Stay With Me, Contemporary Romance (Last Frontier Lodge Novels Book 5) (2 page)

E
li 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 Eli, 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.

“I’m headed to the bank and maybe a coffee run. Need anything?” Eli asked.

“Thought you were getting coffee earlier,” Cliff replied with a grin.

Eli shrugged. “Forgot. How about now?”

“Sure thing. Just get me whatever the house coffee is at Misty Mountain today.”

“You got it. Be back in a bit.”

Eli swung through the bank and transferred enough money into his mother’s bank account that she could get by for a few months. Shortly thereafter, he walked out of Misty Mountain Café, took a welcome gulp of coffee and climbed back into his truck, tucking Cliff’s coffee in the holder while he kept his in hand. As he drove down Main Street, he saw Jessa’s bright blue truck at the grocery store. He found himself pulling into the parking lot and walking into the store, compelled solely by the possibility he might see Jessa again.

Grabbing a cart, he started tossing groceries in as he passed through the aisles. He couldn’t quite believe he was meandering through a store, hoping for an incidental encounter with a woman he’d met for a total of maybe three minutes, five tops. Yet, here he was. He was jittery with restless energy between the jolt of coffee, his call with his mother, and this out of the blue attraction to a woman he barely knew. He practically careened around the end of an aisle, swinging his cart into the next aisle when he bumped into something, or rather someone.

“Ooomph!”

At the muffled comment, he glanced up to find Jessa standing in front of the pasta section. His cart rolled back into him. He took in a few more details this time. She wore a denim skirt over blue leggings with a fitted white t-shirt and a gray fleece jacket tied around her waist. A pair of black cowboy boots that looked beyond worn completed her attire. As his gaze traveled to her face, her amazing silver gray eyes met his. Her hair was tied in a loose knot atop her head with wispy brown curls framing her heart-shaped face.

“I’m sorry! I wasn’t even paying attention. Are you okay?”

She cradled her left hand against her, the same one he’d noticed earlier. “I’m fine,” she said quickly. “Just a little bump. My hip can take it.” Her mouth hooked in a rueful smile at that.

“You sure?” he asked with a nod toward her hand.

She glanced down and then up again. “Oh, you didn’t hit my hand. I, uh, injured this a few weeks ago.” She held it out, and he saw her hand was sporting a gauze wrap. “It’s healing fine, but it seems like I’m always walking around with it pinned to my side. I don’t even think about it.”

All kinds of questions tumbled through his mind. He didn’t know what it was about Jessa, but she made him want to know everything about her. He didn’t think it was prudent to bombard her with questions, so he merely nodded. “Well, I’m glad you’re okay.”

She laughed softly. “You didn’t hit me nearly as hard as I hit you with Blue.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, but that was my truck. This was you.”

One shoulder lifted in a slow shrug. “I’m fine. No need to worry.” Her eyes canted down into his grocery cart. “Wow, that’s a lot of frozen pizza.”

He looked into his cart and saw he’d tossed probably ten frozen pizzas in there, along with an array of snacks. He shook his head and met her eyes again. “Not the best cook. Once I’ve got some fish stocked up, I’ll be eating a bit better. Then comes hunting season in the fall. Usually, I’ve got enough to make it through to summer, but my back up freezer died a few weeks ago, so I lost my stock,” he offered with a rueful smile.

Jessa’s eyes widened, alarmingly so. “You fish? And hunt?”

He nodded slowly. “I do. Hard to find anyone in Alaska who doesn’t.”

Jessa was quiet for a long moment. “Oh.” She fiddled with the sleeve of her fleece jacket, twining it around her good hand. “I guess you don’t get many vegetarians here, huh?”

Eli couldn’t help but laugh as he shrugged. “Maybe a few. We get plenty of people visiting just because they like to fish and hunt though.”

Jessa bit her lip, her teeth denting its plump softness and sending a jolt of awareness through him. “Oh. Well, I’m a vegetarian.” She offered this with a slight smile.

“There’s plenty to do here that doesn’t involve hunting and fishing, but I’d suggest you steer clear of the harbor when the boats are coming in.”

“How come?”

“Because once fishing season starts, when the boats roll in, that means fish,” he offered with a grin.

J
essa came awake with a start
. She pushed herself up and leaned back against the headboard. Her heart was pounding and her skin was damp with sweat. She gulped in air and shoved away the flames flickering in her sleepy brain. It had been over three weeks since the fire, but she could only manage to sleep through roughly every other night. The nights in between found her jolted awake, fear choking her as she felt trapped again in her apartment with flames climbing the walls. She didn’t remember much from the fire other than waking up with it all around her, struggling to breathe through the smoke and scrambling to get out. She vaguely remembered gulping in the cool air once she crashed through the window, but that was it.

She forced herself to breathe slowly and kicked the covers back. A few minutes later and she stood in the shower, cool water cascading over her. She’d never in her life considered anything other than a hot shower until she woke from these fire dreams. Several moments of cool water washed away the fear and then she turned up the heat and savored the hot water. Once her mind was clear, she stepped out and toweled off, snagging the luxurious terry cloth robe hanging on the back of the door.

She’d visited Gage and Marley here a few times now, but she still marveled at what Gage had done. He’d come up here on his own to restore Last Frontier Lodge to its former glory after its closure over two decades ago. He’d pulled that off and then some. He was headed into the ski lodge’s third season, and it was already fully booked for next winter. It was also mostly booked up for the summer with Gage focusing on pulling in business from the tourists that poured into Alaska every summer, seeking a glimpse of its wilderness and breathtaking scenery.

As she padded out of the bathroom, her breath caught in her throat. Even though it wasn’t quite five in the morning, the sun was already cresting behind the mountains. Jessa had heard summers in Alaska meant long days and short nights, but it was still strange to wake at this hour and find the sun rising. Her suite, along with every suite at the lodge, had a clear view of the ski slopes behind it and the mountain range stretching beyond. To one side of the view lay Kachemak Bay, its water glimmering in the soft light of dawn. Jessa cast her eyes up to the horizon where faint rays of light angled skyward behind the mountains mingled with streaks of pink and lavender.

After a few moments, she turned away and climbed back in bed. She propped herself up on the pillows and pulled a book out of the nightstand drawer. She was an avid reader, but her books and her digital reader had been destroyed in the apartment fire. Marley had given her free rein to borrow from her own collection of books and a rotating pool of books for guests at the lodge. Knowing she likely wouldn’t fall asleep again, Jessa settled in to read. She was faintly surprised when she woke later, the book tumbled to the side of her on the bed and bright sun splashing through the windows. She was squished down into the pillows, so she slowly pushed them out of the way and sat up again. A glance at the clock told her it was past nine in the morning. She swung her legs off the bed and stood, straightening her robe as she did.

A little while later, Jessa walked into the lodge kitchen, the scent of freshly baked bread assailing her immediately. The large kitchen was a whir of activity with two line cooks standing side by side at a grill, quickly preparing orders, and waitresses spinning in and out of the kitchen. The swinging door that led into the restaurant was in motion constantly. Jessa glanced around, wondering what she should do. Marley had insisted she make herself at home at the lodge, but she didn’t know quite what that meant. She’d yet to meet all of the staff, so she wasn’t sure if they even knew who she was. She heard her name and looked in the direction of the voice to find her sister-in-law Delia standing by a doorway.

“Hey Delia!” Jessa called out as she made her way across the kitchen to Delia’s side.

Delia immediately pulled her into a warm hug. When she stepped back, she started to slide her hands down Jessa’s arms, but paused when her hand bumped into the bend of Jessa’s elbow. Her eyes canted down and back up. “I didn’t know you got hurt in the fire,” she said, her voice soft.

Jessa shrugged. “Nothing major. I got a few burns on my hand and arm when I climbed out the window.”

Delia turned and gently tugged Jessa through the door into an office. Jessa glanced around, her eyes taking in the space. A fern hanging in the window and a multicolored rug in front of the desk gave the office a warm, lively feeling. Delia’s desk held a laptop and papers scattered over its surface. Delia sat on a small couch across from her desk and patted the cushions, indicating for Jessa to join her.

“So, how was your trip? I still can’t believe you did the drive all the way from Washington by yourself.”

Jessa sat down on the edge of the couch and looked over at Delia. If someone had told her Garrett would fall for Delia, she’d never have guessed it. Yet, once she saw them together, there was absolutely no question Delia was perfect for Garrett. Her honey gold hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail, wispy curls framing her face. Her blue eyes were warm, and she carried a soft energy that soothed the sharp edges of Garrett. Garrett was Jessa’s second oldest brother and Becca’s twin. Like Becca, he was a brilliant attorney. His brains, sharp wit, and strategic thinking had catapulted him into being one of the most sought after corporate attorneys in Seattle. Jessa had watched while he chased success madly, yet even when he was wealthy and at the top of his game, he’d brimmed with restlessness and dissatisfaction. Delia came into his life and he fell so hard for her that he said goodbye to his corporate career and moved to Diamond Creek. Jessa was beyond happy to see how well he was doing now.

She looked into Delia’s gaze and fiddled with the silver chain that hung around her neck. “The drive was long, but it was beautiful. Have you ever driven the Alcan Highway?” She was referring to the Alaska-Canadian Highway, abbreviated for so many years, it was known simply as the Alcan. The lone highway through the Yukon into Alaska stretched 1382 miles through pristine lands, following along glacial rivers, winding through mountains, dipping into valleys, and hugging the shorelines of massive lakes. Portions of the highway were so remote, even today sections of it remained gravel.

Delia shook her head. “Nope. I was born and raised in Diamond Creek, but I haven’t traveled too much around Alaska beyond between here and Anchorage.”

“Well, just getting from the border of Alaska to here is over three days of driving,” Jessa commented wryly.

Delia laughed softly before her gaze sobered. “So, how are you? Garrett’s been worried ever since you called a few weeks ago. We’ve all been worried, but you know how Garrett gets.”

Jessa felt a little twinge in her heart. Garrett held his cards close, but he was a protective older brother. He’d sent a few potential customers her way over the years. Seeing as her income relied on people willing to pay pretty high prices for her individually designed and painted furniture, he’d helped her maintain her business. That thought sent a knot of fear and anxiety spiraling through her. What little of her artsy furniture she’d stocked up had been burned to ashes in the apartment fire. She’d used the second bedroom in her small two-bedroom apartment for storage and her living room to paint. Everything there was gone, gone, gone. Her thoughts must have shown on her face because Delia reached over and squeezed her hand.

Jessa glanced over and took a breath. “I’m okay. It’s just been a long few weeks.” She lifted her injured hand. “This really isn’t much, but it hurt like hell at first. The doctor told me I need to keep putting the burn cream on and changing the bandage every day until the skin heals over. It’s almost there.”

Delia nodded. “How are
you
though?”

Jessa slumped against the couch cushions. “I don’t know. I lost everything in that fire. Everything. I didn’t have any money saved up, so I pretty much have to start all over. I didn’t know where to go, so here I am.” She lifted her good hand and let it fall against the armrest.

Delia’s eyes coasted over her, and Jessa felt like she could see right through her. Delia couldn’t know this because it wasn’t something Jessa talked about to anyone, but she’d always felt like the bumbling sibling in her family. She was the youngest and had never quite felt as if she was put together as well as the rest. Gage was, well, Gage. He was a Navy SEAL with all of the qualities associated with being a SEAL naturally part of his personality. On top of that, he was warm, kind and the rock of their family. Then came Garrett and Becca, twins who were so different and so alike. Both were brilliant attorneys and fearless. The only time Jessa had seen Becca vulnerable was when she saw a look between her and Aidan. Aidan seemed to be the only person who got behind Becca’s guard. Next came Sawyer who’d followed Gage’s footsteps into the Navy SEAL’s and was now traveling the world on one classified mission after another.

Then, there was Jessa. She’d always been a step out of tune. She’d done perfectly fine in school, but she’d chafed at the structure. Once she got to college, she found her calling in painting classes. Even though she loved designing and painting furniture, she always felt like she should have tried to make herself conform to something more traditional. A stint as a paralegal and then in banking had made her miserable. It didn’t help that she tended to barely scrape by even when she had good months. In the last few weeks, she’d spent hours and hours beating herself up for not having some kind of long term plan. An apartment fire started by the neighbor down the hall who fell asleep with a lit cigarette had burned up her life and illuminated just how flimsy its foundation was. Broke with nothing to fall back on, Jessa couldn’t bring herself to move back in with her parents, so she’d called her brothers and spent what little money she had left on the gas to get herself here. A knock on Delia’s office door broke through Jessa’s train of thought.

“Yes?” Delia called out.

The door opened and Garrett stepped through. Jessa forgot how depressed she was about the shambles of her life and leapt up. “Garrett!”

He caught her in a swift hug before stepping back. “Hey sis. Gage told me you got in late yesterday afternoon. I’m sorry I couldn’t make it for dinner last night. We had to go to Nick’s school concert. I thought about asking if you wanted to come, but I figured after a drive like that, you probably weren’t up for a school concert. They’re a special kind of music and you never know what to expect,” Garrett said with a grin.

“It might have been fun, but I was exhausted. What’re you up to today?”

“Breakfast with you.” He looked past her to Delia who stood up from the couch. “You have time to join us for a bit?”

Delia glanced at her watch quickly. “Enough time for a coffee. I’ll meet you two out there in a few minutes. I have to check on the soufflé I left in the oven.”

Jessa followed Garrett through the kitchen out into the lodge’s restaurant while Delia veered over to the massive baking oven on the back wall in the kitchen. Once Garrett pushed through the swinging door into the restaurant, he immediately sat down in a booth in the closest corner.

Jessa looked around and saw the cluster of customers waiting in the reception area. “Shouldn’t we wait?” she asked, gesturing in that direction.

“Nope. Gage and Marley keep this booth for family. Don’t go feeling bad about it. Look around. This is the only booth that doesn’t have the nice new leather upholstery. It’s also way back here in the corner and doesn’t have the view like most of the tables do.”

Jessa scanned the room and saw he was correct, not that she doubted it. She sat down across from him. When she looked over at his sharp blue eyes and his ever-present half-grin, the knot of tension inside eased a little more. Even if she often felt like the oddball of her family, she loved her siblings and felt more comfortable with them than anyone in the world.

“So, how was the drive?” Garrett asked.

“Long and beautiful. You and Delia should take a trip sometime with Nick on the Alcan. I bet he’d have a blast.”

“Oh, I’m sure he would. Maybe someday we will.” Garrett scanned her face and looked down at her bandaged hand, his eyes narrowing at that. “You said you didn’t get hurt in the fire,” he said, his words brusque.

Jessa felt a flash of frustration. Having three protective older brothers was sometimes annoying. She shoved the feelings away because she knew Garrett was only asking because he cared. “It’s nothing to worry about. I burned my hand when I was trying to get out. It’s almost healed up.”

Garrett didn’t look convinced, but he let it drop, unfortunately moving on to a more uncomfortable topic. “What’s your plan now?”

Jessa shrugged. “I dunno. I lost everything in the fire. I’m not sure what to do now. I figured it was the perfect time to come to Alaska. Isn’t this the place people go when they need a fresh start and to get back in touch with, well, life or something?”

Garrett smiled, a hint of rue in his eyes. “Maybe. I suppose that’s what I did and it turned out to be the best decision I’ve ever made.”

At that moment, the swinging door opened from the kitchen and Delia came through. She held a tray with three large mugs on it. She quickly set the tray in the center of the table and slipped into the booth beside Garrett. “Fresh coffee from my amazing new espresso machine!” she announced as she handed a mug to Jessa and then Garrett.

Garrett dipped his head and dropped a kiss on the side of Delia’s neck. “I was just telling Jessa coming to Alaska last year was the best decision I ever made. Actually, that’s not right. It wasn’t Alaska, it was you.”

Delia’s cheeks flushed. She kept her eyes on Jessa. “Try the coffee. Let me know what you think. I wasn’t sure what your preference was, so I made a triple shot Americano. Seems like everyone in your family likes their coffee strong and dark.”

Garrett lifted his mug and took a long swallow, leaning his head back with a sigh. “It’s perfect.” His eyes caught Jessa’s again. “She even makes the best coffee.”