The Clarke Brothers (Complete Series)

by Lilian Monroe

  Bill looks at me and says nothing. We stare at each other for a few long moments until he raps his knuckles on the table and stands up.

  “I’m trying to figure this out, Aiden. I’m just asking for a bit of help. This hotel won’t benefit anyone except the McCoys, and they have too much pull around here already. Sometimes I wonder if this uniform means anything anymore.”

  I take a deep breath and Bill looks at me one more time.

  “Can you just cool it off with your woman? Don’t be so public about it? Just until I figure this out? Until I know what’s going on and we get this petition off to the state.”

  Reluctantly, I nod my head. Bill’s lips draw into a thin line and he nods back at me.

  “Thank you.” He walks to the front door and turns back toward me. He takes a deep breath and looks me up and down. “You know, Aiden, I see a lot of your father in you. I respected him and I respect you. It was terrible what happened. You boys deserved better. This could be your chance to make it right. It could be your chance to show the McCoys that they don’t run this town, and they don’t own any of us.”

  His words pass through my chest like an arrow and my eyes start to prickle. I say nothing, and he lets himself out of the cabin. When I hear his truck turn down the mountainside, I let out a long breath.

  Maybe he’s right. Maybe this is my chance to take back my life and livelihood from the McCoys. If there is more going on with them and the new hotel, my being with Maddy is playing directly into their hand.

  That familiar hatred for the McCoys blooms in my stomach and I enjoy the feeling of it for a few moments. It’s not until Maddy’s face paints itself in my mind’s eye that I hesitate. For the first time in years, I feel something other than numbness and anger. I feel almost happy when I’m with her.

  And now I’m supposed to throw it all away? I’m supposed to let that go for some decades-old feud between our two families?

  Even as the thought crosses my mind, I know it’s not just a feud between our families. The future of Lang Creek and these mountains hangs in the balance. I lean back in my chair and take a deep breath.

  I don’t know what to do. I need to choose between my own happiness and my father’s legacy. I need to choose between my past and my future, and I don’t know which is the right choice.

  29

  Madeline

  When I wake up, my ankle looks a bit better. The swelling has gone down and I swing my legs over the side of the bed. I stand up, trying to put a bit of weight on my bad foot. To my surprise, pain doesn’t shoot through my leg when I lean on it. I take a hesitant step toward the bathroom and smile as I hobble toward the door.

  With my ankle feeling better, it might only be a few more days of hobbling and then I’ll be back to normal. I decide to leave my crutches at home today. I check my phone and my heart sinks a tiny bit when I see it blank. I shake my head. I’m being silly. Of course Aiden wouldn’t text me right away. He’s probably busy, either at work or out on the mountain. He’s not exactly the texting type.

  I hum to myself as I get ready. It doesn’t take long until I’m ready for work and heading out to site. I check my phone again and resist the urge to text him. Maybe Cecilia is right. Maybe I should cool it a bit with Aiden, or at least try to be a bit more subtle.

  The thought of sneaking around seems wrong. I don’t want to sneak around with him. I’m proud of spending time with him. He’s the most caring, understanding, complex man I’ve ever met. I try to push these thoughts aside as I drive into work. I’ll need to focus on this hotel for the rest of the day, and not let my thoughts of Aiden or my doubts about the project stop me from doing my job.

  Around noon, my phone finally buzzes and my heart jumps when I see Aiden’s name. Cecilia looks over at me from across the tiny site office and gives me a knowing look. I ignore her and type a reply. I can’t keep the smile from my face - I’ll see him again tonight.

  The afternoon drags on, and I end up staring at my computer screen without getting anything done for what seems like an eternity. I try to focus on the environmental reports that I need to prepare, and on making sure all our applications are up to date. I try to focus on the daily inspections I do on the site but all I can think of is Aiden. I keep seeing his face in my mind and imagining what his hands feel like when they’re on my body.

  This time, I’ll drive out to meet Aiden at his place. At least we won’t be seen together there.

  After a few hours that last a lifetime, I finally drive away from the construction site. I leave the dust and dirt and timber and barricades and high-vis clothing in my rear-view mirror. I drive back to the hotel and hobble up to my room to shower, rushing to get back in my car and drive out of town.

  I drive past the ‘Welcome to Lang Creek’ sign and past the bends in the road that are becoming more familiar with each passing day. I turn off toward Aiden’s cabin and smile as my car starts snaking its way up the mountainside. When I turn the engine off, his front door opens and he greets me with arms wide open and a smile painted across his face.

  “You made it!”

  I laugh. “Did you think I wouldn’t?”

  “I was worried about your ankle.”

  “It’s feeling much better,” I say. It’s only half true – it was feeling great this morning but with all the walking I’ve been doing it’s starting to throb. Aiden smiles and wraps his arms around me.

  “Thanks for driving up here,” he says. “I have to admit I got a stern talking-to about being seen with you in town.”

  “You did? So did I!” I laugh. “Apparently people don’t like seeing us together.”

  “Apparently not,” he says with a grin, sliding his hands toward the small of my back and pulling me into him. He smells like smoke and fresh pine and I take a deep breath before tilting my chin up toward him. His kiss tastes as good as it did yesterday – as good as it did the first day, and as good as I hope it’ll taste tomorrow and the next day too. When we pull apart, I glance around at the forest surrounding his cabin and smile.

  “It’s so peaceful up here,” I say. “I understand why you live here.”

  Aiden grunts in response and puts his arm around my waist to guide me to the cabin. When we get a bit closer, I see something through the trees. It looks like a building of some sort.

  “What’s that?” I ask, pointing to the building. “It looks like a big house!”

  “It is a house,” he says. I glance up at his face and see it darken. “We used to live there, before the accident.”

  He guides me toward the cabin and I glance up toward the big house one more time. I can sense that Aiden doesn’t want to talk about it, so I let him lead me inside. We sit on the couch together. He brings me a beer. We laugh, we talk, we make love. His touch feels even better than it did before. It feels like we’re starting to get to know each other’s bodies in a way that I didn’t think was possible. Every time he touches me it feels more intimate than the last time. Every time I come, it feels more intense – like my body is letting go of just a little bit more tension with every orgasm he gives me.

  The sun has gone down and the moon is shining in the night sky when I finally sigh. Aiden’s arm is draped over my shoulders, and my naked body is pressed against his under the blankets of his bed. I look up at him and smile sadly.

  “I should go,” I say. “I need to work tomorrow.”

  “Don’t go,” he says, wrapping his arm around me. I chuckle and lay a soft kiss on his lips.

  “I don’t want to,” I say. He smiles and kisses me again.

  “I’ll drive behind you to the main road,” he says. “To make sure you make it down safely.”

  My heart grows in my chest and I smile at him. He’s so attentive, so thoughtful that it constantly surprises me. How could this be the violent brute of a man that Cecilia was telling me about? How could this be a man who needs a warning?

  When we get to the main road, he flashes his headlights at me and I wave at him through th
e window. I watch his headlights in the mirror as I drive back toward town, sad to be leaving but happy to be with him.

  We spend the next few weeks exactly like that. On weeknights, we steal any time together we can. On weekends we take off together and he shows me the mountains where he grew up. Every day, I get to see a little bit more of him and I feel myself falling for him. I’ve never met anyone as beautiful as him. He makes me feel like I matter, like he sees me for who I am and not for who he wants me to be. For those weeks, I don’t think about the hotel, or the environment, or my father. I’m just completely, blissfully happy.

  30

  Aiden

  Maddy’s gone again, and I turn back toward the empty cabin. It always feels colder and darker after she leaves. I wish she would stay with me every night, but I know why she doesn’t. It’s not like it’s a secret that we’re together - I’m pretty sure everyone in town knows. It would be a long drive from here to site every day for her, and I know she doesn’t want to be late for work.

  I slump down on the sofa and watch the fire crackling in the stove. These past few weeks have flown by without me realizing. Every day I have something to look forward to, knowing that I’ll see Maddy that night. Every night, I have the memory of her body next to mine to help me fall asleep.

  It feels almost like happiness. Is this what happiness feels like? It’s almost like I feel lighter than I did before. I don’t cling on to things that bother me. The air tastes sweeter than it did before. Maybe that’s summer, or maybe it’s Maddy.

  I open my eyes when I hear a car coming up the road. There’s only one reason a car comes up here, and it’s to come to this cabin. I immediately think of Maddy. Is she coming back? Is she in trouble? Did something happen? Does she finally want to sleep over on a work night?

  My heart starts to beat a bit faster as I stand up and walk outside. A mixture of relief and disappointment washes over me when I see my brother’s truck. He parks outside and both doors open, with my two brothers spilling out of either side.

  Dominic grunts and his huge body lumbers toward me. Ethan raises his hand.

  “Hey, brother!” he calls out. He’s thinner and taller than Dominic and me, with longer hair that falls just over his ears. He’s always been more coordinated than Dominic and me, almost graceful. Where Dominic and I are brute strength, he’s cleverness. He opens his arms and wraps me in a big bear hug.

  “What are you two doing all the way up here?” I ask when we pull apart.

  Ethan snorts. “What, three brothers can’t visit with each other on a Wednesday night?”

  I grin and nod my head toward the cabin. The three of us head inside and suddenly the room feels tiny. Between Ethan’s height and Dominic’s and my width, there’s not much room to move. They sit down on the couch where Maddy and I just made love and I pull up one of my chairs. I pass out beers and we drink the first few gulps in silence.

  “So how was the Park Ranger training?” I ask Ethan.

  He grins. “It was great. All passed and certified now,” he says. He’s beaming with pride and I can’t help but smile along.

  “Congrats, Ethan. You deserve it.”

  He nods and glances at Dominic. Dominic shifts in his seat and takes a long drink of beer. I can tell they’re not here for a friendly chat, and I’m about to find out what they have to say. Ethan clears his throat and looks me in the eye.

  “Aiden,” he starts. “This hotel.”

  I put up my hand. “I don’t want to hear it,” I snip. “You guys are going to have to find some other hero to oppose this thing.”

  Ethan shakes his head. “That’s not why we’re here. Look, construction is going fast. Have you been over there lately? The past couple months they’ve made a lot of progress.”

  “No,” I admit. “I haven’t wanted to see it.”

  Dominic and Ethan exchange another glance and then look back at me. Dominic finally speaks. “I think you should see it.”

  I look him in the eye and then shift my gaze to Ethan. Both of them are staring at me steadily. As much as I want to tell them to leave, that I don’t want to face this thing head on, I know that they’re right. I can’t keep burying my head in the sand and pretending that Maddy doesn’t work for the corporation that’s destroying the forests I love. My brothers are right. I need to see it.

  I nod my head once. “Okay,” I say simply. Dominic grunts in response and Ethan nods. The three of us stand up without another word and we head to Dominic’s truck. We drive in silence along the mountain’s logging roads. Not many people know their way around these roads, but we’ve lived here our whole lives. Dominic drives up and up and up until I know we’re way above the work site. He turns again and the forest opens up below us. We have a perfect bird’s eye view of the darkened construction site.

  Dominic kills the engine and the three of us step outside. My throat tightens as I look at the huge swath of land that’s been clear-cut. The frame of the hotel is already up, and I can just see partition walls starting to go in. There are dozens of excavators and trucks parked in a neat line down the far end of the site, and the whole area is a mess of mud and logs and materials.

  After a few minutes I glance at my brothers, who look at me solemnly.

  “It’s so much bigger than I thought it would be,” I finally say. It’s the first time any of us has spoken since my cabin, and my voice sounds too loud in the quiet forest. I look back down on the work site and my eyes start to water. From up here, it doesn’t look like construction. It just looks like destruction.

  Ethan clears his throat. “Bill found something out yesterday. The McCoys…” his voice trails off and I turn my head toward him.

  “What about the McCoys?”

  “They own twenty percent of it.”

  I frown, struggling to understand his words. “Twenty percent of what?”

  “Twenty percent of that,” he says, sweeping his arm toward the construction site. My blood turns to ice and I follow his arm to look at the hotel once again. “Mara’s new husband is the CEO’s son.”

  “So the reason they’ve been pushing for this…”

  “It’s exactly what they did to dad’s business, except this time they’re not waiting for anyone to die.”

  I look at Ethan and feel my face scrunch up. My stomach feels like it’s full of lead, and my heart feels like it’s going to explode. This whole hotel construction – the entire development… it was all the McCoys? The weight of it seems too much. I can’t deal with it. I can’t understand it, and I can’t process it. I can’t do anything except feel the black anger fill my heart as I stare down at the site below me.

  “What do you want me to do?” I ask. “What can we do? There’s nothing. It’s too late. Look at it, it’ll be done in a few months.”

  And then Maddy will leave and I’ll have to live with this hotel for the rest of my life.

  “We could torch it,” Dominic says in the silence. I snort and glance over at my eldest brother.

  “Right,” I say. “That’s legal.”

  Dominic turns to look at me and shrugs. “Got any better ideas?”

  I look back at the huge worksite and take a deep breath. “Let’s get out of here,” I say. “I can’t look at this anymore.”

  “Aiden, we need your help,” Ethan says. The frustration is starting to overwhelm me and I spin around toward him, taking a few steps until our chests are inches apart.

  “What the fuck do you want from me! Why does everyone think I can fix this? What do you want me to DO?” My chest is heaving up and down, and I can feel the veins in my neck throbbing with every beat of my heart. Ethan stands his ground in front of me, and Dominic watches us. We stand in silence until I finally sigh and slump my shoulders. I turn toward the truck and open the door.

  “Just burn the fucking thing down,” I say. “That seems like the only actual solution anyone’s had in months.”

  I see Ethan and Dominic exchange a glance out of the corner of my eye, an
d then they slide into the truck without a word. We drive back the way we came in silence, and when they pull up outside the cabin, I get out without saying anything. It’s not until I hear them drive back down the road away from the cabin that I sit down and put my head in my hands, and let the tears flow freely down my cheeks.

  I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to fix this. I don’t want to let go of Maddy, but this feels like the past repeating itself. They stole dad’s business from us and now they just want more. My heart is breaking and I don’t know what to do about it.

  31

  Madeline

  When I drive into work, I can already tell something is wrong. I see Barry pacing back and forth outside on the phone. His eyebrows are drawn together. I can see that little patch of red skin on his forehead that he only gets when he’s really upset. I park my car and get out, and he glances over for a moment before pacing back the other way.

  I try not to let the dread set in. Something is definitely wrong. With a deep breath, I walk up to the small site office and slide inside. Just like every other morning, I drop my lunch in the fridge and pour myself a coffee before heading to my desk. I’m just settling in and waiting for my computer to boot up when Barry comes flying through the door.

  “Madeline!” he shouts, staring at me across the room. “Conference room. NOW.”

  My heart starts pounding. I grab a notebook and pen as I get up and head toward the small meeting room at the back of the offices. Barry is not the type to fly off the handle like this. He’s the most level-headed manager I’ve ever had, and I’ve only seen him truly angry once or twice before.

  I shuffle to the conference room and see Barry sitting at the head of the table with a few documents in front of him. He motions to a seat to his left and I sit down, waiting for him to speak. He takes a deep breath and swings his eyes over to me.