Max wanted to speak, but his emotions were pounding in his skull, and no words found their way to his tongue.
His father went on, “Don’t get me wrong, they’re attractive enough qualities in a man, I tried to emulate them myself, but they’re not good qualities in a businessman, they’re suicide. Love makes you weak.” After another arrogant little pause, he added, “Even as a man, what I’d hoped you would learn from this is that a woman is a dangerous thing to trust, son.”
“No,” Max said, “don’t do that, don’t blame her.”
“Look at Jane,” Pops said. “You think I trust her? You think I’d make myself vulnerable to a woman like that? She’s there to serve a purpose, and that’s all. That’s the way things should be. If you learn one thing from me in life, just one thing, let it be this; family—blood, that’s what matters. Outsiders will betray you. You can like them, you can love them, you can help them, you can sympathize and even empathize with them if you must, but never, ever trust them, because they will betray you. It’s only a matter of time.”
Max sensed Lauren’s nearness.
His father said, “Max, you were the one who was so concerned about the company’s image. Look at what you’re putting us through, a town hall meeting, a vote? It will be a circus.”
“If you’re ashamed of what you’re doing, maybe that’s a good sign that you shouldn’t be doing it.”
“I’m doing what I have to do, you’re just too lovestruck to see that.”
Lauren approached from behind Max, taking her place by his side.
His father ignored her and went on, “To see us fighting like this, it’s not the image we want to present.”
“It’s exactly the image I want to present,” Max said. “I want people to know there’s somebody in this family who cares about right and wrong, about fairness and decency.”
“What’s not fair about it? The man made a deal, the terms of it are legitimate.”
“You planted Sam in the Matthews employ, or bought him out afterward, and used him to cook their books so they couldn’t pay that debt.”
“You can’t prove that.”
“Doesn’t mean it’s not true,” Max said, wrapping his right arm around Lauren’s waist to pull her close. “We’re fighting you anyway, and we will win.”
“You won’t, Max, you will lose. That’s not what I want, it’s what I came here to avoid.” He glanced at Lauren, then back at Max before going on, “Come back, Max, come home. This place isn’t your home, and this woman is not your family.”
“Watch your words,” Max warned him.
“Consider your actions,” his father answered. “You go on with this, there’s no going back. You can still reconsider, and I’ll chalk it up to the obvious, and we’ll go on as before. You’re my son and my heir. This isn’t natural.”
Max took a single step forward to protect Lauren and repel his father. “I’ve heard enough. You can do what you want, you always have, but I love this woman, and I will marry her if she’ll have me. We’ll save this place for our own, for our children, and our future. Do your damnedest, but I won’t stand anywhere other than by her side.”
The men stood in a silent, blistering tension. Pops looked her over with obvious contempt. “I’d congratulate you,” he said with grainy disgust, “but you’ve only sealed your family’s fate.”
He climbed into his SUV and drove away with a screech of his tires, leaving Max and Lauren behind.
“I’m sorry, Max.”
He stood there, knowing who was leaving him, and what he was leaving behind. All he could think to say was, “I’m not.”
They walked back into the empty lodge, but it was hardly still or silent.
Patrick yelled, “I can’t believe you’re telling me this now!”
“I’m sorry, but there wasn’t going to be a good time, Patrick!”
Lauren glanced at Max, who didn’t need an explanation.
“Great. Just when things couldn’t get any worse,” he said.
“No, Patrick,” Lauren said, “don’t put it that way, don’t think about it like that.”
Patrick looked at her as if in shock, and Max knew he was about to forget that he was in her employ and lucky to be there. “We’re so screwed. Don’t you see that? This stupid Santa thing won’t help anyone.”
“There’s the vote,” Lauren said, “the meeting.”
Patrick’s face snapped out with new anger as if it had been building up for years.
Max could sympathize, though he was careful to measure how far he’d let the younger man go. “These people don’t care about this place. They don’t care about you or me or anyone. They won’t turn up and vote for you like this. It’s crazy.”
“It’s possible,” Lauren said, “it’s a chance. It’s our only chance.”
“And then what? It’s a landmark, so what? Nobody will come here for that. Why would they? It’s a winter lodge, and there’s no snow. The whole town’s drying up. This place is dead, all of it, from the top down, this whole thing is rotten!”
Max cautioned him, “Take it easy, Patrick.”
Patrick snapped, “Mind your own business. You just showed up here. You’re not my boss, and you’re not my father.”
“No, but I’m a man in love with the owner, and I’ll remind you of your place if I have to.”
“Threatening me now,” Patrick said, shaking his head.
Max had not prepared for the welling up of anger about his father, and his ability to channel it was failing him.
It was Lauren who said, “We’re not, Patrick, you’ve got a lot to take in just now. Why not take a breather, let it all sink in?”
“She’s right,” Cindy said with her brows hopefully bent upward toward the center of her forehead. “Let’s just take it easy. We’ll work it out. She was right, I had to tell you.”
Patrick turned to Lauren as if with new and stunned disgust. “You knew about this?”
“I needed advice,” Cindy said.
“And I had to keep her confidence,” Lauren replied.
Patrick nodded as if thinking things through and agreeing with himself. “Oh, all right, so you’re all just making my life choices for me, is that it? Is this some kind of conspiracy or something?”
“You gotta calm down,” Max said, “you’re spiraling out of control here.”
“Yeah,” Patrick added, “you’re right. It’s time I took control. You all might be doomed here, but I’m not. I’ve still got options, and I don’t have to go down with this dump.”
Cindy said, “Patrick, please.”
“What? I’ve got responsibilities now.”
“Now that’s enough,” Max said. “You’re out of line.”
“You just wait and see how far out of line I can get.” Patrick looked Max over, then snarled at Lauren. “You want a big vote? You want me to make some calls? Yeah, I’ll make some calls, all right,” Patrick said, stomping across the lobby and to the big double doors. “I’ll make plenty of calls, but they won’t help.”
Cindy called after him, but she got no answer. The poor girl broke into a desperate sob, leaning against Lauren. She wrapped her arms around the girl and rocked her gently, stroking her hair and looking at Max with a new worry that he well understood.
Losing the lodge affected not only her and Max, but there were other lives in the balance, lives that were only a bleep on a monitor, but no less important.
Chapter Forty-Five
Lauren
Lauren lay in bed beside Max. Even through all the doubts and concerns, they’d found and secured the love they’d been denied for so many years.
He had sacrificed everything for her and proven himself to be the man she hoped he would be. Whether she could be the woman who would rise to the occasion, she didn’t know.
No matter what happened, she was determined not to falter. She’d face it with the courage they’d shared and would be ready to sacrifice as much as Max had.
She couldn
’t sleep, so she slipped out of bed and put on a robe. She stepped out into the darkened lodge and walked down the hall, listening to the wooden floorboards creak under her bare feet.
She approached the stairs and looked down at the great room, able to imagine the throngs of visitors from bygone years. She could still see her parents mingling among them, warm smiles all around as the pine logs crackled in the fireplace. The snow was thick in those years, and the good feelings were easy to find.
She moved down the stairs and to the couch in front of the fireplace. She’d sat there, falling in love with Max, a place where her own parents had sat on so many quiet evenings. She dipped her head forward, eyes closed as her hands clasped at her chin in prayer. She prayed for Max, for Patrick and Cindy, and for Ruthie. She prayed for Eaton and Jane and Max’s grandmother. Lastly, she prayed for herself and the lodge.
Lauren nodded, satisfied, and opened her eyes. She looked around and remembered her parents in their youthful glory. She was flush with emotion, tears ready to spill from the corners of her eyes. In her memory, they were standing arm in arm in complete contentment.
Her soul calmed, and she could almost hear their voices in the back of her brain.
We love you. We always have and always will, no matter what.
The weeping began, her mouth twisting into a frown, brows cramping, and tears softening her focus through their watery sheen.
“Lauren?” She turned to see Max sitting down on the couch beside her. “Are you all right?”
She nodded, wiping her eyes and leaning into his embrace. There was no way to describe what she was thinking or feeling. She didn’t have to because Max knew the secrets of her heart. She let him pull her close for a reassuring squeeze. He was there; she was with him, and her parents were with her in spirit.
The only answers left would be resolved the next day by the most influential people in Moss Creek. Lauren and Max would face them together, and they would probably lose. Eaton Hunter could take their home and their livelihood, but he could not take their love.
Chapter Forty-Six
Max
Max looked out over the packed town hall. People milled about and murmured, many glancing at him and Lauren. There was no way to know what they were saying or thinking, but with their sad expressions and shaking heads, he wasn’t encouraged. He turned to Lauren, who was by his side where she belonged. While she was grateful for their reunion, she was also resolved to losing everything.
Eaton sat at a table near the bench. Max’s grandmother Ethel was there, an immobile presence in her chair, with Jane taking her place between the two. A sad shake of Pop’s head told Max everything he needed to know about his father’s mood. He’d had no change of heart, not that Max had expected it.
Even though he’d prayed for it, he wasn’t surprised his request didn’t get through.
Other familiar faces filled the room. Both Sally and Lucille were in the crowd, Patrick and Cindy were together, but Max could only guess as to what he’d done or would do to work against their cause. Sam sat among the citizens in the row just behind Eaton and his party.
Mayor Shipley and Deputy Mayor Roberts both sat at the center of the arching crescent of leather chairs occupied by Moss Creek’s City Council. Their grim faces gave little hint of what they intended to do if the community was deadlocked, and the council put to a vote.
Max hoped they all wouldn’t have to find out, but he had to brace for the worst.
Even Pastor Higgins had come, lending a holy glint to the secular proceedings.
Deputy Mayor Roberts rapped his gavel, quieting the room and securing everybody’s attention. “Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye this emergency call of the City Council of Moss Creek, Colorado, will hereby commence, to be officiated by our own, the Right Honorable Mayor Parker Shipley. Before I turn things over to the mayor, let me remind you of the purpose which draws this meeting and what is expected of you.”
Max pulled Lauren a little closer on that hard, wooden bench.
“We’re here to discuss, and then to vote on a measure to recommend the Sunshine Lodge to the State of Colorado as an official heritage site. It’s a long process and won’t end here. What we’re voting on today is whether we approve the recommendation of the Sunshine Lodge to the state, or not. A lot of us know the property well, we’re fond of it and have warm memories of our times there. It’s been an economic staple of our little town for a long time until recent years. Whether this qualifies it to be a heritage site is for you to decide. Generally, the city council supports the community’s wishes in a case like this. If it’s deadlocked, and the community is not unanimous, the council will have the deciding vote. Now, I give you our mayor, Parker Shipley. Mayor.”
“Thank you, Deputy Mayor Roberts.” Looking out over the crowd, Mayor Shipley shook his head. “It’s unfortunate that we’ve had to come here today. A lot of you know it’s not just a matter of voting to present the lodge as a heritage site. It’s a conflict between two illustrious families in our history, and two members of one of those families. It’s a shame when matters of business pit blood against blood, but these things happen. I want to remind all parties involved that these are hallowed halls, not some contentious family reunion. I won’t preside over a circus here.”
Respectful silence answered his authoritative glare.
“There’s only one party who contests the vote,” the mayor said, “and that is our own Eaton Hunter. We’ll hear from Mr. Hunter first.”
Pops stood up from his seat next to his aged mother. “Thank you, Mr. Mayor, Deputy Mayor Roberts, our esteemed city council members, and my many friends, neighbors, and my family, the last vestiges of which are with us here today.”
All eyes fell on old Ethel, then on Max on the other side of the big oval room.
Pops let his eyes fall to the floor before taking the first slow step in a carefully paced route in front of his audience: city council on one side, and the people of Moss Creek on the other.
“The first thing you should know is that I didn’t want this,” he went on. “I’m here, we’re all here as the result of a loan I made to an old friend years ago, the lodge’s owner, Frank Matthews. Frank had money problems, so I gave him a loan. He failed to repay me, and as a result, he has forfeited the property to me. I will pay a reasonable price. I offered to pay ten percent above comparable properties, and wipe out the debt entirely, but it wasn’t long before I saw the terrible results of that.”
He turned to glare at Max from across the room. “Because of my generosity, they bamboozled me and stole my ideas and mocked my good-heartedness. I know there has been ill-will between the two families, though I tried to put that aside. I believe this young woman, embittered by her father’s death, couldn’t let go of the bad feelings.”
Max felt Lauren shake beside him. She was fighting the impulse to stand up and object. He was glad she felt his restraining touch and didn’t struggle.
“I can only guess,” Eaton went on, “she felt I had some hand in her family’s misfortune, which I did not. They have accused me of terrible crimes, of which I am not guilty, and of which there is no proof. I understand that she’s displeased with the circumstances of the agreement. I would be too, but to be frank, the lodge is in terrible financial straits and has a limited future. I’m taking a significant risk, assuming an enormous monetary responsibility, and I’m doing it for the benefit of our own town of Moss Creek. The redevelopment project I always envisioned, which my son meant to appropriate as his own under the sway of his woman friend there, will be built.” Eaton said the words with such disdain and disgust that Max’s own impulse to object was almost too great. He clenched his jaws, gripped Lauren tighter, and sat with the hard bench creaking beneath them.
“My development project would bring millions of dollars into Moss Creek, for generations to come. My son, as much as I admire his ambition, cannot pull it off, and the girl can’t either.”
Pops looked out over his many clients and tenants
, people subject to his will and too weak to stand up to his bullying. He was taking a page from Max’s own book, the younger Hunter could see that, and a friendly approach would be just what the old man would need to prevail. Max could not do the opposite and assume his father’s aggressive position. He’d have to beat his father at his game, and that gave him some hope—not much, but some.
“My son needs to be corrected,” he said. “As much as I tried to do it on a personal and private level, it’s come to this. It brings me great sadness that we’re all here having to endure this. It’s Christmastime, after all, but since we do, I think it’s a plain and simple choice. The document is legitimate, there’s no doubt about that. This is the best choice for the lodge and the town. Think about it. Suppose the next time somebody makes a deal with you and then decides it’s not to their liking, is it fair or democratic to use a legal loophole to thwart a person’s clear-cut rights? Is sentiment what passes for the law now? That place is not a National Heritage Site, we all know that. This is just a stalling tactic and a brutally unfair one at that. Not that I don’t congratulate my son on his cunning, but if he can do it to me, somebody else will do it to you. Reverse the situation and imagine yourselves being run off your land by some technicality, some public vote called together on the fly? I tell you now, I would come to the aid of you in such a situation. Eventually, you’ll need me to.”
He turned to point out Max from across the room, eyes fixed on his neighbors, head shifting to share his attention with the city council.
“This is the future of Moss Creek. He’s a charmer, he’s a liar, and he will lead you and this town into decay. Please, heed my warning, preserve our rights, preserve the rule of law in Moss Creek while you still can.”
Pops turned and sat down, the room percolating with a murmur before the mayor turned to Max. “You’re speaking for the lodge?”
Up to Snow Good: A Small Town Holiday Romance Page 14