Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Will was breaking ground today.
Ben slammed his truck door and surveyed the string lines and stakes fencing off the foundation backing up against Wild Mountain’s edge.
The worksite didn’t exactly meld with the swaying pines and rough-hewn boulders.
But somehow the nature-rich architectural design would when they finished the aggressive construction timetable.
He’d offered up ranch hands to make sure they’d put their mark on the site Grandma Elena had originally planned.
When he’d told Will to move fast, his brother had more than listened—even going so far as to buy the lumber before they’d poured the concrete for the foundation.
Then again, he’d been planning this project with their dad for longer than Ben knew about it, both for the physical structure as much as the person he wanted to help him: Hannah Montgomery.
After clearing the air the other day, he was only sure of one thing. She was different from him now, in a place where everyone was the same. As he looked around at the men helping his brother, all the faces were familiar, but so was their core. He knew what to expect from them.
He didn’t know what to expect from Hannah anymore, and God, that hurt something fierce.
“I didn’t expect you to come up here away from ranch business and help,” Will called out, his limp a little more pronounced than usual.
There was that word again. Expect. Dammit but it chapped his hide that his brother didn’t know he’d lend his back. “I’m happy to put some time in.”
Will wiped at the sweat on his forehead before pointing to the western edge of the foundation lines. “So are Dad and Gramps. They came up after breakfast, and I’ve had to get on them twice for overdoing it. Gramps tried to pick up a tree trunk Dad dug out. Almost dropped it on his foot.”
Ben flashed a smile as he watched them walk together, both a bit stooped from all their years of hard work. “He’s still got grit. How’s Dad doing?”
“Pretty good, especially since he’s quietly dishing out advice.” Will gave a wry laugh. “Like how to keep the outdoor deck to the springs from freezing in the winter to creating a shelter from the wind. Oh, and he’s looking into door handle warmers so they don’t freeze.”
“You’ve got an embarrassment of riches in the way of help.
” Ben slapped his brother on the back as he regarded the mini waterfalls behind the foundation markings, a feature he’d always found majestic.
“Good. If anyone has an idea about how to control the sulfur smell, take note. Not as bad as cows on a hot day…”
“Part of the experience, brother,” Will only said, planting his bad leg on a stack of roped-up tree limbs and rubbing his thigh.
“The sodium, silica, bicarbonate, chloride, and sulfate are the natural healing minerals that make this place so special. One perk—we’ll be able to soak our tired muscles after a long day. ”
That hadn’t been the only use of the hot springs, and they both knew it. The McAllister men had been bringing their women up here probably going all the way back to Grandma Elena.
His mind conjured up a memory of him and Hannah all tangled up.
Steam was rising around them as he’d held her against him.
Her skin had been flushed with pleasure and heat and silky to the touch.
He hadn’t minded the sulfur smell then. No, not with her in his arms. Now the memory only made his heart race and his body burn.
Probably best he banish thoughts like those…but dammit…he still wanted her, maybe more than ever. She was all woman now, from the way her hips swayed when she walked to the rounder curves of her breasts.
It had been a long time since he’d touched her—touched any woman…
apart from Amber that one time…and he could still recall every moment as if it were yesterday.
There had been heat and laughter and enough pleasure to make all his thoughts go quiet.
All he’d felt was love and tenderness and happiness when they’d come together.
Now he thought that easygoing man had died when she’d left.
“Given how fast we’re planning on putting this baby up, we’re all going to need a good soak,” Ben finally managed.
“Or some of Hannah’s famous salve,” Will added.
“Word is already spreading about it after she put some on Dylan Prentice’s goose egg—you know the one he got in the baseball game where they beat Hastings?
The whole town saw the bump swell to the size of a goose egg.
According to one of the hands whose wife stopped in town, no one can believe how Dylan’s head practically looks normal except for the bruising. ”
Helping someone right away sounded like the Hannah he knew. “Good to hear.”
“I’ve already had a couple of calls from people in town asking when we’re opening and if we’re going to sell that salve of hers,” Will continued with a grin. “I’ll have to talk to Hannah.”
Ben forced a smile. His brother shared his excitement and included him in his plans like they’d discussed. He needed to work on being happier for them. “Got a lot of avenues opening up. I’m glad for you.”
“I can’t wait to finish. We’re going to start with ten guest cabins beyond the main building. Simple construction with raw wood and stone. Just like Grandma Elena planned.”
“That’s great, Will.” He turned as Cooper gave a shout and Tank a bark.
They both came running from the woods above the springs. “Dad! Uncle Will put his temperature checker into all six pools, and do you know how hot they are?”
He knelt and smiled at his son. He was sweaty and dirty and having the time of his life, exactly like summer days should be. “Hot enough to boil an egg?”
Cooper scratched his head. “I don’t know about an egg. It ranges from ninety to a hundred and six degrees. Maybe we can try an egg later.”
Will plucked Cooper off the ground and put him in a fireman’s hold, causing Tank to bark again. “You are not making breakfast in our hot springs, young man.”
“Is someone talking about breakfast?” Gramps ambled over alongside Dad. “You taking over from Reba, Cooper?”
Cooper lifted his head and pushed off Will’s back to look over.
“No way! No one cooks better than Reba. She’s making fried chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy, plus buttermilk biscuits, since that’s Hannah’s favorite meal.
Reba wants me to pick strawberries with her and Hannah for the pies tonight. ”
Ben swore every eye was on him, so he forced a smile. “Sounds like good eating.”
“Mighty nice of Reba to welcome Hannah back with her favorites,” Gramps mused, his gaze as sharp as ever.
“That girl always did have a good appetite,” his dad pointed out, making a good show of dusting off his silver cowboy hat.
Ben only grunted. Like he didn’t know what was going on.
They might as well have stuck him with Will’s temperature meter to gauge how hot he was running on the inside about him and Hannah.
He still wasn’t sure what they wanted. He knew his brother hoped to make things right between them deep down, but did the other McAllister men agree?
“Mighty nice of that Scottish fellow to offer to help out if you ask me,” Gramps commented as Dad slapped his cowboy hat on his thigh before fitting it on his head as if clearing the air.
What the—
Ben scanned the site again, and sure enough, he spotted the tall sandy-haired man working alongside one of the hands near the farthest spring pool.
God, even from here, he looked like a champion wrestler.
Well, hell… He tensed, remembering how Hannah had told him she couldn’t love Neil because of him. Wasn’t that just fine?
Since then, all he’d done was ask himself a million times if Hannah wanted to fall in love with the Scot. He was here, wasn’t he? Hovering over her like she was his. The logic seemed plain enough to Ben. Heal what was between them and then fall for someone else.
He hated feeling jealous. When the feeling hit, he reminded himself of his goal. To help Will build his center and mend fences with Hannah so she would decide to stay.
Except he still felt his jaw pop as the giant of a man gave a friendly wave as if sensing their regard.
“Downright neighborly of him to help,” Ben ground out, pulling Cooper from Will’s grip and setting him back on the ground. “How about we come up with some items around here that you can help your uncle Will with?”
“Sounds good.” Cooper turned as someone honked the horn and started running. “Hey! It’s Grandpa Kincaid.”
Ben frowned as the brand-new black pickup truck cruised up the dirt road and parked beside the others. Normally, a visit from his ex-father-in-law didn’t make him fidgety, but he didn’t think Paul was here simply to visit Cooper and shoot the breeze.
“I’ll bet he’s come about Amber.” Dad rested his hand on his shoulder. “No word from that quarter since Hannah’s returned?”
Ben felt an angry flush rise up his neck and throat. Every time his family had to deal with Amber, he felt the shame of his actions. “Not yet. I have all hands on the lookout. She’ll be coming.”
“You have Cooper come up to the house when she does.” Gramps gave a heavy sigh, one Ben felt guilty over. “We’ll take good care of him. I’m getting on back to work.”
“Me too,” his dad told him, gripping his shoulder one last time before following.
Ben looked over at his son talking with Paul beside the truck, the man resting a hand on Tank to keep the puppy in place. He was thankful Cooper had good men in his life, and Paul Kincaid was one of them. But how many more years would he have to protect his boy from his very own mother?