Double Daddy Trouble

“She?” His eyes bulged. “Seriously? No women. Not happening. Take her to town. You can drive somewhere if you need to get laid. I don’t care what you do, but she’s not coming here.”

Tyler let the ax fall heavy to the next log. It crunched as it severed it in half. He watched as the two sides hit the ground with a bounce an

d thud. Lee didn’t seem to understand.

“I think you’ll see this differently in a few hours.”

They continued to cut wood and prep the stone fire pit. Neither one of them talking for what seemed like hours.

Tyler stacked the last log from his stack. “I’ve got to go in and get ready. She’ll be here soon. Join me for the meeting. I can fill you in on the details.”

“Fill me in now.”

It was starting to get dark. She’d be here soon.

“Look. Niall McIntosh is sending her. He owed me.”

“McIntosh?” He sounded surprised. Tyler stared at the bits of snow and ice gathered in his friend’s beard.

“Yeah. I know he’s a bastard, but he lost a serious bet. And he finally had a way to pay it off. I thought the timing was perfect.”

“In the middle of going off the grid? Why in the hell would you open us up to an outsider? Especially one we can’t trust. He’s not someone I want to know our location.”

“He doesn’t and he won’t. I’m handling the transportation. Niall has no clue where we are.”

“And what about the woman? Who’s to say she won’t run her mouth? If she’s one of Niall’s girls, she’s as untrustworthy as he is. This is a bad plan. Just wait until you’re back in the city. Then you can deal with him how you want to. Leave me out it. And don’t fuck up the cabin with a woman here. I like things the way they are.”

Tyler placed the ax off to the side. “I’m going to get cleaned up. I think you need to do the same. She’ll be here soon. It’s been a while since we’ve shared a woman. Don’t you think it’s time?”

Lee shook his head. “The timing is off.”

Tyler laughed. “You need to look in the mirror, brother. The timing couldn’t be better. You need a woman. And if there’s two things we know how to do well, it’s make millions and fuck a woman properly.”

He shoved his gloved hands into his pockets. “I’ll see you in my study in an hour.”

He walked inside, hoping like hell he had reached his friend. He didn’t think two more months here would do anything other than rob Lee of his humanity. With each day he was retreating more and more into the wilderness.

He had no idea who the woman was other than a picture he had seen of her, but he fucking hoped she would be the one to save them both.

Four

Lee

He didn’t want to admit the shower felt good. He refused to wear a suit, but he put on a clean pair of jeans and a fresh shirt to meet Tyler in his study.

“Tyler, this is even shitty for you.” Lee glared at his business partner.

“Why? Did you have a better idea to collect?” Tyler poured a glass of bourbon and dropped two ice cubes in the middle.

Lee exhaled. “Not really.”

“Then stop second-guessing me. We could use some help with StarCon even though we aren’t there right now. I think this is exactly what we need. The timing couldn’t have been better.”

“Niall McIntosh is a dick. The fact that you got into business with him in the first place makes me wonder what in the hell you’re doing these days.”

Tyler waved him off. “It wasn’t business. I don’t do business with men like him. It was a bet. There’s a huge difference. He’s the one who lost. Not me.” He threw back his drink.

“Give me one of those.” Lee walked toward the bar, waiting for a stiff drink. “I need a double after this fuckup of yours.”