21

As he made his way back to the kitchen, Thomas thought about Cassidy. She and Mr. Brennan seemed to be spending a lot of time together lately. And he liked Mr. Brennan a lot. But what if Cassidy did too?

“If she does, it’s because I haven’t told her how I feel,” he murmured. It made perfect sense that Cassidy would want to share her time with someone. Thomas just had to find a way to let her know how he felt.

The object of his thoughts appeared and she jumped back.

“Goodness, Thomas.” She put a hand near her throat. “I didn’t realize you were right there.”

“Sorry to startle you, Miss Cassidy. I guess I wasn’t paying attention.”

“That’s all right.” She took a deep breath and folded her hands in front of her. “I actually wanted to talk to you.”

“Really?” His insides quivered and he couldn’t help the smile that covered his face. She’d looked for him! Maybe explaining his feelings wouldn’t be so hard after all.

“Yes.” Then she gave him one of her beaming smiles that had the potential to melt all the snow on Mount McKinley. “Why don’t we go sit in the dining room?”

He nodded and followed her. Anything she wanted. He’d follow her anywhere. He pulled out a chair for her and then took a seat on the other side of the table so he could look into her expressive eyes. She really did have the most beautiful eyes.

She placed her hands in her lap. “I hope you know I think very highly of you, Thomas. I’ve seen you work hard to make changes around here and you’ve borne up under that stress with great dignity.” She paused and cleared her throat. “I also want you to know that I like you very much.”

“I like you too.” More than he could say. In fact, his brain couldn’t come up with anything better to say and his mouth felt like it was stuffed with dry bread.

Another brilliant smile. “I just want to make sure that I haven’t confused you.”

He furrowed his brow. Confused him? She seemed to be the only person who could explain things to him where he actually understood.

“Let me start again.” She looked down and then back into his eyes. “It has come to my attention that you might perhaps think of my friendliness toward you as if it’s in a romantic way. And it wouldn’t be fair for you to keep thinking like that.” She drew a deep breath and continued. “Not that you aren’t deserving of a girl’s romantic feelings toward you—you are a wonderful young man—it’s just that I would never have wanted to give you the wrong impression. I’m so sorry if my actions to you have been untoward.”

Thomas didn’t understand. He blinked several times as his eyes felt dry and then he thought he might burst into tears at any moment. “Are you saying that you don’t like me in that way, Miss Cassidy?”

She bit her lip for a moment and shook her head. “I’m sorry, Thomas. I never meant to lead you astray. I do like you very much . . . as my friend. And I hope we will remain friends for the rest of our lives.”

He looked down at his lap. “Is this because I’m an orphan? Am I not good enough? Too clumsy?”

“Heavens, no! You’re wonderful just the way you are. It isn’t like you have a sign hanging over your head that you’re a bad person because you’re an orphan. That’s never mattered to me. I grew up without a mother and my grandparents wanted nothing to do with me. People can’t help what happens to their folks.”

“I didn’t know your grandparents didn’t want you.”

Cassidy nodded. “Sometimes it really bothers me. My mother had no choice, but they did and it hurts to know they walked away.” She squared her shoulders. “But enough about that. I just want to assure you that your being an orphan has nothing to do with my feelings for you. As for your abilities, you must remember, I was much clumsier than you at one point.”

“I don’t think you’ve ever been clumsy, Miss Cassidy.” He felt a growing sadness wash over him. It was like he was all alone again.

“Thomas, I will still be here for you, and there are a great many people here who truly like you.” It was as if she’d read his mind. “One day you are going to find the perfect young woman to fall in love with.”

But I already love you. He left the words unspoken.

“And when you find her, then you’ll realize what I’m talking about when I say that our kind of love is more like that of a brother and sister.” She squeezed his arm. “Thomas, you are the last person in the world I wanted to hurt. If I was untoward, then please forgive me. I truly do think you are an incredible young man and I am blessed to have you as my friend.”

“I’m blessed too, Miss Cassidy. And I don’t think you have been untoward. You’ve been my friend. And I really appreciate that.” He stood up. “I need to go now.”

He hurried from the room fighting back tears. There wasn’t any way to explain the emotions that surged through him. But he did understand that Cassidy Ivanoff didn’t love him like he loved her.

Cassidy fanned herself on the train platform. She’d agreed to wait with Allan and her dad to greet his father’s partner, Frank Irving. But tensions were high. And it wasn’t just the heat that seemed to strain everyone’s nerves. She didn’t know the full extent of problems that existed with Mr. Irving, but it was evident that both Allan and her father were less than pleased to have the man coming to Curry.

The whistle sounded in the distance, which meant the train was almost there. She turned to Allan. “Are you all right?”

“Yep.” His lips were a thin line.

“You don’t look all right.”

“Well, I don’t know what to expect.”

Dad placed a hand on Allan’s shoulder. “I’ve been praying for you.”

Allan’s brows knit together. For a moment Cassidy thought he might protest, but then he gave a curt nod. “Thank you, sir.” His eyes remained on the tracks.

Dad leaned back behind Allan and caught Cassidy’s eyes. His look covered a gamut of thoughts. Allan wasn’t ready for this. And he was obviously still angry at God, or at least dismissive of prayer, even with all the healing he’d come through the past few weeks. The arrival of Frank Irving could be disastrous to his tenuous thread of hope.

She took a deep breath and watched the steam engine ease toward them as it came to a stop. No sense worrying about what was about to happen. She had a front row seat to watch it unfold whether she liked it or not.

The seconds ticked by as if they were minutes. Passengers disembarked. Luggage was gathered.

Then an elegantly dressed man with silver hair showing around his ears descended the steps.

Cassidy felt Allan tense next to her.

The man headed straight for their group. He looked into her eyes, and even though his were a brilliant blue, they made her feel cold even in the insufferable summer heat.

All of a sudden the man smiled. “Allan, my boy! So good to see you.” He clapped a hand on his shoulder. Before Allan could reply, he dropped his hold and turned.

“And my, my, if it isn’t John Ivanoff?” Frank nodded toward Dad. “How long has it been, John?”

“Six years.” Dad took Frank’s proffered hand and shook it. “Welcome to Curry.”

The man removed his hat and fanned himself. “Thank you. I didn’t remember the heat being so intense.” He looked at Cassidy. “And you must be Miss Cassidy Ivanoff, of Cassidy Lane fame.” The man bowed a bit, took her hand, and kissed it.

“Um, yes. I guess I am.” She wasn’t quite sure what to make of this man. But he seemed . . . oily, and she immediately wanted to wash her hand.

“Why don’t we get you settled in a room, Frank?” Allan extended an arm toward the hotel’s entrance.

Dad took that opportunity to take her elbow and lead her toward the door, but she realized she wanted to hear what Frank would say next and so she kept her steps slower than usual and her ear attuned to the men behind her.

“It’s so good to see you, son.” Frank’s voice seemed smooth as cream. “I have to admit that one of the reasons I wanted to come all this way in person is to make sure you—my partner—were all right. That everything is well between us. Especially after that terrible disaster with Louis.” The man tsked several times. “After all, one can’t choose who their family members are, but you can choose who to trust. Business partners need to have the utmost trust, don’t you agree?”

“I do.” Allan cleared his throat. “Quite adamantly, I must say.”

“I also came to tell you that while your family has hurt me deeply, I am a changed man from the Frank Irving of the past. I’m hoping we can move forward into the future with no regrets.”

Mr. Bradley allowed for some of the staff to eat with John, Cassidy, Allan, and Frank Irving in the main dining room after the rest of the guests had been served. It had been a lovely dinner Cassidy was quite proud of, but now that she sat down for a few moments, her feet ached, and her head wanted nothing more than to hit her pillow for the night.

But the men continued talking. Hiking, climbing, and the latest gear seemed to be the topics of the evening.

“It appears, Miss Ivanoff, that we have lost your attention.” Mr. Irving’s comment brought her head back to the conversation at hand.

“I apologize, Mr. Irving. Did I miss something important?”

“We were just discussing your father’s plans to find other suitable approaches to climb Mount McKinley.” Those cold blue eyes drilled into hers in an almost accusing manner, even though a smile seemed plastered to his lips in contradiction. Something about it made her uncomfortable.

“Well, he is an expert in that area, Mr. Irving.” She brought her water glass to her mouth and took a drink.

“That he is. That he is.” Frank tapped the table. He leaned back in the chair as if he owned the place. “I say, why don’t we put a climbing expedition together while I’m here?”

Cassidy sputtered on her water. Quickly grabbing a napkin, she dabbed her mouth.

The man turned to Allan and patted his back. “The idea has been on my mind the entire trip north. I suppose because the last time I made this journey, that was the excitement and motivation. As I get older, however, I find it important to act quickly on our desires. None of us knows how much time we have on this earth.” He looked around the table. “Not only that, but I’ve been wanting some good exercise and fresh air. It’s been some time since I’ve gone mountain climbing.”

Allan looked to Cassidy, his jaw clenching. “It’s a little more than just good exercise. I don’t know if that’s a very good idea, Frank. It’s late in the season and we’d have a lot to do to prepare.”

“Seems to me the weather is just fine. The heat today could have melted my hat.”

Allan shook his head. “That’s all well and good, but it takes a lot of time to plan . . .”

“And my father . . .” Cassidy hated to interrupt, but she had to. “It’s only been a few weeks since his accident.”

“An accident, you say?” Frank’s attention shot to Dad. “John, you look healthy as a horse. What happened, man?”

Her father picked up his own water goblet and swirled the contents. “Nothing too major. Just had a run-in with a moose.” His pointed glance at her made her insides jumble. She knew better than to contradict him.

What was going on?

“Well, then?” Frank smiled around the table. “Shall we give it a go? If the weather did turn bad, we could turn back. It’s not like we’d have to climb to the top. I’ve already done that, as have you, John, and Allan . . . well, he’d have plenty of opportunities in the future. No, I think we should just strike out and do as much as the weather and our energy allows.”

When no one said anything in response, Frank continued. “Not only that, but such an endeavor would allow me time to make plans. It would give Allan and me time together to discuss business. I could get some good ideas for equipment to supply, and we’d get to build trust together as we planned it.”

Murmurs around the table did nothing but encourage Frank. The idea seemed to excite the other staff.

But Cassidy felt a knot growing in her stomach.

Thomas entered the dining room with a tray. “They’re already planning a trip. You should see the maps—whooo-eee.”

Frank pointed to Thomas. “See? It’s meant to be.” He slapped Allan on the back. “I’ve never seen you decline such a wonderful challenge.”

“Well, it’s just that . . .”

“And it would give us a chance to bond. I know you always wanted to climb it with your father. I could help you accomplish that dream.” Frank put a hand over his heart. “And we could talk about what God has done in my life.”

Why did he sound so fake? The men weren’t buying this man’s story, were they?

Her dad looked toward Allan. “We have done a lot of the legwork and planning already. If we took a couple weeks to finalize the details, we could leave after the last booked fishing trip. Mr. Bradley has already voiced his support. He won’t mind us moving up the timeline, since it will probably help with advertising for next year, and that means next year we’ll be available for more trips.”

What was her dad saying? He actually agreed with Mr. Irving?

“I don’t know . . .” Finally, Allan was being a voice of reason.

Cassidy sat back and crossed her arms. She knew she liked him.

“I agree the time is too short . . .” Allan leaned forward. “But it’s even more important to stay ahead of the weather. I think we should do it.”

She took it back. They were all a bunch of harebrained, ridiculous men. And she didn’t want anything to do with them.