Mountain Wolf Playboy (Daddy Wolves 0f The Wild Series Book 3) Read online

  Mountain Wolf Playboy

  (Daddy Wolves of the Wild)

  Serena Meadows

  Copyright ©2019 by Serena Meadows - All rights reserved.

  In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved.

  Respective authors own all copyrights not held by the publisher.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental. This book is intended for adult readers only. Any sexual activity portrayed in these pages occurs between consenting adults over the age of 18 who are not related by blood.

  Contents

  Authors Note

  Story Description

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

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  AUTHORS NOTE

  Daddy Wolves of the Wild Series

  You should know that Mountain Wolf Playboy is the third book in the Daddy Wolves of the Wild romance series. Although each story can be read independently and all end with a HEA with no cliffhangers, to get the full experience of the series, you should really read them in order.

  Book 1 - Mountain Wolf’s Nanny

  Book 2 - Mountain Wolf’s Curse

  Book 3- Mountain Wolf Playboy

  Book 4-Mountain Wolf’s Courage

  STORY DESCRIPTION

  He’s traveled the world and seen the sights…

  She’s escaped home and is ready for adventure…

  Both have baggage, and a dark date with destiny.

  After working in a secret military sect for shifters, Drew has explored every corner of the globe—and left a trail of women pining in his wake. He’s also seen and done things he’d rather forget, so when his best friend Nick offers him a job it’s the perfect opportunity to move home and let go of the past.

  But he never agreed to be a babysitter…

  Jordan is about to embark on the biggest adventure of her life: escaping the four walls of her childhood home. She didn’t need to travel to a distant desert to fight murderous dictators; she grew up with one. But a job at a summer camp presents the chance to stand on her own two feet and find her path to happiness.

  It’s too bad her new co-worker is just as volatile as the monster she escaped…

  When a blast from the past arrives with a shock surprise, any hope of friendship between Jordan and Drew is blown to the wind. The last thing she needs is a man with a bad attitude and a closet full of skeletons, even if she’s drawn to his dark charisma more than she’s willing to admit.

  Chapter One

  ***Drew***

  Drew spurred his horse and took off through the trees, anticipation thundering through him as he got closer to the entrance to Serendipity. Even after years of traveling the world and seeing things few people get to see, coming home was just as exciting, especially since he hadn’t been home for twelve years.

  He’d been tempted to come home ten years ago when Serendipity closed, but he was high in the Himalayan Mountains headed for the top of Mount Everest. Instead, he’d quietly mourned the loss of a special place alone in his tent and promised himself that someday, he’d make it home, but the years had passed, and the lure of the undiscovered had kept him away.

  But he was finally here, not to mourn the loss of Serendipity, but to be a part of its reawakening. The temptation of all the places he hadn’t seen had faded, and for the first time in his life, he craved stability. He was tired of sleeping in tents and strange beds, tired of the constant upheaval and waiting in lines to be allowed to follow his dreams. The world was still full of places he hadn’t seen, still full of plenty of adventure, but for now, all the adventure he wanted was at Serendipity.

  When the trail emerged from the trees, he veered off to the right and rode through the hidden entrance, sighing when he caught his first glance of the camp nestled in the little valley. Slowing his horse, he started down the steep path at a slow walk, taking in the sights he hadn’t seen in over ten years and already feeling the power of its magic.

  The camp was bustling with activity, and he was glad that he’d never seen it abandoned as it had been for all those years. When Nick called him last month and asked if he wanted to join the staff as the trail guide, he’d been surprised, but after a long conversation and some thought, he’d realized that Serendipity was exactly where he needed to be.

  As he rode down the road, he noticed that it didn’t look like much had changed at the old camp, but he knew that it had been anything but quiet over the last two years. Nick had spent a long time trying to explain to him the power they’d discovered in the mural and all that it had led to over the past two summers, including his marriage to Maggie, and the birth of his son.

  It was hard to picture his old friend as a husband and father, but he sounded so content with his life that he couldn’t help but be happy for him. After what his in-laws had put him through after his first wife’s death, Nick deserved to be happy. Marriage and family weren’t for him, but he was looking forward to working with the kids at camp—probably the closest he’d ever get to being a father.

  ***Jordan***

  Jordan looked in the rearview mirror, turned off the highway, then pulled the truck and trailer over to the side of the road. She’d decided long ago that no one was following her but couldn’t shake the feeling that somehow her father knew where she was. After nearly two weeks on her own, she should have felt more confident, but her father had a long reach, and as far away as Colorado was, she couldn’t be too careful.

  It had probably been an immature and childish thing to run away, but the alternative was worse, so she’d fled. Her wild flight across the country from New York had done nothing to alleviate the feeling that her father would always rule her life, but she wasn’t giving up yet. She had a great job working at a summer camp helping with the trail rides, and maybe at Serendipity, she would finally feel free, finally feel like she was a normal adult instead of a child always under her father’s thumb.

  The memory of her last meeting with her father still made her cringe, and she wished she could bury it, but it was like a shadow looming over her. Still there and still just as frightening as it had been when he announced that he’d arranged for her to get married to a man twice her age. She’d know Arthur for most of her life, had always felt slightly uneasy around the man who’d looked at her with a kind of hunger, even when she’d been just a child.

  A shiver made goosebumps break out on her skin when she thought about how close she’d come to being shackled to the disgusting man, and she knew that she’d made the right decision to run. Her doubts fading, she pulled out her phone and pulled up the directions to the ranch where she’d be meeting
her new boss, Nick Morgan. Then she put the truck in gear and pulled back out onto the road.

  She’d lucked into the job at Serendipity and was excited to get started working with the kids. When she’d stumbled on the advertisement for the job, it had seemed like the perfect situation, a chance to use her teaching degree, and in a place where it was going to be nearly impossible for her father to find her. Best of all, Justice would have a place to live and thrive.

  A lot of people would have criticized her decision to take her horse with her when she ran, but she hadn’t been able even to consider leaving him behind. They’d been together since she was twelve and he was more like family than her own family; leaving him behind would have been impossible. But she’d found a place for both of them, and deep down, she had a feeling that Serendipity was going to be the home she’d never had.

  ***Drew***

  If he’d hoped to make a quiet entrance, it was a futile wish because the second he was spotted, all work came to a halt and everyone began to gather in front of the lodge. Slightly embarrassed to be the center of attention, he remembered a time when he would have reveled in the gathered crowd, but those days were long past.

  When he finally jumped down from his horse, Nick was the first one to greet him. “It’s good to see you, Drew. It’s been too long,” he said, holding out his hand.

  Drew looked at his hand, then grabbed Nick and hugged him. “It has been too long,” he said. “You look old.”

  Nick laughed. “Not any older than you look, my friend,” he said, slapping him on the back.

  Drew noticed the little group standing behind Nick and said, “This must be Maggie, Emma, and Devon.”

  The smile of pride that spread across Nick’s face told him all he needed to know, and he was truly happy for his friend, but a bit surprised when a twinge of jealousy clouded the feeling. Brushing it away, he stepped up to Maggie and shook her hand, although he’d been tempted to kiss it instead.

  Maggie looked him up and down, then smiled. “It’s nice to meet you, Andrew; we’ve heard lots about you. Serendipity is lucky to have you.”

  “Please, call me Drew. I only use Andrew when I’m writing,” he said, returning her smile and understanding why Nick was so head over heels in love.

  Just then, he spotted Jake standing behind Nick’s little family. “Looks like we’re all back together,” he said. “I wonder how much trouble we’ll manage to get ourselves into?”

  Jake grinned at him. “With you around, I’m sure there will never be a dull moment,” he said, then turned to the woman standing next to him. “This is my wife, Marley.”

  Drew couldn’t help but stare for a second, then realized what he was doing and quickly held out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you,” he said.

  He’d heard so much about Marley, the great, great, great-granddaughter of the witch who’d given Serendipity its magic. She wasn’t what he’d expected, and it was hard to imagine the petite redhead wielding the power he’d heard she did, but when she put her hand in his, he felt it. It was a bit of a shock at first, made him feel a little uneasy, but then she smiled at him, and his unease vanished.

  “We’re so excited to have you,” she said.

  “I’m excited to be here,” he said, then looked around at the crowd. “Looks like there are a few more people I’d better say hi to.”

  It took him nearly fifteen minutes to work his way through the crowd that had come to greet him, and it was a relief to have it over. “Okay, now what?” he asked, looking around the valley.

  “You’ve got a few hours to get settled in before the barbecue tonight,” Nick said. “You can take your horse to the barn, or I can have someone come get it at your cabin.”

  Drew groaned, “Barbecue?”

  Nick nodded. “In your honor,” he said, grinning at his friend. “You didn’t think you were just going to come home without everyone noticing. And as you know, up here, any excuse for a party will do. Don’t spoil their fun.”

  ***Jordan***

  Jordan saw the big commotion as soon as she rode into the valley and wondered what the crowd had gathered for. Deciding that it had nothing to do with her, and wanting to avoid calling attention to herself, she skirted around the lodge and headed directly for the big red barn.

  The valley was exactly the way her new boss Nick had described it, and she shivered when she realized just how lucky she was. When she’d left home nearly two weeks ago with nothing more than her clothes, the money she’d been secretly saving for years in her pocket, and her horse, she’d never dreamed that she’d end up in such a beautiful place.

  Justice was tearing happily on the long grass as they slowly made their way to the barn, Jordan in no hurry now that she was here. The sun was warm on her back, the air crisp and clear, and the mountains a riot of green that made it hard to look away. They weren’t expecting her until the next day, but she’d decided not to stop in Denver for the night as she’d planned.

  When she got to the barn, she found it deserted, so she unsaddled Justice and turned him out into an empty pasture. After piling her few belongs next to the saddle, she sat down to wait, but it wasn’t long before she was back on her feet looking for something to do. Sitting still had never been her strong suit, making the horrible afternoon teas her mother insisted on pure torture, and the never-ending dinners with her father almost unbearable.

  Wandering into the barn, she walked along the stalls, smiling when she saw that each one had the name of a horse on it. She found a few empty ones at the end of the barn and hoped that Justice’s name might be on one of them soon. Spotting a feed barrel, she filled her pocket and began moving from stall to stall, introducing herself to each horse, then giving them a small handful of grain.

  By the time she was done, the horses were all whinnying happily in their stalls, but she was still alone, so she decided to explore. She walked down a short hallway and poked her head inside the first door she came to, then stepped inside. Lining the walls were saddles, bridles, and even a few pairs of spurs, which made her shudder just a little.

  Walking around the room, she ran her hand over the leather on the saddles, finding it dry and brittle. The rest of the tack wasn’t in any better shape, and it wasn’t long before she was slowly rubbing oil into one of the saddles and humming under her breath.

  Completely absorbed in her task, she didn’t see the man standing in the doorway until he said, “I’d ask who you are, but since you’re working, maybe I won’t.”

  Chapter Two

  ***Drew***

  Drew stepped out of the cabin and shut the door, then stopped on the porch to let the magic of the valley soak in. It hadn’t taken him long to unpack his few belongings and settle into the little cabin that would be his home for the next few years. He’d been pleasantly surprised to find that it was just big enough for him, and snug enough that he wouldn’t freeze in the winter. The solar panels on the roof were a nice surprise, and he looked forward to having electricity and running water.

  It had been a long time since he’d stayed in one place for more than a few months, and the cabin seemed like the perfect place to begin the new phase of his life. Writing travel articles had given the freedom and income he needed to see the world, but that life had become less and less satisfying over the last year. He’d found himself taking greater and greater risks, trying to recapture the thrill, but nothing seemed to excite him any longer.

  Then Nick had called with his job offer, and he’d felt that thrill again. Feeling his blood begin to stir, the power inside him begin to bubble and come to life, he swung up on his horse and headed for the barn. The mountains were calling to him with the unique pull he remembered so clearly from childhood, and the need to shift washed over him. It was a bit of a risk to shift during the day, and he would have waited until dark, but the barbecue would last late into the night.

  When he rode into the barnyard, a flood of memories washed over him, and he paused before he got off his horse, letting t
hem come to life. Some of the best times he’d had at Serendipity had been in this barn, messing around with his friends, kissing girls up in the loft, and, of course, the horses. He’d spent hours cleaning stalls, feeding and grooming the horses, and riding.

  The barn looked like it hadn’t changed, but when he looked a little closer, he could see where it had been repaired. Still, it was like coming home when he jumped down and tied the horse to the rail, something he’d done thousands of times.

  He was so distracted by his thoughts that he didn’t see the tall man come out of the barn. “You must be Drew. I’m sorry I missed you down at the lodge,” the man said, making him jump and turn quickly around.

  Drew was speechless for a second, his heart thundering in his chest. “You really shouldn’t sneak up on people like that,” he said, scowling at the man.

  “Sorry about that, I guess I need to make more noise when I walk or something; you’re the second person I’ve scared today,” the man said. “I’m Ben, by the way.”

  Drew relaxed. Nick had mentioned Ben, had spoken very highly of the young man in fact. “It’s nice to meet you, Ben,” he said, holding out his hand. “I guess I was lost in my thoughts.”