The Clarke Brothers (Complete Series)

by Lilian Monroe

  “I didn’t mean that,” I say. “I know that you care.”

  She smiles sadly and nods. “So where are we going?” she asks to change the subject. I grin.

  “It’s a surprise. I used to go up here all the time when I was a kid.” I look over at her as we drive out of the town. The sun is starting to go down and everything has a golden glow. She glances over at me and laughs, exactly how I was imagining it all day long.

  “Keep your eyes on the road,” she laughs. “I already have a sprained ankle. I don’t want to end up dead.”

  “I can’t help it that you’re so beautiful,” I say. The words fall out of my mouth and I’m not sure if I’m blushing more or if she is. She smiles at me again and turns to look out the front of the truck. After a few moments she runs her hand along the dash.

  “I like this truck,” she says.

  “It was my father’s,” I reply. She glances over at me and I keep my eyes facing forward.

  “Did he die?” she asks.

  It’s my turn to feel my throat close up and I can tell she feels bad for her question. I nod my head up and down a couple times and try to open my mouth to speak. My voice comes out as a croak, so I clear my throat and try again.

  “There was an accident,” I explain. “He died a long time ago, down near the river at the end of town.”

  Maddy’s hand slides over my thigh and she squeezes my leg gently. She says nothing, but I know that she understands. I want to tell her the whole story, how Mara was taunting me, how she fell, how he tried to save her. But if I tell her that, I have to tell her what the McCoys did to my brothers and me afterward, and I can’t bear to think about it. That black hole in my heart is still filled with anger and I’m not ready to let it go.

  Her hand moves back and forth along my leg and I feel my shoulders relax. Slowly, my jaw unclenches and I take a deep breath.

  “I’m sorry,” she says. “That’s awful. Your mom…?”

  “Died when I was young. Cancer.”

  “Aiden…” she breathes.

  “It was hard,” I respond. We drive in silence until I turn off and start winding my way up the mountain. There’s a lookout just off the road, close enough for Maddy to walk to with crutches. On a clear night like tonight, we’ll be able to lay under the stars and see thousands of them twinkling back at us. We drive the rest of the way without saying anything, until I pull over and kill the engine.

  “Come on,” I say. “I’ll help you.”

  I grab the basket of food I prepared and the two blankets under one arm, putting my other arm around Maddy’s waist. She uses one crutch to make her way down the hard path toward the edge of the cliff. I hear her take a sharp intake of breath as she looks out across the mountains. She finally turns toward me with bright eyes.

  “This is incredible,” she breathes.

  I smile. “These mountains are full of places like this.” I spread out the blanket and help her get settled. I pop open a bottle of wine and pour two glasses before jogging back to the truck for some firewood. In a few minutes, I’ve got a small fire burning beside us, we have wine and I pull out some chicken sandwiches. I hand her one and grin.

  “Nothing fancy,” I say. She laughs and shakes her head.

  “Doesn’t need to be fancy. This is so perfect,” she says. I lean forward and kiss her gently. The last time I was up here was years ago. It feels good to show her my home, to show her all these places where I’ve grown up and grown into the man I am. I put my arm around her shoulders and she leans her head against my chest. She sighs and snuggles into me, lifting her chin up toward the sky.

  “This is incredible, Aiden,” she breathes. “Thank you.”

  A lump forms in my throat and all I can do is nod. I know that she works for the hotel, and once it’s built then all this will change. People will find all these little spots that have been almost sacred to the people of Lang Creek. I know that once the hotel is built, Maddy will be gone. I know all those things but I still can’t help but feel lucky to be here with her. The black hole in my heart seems to be shrinking with every minute that we spend together.

  She turns her head toward me and runs her fingers along my jaw to grip the nape of my neck. She pulls my lips toward hers and kisses me tenderly, wrapping her arm around me and letting me taste those sweet lips once again. I take the wine glass from her hands and put it to the side, pulling her down on top of me. She giggles as we fall backward, letting her hand rest on my chest as she stares into my eyes.

  “Thank you, Aiden, for showing me this. For showing me that there’s more to life than what I thought before. I feel like a different person than I was a few weeks ago. I don’t know how to explain it.”

  I don’t know what to answer, because I feel the same way. How can I put into words that for the first time in years, it feels like there’s a reason for me to be here? There’s a reason for me to live? I can’t put words together so I just tilt my head up and taste her lips again. We forget our wine, forget my simple chicken sandwiches and make love under the blanket of stars above us. I run my hands over her body and feel her shudder and shake as she comes. I watch the ecstasy pass over her face under the moonlight, surrounded by the forests where I’ve lived my whole life. My whole body releases and I come with her, the two of us locked in this moment of bliss with nothing to think about except each other.

  27

  Madeline

  When Aiden drops me off at the hotel again, I feel like I’m on a high. He helps me out of the car and sets me on my crutches before standing in front of me with his eyes soft and a smile floating over his lips.

  “I really want to kiss you right now,” he says, “but I know that it would just cause you trouble in town.”

  I raise an eyebrow. “Trouble?”

  He nods to the streets around us. “People talk. Especially them,” he says, nodding toward the McCoy hotel. I look from the big hundred-year-old timber building back to him. I smile.

  “Thing is, Aiden,” I say slowly, dragging my eyes up to his and shifting my weight on my crutches. “I don’t give a shit.”

  A grin splits his face open and he shrugs before tucking his finger under my chin. His lips crush against mine and he kisses me hard, wrapping his hand around my head and pulling me into him. When we pull apart, I brush my hair from my forehead and smile.

  “See you tomorrow?” I ask.

  He nods and I smile, my heart thumping against my ribcage as I head toward the hotel. I’m as giddy as a teenager, swinging along my crutches and trying not to fall.

  There’s some movement in the top window, a curtain moving or someone at the window. A chill goes down my spine and I frown, looking back over my shoulder to see Aiden driving away. His father’s old truck disappears down the road, back toward his little cabin in the mountains. I glance back at the window where I saw the movement, but it’s completely still. With a deep breath, I make it to the front door.

  It swings open before I can reach it, and Margaret McCoy’s hawk-like features greet me in the entrance. She stares at me for a moment before stepping aside and holding the door open for me.

  “Did you have a nice evening?” she croons. I resist the urge to give her a loaded look. I force myself to smile and I nod my head.

  “It was lovely, thanks. The weather is warmer than I thought it would be.”

  “Mm,” she says. I shuffle my way toward the steps and take them one at a time, hopping up with my crutches under one arm.

  I can’t wait for this ankle to heal. I can feel Margaret’s eyes on my back with every step. It’s not until I turn the corner at the top of the stairs that I let out a sigh of relief. I make my way to my room and kick the door closed with my crutch. I lean the crutches against the wall and sit down on the edge of my bed. My heart is racing and I’m starting to sweat from the exertion of coming up the stairs.

  There’s a knock on the door and I frown. The person knocks again, a little bit harder this time.

  “Madelin
e,” I hear through the door. It’s Cecilia’s voice. I sigh. I don’t feel like talking to her right now, but I call her in anyway.

  “Come in, Cecilia,” I say. “It’s unlocked.”

  She shuffles in and closes the door behind her before turning toward me and shaking her head.

  “Madeline, what are you thinking?” she starts. I sit up a bit straighter, surprised at her tone of voice.

  “What do you mean?” I ask, my voice hard.

  “You can’t go around kissing the townspeople! We’re supposed to be professionals here! Don’t you remember the code of conduct training that we signed?”

  “Cecilia, right now I don’t really give a shit. What difference does it make? It’s my personal time and my personal life. We’re living in this town for the next six months, and if I meet someone I like, what’s the problem?”

  Cecilia takes a step toward me and wrings her hands. She stares at my face and shakes her head.

  “The problem is that Aiden Clarke is the main opposition to the construction of the hotel that we are building! And haven’t you heard the stories about him and his brothers?”

  I frown. I haven’t heard any stories, but then again, I haven’t asked about them either. Cecilia is much better at extracting gossip and information from everyone around her. She takes another step toward me and pulls out the chair next to the wall. She sits across from me and leans forward.

  “Years ago, Danny Clarke - the father - died in an accident. The brothers went nuts. Dominic, the oldest, had to be arrested. They got violent, Madeline. All three of them.”

  She pauses, wringing her hands again and looking at me.

  “Is that really who you want to be associated with? And with them opposing the construction of the hotel… Madeline, do you really know what his intentions are?”

  I take a deep breath. I’m not ready to believe her. Not after the evening I just had. The way Aiden touched me was in no way violent. It was tender and loving and beautiful. I lift my eyes up to her.

  “Who told you this?”

  “Margaret told me a couple weeks ago, when Aiden Clarke came down to the community garden. I’ve been meaning to tell you but I didn’t think you were involved.”

  I bristle. I don’t know why, but I don’t trust Margaret McCoy. After what Aiden told me, that the McCoys stabbed his family in the back when his father died, it sounds like there’s a lot going on that we don’t know about.

  “Madeline, even without the hotel, even without the stories, do you really want to get yourself in the middle of this mess?”

  Cecilia’s face is earnest, and for the first time I nod to agree.

  “No,” I concede. “I know it’s not a good idea to get in the middle of small town drama. Especially since we work for the company building the biggest hotel this place has ever seen."

  “Especially when our main support is coming from the McCoys, who will also be part owners in the new hotel.”

  My eyes flick up to Cecilia and I frown. “What?”

  Cecilia’s eyebrows shoot up toward her hairline and she nods. “I saw the contract on Barry’s desk the other day when I was looking for the community liaison report. The McCoys will own twenty percent of the new hotel.”

  “That explains their support,” I say. “I thought they were just wanting more tourism in the area. Why would that be kept quiet?”

  Cecilia shrugs. “Probably small-town politics. There’s so much opposition to the construction that they don’t want to seem opportunistic.”

  “But that’s exactly what they are,” I spit. Cecilia frowns and nods. She glances toward the door and shakes her head.

  “I don’t know, Madeline. It seems messy. I don’t think you should be seeing that man anymore, but it’s not my decision to make.”

  Her face is drawn and for the first time I see a bit of motherliness in her. I think this conversation is coming from a place of real concern. I think she really cares about me. I nod my head, chewing on her words as I try to process all this information.

  “I’ll be careful,” I say. “No more kissing in town,” I laugh.

  Cecilia snorts and shakes her head. “That would be a start.”

  “Was it you that was looking at us through the window? I saw some movement in the top corner room.”

  She frowns and looks toward the door. She shakes her head. “No, my room faces the back of the hotel. I heard you coming up the stairs. Stomping up like a baby elephant with those things,” she grins, nodding at the crutches.

  I chuckle as she gets up to leave. A current of worry passes through me. If it wasn’t her watching me through the curtains, who was it?

  Cecilia nods at me one more time and walks out of my room. I hop over to the bathroom and start getting ready for bed. My head is spinning and I don’t know what to think. She’s right, it’s not good to get in the middle of small town problems.

  But then I think of Aiden, and how he makes me feel happier than I’ve felt in years, and I don’t know what to do. I climb into bed, alone this time. It feels cold and lonely without his arms around me. As I drift off to sleep, I know that I won’t be able to stay away from him, even if I wanted to.

  28

  Aiden

  When I get back to the cabin, there’s another pickup in the driveway. It’s Sheriff Whittaker’s truck. He’s sitting in the front seat with the engine running, waiting for me. I pull up beside him and turn my engine off, jumping out and circling toward his vehicle. He gets out of his own truck and extends his hand for me to shake.

  “Bill,” I say. “What can I do for you? Hope you haven’t been waiting long.”

  “Couple minutes,” he says. “Can I come in?”

  “Sure,” I respond. Our feet crunch on the gravel as we make our way to the tiny cabin that I call home. I let him in and head for the wood stove, lighting it before facing the Sheriff again. I nod to the table.

  “Coffee?”

  “Sure,” he says, taking a seat at my small round table. I put some coffee on and head back toward the table. I sit across from the Sheriff and study his face. He looks almost worried. He’s staring at me steadily, but there’s something in his eyes that I don’t recognize.

  “So what’s going on?”

  “Aiden, I don’t know how to tell you this,” he starts. He looks down at his hands and takes a deep breath. I frown as my heart starts to beat a bit harder.

  “What’s wrong? Is it Dominic? Is he in trouble? Is it Ethan? His Ranger training?”

  He shakes his head from side to side and my shoulders relax. “No, no, no. Nothing like that. As far as I know your brothers are fine.”

  I nod my head slowly as the coffee machine gurgles behind me. I get up to pour a couple of mugs as Bill composes himself. He doesn’t look ready to talk, and as much as I want him to spit it out, I get up to give him a moment’s space.

  The two mugs of coffee slosh as I set them down on the table. Bill nods in appreciation and grabs one of them, taking a long drink before looking at me again.

  “It’s the girl, Aiden. The environment girl.”

  “Maddy?” I say, frowning. Bill nods. My heart starts to beat a bit faster and my eyes harden as I look at him. “She’s a woman, first of all. An environmental engineer. Not an ‘environment girl’.”

  Bill looks at me and then back at his mug, nodding. “Right, sorry,” he says. He takes a deep breath and looks back at me. “Aiden, you have to stop seeing her.”

  “Like fuck I do,” I spit back at him. The anger is starting to flood my veins as I stare at him in front of me. How dare he come into my house and tell me what to do in my own personal time. Does he think that because he’s Sheriff that he gets to decide who I can date?

  Bill takes a deep breath and shakes his head again. “Aiden, the townspeople are looking to you for guidance. They listened to you at the town hall meeting. There’s another meeting being called for next week. We’re going to petition the state government to block the construction. Will y
ou sign it?”

  I stare at him for a few moments and nod my head slowly. “Yes,” I answer. I might not want to be the spokesman they want but I still don’t want the hotel to be built.

  Bill nods and takes a deep breath. “Great, thanks. But Aiden, if you’re speaking publicly against it, and then getting into bed with one of the company workers…” His voice trails off and he finally lifts his eyes back up to me. “It doesn’t look good.”

  The anger inside me is starting to feel red hot. I take a deep breath to calm myself down and force my voice to stay steady and low.

  “Bill, you’re the one who asked me to speak at that meeting, remember? You forced that on me. You’re asking me to sign this fucking petition. And now you’re telling me that I’m not the perfect little poster boy that you were wanting? Are you fucking kidding me?”

  “So what, now you want this monstrosity to be built? You want these mountains to be overrun and destroyed by tourists, filled with trash and trampled by people? Is that what you want? Is that what your father would want?”

  “Don’t fucking talk about my father,” I respond. The two of us stare at each other across the tiny table. Our chests are heaving up and down and our eyes are locked together. I hang on to the anger that’s coursing through me, not wanting to let go of it when he’s telling me how to live my life.

  Bill backs down first. He slumps back in his chair and brings his hand to his forehead. He shakes his head slowly from side to side and my heartbeat starts to slow. When he speaks, his voice is calmer.

  “Aiden, I know I asked a lot of you. I know I’m still asking a lot of you. The McCoys are pushing hard for this hotel to be built, and I don’t know why yet. I can’t figure it out. It can’t just be to get more tourists through the town.”

  “Well I wouldn’t trust them,” I snarl. “They stole my father’s businesses right after they fucking killed him.”