Chapter 15
Lana
The drive back to the lodge is exactly what I need—twenty minutes of solitude with nothing but my thoughts and the snowy landscape.
My mind keeps drifting back to Caleb, to last night, to the feeling of waking up with my head on his shoulder and his arm around me.
The memory sends a flush of heat through me that has nothing to do with the warm air blowing out of the car’s vents.
When I pull up to the lodge, it looks empty. Like no one is home, but I know otherwise. I grab my bag and head inside, stomping snow from my boots at the entrance.
“Hello?” I call out, dropping my keys in the ceramic bowl by the door. “Anyone home?”
“In here!” Kori’s voice calls out from the direction of the kitchen.
I follow the sound, finding my sister and Kane seated at the island counter, mugs of something steaming in front of them. Her face lights up when she sees me, and she slides off her stool to wrap me in a tight hug.
“I missed you,” she mumbles against my shoulder.
“Missed you too,” I reply, surprised by how true it is. “How was Toronto?”
Kane rises to his feet, offering me a tired smile. “Eventful,” he says, running a hand through his dark hair. “Coffee? Or something stronger?”
“Coffee’s good,” I say, shrugging off my coat. “So, everything went okay with Nora?”
They exchange a look that speaks volumes. “We got her back,” Kane says carefully. “But it was... intense.”
I slide onto a stool as he places a mug in front of me. “What happened?”
“Petrova had her locked up or was trying to, in a safe room,” Kane explains, leaning against the counter. “Jake and Mikhail got to it just in time.”
I scan their faces, looking for a hint of grief. “Is everyone okay?”
Kane’s jaw tightens. “We all made it back in one piece.”
“Petrova?”
“He won’t be a problem anymore,” he says, and knowing already, I don’t press for details.
“How about you?” Kori asks, studying my face. “Everything quiet here?”
I take a long sip of coffee, buying time. I’m not ready to share everything about Caleb, the treasure, or Danny’s attack. Not yet. “Pretty quiet,” I finally say. “Snowstorm knocked out power for a while.”
“That’s all?” Kane asks, his sharp eyes missing nothing. “You look... different.”
I force a casual shrug. “Just tired. It’s been a long few days. I’m not used to taking care of livestock,” I say with a laugh.
Kane drains his mug and sets it in the sink. “I should check on the security system, make sure the storm didn’t mess with anything.” He squeezes Kori’s shoulder as he passes. “Don’t feel obliged to tell her anything,” he adds with a wink in my direction.
She clutches her chest in a feigned insult, “Me? I wouldn’t dare intrude,” but as soon as he’s out of earshot, Kori leans forward, eyes gleaming with curiosity. “Spill it. What happened with Mr. Tall, Dark, and Dangerous?”
“Nothing happened,” I say, too quickly. “We looked after the animals, stayed warm during the storm. End of story.”
“Uh-huh.” She’s not buying it for a second. “And I’m supposed to believe you spent all that time alone with him and there were no sparks? No moments? Not even a little tension?”
I laugh, but it sounds hollow even to my ears. “We’re practically strangers, Kori. And he’s Jake’s brother. It would be... weird.”
“Since when do you shy away from weird?” She studies me over the rim of her mug. “You’re blushing, by the way.”
“I am not.” I stand abruptly, needing to escape her too-perceptive gaze. “I think I’m going to freshen up. Maybe change my hair color. I’m tired of this blonde.”
“Running away from the conversation, very mature,” she calls after me, but I pretend not to hear.
In my bathroom, I rummage through the cabinet until I find the box of hair dye I bought weeks ago—at the pharmacy in Pinecrest, rich auburn that I thought might bring out the green in my eyes.
The familiar routine of mixing chemicals and applying color is soothing, giving my hands something to do while my mind continues to race.
But then I have to wait 45 minutes. I look at my phone sitting on the vanity and wonder what Caleb is doing. I pick it up and, without much thought, I shoot him a text saying I’m sorry for leaving so quickly.
One thing leads to another, and I’m agreeing to dinner with him tomorrow night.
I think about the way he looked at me this morning, like he was seeing something in me that I’d forgotten was there.
The timer goes off, and I jump in the shower. Twenty minutes later, I’m wrapping a towel around my head, drying myself off, and getting dressed in PJs. Wiping the fogged-up mirror as I unwrap the towel from my head, I stare at my reflection in horror.
“What the—” My hair isn’t auburn. It’s not even red. It’s a bright, unmistakable pink—the color of bubble gum or cotton candy.
“Kori!” I yell, panic rising in my throat. “KORI!”
Her footsteps pound down the hall, and she bursts through the door, alarm on her face. “What? What’s wrong? Are you—” She stops, her eyes widening as she takes in my new look. For a moment, she stares. Then she bursts into laughter, doubling over and clutching her sides.
“It’s not funny,” I hiss, tugging at a strand. “This is a disaster! I have dinner with Caleb tomorrow!”
“So something is going on!” she crows triumphantly, wiping tears from her eyes. “I knew it!”
“Not the point right now,” I growl. “How did this happen? I bought auburn dye!”
Kori composes herself enough to examine the box on the counter. “This expired six months ago,” she points out, still fighting giggles. “Who knows how long it sat on the shelf?”
“I can’t go out like this,” I moan, sinking onto the edge of the tub. “I look like a walking piece of candy floss.”
“Just don’t wear white and you will be fine!” I shoot her a murderous look, and she wipes the smile from her face. It’s not that bad,” she offers, though her twitching lips betray her amusement. “It’s... bold. Unexpected.”
“It’s hideous.”
“It’s different,” she counters. “And honestly? It kind of suits you.” She sits beside me, bumping my shoulder with hers. “New hair, new adventure. Isn’t that what you always say?”
I glare at her, but there’s no real heat behind it. “I hate when you use my words against me.”
“That’s what sisters are for.” She stands, offering me her hand. “Come on. Let’s get some wine, and you can tell me what’s really been going on while we were gone. Starting with why you’re having dinner with Caleb tomorrow.”
I take her hand, allowing her to pull me to my feet. “Fine. But no more comments about my hair.”
“I make no promises,” she says cheerfully, leading me back toward the kitchen.
As we settle on the couch with glasses of wine, I find myself telling her everything—the notes, the treasure, Margret and Danny, even Julia’s unexpected appearance.
The only thing I hold back is the nightmare and Caleb staying with me afterward.
That feels too private, too raw to share even with Kori.
“Holy shit,” she breathes when I finish. “Gold bars? Mineral rights? And someone tried to strangle you?” Her expression darkens. “I should have been here.”
“I handled it,” I assure her, though my hand unconsciously rises to my throat where Danny’s arm had pressed. “Caleb was there. And Scout.”
Something in my voice when I say Caleb’s name makes her eyes soften. “You like him,” she says, not a question.
I stare into my wine glass. “It’s not that simple.”
“It never is with you.” She sets her glass down, turning to face me fully. “But maybe this time, it could be. Maybe you don’t have to run.”
“I’m not running,” I protest weakly.
“Aren’t you?” Her gaze is gentle but uncompromising.
“Every time someone gets close, you find a reason why it won’t work.
Why you can’t stay. And I know that what happened to you and Mark was not your fault.
Yes, I blamed you at first, but that was when I thought you were an active party in the demise of my marriage —”
“Kori—
She puts her hand up. “No. Lana, what Mark did to you was not your fault, so please stop blaming yourself. You were a victim just as much as I was, if not more.”
I bite my lip as emotions rise in my throat. I want to argue with her, to defend myself, but the words won’t come. Maybe because deep down, I know she’s right.
“It’s been months, Lana,” Kori says softly. “Months of watching you drift from happy to scared, never letting anyone get close. You deserve better than that. You deserve to be happy again.”
“I am happy,” I insist, but I know that’s not truly the case.
“Are you? Really?” She reaches for my hand, squeezing it gently. “Because from where I’m sitting, it looks like you’re just surviving.”
The truth of her words hits me like a physical blow. I’ve been so focused on staying in motion, on not getting attached, that I haven’t realized how exhausting it’s become.
“I don’t know how to do it differently,” I admit finally, my voice barely above a whisper. “Every time I think about dating someone...” I trail off, unable to articulate the fear that grips me.
“You think about what happened with Mark,” she finishes for me. “About what he did to both of us.”
I nod, tears threatening to spill over. “I trusted him, Kori. I let him convince me that I was overreacting, that he was just being friendly. And then...” I can’t finish the sentence.
The memory of his hands on me, his weight pinning me down, his voice whispering that no one would believe me because I’d been flirting back—it’s still too vivid.
And then when he beat me to within an inch of my life, it was all too much.
“What Mark did was on him, not you,” Kori says firmly. “And Caleb is not Mark.”
“I know that,” I say quickly. “But what if I’m wrong about him, too? What if I can’t trust my own judgment?”
Kori takes my wineglass and sets it aside, then grasps both my hands in hers. “Do you want to know how I know you can trust Caleb?”
I nod, not trusting my voice.
“Because Scout trusts him,” she says. “That dog has better instincts than both of us combined. If Scout thinks Caleb is a good person, then he is.”
I laugh despite myself, a watery sound that’s half sob. “That’s your criteria? The dog approves?”
“Animals know,” she says, echoing what I told Caleb earlier about Margret. “And so do you, if you’d stop running long enough to listen to your gut.”
She’s right, and we both know it. I’ve spent so long keeping people at arm’s length that I’ve forgotten how to let anyone close.
But with Caleb, it’s different. From the moment I met him, something about him felt.
.. safe. Not safe like boring or predictable, but safe like someone who would stand between me and danger without hesitation.
“I’m scared, like really scared,” I admit finally.
“Good,” Kori says with unexpected firmness. “That means you care. That means it matters.”
“What if it doesn’t work out?”
“What if it does?” she counters. “What if this is your chance to stop running and start living again?”
I stare at my pink hair reflected in the dark window across from us. Bold. Unexpected. Different. Maybe it’s a sign that it’s time for me to be different too.
“Also,” Kori adds with a mischievous smile, “I saw the way he looked at you when we arrived. Like you were the most fascinating thing he’d ever seen. I bet the pink hair will drive him wild.”
I groan and throw a cushion at her, but I’m laughing too. “You’re the worst.”
“I’m the best, and you know it.” She dodges the pillow easily. “Now, let’s go find you something to wear tomorrow for your hot date.”