Return by Land (Glacier Adventure Series Book 2)

by Tracey Jerald

  “Because I know you. Think on that. And if you have any questions, well, add them to our list.” Flashing me a slow grin, he pushes open the massive door and gestures for me to walk in ahead of him.

  That smile, right there? That and the fact he’s here has me ready to melt right where I’m standing. “Damn you, Kody Laurence,” I call over my shoulder as I sail past him into Nature’s Song.

  “You’ve said worse,” he calls back. “I believe I spilled an entire beer down your new shirt.”

  I burst out laughing. “God, you’re right. Do you remember me running after you with the hose?”

  And for the rest of the day while we rip up smelly wall-to-wall carpeting, Kody and I reminisce about many of the fun times we spent in Juneau.

  We call it a day early so he can get to the phone store and I can call Elise and MJ. Much to my surprise, MJ gets on FaceTime to show me his new art project.

  Elise, of course, won’t have anything to do with me.

  Right now, I’ll take anything I can get.

  Meadow

  A few days later, the Laurence Construction crew is in full force. I’ve been relegated to cleanup duty in the upstairs bedrooms while Kody and his team begin to tackle the heavier demolition downstairs. I wince each and every time I hear wallboard being ripped away. There have been loud bursts of cursing followed by equally jovial amounts of laughter. And threaded through it all, I catch the timbre of Kody’s voice calling out orders.

  He was born to do this. I smile to myself as I use another specialty cleaning solution and a heavy-duty sponge to remove a substance I’m loath to name from the master bedroom wall. “Sounds like they’re having a ball,” I proclaim as I scrub furiously at a brown stain with an almost dissolved sponge.

  “We are.” I almost fall into a bucket of disgusting water when Kody’s voice startles me from the door. Regaining my balance, I remain crouched but whirl to face him. “This room looks amazing, completely different than the last time I was in here.”

  “Thanks. I haven’t made it to the bath yet.”

  “Don’t worry. You’re on schedule.”

  “It’s my schedule!” I exclaim, ready to pelt him with what remains of the grimy sponge in my hand. I toss it up and catch it several times, debating.

  Kody chuckles. “If the rest of the rooms up here come out like this one, I think we’ll be able to save the drywall after all.”

  “Really?” I forget my ire in my excitement. Drywall saved means we’ll be able to shave off more time on the schedule. And I’m certain I’ll be able to fit a trip back to Juneau to see if I can convince Elise and MJ to dump the attitude they seem to associate with me and with their life in general these days. There’s a lot to be said for new starts. I want the chance to show them how much this one has meant.

  “Yeah.” With a critical eye, he remarks, “Let the fans dry what you’ve done. We’ll inspect it after lunch, but I don’t think I’m wrong. In the meanwhile, I actually came up for a reason.”

  Pushing myself to my feet, I gratefully drop the sponge in the bucket to dispose of the contents later. “Oh?”

  Crossing the room, he holds out one of his gloved hands. “Come on. You don’t want to miss this.”

  I attribute the fact the hand I place in his is shaking surely because it’s been cramped around a 3x2 inch sponge for hours. Using my other arm, I wipe the sweat from my brow. “What’s up?”

  With a mysterious smile on his lips, Kody drags me out of the room. Immediately, I’m struck by how much noise the bedroom shielded me from. “How do you not lose your hearing? It’s a bit loud.”

  Kody plucks a plastic case filled with foam from his pocket. Pulling off a glove, he grabs one of the buds and twists it to a narrow point before sliding it into his ear. “This will help. Doesn’t interfere with the hard hats.”

  I quickly follow suit and flick him a quick smile when the overwhelming sound dims to a dull roar. “Can you hear me?” I shout.

  Speaking in a normal tone, he tells me, “I think they heard you in the next county.”

  “Oops. Sorry about that,” I reply sheepishly.

  He opens his mouth to say something but closes it just as quickly. Instead one side of his lips quirk just a bit. I remember that look—it’s his “you’re adorable” look.

  I blush and mutter, “No, I’m not,” which is how I used to reply all those years ago.

  Shocked, he freezes. For a moment, there’s nothing and no one here. Instead of sunlight streaming in the window, we’re lying on the land warmed from the sun that’s been in the air for twenty hours straight. Then a particularly vociferous curse brings us both out of the past and brings us to the here and now.

  Quickly, he puts the case holding the ear protection away and slides his work glove back on. I follow suit just in time to hear him say, “Ready?”

  “For what?” We make our way down the stairs that have been protected with cardboard and brown sheeting. Over by the fireplace, there’s a small group of guys hovering around the built-in bookshelves.

  “God, is it just me or does it feel like the smell’s almost completely gone?” I’m practically bouncing in excitement.

  “We hauled out all the ruined appliances and cabinets which put a huge dent in removing the remaining stench.” Kody’s amusement is transparent, but I don’t care. This is enormous in comparison to what I was facing a few weeks ago.

  “So I see.” I’m in awe of what Kody and his crew have accomplished in the short time I’ve been trying to salvage the drywall upstairs. Then I frown. Pointing, I ask, “Where did the spray paint come from? I don’t remember that during the walk-through.”

  “We use it to mark shit we want to demo,” Kody explains.

  “The bookcases—”

  “Have too much wood rot from the food and spilled liquid. Based on the stench, I can only presume it was beer since it smells like the basement of my old frat house. Seriously, I don’t know what’s happening on the legal side, but I hope Wilde goes after his brother for vandalizing this place. Those were handcrafted oak.”

  I keep my lips shut, because I do know what’s happening. And it makes me respect Kristoffer Wilde even more.

  “But I think the ass cracked eggs on top of the beer,” Kody sneers. “It really makes me want to use him as target practice.”

  “God, the more you tell me, the more my stomach churns. Did I need to know that?” I press a hand to stop the nausea churning inside.

  Kody rubs my shoulders briefly. “Don’t worry, Meadow. We’ll put new ones to replace these. Lenny’s a master woodworker. There’s nothing he can’t build.”

  “Oh.” I look behind me up at Kody. “Is that what you wanted me to know?”

  “Nope. Leroy, the hammer?” One of the muscled workers standing by with a big smile hands Kody a long-armed sledgehammer. It’s not the same one Russell and I found the first day. I left it so when Kody and I did our initial walk-through, he could make an honest assessment of the damage beneath the cracks. In comparison that sledgehammer looked like it’s meant to pound in a croquet stake. This one could take out, well, a bookcase.

  Kody grabs it with one hand and offers it to me. Even accepting it with both of mine, I still almost topple over at the weight. “What do you want me to do with this?” I laugh at myself as I regain my balance.

  Kody grins. “It’s a rite of passage for any member of my crew. You get three swings to see how much damage you can do. Don’t tell me you’re not tempted; I’ve seen what you can do with an axe,” Kody dares me.

  Amid the chortles around us, I contemplate throwing it. “How much does this weigh?”

  “Twenty pounds.”

  “How in the hell do you expect me to swing this?” I exclaim.

  Squatting down, he says just loud enough to penetrate my protective buds, “You’ve carried burdens much heavier than this, Meadow. Now, use them and take out that piece of crap in front of you.”

  Spinning in his direction to face him
fully, I almost land on my ass when the sledgehammer doesn’t budge. I reach out and grip Kody’s shirt to stabilize myself. “Do you have a lighter version for the newbie?”

  Kody’s hand slides over mine when he says, “I’ll be standing right behind you to support you if you’ll let me.” And I know without him saying more he means more than just swinging a hammer.

  “Okay.” The word is out of my mouth before I give any thought to the ramifications.

  Kody slips an arm around my shoulders and picks up the sledgehammer with ease. A tremble racks my body at the contrast between his obvious strength and the deliberate care he’s shown me since he arrived. No, I correct myself—since I’ve always known him. He’s always been like this with you, Meadow.

  Nudging me forward, I’m given a brief lesson about the proper way to swing a sledgehammer so “you’re not out of commission the next few days. We need you to scrub more walls,” Kody teases. “Besides, you need to work your way up to having guns like ours.”

  And as if they were waiting for some super-secret signal, members of his crew begin flexing their muscles.

  I burst out laughing.

  “I don’t think Meadow appreciates the fine specimen of manhood she has on display,” Shane, Kody’s extremely tall site foreman, grumbles.

  I stumble backward due to the force of my hysterics. “They looked like…”

  Kody warns me, “For all that’s holy, don’t say—”

  “When you’d all pose as Lumberjacks after the show!” I manage to gasp out.

  Kody groans just as his crew bursts out in the infamous song from Monty Python like this is a regular occurrence.

  I’m screeching as the crew skips and jumps along with their off-key rendition of the catchy tune. “This…can’t be…the first time they’ve done this.”

  “Not even close.” I find Kody’s face is lined with amusement and a hint of sadness. “The first time they ever did this, Jed was the one leading them in their shenanigans. I swear, we didn’t get a damn thing done anytime he’d visit me on-site after that.”

  The image of Jed singing and dancing amid Kody’s crew sends me into new gales of laughter. “Stop, Kody. My stomach is starting to hurt.” Tears of laughter are sliding down my face.

  “The first time it happened is one of my favorite memories. It’s right next to Jed picking up the sledgehammer and taking out a wall alongside these guys not long after. He wasn’t just a guy on-site; he became a member of the crew.” He brings us full circle to why I’m here to see these antics to begin with.

  Regaining control, my fingers wrap around the handle of the sledgehammer with my left hand. Amid the antics still occurring around us, Kody focuses completely on me and my safety when he shifts behind me. “Easy does it,” he warns.

  “I’ve got this.” And whether or not I take out a shelf or not isn’t the point. It’s about regaining that sense of power I lost when I found out my husband was cheating on me. I bend at the knees and shift the weight so my right hand slides upward along the shaft. My left hand grips the bottom for stabilization.

  “Choke up so your hand is just below the head,” Kody reminds me.

  “I’ve got a pretty good grip on the head.” I’m focused on getting to the red X his team marked on the formerly beautiful wood. I move forward.

  Suddenly silence descends upon us. “Dominant foot back; hammer no higher than your head. Then stand off to the side to avoid debris,” Kody instructs.

  “Why? I thought the point was to take out as much of the bookcase as possible.”

  “You’re right. It won’t take out as much, but…”

  Before Kody can say another word, I position myself and swing as hard as I can, crashing the hammer in the center of the X. Only a few shelves rattle before tumbling down. My eyes narrow in frustration. “What did I do wrong?”

  “Not a damn thing,” Kody reassures me. “That was a great first hit. You’ll build up more power over time…”

  I warn, “Stand back.” Then I position again.

  The sledgehammer comes down just as I think, Fuck you, Mitch.

  The strike is much more satisfying, crashing through the remaining shelves and lodging itself into the cabinet below. I think I hear, “Last strike,” but I ignore it. I’m taking down this fucking bookcase if it’s the last thing I do today—for that matter all week.

  Strike. That’s for not being enough of a man.

  Strike. That’s for betraying the vows you made to your family.

  Strike. That’s for making Elise hate me.

  Strike. That’s for MJ’s pain and confusion.

  Strike, strike, strike. I lose count of the number of hits I make. Finally, I’m not sure what gives way first—my anger or my arms. That’s when I really focus on the silence around me. The sledgehammer begins to slide from my weakening fingers. Before it can fall to the floor, causing more damage to be repaired, a rippled forearm reaches from behind me to grab it.

  “Like I said, I’m right here if you need me.” Kody lays the hammer harmlessly at our feet before turning me to face him. Removing the gloves from his hands, he reaches in and removes my earplugs before he removes his own and randomly tosses them aside. I’m about to blast him for leaving garbage when I get my first look at the bookshelf.

  “Oh, my goodness,” I breathe. The doors that were on the lower cabinet are hanging on, but just barely. None of the shelf supports that are at my height or below are intact. I gape when I realize I punched so many holes into the counter that it looks like swiss cheese. “I did that?”

  “You sure as hell did. Feels damn good, doesn’t it?” The pride in Kody’s voice is unmistakable. It’s what I hoped to hear from Elise when I told her about my degree and didn’t. And in hearing it, I want to grab the sledgehammer and beat the shit out of the other shelf because that’s something else Mitch took from me as well.

  I nod. “When can I do it again?”

  He throws his head back and laughs. “In a few days.” I frown, not understanding why I have to wait so long for this euphoric feeling. “Despite doing everything correctly, you’re going to be sore as hell, Flower.”

  My heart flips over in my chest. It’s been seventeen years since Kody’s called me Flower. He used to say my eyes reminded him of the forget-me-nots that sprout in late June. “But ‘Forget’ or ‘Not’ are dumb nicknames, Meadow,” he grumbled around a bite of hot dog in the Smiths’ backyard.

  “And ‘Flower’s better, Kody? I’ll sound like a character from Bambi,” I giggled back at him while we lay at the foot of the picnic table amid the fading Alaskan sunlight.

  He was about to answer when Rainey called out, “Meadow, Mitch is here!”

  Pulled out of my memory and back into the great room where I’ve just decimated a bookcase, I shrug off his concern. “Maybe, maybe not. Let’s play it by ear.”

  Kody’s eyes narrow. “Regardless of how you feel, we have something for you now. Shane? Do you want to do the honors?” He steps back, but not completely out of reach.

  Shane approaches with a hat tucked under his arm. “Meadow, if you don’t mind taking off that hat? It’s essential we have everyone on-site properly identified.”

  Horrified, I raise my hands to my gray visitor hat and link my fingers over it. “I thought you guys said it was okay I was upstairs as long as I was wearing this.” I back up a step, and my feet tangle with Kody’s. His hands clasp my waist lightly.

  “Trust me, Flower. Shane?”

  “Meadow Borneman, on behalf of myself, Kody, and the rest of the men and women here today, I hereby proclaim you as no longer a visitor of this site but a full-fledged member of the crew. By massacring that bookcase and presenting you with your new yellow construction hat, you are officially a member of the Laurence Construction crew and all razzing that goes along with it.”

  I can’t fumble the monotone gray hat off fast enough. It clatters to the floor in my haste. “I never thought yellow was my color until right now.”
/>   Shane sets the vibrant-colored hat on my head like it’s a coronation. Stepping back, he tests it by pulling out a hammer and tapping it down lightly. When I feel the vibrations but no pain, it reminds me of how I’m healing from the mess of the last year.

  “Thank you. None of you have any idea what it means…” Then before I break down and cry in front of the entire crew who just witnessed my strength, I haul out through the front door to have a moment in private.

  Kody

  Fortunately, with it being in between tourist seasons in the Glacier Bay area, I was able to get everyone into one hotel. The guys didn’t even mind bunking two to a room once they saw the size of them, complete with fireplaces and kitchenettes. Shane joked, “Are you sure you don’t want to open a branch of the company here? Because if you do, I’m all in.”

  I rolled my eyes and said, “Let’s get through one job first.”

  Later that night after dinner with the crew in the hotel bar, I call Jennings.

  “How’s Meadow?” are the first words out of his mouth.

  I kick my legs up on the balcony and study the lake in front of me while I debate how to answer. I admit, “If I tell you fine, I’d be lying.”

  “Mitch seemed like a decent guy when Meadow first met him.” Jennings’s voice is rife with confusion. “What on earth changes a man so drastically?”

  “I can’t begin to speculate. But regardless of whatever happened between him and Meadow, those are his kids.”

  “Meadow hasn’t shared anything with Kara about problems with the kids.”

  “And I doubt she will, Jennings. The only people I guess who might know everything are Brad and Rainey.” I can practically feel Jennings seething over the line.

  “And to make matters worse, I know her heart’s conflicted about not having the kids here,” I conclude.

  “Why aren’t they? I would think she’d want them as close as possible.”

  “Because of the condition of the main house, she’s spending ten-hour days over there right now. Meadow didn’t want to have them bored in the middle of a construction zone.”