by J. H. Croix
“Oh, it’s okay. You should know plenty of locals hike up here and use the old trails for cross-country skiing. It’s not like people don’t know someone else owns it, it’s just no one’s been here for so long, people figure it’s okay.”
Gage nodded slowly. “I was thinking maybe I should make some kind of announcement, but I haven’t quite sorted out the details yet.”
“Oh. Well, as soon as word travels that you’re here and plan to reopen, you might want to be ready for lots of people showing up to say hi,” she said wryly. “Diamond Creek’s a small town. This is big news.”
Gage smiled, and Marley thought she might swoon. Dear God, he had a dangerous smile. When he wasn’t smiling, he had that whole, smoldering sexy and kind of intimidating vibe—just enough to keep her body in check. When he smiled, her body spun like a top inside—heat and electricity swirling. His eyes crinkled at the corners, the gray brightening and his mouth softening.
Get a grip, Marley. You’ve known this man for less than five minutes. If she let her body talk, all she could think about was what it would feel like to run her hands over his body, which was nothing short of a miracle. Though if she touched him, she’d likely melt on the spot.
Gage cleared his throat. “So, how far away do you live from here?”
“About a quarter mile down the road from the entrance to the lodge. My parents own about ten acres adjacent to the lodge. Their house is further down the road. I moved into a small cabin they used to rent out to tourists in the summer. It’s tiny, but it’s got everything I need.”
Gage nodded. “Well, feel free to walk around here as much as you want. I suppose I’d better come up with some kind of plan to handle the locals hikers, huh?”
Marley shrugged. “People won’t expect to be able to do whatever they want once you get this place up and running. So you needn’t worry. You might want to notify the town hall and maybe put a notice up in the paper. Otherwise, someone being helpful might call the police if they don’t know who you are and see you around the property.”
Gage threw his head back with a laugh. Her stomach burst full of butterflies. She shook her head and forced herself to look away.
“I’ll take it as a good sign that I have to worry about that.” Gage followed her gaze out over the bay. “Well, I’m gonna keep running. Sounds like I’ll see you around.”
She nodded. “I’m sure you will. If you need anything, just stop by. You can see my place from the entrance to the lodge. It’s the little cabin with a red roof sitting on the hill nearby.”
Gage grinned. “I’ve seen it. Well, I’m off. Enjoy your walk,” he said with a quick wave before he took off running. He went around the ski lift and turned up onto the next trail nearby—a much steeper and more advanced trail—and proceeded to run up at a steady pace. Marley had never run up that trail, but she knew without a doubt it would be grueling. He ran without his pace changing. No wonder he was in such good shape. She finally turned away and began her descent, the view stretching before her.
For the first time in months, she obsessed about something other than the crash and burn of her grand plans to make something of herself. Gage filled her mind—his rock hard body, his sensual mouth…and whoever he was behind his guarded nature.
***
Gage pushed himself up the trail, his legs finally beginning to tire when he reached the top and paused beside another ski lift. He turned and looked behind him. He could see Marley walking down the trail below. He’d seen her long before she paused at the small building between trails. He’d only been at the ski lodge for a week, but he’d already memorized the pattern of trails and had been cutting across between two trails when he heard her walking. He’d paused in the edge of the woods and watched her. Her auburn hair glinted in the sun. Curiosity drew him to approach her. Why he felt the need to start off by confronting her about trespassing was beyond him. He shook his head. Not exactly the best way to introduce himself to his new neighbor.
From a distance, he’d thought she was beautiful. Up close, she took his breath away. Her wavy auburn hair was paired with forest green eyes, a pert nose, and a sensual mobile mouth—so kissable, he’d had to restrain himself. To make his body tread the edge of embarrassing himself, her body was flat out beautiful—curvy and athletic at once. She’d worn a green fleece jacket zipped halfway, which revealed a thin cotton shirt pulled tight across her breasts, her nipples peaked in the chilly air. From there, her waist dipped then curved into lush hips and strong legs hugged by her fitted leggings. She’d seemed entirely oblivious to the effect she had on him. Wearing his form-fitting running clothes had forced him to rein his body in and required so much attention, he knew he’d come across as a little too brusque. As he watched her walk down the trail, her auburn hair caught in the wind, flying wild behind her.
Marley. He turned the name over in his mind. It suited her though he couldn’t say why since he barely knew her. He watched her until she rounded a curve in the trail and vanished from sight. With a sigh, he glanced around. The building beside this stopping point for the ski lift was also in dire need of a new coat of paint. He turned in a circle. The vantage point up here offered a three hundred and sixty degree view. Kachemak Bay lay glittering under the sun in one direction, Cook Inlet could be seen beyond that with Mount Augustine, a volcano, rising in the waters. In the other direction lay Mount Illiamna, another volcano. Southcentral Alaska lay within the Ring of Fire, an area within the Pacific basin where over seventy-five percent of the world’s active and dormant volcanoes lay. As a little boy, Gage had loved this detail about his birthplace.
Returning to Alaska and his grandparent’s ski lodge was a childhood dream. His parents had moved away when he and his four younger siblings were little. They went to visit Last Frontier Lodge every summer until his grandmother had closed down the lodge after his grandfather passed away. She’d moved to Bellingham, Washington to live with his parents until she passed away. Gage had long ago let go of his childhood dream to return to Alaska because life…happened. Dreams turned into fragments of hope and hope was hard to find for him anymore. He’d recently retired from the Navy after years of active duty as a Navy SEAL and had been struggling to find a way for life to make sense.
Gage had been surprised to learn his grandmother had left the lodge to him and his siblings since he hadn’t even known it was still in the family. He’d inherited the largest share of the lodge with her will stipulating the lodge must be reopened within one year, or they would be required to sell it and divide the profits. He’d assumed she’d sold it as she rarely spoke of it. At loose ends and searching for something to give his life meaning again, he hadn’t hesitated for a minute to move to Alaska. The neglected state of the ski lodge would give him something to focus on beyond what he’d stared down on one of his last missions.
He took a last look around and began jogging slowly down the trail. An eagle flew across the trail ahead of him, its wings casting a wide shadow on the ground. Magpies chattered in the trees. When he reached the lodge again, he jogged down the drive to the road and looked toward the cabin he now knew to be Marley’s. It was hard to miss with its bright red roof practically glowing amongst the deep green spruce trees surrounding it. He turned and looked at the sign for the lodge. It hung at a drunken angle, one of the chains holding it up broken. The lettering on the sign was faded—something else to replace. He looked at Marley’s cabin again, sitting on a small rise, a cheery picturesque home. Her auburn hair, green eyes, and sensual mouth flashed in his mind. The mere flicker of her and his body reacted.
Chapter 2
Marley stopped her car at the end of her drive and glanced up at Last Frontier Lodge. From the road, it wasn’t obvious anyone lived there. Knowing Gage was there set her pulse thrumming. Seriously, Marley? You’re acting like an idiot with a crush. You barely know the guy. Not to mention, there’s no way a guy like him would be interested in you. Way out of your league. She shook her head sharply and turned onto t
he winding road that led down the hill to town. She’d only been here about a week and had yet to mentally adjust. Her parents meant well, but they were driving her mad with their daily calls to check in and job suggestions.
Her move back home had been unplanned and abrupt. She’d graduated from high school and headed to college in Seattle, filled with dreams of making it big in the technology world. She’d never wanted the money, but she’d desperately wanted to feel like a success. All through school, she’d been a computer geek of the highest order, long before it became fashionable. She’d headed to Seattle with stars in her eyes. Sometimes cliché’s fit, and in this case, her starry dream was she’d get her business degree and make a splash in the tech world. In the big scheme of things, she’d done okay. But she’d tried to break into the world of technology as a woman from a tiny town in Alaska. She’d become well-versed in the rampant sexism in the tech field. She’d made it farther than many women and made a good salary as a code developer for an app company in Seattle.
Right when she thought she might have enough money put away to break out on her own, she’d walked into her apartment in the midst of a robbery. Her surprise appearance had only made the situation worse with the masked robber whacking her across the face with his gun and shoving her in a corner before he commenced to finish what he started. She’d fallen apart afterwards though she’d tried her damnedest not to. Sleepless nights, constant anxiety, and the loss of concentration made her job all but impossible. At thirty, she found herself without a job and afraid to live in her apartment.
Lost and confused, she returned to Diamond Creek, the only place that felt like home—that felt safe. Her hopes and dreams were tattered, but she was sleeping a few hours every night now. Anger sometimes choked her. She hated feeling so fragile and having her dreams ripped away from her. She’d spent most of her life being proud of how independent she was, unafraid to see what the world had to offer. Now, she just wanted to hunker down and hide. Though a part of her was happy to be home, she wished she’d come home on her own terms. She took a shaky breath and forced her mind away from her problems.
Marley looked around as she drove into town. Diamond Creek had grown since she’d moved away. Though she’d visited every year, she hadn’t taken time to explore town much. There were now three grocery stores in town, and the multitude of art galleries, restaurants and shops catering to tourists had ballooned. She was meeting her sister, Lacey, for coffee at Misty Mountain Café. Lacey was two years younger than her and had happily returned to Diamond Creek after she finished college in Juneau.
Marley walked into Misty Mountain, smiling at how little had changed. The café was in a renovated Quonset hut, one of many scattered around Alaska, relics from World War II when the huts had been used for military installations throughout Alaska due to its proximity to the Pacific Rim. The owners had transformed the utilitarian steel tube-shaped building with finished walls and decorative timber beams. Cheerful paint colors and curtains brightened the space with local artwork lining the walls. She looked around and found Lacey in the corner. She waved and headed to order her coffee.
Threading her way through the scattered tables, she grinned when she reached Lacey and slid into the chair across from her.
“Hey there,” she said with a lift of her cup in greeting.
“Hey yourself,” Lacey replied. “How’s it going over at the little red inn?”
That was Lacey’s affectionate name for the cabin Marley had commandeered on her parents’ property. The cabin wasn’t red, but the roof was, so the name stuck. Marley shrugged. “Pretty good. I forgot how amazing the view is from there.”
Lacey nodded, her chestnut ponytail bouncing along. “The rise from the hill makes it feel like you can reach over and touch the glacier across the bay.”
Lacey paused and waved to someone who entered the café. Yet another person Marley didn’t recognize.
“So how are you? Any more trips planned before the snow flies?” Marley asked.
Lacey was an outdoor guide. She spent most of summer away from Diamond Creek with brief stays in between treks to the backcountry. She wasn’t a hunting or fishing guide, but an expert backcountry guide for elite hikers who wanted to experience hiking without easy access. Lacey didn’t consider anything hiking unless she had to fly in. She was tough as nails. Marley had the brains, and Lacey the brawn. Lacey was pure athlete and dressed the part. Her body was toned and fit, and she could have easily been a model for outdoor clothing companies. Except for the fact that her clothing was usually worn to shreds within weeks of getting it.
Lacey nodded, her green eyes, so similar to Marley’s, taking on a gleam. “One more. Heading up to the refuge for a week. My friend Cal is running this trip with me. The early snow is already flying that far north.”
“You mean the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge?”
At Lacey’s nod, Marley continued. “Wow. That’s way up there. Have you been there this late in the year before?”
Lacey shook her head. “Nope. It’s safer than going in the thick of summer. The grizzlies are already hibernating.”
Marley shook her head. As if grizzly bears were all Lacey would need to worry about. Marley wouldn’t mind finding a way to siphon some of Lacey’s courage. She’d never thought of herself as a frightened person, but getting robbed at gunpoint made her afraid of too many shadows.
Lacey nibbled on a muffin and pushed a plate across the table to Marley.
“For me?” Marley asked.
“Of course! It’s your favorite—spinach and ham pinwheel.”
Marley almost burst into tears. It was ridiculous how emotionally edgy she was these days. The mundane moment made her feel safe, something she’d never take for granted again. She took a slow breath and tried to gather herself.
“You okay?” Lacey’s voice was soft.
Marley nodded, the press of tears subsiding. “Yeah. It’s just…good to be home.”
Lacey looked at her carefully. “So, what now?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, you’re here now. What are you going to do next? Mom and Dad are going to be super helpful, so either you come up with your own plan, or else,” Lacey said with a wry grin.
Marley sighed. “Working on it. My plan right now is to try to do what I meant to do in Seattle—start my own app company. I have plenty of connections. All I need is an internet connection to do what I need. I have some money saved up, so I figure I might as well try.”
Lacey grinned. “Awesome! That’s what I was hoping you’d do.”
“Really?” Marley felt so disoriented since the robbery that she questioned everything she did. Between that and years of witnessing how hard it was to break into the market with anything new, she’d lost the confidence she’d once had in herself.
Lacey took a sip of coffee. “Of course! I always wondered why you thought you had to make a go of it in the city. You can do everything you need to right here, and avoid the bullshit of all the hobnobs telling you what you can and can’t do.”
Marley nodded slowly. “Right. Maybe I should have asked your advice about ten years ago,” she said ruefully.
“Nah. You had to figure it out yourself.”
Marley pondered Lacey’s point. Marley had been determined to show her stuff somewhere outside of Diamond Creek. She wished upon wish it hadn’t taken a robbery to shake the foundation of her life, but coming home felt so good.
“Hey, did you know that Last Frontier Lodge was reopening?” Marley asked, ready to move on from discussing her life.
Lacey’s eyes widened. “No way! Where did you hear that?”
Marley filled her in on her encounter with Gage, minus the details about how drool-worthy handsome and sexy he was.
Lacey leaned back in her chair. “That’s big news! I’m stoked. We’ll finally have somewhere to ski again nearby. Last time that place was open, we were so little, all we could do was coast down the bunny slopes. Now we can do some real
skiing. What’s he like? The guy who inherited the place?”
Marley paused and pictured Gage—his body, all hard muscle, his eyes like lightning, his mouth sensual and full, and his reserved manner. She flushed at the mere thought of him.
“Oh my, Marley, you have a thing,” Lacey said with a sly grin.
“I do not!” she replied, trying and failing miserably at making her blush go away. She was so rusty at relationships, the idea of having a ‘thing’ for anyone intimidated the hell out of her.
Lacey giggled. “All I did was ask you what he’s like, and you got all quiet and dreamy. Don’t you hate how easy you blush?”
Marley rolled her eyes, her face and neck hot. “You do too!”
“That’s how come I know you probably hate it,” Lacey retorted. “Okay, so you’ve got the serious hots for him. As far as I’m concerned, you are in need of a distraction, and this Gage guy might be exactly what you need.”
“Um, pretty sure he’s out of my league.”
Lacey waved a hand dismissively. “You’re totally hot, but you had your nose buried so deep in books and computers that you’ve never noticed. When’s the last time you went on a date?”
Marley tried to recall. After a long moment, she gave up. “I don’t know. You know how it was for me. I worked all the time. Sixty, seventy-hour weeks were the norm. There wasn’t much time for dating.”
Lacey’s grin faded as she looked across the table. Her green eyes softened and she absently twirled her ponytail around a finger. “I hate what happened to you and it pisses me off that you’re feeling bad about freaking out about it, but I’m really glad you’re home. I didn’t want it to happen this way, but I’ll take it.” She paused, considering her words. “I’m not the mushy sort, you know that. But if you need to talk, I’m here. And if there’s only one thing I can tell you, it’s that you have to know anyone would be scared if they went through what you did. Stop beating yourself up about it.”