by Gemma Snow
“You can eat off our kitchen counter,” Micah said in a low voice, unable to keep the spark of mischief from coming through.
“Hey!” Maddy shouted from across the fire pit, where she’d no doubt been canoodling in some fashion or another. Dec just raised an eyebrow at Lily.
“Ass-free counters,” he said, ignoring Micah’s very large eye roll. “Think about it…”
Lily tried to hold back a smirk and didn’t do a very good job of it. Finally, she just grinned that mega smile that kept throwing him off his game.
“Fine.” She dragged the word out. “But just for the one night.”
But as she finished her drink and went inside to grab her stuff, Dec had the feeling that even one night in the same cabin in the mountains as Lily Hollis was a very dangerous freaking idea, indeed.
* * * *
Dec and Micah’s cabin was straight out of an L.L. Bean catalog. When Lily climbed out of Micah’s truck, her duffel bag slung over one shoulder and her research kit in her hand, she felt a little as though she’d stumbled into a stock photo of people camping. The cabin was large and rustic, flanked by pine trees on two sides and a gorgeous navy sky filled with stars shining high above.
“What’s that building?” she asked, pointing to another, smaller cabin a little way away. Everything smelled rich and crisp, like fresh, chilly air and fallen, crunchy leaves and sweet, tangy apples. Running her own business had taken weekends, nights and any vacation days she might have had, and a rush of nostalgia for her college camping trips and adventures swamped her.
“That’s where we keep the dogs,” Micah said, “and half a mile down the trail is the survival camp ropes course and obstacle course and the bunker.” He walked up behind her, his hands shoved into his jeans pockets, shoulders slung back. Oh, yeah, forget the mountain range and the night sky. She had pretty much the best view—views—in the world, watching him and Dec standing on the mountain as though it was their kingdom. Christ on a cracker, coming here was a mistake, a really big mistake.
“Most of the dogs.” Dec appeared at her side. “And the horses. Axel and Rosie are spoiled brats, so they sleep with us.” And damn it to hell, Lily had the sudden, flashing thought of exactly what it would be like to sleep beside one of these men. Both of these men. It’s just because you saw Maddy and her harem this afternoon, nothing more. Most relationships are a one-to-one thing. The only problem was she couldn’t seem to pick which one.
“So, what exactly is survival camp?” she asked, because it was safer to keep talking than to be left alone with her thoughts.
“We train teams and individuals in survival techniques,” Dec said, shrugging. “Kids looking to go into the army or become rangers, search-and-rescue dog teams, people like that. It lets us both work S&R for Lewis and Clark County and keep working.” His voice was calm and even, but Lily got the impression that this survival camp, whatever that meant, was just as much a labor of love as her shop back home in California.
She was distracted by the faint sound of dogs whimpering and followed the two men into the cabin. The interior was even more rustic and homey than it had appeared from outside, distinctly masculine and smelling of pine and rich coffee and brisk mountain air and warm flannel straight from the dryer.
It didn’t hurt that two beautiful, smiling golden retrievers greeted them at the door, first looking to both Dec and Micah for command then turning all their attention to the stranger in the room.
“Ruffians,” Dec murmured, his voice full of affection, as he rubbed the closer dog’s head. “The one with the purple collar is Axel.” He nodded at the dog, now pressing his wet nose into Lily’s ear. “And this is Rosie.” Lily would have sworn Rosie smiled when Dec said her name, then Rosie joined in the kissing. Lily laughed at the tickling sensation but didn’t pull away.
“You could have just told me about the dogs,” she said, “I can’t believe you got me to stay here by promising clean counters.”
Micah snorted and scratched Axel behind the floppy ear. “It’s a surprisingly effective selling point, isn’t it? But this old place hasn’t seen any action in a good long time.”
She was pretty sure her gulp was audible, but the door shut loudly behind her and neither man seemed to notice.
“Psh, you two, I don’t believe that.”
Because of the open floor plan, she could see Dec standing in the kitchen and he turned away from the open refrigerator to raise one eyebrow at her.
“I think that might have been a compliment.” He held up a beer and she shrugged and nodded. The more liquid courage she could get, the better off she was. Right. Until she let that liquid courage send her on a very dangerous journey toward what she really shouldn’t want right now and would definitely regret in the morning.
“You know it was,” she said, sitting down on the couch before the fireplace and accepting the beer Dec held out to her. “It can’t come as a shock to either of you that you’re both handsome men.”
Their laughs were different. Dec had the laugh of a blazing fire, hot and exciting and combustible. Micah’s laugh was rolling thunder, low and rough and full. In that moment, Lily couldn’t pick a favorite. Fuck me. No. Jesus Christ on a candy cane, this is such a bad idea.
“You’re going to bloat our egos,” Micah said, settling onto the couch across from her. “Not every day a woman as beautiful as you tells a couple of mountain dwellers they’re handsome.”
She’d always been a blusher and now was no different. Her cheeks heated red and she licked her lips before thinking better of it. Dangerous territory she was traversing here. Maybe just going to bed was the smartest option, removing temptation and all that.
The problem was, she kind of liked the temptation. It had been so freaking long since she’d felt anything even resembling desire for a stranger and here she felt it for two. If that wasn’t reason to celebrate, if that wasn’t a step in the right direction away from the shadow of grief that had been lingering overhead for so long, she wasn’t sure what was.
“Flattery will get you everywhere,” she said with a smile. “Side note, this place is gorgeous. How long have you guys lived here?” She glanced around the cabin, with its tall ceilings and handful of landscape paintings and cozy throw blankets.
“Just when the subject was getting fun,” Dec replied. “And almost five years. Christian and Ryder helped us build it. Lewis and Clark County S&R is sponsored by the state, but we bought the land for the Black Reef Survival Camp from Mason, so we’re just on the border of Triple Diamond property, if you can believe it.”
Lily’s eyes grew wide. “No shit.” She stood up and looked out of the large picture window toward the sprawling dark world outside. “Maddy owns land up this far?”
“And more,” Micah replied. “Your sister is a rich woman.” And yet, that wasn’t exactly the reason Lily had been feeling a little envious of Maddy all night. Of course, trying to psychoanalyze the reasons she was would be a very bad idea.
She turned from the window a little too quickly and lost her balance, suddenly feeling the three glasses of sangria she’d had at the party. With an undignified oomph, she landed right in Micah’s lap, spilling beer down her shirt in the process.
“I think that’s my cue to go to bed,” she said, her voice a little shakier than she was expecting and even Lily couldn’t pretend it was because of the drinking or the jet lag. No, it was the incredibly large, incredibly solid man she was currently sprawled across, the one who was looking down at her with a mixture of amusement and something deeper and far more dangerous in his eyes. A long strand of his ink-black hair fell across his eyes and Lily had to fight not to push it over his ear. Red alert. Red alert.
She was up and off his lap in a split second. “Which room should I drop my bag in?” Christ on a cream pie, her face was definitely flushing now. Part of her wanted to chug the rest of her beer down just to cool her body temperature and part of her knew that with all the testosterone making what was a very large
room seem so incredibly small, there wasn’t much hope for cooling down.
“Down the hall, first door on your right,” Dec said. He stood up from the couch and grabbed her duffel bag and research kit from where she’d dropped them near the door. “Come on. I’ll show you.”
Not a good idea. Especially since Lily couldn’t shake the weight of Micah’s gaze on her, or the sensation of being pressed against those hard thighs after she’d fallen into his lap. She was having a hard time getting her bearings.
“I can find it,” she said, grabbing her bags from him and plastering her face with an overly bright smile. “Thanks again for letting me check out the field options up here, guys! See you in the morning.” Oh, yeah, she sounded like a nut, what with the pinched, high tone of her voice and that stupid smile. But sounding like a nut was far safer than letting Dec McCormick or Micah Ellison walk her to the room she was using in their house, in the middle of the night, with her defenses down. Because her defenses were clearly down. There was no other explanation for this madness.
Before either of them had the chance to respond, Lily escaped down the hall and into the first room on the right, shutting the door firmly behind her and pressing her back against the wood, as if that might keep out some of the whirlwind of madness swirling around just outside.
Coming here, to Montana, to her sister’s ranch and unorthodox relationship, had already been fraught with complication, with memories, with all the reasons she’d left the field and started up the shop in the first place. She hadn’t expected any part of this trip to be easy or straightforward.
But for the first time since she’d received Dr. Malachi’s response email, Lily couldn’t help but think that her return to the field after five years, her facing up to so many things she’d pushed down for so long, was all going to be a lot more complicated—for reasons she couldn’t have ever expected.
Chapter Four
The sun rose early the next morning, or maybe she’d just gone to bed late, not realizing that there was an enormous picture window on the far side of the room until it woke her with brilliant streaks of golden and red, the same color as swashes of trees outside, breaking through the early fog. She pulled on her comfiest jeans and a flannel jacket, perfect for the crisp weather they’d enjoyed at the party last night, and headed outside, suddenly desperate to feel the wind on her face.
Streaks of sunrise were just creeping up over the far side of the mountain, lifting the shadows of the valleys below, and Lily caught a glimpse of the far-off roof of the Holmwood B&B down on Maddy’s ranch, and the winding dirt road Micah had driven them back on late last night. She was still on San Francisco time, which was how she justified sleeping in until after seven, something that she as a business owner hadn’t done in a long time.
But though she’d spent the day traveling and the evening partying with the wonderful folks of Wolf Creek, Lily hadn’t been able to fall asleep until way too late the night before. She’d been exhausted, but her mind had whirled in loops and kept her awake, questioning, wondering, thinking.
A gust of wind whipped her hair and she closed her eyes to better feel the breeze and the soft, weak sunshine on her face, to better smell the crisp leaves and that bite of morning cold and the dirt below her feet. How had she gone so long without dirt beneath her feet and wind in her hair? Here, at the edge of this mountainside, looking over the great valleys and hills below, she felt a little part of herself clink back into place.
And, sure as she’d expected to feel last night, she finally fell over the fine line, giving in to the guilt she had been skirting around since sending the email to her research advisor over a month ago. There was a very good reason she hadn’t left the city in months, a fact Mia had reminded her of when Lily fussed over the orders and the scheduling. A Rose By Any Other Name was her baby, her pride and joy…and yet, maybe it was the distance in miles or the distance in something else altogether that made that silly little shop in the middle of an asphalt jungle feel less important this morning.
Which transformed the tinge of guilt at the back of her mind into a full, gnawing weight, and Lily opened her eyes and sighed, the moment of joy in the face of such unabashed nature gone to the memories, as so many things before it had been.
So, she walked, turning her back on the views and heading toward the second cabin, where Dec and Micah kept their search dogs. Nothing like some puppy love to settle a bad mood. The grounds were beautiful as she followed a worn foot path around a small pond, sparkling in the early streaks of sun, and toward the open back door to the barn-like structure, styled almost identically to the one Dec and Micah lived in. Far off in the distance, she could just glimpse the wooden top of a manmade structure, likely the ropes course belonging to the Black Reef Survival Camp, but it had disappeared from view when she reached the barn.
She stepped inside, enjoying the rich scent of hay and grain and wood, but stopped short at the sight that greeted her.
Dec McCormick had one fine ass.
He was bent over one of the stalls, communicating with whatever animal was on the other side of the small gate, and his jeans stretched taut across his backside, making Lily temporarily lose all sense of where and who she was. Aphrodite would be honored to eat cheesecake off that ass.
The thought was so crude and unexpected that Lily choked back a surprised laugh, catching Dec’s attention when she did. He pulled himself up out of the stall—a shame really—and turned to face her, a hint of a grin already tugging at his scruffy face. He wore a well-loved-looking fleece jacket, with hints of flannel sticking out from the bottom and even crazier than how intently she’d been checking out his ass a second ago was the thought of how Dec would be one great way to stay warm on a late October night.
“I thought I heard you come in,” he said, wiping his hands on that delicious ass and indicating for her to come over. “Wanna meet the team?”
Grateful for the distraction, Lily walked toward the stall and saw a large golden retriever and six squirming little puppies. She bit her lip to keep from squealing, but damn, if that wasn’t the cutest freaking thing she’d seen in her entire life.
“They’re precious.” She turned to look up at him, suddenly very aware of how close they stood, looking over the stall door, how she could reach out and touch his cozy-looking jacket, stroke the curve of his rough, stubbled cheek.
“Hard to believe someone just dropped them off on our doorstep, right?”
She gaped at him, indignation taking root in her gut. “You’re kidding.”
He shook his head. “Nope. We have to spay and neuter our rescue dogs, but I guess someone mistook us for an animal shelter, and dropped off half-a-dozen three week old pups and their mama.”
They’re better off here anyway. “How old are they now?”
“Just seven weeks,” Dec replied. “We’re nearly done weaning them off sweet Allie here and then we start training.”
“That soon?” She loved dogs, all animals, but when it came to working dogs, like the kind used by Seeing Eye foundations or search and rescue groups she didn’t know shit from Shinola.
Dec turned to look at her and damn the man for having eyes prettier than his butt.
“We need to determine who to keep on as search dogs and who to adopt out,” he explained. “Some take to the training naturally. Rosie and Axel both did. Bella, too. Jasper”—he indicated a dog sleeping in the stall beside them—“was a late bloomer but caught up quickly. You do this job long enough, you start to get a vibe for who’s going to work out pretty early on.”
Lily cocked her head to one side. “How long have you been doing this job?” she asked, despite the warning bells going off in her head that getting to know this man, getting to know either of these men, deeper than friendly stranger territory would only invite trouble. And yet, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to close the door on trouble just yet. It felt so good to actually want someone after so long.
“Over a decade, if you can believe,” Dec sai
d, as though he couldn’t quite believe it himself. “Like Micah said last night, I’m just not the college type.” He sighed. “I joined the military when I turned eighteen, CSAR, Combat Search and Rescue. Got a nice little medical discharge three years later.” He smacked his muscled upper thigh, giving her all the indication she would get as to why. “Wasn’t going to sit around, though. When my leg healed up, I began volunteering with the Helena S&R team, where I met Micah on a statewide search for missing twin girls.
“Round about that time, Micah had just left… Well, anyway, we were both floating around, looking for something. I don’t think either of us knew what. Anyway, we got to talking about how neither of us would ever want to feel that helpless, ya know? Long and short, we found the girls and got so drunk celebrating that we started a business together.
“I used to come up here as a kid, grew up on the other side of town, but I’d disappear for days at a time and camp out here, and when we sobered up and realized that, hey, we had a pretty good idea on our hands, I talked to Mason, Maddy’s uncle, the one who left her the ranch. Anyway, he offered to loan us the land until we could pay it off. We could never thank him for all that he did for us, that man. But we paid it off over the next few years, bringing the survival programs up to scratch and still working S&R, but for Lewis and Clark County. And now”—he look back down at the puppies—“well, here we are.”
Lily shook her head. “You guys are pretty frickin’ amazing,” she said, not looking up at him as she spoke. Just as she’d expected, hearing more about this charming-on-the-surface man had only made her like him more. Okay, fine. One step at a time.
“Takes one to know one, Ms. Hollis,” Dec said, with a difficult-to-decipher grin on his face. God, she was so close to him. If she wanted, she could tuck her hands into that comfy sweater’s pockets and yank him to her, press her body to his and…