by Lori Ryan
“Just thought you could use some hot cakes,” Cam said.
Dak stabbed four pancakes and dumped them on his plate. “For the millionth time, they’re not hot cakes, they’re pancakes.”
“Well, when you sleep with a hot woman and make her pancakes the next morning, they become hot cakes.” Cam waggled his brows. “Am I right?”
Lina stared between the two. “I swear you guys argue like two men in a relationship.”
Dak’s fork froze halfway to his mouth, syrup dripping on his lap.
“They call that a bromance,” Cam said, smiling.
“What the hell is a bromance?” Dak asked, shoving the food in his mouth.
“It’s when two guys are besties, outside of the sheets only.” Cameron walked over and tugged a napkin from the holder on the table, dropping it onto Dak’s lap.
“Thanks, mom,” Dak mocked. “And as long as you’re never inside my sheets, we’ll be just fine,” he said through a mouthful of pancakes.
Cam stood, one hand on his hip, the other wielding his spatula. “You’re not my type, Dakota Hansen.”
“Why?” Dak asked, actually sounding offended.
“First, you’ve got too much,” Cam pointed to Dak’s middle, “junk.” He glanced over at Lina. “And he’s too…” Cam hesitated and looked Dak up and down. “Burly. He’s too burly, and hairy for me.” Cam shuddered.
Lina laughed.
“Screw you,” Dak muttered, shoveling more hot cakes into his mouth. “Like you could get me.”
Lina stepped closer and wrapped her arms around Dak’s neck. “For what it’s worth, I know for a fact all the ladies in the tri-county area think you’re hot as hell and would gladly have you inside their sheets.” She kissed the top of his head and laughed, squeezing him tight.
Dak patted her arm. “Thanks,” he said, unimpressed. “I think.”
Lina studied both men. “You guys give any more thought to doing that Hot Men with Hoses calendar that Devlin Darby is doing? It benefits volunteer fire departments like Canyon Creek’s.”
Devlin Darby was a local photographer engaged to Max Sumner, a retired NFL football player. Anytime Max and Dak got together, the talk always turned to football, the game they both loved, and missed.
Devlin was pregnant, with twins, and miserable already to hear her talk. Lina had to admit the woman was really large. Which was one of the reasons she’d refused to marry Max, much to his dismay. Devlin said she didn’t want to look like a whale walking down the aisle. Max said he didn’t want his children to be illegitimate. They were both stubborn as mules and Lina couldn’t wait to see who won the fight.
She grabbed her purse off the back of a dining room chair. “Okay, guys, I’m off.”
“You ever going to get a real job?” Dak asked over his shoulder. It was his usual question anytime she left for one of her part-time gigs.
“You ever going to get rid of that perpetual scowl on your face?” she hollered back.
“Probably not,” he answered.
“Me neither.”
“Don’t bully her,” Cam said. “Everyone knows she has commitment issues.”
Lina pulled her purse over her shoulder and let it fall across her chest. “I don’t have commitment issues. I have a short attention span.”
“Same thing,” Dak grumbled.
“Hey,” Lina dug in her purse for her keys, “you guys are still coming to the meeting at the library about the highway expansion, right?”
“Yeah, yeah,” Cam said, waving her off as he sat down at the table. “We’ll be there. We took off.”
“Good, don’t forget,” she said. “The ladies of Canyon Creek tend to support whatever you guys do. And I need the support on this one.”
The Colorado Department of Transportation was proposing a highway expansion that would cost millions of dollars for taxpayers and impact their community, both environmentally and financially. The town seemed divided, some businesses excited about the increased traffic, including her mother and father. Lina wasn’t sure it was the best thing for the town, hence the tension between her and her parents right now.
Of course, there were a lot of things her mother and she didn’t see eye to eye on, only one of many reasons she didn’t work at either of her family’s restaurants.
“Have a good day,” Cam shouted.
“You, too,” she hollered over her shoulder.
“Oh, and don’t forget to take out the recycling please.”
Dak grumbled.
She waggled her fingers and scooted out of the front door, excited about seeing her friends at the lodge.
Despite what the boys said, she wasn’t a commitment-phobe. She just hadn’t found her passion in life. She loved helping people, and Canyon Creek was filled with good people, especially the Sumners. For now, that was enough.
Chapter Three
Jake sat in the rental car as it idled, staring at his mother’s house—his childhood home. Had it been a good idea to return to Canyon Creek, Colorado? He’d always loved growing up here but right now he truly didn’t know which way was up.
Since finding out he was a father, his mind had become a jumbled mess. His emotions were all over the map. He was angry he’d missed so much of his daughter’s life, hurt she’d been taken from him, scared to know she was counting on him now.
“Are we there yet?” A small voice from the back seat startled Jake.
Jeez, he’d already forgotten his daughter was with him. What kind of father did that make him?
He glanced over his shoulder.
Becca was leaning to the side, trying to peer out the passenger window. If he’d heard the question once, he’d heard it a thousand times since they’d made the long trek from the airport in Denver to Canyon Creek.
“Yes,” he said, turning off the car, “we’re here.” He unbuckled his seatbelt and stepped out of the car, walking around to Becca’s side. He opened the door, not surprised the five-year old had already unbuckled herself and was half-way out of the car seat.
“Becca, the man at the rental company said you shouldn’t unbuckle yourself.”
She stared at him like he was an idiot, something she did a lot since he’d met her two weeks ago. “We’re not moving, Jake.”
Her matter-of-fact voice was amusing. It was as if he were hearing himself talk. What could he say to that? Nothing. As usual, this little girl robbed him of words.
“Well, just promise you’ll never do it while the car is moving,” he said.
Her lip curled up and, again, the stare of idiocy washed over her face as she shook her head. If anyone had asked him a month ago, he would have thought five years old was a long way from being a teenager. He wasn’t so sure anymore.
She moved to hop out of the seat but couldn’t get around the side arm.
He laughed to himself when he thought back to the nightmare at the rental car facility. Dumbly, he’d opened the front passenger side door for Becca as though she could sit there with him. Both she and the representative scolded him and informed him of her need for a specialized seat. Apparently when it came to kids, he was dumb as dirt.
Thankfully the employee had a spare car seat. And even more thankfully, the guy knew how to install it and strap Becca in. There had been so many rules about how the seat was supposed to be fitted, and how Becca should be fastened in. All his life, Jake had felt pretty secure in his intelligence.
Until he met his daughter.
He slipped his hands under her arms and lifted her out of the car, lowering her to the ground with ease. “Let me get our bags and we can go inside.”
The move served to remind them both how awkward they were with each other. He wanted to wrap his arms around his daughter and hug her tiny frame to him. He wished she would put her arms around his neck and squeeze.
Neither of them did anything like that.
Becca stood beside the car and stared at the house. “This is where you grew up?” Her voice held a sense of reverence.
Jake looked at his parent’s home. He’d never really stopped to think of it as something to be in awe of.
His father had been an architect and had designed a beautiful home for his family. Jake took in the majesty of Canyon Creek Mountain in the distance and listened to the faint sound of the running waters of the creek just a few hundred yards away.
“It’s really pretty.” Becca said. “And big.”
“Yeah,” Jake had to agree. “It is.”
He moved to the trunk and pulled out both their bags, smiling when he grabbed Becca’s. It was covered with various Walt Disney characters, none of whom he knew. As a twenty-seven-year-old single male with five older brothers, why would he? To say there had been a lot of testosterone in his house would be putting it mildly.
Three of his five brothers had moved back to Canyon Creek permanently after their father’s death just over six months ago. They were helping run the Lodge at Canyon Creek, his mother and father’s “retirement project.” It was a nearly 30-room hotel that also boasted a wedding barn and an outcropping of individual cabins.
Jake thought back to his father, a larger-than-life man loved by more than just his family. Losing him had been a shock to the entire community.
At the young age of fifty-five John Sumner had dropped dead of a heart attack, something no one saw coming, least of all Jake.
His father had been his hero growing up. Someone he fashioned his own life around. John Sumner had been intelligent, loyal and most of all compassionate. And Jake missed his father every day.
“I can get my own bag,” Becca said, taking the luggage from his hand. “I don’t want you to scratch it.”
She sounded like a snooty socialite at an upscale hotel. And she was only five. He didn’t know whether to laugh or cower at this little girl.
It was moments like these he could really use his father’s advice. Thankfully, he knew his mom and brothers would be here for him right now. That was the reason he’d decided to return home. To contemplate the future, regroup, and make some hard decisions. He’d always found solace on Canyon Creek Mountain and hoped he’d find some answers here this visit.
Jake led the way to the front door, glancing over his shoulder.
Becca struggled with the bag over the cobbled-stone walkway, her brows furrowed, lips pressed in a tight line as she concentrated.
“You need help?”
“No,” she grunted, yanking on the handle. She was stubborn but determined, just like him. The thought made him smile.
He stopped at the front door, not sure whether he should knock or just walk in.
“What’s wrong?” Becca asked, slipping up beside him.
He stared down at her. At over six feet tall, Jake felt like a giant next to Becca.
She lifted her head, her hazel brown eyes that were identical to his own staring up at him, huge and round. “Aren’t we going to go in?” She cocked a brow and nodded toward the door.
Just as he reached for the handle, the door opened wide.
His mother stood on the other side. She wore jeans, a loose-fitting T-shirt, and a warm smile. With her shoulder-length silvery blonde hair and smooth complexion, she looked like a woman half her age.
“Jacob,” she said, stepping out and squeezing his neck. “I’ve missed you.”
He wrapped an arm around her slender waist. “I’ve missed you too, Ma.” And he had. He hadn’t realized until that exact moment just how much.
She released his neck and stepped back, turning her attention to Becca. Jake noticed the moment his mother registered the resemblance. She drew in a slow breath, that was almost normal, but the widening of her eyes told him it was anything but.
Her gaze moved to Jake then back to Becca. “Hello,” his mother said, smiling with affection at Becca. “I’m Valerie, Jacob’s mother.”
Becca stared up at him, brows furrowed. “I thought your name was Jake.”
“It’s a nickname,” he said. “Just like Becca is a nickname for Rebecca.”
“That’s a beautiful name,” his mother said, squatting down so she was eye level with Becca.
“Thank you,” she said politely. “My mom said only special people get two names.”
His mom glanced up at him then back at Becca. “That’s very true,” she said, nodding.
“Do you have two names?” she asked his mother.
“Well, sometimes people call me Val, but not all the time.”
Becca’s lips pursed as if she were trying to figure out a puzzle. God, the girl was intriguing.
“What do you want me to call you?” Becca finally asked.
His mother stared at Becca with the same expression, as if it was hitting her she was a grandmother. “What would you like to call me?” she asked.
“Well, technically, you’re Jake’s mom and my Grammy says that Jake’s my dad, so that would make you my other grandmother.”
The girl was only five but talked like she was fifty. Jenni’s mother, Phoebe Howard, had shared a little of Becca’s story. She was basically a child prodigy, reading at the age of three, already doing simple math, and spouting off words a lot of college-aged kids couldn’t pronounce.
“Grammy is your other grandmother?” his mom asked.
“Yes.”
“That’s a nickname for grandmother.”
She nodded. “Does Jake have a Grammy?”
That was an interesting question and, as with most things where his daughter was concerned, he had no idea where she was headed.
“He did. He had two, but they both died.”
Becca’s face went still and Jake feared she was thinking of her own mother’s death. “Oh,” she said quietly, looking up at him.
Before Jake could figure out what he should do or say in the situation, her attention turned back to his mother. “What did Jake call them, before they died?”
“Well, he called my mother Mee-Maw and he called his father’s mother Nana.”
Becca stood staring just beyond his mother as if trying to make a life-or-death decision. “I don’t like either of those.”
Valerie glanced up at him, eyes wide, biting back a smile.
Jake shrugged, wanting to say, Welcome to my world. It’s been a little startling lately.
“Okay,” his mom said, standing, “we can think of something later. For now, you can call me Valerie.” His mother held out her hand to Becca.
“Or Val?” Becca asked.
“Val’s good too.”
Becca nodded and slipped her petite hand into his mother’s. “It’s your special name,” she said.
“Very special,” his mother said, “just like you, Becca. Come on, let’s go inside, it’s cool out here.”
Becca smiled up at his mother as if she’d known Valerie Sumner her whole life, as most people did. His mom had that effect on people.
In that moment, Jake knew he’d made the right decision to come home.
Chapter Four
Jake followed his mother and Becca into the house.
“Jakey.” His Aunt Sally’s voice rang through the house. “Did I really hear Jake’s voice?”
“Hello, Aunt Sally,” he said through gritted teeth, glaring at his mother. He’d told her he didn’t want a big audience when he and Becca arrived.
“Sorry,” she shrugged.
Sally Sumner was his father’s younger sister. John had raised her and their brother, Mark when their parents had been killed in a car accident. The siblings had been just teenagers at the time, and his father had dropped out of college to return home. It had been a selfless act on his father’s part, but that’s who John Sumner was.
Aunt Sally made her way toward them, stretching up on her tip toes to squeeze his neck. She was so small, he laughed. She finally released him and stepped back to stare him up and down. “You’re too skinny. Even more than last time I saw you. Come to the bakery and I’ll fatten you up.” She patted his stomach.
Jake chuckled. She said the same thing alm
ost every time she saw him. His aunt owned The Sweet Stop, the town’s only bakery. She also ran the small café inside their family’s lodge. She catered for the barn now that that was open, which meant she was run ragged as much as he was.
He smiled down at his aunt. “Well, you’re just as beautiful as ever.” And she was. Even in her fifties now, Sally had golden blonde hair and a trim figure that made no sense, as much as she baked.
“And who is this beautiful doll?” Aunt Sally squatted down in front of Becca just as his mother had.
Becca stuck out her hand. “I’m Rebecca Anne Howard,” she said matter-of-factly. “But my friend’s call me Becca.”
Aunt Sally tilted her head and gave a small grin. “Well, I know we’re not friends, yet,” she added, “but may I call you Becca? I have a feeling we’ll get there.”
Jake snorted to himself. Her words belied it but he could hear the nerves in her voice. His aunt was unsure of herself, which was an unusual state for Sally Sumner. He understood. Becca knocked him off his axis, too.
Becca studied his aunt for several moments before finally responding. “Yes, you may.” She graced Sally with a small smile.
Aunt Sally slipped her hand into Becca’s and they shook once, both nodding as if they’d just made a life-long pact.
Oh Lord, peas in a pod. He was screwed if these two joined forces.
Jake noticed his Aunt Lisa standing just beyond the perimeter of the small group. Lisa was his Uncle Mark’s wife. His two aunts were opposites in every way, but best friends, along with his mother. Together, the three of them had done more damage in the town than he and his five brothers combined ever had.
Aunt Lisa stepped forward. “Hey, Jake.” She smiled, giving him a hug.
“Hey, Aunt Lisa.” He squeezed her back. “How are you?”
She glanced down at Sally and Becca. “Better than you’re going to be with these two in cahoots, I think.” She laughed.
He had to agree.
“How’s Uncle Mark?” he asked. He hadn’t seen his uncle since his brother’s wedding.