Chapter 15
Grady pulled his Nissan up to a forest-enshrouded rental cabin in Oak Creek Canyon, near Sedona, Chelsea at his side. He parked the truck between a red Ford Escape and an orange Dodge Ram king cab truck and killed the engine.
“Isn’t this place gorgeous?” Chelsea’s excited voice captured his attention. “My siblings and I usually go to different locations every New Year’s holiday, but this is our second year in Oak Creek. We stayed in another cabin last year. I have to say from the outside, this one tops it.”
“Some cabin.” Grady took in the sprawling multi-level home with floor-to-ceiling windows that would give a fabulous view of Oak Creek. “Looks like a perfect place to stay a couple of days.”
“Come on.” She grasped the door handle. “The gang’s all here.”
Grady climbed out and hurried to the passenger side to help her out of his vehicle. He admired her cute ass as she reached back in to grab her purse. Damn, but he loved looking at her curves.
A light wind ruffled his hair, and the breeze caused strands of Chelsea’s hair to fall into her eyes as she tugged on her jacket. She pushed the strands behind her ears.
He grabbed his jacket and both of their duffels from the back, then closed the doors. He liked her family and had been looking forward to their New Year’s retreat.
“It smells so good.” Chelsea breathed deeply, tipped her head back, and closed her eyes. “Fresh air, pine, and rich earth.”
He kissed her nose. She opened her eyes and laughed before brushing her lips over his. She gripped his hand and they walked toward the cabin.
They reached the front door, and it swung open.
“You two took your time.” DeAndra held out her arm in an all-encompassing gesture. “Welcome to Camp Dunn.” She hugged Grady, then Chelsea, and then drew them inside. “This place is awesome. It has hot tubs in all three rooms.”
They walked over desert sand-colored tile, through a large entryway that opened up into a massive great room with vaulted ceilings.
Chelsea glanced at Grady. “The pictures on Airbnb are great. So far, I don’t think they do this place justice.”
Once again, the guys were playing Myth Hunter.
Joe looked over his shoulder. “Hey, Grady. Wanna hop in?”
Grady nodded toward Chelsea. “Depends on what Chelsea has planned after we get settled in.”
Brad glanced at Grady. “You’re welcome to join us any time.”
“Thanks, guys.” Grady turned his attention back to Chelsea and DeAndra. “This is a long way from pitching a tent and gathering wood for a campfire.”
DeAndra laughed. “In this case, it’s glamping.”
Chelsea called out to the twins. “We’re cooking lunch. All of you guys cook dinner.”
“Heaven help us.” Chelsea raised her voice as they walked out of the kitchen. “None of them can cook worth beans.”
Joe called back, “That might end up being what you’ll be having.”
While DeAndra’s cheesy pasta casserole baked in the oven, Chelsea and Grady explored the house.
The rooms were spacious and resembled individual suites, and each had a stone fireplace.
The window treatments and bedding were maroon and forest green.
The bathrooms were large with brown and taupe granite and featured Jacuzzis as promised.
Two of the rooms had two double beds. Joe and Brad had taken one of those rooms, and DeAndra and Anneka took the other.
Vinyl planking that resembled mesquite wood covered the floors upstairs, with a few rugs scattered throughout.
Grady and Chelsea walked into the master suite that they would be sharing.
A king-sized bed sat between floor-to-ceiling windows, and the room was twice the size of the others.
The colors were warm and earthy—rich cream, pine green, light taupe, and bear brown.
A stone fireplace stood against the left wall, a pile of wood ready and waiting beside it.
Chelsea ran her palm over the thick, fluffy comforter, and thoughts of snuggling beneath it with Grady behind her, hugging her close, made her smile. Lots of pillows were piled against the headboard.
She moved to a pair of French doors and opened them. Cool air rushed into the room, chasing away some of the warmth. “We have our own balcony.” She looked over her shoulder. “The view is gorgeous.”
Grady slid his arms around her waist and kissed her nape. “We’ll need jackets just to enjoy it.”
“Point taken.” She stepped back. He moved with her, and she closed the doors. “Let’s get unpacked.”
They spent the next few minutes putting away their clothes, and he tucked their duffels into the walk-in closet.
He returned to the room and brought her into his arms. She placed her palms on his chest and looked into his fire-ice blue eyes.
Her heart filled, and she felt such an overwhelming feeling for him, so deep that she was afraid even to acknowledge and identify exactly what that feeling was.
He lowered his head and brushed his lips over hers, so soft that it was barely a whisper of a touch. Then he wrapped his arms more tightly around her, and she settled her cheek against his chest, hearing his heartbeat.
“I love it when you hug me.” She sighed and melted into him. “You make me feel like everything is wonderful.”
“Everything is wonderful.” Grady rested his chin on top of her head. “You make the sun shine brighter in my life.”
Chelsea breathed in his masculine scent, letting it seep into her lungs and travel through her to her fingertips and toes. She filled herself with him.
After a long moment, she took his hand and tipped her head so that she could look into his eyes. “Are you ready to head back downstairs?”
He gave a gentle smile. “I’m not ready to let you go, but we probably should join the rest of the crew.”
Chelsea and Grady reached the kitchen just as DeAndra removed her casserole from the oven and set it onto a potholder on the granite countertop. “It just needs to cool for ten minutes, then everyone can dig in.”
They all gathered around the dining table, which the twins had set for six, with glasses of iced tea in front of each place setting. Anneka placed the casserole dish on a trivet, then used a large serving spoon to scoop generous portions onto each plate. When everyone had been served, they dug in.
Over lunch, Chelsea’s siblings pelted Grady with questions, and he answered them good-naturedly. Fortunately, they didn’t ask him anything embarrassing. He, in turn, asked each of her brothers and sisters about themselves.
Chelsea watched each of them, and like she’d thought, they all interacted easily and naturally, just as they had on Christmas Eve.
When Chelsea and her siblings played board and card games on Christmas Day, they’d told her that so far, they liked Grady—not that she’d been worried about it.
But it was good to see how easily they got along, laughing and chatting like they’d known each other for a while now.
Chelsea and Grady decided to go for a walk along Oak Creek after lunch, and DeAndra and Anneka planned to go shopping in Sedona. And—surprise, surprise—Joe and Brad were going to finish the round of Myth Hunter they’d been in the middle of when Chelsea and Grady had arrived.
After they slid into their jackets, the two of them walked down to the creek. A light breeze tugged at Chelsea’s hair. She dug a hair tie out of her front pocket and pulled her hair back into a ponytail.
Grady tugged it lightly. “You look cute in a ponytail.”
She flashed him a smile. “Keeps my hair out of my eyes.”
As they walked toward the creek, the sound of water flowing over rocks grew louder and birds flitted through the trees. They made their way along a forest path littered with the dead leaves of ash, birch, and Arizona sycamore trees, crunching beneath their shoes, along with the snapping of twigs.
Grady looked at the scenery as they strode toward their destination. “It’s beautiful here.”
“Isn’t it?” She looked up at the snatches of blue sky amongst the tree cover.
He pointed toward a tree. “Do you know what kind of trees those are—the ones with white bark?”
“Arizona sycamores.” She paused and placed her palm against a smooth patch on the trunk of one. “From what I understand, you can find them all over Oak Creek Canyon.”
“I bet they’re gorgeous when they leaf in the spring.” He glanced at her. “Who knows, maybe we can make it here that time of the year.”
She smiled. “You never know.”
They reached the creek, which was roughly ten feet from where they stood. Water tumbled over and flowed around rocks and boulders.
“Let’s head upstream.” Chelsea started out with Grady at her side, but sometimes the path narrowed so that they had to walk single file. Other times, they’d have to step on rocks to make their way to the other side.
Wind whispered among the trees, and bird chatter filled the air as they continued. Water gurgled as it made its way around and over rocks and boulders. She breathed in the scents of rich earth, spruce, and fresh, clean air.
They had walked for a while before Grady put his hand on her arm as he whispered. “Look over there. Between those bushes, you can see a couple of deer.”
Chelsea peered in that direction, and at first, she couldn’t see anything. Then she spotted a small gray doe, standing perfectly still and staring back at them. Chelsea found herself holding her breath. The diminutive doe was beautiful.
Chelsea kept her voice low. “Last year, Joe researched wildlife in the area and told us that Cous whitetail deer are native to Oak Creek Canyon. They’re much smaller than their larger cousins.”
The deer took off in a flash, followed by two others that Chelsea hadn’t seen, the three crashing through the bushes on their quick flight, and then they were gone.
“There are black bears, foxes, and javelina around here, too, according to Joe.” Chelsea relaxed as she looked from the spot where the deer had been. “He also said there are even beavers and otters here. And nearly 150 species of birds make the canyon their home throughout the year.”
Grady pushed his fingers through his hair. “The more I’m in Arizona, the more I learn about the state, the more I love it.”
Chelsea nodded. “I feel the same way. Wisconsin is a nice state, but I think this one is the right place for me.”
They crossed back again, and in the middle of the creek, Chelsea tottered on the rock she’d stepped on. “Oh, crap.” She held her arms to her sides, balanced herself, and managed to stay upright.
“I came so close to landing on my butt in the cold water.” She made it to the opposite side, letting out a sigh of relief. “The last thing I want to do is to end up with soaked shoes and clothing in this weather.”
“You and me both.” Grady finished crossing the creek and reached her side.
His gaze traveled over their surroundings.
“The red rock in and around Sedona is beautiful.” He pointed to a high shelf ahead that reached out, curving up from the creek embankment.
“Can you imagine how many millions of years it took for water to carve that out?”
Chelsea put her hands on her hips and studied the canyon they were in. “Instead of a creek, a big river would have probably run through here.” She glanced up at the sky through the trees. “We’d better head back before it gets dark.”
Grady nodded his agreement. “Good idea.”
The way back took less time than they’d taken walking up the trail. They were quiet most of the way back, enjoying their surroundings.
When they reached their starting point, the sky had dimmed, the sunlight fading.
Grady took her hand. “If they haven’t already started, I need to help the guys make dinner.”
Chelsea laughed. “I’m not very optimistic, but they might pull off something. They usually go for tacos, and they turn out pretty good.”
She heard his stomach grumble, and she laughed again. “I think you worked up a good appetite.”
He looked a little sheepish. “I’ve been betrayed.”
She tugged on his hand. “Let’s get up there. If they finished making dinner already, there won’t be anything left for us if we don’t hurry.”