Mending Places (5 page)

Part of her almost wished he would turn down the job—the part of her that was drawn to him. It had been a long time since she’d been drawn to any man, and her one and only experience with a relationship made her even more timid about having Micah around all the time. In many ways it had been a typical college romance, but Hanna had only been able to open her heart to a point. Jess had been patient, but even after a years time, she’d not been able to endure his touch. Understandably, Jess grew weary of feeling rejected.

The relationship likely would have ended on its own, but when Gram needed help with the lodge, she’d taken the opportunity to escape, putting college on hold indefinitely. Jess had seemed almost relieved, but not nearly as relieved as she had been. It had been too soon, she told her self She just needed time.

Avoiding relationships had been easy these past few years at the lodge. There weren’t many young, single men around, and those who did come stayed briefly. Even her church lacked eligible bachelors and was filled with seniors and middle-aged married couples. No, there hadn’t been much opportunity for dating, and Hanna was glad.

But now that would change. At least it would if Micah took the job. He’d be living on the grounds, eating meals with them when he wasn’t on a climb. What worried her the most was this attraction she felt.

She breathed a laugh. She’d just been without a male companion for too long. Maybe she’d forgotten what it was like to be around a man. But she knew it was more than that. Micah had a certain presence. A strength. And that strength drew her and repelled her at the same time.

You’re thinking too hard, girl.
She suddenly remembered her intentions to work on the van and added it to the list. She had to get the thing running before next week when she started shuttling guests to and from the airport. Almost every registrant had requested the service when she offered it. And she’d gotten the used van for a bargain, knowing she could fix the problem.

After dinner Hanna gathered her tools and went to work.

Micah slowed to a walk and took his heart rate. He was within his zone. His body had long ago acclimated to the high altitude, and now he could easily run five miles a day. Except for days when he climbed. That was a workout in itself.

He liked the Higher Grounds property. The still lake and lack of people gave an ambience of solitude and peace. Birch, willow, and oak trees dotted the area, and a fresh cushion of pine needles layered the ground. It was a refreshing change from the bustling Majestic property. He wondered if this would be his last day here or if it would be the first of many. He didn’t like having his future up in the air and was anxious to know what Hanna had decided. He’d checked the office before his run, but she wasn’t there.

When he came to the drive, he turned and slowed his pace a bit, allowing his heart rate to come down gradually. The gravel crunched under his running shoes, joining the orchestra of warbling bird calls.

Rounding a bend, he saw a pair of denim-clad legs protruding from beneath a Chevy van. Maybe he would know where Micah could find the manager. “Excuse me.” The body inched from under the vehicle. “Could you tell me where I can find—” The body had a head, and it was a woman’s. Hanna’s. “Oh. It’s you.”

She smiled, and the streak of grease settled into the crease on one side of her mouth. “Hi.” She sat up, wiped her hands on a rag, and took the hand up he offered. “I’m glad I caught you. I wanted to talk to you about the job.”

Her face was devoid of makeup, a fact he’d missed earlier. But her dark complexion and wide eyes didn’t need it. “Yeah, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”

“I called your references, and you come highly recommended.”

She sounded like there was a
but
coming, so he said nothing as her lashes swept down over golden green eyes.

“But I’m afraid I won’t be able to pay you what you’re worth.” She met his gaze firmly. “I can offer room and board, of course, but the additional income won’t be what you’re used to.” She quoted a figure, and Micah noted the way she crossed her arms defensively. She was expecting him to turn down her offer or perhaps dicker with her over his salary.

“Actually, I don’t need much. A roof over my head, food to eat, and very little else. I accept your offer.”

Surprise was evident in the way her finely arched brows inched upward. “Oh.” Then a grin tugged at her lips. “Well, let’s get you settled then.”

He followed her to the lodge, his eyes skimming her trim figure from the ponytail to her Levi’s. Long legs for her petite stature.

He forced himself to look away. At the big oak, at the rustic lodge, at anything but the alluring sight in front of him. Maybe taking this job wasn’t such a good idea. The last thing he wanted was an attachment. When they reached the office, he took a seat across from the desk and watched while she opened her reservations book.

“Your first trip will be next week. I have a family who wants to hike up Grand Teton.”

He nodded. He could do that trip blindfolded. “Did you want to have a regular weekly schedule or just go with reservations?”

She asked how they worked it at the Majestic, and he explained their regular schedules.

“That sounds fine. Why don’t you work up a tentative schedule with both day trips and overnighters, the most popular treks, and I’ll take a look at it. How did you schedule days off?”

“I have a standing appointment on Thursday nights, so I always had Thursdays off. Sundays too.”

“Why don’t you work the schedule around those two days, then, if that’s all right with you.” She handed him employee papers to fill out.

“Fine.” He began filling out the forms.

The phone rang, and she grabbed the cordless. “Higher Grounds, may I help you?”

Micah jotted down his social security number.

“What’s wrong, Nat?”

He looked up, and Hanna placed her hand over the mouthpiece and whispered, “Just leave them on my desk when you’re done.” Then she slipped out the door.

Hanna entered the empty kitchen, letting the louvered doors swing shut behind her. By the sound of her sister’s voice, she could tell Natalie was fighting tears. Nat had been rambling about tidying up after lunch, but hadn’t yet gotten to the point.

“And it fell out of his pants, right there on the floor. I couldn’t believe it when I saw it, Hanna. Why would he do it?” She sounded hysterical.

Hanna’s mind spun as she tried to decipher some kind of meaning from her sister’s meandering words. “Now, wait, Nat. What fell out of his pants? I’m not following.”

“A condom!” The word brought on a flood of tears and sniffles.

Hanna paused in the taut silence.

“I’m on the pill, Hanna!”

Hanna wilted and squeezed her eyes shut. “Oh, Nat.”

“We haven’t been very close lately. He’s been so busy at the bank, and I’ve been busy with the kids and church, but … an affair? How could he?”

She heard the torment in her sister’s voice, wished she could take it away. What could she say? “Maybe it hasn’t gotten that far yet. The package wasn’t empty, was it?”

“No.” She sniffled again, and Hanna heard the baby squealing unhappily in the background, then a muffled, “Alex, get off him!”

Nat just didn’t deserve this. She would never dream of having an affair. Hanna could hardly believe Keith would either.

“Do you really think he hasn’t done anything yet?” Nat asked. “Who could it be? He’s never home, and I thought he was working. But what if he wasn’t working at all? What if he was spending all that time with
her?”

Hanna smiled stiffly when Mrs. Eddlestein entered the kitchen, then lowered her voice, ensuring that the hard-of-hearing woman wouldn’t hear. “I don’t know, sweetie. Could it be someone at the bank?” Hanna tried to recall if she’d seen anyone at the bank when she’d gone to sign papers. No particular woman stood out in her mind.

“There are plenty of women there, but most of them are married or overweight. And you know how Keith feels about extra pounds. At least, on me.” She sighed into the phone. “He’s lost weight lately himself, and he’s been wearing cologne every day!” she said, as if she’d just put two and two together. “Why didn’t I see this coming?”

“You had no way of knowing. Your mind doesn’t work that way. What about at church? Is there anyone there you can think of?”

“Church? Keith hasn’t been to church in weeks.” A fresh wave of tears started. “Oh, Hanna, he went out of town two weeks ago! What if he was really with
her?”

How could You let this happen to Nat, God? And to the boys?
“Are you going to ask him?”

“What if he’s in love with her? What if he wants to leave us?”

Hanna didn’t know what to say. She wasn’t married, had never even come close. Who was she to give advice? “Have you thought of calling Mom and Dad? Or Paula?”

“I can’t do that. Mom and Dad would never forgive Keith, and he’d never be able to face them again if they knew. And Paula’s not exactly the most sympathetic ear in the world. I need advice; that’s why I called you.”

“I don’t know what to say, Nat.” Silence crackled between them. She watched Mrs. Eddlestein taking a fresh batch of crescent rolls to the dining room. “You’re going to have to ask him what’s going on. Maybe there’s some other explanation.” She could hardly fathom that the man who had risked a sizable loan for her would betray his own wife.

“Do I tell him what I found, or should I just ask if something going on?”

She rubbed her temple with her free hand. “If you started a discussion about your relationship, do you think he’d open up?”

“He’s been so distant lately. Why didn’t I see this coming? I can believe this is happening.”

“Let’s assume nothing has happened yet. Maybe the relationship ha just been heading in that direction, and he wanted to carry protection just to be on the safe side.”

“I need to confront him about it. Tell him what I found and see what he says.”

Sympathy swelled in Hanna, and she wished she were there to hold her sister and let her cry on her shoulder. “Do you want me to come over?”

She heard Alex begin to wail in the background. “I gotta go, Hanna. Alex bumped his head. I’ll call you later.”

She said good-bye, then jabbed the off button.
Oh, God. You have to help her.
The words jammed in her mind like cars in rush-hour traffic.

Later that night as Hanna sat behind the computer, she wondered how Nat was doing. Was she confronting Keith even now?
Help her, Lord. Give her the words and the strength she needs to handle this.

She kept remembering Keith’s kindness to her in extending the loan She knew his loan committee must have looked at it unfavorably, and yet he’d done it anyway. Life could be so complex. She dragged he hands over her face.

The screen saver kicked on, and she realized she’d hardly gotten a thing done. She continued transferring the reservations from the book to their old computer, Methuselah. Even though it was ancient by today’s standards, it still worked and even allowed her to access the Internet through free software. She’d recently invested in a program that allowed her to see at a glance how booked they were for any given week or month. Soon, she’d put all the guest information directly into the computer when she took reservations and use the book for backup only.

Gram entered the office. “How are we doing for June?”

Hanna paused her tapping and clicked on the button that would show June. “Here we are.” She pointed at the screen. “We’re half booked most nights and sold out for the third weekend. Not bad, huh?” Well on the way to the 38 percent increase they needed over last year.

“That’s wonderful!” She squeezed Hanna’s shoulders. “This is going to work out just fine. All your ideas were just the thing. Thank God for giving me such a brilliant granddaughter!”

“If I were brilliant, I would’ve done this two years ago.”

“Oh, I almost forgot.” Gram grabbed a paper from the desk and handed it to her. “There was a young man in while you were grocery shopping. He was interested in the watercraft position, and I had him fill out a … oh drat, what’s the word?”

“Application?”