3. CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER THREE
B rody
I take a deep breath of the cold, thin air. It fills my lungs and energizes me, even though I’ve been up and about since four a.m. getting ready for the day. The military does that to you. Only a few hours of sleep are enough to reset and go again.
Yet, there’s nothing like standing on a snow-capped hill and staring down at the world. It’s empowering. It makes the impossible feel possible. And I’m about to do something I haven’t done in years.
I grip the poles tighter and stare down at Scare Run, the path I will take. The weak sun is slowly climbing up into the sky in the distance, lighting up the run for me. It’s the most hazardous run in Pine Peaks, and even the best skiers think twice about it before taking it.
The more difficult the task, the better I can concentrate. And I need my head for the day that lies ahead. Hawke, Everett, and Yates officially begins operations today. We don’t have a client yet, but building our client list is one of our first courses of action.
I inhale deeply and plunge downward.
Instinct kicks in, freeing up my mind. I take the turns between the trees and the rocks easily, spinning away and straightening back up.
This used to be my life years before. Every day, Nick, Zane, and I would steal away from our chores to race downhill. Of course, Cliff would catch us. Instead of punishing us outright like he ought to, he’d race us, giving us a chance to win our freedom. We would always lose. And then we would serve our punishment. It always felt like a reward after the exhilaration of competing.
A smile flits across my face. Perhaps, it’s fitting that I’m back here after all these years. This snow-covered landscape and the man who owns it lit a fire in my heart. Made me want to be more than a rebellious teen from a small town with no direction.
Mom probably misses my presence at home, but I need to be here. I need to be in this boundless, limitless space. After leaving the military a couple of months ago, I still haven’t adjusted to the lack of routine yet. I need to make my own. And the resort affords more freedom and flexibility than staying with Mom would. She probably wouldn’t appreciate me waking her up before sunrise with my five hundred push-ups or boxing practice too. It’s a good thing she understands so we can be close but not in-your-face-every-day close.
Plus, she doesn’t know about the firm me and the guys have started. None of our moms know. It’s a surprise we would only divulge when our first client is on our roster.
And then they’ll receive the biggest shocker—we are all moving back to Pine Peaks permanently. Just having me home overjoyed her. I can’t imagine what knowing I’ll be staying will mean to her.
I reach the bottom of the slope and gaze out at the terrain. The sun is brighter and I can see the figures moving out and about around the resort. It’s time to head back. I need to set a standard for punctuality at the office. I can’t do that if I’m spending all morning relearning the slopes. There would be enough time for that in the future. Right now, work is calling.
The adrenaline rush from skiing has me pumped and ready to begin the day. I march into the lobby, beelining for my room.
“Brody? Is that you?” a voice says.
I turn around and scan the area. A group of women stand by the front desk, all staring in my direction. One of them, probably the one who spoke, leaves the group and heads my way.
Something about her face and her steps jolts a distant memory. I wrack my brain. I know that look. That walk.
“Brody Hawke.” She stops before me with a wide smile. “Look at you.” Her eyes sweep up and down my body, pausing at the midsection where my shirt clings to my abs. It’s a wonder she manages to pull her gaze back up—it looks difficult for her. “I saw you walk in and I thought that was a familiar face.”
Aw, shit. I know who she is. Ugh . I thought I escaped her when I left Pine Peaks all those years ago. What a cruel turn of events to run into her.
“Don’t you remember me?” She flicks her sandy curls and bats her long lashes. “I’m Kerianne. Kerianne Spriggs. We went to high school together. “
“I remember you.”
“Of course you do. I have a face that’s hard to forget.”
I want to say, “It took some trying, but I managed,” but nope, I’m not about to come down to her level. Kerianne was a Grade A Mean Girl back in high school. She bullied anyone she deemed less than her and sucked up to anyone she believed she could gain from. From me she wanted the status of dating the aloof kid who was “unattainable.”
All her flirting didn’t work then and it definitely isn’t working now as she rambles on about shit I can’t care less about.
“It looks like you’ve had a busy morning.” Her eyes fall on my biceps. “What were you up to?”
She’s so close I can smell her perfume. After the fresh breeze from the outside, her scent feels toxic.
“Skiing.”
She giggles, throwing her head back. “You haven’t changed a bit. Always giving one-word answers.”
I’m not sure what to do with that so I just nod. “It’s lovely to see you again, Kerianne. I have to—”
“Are you staying at the resort?” Her eyes sweep over me. “That’s awesome. My friends are too. They came into town and I’m showing them around.”
My gaze flicks to the said friends. “Oh, yeah? Maybe you should go and keep them company. They look a little lost standing in the middle of the lobby that way.”
She laughs, slapping my arm. “Oh, stop that, silly. They’re fine without me.” Somehow, she’s closer now than she was before. I fight the urge to step back. “Last I heard you were in the military. What brings you back to Pine Peaks?”
Only two steps would take me down the hallway that leads to my room. Based on Kerianne’s clingy behavior, she’d follow me just to keep chattering.
“I’m here visiting my mom.”
“Aww.” She makes sad kitten eyes with duck lips. I want to barf. “I didn’t know you were a mama’s boy.”
“Didn’t say I was.”
“No need to be shy about it.” She runs a manicured nail down my arm. “I’ve been known to like mama’s boys.”
That’s it. I’m done being civil. I start to turn her down when a familiar voice calls my name. I lift my head, searching for the owner of the voice. I’d take anyone but Kerianne right now.
I find Callum Holton marching toward me in quick, efficient steps. Two women follow behind him. He is not who I’d expect to show up out of the blue in Pine Peaks. We were in the army together and now he’s a detective in Denver, which is a good bit away. What is he doing here? And so early in the day to boot.
“That’s Iris Ross,” Kerianne whispers.
Shit, I forgot she was right beside me. It’s almost a jump scare, hearing her speak.
She clutches my arm, her fingers digging into my bicep. “Oh, god, she’s coming closer.”
I clench my teeth and attempt to tug my arm free. As mildly as possible, of course. Anything overt and I might send her delicate frame sprawling on the pristine floors.
The hard lines on Callum’s face don’t ease as he reaches me. “I tried to call your phone but it wasn’t connecting.” He stretches a hand out.
I pull my arm away from Kerianne, and this time she lets go. I take Callum’s hand in a firm grasp. “The service can get dodgy up here sometimes.”
I look behind him to the women flanking his sides. I intend to simply take stock of the people I’m meeting, but deep green eyes connect with mine. A jolt shoots straight through me. The world blurs and mutes. Leaving nothing but her. Dark circles ring her wide gaze, and shadows contour her high cheekbones. Her pert, upturned nose and full, pink, albeit chapped lips, curl at the same time. My head snaps out of the trance and everything comes back in a rush.
“I have something urgent to discuss with you.” Callum draws my attention away from the woman.
I’m almost annoyed by this intrusion. My gaze flicks to her again. Still staring . No one looks at me for this long without backing down. Many have said I look intimidating. This woman clearly begs to differ.
“Could you spare a moment?” Callum glances at Kerianne.
I sidestep to place some distance between us before someone gets the wrong idea. Nothing more annoying than being connected to someone I don’t want to be in the same room with.
“Yes, of course. I just need to change first.” I turn away from Kerianne and wave Callum over. “Come with me.”
“I’ll see you around, Brody,” Kerianne calls behind me.
I sincerely hope not.
“Sorry for breaking up your conversation.” Callum walks astride me.
I should thank him. He did me a solid getting me out of that human flytrap’s grasp. “Is something wrong?”
I glance over my shoulder. The women trail behind us. One has her head tucked low and the other one, the who held my gaze, looks straight past me. The need to see those defiant dark green eyes fixed on mine again grips me. It’s so sudden and consuming that I nearly miss a step. I force my head to face forward.
“I’ll tell you in a moment,” Callum says.
Curiosity brings me back from my spiraling thoughts. He drove out to meet with me, meaning something important must be going down. I cannot afford to be distracted by a woman right now.
The second we’re in my room, I gesture for my surprise guests to sit in the sitting area. Then I grab fresh clothes from the closet. I don’t wait to get in the bathroom before I pull off my shirt.
Whatever it is they are here for, I’m sure it’s going to be interesting, and I can’t wait to jump on it.