by Rhian Cahill
“Oh, I couldn’t ask you to do that.”
“Why not? I like hiking and I usually do some in my free time anyway, so why wouldn’t I want to do it with a pretty woman at my side?”
Warmth filled Reena’s face. She wasn’t used to men calling her pretty. She’d never been one of those women who men hit on.
Not that Rush’s comment was a line; she could tell he meant what he said and while she might be a little uncomfortable with the attention, it was a pleasant sensation that was unfamiliar rather than embarrassing or disturbing.
And really, was she going to knock back his offer to show her the area? He’d lived here for over a decade—he would know all the best places to see.
“Are you sure?” she asked and took another sip of her delicious cocoa.
Nodding, he reached for his beer. “I’d love to spend some time showing you Winter Lake.”
“Deal.” She stuck out her hand. When his warm hand enveloped hers, she sucked in a breath.
She hadn’t planned on a holiday romance no matter what her friend Caitlyn had been saying ever since Reena had booked this trip, but if she were honest, Rush made her think about it.
Chapter Four
Rush filled the below-bar fridge with more bottles of beer with a smile on his face. Yes, he loved his job and it made him happy to be doing something he loved but that wasn’t why he was smiling.
Nope. The no doubt goofy grin on his face was because of Reena.
He’d taken her along the edge of the lake to a small secluded clearing to the west of the Lodge on their first hike. He’d only had a few hours before he had to start work but they’d gotten in a good walk and she seemed to handle it well. Unlike Sunday when she’d been all but breathless up on Lake View Lookout.
She’d even managed to carry on a conversation while they dodged trees and the mounds of snow that still stuck to the ground.
The weather was warming up, and there wasn’t any snow in the forecast but it was still cold. Still required layers for venturing out longer than a few minutes.
He’d enjoyed showing her some of the place he’d called home for the last fifteen years.
Couldn’t wait to show her more.
He figured he’d take her along Lake Front tomorrow, let her explore the shops that lined the street, before he started his night shift. He glanced at his watch. Four. They’d been apart only five hours and already he was thinking about when he’d see her next. Hell, he’d been thinking about it the minute he’d left her outside the door to her room.
Tuesdays were slow—then again most days were in recent years—so they only needed three bar staff for the whole day. He had the mid-shift today. Luke had opened and Desi would close. They had seen a steady increase in business since Cam had taken over as GM—since Harry had come out of retirement to take a more active role in the day-to-day running of the Lodge.
Rush had been ready to confront Harry about what was going on at the Lodge when the last GM had disappeared.
No one knew why he’d gone or where he’d gone and, as far as Rush was concerned, good riddance. He was glad they’d seen the last of Lawrence George Farnham. He’d been an asshole as well as a pompous prick and couldn’t manage a business out of a wet paper bag.
With Cam in the GM role and Harry back on deck, things were going to improve. They had improved. And he knew it was only the beginning. Things would soon be back to those heady days of standing room only and nonstop work.
“Rush.”
His head snapped up. Cam stood in the entry to the bar. The look on the man’s face was enough to have Rush’s insides cramping, a heavy weight filling his chest. Whatever put that look on Cam’s face wasn’t good. He didn’t need words to know the world was about to shift.
Slowly he pushed upright, walked around the end of the bar.
“Harry’s dead.”
“What?” He stumbled. “Dead? How?”
“Accident. On the road in from the highway.” Cam placed a hand on the archway. “I… I just…” He shook his head. “Matilda. Lark.”
“But…” Rush glanced at the seat Harry had sat in yesterday afternoon. He’d come in to talk to Rush about the bar. About how they could pull in more customers. Not just those who stayed at the Lodge but locals. “He was just…”
“Kennedy called.” Cam staggered toward a seat, sank into it. “She was at Larissa’s House, with Jagger. Ren told her.”
“Jesus.” Rush dropped into a chair beside Cam. “I can’t… When?”
“Last night I think. Kennedy wasn’t sure. She and Ren are going over to Harry’s now. To see Lark. She’ll call me after she knows more.” He looked around the room. “I gave her the night off. I’ll work if you need waitstaff.”
Rush shook his head. “I doubt we’ll need it.” He leaned over; resting his elbows on his knees, he cradled his head in his hands. “Fuck. Harry.”
“I know.” Cam pushed to his feet. “I need to find Alice. I don’t know what to do about the rest of the staff.”
“I’ll tell Hank. Desi when she comes in. Jesus, Cam. What the fuck will happen with the Lodge?”
“I don’t know. Other than Matilda and Lark, and Ren, Harry doesn’t have any family.” He placed a hand on Rush’s shoulder. “Call if you need me to come back.”
“Yeah, okay.”
When Cam left, Rush sat trying to get his head around Harry being dead. It didn’t seem real but it had to be. He needed to go to the kitchen, tell Hank. The chef, like Rush and Alice, had been at the Lodge for years, had been friends with Harry as well as an employee.
Jesus, did Burt know? Rush hadn’t seen him today but Burt and Harry went back far longer than anyone else around here; they’d grown up together.
Detouring behind the bar, Rush grabbed a bottle of Harry’s favorite Macallan and two shot glasses. They’d need a splash to get them through this.
The big guy was at the stove stirring a big pot of what smelled like his famous beef stew. Over the years Rush had devoured many a bowl of Hank’s beef stew.
“Hey.” He put the glasses on the counter and cracked the bottle. Filling each glass to the rim he took a moment to cap the bottle and put it down. Blowing out a breath he said, “There ain’t no easy way to say this so I’ll just get it out there. Harry’s dead. Car accident. I don’t know details. Kennedy called Cam, Cam told me. Just now.”
He picked up the glass and held it out. Hank stared at him for a full minute before he walked over and picked up the other glass.
“Harry,” Rush murmured as he tapped his glass to Hank’s and sank the shot.
After a quiet moment Hank asked, “We got anyone out there?”
Rush shook his head.
“Maybe we should shut up for the night. It’s not like we get many in on a Tuesday.”
“Yeah, maybe we can take this bottle back into the bar and call Cam and Alice down.”
Hank nodded. “I’ll just…” He looked around. “Yeah, okay, let’s call Cam and Alice down.”
Rush picked up the bottle and his glass, left the other for Hank to bring out, and went back to the bar. He dragged a stool out and sank onto it. “Fuck.”
He didn’t know how long he sat there before Hank sat beside him, before Cam came in with his arm around a quietly crying Alice and Rush moved to a table, took the bottle, two extra shot glasses, and his own.
Nobody spoke as he poured. Alice’s sniffles were the only sound until they each picked up a glass and held it out.
Hank drew in a breath. “He’d want this place to keep going.”
“Yes, he would,” Alice agreed.
“I’ll do what I can, but I guess it’s up to whoever he left this place to,” Cam said.
“Wouldn’t that be Matilda? Maybe Lark or Ren? He thought of the two of them as family,” Hank offered.
Cam shook his head. “I don’t know. He never talked about it. Why would he?”
“To one of the best men I ever knew,” Alice said and tapped her glass
against everyone else’s. “Harry.”
“Harry,” they chorused.
Chapter Five
She hadn’t meant to listen but by the time she realized what Alice and the other man were talking about it was too late to sneak away. So instead, she’d slunk lower into the chair and hoped neither of them noticed her.
When they left the foyer, the man had slipped his arm around Alice’s shoulder and led her into the Bar and Grill. Reena breathed out the breath she’d held and eased up in the seat.
Rush had talked about Harry on their hike earlier today. She knew he’d be upset and she wanted to find him, offer comfort, but didn’t know if it was her place. They’d only met two days ago and while she thought they were developing a friendship, did it reach deep enough for her to offer solace?
She knew what it was like to lose someone unexpectedly. When Aunt Beth had a stroke and died, Reena’s whole world had shifted and when the shaking had stopped, nothing had been the same.
Without her job—the Collins family—she didn’t think she’d have been able to get through those first few weeks.
The front door banged open behind her, making her jump. Spinning around she watched a man in a suit, a scowl on his face, stalk to the reception desk, around it, and through the door behind.
She knew that led to the offices but she was pretty sure, from Rush’s earlier descriptions that the General Manager had been the man with Alice.
And they’d gone into the Bar and Grill.
Standing, she’d taken two steps toward the restaurant entrance when the man burst back into the foyer.
“No wonder this place has gone to shit. Where the fuck is everyone?”
“Can I help you,” Reena asked, straightening her spine and moving toward the clearly angry man.
“Who the hell are you?”
“Reena. Can I help you…?”
“Yes. Where’s your boss, the General Manager?”
She didn’t bother to correct his assumption she was an employee and not a guest; this guy clearly had no clue and wouldn’t care anyway. “I’ll get him for you. Who can I say is asking?”
“Sturgis, Jeremy Sturgis. I’m Harry Windburn’s lawyer.”
Reena dipped her chin in acknowledgment and headed to the restaurant.
They were sitting around a four-top close to the bar when she walked in. They looked so lost and she hated to interrupt but…
She glanced over her shoulder, thankful to find the lawyer hadn’t followed her.
“Excuse me.”
“Oh. Reena!” Alice jumped to her feet. “I’m sorry—”
“No, sit.” She raced over, eased Alice back into her chair then faced the man she assumed was the General Manager. “Cam?”
“Yes,” he said as he slid his chair back and stood.
“There’s a man in the foyer. Said he’s Harry’s lawyer. Jeremy Sturgis.”
“Shit.” Cam spun on his heel. “I’ll deal with him.”
“Hey.” Rush put his hand on hers. “You okay?”
“Me?” She looked down at him, could see the sorrow swirling in his eyes. “I should be asking all of you that. Can I do anything?”
Alice sighed. “Reena is our only guest tonight. I think it best if we just close up and start again in the morning. Hank? Rush?”
“Yeah,” the big guy Reena guessed was Hank stood. “I’ll leave the stew on the stove if anyone wants it but I’m going to head out.”
Rush’s fingers squeezed hers. “Want to have a bowl of stew with me? I can guarantee you haven’t tasted anything like it.”
“Sure. Do you need help closing down?”
“Damn. I need to call Desi, let her know not to come in.”
“She’s probably already on her way. She’s staying over in Broken Bay.” Alice glanced at her watch. “I’ll wait and let her know when she gets here.”
“Are you sure?” Rush asked.
“Yes. I’ll call Alex while I wait.”
“I’ll bring you a bowl before I go, Alice.” Hank nodded at Rush then headed through the side door.
“Why don’t we bundle up and eat out on the dock?” Reena suggested. “It’s a beautiful clear night out there.” She remembered sitting outside—in the dark—for hours after her aunt died. Something about the stars, the vastness of the universe, had helped her come to terms with her loss.
“Okay. I’ll get the stew, you grab your jacket and a couple of the blankets from the main room.”
By the time they made it outside, Reena had decided on how she wanted to direct their conversation.
“So,” she said as she settled into one of the chairs Rush had dragged out on to the dock. “Tell me about Harry.”
“He’s the most amazing man I’ve ever met.”
“Oh?”
“He’s never met a soul he didn’t know how to help even when they didn’t know they needed helping.” She could hear the grin in his voice. “He took a chance on me when I first got here. I wasn’t old enough to work in the bar but I had a fake ID that he just arched an eyebrow at and gave me the job.”
“Trusting.”
“Oh no, I’ve seen him walk people out or shut them down. He has the uncanny ability to judge you in a split second.”
“You love him.”
Rush laughed. “Yeah, I guess I do. He’s the closest thing to a father I’ve ever had. My own couldn’t give a shit about me, which is how I ended up here in the first place.”
“You’ll miss him.”
“He’d stepped back from the Lodge in recent years so we haven’t been as close as we once were, but yes, he’ll be missed. The whole of Winter Lake will miss him. He’s the mayor and he has all these community projects that help out the town, its people. He’s always been a driving force, involved in everything in one way or another. I’m not sure what will happen now.” He leaned over and put his bowl on the dock beneath his chair, the stew untouched. “I don’t think I’m going to be good company tonight.”
“That’s okay. I don’t mind the quiet.”
Reena placed her own bowl down then tipped her head back to look up at the twinkling sky.
Reaching over she grabbed Rush’s hand and weaved their fingers together as best she could with them both wearing gloves.
He didn’t protest and she took that to mean he was happy for her to stay. If he asked her to leave him alone, she would. But she remembered the dark, the ache that filled the chest, and she knew he’d find comfort in just having her close.
They didn’t have to talk. She didn’t need entertaining and he didn’t need idle chatter.
With the stars brightening above them and the night growing darker around them, she listened to the sounds of the forest, of ice cracking on the lake, of life, and remembered what it was like to need the peace.
Chapter Six
“You ready?”
“No.”
Rush laughed. “Yes, you are. Come on. There’s a reward when we get up there.”
“What kind of reward?” Reena asked as she settled her backpack on her shoulders.
“Might be chocolate.” He grinned.
“Hank’s?” She followed him as he walked backward away from his truck.
“You’ll have to get to the top to find out.” He reached out a hand. “Let’s do this.”
“You sure I’m ready for this?”
“Reena.” He squeezed her hand when it slid into his. “You can do this.”
She blew out a breath. “You’ll carry me if I can’t?”
Laughing, he turned around and tugged her onto the trail. “I won’t need to.”
He wouldn’t. They had spent every free moment in the last two weeks hiking in and around Winter Lake. He’d even convinced her to take a boat out on the lake early one morning. That had taken some fast talking but he’d finally convinced her the sheets of ice still covering the lake in places weren’t going to sink them like the Titanic.
“Have I steered you wrong so far?” he asked as he pick
ed up the pace. He wanted to get there before the sun hit its peak. Plus if need be, they could take their time coming down after their picnic.
“No. In fact you seem to know what I’m capable of better than me,” she grumbled.
Swinging their joined hands between them he asked, “You ready to head home?”
She glanced at him, the look in her eyes unidentifiable. “No.”
“You could extend your stay.”
Reena sighed. “I wish I could.”
They hadn’t talked about what would happen when she left but with her time almost up, Rush couldn’t think about anything else. Except he didn’t want to end her holiday on a bad note; there had already been enough sadness during her stay, so he’d take their conversation—and minds—in a different direction.
“I know you said taking the boat out on the lake at dawn was your favorite thing so far but I think you’re about to discover something that trumps that.”
“It’s that good up here?”
“Better.” He moved in front of her as the trail thinned, his arm twisted behind him so he didn’t have to let go of her hand. “Remember how you lost your breath at Lake View Lookout? Well, be prepared for your heart to stop this time.”
“I hope you know CPR,” she joked.
Rush smiled. “Oh, yeah, I’ve got you covered.” He couldn’t wait to kiss her at the top of the ridge.
They’d done a fair amount of making out over the last two weeks. Nothing too heavy. Although he had made it to second base on more than one occasion.
It was funny, he’d never bothered with the lead up to sex before. Sure, he was as good as the next guy at foreplay but it had always been about hitting the home run. With Reena, it was the whole game.
She was heading home tomorrow morning and he hadn’t even gotten her naked. And if he were honest, he didn’t care. Not that he didn’t want to. But he’d enjoyed every minute with her.
She’d helped him through those first dark days after Harry’s accident and he had to admit she had a way of turning the aching loss he felt into a positive thing. She’d been quick to point out he’d loved and been loved and that his life, while empty of that connection now, was still full of that love.