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

  Hours later, he leaned against the steel table that ran through the center of the main kitchen at the lodge. As a boy, he recalled this room as a bustle of activity from dawn until late at night. He’d made his way through stacks of faded cards with phone numbers from the old staff at the lodge. Though it had been many years since any of them would have worked here, Gage figured it was worth a shot to do some reconnaissance to find out if any former employees were still in town. The further he got into the work of his dream to reopen the lodge, the more he realized he needed help, lots of help.

  His vision of reopening the lodge was turning out to be rather vague. He’d convinced himself he’d do the hard work of repairs and the lodge would magically open. Thanks to Marley, he had help with the online side of things, but he needed a functioning restaurant, staff to handle the hotel guests, and staff on the slopes. The coffee maker beeped, and he strode over and poured a cup. He liked his coffee strong and black—no frills. He walked from the kitchen into the office and started perusing the list of names he’d found.

  “Hello?”

  He whirled around in his chair to find an older man standing in the doorway. The man was tall, lean and weathered. Gage thought he was familiar, but he couldn’t place him.

  “Hi there, can I help you?” Gage asked.

  The man removed the faded baseball cap he wore and eyed Gage. “Gage Hamilton?”

  Gage nodded slowly. “That’s me.”

  The man’s blue eyes crinkled at the corners with a smile that instantly shifted to a chuckle. “Well, well. I heard from the guys at the hardware store you were up here doing all kinds of work. I’m guessing you don’t remember me.”

  Gage eyed the man. “You look familiar, but if you know who I am, then you know I haven’t been here in about twenty years. I’m not up to speed on who’s who. Care to refresh my memory?”

  The man stepped into the room. Gage stood to meet him, reaching out to shake his hand. “Don Peters. I worked for your grandparents for years, mostly running the lifts and doing slope work, but I helped out on the grounds during the rest of the year. My wife ran the kitchen during ski season.”

  Gage’s memory clicked. “Oh yes! I remember you now. Good to see you. Have a seat,” he said, gesturing for Don to sit in one of the chairs at the table nearby.

  He grabbed his cup of coffee and followed him over. “Would you like some coffee? Can’t say I can even come close to what your wife used to do around here, but I can make coffee.”

  Don shook his head. “No thanks. Just thought I’d drop in and take a look around.” His eyes traveled around the sparsely furnished office and through the door into the empty restaurant. When his eyes made it back around the room to Gage’s, they held a hint of sadness. “Damn, it’s been a long time. Hard to see this place empty.”

  Don shifted in his chair. Gage experienced a pang, recognizing that while he’d only known this man in passing when he was young, Don had been a fixture at the ski lodge. Gage remembered Don’s wife, Sandy, well. He’d spent many a snowy afternoon running in and out of the kitchen looking for whatever scraps of food Sandy would provide. She often made them sandwiches for lunch and snuck him bits and pieces of fancier dishes on big nights at the lodge. His memory was of a warm, soft woman, her hair always worn in a braid that swung over her shoulder, her bright brown eyes kind and smiling.

  “I remember your wife. She was always feeding me and my brothers and sisters. Sandy, right?”

  The sadness in Don’s eyes sharpened, but he didn’t look away. He nodded brusquely. “Sandy wanted to feed the world, and she mostly did around here in Diamond Creek. She loved you kids. She, uh, passed away three years ago. Pancreatic cancer. By the time they found it, it was too late. Though we learned not many people survive that kind of cancer. I’m just glad she didn’t have a lot of pain.” Don paused. “I miss her every day,” he said plainly. “She’d have been beside herself to know you were opening this place again. Had to come see for myself.”

  Gage’s heart tightened, a flash of sadness piercing him. Though Sandy was but a memory for him, she was a part of what he’d loved at the lodge—she’d made everyone feel welcome. He met Don’s eyes and wanted to turn back time. Time was both a blessing and a curse. Time passed and pain eased. But one could never go back, so when you lost someone you loved, you had to accept the finality of it. He was pleased to know Sandy would have been happy about the lodge opening again. He only hoped he could do it justice. He took a breath. “I’m so sorry to hear about your wife. I, uh, wish I’d had a chance to see her again. I may have been away for a long time, but I remember her well. She was funny and nice and always took care of us kids.”

  Don nodded slowly, his smile soft and worn. “Sandy was that kind of woman. If you spent much time with her, she was hard to forget, so thank you for that. But I’m okay. I miss her, but she’d give me all kinds of hell if I moped around too much, so I try to live the way she’d want me to. That’s what got me up here today. Boy, if she were still with us, she’d have been pounding down your door. So what’s the plan?”

  “Well, I had a great plan and I thought it was really simple. When Gram died, I inherited this place with my brothers and sisters. I’ve got the largest share and seem to be the only one who missed this place like crazy. So, I came up here to reopen it. I thought all I’d need to do was take care of a few repairs and off we’d go.” He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I forgot the hard part—like running the restaurant, finding staff to help out on the slopes, that kind of thing. I found a little help for the website though. Marley Adams offered to help with that, which is a damn good thing because I have no clue about that. My sisters keep saying I had to get a website, but without Marley, I don’t think it would happen.”

  Saying Marley’s name conjured her in Gage’s mind. His body instantly tightened. He had to force his thoughts off of her and back to Don.

  Don grinned. “Marley Adams, huh? She’s a good kid. Her parents are good friends of ours. I mean, mine. She just moved back to town after that scare in Seattle. Her parents are tickled pink, and I’m glad to hear she’s helping you out. She needs something to do. That brain of hers never stops.”

  Gage couldn’t help it. His mind got hung up on the “scare in Seattle” that Don mentioned. It brought back a memory from the other night when he asked her why she moved back to Diamond Creek. She’d answered, but her answer had been vague and her eyes had been guarded. “I ran into her when she was hiking up here. I gathered she only moved back recently, but what happened?”

  Don didn’t seem to mind Gage’s question and appeared oblivious to the depth of Gage’s curiosity. “She walked into her apartment being robbed in Seattle. Her father told me she got lucky to come away with only a few bruises. Guy whipped her good with his gun and then stripped her place. Her parents have wanted her back home for years. She’s smart as a whip and could probably run circles around those city tech guys, but she’s a Diamond Creek girl through and through. I’m glad to know you met her. Though I haven’t seen you in years, you were always a good boy. She could use a friend,” Don said gruffly.

  Gage barely heard a word Don said past the details of the robbery. Fury rushed through him so fast he had to force himself to breath slowly. Fortunately, he was an expert at staying stone cold on the outside no matter how he felt inside. Knowing that someone hurt Marley like that just to steal from her made him sick with anger. His mind locked on the wish to personally find and destroy the man who hurt her. On the heels of that anger came an intense wave of protectiveness.

  Don cleared his throat. Gage realized he’d gone quiet. He wasn’t concerned the turmoil he felt inside had shown, but he had some manners. He met Don’s eyes again. “That shouldn’t happen to anyone. I’m glad she’s okay. Do you know if they caught whoever did it?”

  Don shrugged. “Far as I know, they haven’t. It’s only been a few months. She moved back about a month ago.”

  Gage nodded slowly. “Well, go
od thing she’s back. Can’t imagine something like that happening around here.”

  Don shook his head. “Definitely not. You probably didn’t realize it, but you got yourself a hot shot computer programmer getting your website going. Marley’ll do a good job for you,” he said, grinning proudly.

  Gage kept his focus firmly on the present. He knew if he let himself think too much about what Don told him, his mind would go in circles. He shifted the topic off Marley. “Speaking of help, any suggestions on who I could hire here? I’d like to have the lodge open by the holidays. I’m not saying that’s what you’re looking for, but if you want your old job back, it’s yours. I could use any help you’re willing to give.”

  Don’s eyes twinkled. “Well, damn. I wasn’t expecting that. I gotta say, I figured you were up here doing your own thing. I wasn’t so sure you meant to get this place up and running by Christmas.”

  Gage nodded firmly. “I’m starting to wonder if I’m crazy, but that’s what I want. I figure I’d better. I told Marley I hoped to have it open by Christmas and now she tells me she’s posted it online.”

  Don chuckled before his eyes sobered. “I wasn’t looking for work, but of all the jobs I did, I loved working at the lodge the best. I’d be happy to help out. I’m not as young as I used to be, but I’m not too old either. Your grandfather hired me on when I was a skinny, smartass teenager. Tell me when and I’ll be here. Nothing would make Sandy happier than this place being open again. Not to mention, it’ll give me something to do.”

  Gage grinned and stuck his hand out for another shake. “You just made my day. I was about to sit down and go through the list of names I found in Gram’s desk and see if I could figure out if any of her old staff were still around. Having you here to help me figure things out makes me feel like we might be able to pull this off.”

  Don shook his hand vigorously. “We’re gonna make it fun.” His eyes sobered and he glanced around. “I can help with getting the lifts up and going and all the outside stuff, but I’m not your guy for the kitchen and reception.”

  “Any suggestions on who I can call?”

  “I’ll start by asking my daughter. She was tied to her mama’s hip in the kitchen. She might not be up for it, but she can give us some ideas on who would be.”

  Gage nodded firmly. “Perfect. Back to you, when do you want to start?”

  Don shrugged. “Tell me when you need me. I haven’t worked much since Sandy passed away. Odd jobs here and there, but nothing else.”

  “Tomorrow?” Gage asked hopefully.

  Don laughed and stood, putting his baseball cap on as he did. “Tomorrow it is.”

  Gage walked him outside and gave him a brief tour of the work he’d done already on the exterior. Don left with promises to return tomorrow and assess the condition of the slopes. Gage walked down the driveway after Don left and eyed the sign again. He’d put in entirely new posts yesterday and repainted the lettering on the sign. Last Frontier Lodge was legible now. He turned and looked down the hill toward Marley’s cabin, its bright red roof peeking out through the spruce forest.

  The fury he’d tamped down and held in washed over him in a wave. He knew well that life wasn’t fair. He’d learned that lesson time and again. But to think Marley—sweet, sexy, Marley who’d somehow found a way to crawl through his defenses and flash a ray of sunshine inside his battened down heart—had been attacked and robbed. He could hardly stand to think it. He closed his eyes and took a breath—the cold, bracing autumn air rushing through him. He didn’t know how, but he’d find a way to make sure she never got hurt like that again.

  Chapter 8

  Marley stood up from the couch where she’d been planted for most of the morning, deep into work on one of her app projects. She’d sent it out for beta testing to a few trusted contacts before switching over to post an update on the lodge’s website. Gage had grumbled, but he’d allowed her to take photographs of the repairs he’d finished on the lodge for the purpose of posting them on the blog. She knew they needed to raise the profile of the lodge online, and she hoped using the blog to post cute updates would stir interest. True to his word, Gage was clueless in the online world. She’d been childishly pleased he went along with her plan for the photos. Once she finished posting the photos, she closed her laptop and forced herself to get off the couch. The cabin had a slice of a view of Kachemak Bay through a gap in the trees. The water sparkled in the sun, wind ruffling the surface. She walked to the door at the side of the kitchen and out onto the deck, which wrapped around the cabin.

  Autumn was almost gone. She expected it to snow any day now. Every morning, the snow fell lower on the mountains across the bay. Living close to the ski lodge meant living fairly high up in the foothills that encircled Diamond Creek. Downtown Diamond Creek was a descent of over one thousand feet down to sea level. The hills around town could have a foot of snow, while downtown by the ocean may only have a few inches. A bracing wind blew through the trees. She breathed deep, invigorated by the sharp, cold air.

  She turned and looked up toward the ski lodge. The buildings were visible above the treetops. In the distance, she saw a man on a ladder resting against the side of the main lodge. Though all she could see was a silhouette, she knew it must be Gage. Her breath caught and her pulse raced. The other night with Gage had taken her to a place she’d never been, and she could hardly stop thinking about him. She hadn’t seen him for two days afterwards by virtue of her mother cajoling her into a trip to Anchorage for shopping. She’d been somewhat relieved because she could barely behave normally around him, and thought perhaps a day or two away would set her head straight and get her hormones under control.

  No such luck. Gage had texted and called both days. While his queries had mostly been mundane, he sent her heart wild when he commented that he hoped she wasn’t avoiding him. His voice had become gruff when he said this. Marley had squeezed the phone in her hand and forced herself to keep a straight face with her mother driving in the car beside her. She wasn’t avoiding him, but she also didn’t know what to do with her feelings. He’d blown her mind and body the other night. Any free moment, her mind wandered to thoughts of him. She wanted to ask him what he wanted, but she didn’t quite dare. She was afraid all he wanted was to take advantage of the chemistry that crackled like a livewire between them. It was discombobulating that a tiny corner of her heart wanted something more.

  Replaying the moment in her mind, she flushed. Another gust of wind coasted through the trees, cooling her heated skin. With a whirl, Marley turned and went inside, snatching her purse and climbing in her car. An old friend had called her this morning about meeting for lunch. She quickly texted to confirm she was on her way. Beyond wanting to reconnect with friends, she needed something to get her mind off of Gage. She’d never experienced the way she felt with him and didn’t like how out of control it made her feel.

  A short drive later, Marley walked into Glacier Pizza, one of her old favorites. The restaurant remained just as she recalled. A brick oven stove sat center stage with an open kitchen surrounding it. A counter with stools encircled the kitchen, and booths lined the walls. The restaurant was decorated almost as an afterthought with photos from locals and tourists adorning the walls. Various license plates from all over the country hung on a back wall.

  She glanced around, her eyes landing on her friend, Ginger Sanders. Ginger was one of her oldest friends. They’d grown up together in the small world of Diamond Creek and stayed tight all through college. Marley had missed her dearly the entire time she was in Seattle. Ginger hadn’t noticed her yet and was busy perusing the menu. Marley strode over to the booth and tapped Ginger on the shoulder. Ginger’s head snapped up, and she squealed. With a leap, she stood and hugged Marley tight.

  “It’s so good to see you!” Ginger stepped back, brushing her hair out of her face. “I hate that you’ve been here over a month, and I’ve been out of town the whole time. How are you?”

  Marley swallowed
at the sudden tightness in her throat. No matter how long it was between when they talked, it was as if no time had passed. She felt instantly comfortable. She met Ginger’s blue gaze and tears spilled down her cheeks. Being home for more than a visit was bringing up feelings she hadn’t known she’d buried. A decade away in Seattle, so often feeling a step out of rhythm with everyone there and never quite feeling like she belonged, had forced her to tuck her feelings away. Even when she visited Diamond Creek, she’d had to keep it light, reminding herself why she’d moved away—to make something of herself. Ginger’s bright blue eyes and her ever-present warmth and acceptance were merely one thing she’d missed dearly.

  Ginger tugged Marley close again for another hug. When she stepped back this time, her eyes glistened. “Sit down and tell me everything,” she said, waving Marley into the booth.

  Marley pulled her jacket off and sat down, tucking her jacket and purse to her side on the seat. She met Ginger’s eyes. “I can’t tell you how good it is to see you. I didn’t think it would make me cry though,” she said with a wry smile.

  Ginger giggled. “Hey, I’d have missed me that much too.”

  Marley grinned and took a sip of the water waiting for her on the table. “So, what training kept you away for a whole month?”