Wings of Love (5 page)

Mac lived in a trendy suburb called Seward, just outside of Anchorage. The house was a Cape Cod with a white picket fence and a little garage. It reminded Brad of the house in the old television show
Leave It to Beaver
. He didn’t quite know what he’d expected, but this wasn’t it.

Mac unlocked the front door and, upon entering, Brad saw the house was as charming on the inside as it was on the outside.

He must have had a strange look on his face because Mac said, “Don’t look so surprised. Straight men can decorate too.”

“Sorry, I didn’t know what I was expecting,” Brad said. “This is really charming.”

“Thanks,” Mac replied. “But I was just kidding about straight men decorating. Lindsey did the entire place, and I haven’t had the heart to change it. Sometimes it feels like it’s all I have left of her, and by changing it, she would be totally gone.”

“I can see where you’re coming from,” Brad said. “I can’t even begin to think about our place back in Seattle. I guess I’ll deal with it when I’m ready.”

“Yeah, you will. Make yourself at home, and I’ll open a couple of beers and put the rest in the fridge. The guest room is upstairs, second door on the left, if you want to take your bag up,” Mac said.

“Thanks, I’ll be right back down.”

When Brad came down the stairs, Mac was in the den, starting a fire. “I thought a fire would take the chill off.”

“Sure thing,” Brad replied. “Can I help?”

“Nope, I got it under control, but thanks.”

Brad sat on the couch and took a deep breath, the events of the last few days flooding his mind. Mac finished fiddling with the fire; he kicked off his shoes and sat cross-legged on the opposite end of the couch.

He noticed that Brad suddenly had a somber look on his face and his eyes were starting to fill up with tears. He took a sip of his beer and said, “You okay?”

“I think so,” Brad replied. “So much has happened in the last few days. Jeff would have been so excited about this cabin. He loved shit like this.”

“Listen,” Mac said. “I certainly didn’t know Jeff as well as you did, but I’ve spent some time with both of you, and to be honest, I think he would be very proud of you.”

“You really think so?”

“Absolutely.”

“Mac?”

“Yeah?”

“Seriously, I don’t know what I would have done without you these last couple of days. I mean, I didn’t expect this kind of support when I showed up on your doorstep at Lake Hood. I just needed a lift to the lodge.”

“I’m glad I could help, and hey, don’t forget, I got half a cabin out of it,” Mac said through a smile.

They were both startled by the doorbell. Brad wiped his eyes with the back of his hands and said, “I don’t care how nice and supportive you are, you’re still paying for your half.”

Mac got up to answer the door, but said over his shoulder, “Can’t blame a guy for trying.”

“No, seriously man, thanks,” Brad said.

“Anytime,” Mac said. “I’ll get the door, and you get us another beer, so we can toast to our new adventure.”

“Sounds great.”

When Brad returned with the beers, there was a really handsome man sitting on the couch.

Mac stood. “Brad, meet Jack Cameron, Lindsey’s little brother.”

Jack looked to be in his early thirties, with a full head of strawberry blond hair, a fair complexion, and beautiful hazel eyes. Brad stuck out his hand, “Bradford Mitchell, good to meet you.”

“Likewise, Bradford,” Jack said.

“My friends call me Brad.” Brad held out a bottle to Jack. “Beer?”

“Thanks,” Jack said.

As Brad headed back to the kitchen to get another beer, he heard Mac say, “You’re just in time for the celebration.”

“Really, what are we celebrating?” Jack asked.

“My new investment,” Mac said. “I am the proud owner of half of an old cabin up at Hiline Lake.”

“Wow, congratulations, Mac, I know you’ve always wanted to do something like this. Am I to assume that Brad owns the other half?”

“Yep. Brad and I met years ago when I would fly him and his partner up to the lake,” Mac explained. “His partner recently died of cancer, and he came up to get away for a while, and stumbled onto this cabin. He offered me half, and here we are.”

Brad came back from the kitchen with his beer just in time to hear Jack say, “That’s great, Mac, I’m happy for you.” He turned to Brad and said, “You too, Brad.”

The three men held their beer bottles up and touched them together as they all said, “Cheers,” and took a swig.

“So, Jackie boy, how’s the charter boat business?” Mac asked.

“Pretty good,” Jack said. “I’ve been very busy. In fact, I’m looking forward to a little downtime. I have a week with no charters, so I’m having the boat pulled out of the water to do some maintenance, and I can take a break.”

“So what brings you to my neck of the woods?” Mac asked.

“Oh, nothing really. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I haven’t heard from you in a couple of weeks.”

“Thanks, Jack, I’m sorry I haven’t called,” Mac explained. “It’s been pretty crazy. I’ve had flights almost every day and some didn’t have any return passengers, so I just stayed at the lake. It saves on fuel, and Zander and Jake are always kind enough to put me up at the lodge.”

“You don’t have to apologize, Mac. I’m not keeping tabs on you; I was just concerned.”

“Hell, Jack, I know that. I’ll do a better job of staying in touch, I promise.”

“Just invite me up to your new cabin every now and again, and I’ll forgive you.”

“Deal,” Mac said. Then he shyly turned to Brad, looking for some sort of okay from Brad.

Brad nodded in agreement and said, “You’re welcome any time, Jack.”

They drank the rest of their beer while Mac and Brad told Jack about the cabin, and they discussed what needed to be done immediately and what could wait until the spring. They decided they would check out the solar power system first to make sure it was in good working condition, then the roof, porch, and the plumbing.

While Mac and Brad excitedly discussed their plan of attack, Jack observed the interaction and the relaxed familiar manner between them.
They seem very comfortable with each other
, he thought.
They appear to get along really well, and Mac has needed something like this for a long time. And I’m sure Brad could use a distraction about now. This could be good for both of them.

Jack stood. “This is all well and good, boys, but I need to get going. I just wanted to check on my favorite brother-in-law.”

“Wow. I’m flattered,” Mac said. “Although, it would mean a little more if I wasn’t your only brother-in-law.”

“Very funny, Mac, you know what I mean.”

“Thanks, Jack. Let us know when you want to come up to the lake,” Mac said.

“Will do, gentlemen—later then?”

“Later,” Brad said.

Mac walked Jack to the front door, hugged him good-bye, and closed the door.

He returned to the den and found Brad making a list of things they needed.

Brad looked up. “He seems like a really nice guy.”

“Yeah, he saved me when Lindsey died. I’m not sure if I could have gotten through it without him.”

“I’m glad he was there for you, and we’ll make extra sure we get him up to the lake soon.”

“Thanks, Brad, I appreciate that. It means a lot.”

“Now let’s get to that list.”

They continued adding items to the list, such as oil for the lamps, assorted tools, and various supplies. When they were exhausted from all the planning, Mac picked up the remote, turned on the television, and started channel surfing. They settled on
This Old House
, a do-it-yourself home improvement show that was just starting. Talked out, they fell into a comfortable silence.

The next time Brad glanced over at Mac, he was sound asleep with his head back and feet stretched out in front of him, crossed at the ankle. He had never really looked at Mac before, not like this anyway. Mac was really handsome. His jet-black hair, with a little gray at the temples, was the perfect backdrop for his crystal-blue eyes and dimples. He was about five eleven, medium build, with a swimmer’s body, lean and fit. He thought back and couldn’t remember him and Jeff ever talking about how handsome Mac was; why did they not notice him? Not that it would have mattered; they were a monogamous couple, but every now and then, one or the other would make a comment about another person’s looks, just to acknowledge a great body or someone exceptional-looking. Studying Mac now, he could clearly see that he was absolutely gorgeous.

When Brad looked at the TV again, the credits were rolling and he was feeling extremely drained. He reached over and touched Mac on the shoulder and whispered, “Mac, the show’s over. I’m going to bed.”

“Oh, okay, sorry. I must have dozed off.”

“No problem,” Brad said. “I’ll see you in the morning. And, Mac, thanks again for everything.”

“Don’t mention it,” Mac replied. “Good night, Brad.”

“Night, Mac.”

Mac stretched as he watched Brad walk up the stairs to the guest room. He felt for the guy. He knew exactly what he was going through, and that made his heart ache for him. He remembered going to bed alone those first weeks after Lindsey died, and the emptiness and loneliness he’d felt. But if he was honest with himself, he also had to admit that he was drawn to Brad in a way he’d not ever experienced with another man. He didn’t know if it was because they shared a similar situation—having lost a spouse—or if it was something more.

Mac turned off the television, gathered the empty beer bottles, and put them in the trash. He shut off the lights and started up the stairs. When he got in front of the guest room, he stopped and listened for a second, but heard nothing and continued on to his room.
Good
, he thought.
I hope he’s able to sleep.

Early next morning, Mac was already dressed and sipping a cup of coffee when he heard Brad in the shower. When Brad came down, Mac was pouring him a cup of joe.

“Morning,” Mac said. “What do you take in your coffee?”

“Good morning,” Brad replied. “Just a little cream or milk, if you’ve got it.”

“Got it,” Mac said as he poured some cream into Brad’s coffee cup and handed it to him.

“Thanks.”

“Sleep okay?” Mac asked.

“So-so. I haven’t slept much since Jeff died.”

“Yeah, I remember the feeling,” Mac said. “And I know you can’t imagine it now, but it does get better.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” Brad replied.

“Would you like some breakfast?” Mac asked.

“No thanks, not much of a morning eater,” Brad replied. “Coffee’s plenty.”

“Okay, but you’re missing out on my scrambled eggs. I don’t like to brag, but they’re pretty famous in these parts,” Mac said.

“I’ll take your word for that too,” Brad said as he handed his coffee cup to Mac. “But I will take a refill for the road, if it’s not too much trouble.”

“No trouble at all. What’s the plan?” Mac asked.

“Well, let’s see. What time do we need to take off?”

“We need to be ready to go by eleven o’clock,” Mac replied.

“Okay,” Brad said. “That gives us a couple of hours. I don’t have any of my tools here, so do you think we should head to the home improvement store first, get the things on our list and some tools? Or I’m debating if I should fly back to Seattle, get my car and some tools and whatever else we may need.”

“You could certainly do that,” Mac said. “But think about this: I have every hand and power tool ever made, so we could start with mine, see exactly what we’re dealing with, then if we need other stuff and you have it, you could fly back to Seattle and drive it up to Anchorage.”

“That sounds like a perfect plan to me,” Brad said. “Let’s get this show on the road.”

And with that, Mac and Brad were on their way. They stopped at the hardware store and then drove right to Lake Hood. The passengers that Mac was flying to the lodge arrived on time, and by ten minutes after eleven, they were in the air.

Chapter 9

T
HEY
successfully landed at Hiline Lake on schedule and, as usual, were met by Jake and Zander. The passengers were escorted to the lodge, and Mac and Brad secured the plane. Brad and Mac headed for the cabin to meet Seth. Since there was no mortgage company involved, the closing consisted of a bill of sale and a deed. They met Seth as planned, explained that there would be two buyers instead of one, signed the documents, and gave him the two checks. Within five minutes, Mac and Brad were the proud owners of a new cabin—a fun project for Mac but the start of a new life for Brad.

The two men, happy as clams, went from room to room making notes of what was needed to make repairs and prepare the cabin for the winter. While they worked, they exchanged a comfortable banter about any number of topics, including sports, Brad’s naiveté about his first winter at Hiline Lake, and of course, Mac’s flyboy attitude about everything. When they were through inspecting the inside, they headed outside to do the same. Besides a few missing roof shingles, some chinking repairs, and rotten floorboards on the porch, the outside of the cabin had held up remarkably well, but the grounds were a different story. The entire two-acre lot was completely overgrown and needed a lot of clearing. They decided to start their attack on the brush and ground cover immediately surrounding the cabin and work their way out from there. Next, they would start topping the trees in front of the porch, which would significantly enhance their one-hundred-and-eighty-degree views. They both agreed that, next spring, there was a lot that could be done to improve the overall look and functionality of the cabin, but they could do it at their own pace.