Stay With Me, Contemporary Romance (Last Frontier Lodge Novels Book 5) Read online

  Stay With Me

  A Last Frontier Lodge Novel

  J.H. Croix

  Contents

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Stay With Me

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Epilogue

  Excerpt: When We Fall (by J.H. Croix; all rights reserved)

  Find My Books

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2016 by J.H. Croix

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN: 1534786449

  ISBN 13: 9781534786448

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  Dedication

  To new beginnings and the one who helps me find them time and again.

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  Stay With Me

  A Last Frontier Lodge Novel

  By J.H. Croix

  1

  Eli Brooks leaned his head back and swallowed a sigh. “It’s fine, Mom. I’ll swing by the bank later this afternoon,” he said into his phone.

  “I’m sorry to ask again so soon,” his mother said, probably for the fifth time in the last five minutes.

  “No need to apologize, Mom. How’s Ryan?” he asked, biting back the frustration rising inside and trying to shift gears in the conversation.

  “He’s fine,” she said quickly.

  A horn honked nearby and Eli glanced over to see a car backing out of a parking space, the driver clearly not bothering to notice another car passing by. He bit back a laugh when he saw the other car simply veer around and keep going. The minor distraction helped him get through this call without his annoyance showing. He genuinely didn’t mind giving his mother money to make ends meet, but he’d been getting suspicious lately that his father had moved back in due to the frequency of her requests for help. After a few more minutes of stilted conversation, he managed to get off the phone.

  With a shake of his head, he started his truck and put it in gear. He glanced over to the passenger seat to make sure he hadn’t left the bolts in the hardware store. His mother’s call had come in while he was in line, distracting him. He rolled slowly through the parking lot. It was summer in Diamond Creek, Alaska, which meant the town was swarmed with tourists, and RV’s and campers crowded the roads and parking lots, limiting visibility and generally contributing to plenty of driving mishaps. He stopped to wait for a giant camper as the driver backed up. After several failed attempts of the camper to successfully back out, Eli put his truck in park and climbed out with a sigh. He’d have to serve as the back up guide for the driver, or he’d be here all day.

  Jessa Hamilton stared at the photo in her hand and swallowed against the tightness in her throat. She kept pulling this photo out and looking at it, as if she looked enough, something would be different. Yet, nothing changed. Walls blackened with smoke, charred furniture and nothing else recognizable. Only she knew what had been contained within its walls. Hot tears pressed against the back of her eyes, and she took a gulp of air. Her name was called, and she quickly slipped the photo in her purse and stood. She walked up to the small pick-up counter and grabbed the coffee with her name on it. Once she sat back down at her table, she took a sip and glanced out the windows. The view here was simply breathtaking—a picturesque bay sparkled under the sun with mountains rising tall on the far side. A glacier lay in a valley between two peaks, glowing translucent blue and almost mesmerizing her. The sheer beauty took her mind off the ashes of her life she’d left behind.

  After a few more minutes of coffee and soaking in the view, Jessa felt able to drive the last leg of her journey. She slung her purse over her shoulder and walked outside into the parking lot, her coffee cup warm in her hand. It was early summer in Diamond Creek, Alaska and the air had a definite chill to it. Her small blue truck was waiting for her. She climbed in and sighed. Right now, this truck was the closest thing she had to home. It held everything she owned, which at this point was the clothes she wore, a small bag of clothing, and a toolbox that contained her beloved paintbrushes and art supplies. She ran her good hand over the dashboard and gave it a loving pat. “Okay Blue, we’ve got a few errands, a short drive up the mountain and then you can take a break for a while.”

  She started the engine and put the truck in gear. She had to maneuver carefully with her left hand, which had been injured in the same fire that burned up the apartment she left behind. With a quick glance behind her, she started to back up when she felt a thump. She whipped her head further back and saw a black truck to the far corner of her line of sight. “Oh hell. Really? Did I really just back into someone?” she wondered aloud. “Sorry Blue, just gave you a little bump there. Here’s hoping we didn’t hurt the other truck.” She laughed to herself, realizing she talked to Blue more than just about anyone. She took a deep breath and rolled the truck forward before putting it back in park. Another deep breath and she climbed out, prepared to face the music of an irate driver. She prayed she’d left nothing more than a small dent in the other truck.

  When she walked to the back of her truck, she saw a man leaning against the corner of the black truck and immediately lost the ability to breathe. The man in question had dark brown hair and green eyes that locked onto her the moment she looked up at him. He wore a denim jacket over a navy blue t-shirt and faded jeans that were so worn, the soft fabric molded over his muscled thighs. A pair of scuffed brown leather boots completed the ensemble. His shoulders filled out his jacket, and she caught a glimpse of his muscled chest and abs in the gap where his jacket hung open. His thumb was hooked in a pocket. Her brain fuzzed and her pulse galloped. Desperate for air, she managed to force her lungs into gear and take a few gulps.

  “Hi, um, I think I backed into you. I’m really sorry. I thought I looked, but I obviously didn’t look enough. Is there any damage? Let me get my insurance card and…”

  The man pushed away from the truck, shaking his head. “No need. Your bumper took the hit,” he said, gesturing to Blue’s rear bumper. “My bumper’s so beat up, I probably wouldn’t have noticed anyway.”

  Her eyes seemed stuck. She just stood there and stared at him. When he arched a brow in question, she finally managed to tear her eyes away and look at her bumper. The corner of Blue’s rear bumper bore a roun
d dent. The knot of tension in her chest loosened slightly. She’d been carrying the little ball of tension for so many weeks now, she was used to it. Any easing of it was a pleasant surprise. She took a breath and looked back at the man, her pulse rocketing again when she met his green gaze.

  “Well, that’s not too bad. Blue can live with it,” she said, gently patting the bumper.

  “Blue?”

  “My truck. Her name is Blue,” she offered in explanation.

  “If that’s how you name trucks, I guess you’d call mine Dusty,” he said with a chuckle.

  His eyes bounced from her truck to her. “You from Washington?”

  “Good guess.”

  “Not a guess. Your license plate,” he said, gesturing to it.

  “Oh, right.” She couldn’t seem to think of what else to say, not when this way-too-sexy man had her tongue-tied and her thoughts fuzzy.

  “If you’re planning to get that dent banged out, my friend has a mechanic shop just down the street.”

  Normally, she would want to get the dent taken care of, but normally she wasn’t flat broke. She shrugged. “I’m not sure when I’ll have a chance to do that.”

  He nodded slowly. “Well, if you decide to get it fixed, Dan does good work. Can’t miss it. It’s the shop down the road, says Auto Shop outside.”

  “Just Auto Shop?”

  “Yup. Dan keeps it simple. What brings you to Diamond Creek? Long drive from Washington. Well, long drive from just about anywhere outside of Alaska.”

  Jessa was doing her damnedest to get her pulse under control, but her pulse appeared to have a mind of its own. Aside from the fact that she couldn’t seem to think clearly around this man, the last thing she wanted was to think about what brought her to Alaska. She took an unsteady breath and called upon her manners.

  “I’m here visiting family for a bit.”

  “You have family here?”

  “My brother, Gage Hamilton, runs Last Frontier Lodge. My other brother, Garrett, moved up here last year. He’s married to Delia. I think her maiden name was Peters.”

  “Delia Peters is right. I’ve known her for a while. I do some business with Gage and met Garrett once or twice. Everyone in Diamond Creek is damn happy about the lodge being open again. I’ve been up there a few times to ski myself.” His green eyes crinkled at the corners. “Suppose I could introduce myself. I’m Eli Brooks.” He held a hand out.

  Her arm moved of its own accord, lifting and placing her hand in his. His palm engulfed hers, the calloused surface and warmth sending shivers followed by heat rushing through her. Once her hand was in his, she froze again. After a long moment, too long to be polite, he slowly loosened his grip and released her palm. Another few beats passed before he spoke again.

  “Don’t suppose you’ll tell me your name?”

  Her cheeks heated. “Oh, oh, right. Jessa Hamilton.” Right about now, she wouldn’t have minded if a hole opened up in the ground to swallow her. Cliché or not, she would have liked somewhere to fall in and hide. Eli was doing nothing other than being polite, and she could barely hold a conversation with him.

  “Nice to meet you, Jessa,” Eli replied with a slow smile. “If you’re here for a bit, I’ll probably see you around. Diamond Creek’s pretty small.”

  Her belly fluttered and her heart gave a little kick. What the hell was going on with her? She’d backed into Eli’s truck, and now she was all but drooling on him. She realized she was about to enter into another long moment where she should say something. That’s how conversation worked. One person said something, the other person listened and formulated a reply. If this were a game of tennis, she would have definitely lost because she couldn’t manage to swing her racquet. She gathered her scrambled thoughts and forced herself to speak.

  “Nice to meet you too. I’m sorry about bumping into your truck. It’s been a long few days of driving. I’m glad your truck’s okay.”

  Eli grinned. “No problem. Like I said, I probably wouldn’t have noticed if you had.” He stepped away and opened his truck door. “See you around,” he said with a quick wave.

  She watched while he drove away. A gust of wind blasted from the direction of the bay, blowing her hair wild.

  2

  Eli glanced in his rear view mirror and saw Jessa Hamilton standing in the parking lot. Her brown hair blew in a swirl around her face. He stopped where the parking lot met Main Street and watched as she brushed her hair back with one hand and turned to hurry back into her truck. She cradled one arm against her waist, and he wondered why. He turned out and headed toward his shop. He was looking at the road in front of him, but all he could see in his mind’s eye were Jessa’s eyes. He’d never seen eyes like hers before—smoky gray with glimpses of silver.

  When he was driving by and saw her start to back up, he didn’t have enough time to stop. For a flash, he was irritated as hell. Between the call from his mother, helping a hapless camper driver back up, and dealing with the general madness of his summer schedule, he’d had to bite back his frustration. Summer was the busiest time of year for him. Owning his own business was great, except for the fact that sometimes he only had himself to count on. He owned Game to Fish, a retail store and guiding business for the hordes of wilderness travelers that descended on Diamond Creek once the snow melted. He’d been up since way too early this morning and didn’t have time to deal with a fender bender. For a split second, he considered driving on past the little blue truck that bumped into him. He’d meant it when he said he wasn’t worried about his bumper, but it seemed a tad rude to keep driving when she pulled forward and started to climb out of her truck.

  One look at her chocolate brown hair, those silvery gray eyes, and her lush, curvy body, and his frustration evaporated. He could have cared less if she’d completely bashed his bumper. He forgot that he only had a few minutes to get back to his store. Now, he had to make up the minutes he lost and gunned his truck. Within moments, he came to a jerking stop in front of his store and grabbed the small bag from the hardware store. The doorbell jingled when he walked in, and Cliff Gibson glanced up from behind the counter.

  “Hey Eli, did they have the bolts we need?” Cliff asked.

  Eli tossed the small bag from the hardware store to Cliff. Cliff caught it and immediately dumped the bolts on the counter. Without a word, he stepped from behind the counter and strode to the front windows to climb on the ladder there.

  “Need a hand?” Eli asked, slightly bemused by Cliff. Aside from himself, Cliff was Eli’s primary employee. He had a few other employees, but Cliff was the only one involved in every aspect of his business from the retail store to fishing charters to guided hunts. Like Eli, Cliff had been born and raised in Alaska. He knew just about everything there was to know about fishing and hunting in the area. Sometimes, Eli was amazed at how responsible Cliff was given that he’d only graduated from college a year ago.

  Cliff glanced down from the ladder. “I left the bolts on the counter,” he said with a grin.

  Eli stepped to the counter and snagged the two bolts. After he handed them over, he watched while Cliff carefully adjusted the display rack hanging from the ceiling and replaced the two broken bolts on one side. Once he was done, Cliff returned the ladder to its storage spot in the back room and immediately got back to work on ordering supplies and gear for several upcoming trips.

  Eli walked into his office and looked around. His office was small and crowded. A small desk and chair were tucked into the corner with two chairs on the other side of the desk. The rest of the office was filled with a jumble of fishing and hunting gear, everything from fishing rods and hunting knives to high-end outerwear. He kicked a box out of the way and sat down at his desk, quickly opening his laptop and starting to plow through emails for reservations on guided hunts. As usual, he simultaneously tapped the speaker button on his office phone and started listening to his voice mails. The first two were from customers and the third was his mother.

  “Hey El
i, haven’t heard from you in a while. I wanted to see how you were doing. If you get a chance, give me a call.” There was a long pause. He could hear his mother take a deep breath. “I’m doing okay, just so you know. Love you.” The recording held another deep breath from his mother before she hung up. She must have called here before she tried his cell phone.

  Eli tried to keep reading his emails, but nothing was registering in his brain. He leaned back in his chair and ran a hand through his hair. His mind circled back to his mother’s call earlier. He’d taken purposeful steps to cut his ties with his family, almost solely due to his father. He hadn’t spoken to his father in over a decade when he moved to Diamond Creek from Juneau. Alaska was such a part of him, he couldn’t imagine living anywhere else, so he moved far enough away to get some distance—literally and figuratively.

  The only time his mother called was when she needed money. She only needed money when his father went on a drinking binge and blew through what little she had to get by. Eli wished she would call more, but he knew she didn’t because she felt guilty. Even though he’d done his damnedest to keep his father boxed out of his mother’s life, his father still had access to her bank accounts and she didn’t have it in her to cut him off. Eli kept in touch with his mother and tried to keep tabs on his younger brother Ryan, but he could only do so much from a distance. He was in a much better place than he had been when he moved away, but one thing that helped bring him peace was steering clear of the wrecking ball that was his father. The thorn in that peace was the guilt he felt leaving his mother and Ryan behind.

  Eli shook his head sharply and forced himself to focus on work. He confirmed a few reservations and made it through the rest of his emails before walking back out front. Cliff was talking to a few early tourists and issuing temporary fishing permits for them. He glanced to Eli when he rounded the back counter.