Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Reid
The Tamarack Inn had seen better days.
It used to be a beautiful old building with robin’s-egg blue siding and white shutters, and a wraparound porch where guests could gather in the evening and admire the perennial flower beds. It had a perfect location, just a few blocks off the pedestrian-only plaza that served as the hub of Trickle Creek with shops, cafes, and restaurants. The inn was once the only place for visitors to stay when they came to town.
When I was a boy, I used to think it was the biggest building I’d ever seen. With three floors and twelve rooms, it was hardly a skyscraper, but for Trickle Creek, it was a focal point to be sure.
At least, it had been. Before the condos were built up at the ski hill, drawing hundreds more tourists to town, but not to the inn with its old charm and personal touch.
Now, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sadness to see the once beautiful gardens overgrown with weeds, the paint peeling and chipping off the siding, and the sagging porch.
I never knew them well, but the Walkers had always been friendly, and the pride they had for their inn had been apparent.
I vaguely remembered they had a granddaughter who was around when we were kids.
But I certainly didn’t remember she was a very cute, way too fucking perky granddaughter.
While I sat there, assessing the dilapidated inn, Avery pulled in behind me. Of course, her car was a lemon-yellow Volkswagen. There were probably giant daisy decals on the—yup. Just as I suspected, when I stepped out of the truck, I saw the big flower stickers on the side of her car.
I shouldn’t have been surprised.
“Did I keep you waiting?” She bounced from the car, her ponytail swinging and her breasts?—
No. I had no business looking at her tits.
Even if her T-shirt was stretched tight over them, showcasing just how full and round and absolutely perfect they were.
“You didn’t.” With a growl, I shook my head and grabbed the toolbox from the back of my truck. “Let’s get this over with.”
She led the way up the porch, which gave me a nice view of her ass in her jeans. Just like her breasts, it was full and round and very fucking tempting.
“I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this, Reid. I know there are going to be lots of challenges with the inn, but I guess I didn’t expect the very first one to be getting in.” Avery kept up a steady stream of chatter as we made our way to the back of the inn, and the troublesome door.
“Do you ever stop talking?”
Avery stopped walking so abruptly, that I tripped over myself to keep from crashing into her. She spun around to face me, the pretty smile still on her face. “I do, actually,” she said. “But it’s usually when I’m quiet that you need to worry.”
“Worry?”
She winked at me and, with a flip of her ponytail, turned and kept walking.
I was going to kill Grayson for tricking me into helping this woman. Not only was she an outsider—and she was, no matter what anyone else said—she was infuriatingly upbeat. That might not be a completely negative trait for most people, but after the day I’d had, I’d much rather be alone with a cold beer than deal with this level of sunshine.
“This is the door.” Avery waved her arm in the direction of the only door on the back side of the building. “It’s the only key I was given. The rest are supposed to be inside. I don’t know what’s wrong, but the door just won’t budge.”
No shit it wouldn’t open.
It didn’t take a handyman to see that the door was painted shut and obviously hadn’t been used in more years than the inn had been abandoned.
“Who gave you the key?”
“The lawyer.” She held out a ring with one key on it. “Along with the paperwork telling me this place is mine.”
“So your grandparents just left it to you, and you didn’t know?”
“My grandfather passed away last month.” It was the first time since I’d met her that her bright smile dimmed a little.
“I’m sorry,” I said genuinely. “Mr. Walker was a good man.”
Avery nodded curtly. “He was never the same after my grandma died,” she said. “And when my parents moved him into the city, well…” She shrugged and squeezed her eyes shut for a second. “Anyway.” When she opened her eyes again, some of the brightness had returned. “Turns out they decided when I was young that they wanted me to have it but never told anyone.” She blew out a sigh. “But I couldn’t be happier, and I’m going to do my best to bring it back to life.” She flashed me that pretty smile that somehow had already started to grow on me. “Just as soon as I get in.”
“Right.” I took the key from her despite the fact I already knew there was no way it was going to open the door I was looking at. “You’re sure it’s not for the front door?”
She nodded.
“You tried?”
“Of course I tried it.” Avery put her hands on her hips and her lips twisted into a frown, making me chuckle.
“Oh. You can smile.”
“That’s not a smile.” I turned away and tried the key in the door. Even if it was made for the lock, there was no way it was going to open it. “This is a lot more than a seized lock. Do you want me to break it open?”
“Break it?”
“You do want to get in, don’t you?”
“Well…I mean…”
“Yes or no.”
It wouldn’t be hard to crack the door off the frame. I reached down to my toolbox and grabbed my crowbar. “I can just break?—”
“Wait!”
Avery
I grabbed Reid’s arm moments before he could use his big iron bar to break open the door. It took me a minute to let go. Mostly because I was in shock at the size of the bicep beneath my hands.
Holy shit. This man was ripped.
When Reid lowered his arm and the tool, I had no choice but to release my hold on him.
“Okay.” He turned around. “I thought you wanted to get in.”
“I do, but…” I raised my arms and dropped them uselessly at my sides. “Can’t we do it without destroying something? I mean, there’s already so much for me to fix, I don’t really want to add one more thing to the list. Plus, I don’t really like the idea of being alone in here with a big gaping hole in the house.”
I could see the gears turning in his head as he thought about it. For a moment, I was convinced he was going to pack up his tools and walk away from me and the inn completely. I couldn’t let that happen. Not before I got inside.
Besides, I kind of liked him. Even if he was unbearably grouchy, I was starting to think his brother might be right and there was a gooey center in there somewhere. And I did like a challenge.
Finally, Reid sighed with a shake of his head and dropped the bar. “Okay. Maybe I can find a window to jimmy open. Even if it breaks, it won’t be as big a deal. Besides, you’re probably going to have to replace most of them anyway.”
Fresh hope surged through me. “Great.”
Reid gave me a look. “It’s not great yet. Let me find a window first.”
Like a puppy dog, I trailed behind him as Reid circled the building, testing all the windows. Finally, he stopped at a side window that was one of the first he tested. “I think this is the best chance. It’s loose.” He jiggled it again, and I could see it move. “The locking mechanism probably needs to be replaced.” He pulled a screwdriver from the tool belt that was slung low over his hips. “If I just…” He stuck the screwdriver in the space between the window and the base, and with a twist of his wrist, it popped open.
“Oh my God. You did it.”
For the second time, there was the slightest trace of a grin on his lips. “Did you doubt me?”
“No.” I couldn’t help but laugh. “Well, maybe a little. But I’m so glad you got it. Thank you so much.”
Clearly uncomfortable with the praise, Reid cleared his throat and looked down. “Yeah, it’s nothing.”
He turned to go, and once more, I stopped him with a hand on his arm. I let it linger a little longer, enjoying the feel of his strength under my touch. “Before you go…”
Reid looked at my hand on his arm as he turned around again, but he didn’t pull away.
“Do you think you could give me a lift?”
Together, we both turned to the window that was just high enough off the ground that there was no way I was going to be able to scramble my way up on my own.
I flashed him another grin.
He shook his head and, with an exasperated sigh, said, “Of course.”
Before I could brace myself, Reid’s hands were on my hips. As if I weighed nothing, he lifted me until I was even with the window ledge and could try to scramble up.
There was no way around it—there was nothing glamorous about climbing into a window. I managed to get my knee up on the ledge before I slipped. My squeal died on my lips when Reid’s hands caught me. The last thing I should have been thinking of was his big, strong hands on my ass, but how could I not? They fit perfectly, and I was almost disappointed when he gave me a shove through the window before releasing me.
Almost.
I landed with a thud on the dirty hardwood. The moment I looked up into what would have been a sitting room of the old inn, the only thing I was thinking about was that this was all mine.
“Wow.” The word was barely more than a breath on my lips as I got to my feet and started to walk through the room, taking it all in.
The very first thing that struck me was how beautiful the old wooden floors and plaster walls with molding must have been in their prime. It wasn’t something I would have noticed as a girl.
The second thought I had was just how much work it was going to be. I was definitely going to need help.
“Reid, I?—”
He was already gone.