The Clarke Brothers (Complete Series)

by Lilian Monroe

  He wouldn’t be standing up in front of the town to oppose the new hotel, only to let his cock guide him back to the woman who represents all that destruction. He wouldn’t be living alone in a cabin, going to work for the family that stole everything from ours. He wouldn’t have to put on coveralls that say, ‘McCoy Trucking’ and be reminded of their betrayal every day of the week.

  Tears start streaming down my cheeks, and the cold breeze feels like it’s freezing them against my skin. Every tear that falls feels like an icicle on my face, reminding me of my weakness and of my failure to live up to my father’s standards.

  He would have wanted more. He would have expected me to fight this with everything I had, and to guide the townspeople to follow me. He would have expected me to be a leader.

  My tears keep falling as I look toward the town again. It feels like weakness, but I still want to know her. I still wish she was here, looking down at the town with me. I still want to show her what these mountains mean to me, to everyone that lives here.

  I don’t know what to think. I know I should be fighting this, but Maddy makes me feel more alive than I’ve felt since I was a teenager. I know I should want her to leave, but all I want is for her to stay as long as possible.

  I stand up and spread my arms, leaning my head back and screaming as loud as I can. It rips through my chest and burns my throat as it passes through me, taking all my frustration and my confusion and my pain and sending it into the void.

  The echo of my scream taunts me, bouncing off the mountains until it finally fades into silence. I brush my cheeks and shuffle my feet to warm them up again before turning back down toward the path.

  I’m still confused. Still conflicted. Still unbearably attracted to Madeline Croft. The wind picks up again and I know I need to put all that aside. These mountains are more important than me, more important than her, more important than any of us. Whatever it is that Maddy has woken up inside me needs to go back to sleep.

  15

  Madeline

  “That sounds great, Mom,” I say, staring at the ceiling as I cradle my cell phone on my shoulder. “I wish I could have come.”

  “Your father is looking better already. Bianca has had the most wonderful time here! The weather is fantastic.”

  “That’s great,” I repeat, tracing the line where the wall meets the ceiling with my eyes. I know my mother is calling me to make me feel guilty for not going to Miami with them, but I refuse to give in. “Can I talk to Dad?”

  “Sure,” she says. “He’s right here.”

  “Hi, Mads,” my father’s deep voice comes on over the phone. I smile and sit up.

  “Hey, Dad. How are you feeling?”

  “Oh, you know,” he says vaguely. “Getting old. How’s work?”

  I shake my head and grin. He always brings things back to work. “It’s okay. We’re having a hard time getting the townspeople on board with the project.”

  “Do you believe in it?”

  His question surprises me, and I stand up before answering. I run my fingers through my hair and pace back and forth in my hotel room. I take a deep breath.

  “Yeah, I do,” I say. “It’s a beautiful part of the world, and it’ll bring a lot of tourism and jobs to the area. It’ll be a huge injection of money into the town.”

  My father chuckles. “Mads,” he starts. “I’ve run companies my whole life. You don’t have to feed me that bullshit. Do you believe in the project?”

  I take a deep breath. I wish I was with him right now, resting my head on his shoulder. He’s always been there to guide me whenever I needed it.

  “I’m not sure,” I finally admit. “I thought I was. I mean, it’s the biggest project that I’ve ever worked on. I’m the lead environmental engineer and it’s a clear step forward in my career. But the other day, one of the guys in town showed me the forest that we’ll be building in and –” I stop talking, not sure what I want to tell my dad. Should I tell him about Aiden? What is there to tell? I take a deep breath. “I don’t know, Dad, it’s so beautiful out here. It seems like a shame to build a big old hotel in the middle of it.”

  My father makes a noise and I can almost picture him nodding slowly. He strokes his chin when he’s mulling over a problem, and I imagine that’s what he’s doing right now.

  “There’s one thing I’ve learned in all my years, Madeline,” he says. “You have to stay true to yourself.” My chest tightens and I’m not sure how to respond. I’m not even really sure what he’s trying to tell me. I hear him take a deep wheezing breath and he continues.

  “I’ve always been proud of you, Mads. Going off on your own and pursuing the environmental degree – I’ve always respected that in you. You and I are very similar.”

  My heart squeezes some more, and the corners of my eyes start to prickle with tears. I nod and try to swallow. “Thanks, Dad,” I croak.

  “I mean it. Obviously, I would have liked you to come work for me and take over the company, but you need to find your own way. If this project isn’t what you thought it was, then you need to be true to yourself.”

  I nod and keep pacing back and forth. “I don’t know, Dad. It’s hard to tell.”

  “Give it a bit more time. You’ve just mobilized to site a few days ago, and construction hasn’t truly started. Keep talking to the townspeople and keep following your instincts. You won’t be far off.”

  “Thanks, Dad,” I reply. Before he can answer, I hear him cough violently on the other end of the line. I frown, holding the phone to my ear as I wait for him to quiet down. It seems to take forever for his breathing to return to normal. I hear my mother fussing in the background and my dad finally speaks again.

  “I better go now, Mads. Take care.”

  “Love you,” I say. My chest feels like it’s squeezing harder than ever before.

  “Love you too, kiddo.” We hang up the phone and I hold it to my heart, letting the tears fall down my cheeks. I sit on the edge of my bed and mull over his words.

  I’ve always thought of my father as the career man, the company man, the CEO. He’s always put work first, even when I wished he would pay more attention to me and my sister. But now, he’s telling me to follow my heart. He’s telling me to listen to my instincts and to do what I think is best.

  He’s telling me he respects me, and that he’s proud of me.

  The tears are falling fast now and my cheeks are completely wet. I thought my father was disappointed in me and that he thought my career was going nowhere. To hear him say those words makes me feel like I’m floating, but knowing that he’s sick makes the whole conversation bittersweet.

  I take a deep breath and flop backward on the bed. Aiden Clarke’s face appears in my mind. I think of the way he looks at the forest, the way he reveres the mountains. He worships these lands, and he thinks the hotel is a bad idea.

  Maybe that’s all the convincing I need? Maybe I should just listen to him and let myself be convinced that this hotel is not the right thing to do. But where would that leave me? I’d have to leave my job and everything I’ve worked for. I’ve always thought environmental engineering was the way forward for me, but for the first time I’m starting to think that might not be true.

  As these thoughts are swirling in my head, my computer dings with a new email. I stand up and frown as I look at the screen.

  My applications to the federal and state governments have been approved. The Department of Environmental Conservation has given the green light for the construction of the project. Within seconds, another email from Barry comes through. He congratulates me and sets the date for project mobilization in three weeks. All the planning and preparation that our team has been doing is now set in motion.

  The construction of the hotel at Lang Creek is going full-steam ahead.

  16

  Aiden

  The days meld together and I fall back into my regular routine. I stay on the mountain except when I need to go to work. I drive to the maintenan
ce yard, avoiding Lang Creek and its residents, avoiding the hotel, avoiding Maddy. No one bothers me up here. I’m free to work on the cabin, to work on my cars, my garden, whatever I want.

  I don’t have to think about anything except what I’ll be doing today.

  Once in a while, when dusk starts to settle and the stars start to come out, my mind drifts to that morning in the community garden. I think of how smooth Maddy’s skin was, and how bright her eyes were when I touched her arm. I think of the way my whole body was set on fire and how I felt alive for the first time in years.

  It’s been almost two weeks since that morning, or maybe three, I’ve lost count. I think it’s Friday today. I’m just waking up to see the dew on the grass outside and the sunlight filtering through the trees. I open the front door to the cabin and stretch my arms overhead before frowning as I hear the rumble of a vehicle coming up the road.

  The last few times someone’s been up here, it’s always been about that damn hotel and it’s always brought bad news. I pull on a sweater and wait for the car to come into view. I listen hard, trying to recognize the engine. It doesn’t sound like my brother’s truck, or any truck for that matter. It’s a smaller car.

  When it finally rounds the bend my brows knit together and I frown. This is worse than the Sheriff, it’s worse than Madeline, it’s worse than anyone else.

  It’s Mara McCoy.

  She looks at me through the windshield as she parks the car, and I feel ice flow through my veins as I look at the face that caused me so much pain. She turns off the engine and gets out, closing the door gently and staring at me without saying a word.

  We stand there, facing off, for what feels like an eternity. Finally, she takes a step toward me and I speak.

  “What do you want?” I bark. She stops and lifts her chin up at me with the familiar defiance that I used to love.

  “I came to see you,” she says. Her voice sounds just like it did ten years ago. My chest feels like it’s collapsing and the skin on my face tightens against my bones.

  “What do you want,” I repeat. She stares at me for a moment and waves a hand in front of her face. I see the glint of a ring on her finger.

  “I’m spending a few weeks in town. I thought I should tell you,” she says. Her voice is terse, but I don’t care. She takes another step toward me before speaking again. “I’m getting married.”

  I’ve thought about this moment for ten years. I thought it would hurt. I thought I’d be enraged, or angry. I thought I would care.

  But when I look at her, all I see is the past. All I see is the pain that she caused my family and the lack of remorse that somehow stung even more.

  “Congratulations,” I growl.

  “Aiden…” she says slowly. “The way things ended between us…”

  “What,” I interrupt. “Did you come here to apologize? After everything? After ten years? You’re getting married and now you want a clear conscience, is that it?” I bark. “You killed my father, and then your family stole his business from us!”

  She stares at me, her eyes hardening before she turns around and opens the door to her car.

  “You’re a fucking asshole, you know that? I’m glad you’re up here all alone. No woman should ever have to put up with you.”

  The venom in her voice only fuels my anger. “You destroyed my family and then stole everything my father worked for,” I spit. “Get the fuck out of here.”

  She opens her mouth to protest and I think I see a tear in her eye, but she turns her head and gets into her car. I don’t wait for her to drive away. I just turn around and head off toward the mountainside. I stomp my feet along the path and let the anger course through my veins.

  The gall of her! The fucking nerve, to come up here and announce her marriage! Like I would fucking care! My whole body feels heavier and I push the memories of my father’s accident further down. I can’t think of it, not now. I can’t deal with that pain.

  I let the searing anger wash over me like a tidal wave until I’m surrounded by trees. Even the birds have gone quiet, and it’s just me and my anger, stomping through the woods.

  She’s the one who wanted to go to the river that day. She’s the one who wanted to walk on the edge, even when the river was swollen with spring snowmelt. She’s the one who stumbled, and she’s the one who my father tried to save.

  His death ripped my heart out of my chest. I’ve never felt pain like that before. At least, not until her family betrayed mine and stole everything my father had worked for.

  She never loved me. She never wanted to be with me. She just wanted what I had. And now she’s found some other fool to suck completely dry.

  I can hardly see. Branches scratch my face as I crash through the forest. Twigs break underfoot as I make my way deeper and deeper into the woods. Finally, I lean against a tree and feel my chest heave up and down as I try to slow my racing heart.

  This is why I don’t go into town. This is why I avoid the McCoys. It’s too painful. The past is too hard to face. It seems like everyone has moved on – except for me.

  I stand up taller and take a deep breath, looking around to get my bearings. I didn’t even follow a path, I just walked straight into the forest and away from her. I spin around and look up at the sun to orient myself when I hear a noise.

  It sounds almost like a woman’s voice. It’s a yell, far in the distance, muffled by the undergrowth and the trees. I frown and for the second time today, listen hard to the distant sound.

  I take a few gentle steps toward the sound and hear it more clearly. It’s definitely a woman’s voice. She’s yelling. I walk gently, listening intently and heading in her direction.

  All thoughts of Mara McCoy evaporate. All thoughts of my father, of the past, of the pain in my heart disappear as I head toward the sound. As I get closer, alarm bells start ringing inside me. I know that voice. I’ve only heard it a couple times, but it’s been burned in my mind since the town hall meeting two weeks ago.

  My footsteps get faster. I’m sure now, it’s her. It’s Maddy, and she’s in trouble.

  17

  Madeline

  Rule number one of hiking is never go out on your own without telling anyone. I know that, and I still did it. When we got let off work early for the weekend, I thought it would be the perfect day to go explore the edges of the hotel’s property.

  I stare at the huge tree that’s pinning me down and I try to wriggle free. Pain shoots up through my leg and I wince. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea after all.

  “Help!” I yell out again, knowing that there’s no one for miles. I reach down and try to get my hand into my pocket. My fingertips just brush the edge of my phone and I strain to get a grip on it. I yell out again, and stretch my hand a bit further into my pocket. The tree is pinning me down, putting intense pressure on my legs. I try to wiggle my toes and I know I don’t have much time. It doesn’t feel like anything is broken, but soon my circulation will be cut off and then I’ll be in real trouble.

  My fingers slip on the edge of my phone and I claw at it in my pocket. I shift a fraction of an inch and get a grip on the edge of it, finally sliding it out.

  “Yes!” I exclaim under my breath, bringing the phone up to my face. The screen is smashed, but I can still turn it on. I glance up at the top corner and my heart drops when I see the two little words I was dreading: No Service.

  “Fuck.”

  I crane my neck and look around again, yelling out. I frown as I hear something in the distance. It sounds like an animal moving around – a large animal. My heart starts thumping in my chest and I squint, trying to see through the thick undergrowth in the direction of the sound.

  It’s coming straight for me.

  My heart is thumping in my chest and I try to wriggle myself free. “Come on, come on, fuck!” I yell, moving my legs back and forth and trying to push the log off me.

  It’s no use. Ever since I slipped down the slope and lodged myself under this tree, I’v
e known I was in trouble. My legs are pinned, and the wet leaves underneath me aren’t providing anything to grip on.

  I’m stuck.

  The noise is getting closer. It sounds like a huge animal crashing through the forest, barreling straight toward me.

  A moose? Or worse – a bear?

  I look in that direction again and feel the tears start gathering in the corners of my eyes. Whatever animal it is, it’s headed directly at me. I close my eyes and lean back, letting the tears fall down my face as I start to accept my fate.

  I hope they find me, even if I’m half-eaten by this bear. Then they can send my body back to my parents and at least they’ll know what happened to me. At least I won’t have to watch my father deteriorate any more.

  All these thoughts of doom and gloom fill my head until the animal crashing through the underbrush starts yelling my name. I lift my head up in shock, turning toward the noise.

  “Maddy?” The voice calls out. “Maddy where are you?”

  “Here!” I scream, louder than before. My throat feels raw but I scream louder as hope fills me up like a balloon. “I’m here!”

  He comes into view like my knight in shining armor, except he’s wearing a wooly plaid shirt. My heart jumps in my chest when I see Aiden rushing toward me, his face drawn with worry.

  “Watch out!” I say, pointing to the spot where I slid. He jumps over it and lowers himself slowly down toward me.

  “Are you hurt?” he says. His eyebrows are pulled together and his voice is deep and gravelly.

  “I’m not sure,” I say. “My leg hurts but I don’t know how bad it is.”

  Aiden glances at the tree and at my leg underneath. He spends a minute looking all around and then glances back at my face.

  “I don’t see any blood,” he says. “Can you move your feet?” I nod, and he nods back. “I’m going to lift this tree. Do you think you can pull yourself out while I lift it?”