The Mighty Quinns: Eli (16 page)

Lucy stood and walked to the door. She slipped her feet into her boots then pulled on her jacket. “I know we made an agreement that you could knock it down after I left, but it might be nice for storage.”

As they walked outside, Lucy heard the distant sound of a helicopter. Annalise smiled, setting her pack at the bottom of the porch steps. “That's my ride. I have to attend a fund-raiser tonight and my sweetheart was afraid I wouldn't make it back in time. Come along, we still have a couple of minutes to see your cabin.”

They walked down to the log building and Lucy opened the door. Annalise stepped inside and slowly walked around the perimeter of the room. “This is quite a project,” she said. “If you can do this, then I have no doubt you can do anything you set your mind to.” She smiled. “Let yourself fall in love, Lucy. At least once in your life, let it happen.”

As they walked back to the porch, Lucy pondered the suggestion. Would it be such a terrible thing to allow herself just one shot at love? Eli was the most suitable candidate who'd come along. Why not try?

When they reached the porch, Annalise grabbed her pack and pulled the strap over her shoulder. “Would you like to come with me? It might be nice to spend a few nights in town. I'm sure Eli would be happy to see you.”

“I can't,” Lucy said. “But thank you for coming. I've enjoyed our visit.”

“So have I. But you may want to keep this talk our little secret. Eli hates it when I interfere in his life.”

“Our secret,” Lucy said.

She watched as Annalise stepped into her snowshoes, then started across the meadow toward the waiting helicopter. Once she was inside, the black chopper rose up in a swirl of snow then tilted and headed away from the cabin. Lucy waited until it disappeared behind a snow-covered ridge. A few moments later, a familiar quiet descended over the meadow.

Lucy had always heard mother-in-law horror stories and now she could understand exactly what they were all about.

But in the end, all that Annalise really wanted was for her son to be happy. And wasn't that what Lucy wanted for Eli, too?

 

8

December

E
LI
SAW
THE
EMAIL
when he signed on to upload the week's video footage. The subject line was appropriately shocking.
Pulling the plug
. He opened the email from the producers and skimmed the contents, then cursed softly.

He'd known the day would probably come but it had seemed like the longer they went without hearing, the better the odds were that they'd be allowed to finish. In truth, Eli was hoping they'd at least let them go to the first of the year.

Lucy was busy working on a pinecone garland for over the front door and he watched her as she strung the cones together. She'd decided to do some holiday decorating around the cabin, hoping that it might make for interesting video. They had a whole series of things planned for December, including the search for the perfect Christmas tree.

Cursing softly, he quickly forwarded a copy of the letter to his own email account, then erased the copy from hers. For now, he'd keep the news to himself until he figured out exactly how to handle it.

He'd tried to make things better with the producers, keeping them up-to-date on what he'd filmed, letting them choose some of the activities that Lucy did around the cabin. But it hadn't mattered.

The decision to keep the email from Lucy was risky, but she was already worried and the increased pressure would only make it more difficult for her.

Strangely, Eli didn't feel guilty for the deception. He'd never lied to Lucy, never kept anything from her for very long—except for his true feelings. His only thought had been to protect her, to keep her life as happy and positive as possible. Things worked better between them when she was happy.

Maybe he was being selfish, wanting the best of her, pushing aside the negative things. But if they only had a few more days in this cabin, he wanted to remember them laughing rather than fighting.

There was still a way out of this, a chance for them to continue on with the project. He had half a million dollars in a bank account with another half million waiting for him in Ireland. Perhaps the windfall had been fate, sent at this particular time to help him keep Lucy in his life. But she continued to refuse his money.

He needed some time to work it all out, to find a way to explain both the bad news and the good news. He'd probably only get one pass at fixing things, one opportunity to lay out his plan and convince her to go along with it, so he'd have to be ready.

“How's it going?” he called.

She held up the garland and smiled. “It turned out nice. I want to make one for over the fireplace, too. You don't think it's too early to start decorating, do you?”

“When I was in town, the stores already had Christmas stuff out.”

“I wish we could have lights,” she murmured. “I love lights. And they'd look so pretty on the cabin. And on a Christmas tree.”

“We could fire up the generator,” he suggested.

“No, that seems kind of silly.”

“What kind of decorations do you usually put up at your place?”

She glanced up at him. “I don't really have a home,” she said. “I sometimes rent a room. Or I house-sit. I have a few ex-coworkers that let me camp on their couch if I need to. I'm in and out of town so much that it's crazy to rent a house or an apartment.”

“One of these days, you're going to have to put down some roots,” he said.

“Maybe,” she said with a shrug. She went back to her work and Eli set down the laptop and crossed the room to sit next to her. “We got some good footage last week. The snowshoe segment was fun.”

“I wish we could have found some bear tracks or mountain lion tracks, though. Lions and tigers and bears, oh my.”

“Bears are hibernating. And mountain lions are usually nocturnal.”

“Bigfoot would have been nice, too. Now
that
would have been drama. Big ratings.”

Lately, they'd both taken on a rather cynical view of the production company and the producers' quest for drama and conflict. It had become a source of badly needed humor and when they were bored, they developed an entire video series featuring Riley and his adventures in the wilderness.

Yesterday, the dog had seen a rabbit and chased it until he was covered with snow. The day before, he'd eaten an entire bowl of oatmeal that Eli had left on the kitchen table. They'd documented his feast with a hidden camera while Eli and Lucy watched from beneath the quilts on the bed. They'd also dressed him up and done a music video with Riley sitting in Eli's lap.

For Eli, it was a way to lift the boredom of too many hours spent in the cabin. The days were getting shorter, the weather more unpredictable, and it was becoming harder and harder to tape outdoors. Lucy could tolerate only so many craft projects before she got frustrated and began to pitch supplies in his direction.

“I was thinking that maybe we need to get away for a few days, Luce. We've been stuck inside for too long and we're both starting to go a bit crazy.”

“Where would we go?”

“We could go into town.”

She turned and stared at him. “We can't go into town.”

“Sure we can. I know the way and you've gotten really good on the snowshoes. We can take Riley and rent a nice room at one of the resorts. You can have a shower, and eggs and bacon for breakfast, and in-room movies to watch and—”

“Stop!” she cried. “Why are you doing this? Why are you tormenting me?”

Eli blinked in surprise. “I wasn't trying to torment you. I just thought—”

“No. You know that I can't leave. I signed a contract to stay on this mountain for an entire year.”

“We've stretched those guidelines pretty far. Maybe we could stretch them a little further. Besides, they owe you a few days off.”

She pushed to her feet, and her gaze narrowed and fixed squarely on his. “What do you know? What have you heard?”

Eli shrugged. “I don't know anything. Why would you think that?”

“You were just on the computer,” she said. “What did you read?” She strode across the room and opened the laptop, then logged in to her email account. Eli watched as she searched for evidence against him.

She wasn't going to be happy when she learned the truth. But maybe there was a way he could save this all for her, without her knowing that he was responsible. She probably wouldn't accept his direct help. She was stubborn that way. But he could always be a silent investor.

Lucy continued to scroll through the emails. He loved to watch her attack a problem, to focus all her attention on it and examine it from a million different angles. And then to formulate a plan and carry it out. She'd done it with the cabin and when she'd decided to make the very best blackberry scone she could without using real eggs. And this morning it had been a pinecone garland for the door.

Eli smiled to himself. If NASA decided they wanted to send a man to Mars, he was pretty sure Lucy could get the job done for them if they let her try. “Are you finished?” he asked.

She slapped the lid down on the laptop and faced him. “I'm sorry. You're right. Maybe I am going a little stir-crazy. But I don't want to go to town.” She stood up and rubbed her hands together. “I need to burn off some energy.”

“There is one thing we could do. We could work on the interior of your cabin. It could use a floor. And after that, some cabinets and counters for the kitchen.”

“Why? No one is ever going to live there. When I'm gone, just use it for storage. Or a barn. You could have a milk cow or chickens.” She sighed. “I would love to go into town.”

“Yeah? What would you want to do?”

“I'd eat. First a hamburger. Then ice cream. Maybe some fettuccine Alfredo and cheesecake. Then, after stuffing myself, I'd want a nice long bath in a huge tub. With bubbles. And someone to give me a pedicure.” But then, she shook her head. “But I can't. Thank you for the offer.”

Eli walked over to her, standing behind her, his hands gently massaging her shoulders. “What can I do for you, then?”

“You could rub lotion into my skin,” she said, glancing over her shoulder at him. He took her hand and led her over to the bed, then grabbed her favorite moisturizer and sat down at her feet. She wore thick wool socks and he peeled them off.

Squeezing the lotion into his palm, he let it warm for a second in his hands and then gently began to work it into her foot. She lay back on the bed and closed her eyes, a smile on her face. “I can't imagine how I'd be handling this project if you weren't here. All alone with the snow and the cold.”

“You'd have Riley.”

“He's a great dog, but he's a rotten conversationalist. He has horrible breath. And he hogs the bed. You don't hog the bed.”

He chuckled. “I think Riley and I got lucky,” Eli said. Perhaps she needed to be reminded of all the wonderful things that had happened on the mountain. That might balance out the anger once she found out they were sending her home.

He smoothed his hands beneath the baggy flannel pants she wore, running his palms up her leg to her calf. There wasn't a day that went by that he wasn't reminded how beautiful she was. From the shapely curve of her calf to the arch of her foot. He'd learned every inch of her body, committed it to memory and knew exactly how to exact the maximum amount of pleasure from it.

Finished with her feet, he crawled over her and sat down beside her, pulling her hand into his. Her hands, with long tapered fingers and narrow palms, were even more familiar. Those hands had brought him more pleasure in the past few months than he'd experienced in his entire life.

As he smoothed the cream into her right hand, she reached up and slowly began to unbutton the flannel shirt he wore. Then she leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his naked chest.

This was how it began, slow and easy, a gentle exploration. And it would end with both of them naked, arching against each other, desperate for release. It was the same powerful experience each time, but yet it was always different.

Eli pressed her back into the pillows and captured her hands above her head. He hovered over her, his lips just barely touching hers. Lucy ran her tongue over his lower lip, then arched her hips against his, smiling when she felt the erection beneath his jeans.

Sex was the best way to battle boredom. And Eli hoped they'd never find a better one. He grabbed her hands and pulled her to her feet to stand beside the bed. His gaze fixed on hers, he reached over and pulled her sweatshirt over her head.

Smiling coyly, Lucy brushed his flannel shirt off his shoulders. They were both dressed in layers of clothes to ward off the chill inside the cabin. Piece by piece, they undressed each other, tossing the clothes on the floor. Lucy grabbed the video camera and tripod from the corner and set it down in front of her.

“What are you doing with that?” he asked.

“Just having a little fun. It seems like everyone has a sex tape. Haven't you ever been curious what all the fuss is about?”

“No. It always seems to end up on the internet,” he warned.

“This is just for our own viewing pleasure,” Lucy said. “We'll erase it right away, I promise. It might be fun.”

“You're a very naughty girl,” he said.

She turned on the camera and focused it on him. “Tell me your name,” she said.

Eli shook his head. “What are we playing?”

“What's your name?” she insisted.

“Ed,” he said. “My name is Ed and I'm from Pittsburgh.”

“Why are you here, Ed? What are you looking for?”

Eli had never played sex games, but since they didn't have any solid plans for the evening, he might as well go along with this one. “I've been looking for a girl like you,” he said.

“Like me? What do you want me to do for you, Ed? I can do lots of things.” Lucy stepped out from behind the camera. “You just have to ask.”

“What can I do for you?” Eli inquired, watching as she slowly circled him. He held his breath as her fingers drifted along his erection. But she didn't touch him, making the anticipation even more unbearable.

“This isn't about me, Ed. This is all about you.” Lucy spied a wool scarf she'd tossed over the bedpost and grabbed it, letting it brush against his naked body. “Do you like to be tied up?”

“Lucy, are you—”

“My name's not Lucy, Ed.”

“No? What is it?”

“It's whatever you want it to be. What do you want to call me?” She stepped behind him and grabbed his wrists, then knotted the scarf around them. “Hmmm? Who am I?”

“Miss Randall. My ninth grade English teacher. I had a thing for her.”

Lucy smiled as she stood in front of him. Raking her fingernail down the center of his chest, she leaned into him. “I guess it's time for our lesson.”

She wrapped her fingers around his shaft and slowly stroked. Eli groaned softly. With activities like this, he mused, winter would fly by.

* * *

L
UCY
CURLED
INTO
the warmth of Eli's body, tugging her feet out from beneath Riley, who was lying across the foot of the bed. Outside, the wind had picked up again, filling the silent cabin with the hissing sound of snow on the windows.

The cabin was far from weather tight, and frigid drafts found their way inside through the tiniest cracks and crevices. The old quilts had not been enough to keep them warm, so they had added the two down sleeping bags. Even Riley, with his thick winter fur, would be beneath the covers by the time morning rolled around.

She grabbed her fleece pants and a sweatshirt and pulled them on over her naked body, then slipped from the warmth of the bed, placing her bare feet on the cold floor. She whipped on heavy wool socks to keep her feet warm and then walked over to the fireplace to rebuild the fire.