forced me back down to lay flat on my back while he ravished my pussy with his tongue. My hands fell beside me, gripping the quilt that had covered the bed. His tongue pushed inside me, and I could feel the climax brewing. I was so close. He lapped at me, his tongue working in slow, hard circles against my clit, driving me so close to the edge, I felt I would fall over the cliff at any second.

  His teeth nibbled at the hard nub above my opening, and I fell into a blissful sea of orgasm, coming for what felt like forever.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Madison

  I was running away but I didn't give a damn.

  I deserved it. Open skies. Mountains. Pine trees. Grizzly Adams territory, make way, here I come.

  Packing for an unfamiliar climate wasn’t easy. The weather in Daytona Beach, Florida was about as opposite as you could get from Vail, Colorado. I loved the sun, the beach, and the thrill of living in Florida, but I needed a break. The trip was all I’d been able to think about since I first got the crazy idea to pack up and go on a solo getaway.

  Yes, I was running away, but running was far better than sitting in this empty house and wondering if my fiancé was going to come over or call me. I had to put some space between us.

  I smiled wryly. That was the problem. There was nothing but space between us. Unlike most engaged couples in the twenty-first century, we didn't live together. Mark said he wanted to wait until we were married.

  “Bullshit!” I shouted into the room.

  I believed him for a long time—almost two years—but a veil had recently been lifted from my eyes, and I saw him for who he was. He didn’t make me happy. I couldn’t make him happy. We were fooling ourselves. I wasn't the type to spend every waking moment with a guy, but holy cow, I expected more than a phone call or a few texts here and there from the man I planned to spend the rest of my life with.

  Relax, Madison. Deep breaths.

  I refused to get worked up over the situation again. Hence, the escape to cold and snowy Colorado. Some people wanted warm and sunny getaways, but I wanted the exact opposite of what I was used to. A wise man once said ‘If you do the same thing you’ve always done, you’ll get the same things you’ve always gotten’, or something along those lines.

  After searching Airbnb and other home rental sites, I finally settled on a cabin way out in the middle of nowhere that promised plenty of solitude. I needed to get my head straight. My fiancé, Mark, was making me crazy. I had to get some distance between us so I could figure out what I wanted.

  He'd checked out of our relationship and checked into one with himself. Mark loved him some him. Self-absorbed didn’t even come close.

  Before I got too far into the packing process, I grabbed my phone to confirm my reservation at the cabin. I was a little uneasy about the whole thing. I’d booked the cabin through a website, but I wanted to talk to an actual person to confirm my stay. My card was charged, but I needed to know more details about the rental. Would there be wood chopped and ready for me to use to start a fire or was I expected to get my hands dirty?

  God, I hope not.

  Little details like that could be essential once I got there. I called the number listed in very small print at the bottom of the page, but I got the voicemail again.

  “Hello, this is Madison Carr. I'm calling, again, to confirm my reservation for the cabin outside of Vail. I have reserved and paid for two weeks. I have a few important questions about the cabin, please call me back.”

  I left my number for the third time and hung up.

  I walked to the closet, scanned the clothes that were still hanging, and debated what else to take. I was assuming it would be cold, so I bought plenty of warm socks, long-sleeve shirts, and a new coat. I didn't think I’d need a dress for my private getaway, but I grabbed one off a hanger just in case I decided to go out for a nice dinner. I didn’t need a man around to get dolled up and eat a nice sirloin steak.

  Declaring myself packed, I zipped up my suitcases and took them one at a time to the front porch. Two large suitcases may have been considered overkill by travel enthusiast, but you never know what you’ll need when you’re out in the middle of nowhere for this long. I even packed some pepper spray, in case a serial killer was lurking out in the woods.

  What can I say; I prepare for the worst.

  I tossed the confirmation receipt for the cabin, airline ticket, and the rental car information into my purse and took one last look around.

  My phone rang, and I frantically dug through my purse to find it, hoping it was the rental company.

  “Hello?”

  “Tell me you're not leaving me for two weeks,” my friend Emily Bryan whined when I answered.

  I laughed. “I'm leaving you for two weeks.”

  “You suck.”

  “I need a vacation.”

  “People come here for a vacation. We live in the most beautiful city on earth, and you’re running away to some chilly place where only mountain people live,” she teased.

  I sighed. “Hey, Vail is a very popular destination for the Hollywood elite.”

  “Oh, are you hoping to track some down and sell your art? I could get on board with that. It's a working vacation!”

  “No, no. I don't plan on tracking anyone down. I plan on putting on some warm slippers, drinking copious amounts of hot chocolate with Baileys, and sitting in front of a fire for days. If I don't get away from Mark and his drama, things are going to get ugly.”

  “I know, hon. You totally deserve a nice vacay. I will miss you like crazy, but I want my best friend happy. You have been way stressed lately.”

  “Thank you, Emily. I’ll miss you too. If it hadn't been for you these past few months, I probably would have already committed some horrible crime or fallen into a deep depression. You are my sunshine,” I said in a sing-song voice.

  When we’d first met in high school, she’d been singing that song in the hall. Emily was really like a burst of sun on a dark, cloudy day. She had a way of making people feel happier after just give minutes with her. Unfortunately, either I had become immune to her cheerful influence, or I was in a very bad hole. So, I was packing my bags and running away to the mountains.

  “Call me when you land,” she said. “Be careful, and, I guess, watch for bears. I really don't know anything about bears, but I don't think you should wander around the forest.”

  I laughed. “Got it. I have to go. I'll call you when I land.”

  “Bye!”

  I hung up, and sure enough, I felt a little better after talking to her. Her cheerful voice was contagious, but not contagious enough. I was still in a funk and had to get away from this place for a while. Hopefully, I would get my shit together and figure out just what the hell I was doing with my life.

  I heard a honk telling me my cab was out front. I felt a stir of excitement and dashed out the door, ready for an adventure. Once my bags were loaded and I checked my purse for the umpteenth time, I was on my way to the airport.

  Thanks to the ever-present traffic, by the time I arrived at the airport, I was racing to get to my terminal.

  In true Madison style, I arrived to the gate just as they were boarding my flight.

  “Cutting it close,” someone in line said beside me.

  I looked over to see an elderly man. “Yep, the traffic was ridiculous.”

  The old man smiled. “Yes, it was. My wife would kill me if I didn't get home on schedule. A big snowstorm is headed into Denver. If I didn't make this flight, I would be sitting here for another few days.”

  I nodded and suddenly felt a little uneasy. I had to drive to the cabin from the airpo
rt in Denver. Hopefully, this snowstorm was all hype.

  The flight to Colorado was relatively smooth. My rental car was ready and waiting, and I even got a free upgrade. Everything was looking up so far. The cold air had been a bit of a shock, but it felt good. I loved how invigorating and clean it was with none of the heavy, salty humidity in the air, like in Daytona.

  Once I got in the car and figured out how to pair it with the Bluetooth on my phone, I punched in the address for the cabin in the GPS. I was warned it would likely not take me right to the front door since there was unlikely to be satellite available. That was fine. I had a map and had memorized the directions.

  As promised, I called Emily.

  “You're there. Are you freezing your balls?” she asked.

  I laughed. “It is cold, and it’s snowing. I haven't driven in the snow in forever. It’s kind of making me nervous,” I told her.

  “Then why are you on the phone?”

  “Hands-free.”

  “Oh. Good. So, do you think you'll leave him?” she asked.

  I sighed. “I don't know. I need some time to figure things out. I mean, should I be mad he didn't come to my show—again!?”

  She inhaled. “Maddie, you know how I feel about Mark most days. Honestly, he needs to support you in your dreams. Has he been one of your shows?”

  “No. None. He always has something come up. If he truly loved me, he would show up to at least one,” I said, frustration creeping into my voice.

  “You’re absolutely right. How about you? Do you still love him?”

  “I don't know. I’m hoping this trip will help me figure everything out. I don't think I can marry him as things stand now. I can't marry someone who doesn't respect me enough to even show up for fifteen minutes at one of my shows.”

  “Preaching to the choir, girl!” she shouted, her voice singing through the car.

  I laughed. “The choir should have been preaching to me about a year ago. Why did you let me waste so much time with him?”

  “We all have to find our way in our own time. I knew he wasn't right for you. He's all pretty and polished on the outside, but the man is just an empty vessel. There's shallow and then a few more feet down, you have Mark,” she said softly.