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Carter threaded his way through the crowd in the arrivals area of the Chance Creek Regional Airport, trying to get close to the large plateglass windows overlooking the tarmac. It was early May, after four in the afternoon on a Wednesday. He’d already been back in town for a month. Gage, Lincoln and Hudson, who were right behind him, had arrived a couple of weeks after him. They were here today to pick up Nate.
“You’re wasting your money,” Gage said when they found a spot to stand in. “There’s plenty of room in Mom and Dad’s house for all of us to stay for now. There’s no sense buying and fixing up another one when we might all have to leave next June.”
“I’m not leaving Elliott Ridge again, no matter what. The price we agreed on for the house is dirt cheap. Besides, this way I get something tangible for donating money to the family cause.”
Carter had gone over this a dozen times already today and a hundred times since he’d claimed one of the Ridge’s houses for himself. It was situated in a corner of town his father had planned to subdivide before the crash happened. He’d done all the required steps and had just been about to hand in the final paperwork when the town emptied out instead. Carter had resubmitted the forms as soon as he came home. They were waiting for a decision from the county, so he didn’t technically own the house yet, but he’d forked over the money for it into the family account. He’d already moved his things out of house number one, where he’d grown up, and taken them to number twenty-three, the house he’d claimed. He’d drawn up plans for the renovation and gotten to work on it, too. They’d sort out the paperwork when the subdivision came through.
Number twenty-three, on Second Avenue, was a sensible three bedroom, two bath home, the perfect place in which to start a family.
Now all he needed was someone to share it with.
“You’ve been fixing up Mom and Dad’s house,” Carter added. “Why isn’t that a waste of money?”
“That’s different,” Gage said. “They might come to visit while we’re here, and they deserve to be comfortable. You don’t even own number twenty-three yet. You shouldn’t be renovating it.”
“I’ve handed over the cash.”
“Which is bad enough. Why throw good money after bad? It’s far from clear that we can make this all work,” Gage said. “We need more contracts, more workers—more everything. If Dad ends up selling to Warrington and we all leave, you won’t want to stay.”
Gage had a point. It hadn’t exactly been smooth sailing so far. Given they were starting from scratch and didn’t know if they’d succeed, they’d hired the first batch of workers on a temporary basis and were having trouble holding on to them. This morning three more men quit, complaining about the low wages, the Ridge’s crappy internet connection—and the lack of women. It had been more difficult than Carter had expected to find mill workers in the first place. These days the housing market was booming, which meant people with experience in the field were in high demand all over. There were plenty of large operations that could afford to pay better wages—and offer better benefits. That meant the folks Carter had managed to hire were less than optimal. Drifters and troublemakers who preferred not to put down roots.
Once—and only once—he’d tried to interest some of them in settling down at the Ridge. He’d told them there’d soon be houses to buy for low prices.
“You could give them away, and I wouldn’t want to stay,” Terry Brook had said contemptuously. “I’m gone the minute I get a better offer.”
The others seemed to feel the same.
“We’re going to make this work,” he told Gage.
“Not if you can’t attract some better workers. How are you going to do that?”
It annoyed Carter that his oldest brother still had an inch of height on him and that his cold, dark gaze never flinched no matter what.
“The men are right; no one is going to want to stay here. This isn’t a real community. There aren’t enough people here. There aren’t any women. Which isn’t surprising. What woman in her right mind would want to move to a ghost town? Women like stability. There’s nothing stable about a mill town these days.”
Gage was just mad because Hudson and Lincoln had said they wanted to buy houses, too. They hadn’t chosen them yet, mostly because Lincoln was out looking at horses every spare moment and Hudson was out chasing women, but they were enthusiastic about the idea, and that seemed to get under Gage’s skin.
“Women are just as adventurous as men,” Carter argued. “If they understood the possibilities, they’d be flocking to live at Elliott Ridge.” As far as he was concerned, the place was paradise.
“There’s the plane,” Hudson said. They moved closer to the windows and watched its approach.
“Flocking?” Gage repeated. “You’ve been recruiting workers since before you even got here. Has a single woman applied for a job?”
Carter sighed. “Women don’t need to work in the lumber industry to move here.” He was close to losing his patience, but he didn’t want to make a scene in public. The rough men they’d employed to work at the mill were giving them a bad enough reputation in Chance Creek as it was. Cab Johnson, the local sheriff, had been out to the Ridge twice to deliver men who’d spent a night in the county lockup for drunk and disorderly conduct. “They can do all kinds of remote work as soon as we get a better internet connection.”
“When’s that going to happen?”
Carter couldn’t answer that. He hadn’t anticipated it would be such a hard problem to solve, but there was only one company that serviced the area. All he could do was be patient and hope they saw the value in extending fiber optic cable to Elliott Ridge. It was the kind of chicken-and-egg problem that could drive a man to drink. The internet service provider would be more likely to upgrade their connection if more people lived at the Ridge, but more people wouldn’t settle there unless they could be sure of a high-quality internet connection. Gage would say he’d misjudged the difficulty of solving the problem because he was too optimistic.
He was too something.
“I don’t see why women wouldn’t flock to the Ridge,” Hudson put in. “We’ve got a lake, the forest—me.”
Gage snorted. “We’ve got snow, mosquitoes, a forty-minute commute to town… and I hate to tell you this, Romeo, but you’re not that much of an attraction.”
“Am, too.”
“We’ve got a lot of houses. Maybe we should give a few away—like they did in those towns in Italy. Remember?” Lincoln said. “They sold them for a dollar to people who agreed to fix them up.”
“We can’t give them away. We need to sell them to cover our costs,” Gage said.
“Here come the passengers.” Carter cut off his brothers. He didn’t need to hear any more of Gage’s grumbling—or Hudson’s bragging. He’d had enough of both these past few weeks. They had just under thirteen months to get the mill up and running at full capacity, the logging operation restarted and enough money coming in to cover their balloon payment and their ongoing bills.
That wasn’t all. Carter was determined to bring his parents back to Elliott Ridge, and he wasn’t going to move them into a ghost town. That meant filling all those empty houses with people who meant to stay. Not just single men, either. Gage was right; he needed women.
Trouble was, he couldn’t figure out how to attract them here. Men were easy. They’d come for the mill and logging jobs. Not many women were interested in those.
In fact, young single women were scarce in Chance Creek, too, which was why his temporary workers kept getting in trouble when they went to town. Add twenty extra unattached men to a night at the Dancing Boot, and suddenly you had an alarming imbalance of the sexes.
He focused on the people filing down the metal steps from the small plane. Most of them looked like regular folks coming to visit family or returning from vacation. A few groups seemed ready for outdoor adventures. They had probably come for the fishing. There were one or two businessmen and women, but not too many.
Where was Nate?
Carter’s gaze lifted to the top of the stairs when a pretty blonde came into view. She surveyed the little airport and tucked a strand of long straight hair behind her ear. She was dressed in jeans and a blue casual top. She had a large purse strapped across her body and carried a gym bag as well.
She didn’t look particularly happy. She looked… alert, Carter decided. As if something might happen at any moment—something just as likely to be bad as good. Her chin was high. Her shoulders back. Her attitude half-defiant and half-anticipatory.
What was she expecting to find here in Chance Creek?
Intrigued, Carter edged closer to the window.
A flight attendant leaned toward the woman from the interior of the plane and gestured as if to say, “Please head down the stairs.”
The blonde nodded but didn’t move. Was she lingering to savor the moment or to give herself time to prepare for whatever came next? She was beautiful, Carter decided.
The flight attendant gestured again.
Come on, Carter willed the pretty blonde. You’re going to like it here.
He wouldn’t mind making it his business to ensure that.
You don’t even know her, he told himself. She probably had a boyfriend or husband waiting to welcome her home. A woman like that wouldn’t be single.
His brothers were watching her, too, now. They must have noticed that someone had caught his attention and followed his gaze to see who it was. Despite their differences, they’d always been in tune in some ways.
The flight attendant leaned closer to the blonde. Carter was no lip-reader, but he could guess what she was saying. “You’re holding everyone up. You need to keep moving.”
The blonde nodded. Lifted her chin and made her way down the stairs. Halfway across the tarmac to the terminal, however, something caught her eye and she slowed, tilting her head back. Carter looked up, too. High above the single airstrip, an eagle circled. A smile curved the blonde’s mouth, and she nodded again, but this time it was as if she were communicating with the bird, acknowledging it had its priorities right.
Her smile seemed to say she was also ready to soar. That she was done with her past and ready to take flight.
A visceral thrill shot through Carter’s body. That’s how he felt coming home to Elliott Ridge. Like his real life was finally about to begin.
And suddenly he knew.
I’m going to marry that woman.
The thought seared through his brain like a sniper’s bullet through flesh, even as Carter shook his head at the folly of it. There was no way he could know a thing like that. He hadn’t even spoken to her yet.
She could belong to someone else.
Still, he knew his hunch was right, as crazy as it was. He’d taken a bullet once. Had the scars to prove it. He knew what it felt like when a round hit home.
This felt like that. The utter truth of it going so deep it was viscerally clear.
He was going to marry her.
He was going to bring his family’s town back to life—with this woman by his side. He’d never felt so certain of anything, and the revelation shocked him into a higher awareness. Did his brothers feel it, too—this startling clarity?
“Speaking of women,” Hudson said. “There’s one now. I wouldn’t mind if she settled at the Ridge.”
“She’d do just fine,” Lincoln agreed, leaning forward to get a better look.
Gage shook his head. “No women. No settling. We’re going to have to sell the Ridge in the end.”
“No, we’re not.” Carter watched the blonde enter the building. He’d been determined before, but now he was committed on a whole new level. He needed to make a home for this woman who was going to be his wife. He needed to build a whole world for her.
“There’s Nate,” Hudson said.
Who knew being chased by a killer could set you free?
Amanda exited the small airplane that had brought her to Chance Creek, Montana, and stood at the top of the metal steps leading to the tarmac. She was taking a leap of faith coming here, banking that Buck hadn’t heard of the little town and wouldn’t think to come looking for her in such an obscure place.
Two weeks ago, her father’s panicked texts had shattered the spell she hadn’t known she was living under. For years she’d crafted an existence so small she’d thought it would make her invisible. She’d let shame dictate every move, running more than a thousand miles from home and accepting a position she was overqualified for, so she wouldn’t have to face anyone who knew the truth.
When her father returned, she’d thought maybe there was a way to erase the past. She’d hoped he’d paint something so brilliant that his new success would blot out his old crime, and everyone would forget about it.
It hadn’t worked.
Her father had barrelled on, heaping a new helping of shame on her family, and Amanda knew that even if Buck hadn’t come, she’d have run from Los Angeles anyway now she knew what her father had done. He wasn’t the kind of criminal strategist who could pull off a crime like this one. He would’ve been caught again sooner or later. And his shame would be hers to share. She wouldn’t have been able to stand going to work and facing her peers—Gwen—once they found out she was the daughter of a forger and thief.
That didn’t matter, though.
These past few days, she’d realized even if she could go back, she didn’t want to. Buck’s re-entry into her life had made her rethink everything.
All of it.
She was angry she’d wasted so many years twisting her life into knots because of what her father had done. Why should she feel shame for crimes she had no part in? Why was she punishing herself when she’d done nothing wrong?
Her father hadn’t been in touch since the night she’d fled LA. Did he think warning her about Buck was the extent of his obligation to her as a father?
Where was he now?
She hadn’t contacted him, either. Didn’t want him in her life anymore, anyway.
“Thank you for flying with us,” the flight attendant said.
Amanda nodded, still hesitating at the top of the stairs. As soon as she made her way down them, she’d start a brand-new life. Her father obviously hadn’t spared a thought for her since he’d warned her to leave, so she’d put him out of her mind, too. She’d move forward to the future she deserved.
She’d left nothing behind in Los Angeles she would miss. Just an average apartment. Possessions she could replace.
A job she didn’t care about one way or another.
A few acquaintances but no close friends.
Gwen.
She’d been sleepwalking through her days. Now she was awake. Should she thank her father?
Should she thank Buck?
“Ma’am, you’re holding up the other passengers,” the flight attendant said.
Amanda nodded again. She would still have to be careful, so Buck couldn’t trace her here. She had to get rid of the masterpiece hidden in her bag. But once she was free of that cargo, she’d craft a brand-new existence. One that was vibrant, authentic. That included real friends—
A man.
Children.
Purpose.
“Ma’am?” the flight attendant prompted.
Everything changes right now, she told herself. She lifted her chin and started down the stairs. When she was on solid ground, she strode across the tarmac, almost giddy with the possibilities. Maybe she was fooling herself.
Maybe Buck would find her—again.
But maybe, just maybe—
A movement overhead caught her attention, and Amanda stopped.
It was an eagle. The best of omens. An eagle meant strength.
Freedom.
She could do this.
Feeling a triumphant smile tug at the corners of her mouth, she squared her shoulders and started for the terminal again. Somewhere in front of her was the life she’d always wanted.
She’d be damned if she missed one more second of it out of shame or fear.
She pushed open the door and stepped into the building, but the crowd in the waiting area brought her up short. There was a single baggage carousel on the far side of the room. In between her and it were enough people to fill several Greyhound buses. This had to be the smallest airport she’d ever seen.
Find my suitcase. Rent a car.
She didn’t let herself think about what she’d do after that. She needed to find accommodations, of course, but she didn’t want to stay in another motel, which would require showing her credit card again. Bad enough she’d have to use it to get the car. That couldn’t be helped, she supposed, but if it was at all possible, she wanted to find a private rental cabin she could pay for with cash.
As she inched forward among the knots of passengers being greeted by their loved ones, she couldn’t help feeling like the odd person out. An extended family exuberantly greeted a grandmotherly woman who’d been seated several rows in front of her on the plane. A serious man with a military bearing who’d been a few rows behind her edged past and joined a group of other men. His brothers, maybe? There were five of them all told, of different heights, a couple of them wearing the cowboy hats that seemed so popular in these ranching states. They all had the same broad shoulders and upright bearing. Handsome and strong—and happy to see each other.
One of them caught her looking. Amanda quickly turned away. The baggage carousel wasn’t running yet, but she wasn’t sure what to do with herself while she waited.
She glanced at the five brothers again. They’d coalesced into a tight group, taking turns shaking the hand of the one who’d just arrived, all talking at once. There was some sort of argument going on between them, but the newcomer made a comment and all of them laughed.
Amanda’s heart squeezed. She and her sister, Melissa, hadn’t laughed like that in years. They were never in the same place at the same time anymore, and when they talked on the phone, they often disagreed. The few times they’d met up since leaving home, Melissa had seemed like a stranger, someone she had to take care not to upset. She missed their younger years when they’d been inseparable.
A sound chimed, and the carousel turned on. As the crowd surged toward it, the brothers moved, too, but not before the one who’d caught her gaze before turned to look her way again. He nodded at her, as if to encourage her to come fetch her luggage, too.
Amanda was surprised and a bit unnerved by his sharp brown gaze. Men like him didn’t usually pay attention to women like her. Not that there was anything wrong with her, Amanda told herself. It was just there wasn’t anything extraordinarily right. She’d made sure of that, after all. She liked to blend in. Just pretty enough and no more.
He was certainly extraordinary, though. The kind of man who would catch everyone’s attention no matter where he went. He had ash-brown hair, warm brown eyes and shoulders that strained the seams of his shirt. He wore no uniform, but she would bet her life he’d served in the military. One of her roommates in college had dated a man in the ROTC, and all his friends had a certain bearing. This man had it.
His gaze held hers as if he was searching for answers and thought he could read them there. Maybe he could, Amanda thought. She wouldn’t put anything past a man like him. Then one of his brothers said something, and he turned away.
The moment passed, leaving Amanda breathless—and slightly amused at herself.
She was supposed to be looking for a place to live, not a man to dream about.
Although she wouldn’t mind one of those, too.
This stranger would do for her dreams, she decided as she drifted in the direction of the baggage carousel. He was the perfect fodder for nighttime fantasies, which was as close as she’d been to a man in quite some time.
She couldn’t see the stranger anymore in the throng of passengers trying to find their luggage. Her suitcase wasn’t in sight, so she pulled out the pay-as-you-go phone she’d bought during her travels to replace the one she’d thrown out the night she’d left LA.
Most of the local vacation rentals seemed affiliated with national companies and required a credit card to make a reservation. Amanda paged through them, her concern growing, and nearly dropped her phone when someone tapped her shoulder. The same man who’d nodded at her a few minutes before.
“Waiting for your family?” His voice was deep and matter-of-fact, as if he had every right to inquire into her circumstances.
“Uh… no.” Amanda was too shocked to lie. Strangers didn’t talk to you in Los Angeles, but this man was standing close to her, using his body to create a pocket in the crowd, a space for just the two of them.
“Did you come to Chance Creek for vacation?”
“I’m… planning to stay awhile, actually.” She was close to panic, but he seemed fully at ease. Amanda wondered what it felt like to be so comfortable in your body. To plant yourself with feet spread and know that the world would part around you instead of running you down.
“You don’t have a reservation anywhere, do you?”
How could he know that? Her surprise must have shown, because he lifted his hands in a placating gesture.
“Easy guess,” he told her. “You look like I feel when I land in a town without a plan. I like things nailed down.”
She could understand that, at least. “I do, too,” she confessed. Her whole life up to this time had been planned out and carefully constructed to keep her safe.
Talking to this man felt anything but.
He smiled, and Amanda’s heart stuttered to a stop before catching up double-time. It was a wonderful smile, the kind that warmed everyone in the vicinity.
“There’s always the Evergreen Motel. It’s plain but comfortable enough. At least it was twelve years ago—I haven’t been there since I’ve been back.”
A motel? That wasn’t going to work. “I… was looking for something more like a rental. Something long term. Out of town, preferably?”
She’d barely spoken a word to anyone in the past two weeks, and now she felt out of practice. She pressed her lips together to stop herself from revealing any more than she already had.
The man straightened. Stuck his hand out and waited for her to take it. When she did, his fingers closed around hers, and Amanda’s breath caught all over again. It was as if the floor had dropped out beneath her feet. Like a tide had taken her and was dragging her out to sea.
“My name’s Carter Elliott,” the man told her. His grip was strong and sure, a lifeline to cling to. “I’ve got the perfect place for you to stay.”
“You do?” Hope surged within her, followed by a swoop of fear. Amanda refused to give into it. Nothing about Carter Elliott suggested he was anything like Buck. Besides, he had a rental. She wondered what kind.
“I do.” He tilted his head, studying her for another moment. “The house is a little rough. I’ve just started renovating it, but if you don’t mind a little dust while I finish the work, I can give you a good discount.”
“How much of a discount?” She was worried about money. She’d withdrawn a stack of cash at one of her layovers, and it was burning a hole in the purse she wore strapped across her body. It represented a large portion of her life savings, which she was spending far too quickly these days. She wasn’t going to have a paycheck anytime soon. She’d emailed her boss and told her a family emergency had taken her out of town and that she wouldn’t be back.
Carter sent a glance toward his brothers, who were still waiting by the baggage carousel.
“When you say long term, how long term are you talking about?” he asked in a lower tone, leaning closer.
“Maybe forever.” The words popped out of her mouth before she could consider them. She hadn’t meant them to sound flirtatious, but somehow they did. It was true, though. She couldn’t go back to LA. Buck’s prior crimes included theft, battery, arson and murder. Who knew what he’d do to her if he ever caught up with her again? She suppressed a shiver.
Carter’s brows raised. “Forever?”
“Maybe.” It felt reckless to say it but exciting, too.
Carter smiled again, a slow grin that sent a thrill through her body straight down to her toes. “That’s perfect.”
“It is?” She felt breathless. Something had propelled her to Chance Creek. Was she supposed to be here?
Supposed to meet this man?
“Here’s the thing,” he said. “My brothers and I just took charge of a town. It’s a really small town, but we’ve got over a hundred houses to fill. We need people.”
Amanda wasn’t sure what to make of that. Her confusion must have showed, because Carter added, “It’s a great place to live. Inexpensive, too.”
“How inexpensive?”
His gaze sharpened. “How inexpensive do you need it to be?”
Amanda pulled back. What kind of game was he playing? Did he have a place for rent or not? She’d hoped rural Montana would be a lot cheaper than Los Angeles, but maybe she’d been naive. “Pretty inexpensive,” she said dryly. Her pocketbook wouldn’t stand for anything else.
He hesitated. Looked toward his brothers again. When he turned back, there was a glint in his eye she couldn’t decipher. “Have you heard of those towns in Italy—the ones offering houses for a dollar to people who pledge to fix them up and live there?”
“The towns that are dying out?” She’d read an article about them a few years ago.
“We’re doing something similar at Elliott Ridge. Giving away a house for a dollar to one lucky person. You pay a buck, sign a contract, and it’s yours.”
“For how long?” Amanda was intrigued. A house for a dollar? In an abandoned town?
That was a hell of a lot more interesting than her apartment in LA.
“Forever. You need to help me fix it up, of course, but we can arrange that so it won’t get in the way of your work. What is your work?”
A personal question she didn’t really want to answer. She liked Carter—so far. That didn’t mean she trusted him all the way yet.
“Just how rough is this house?” she asked, buying time.
“It’s got four walls and a roof. Two stories. Three bedrooms, two baths, a kitchen that was last redone in the ’80s.” He made a face. “We’ll fix that, though. It will be thoroughly modern by the time we’re done.”
There was something endearing about a man who wanted to renovate a house with you, Amanda thought.
“Will I need to buy the building supplies and appliances and all that?” Would she have any savings left if she did?
He shook his head. “I’ve already ordered them. You’ll want to furnish it when we’re through, but it comes with a bed and a few other things.”
“What’s the catch?” This was all far too good to be true. She tried to look like the kind of woman who couldn’t be fooled, but the truth was it sounded perfect. She wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty and wouldn’t mind getting to know Carter better. Besides, she needed somewhere to go.
“The catch is that right now Elliott Ridge really is a ghost town. We’re starting from scratch except for the buildings and the mill. It would be great if you were willing to pitch in and help us get the place up and running, but it’s not necessary.” He paused, and his smile turned sheepish. “Look, I know this is sketchy as hell, approaching you in an airport when you don’t know me. It’s a long story, but the upshot is I thought our town was done for, and now I’ve got the chance to resurrect it. It’s not going to be easy, but I’ve got to try. I need a few hundred people to agree to settle there, and I’ve got only a year to make it happen, so I’m kind of desperate.” He lowered his voice again, speaking confidentially. “So far all I’ve got are men.”
“No women?” Amanda stepped back. That didn’t sound safe at all.
“It’s just me, my four brothers, a caretaker and twenty temporary mill workers who don’t really count. They’re quartered in the old bunkhouses and won’t be around long term. That’s why I need someone like you to buy my house.”
His smile tugged at something deep within her. She tried to sneak a glance at his hand without being too obvious. No ring.
He could still be spoken for, she cautioned herself, but she didn’t think so. If Carter was in a relationship, there’d be at least one woman living at Elliott Ridge.
“Your house?” she repeated.
“The house I’m currently renovating,” he amended. “I need a woman to move to the Ridge as a proof of concept—to show that women are actually willing to live there.”
“Why wouldn’t they be?”
Carter sighed. “Because it’s been abandoned for a number of years. It’s forty-five minutes out of town, and there aren’t any amenities out there—yet.”
“You’re right; that does sound sketchy.” As Carter’s face fell, Amanda rushed to soften her words. “But it also sounds like exactly what I’m looking for.”
“Really?”
“Maybe,” she hedged. “I’ll have to see it before I know for sure.”
“You’ll love it,” he assured her. “It was great to grow up there, and I know it can be like that again.”
Amanda read sincerity in his words. He spoke of the Ridge in a proprietary way she hadn’t felt about anywhere since she was living at home—before her father took up a life of crime. Renting an apartment always felt so tenuous. She’d been craving stability for years but had never got any closer to securing it.
“Maybe you’d prefer to be right in the thick of things in Chance Creek, though,” Carter added, misinterpreting her silence.
“No.” Amanda caught herself. “I mean, I’d like to live in the country.” Somewhere Buck would never think to look.
“You ought to check out Elliott Ridge, then. After all, you can’t beat a house for a dollar.” This time when he met her gaze, she felt like they were co-conspirators, and another thrill coursed through her. Maybe resurrecting a ghost town was exactly what she should do next. “I don’t suppose you’ve ever worked at a lumber mill?” Carter added.
Amanda laughed at the absurdity of the question. “No.” She hadn’t done that. “I work at a corporate office for a grocery conglomerate. I’m in purchasing.”
Carter blinked. “Can you do that remotely?”
“No,” she said. “I mean, maybe I could, but that’s not why I’m here. I quit.” Carter’s brows rose, and she struggled to make sense. “I needed a change.”
He waited, as if suspecting there was more. That was all she could tell him, though.
“I’m sure you’ll be able to find work around here,” he said when she didn’t go on. But he didn’t sound confident.
Disappointment spiked through her. She needed to find a job sooner or later. “Are you sure you still want me?” she asked. “Sounds like you were looking for people with practical skills.” She held her breath, worried he might change his mind. Should she have lied about her credentials? Amanda decided against it. You couldn’t fake experience working with heavy machinery.
Carter’s gaze ran over her like he was considering her question in a way she hadn’t meant. When his gaze met hers again, the frank appreciation she saw in his eyes sent warmth radiating through her body.
“I want you,” he confirmed. “We’ll find something for you to do.”
She nodded, distracted. Was Carter Elliott attracted to her?
She was definitely attracted to him.
“Have you spotted your bags yet?” He gestured to the carousel. It looked like his brother had grabbed his. A large duffel sat on the floor beside him.
“I just have one. I’m traveling light.” Still off-kilter from their heady conversation, she went to fetch it, and he followed. “I’m on a journey of discovery,” she added, not wanting him to ask any more questions she couldn’t answer. “I’ve been all over the country.” She’d taken plane after plane to try to throw Buck off her track. “But like you said, you can’t beat a house for a dollar.” She grabbed the handle of her suitcase and hauled it off the belt.
“A house for a dollar,” a new voice repeated. “Where would you find something like that?”
Amanda dropped her suitcase on the floor with a thump, then caught it before it fell over. When she straightened, she realized the men she’d seen with Carter before had come to join him.
“At Elliott Ridge,” Carter said firmly. “This is Nate,” he said to Amanda. “And that’s Lincoln, Hudson and Gage. My brothers.” Nate was the shortest and stockiest, his hair a shade lighter than the others. Lincoln and Hudson had to be identical twins. They were about the same height as Carter, their hair a shade darker. Gage shared their hair color but struck her as the oldest of the bunch. He had sharp features and deep-set eyes. All of them were tall and handsome. Impressive, Amanda thought.
Carter hesitated. “I didn’t catch your name.”
“Amanda Stakewell,” she supplied, then cringed, wishing she’d thought to give him an alias.
“Amanda Stakewell,” Carter repeated to his brothers. “She’s new in town and looking to settle here. I told her about our newcomer deal.”
“Newcomer—” Nate’s words died on his lips. Amanda looked to Carter. Had she just missed some kind of communication between him and his brothers? He hadn’t said a word or moved, as far as she could tell, but all of them had gone on alert in a way that set her warning bells ringing. Now they surveyed her with renewed interest.
“The newcomer deal,” Carter repeated. “The one we’re offering to the first woman who settles on Elliott Ridge. Amanda is buying the home I’ve been fixing for a dollar. She’ll help me with the renovation and has agreed to try to be useful to our community. Nate hasn’t been around for all our conversations, Amanda,” he went on. “He’s just home from the Marines.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” Amanda shook his hand, still uncertain about what had just happened or why Carter’s voice suddenly had an edge to it. Nate had a firm grip.
“Nice to meet you, too, Amanda,” he said. “Glad you’re joining us.” Despite the curious tension among the brothers, she had the feeling Nate meant it, and she relaxed a little again. Whatever undercurrent she’d felt must be a family issue, she decided. Maybe Carter was staking a claim to her. Telling his brothers in some unspoken way to back off.
That gave her ego a little boost, even as she told herself not to get her hopes up.
“Lincoln and Hudson are twins, as I’m sure you’ve noticed,” Carter said. “Lincoln’s been with the Army for the past twelve years. Hudson was a pilot with the Air Force.”
The two did look a lot alike, but Lincoln was more reserved as he shook her hand, while Hudson held hers a little longer than necessary, letting go in a way that was almost a caress.
“Knock it off,” Carter told him. “Stay away from Hudson,” he told Amanda. “He’s a love ’em and leave ’em kind of guy.”
“But I always leave ’em happy,” Hudson said, eliciting several groans from his brothers. “What? It’s true.”
“Gage, here, was with the Rangers.” Carter spoke right over him.
Gage shook her hand but didn’t say anything, leaving Amanda to wonder if he welcomed her or not. After all, Carter had invited her to their town without consulting anyone.
“I didn’t mean to intrude on your reunion,” she felt compelled to say. “I’m sure I can find a place to stay in Chance Creek.” What if Gage thought she was an opportunist?
“Don’t mind Gage. He’s a dour old bastard, but he’s harmless,” Hudson said. “We’re happy to have you.”
“Yeah,” Lincoln said. “We only just came up with the newcomer deal, that’s all.”
“Gage is surprised Carter found a taker so fast,” Nate said. “We’d love to have you, right, Gage?”
Gage heaved a long-suffering sigh. “Whatever. Time to go.” He stalked off toward the main entrance.
Nate leaned closer to her. “Can’t have five brothers without one of them being defective. Are you ready? Do you have a car?”
She shook her head. “I was going to rent one for now.”
“Why don’t you ride with me?” Carter asked. “We’ve got plenty of vehicles between us. If you decide to stay and want your own car, I’ll run you back to town so you can pick one up.”
Amanda hesitated. Shouldn’t she rent one right now so she could escape if this turned out to be a bad idea?
“Here.” Carter tossed her the keys. “My truck is yours as long as you want it. Like I said, we’ve got plenty of vehicles to share. That way you can leave anytime you like. Just tell me where you’ve parked it so I can pick it up if you skip town.”
Carter’s humor was reflected in the faces of his brothers, who were watching this exchange curiously. Amanda was still wary. “This is the only set of keys?”
Carter nodded. “I’m at your mercy.”
“We’re good people, Amanda,” Nate said. “Ask anyone in Chance Creek. They all know us.”
“A girl can’t be too careful,” she said.
“That’s true,” Lincoln said.
Gage walked back to them. “What’s the holdup?”
“Amanda’s not sure if we’re trustworthy,” Carter said.
“We’re trustworthy,” Hudson protested.
Gage surveyed her, his frank gaze leaving her feeling exposed. “You’re safe with us. Come on.” He stalked off again.
“You heard the man,” Carter said. “Coming?”
“I guess so,” she heard herself say. Why not take a chance? She couldn’t be in more danger on Elliott Ridge than she already was, if Buck was trying to find her. Maybe she’d be safer, considering Carter and his brothers were all military men. They’d know how to deal with a killer if Buck showed up, wouldn’t they?
She hoped it never came to that.
“See you there,” Hudson told Amanda. “Happy to finally have a woman around the place.”
“Get out of here.” Carter shoved him away good-naturedly.
Lincoln and Nate followed their brothers.
“Ready?” Carter asked and led the way out of the terminal.