by Melody Anne
Hunter found Gabe on the back deck. His brother looked distracted when he first looked up but that was nothing new. Gabe always had been a workaholic.
“You’ve risen from the guest house,” Gabe said with a knowing look.
“It’s not like that. Becka’s been sick,” Hunter said with a scowl as he sat down beside Gabe.
“And you’ve been domesticated it seems,” Gabe said. “I remember you giving me a lot of shit, so payback’s a bitch.”
“We’re just doing this treasure hunt together — and maybe satisfying some mutual needs. There’s nothing more to it than that,” Hunter said. But he was confused. He’d come to speak to his brother, so he didn’t understand why he was holding back now. Gabe had changed since meeting and marrying Josephine, had changed in really good ways. Or bad ways, depending on how a person were to look at it.
“I don’t think so, Hunter. I think you were a fool to leave the girl ten years ago and I think you’re fighting a losing battle now,” Gabe told him.
Hunter was shocked by his brother’s words. For a moment he really didn’t know what to say. This wasn’t the typical kind of conversation the two of them had shared before. It was throwing Hunter off.
“What happened to you?” Hunter asked.
Gabe chuckled. “I found the girl I can’t live without,” he told him.
“So does that mean you think all your siblings should settle down?” Hunter grumbled. “Just because you and Luke are all happy and crap doesn’t mean the rest of us should fall in line.”
“No. I would never claim to be a matchmaker. I’m just saying that I’ve seen you and Becka together and I think you’re made for each other. I’ve seen you without her and you’re reckless and foolish most of the time. Maybe it’s true that we need our other half to be whole.”
“Whoa, that is just far too much yoga talk for me,” Hunter told Gabe. “I’m getting a beer.”
“It’s only two in the afternoon,” Gabe pointed out.
“Well, I’ve traveled all over the country so it’s certainly five o’clock in other places.”
Gabe laughed. “Then you might as well grab one for me too, since Josie is gone for the afternoon and I already miss her,” he called out as Hunter entered the house. It didn’t take him long to get back to his brother, who was giving him a smug look.
“Have you talked to any of our siblings lately?” Hunter asked. He could get used to sitting in one place for a while. That thought should be terrifying, but he’d missed Gabe. Heck, he was beginning to miss all his siblings. He was wanting to be around a lot more.
“Yeah, we’ve been talking quite a bit more since the old man passed. I don’t know if it made us face our own mortality or what, but I do have to say, it feels good to be home again.”
“I was thinking the same thing. I was also thinking, I’m not sure I like this train of thought,” Hunter mumbled.
“There’s something on your mind,” Gabe told him. “Are you going to spit it out or do I have to drag it from you?”
Gabe set his computer aside and focused all his attention on Hunter. He had wanted to talk to his brother, but now that the moment was actually there, he wasn’t sure what he wanted to say.
“I do enjoy being with Becka,” Hunter finally admitted.
Gabe laughed and Hunter clenched his teeth. No wonder men didn’t do these sorts of talks the way women did. He’d be surprised if they got through it without fists flying.
“You are making my heart race with your poetic words,” Gabe finally said when the chuckles died down.
“And you’re making me want to hit you over the head with a beer bottle,” Hunter said.
“Not like that hasn’t happened once or twice before,” Gabe told him. “You always were a magnet for trouble.”
“Maybe the adventure alone isn’t enough anymore,” Hunter said, finally voicing the truth of the matter.
“I don’t think you would ever be happy without adventure. I think you might just want a partner to do it with now,” Gabe told him, his voice serious.
“But what if I screw it all up? I’ve been doing that my entire life,” Hunter said.
“Then you screw it up. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take a chance. How do you feel about her?”
Hunter thought about it for a few moments. “I enjoy being with her and I’m in a rush to get back to her. But she’s as guarded as me. There’s a lot of history between the two of us.”
“I never thought I could want anything more than I wanted to make the next big deal,” Gabe told him. “Then I met a woman who I thought was completely wrong for me, and I found that I hadn’t really known anything at all. She grounds me and makes me free at the same time.”
“That makes no sense,” Hunter told him.
“Shut up, I’m being serious here,” Gabe growled.
“I know. It’s just not an easy conversation to have.”
“You have to accept what’s going on and then let everything else go,” Gabe told him.
“I don’t think I’m ready to do that,” Hunter admitted.
“Then you aren’t ready. Maybe you have to accept that too,” Gabe said.
“So basically you’re telling me to figure it out,” Hunter said with a laugh.
“You’ve never been one to be told what to do, Hunter. That won’t change even if you do fall in love. I think you need to finish this mission Dad sent you on, then maybe you’ll have the rest of the answers too.”
“Maybe. I’m almost afraid for it to end,” Hunter said.
“Maybe that’s a clue in itself,” Gabe told him.
They sat back and Hunter wondered at how much his twin had changed in the past few months. It seemed that he and all his siblings were going through changes. Hunter just couldn’t determine if those changes were a good thing or not.
Chapter Eighteen
Rebekah threw the last of her clothes into a bag, and marveled at the pounding of her heart. She didn’t understand why she was so anxious about going to another place on the journey for Hunter’s treasure. Sure the two of them had been closer in the past week than she’d ever imagined them being, and because of that she’d discovered she had far stronger feelings for Hunter than she cared to admit, but this was just one more step on their journey. It wasn’t a big deal.
“Are you ready to go?” Hunter asked as he leaned in the doorjamb.
The man took her breath away. It didn’t matter how many times she was around him, it was the same each time. She wished she could be harder, but maybe it was time to give up on that. It just wasn’t who she was.
“Yes. I appreciate you bringing me here,” she told him. It was strange to have Hunter in the place she’d once thought so safe. The apartment was tiny, but it had been her home for years. With him there with her, she realized how empty the place actually was.
She didn’t have the usual knickknacks lying around that most people accumulated through the years. She had books and more books covering her shelves and that was about all.
“We aren’t in a hurry if you want to stay a while,” he told her, not moving from his place in her doorway.
The look in his eyes told her exactly what was on his mind. Her body reacted just how she expected it to — instant heat and longing.
“We need to get to the resort, don’t we?” she asked.
He chuckled in the doorway. “Don’t look so frightened. I’m not going to attack,” he said as he licked his lips in a way that sent her need to molten levels. “Unless that’s what you want.”
Yes! She wanted. She wanted. But the professor part of her brain told her there was more to life than just sex. At the moment she just couldn’t seem to figure out exactly what that was.
“I’m ready to go,” she told him, her words coming out too breathy, but she stayed focused on her bag instead of him.
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“Too bad. But there are more adventures in store,” he said as he pushed off the doorjamb and moved over to her bed. He ran his fingers along her comforter, looking directly into her eyes. The heat flaring between them was enough to ignite the apartment, but then he grabbed her bag and left her bedroom.
Rebekah took several moments to compose herself. She looked around at her lifeless apartment before following him to her front door and locking it behind them.
She knew their journey was coming to an end. She wanted so desperately to relish their last bit of time together, but she didn’t know how to let her guard all the way down. Maybe it was better that way.
Hunter kept her engaged in small talk on their way to the airport where his private plane awaited them. She knew she was in for a long ride, the two of them being pressed close to each other, but she wasn’t afraid of that. She found she would miss it when this was all over. There was such freedom in being in the air with this man as he masterfully controlled a machine most people couldn’t even begin to grasp how to run.
There was nothing about Hunter she didn’t appreciate or desire. Well, maybe that wasn’t true. She didn’t appreciate his ability to stick around only long enough for the two of them to see they have something special together. But that was just their fate, she decided.
“Are you ready to see the place my brother Luke inherited?” Hunter asked her after they were up in the sky.
“I have always loved Yosemite Valley,” she told him. “I’ve never been to this resort before.”
“My dad bought it a couple years ago. It was where he met my mother for the first time and when it was going under, he wanted to save it,” Hunter told her.
“Your father sounds like a sentimental man,” she said.
Hunter was quiet for a moment and she wondered if she’d said something wrong. In the small space of the plane, through their headphones, she clearly heard his sigh as a smile appeared on his lips.
“I never would have thought so. He always seemed so hard to me. My mom died when we were all really young. She was the free spirit, the one who held us all together. But then Dad died and he left us all these strange legacies. I guess I’ve learned more about the man in death than in life. I don’t understand it,” Hunter told her.
“I think sometimes it’s incredibly hard for us to show our true feelings,” Rebekah told him. She couldn’t help but reach out and touch him in a comforting way.
“I don’t understand why,” he said. “I thought I wanted nothing to do with my family, that they were nothing more than anchors there to hold me under. But I’ve talked more to my brothers in the last few months than I have in years. And our dad,” he paused as he took in a deep breath. “Our dad might not have been the bastard I thought he was.”
“Everyone has layers to them. Sometimes it takes strength to look beneath,” she said quietly.
He turned and looked at her, and she felt so exposed in that moment that she wanted to take it back, but she couldn’t. The more she was with this man — her first and only love — the more she wanted to thank his father for bringing them together. She didn’t know how this journey would end, but she knew she was growing as a person because of it.
“Do you want to see beneath my layers?” he asked her.
“Yes,” she said without thinking.
“You might be the only one who can,” he told her.
Rebekah didn’t know what to say about that. This was the most real conversation the two of them had ever shared and it scared her, but also thrilled her. Could it be that Hunter truly had changed? Maybe they both had.
Before Rebekah was able to respond to his last comment, he pointed out some mountains in the distance. They were getting closer to Luke’s resort. Maybe it was better this way. Maybe they didn’t need to continue down the road they were on. It didn’t feel that way, though. She felt like it was an opportunity missed.
Hunter began to navigate the plane to the runway up ahead and Rebekah’s throat hurt from holding back all she wanted to say to him. Time was running out; that she was certain about.
Chapter Nineteen
Life moves forward no matter how hard you try to slow it down. That was a truth Hunter had learned long ago. He’d always appreciated the course of action taken by a person that led someone from one journey to the next. He’d never been happy simply sitting and watching the world go by.
Even knowing this, he wanted to slow time down and take in every moment with Becka. He wanted to show her his world and learn more about hers. He wanted to know if they could merge together — he was afraid he was too hardened to do just that.
It was odd for him to be feeling this way as they drove in silence to the Algoma Resort in Yosemite Valley. He hadn’t been there since the last family vacation they’d taken while his mother was still alive. That time had been magical, and there was pain in his gut as he drove beneath the iron archway that led to the place now owned by his brother Luke.
At least he got a little bit more time with Becka as the seemingly endless driveway wound through the area. The resort was set back for maximum privacy and stunning views. He couldn’t help but think of the last time he’d been on this very road, in a vehicle with his father who had been such a different man then, one who’d actually smiled and laughed and seemed to enjoy spending time with his wife and sons.
“I love horses,” Becka gasped as she gazed out her window, trying to take it all in. “This place is stunning.”
Hunter tried to see it through her eyes. He’d grown up in a world of wealth and privilege and somewhere along the line, he had stopped seeing the beauty around him unless he was looking through his pricey camera lenses.
He was envious of what Becka could see — envious of the joy she came by so naturally. He followed her gaze and looked out at the horses running in the meadow.
“This place has it all,” he told her.
“Like what?” she asked, her lips turned up as she strained to see everything.
“There’s the main lodge, cabins along the river, fishing, rafting, horseback riding. I can’t remember it all, it’s been so long since I’ve been here. I don’t even know what kind of shape it’s in,” he said.
They turned a corner and the three-story manor house was front and center ahead of them. The building was huge, and there were a few people wandering about, giving life to the lodge even in the wintertime. It wasn’t as busy as it would be during the summer, but with the anticipation of spring in the air, people were beginning to come around for the many adventures the place offered. Luke had filled him in on the changes he and the manger, his fiancée, had been making to the place.
It was so odd how much Luke had changed. Hunter almost felt betrayed by it. After all, he and his brother were the ones who’d set out to seek adventure, to find excitement in all corners of the world. And now Luke was domesticated. It was odd.
This place had once been such an adventure for the whole family to partake in, and now both of his parents were gone. Hunter wondered if being there was going to mess with his head. He decided he wouldn’t stick around long enough to allow it. Why had his father put a clue in this particular place? Probably to inspire the emotion Hunter was currently feeling — emotion he wanted nothing to do with.
“This place is truly amazing, Hunter. I think I could stay forever,” Becka said as he stopped his car and sat there. He didn’t want to get out of the car and leave their cocoon. The reasons why were beyond him.
But Becka pushed open her door, leaving him no choice but to follow her.
“Yeah, we definitely had some adventures here when we were young,” he told her. She stopped and looked at him, too much knowledge in her eyes.
Hunter wasn’t sure who was more shocked when she stepped up and threw her arms around him. He stood there stiffly for a moment before his arms wrapped around her and he clung on tight. It wa
s odd how comforted he felt by the gesture.
“I’m sorry if this is hard on you,” she said, her words muffled against his chest. He let up on some of the pressure. He’d been holding on to her for dear life. Was she his anchor in the storm? That was a humbling thought.
“Looks like we’ll be placing you two in Cabin Eleven,” Luke said, making Hunter look up to find Luke and Lizzie standing on the huge wraparound porch in front of the lodge’s main doors.
“Hello, Brother,” Hunter said. He pulled away from Becka, but kept an arm around her, unwilling to let go completely. “Good to see you.”
Luke laughed as he looked at both of them. “It seems you only have eyes for one person. I’m surprised you can focus on me,” Luke said. He and Lizzie stepped off the porch and moved down to them.
“I’m Lizzie,” the woman said as she held out her hand to Becka. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Rebekah,” Becka said as she shook Lizzie’s hand. “Thanks for having us.”
There was a moment of somewhat awkward silence. Luke laughed, leaned in, and gave Hunter a half-hug. Hunter really was changing. It was much easier for him to show affection with his siblings now without the world falling down around him.
“Yep, definitely Cabin Eleven. There’s magic in that one,” Luke said.
“What in the hell are you talking about?” Hunter asked. Becka was blushing next to him as she scooted a little closer.
“You’ll figure it out,” Luke told him. “Think you can pry yourself away from your woman long enough for me to show you what we’ve been doing around here?”
Hunter wanted to tell his brother she wasn’t really his woman, but he knew that would be a lie. She belonged to him in a way that transcended time and place, and he just as much belonged to her. It was strange to realize that.
“I’m surprised you haven’t run the place into the ground yet. You and I aren’t exactly known for our business abilities,” Hunter said.
“We’ve managed to run our careers just fine. This was just another step on the journey. Guess Dad knew a little bit about us after all,” Luke told him.