Christmas on the Last Frontier (Last Frontier Lodge #1) Read online

  “Have you been inside?” Holly asked a few minutes later.

  Marley nodded. “Yeah. When I got started on the website, I met him there. Gage said it was like walking into a time warp, and it is. The furniture’s covered up, but it looks just the same. He says he wants to open by Christmas, but he wants to redo the inside, so he’s got his work cut out for him. He seems up for it though.”

  Holly nodded, a slow smile spreading over her face. “I can’t wait to tell your dad. He used to love skiing there every weekend. If Gage gets it open in time, I know where we’ll be on Christmas.”

  Her mother’s phone buzzed. Holly glanced at the screen on her phone. “Oh hon, I have to get going. I’m covering an extra shift at the hospital.”

  Holly stood up and walked to the kitchen sink, gulping the rest of her coffee.

  “Speaking of work, when are you planning to slow down a little?” Marley asked.

  Her mother was a nurse at the hospital and had yet to even pause in the pace of her work. Holly glanced her way and shrugged. “As long as I enjoy it, I’ll keep working.”

  Marley started to get up, but Holly waved for her to stay put. “Finish your coffee. You don’t have to leave just because I am. Our house is yours.”

  Though part of her resisted the comfort offered, another part of her basked in relief. Holly pecked her on the cheek and raced out the door. Marley sat at the kitchen table and looked out toward the bay and mountains. Her childhood home felt as it always did—quiet when no one was present, but humming with subtle energy. Her mother was a whirlwind, and her father constantly had projects around the house. He was a fisherman and carpenter. Marley savored the quiet and the peaceful view. Though Seattle had Mount Rainier and the Cascades nearby, she never felt the sense of wildness like she did here in Alaska. Perhaps because even where there were towns in Alaska, the wilderness dwarfed them, rather than the other way around. Snow continued to fall every night on the mountains across the bay, the peaks stark white against the blue sky now.

  After she finished her coffee, she walked home through the spruce forest. When she saw the bright red roof of her cabin through the trees, she smiled. She’d always loved the cabin when she was a little girl. She and Lacey often had sleepovers there when they were old enough with her mother checking on them late at night and first thing in the morning. Though she’d come home under circumstances she wouldn’t have chosen, the sense of relief she’d felt when her parents offered for her to stay at the cabin was immense. She needed to regroup and needed a place where she felt safe. Diamond Creek and the charming little cabin offered her those things.

  As she crested the small rise where the cabin sat, she saw Gage’s truck in the driveway. Her heart leapt and flutters swirled in her belly. He looked as if he’d been knocking on the door. He turned away and began to walk down the steps when he saw her. He waved and leaned against the railing. Marley couldn’t help but appreciate the view. He wore faded jeans that hugged his muscled legs. He seemed partial to t-shirts that molded to his chest like a second skin. When she reached the bottom of the stairs and looked up, her breath caught and her pulse ricocheted. His chocolate brown hair was damp, his gray eyes smoky and focused completely on her. His mouth kicked up at the corner as she stood there.

  “Hey there,” he said, his voice gravelly and warm at once.

  “Hey. What brings you here?” Marley managed to get a halfway polite reply out, but she had to force her brain to function enough to form words.

  Gage’s smile expanded, and heat unfurled through Marley’s body.

  “I saw your car in the drive on the way to town, and thought I’d stop by and see if you might be willing to go with me to the furniture place up in Kenai.” He arched a brow when she didn’t reply and continued. “I need help with figuring out what to do inside. I could use a feminine perspective. If it’s left up to me, my sister says it will be black and white and boring,” he said wryly, a subtle flush staining his cheeks.

  Marley couldn’t help but laugh. She didn’t even stop to think and found herself nodding. “Sure. I can’t promise you amazing results, but I’m happy to help. When are you going?”

  “I was about to leave now, but I’ll wait if that works better for you.”

  “I thought you were starting with the exterior paint. The weather’s perfect for that today.” Marley’s body was thrilled with the idea of spending the afternoon with Gage, but her mind was leery. He got her so hot and bothered, it confused her.

  “It is, but my paint won’t be in until tomorrow, so I’m adjusting my plans.”

  Marley thought for a moment. She had no reason to say no seeing as she had no plans for the day other than calculating how far her savings would take her while she tried to see if she could start making money off of some of the apps she had in development. If her body had any say in the matter, she’d run to Gage’s truck and spend the day in proximity to him. Her mind, on the other hand, wasn’t so sure. But then she glanced up at him again, her eyes colliding with his smoky gaze, and she couldn’t consider anything other than spending the day with him looking at furniture. Though it went without saying that decorating a ski lodge was definitely not her area of expertise.

  Chapter 5

  Gage followed Marley as they walked out to the parking lot. He’d quickly discovered that while she wasn’t an expert at decorating, she was quite good at wrangling salespeople to do her bidding. By the end of several hours, he’d selected the set of furnishings for the entryway and other public areas. He also had some simple solutions for updating the bedroom suites and the restaurant. He made arrangements for the furniture to be delivered the following week. Marley walked ahead of him, her hips swaying and the fall of her auburn hair blowing in the wind. He imagined what it would feel like to run his hands down the curves of her hips and cup her lush bottom. His body had a good idea of how that might feel, leading him to swear to himself and stare at his boots the rest of the way to his truck. If there was one thing he wasn’t accustomed to, it was not being in control. He’d underestimated his attraction to Marley. Spending a few hours with her left him scrambling to get his mind and body under control.

  Marley turned to him once they were in the truck. “What now?”

  “I say we drive back to Diamond Creek and celebrate with dinner.” As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Gage wondered if he’d been possessed. Then he looked at her and couldn’t think of anything other than finding a way to spend more time with her.

  She smoothed her hair, which had blown wild in the wind outside. Her cheeks were pink from the chilled air, the smattering of freckles standing out on her pert nose. He had to resist the urge to lean over and kiss her. Her green eyes held his, a flash of uncertainty blinking in their depths. She took a deep breath. Little did she know that every time she did that, her shirt stretched tighter across her breasts and all he could think about is what it would feel like to touch her. The wind gusted around outside, leaves dancing in the air. He started his truck and turned the heat on to drive the chill out.

  Marley finally answered. “Okay, dinner. What are we celebrating?”

  “That you helped me deal with something I was clueless about it. Now it’s done. By the end of next week, I’ll have the new furniture delivered. A little work inside will have the place ready to roll after I take care of the painting and a few other repairs outside.” He shifted into gear and started driving.

  “I guess I didn’t think it was that big of a deal. All I did was ask the salesperson a few questions and follow him around,” she said with a chuckle.

  “This part just isn’t my thing. Put me to work on construction or some other project, but don’t ask me to decide on furniture or design a website.” He paused and glanced at her when he stopped at a light. “For me, your help means a lot. I want the lodge up and running by Christmas. Much as I’d somehow convinced myself I could do it all by myself, clearly I can’t. So thank you.”

  Marley flu
shed and looked away. “Well, you’re welcome,” she said softly. She turned back to him, her green eyes bright. “People are going to be so excited about the lodge opening again. I don’t think you really understand how much it will mean around town.”

  Gage was mesmerized by her eyes. He couldn’t look away. Though he sensed her uncertainty, when she spoke, it was with meaning and without artifice. Her simple statement about the lodge tugged at him. And damned if he knew why. He stared at her for so long, a car honked behind him, finally snapping him out of his trance. His body hummed at her nearness. He cleared his throat and tore his eyes from hers, shifting back into gear and zipping through the intersection and onto the exit for Sterling Highway, the sole highway that led to Diamond Creek and further down the peninsula to a few other small towns until it ended in Homer, Alaska—otherwise known as the end of the road, which it was, literally.

  The highway hugged the coastline on the western side of the Kenai Peninsula, rolling past vistas of snow-capped mountains on the other side of the inlet. The sun was dipping in the sky as he drove south, a path of shimmering gold and pink falling on the water as they drove. An eagle flew low along the shoreline, a pair of moose stood tall in a field of faded fireweed. Gage remembered this drive when he was a little boy. His clearest memory was when his parents were moving them to Washington. He recalled driving away in the summer and watching the caravan of campers heading into Alaska. He remembered that he hadn’t really understood they were moving away and that it would mean he wouldn’t be in this place he loved so.

  Now, so many years later, he felt like he was home again. Yet, he wasn’t the boy he once was. The drive to Diamond Creek was mostly quiet. Gage had quickly grown to appreciate two things about Marley—when she chose to talk, it was usually interesting, and she was completely comfortable with quiet. He wanted to know more about her—what it was like to grow up in Diamond Creek, why she left, why she came back, how did she become a computer programmer, what made her tick, where was her favorite hiking trail, and her favorite food.

  As he began to add to the list of questions he wanted Marley to answer, it occurred to him that he was breaking all of his own rules with her. He’d returned from his last mission, buried his best friend, and walked into a desk job on the base. A job he thought would help him erase the desolate sense he felt inside. It only made him feel worse. Becoming a Navy SEAL was an experience of precision and intense, grueling effort. Years of that layered onto the experience of war made sitting at a desk next to impossible.

  When Gram died and her attorney had contacted him and his siblings to review the will, he’d known that afternoon what he would do. Deep in his grief because they all loved Gram, he’d made plans. He was the oldest of his siblings at thirty-four. The twins came next, Garrett and Becca at thirty-two. Garrett was brainy and buttoned-up, a high-flying lawyer in Seattle. His twin sister, Becca, was so similar and so different at once. She was also a lawyer, but a poorly paid public prosecutor who specialized in cases involving victims of abuse. Next came Sawyer at thirty who’d followed Gage onto the path of becoming a Navy SEAL and was currently in the thick of his career, often out of contact on confidential missions. Last but definitely not least was Jessa at twenty-eight. Jessa was the free spirit in the family and was currently doing freelance work building artsy furniture that she sold for ridiculously high prices. Jessa had been on his case about making sure to set up a website and insisting he get help with decorating the lodge. She’d threatened to come up and do it herself, which had spurred him into action. He missed his family, but his hope was that once he got Last Frontier Lodge up and running, they’d come visit often. Of his siblings, he was the only one who had clear memories of when they lived here. His goal was to have the place ready for Christmas and have the whole family here. Though his family knew he had the skills to do what needed to be done, he didn’t think they quite recognized the depth of his intention.

  This was a dream he needed to recapture. Staring down the loss of his best friend and trying to pull the pieces of his life together made him want the peace he recalled from Alaska. It was the first thing he’d wanted in a long time. When Gram died and left him the primary owner of the lodge, he knew if he ever had a chance to find peace again, he might be able to find it here in Diamond Creek.

  Marley…she was something he hadn’t anticipated. She bumped against the boundaries he’d put in place. But for the moment, he was trying to convince himself he could have it both ways.

  When they reached Diamond Creek and he came to one of the few stoplights in town, he looked over at her. “Any favorites?”

  “Favorite what?”

  “Favorite restaurants.”

  Her wide smile reached in and grabbed his heart. He didn’t know why that made her smile, but he didn’t care. Her smile was like rain to the parched soil of his soul.

  “Oh, let’s go to Diamond Creek Brewery. It’s one of my favorites. Have you been there?”

  “I’ve barely left the lodge since I’ve been here. I’m familiar with the grocery store and the hardware store, but definitely not Diamond Creek Brewery. Tell me where to go.”

  Marley gave him directions and in minutes, he pulled up outside an old plane hangar. The only indication it wasn’t just a plane hangar was the brightly painted sign and the well-lit parking lot. He glanced over at her. “Um, this is a plane hangar, not a restaurant.”

  She grinned and his heart swelled. “It might be a plane hangar, but there’s a restaurant inside. Come on,” she said, climbing out his truck and grabbing her purse.

  Gage followed her inside and looked around. Though the space was technically a plane hangar, it was a far cry from its original purpose inside. The back end of the cavernous space held an actual beer brewery, the brewing equipment behind a three-quarters high brick wall. The wide-open space above had elaborate model planes hanging from the ceiling, reminiscent of the many small planes used throughout Alaska for travel. Windows had been added to the hangar walls and offered the view of a marshy field with Kachemak Bay and the mountains in the distance. Booths lined the walls with tables scattered in the middle. It was clear the brewery was popular with people filling most tables, the booths and the bar. Artistic fabric wall hangings and colorful rugs under the tables softened the noise in the space.

  They had to wait a few minutes for a booth to open up. Gage quickly realized being with Marley meant he’d have to get through introductions. Given that she’d grown up here, in the brief time they waited, she was greeted by at least five different people. When they sat down, a woman with wild brown curls and a bright smile approached their booth.

  “Marley! I heard you moved back. How’s it going?”

  Marley stood and gave a quick hug to the woman and sat back down. The woman instantly turned her gaze to Gage, not bothering to hide her curiosity. “And who might this be?” she asked.

  “Gage Hamilton,” Marley replied. “Gage, this is Susie,” she continued, gesturing to Susie. “She was a little ahead of me in school, but our mom’s used to take turns babysitting. Susie thought I was a book nerd…”

  Susie interjected with a grin, her smile infectious. “You were and are!”

  Marley grinned and continued. “Susie, this is Gage. He’s reopening Last Frontier Lodge.”

  Gage instantly got a sense of what Marley meant when she said people would be happy to hear he was opening the old ski lodge. Susie’s eyes widened and she clapped her hands, her brown curls bouncing.

  “Really? Oh, this is awesome! So how did you end up with the lodge and when will it be open?”

  After Gage explained his grandparents had owned it and he’d been born in Diamond Creek, Susie’s eyed him thoughtfully.

  “How come I don’t know you?” she asked.

  Marley burst out laughing. “Susie, you don’t know everyone even if you like to think you do. Plus, he moved away when we were really little.”

  Susie shrugged and grinned. “Whatever. Well, I’ll be spreadin
g the word about Last Frontier Lodge, so you’d better stay on schedule.”

  “I’ll do my best,” he replied.

  Susie glanced to Marley. “Are the rumors true then, you’re here to stay?”

  Marley nodded quickly. “All true.” Her voice was bright, but her eyes were guarded. Gage couldn’t help but wonder what lay behind that.

  Marley continued. “Didn’t I hear that you got married and had a baby?”

  Susie grinned and nodded, her curls bouncing. “You heard right. I still can’t believe it myself. I married Jared Winters and little Patrick came along just last year. I’m not sure if you know Jared and his brothers. They moved here about five years ago and started a guide business.”

  Marley shook her head. The conversation continued between them while Gage glanced around the restaurant. Susie turned to leave, waving as she went. Their waitress arrived seconds later. Gage discovered the brewery’s choices of beer were extensive, along with a varied menu. After settling on a beer and pizza, he leaned back. His memories of Alaska were limited to his time at the ski lodge. He didn’t remember if Diamond Creek had any restaurants whatsoever, but he was pleased to find the brewery could have easily held its own in a place such as Bellingham or Seattle.

  Dinner passed pleasantly. The more time Gage spent with Marley, the more he enjoyed her. The constant hum of attraction to her was distracting. He was learning just how convenient tables were when he was with Marley since they hid the almost-constant bulge in his pants. She filled him in on the highlights of her childhood and what led her to Seattle. She clearly loved her work, becoming animated when she discussed projects she’d worked on, and her hopes to keep herself afloat with freelance work as an app developer. The only hiccup was when he asked her what led her to return to Diamond Creek. Her eyes shuttered, and there was a long moment of silence. Though he was still getting to know her, he knew his innocent question had rattled her.