Love at Last (Last Frontier Lodge #2) (3 page)

Delia’s breath came out in a whoosh. Her heart pounded and flutters danced in her belly. Now would be the time to get a grip. She was acting like an idiot—the same idiot who’d let her body’s impulses wreak havoc with her heart in college.
Okay, Delia. He’s just a man. Nothing more. Maybe he’s sexy, but that’s all it is.

She took several gulps of coffee and fruitlessly attempted to get her pulse to slow down. Several moments later, Garrett slid into the chair across from her. She glanced up into his sharp blue eyes. What little control she’d re-established over her pulse was immediately lost. Her pulse galloped and her breath went short.

He took a swallow of coffee. He set the cup down and sighed. “Damn. That’s some good coffee.” He looked out the window for a long moment. When his eyes met hers again, they held a hint of weariness. “It’s so beautiful here. Gage was the only one of us to really remember much about Alaska. I remember coming to visit at the holidays, but the last time we came was when I was only eight. It’s funny how you can’t really appreciate some things until you’re older. This…” He paused and gestured out the window at the view of Kachemak Bay and the mountains across the water. “This is something else.”

His comment brought her focus off of the ridiculous effect he had on her body. Marley’s pondering about why Garrett was here danced in the edges of her thoughts. “Growing up here, sometimes I forget how amazing it is.”

Garrett nodded slowly, took another swallow of coffee, and then changed the subject abruptly. “How do you like working at the lodge?”

Delia went with the shift in conversation. “I like it. A lot. I pretty much grew up there when your grandparents ran it and my mom worked there.” She paused, wondering how much to share and then internally shrugged. She didn’t have anything to hide. Her life was basically an open book in Diamond Creek. “Honestly, I didn’t expect to end up doing exactly what my mom did, but it’s what I needed. I’m a single mom. The only thing that matters is making sure Nick has a stable life. I figure it’s a bonus I actually like my job. Diamond Creek’s a great place to raise kids and I love it. The plus side is your brother’s a pretty good boss.”

Garrett arched a brow at that and grinned. “Gage’s a great guy. It sounds like the job’s working out for you, which is good because I think he’d freak out if you weren’t there. When he told us he was planning to come up here and open Last Frontier Lodge, I thought he was damn crazy. He’s pulled it off though and with lots of thanks to you and your dad. At least that’s what he says.”

Delia couldn’t help the warmth that filled her. Garrett’s eyes held hers. The mood shifted, the air around them becoming heavy. Her breath became short again, her low belly clenched.

Garrett leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. She lost herself in the blue blur of his eyes. His sensual mouth hooked up on one side. Uncertainty flickered in his gaze. He cleared his throat. “Look, about the other morning…”

She cut in. “No need to apologize. I’m sure you didn’t mean…”

Garrett angled his head and shook it sharply. “Oh, I meant.”

“You… What?”

He smiled ruefully. “I meant to kiss you. I’d like to kiss you again, in fact.”

Delia’s belly somersaulted, and her pulse went wild. Her mouth fell open. Flushing madly, she snapped it shut and bit her lip. “I, um, I guess I’m not sure what to say.”

Garrett’s gaze was pensive. “I’m not sure what I meant to say here. I just didn’t want you to think it wasn’t something I wanted.” He took a gulp of coffee and pushed his chair back. “I told Gage I’d get back up there and help out with whatever he and your dad have going on today.” He stood, his blue eyes boring into her. “I’ll see you later, right?”

Delia nodded, still trying to absorb the last few moments. “I’ll be in the kitchen for the rest of the day. Stop by for some cider when you guys get back in. It’s windy out today, so stay warm.”

He nodded quickly, his half-smile making her belly tighten and heat flood through her veins. With a quick lift of his coffee, he turned and left.

Chapter 3

“Hand me that wrench, would you?” Garrett asked Gage, holding his hand out from behind the heater.

He felt the cool metal land in his palm and quickly adjusted the fittings on the heater. He was pressed against the wall in the ski hut. He shimmied his way out from behind the heater and set the wrench on the floor. “That should do it.” He swiped his elbow across his forehead, brushing his hair out of the way. “How did I end up being the one to do all the work?”

Gage glanced up and shrugged. “You forgot to tell me you learned how to install heaters. Don and I can get by, but you took care of it in half the time. Still can’t figure out how you learned that in between all your court hearings.”

Garrett leaned his head against the wall. “One of my buddies from law school grew up doing this kind of thing. I used to help out on weekends when he had extra work.”

Gage adjusted the bindings on a pair of skis and propped them against the wall. He strode over to the heater and eyed the settings. “Safe to try it now?”

Garrett nodded. “Give it a go.”

Gage turned it on. The small propane heater quietly started humming. Within moments, warm air began to filter out of the vents.

Gage threw a grin his way and took a few steps back to sit on one of the benches lining the walls. “Perfect. I promised Don we’d replace all the wood stoves in these little huts by the end of the winter. He’s not gonna believe how fast we did this.”

Garrett chuckled. “He was looking doubtful when we headed up here.”

“Definitely. I think he was relieved you offered to help. He doesn’t complain—ever—but working outside too much in the cold is hard on him. Thanks for offering.”

“No problem. I figure I’d like to work as much as I can while I’m here.” Garrett paused when emotion tightened in his chest and throat—reminding him why he wanted to keep busy. He didn’t know what the hell was going on with him. Ever since he’d walked out of that courtroom days ago, he’d been out of sorts. Just talking to Gage about working on this place brought a wave of emotion through him. He didn’t do emotion. He scrambled to pull himself together.

Gage watched him, his gaze curious. As discombobulated as Garrett was, Gage was probably the only person he could stand to be around when he felt the way he did. Gage was a rock, always had been. His support for his younger siblings was absolute. He’d been there through every step of Garrett’s life, a quiet, steady presence. Garrett hadn’t quite believed it when he heard Gage fell in love because Gage had always leaned in the direction of being a loner. But Marley was perfect for Gage. Garrett felt a sense of relief to know Gage’s heart was in her hands.

“You okay?” Gage asked quietly.

Garrett shifted his feet under him and slid up along the wall before sitting down across from Gage. The small ski hut was warming with the heat circulating inside. The wind blew through the trees, sending snow in swirling flurries outside the window. He caught Gage’s gray eyes. “Don’t know. All the sudden I needed a break. Like I’ve never needed a break before in my life.”

“I didn’t know you ever took a break from anything. You’re a workaholic. Sometimes I worried about you, but I figured you loved it. I mean, you worked your ass off to make your law practice what it is today. Did something happen?”

Garrett took a slow breath, staring out the window. The dark green spruce trees flexed in the wind. A sliver of the bay was visible, the water glinting under the bright sun. Clouds drifted across the sky. The view soothed him. That itself confused him. For so many years, he’d craved the hustle and bustle of work.

“I don’t know what happened. I’ve been working so hard for so long, I hardly ever stop to think. Becca’s been on me for years to slow down.” He paused and shook his head. “Talk about pot and kettle. She’s as bad as me.”

Gage chuckled. “Well, you
are
twins. You two are different in some ways, but alike in many others. A relentless work ethic seems to run in the family though, so don’t go beating yourself up for that.”

“True. All I know is the other day I won a big case for an insurance company. I looked over at the woman who’d lost her lawsuit, and I could hardly get out of there fast enough. I had my assistant cancel everything for the next month and hopped on a plane. Sounds crazy, huh?”

Gage was silent for a long moment and then slowly shook his head. “Not to me. The details are different, but it’s kinda what I felt like after I got assigned to desk duty. Years of being a Navy SEAL and then stuck on base. When Gram died, Last Frontier Lodge was all I could think about. Back to you though, what was the lawsuit about?”

“Huh?”

“The lawsuit? You said you looked at the woman who’d lost her lawsuit.”

“Oh. Right. She sued my client, the insurance company, after they denied her son’s claim for coverage after a car accident.” His answer came out flat. A sense of unease rolled through him.

Gage’s brows hitched and he angled his head to the side. “That makes sense.”

“It does?”

“Yeah. Can’t believe you didn’t think of it. After you were in that car accident when you were little, mom and dad went through hell fighting with the insurance company over it. You were probably too little to remember all the details.”

Garrett shook his head slowly. “All I remember is being in the hospital for weeks and then having to go through physical therapy forever. And that damn leg brace.”

Gage was quiet again. When he spoke, his words were slow and deliberate. “You were six when it happened. Every night for weeks, mom slept in the hospital with you. She fought like crazy to get the hospital to let Becca stay there too.” He paused and shook his head. “In the end, you were okay. While you were schlepping back and forth to physical therapy and wearing that damn leg brace, mom and dad were arguing with the insurance company. I don’t know all the details, but I know they got something out of it, but not much. I said it makes sense because a case like that might hit a tad too close to home.”

Garrett considered Gage’s words, trying to assess his own recollections.

Gage spoke again. “Look, maybe it’s none of my business, but you’re my brother, so I figure it is. I’m proud of you. I thought you wanted this whole law thing, and you worked your ass off to make a name for yourself. But I’ve always wondered how long it would be before you wanted something else. It seems like you’ve been chasing the money when I don’t think you really care about money all that much. For someone else, maybe that would be enough, but not for you.”

Garrett thought maybe Gage’s words should hurt, but they didn’t. He was suddenly tired. He met Gage’s eyes again. There was no judgment there, only concern. “I can see your point, but I’m about tapped out trying to process this right now.”

Gage’s nodded slowly. “No problem. Let’s get back to the lodge.”

After they packed up the tools, Garrett climbed onto a snowmobile beside Gage. “Bet I get there first,” he said with a wave before he gunned the engine. They raced down the ski slope, wind whipping at them. They skidded to a stop beside each other at the base of the hill, well to the side of where the skiers came down. The swirl of snow made it impossible to tell who made it first. He walked with Gage toward the lodge. When they reached the door, Gage turned to him. “You canceled everything for the next month?”

“Yup. If it’s okay with you, I’d like to stay here.”

“You can stay as long as you’d like. I was thinking maybe we could get those heaters installed in every ski hut in the next few weeks. Can’t do it without your help though. Whaddya think?”

“Sounds like a plan.” Garrett couldn’t help the tiny hum of pride he felt at being able to do something for his big brother. It wasn’t much, but it was rare to find something he had more experience with than Gage. Those weekends in law school earning extra cash were turning out handy.

“Awesome!” Gage said with a grin as he pushed through the door into the ski lodge. They were entering through a side entrance into a hallway that led to the kitchen. There was a steady murmur of sound from the restaurant. Garrett had relocated to the spare bedroom in Gage and Marley’s private quarters in the lodge. With the lodge mostly booked all the way through spring, he was relieved there was room for him somewhere.

He followed Gage into a utility room at the end of the hall. They kicked off their winter gear and washed up. Gage took off to find Marley. Garrett leaned his hands on the windowsill and looked outside. The ski slopes were dotted with people. Gage’s quick observation about the potential effect that court case had on him was niggling in his brain. He had no memory of his parents fighting with the insurance company after his accident. He’d been a mere six years old when he’d been an unfortunate passenger in a car. He was riding in the back seat with a friend on the way to soccer practice. Another car plowed into them going through an intersection. Garrett had taken the brunt of the hit. Both of his legs were broken, along with many other injuries.

His memories of the accident itself were vague. His memories of waking up scared in the hospital were tinged with pain and confusion. What was clear in his mind were the hours of physical therapy and wearing a leg brace to school. He had been teased and taunted. He never played soccer again. He’d recovered fully and regained all of his strength, but he couldn’t shake the odd fear about driving to practice. Instead, he’d thrown himself into studying and stumbled into the realization he was pretty damn good at academics. The driving force behind his desire to become a powerful lawyer was to never be the boy who couldn’t fight back when he was teased. He’d turned to pick up games of basketball and running to stay in shape.

He couldn’t quite believe that memories he didn’t even know he had somehow affected him after he helped that insurance company fend off the lawsuit. As odd as it was, it made more sense than anything else. Garrett pushed away from the window and headed toward the kitchen. Delia had sauntered through his thoughts all day. He’d meant to tell her this morning that their kiss couldn’t go anywhere. He was smooth at that with women—making sure they knew the boundaries. He’d opened his mouth and his well-worn script had failed him completely. Instead, he’d gone and told her he’d meant to kiss her and wanted to kiss her again. Rather than worrying about correcting himself, he was half relieved. Now, all he wanted was to find her and tug her into his arms again.