by Jill Sanders
For those that stayed, new homes were built. Some took longer than others and for the first years most families were crammed into modular government trailers.
When homes did start to sprout up, he’d been there, helping his neighbors rebuild.
Leaving the city and his own dream of medical school behind, he’d returned to the charred remains of the home he’d known. His family had been broken after the loss of his brother, but they’d pulled together. With their family home burned to the ground, his mother had moved in with his grandmother.
It had taken them close to a year to rebuild his childhood home, which his mother still lived in. His father had died shortly after his tenth birthday while he was stationed overseas. The day they had received word that his team had been caught in a road bombing had been the worst and yet the best day of Cade’s life.
Reggie hadn’t really remembered their father, but Cade had held some memories that he couldn’t shake.
Shortly after returning home, Cade had started working for the fire house and soon after had taken over as fire marshal, thanks to his uncle, Sean, having some pull down at the station. Sean Stone had worked for the Cannon Falls police department for as long as Cade could remember. His father’s younger brother had been the perfect male role model most of Cade’s and Reggie’s lives, the one their father should have been when he’d been alive.
Sean had helped Cade purchase land from a family that had wanted to move on and then helped as Cade spent the next year building his own home.
He’d been thankful he’d had the opportunity to do so, thanks to the position. He’d seen others struggling to recover after losing everything. He’d helped others rebuild, recover, and move on while the person who had been responsible for the destruction had run and hid.
He wasn’t going to lose the opportunity to get answers from Raven one way or another, even if he had to play dirty. He wasn’t going to let her get away, not this time.
Cannon Falls deserved answers. He deserved answers.
For the remainder of his workweek, he tried to formulate a plan to get Raven to open up to him. His first plan of strong-arming answers out of her just wasn’t going to work. He’d witnessed what kind of person she was and, as much as he’d like to demonize her for her past transgressions, he just couldn’t now. Whoever she’d been ten years ago, that girl was long gone.
Each day Raven was in charge of the resort, the entire town buzzed with news of her hiring more and more workers, utilizing local businesses and suppliers.
He couldn’t deny that Raven’s return was a good thing for the town. Which meant that he had to change his tactics to get information from her.
He hadn’t even seen Raven back in town again. He’d overheard that she’d been extremely busy at the resort making changes. She even called his office and scheduled a full fire inspection for the following day. He was going to oversee it personally.
He’d been so preoccupied with his plans to get closer to Raven so he could get answers that he hadn’t been paying attention and had bumped into Heather Craft in the grocery store aisle.
Heather had been in the same class as Raven, Darby, and Carrie. For the life of him, he couldn’t remember ever having seen the girl before he’d moved back to town after the fire. He did, however, remember her family.
He remembered the name of every single person who had died ten years ago, including both of Raven’s and Heather’s parents. Since Raven didn’t have any family left in town, she’d been shipped off to her grandmother in southern California, while Heather had an aunt whose home had survived just on the outskirts of town. The girl had quickly gained a reputation shortly after the fire as the town’s biggest partier. Maybe that was why he couldn’t remember her. He’d never really been in the party scene. Both Reggie and he had been into sports, any and all sports.
It had gotten him a scholarship to the University of California. Two years after heading to San Francisco, he’d watched the news in his dorm room about the fire ravaging his hometown. Moments later, he’d gotten the call from his mother that she and his grandmother were okay, but they were searching for Reggie in the midst of the evacuation.
He’d spent the next hours calling and recalling his brother’s cell phone as he headed north to help.
They’d been together when they’d gotten the news, days later, that Reggie had been found. It had been the worst day of his life, one that had sparked so many questions. Over the years, his list had just grown.
“Evening, Heather,” he said as he tried to avoid tipping her over. He wished he had been on the lookout better. The woman had several bottles of wine in her cart and nothing else.
“Cade Stone.” Her eyes ran up and down him. “Fancy running into you here,” she practically purred.
Heather was easily one of the better-looking single women in town. She was tall, slender and fit, had long dark caramel-colored hair, and always wore very stylish clothes. Still, there was something about Heather that had made him keep his distance over the years. Especially after she’d made it clear that she was extremely interested in him a few months ago.
Heather was very persistent and often showed up at his work with homemade meals for his crew, a nice gesture that had gained her a lot of attention from the other single men on his squad.
He tried to steer clear of her anytime she showed up or if he bumped into her in town. Now, however, he was stuck and figured he would stop and chat with her. Maybe he could see if Heather knew anything about Raven that might be useful.
“I heard you’ve been hired on at the resort.” He shifted his basket slightly so he could move a little closer to her. Instantly, he saw desire flash in the woman’s eyes.
“Yes.” She smiled. “I’ll be bartending there on the weekends.” She leaned into his chest slightly, lifting her hand to his shoulder. “You should swing by sometime and…”—her eyes ran up his chest to his mouth— “come check me out.”
“I might just do that. So, you must have been close to Raven?” he asked.
Heather’s eyes narrowed slightly, betraying her true feelings. He wondered if Heather blamed Raven for her parents’ deaths just like so many others in town.
“Not really. We were in the same class, but…” She shrugged. “That’s about it. I don’t think Raven knew that I existed back in school.”
“Oh?” He frowned slightly. “I thought you, Reggie, and Raven hung around in the same circles?”
Heather laughed, the sound almost a cackle. “No, hardly. Reggie was… untouchable, and Raven, well, she was…” She shook her head. “No, we didn’t run in the same circles.”
“Yet she hired you,” he pointed out.
“She didn’t, personally. One of the resort’s two managers, Rachelle Braun, hired me. Rachelle was a friend of my mother’s,” she added with a slight sigh.
“Well, at least it’s nice that Raven is hiring so many locals.” He changed tactics.
“Hardly. Who else is she supposed to hire?” Heather giggled again. “I mean”—she motioned to the town— “there’s barely anyone left, and it’s been ten years.” He saw something close to anger cross her eyes.
It was obvious how Heather felt towards Raven. But since the girl had been bouncing between jobs all over town, he figured she needed the work just like everyone else in town.
“You know, rumors have it that Raven’s come into a great deal of money,” Heather added.
“Oh?” He tried not to recoil when her hand moved to his chest. The last thing he wanted to do was lead the girl on.
“Yes.” She pretended to straighten his collar as she shifted her hips closer to his. “It would be a shame if she spent it all on the resort only to have it fail.”
He opened his mouth to respond, but then Heather’s eyes moved past him, and such a look of pleasure crossed her face that he glanced over to see who had caused it.
He felt his entire body go on guard when he noticed Raven standing a few feet away, assessing the pair of
them. Each time he saw her, his body reacted the same way, telling him it was past time to find someone to help him release his pent-up sexual frustration.
It was then that he realized that Heather had practically wrapped herself around him. And they were standing in the middle of an aisle in a very public place.
Reaching up, he dislodged Heather and took a step back. “I’d better get back to shopping,” he said, stepping away.
“Don’t forget to come see me later,” Heather called after him as he continued down the aisle.
He noticed Heather making her way to the checkout counter as he headed towards the freezer section in the back.
He hadn’t planned on talking with Raven, since he figured he’d see her in the morning, but when he was reaching for some chicken, he heard her directly behind him.
“You don’t want that kind,” she said easily.
He glanced over at her in question. “Oh? Why not?”
“There was a report on the news about a possible E. coli outbreak. It shouldn’t be on the shelves.” She glanced around as if looking for someone who worked there.
“Thanks.” He set the container back and put a different brand in his basket. “I wouldn’t think someone as busy as you would have time to watch much news.” He watched her grab a container of some cold cuts.
He didn’t normally spy on what women bought at the store, but the difference between Heather’s and Raven’s carts was striking. Raven had some feminine products, shampoo bottles, a loaf of healthy grain bread, some sliced cheese, fruit, and spicy mustard.
“Not a big cook?” he asked, motioning to her cart.
She glanced at his basket, and he looked down at the items he’d already gotten. Besides the chicken, he had a few steaks, some raw veggies he planned to grill up, a couple bags of potato chips, a large bag of dog food, and toilet paper, since Blue had decided to chew on his last roll that morning.
“I don’t have a kitchen in my rooms,” she said easily. “Having a dinner party?”
“My gran is coming over,” he answered. “She likes red meat.”
Raven nodded slightly. “Oh? I would have thought that you and Heather…” She glanced to where the woman had left out the front door.
His eyebrows shot up and then he laughed. Just the thought of him and Heather together, in that capacity… it was beyond humorous.
Chapter Five
Fire in the heart sends smoke into the head.
Raven didn’t know what had caused her to say what she’d just said to Cade.
When she’d turned the aisle in the grocery store and had seen Heather wrapped around Cade, she’d been… jealous.
Maybe it was her and Heather’s past rearing its evil head. Maybe it was the fact that she still, after all these years, couldn’t stand the other woman.
Whatever the reason, she’d tried not to think about it, until she’d bumped into Cade and then the words had just flown out. She regretted them the instant they left her lips, and she felt her face heat. Then he started laughing at her, and her temper reared its head.
After all, she’d been gone for ten years. She had no idea about any of the dynamics in the town. After what she’d witnessed earlier, it seemed clear that he and Heather were… involved.
“After the little display earlier, I assumed.” She narrowed her eyes.
He sobered and shrugged. “Heather has had a thing.” He rolled his eyes slightly. “She’s been…” He shook his head. “I’ve been avoiding her for a while now.”
“Oh?” She felt herself settle down again. “I guess not much has changed in that arena.” She stepped past him to continue her shopping. She hadn’t expected him to fall in step with her.
“How about you?” he asked. She stopped and glanced at him.
“Me?”
“I haven’t heard about anyone following you into Cannon Falls. Did you leave a trail of broken hearts in San Diego?” he asked casually.
How had they gotten on this topic? Oh, right, she’d started it.
“No,” she answered. “No trail of broken hearts that I’m aware of.” She put a bag of her favorite chocolates in her cart. Even though her rooms didn’t have a kitchen, she figured she could keep some of the basics so she wouldn’t have to run down to the kitchens all the time.
The small fridge was plenty large enough to hold a couple days’ worth of meals, and she was tired of using the tiny bottles of shampoo and conditioner each day.
“My gran was excited to hear that you were back in town. She wouldn’t mind a visit from you.” He stopped her by putting a hand on her arm. “You should come over tonight. She’d love to catch up with you.”
Raven’s first instinct was to decline. But Janice Williams had been one of Raven’s favorite teachers. The woman had been a close friend to not only her grandmother, but her mother as well.
She hadn’t had a chance to talk to the woman since coming back in town. It had been on her to-do list. She had something special that she was supposed to give her from her own grandmother.
Thinking about it, she figured that having Cade there as a buffer might make the difficult situation a whole lot easier.
“I’d like that,” she finally said.
“Great.” He pulled out his phone and held it up. “Put in your number. I’ll text you the details.”
Here, she hesitated. She hadn’t given anyone in town her private number except for Carrie and Darby.
Shortly after the fire, someone in town had leaked her number, and she’d spent the next year getting hate calls at all hours of the day. She understood that there were still a lot of people in town that blamed her and wanted her gone.
“I won’t share your number with anyone,” Cade finally said softly, “if that is what you’re worried about.”
Straightening her shoulders, she took his phone and added in her contact information.
“Great,” he said, tucking his phone back in his pocket. “I’ll text you the details later.”
“Should I bring anything?” she asked.
“My grandmother loves red wine,” he answered easily as he turned to head the other direction. “Any red wine,” he called over his shoulder.
As she finished up her shopping, she added a bottle of her favorite red wine to the mix. She saw Cade leave a few minutes before she made her way up to the checkout.
There were two clerks working the front. She waited in line to be checked out, and just as she started unloading her items, the middle-aged woman took one look at her, narrowed her eyes and gave her a terrible look, then set a closed sign on the counter and walked away without a word.
Raven held in her anger and moved over to wait in the next line. When the other woman did the same thing, Raven felt her temper boil. It was obvious they were doing this on purpose. She didn’t know what she’d done to either of the women, but after the last week she’d had, she knew there were still some in town that didn’t want her around. Since she was now the only person waiting to be checked out, she knew their actions were directly aimed at her.
“I’ll just leave my money here then.” She took some cash out of her purse and laid it on the counter.
“Can I help you?” a man said, getting her attention.
She glanced over to see a man walking towards her from the manager’s office.
“Yes, I’d like to check out.” She motioned to her items.
The man glanced around and frowned before heading over to start checking her out.
“I’m sorry about this,” he said easily.
“Don’t be.” She sighed as she read his nametag. “Peter.” Then she frowned. “Peter Eggert?” she asked, a little surprised.
“Yes.” The man frowned at her. “And you are?”
“Raven, Raven Brooks. I used to babysit you when you were…” She held up her hand to her hip. “This high.” She smiled.
“Raven?” He shook his head. “Of course. I’d heard you were back in town. How are you?” he asked as he continued to
work to check her out.
She didn’t want to mention the two women. Whatever their beef with her was, she wasn’t going to be responsible for getting them fired. So, when Peter apologized that someone hadn’t been there to help her, she shrugged and told him it was no problem.
The fact was, she’d received the cold shoulder from so many in town. It was one of the reasons she’d had Rachelle doing all the hiring. It was the woman’s job anyway, and so far, it appeared that Rachelle was enthusiastic about the changes Raven was making around the resort.
She’d spent an entire day going over all of the employee’s files and had to admit that Rachelle was the most qualified. There was no doubt that the woman had been the only one working hard in the past few years.
From what Raven could tell, her uncle hadn’t really done much.
After her meeting with Joe Ramsey, she trusted that the man would give her full updates on how the finances looked for the resort.
She knew that the business had been basically cut in half as far as the books went.
The hotel ran year-round and, during ski season, the lifts, rentals, and classes picked up. A glance at the numbers in the outdated system showed a serious decline in the past five years.
She didn’t know how her uncle was making it work—paying the bills, employees, and still maintaining his family’s lives.
One thing that hadn’t wavered in the last ten years had been the checks she’d received every single month. Checks she had placed in a savings account and thankfully had never touched.
Carrying her groceries inside, she passed Cemal in the lobby and waved to the girl. She’d noticed such a change in her. The day after Raven had arrived, Cemal had changed the way she’d dressed and had almost bloomed overnight. It was as if being seen for who she was had unlocked a door.
Raven was happy when Cemal had approached her and asked if it was okay for her to pick her own outfits, instead of wearing the drab uniform her uncle had requested.