Three
The dining room was about a quarter-full when Luke made his way to the lodge for lunch. The room was warm and inviting, with dark paneled walls, exposed beams, hardwood floors, and round tables decorated with small glass vases filled with wildflowers. The sight of those flowers brought a wave of pain.
Lizzie had always loved wildflowers. She was not the girl who wanted perfect roses or rare orchids; she liked flowers that grew among the weeds. She thought they were tough and resilient, kind of like her.
Lizzie had not had an easy childhood. Her father had abandoned the family when she was three. Her mother had struggled to raise her and her sister Kelly, battling depression and working long hours to try to take care of the girls. Lizzie had worked hard, too. Her college scholarship hadn't covered all of her expenses, so she'd gotten a job in the dining hall on campus, serving up bean and beef burritos.
He smiled to himself, thinking about all those bean and beef burritos he'd eaten just so he could see her for a few minutes in the middle of the day.
Now, she'd lost her sister and brother-in-law and had taken on the raising of a sullen teenage girl. Running a mountain lodge was a far cry from being a concert pianist, the dream she'd had all of her life. He couldn't quite believe she'd given it all up. On the other hand, it didn't sound as if she'd had another choice.
Lizzie came over, giving him a wary look. "You can sit anywhere you like." She handed him a menu. "Our chef makes a few specials every day. Everything is good."
He took the menu out of her hand and looked around the room. Three of the tables were filled but there was an open table by the window. He made his way over to that one. As he looked at the menu, he noted the hearty but healthy offerings: turkey chili with kale salad, roasted chicken and organic vegetables, grilled salmon and quinoa.
Lizzie had told him everything was good and right now everything looked good to him. When a young guy came over to take his order, he settled on the roasted chicken and added a cup of clam chowder to start.
While he was waiting for his food, he glanced over at Lizzie, who was chatting with one of the guests, giving them tips on which hiking trail to take.
She glanced away from her conversation for a brief moment, catching his eye, her gaze clinging to his for a long moment.
A warmth spread through him. He'd felt numb since hearing of his father's death, but now he felt anticipation and shockingly, a little fear.
He'd always thought Lizzie could change his life; it was one of the reasons they'd broken up. He hadn't wanted her to change his life, and she hadn't wanted him to change hers. He'd actually thought that they might never see each other again—that maybe they had to be apart in order to get what they both wanted.
But here they were—together again.
His father had known Lizzie was here, and now he knew why he'd been left the resort. His dad had always liked Lizzie; he'd thought she was good for him. In fact, when they'd broken up, his dad had told him he was a fool to let her go and that someday he'd be sorry.
That was Colin. Saying what he thought without a filter, without a care for how blunt or hurtful he might be. His father had always liked to speak the truth, but sometimes the truth was painful.
He didn't know if he'd been a fool to let her go. But he did know that he'd missed her, never more so than at this moment. He was happy when the waiter stepped between him and Lizzie to set down his meal.
He ate with enthusiasm, the creamy flavor of the clam chowder comforting and warming, the roasted chicken flavorful and energizing. He felt like he hadn't eaten in days, and for the first time since he'd gotten the news of his dad's death, he was actually hungry, which was a good thing. He was going to need strength to deal with Lizzie. He'd seen the light of battle in her eyes when he'd mentioned selling the resort, and he knew what that look meant. She wasn't going to give up without a fight.
He just had to figure out what he wanted to fight for. He knew next to nothing about the resort. Before he made any decisions, he needed to find out exactly what value the property held and whether it was worth keeping. There had been so few things in his life that he'd ever wanted to keep; he couldn't quite imagine coming to that decision. But if Lizzie wanted a chance to change his mind, he'd give her that.
He hadn’t been ready to see her again, but he was even less ready to say good-bye—for the second time.
* * *
Lizzie dropped a thick file folder onto the table as Luke finished his lunch.
He wiped his mouth with a napkin. "What's that?"
She slid into the chair across from him. "Accounting reports from the last six months. You'll see that since I got the job, profits have gone up."
He didn't bother to open the file. "You know, I'm not a numbers guy."
"I can summarize things for you. If you're the new owner of the lodge, then you should know how things are going."
"Or I could just sell the place."
"I'm sure that would be the easiest thing for you. You're very good at leaving and not looking back."
There was an edge to her voice and anger in her eyes now. "I thought we weren't making this personal, Lizzie. Do you really want to talk about the past? Because I don't think you're going to come out all that well."
"That's the last thing I want to talk about," she said quickly. "I'm only concerned about the present and the future. Some of us have responsibilities." She blew out a breath. "Why did your father have to leave the resort to you?"
"I suspect it has something to do with you, but I can't ask him."
Her anger dimmed at the reminder. "I am sorry about your dad. He was one of a kind. He wasn't always the best man, but he was always true to himself."
"He was definitely that," he agreed.
"He told me that you two hadn't seen each other much the last few years."
"You talked to him about me?"
"Only briefly. He said he missed you more than you'd probably believe."
"Yeah, right." He didn't believe that for one second.
"And that in some ways, you were the most like him of all of his sons," she added.
"That's not true at all. If anyone is like him, it's James, or maybe Gabe. They like wearing suits and ties and making lots of money."
"Most people do—at least, the making money part." She paused. "Look, I know that I probably can't make a case that will change your mind, but at least spend a few days here. You might like it. We're now offering several adventure packages. We have guides to take guests into the mountains on rock climbing and hiking expeditions. We have a dozen horseback riding trails through some of the prettiest countryside in the world. There's river rafting and a new zip line course a few miles down the road. You like all that stuff. You could have fun here."
"You sound like a brochure. And I can't believe you would put in a zip line course. You don't like heights."
"There are a lot of things I don’t like that I have to deal with," she said sharply. "And it doesn't matter what I like; it's about what will sell, what will bring people to the resort and keep them coming back. I have a lot of ideas that I still want to implement. I just need a little time."
She licked her lips in an anxious manner that once again sent a wave of emotion and reckless desire through him. He had to fight the urge to lean across the table and kiss her concerns away like he'd done so many times before.
"You shouldn't make a decision this big too fast," she added. "You're grieving. You're shocked. Look through the financials. Talk to the accountants. Get some advice. And most of all, spend some time here."
"I suppose I could take a few days," he conceded, although he suspected that even one more day with Lizzie was probably one too many.
"Good," she said, relief filling her blue eyes. "The first thing you should do is see the property. I can take you out this afternoon if you're up for it."
"All right. Let's go now," he said, tossing his napkin onto the table.
For a moment, panic filled her ey
es. "Right now?"
"Why not?"
"No reason. You're right. Now is good. I'll meet you out front in twenty minutes. I need to make sure Tina can cover the front desk while we're gone." She pushed the file folder toward him. "Take this with you. You'll want to read it later."
He doubted he'd ever want to read it, but he took the file with him as he left the dining room.
* * *
Liz didn't know why she felt nervous, but as she walked out front to meet Luke twenty minutes later, her palms were sweating and her pulse was racing too fast. She should not be having such a strong reaction to a man who had hurt her deeply, a man she'd already cried far too many tears over, a man who should have stayed in her past.
She had enough on her plate without adding Luke into the mix, but she didn't have a choice. If she wanted to keep her job and her home, she had to convince Luke to hang on to the resort. Once he made a decision to keep the property, he could let his lawyers or accountants deal with her. They wouldn't have to spend time together or talk to each other. He could continue to wander the world, and she could live her life. It could work.
She just had to convince him of that fact.
Luke came down the road from his cabin with the attractive, confident swagger that always got to her. How many times in college had she waited for him just like this? How many times had he grabbed her, kissed the breath out of her, and given her that sexy smile as he said, Hey, babe, I missed you, when he'd seen her only hours before?
She drew in a breath, telling herself to get out of the past. But it was difficult to look away when everything about him was so compelling, when her body wanted to remember his touch, his taste, his kiss, even as her brain told her to put the walls up, protect herself.
This was Luke. She'd hurt him. He'd hurt her. None of that could happen again.
Luke looked like he'd just stepped out of the shower. He'd changed into a clean pair of jeans and a navy T-shirt, and his beard was neatly trimmed. He had more energy now. She hoped that was a positive sign. Maybe if he wasn't so dogged with grief and sadness and probably anger, she could appeal to his common sense, business side.
She almost smiled at the thought of Luke having a business side. The last thing he'd ever wanted to do was business. He'd rejected every opportunity his father had thrown at him and swore he'd never wear a suit and tie or go to a nine-to-five job. So far, he'd kept that promise, at least from what she knew about him, which was probably more than she should know. But Luke was a Brannigan, and Brannigan adventures were often reported in the press, especially when the Brannigan was as sexy and single as Luke was. She knew his movies featuring extreme sports had done very well; she just hadn't watched any of them. It was one thing to catch a glimpse of a random photo of Luke and another to watch him on film, talking, laughing, hiking, risking his life…
"I'm ready," he said, interrupting her rambling thoughts. "Are we walking, driving, or riding?"
"Riding, but not one of the horses." She pointed to the nearby golf cart. "That will get us everywhere we want to go."
"Everywhere?" he challenged. "I've found that the places most worth seeing are usually hard to get to."
"Well, we're not climbing any mountains today."
"Too bad. That would probably seal the deal for you."
She waved him toward the golf cart. She was willing to do a lot to hang on to her job, but climbing a mountain wasn't one of them, especially not the way Luke liked to climb, attacking sheer rock cliffs with picks and rope and reckless determination.
She slid behind the wheel of the cart as Luke got into the passenger side. They were a lot closer than she wanted to be. She was suddenly very aware of everything about him: the soapy scent of his skin and the power of his thighs that were so close to hers. She could almost feel the weight of his body on hers, his thighs against her leg, pinning her to the mattress as he made love to her.
Butterflies danced through her stomach, and she drew in a quick breath of mountain air. It was a mistake asking Luke to stay but what choice did she have? She just had to hope she could keep her distance, get his agreement and send him out of town before she could want him again.
Their overwhelming passion for each other had once consumed her, and getting over Luke had been the hardest thing she'd ever done. She couldn't imagine having to go through that a second time.
"How many horses do you have?" Luke asked.
She was surprised that he was interested enough to ask a question. She'd thought this outing would be one long sales pitch for her. "We have eight. Tom Gordon runs the stables. He's been at the resort for almost two decades."
"The white-haired guy?"
She nodded. "That's him."
"I think he gave me a lesson when I was seven."
"You've been here before?" she asked in surprise.
She knew that Colin and his wife had first met at the resort, but Colin hadn't mentioned any trips to the lodge with his family. He'd told her he'd bought the property in honor of his wife when it had gone up for sale two years ago, but once he had the deed in his hands, he couldn't bring himself to go there. It was just too painful.
"A family trip," Luke replied. "It was about five months before my mom died. Dad never brought us back after that."
"It was probably too difficult for him. This place was special because it's where your father met your mother."
"I guess, but he didn't really take us anywhere after she died, and I don't think that's because every spot held painful sentiment."
Hearing the bitterness in his voice, she realized that talking about his father was probably not the way to get Luke on her side. She needed to get him to look at the resort as a good financial investment, not that he cared about that kind of stuff. But he did care about nature and about people living life to the fullest. That's the angle she needed to work. Make him see that the resort provided an opportunity for visitors to have experiences they might not get anywhere else.
The resort was situated near one of the most spectacular parks in the world. Yosemite was a big draw, and their location was even better because they were just outside the park but still close enough to take advantage of all that it had to offer.
She drove under a canopy of trees and then pointed to a nearby meadow where an archery range had been set up. "Archery has been super popular this summer—both kids and adults. There's no one here today, but on the weekends it's hopping."
"I can't imagine anything more boring," he drawled.
It wasn't her thing, either, but she'd seen a lot of her customers enjoy it. "We have other activities, too. This resort has so much potential, Luke. The previous owners were elderly and running out of money before they finally had to sell to your father, so things got run-down. But we've been making great strides toward bringing everything back to life." She shot him a quick look, but his expression was unreadable, so she continued the tour around the property.
She pointed out the riding trails, the fishing pond, the rock wall for kids, and the acres of open land around the property. She wound her way up one of the nearby foothills, stopping at an overlook to show him the mountains and the river beyond. Then she got out of the cart and walked over to a bench that overlooked a canyon.
Luke followed, his gaze sweeping the view.
"Not bad, huh?" she challenged, certain that there was a part of Luke that would respond to this magnificent vista.
"Not bad," he admitted, digging his hands into his pockets.
"That's El Capitan over there." She pointed to one of Yosemite's most notable mountain peaks.
He nodded. "I've been up there."
"Of course you have. So you know how much this area has to offer. With just a few changes and a little more investment, this resort could be a premier destination vacation for not just families but also thrill seekers."
"You hate thrill seekers. Why would you want to attract them?"
She sighed. "I don't hate thrill seekers, and we are not talking about us, Luke."
"Maybe we should."
He stepped forward, and she had to fight the urge to step back, but the last thing she wanted was to show any weakness.
"This place is not you, Lizzie," he said, giving her a puzzled look. "Why are you fighting so hard to stay here? I can't imagine you like it that much. You never even wanted to go camping with me. You said there was too much dirt, too many bugs, that nature wasn't your thing."
"That was a long time ago." She paused. "You're right. I wasn't into country getaways before; I was a city girl. But since I've started working here, I've come to appreciate the beauty around me. I thought I would hate all the quiet, but it's comforting after the year I've had. Most importantly, this place is good for Kaitlyn."
"But what about your music? Your career? It meant everything to you. If you couldn't play the piano, you couldn't breathe. Why couldn't you rent a place in LA or some other city and raise Kaitlyn there? Why did you have to come all the way out here?"
"I tried to make Los Angeles work in the beginning. I couldn't keep the house my sister was renting; it was too expensive. But I was able to get a one-bedroom apartment for Kaitlyn and myself. I gave her the bedroom and I slept on the couch. I wanted to keep her in her school and with her friends, but she went wild after the funeral, Luke. She was angry and rebellious and getting into all kinds of trouble. She turned away from her old friends and fell in with a wild crowd. She came home after school one day, and she was drunk and had two new piercings in her ear. I had no idea what to do. Then one of the moms at the school called me and said she saw Kaitlyn smoking with a bunch of older boys outside of a sandwich shop when she was supposed to be at school. She was worried about Kaitlyn, and so was I. That's when I realized I had to make a big move. It was terrifying, but the job up here with a place to stay was the very best alternative."
He gazed back at her. "But you gave up your whole life."
"So I could protect Kaitlyn's. Someday maybe I'll get back to music, but I can't worry about that now. I have bigger problems. Life isn't always about dreams; sometimes it's just about survival. Right now, I'm raising a kid who doesn't like me much and likes her new home even less. But I still think it's the best place for both of us. So that's it. That's my story."
Luke (7 Brides for 7 Brothers Book 1) Page 4