Chapter 6

An hour into the movie, with bombs dropping and machine guns firing and men falling like flies and dying on the battlefields, Marley fell asleep.

Trey saw her leaning sideways and caught her, then gently pulled her toward him until her head was resting in his lap, and her feet and legs were curled up at the end of the sofa. He covered her with a knit throw, lowered the volume, then laid his hand on her shoulder and allowed himself the freedom to really look at her.

Her hair was soft and so long and thick. Her eyelashes were shades darker than her hair. Her lips were full and slightly parted, and he could feel the steady rise and fall of her breathing. It was the most complete and perfect moment of his life—here, within the bulwark of this beautiful lodge and snowed in with a woman who was stealing his heart. He felt a bit like a knight in a castle, protecting the princess who resided here.

He didn’t ever want to move and, as he sat, felt the brutality of the movie had no place in this moment, so he searched for local news, hoping to catch a weather report. He found the station and settled in to wait, only to catch two late-night anchors talking about him and his search, and maybe the magic of Christmas would bring her forward.

That’s when it dawned on him that Meredith was the only one who knew she’d been found. He needed to call off the search. He needed to let the world know he’d found her. But he wasn’t about to reveal her identity. If he gave up her name, her life would be turned upside down, and he couldn’t let that happen. He made a mental note to post an update and then let it run its course.

When she stirred in her sleep, he tugged the throw up over her shoulders, then whispered, “You’re okay, Ladybug. I’m here.”

He heard her sigh and then felt her whole body relax. Satisfied that she was comfortable, he refocused on the television, waiting for a weather update. Then when it aired, he learned the next few days would be clear. He turned off the TV and then sat within the silence, now knowing the timeline of imminent departure.

Ten more days until Christmas.

Ten more days with Marley, and then—

Then what?

Going back to Phoenix, holing up in his office to write another book, eating takeout and keeping the television on just for the sound of other people’s voices?

Finding her had opened up a world he didn’t know existed. It had changed him. How could he ever go back to what was, leaving this place and this woman behind?

He glanced up at the massive wooden beams above his head, then down at the wide planked floors beneath his feet. The sitting areas that would be full of people when she reopened the lodge. The walls of books, the art pieces hanging on the walls, the lighting staged for reading or resting. Somehow, the Corbett family had turned a home into a destination, without sacrificing any of the things that mattered.

A log popped in the fireplace, sending sparks flying up into the chimney, and still he sat, with his hand on her shoulder, slowly coming to terms with the looming reality. He lost all sense of time until the grandfather clock in the hallway began to chime.

***

Marley woke abruptly, startled that she’d not only fallen asleep, but that she was lying on his lap with her mother’s knitted throw over her shoulders.

Trey felt her flinch and prepared himself for the launch he knew would be coming. He didn’t want to give her up, but it was happening anyway.

She sat up, a little embarrassed and heartily apologetic, and began combing her fingers through her hair, certain it must be all over the place.

“I can’t believe I fell asleep in the middle of a war and wound up in your lap. I’m terrible company. So sorry.”

“Hush your fussin’, hummingbird. Even wings get tired. I felt honored to be your perch.”

She sighed. “Sometimes you say the prettiest things with the best words. No wonder you are a writer.”

He pushed a curl away from the corner of her eye. “‘No wonder’ is right.” The clock was still chiming. “It’s very late. I think we need to call an end to this day. It’s been a good one.”

She nodded. “You go on up. I have to lock up and stuff.”

“Would I be allowed to bring in some wood from the back porch for you?”

She sighed. “Yes, it would be much appreciated, too.”

They stood up in unison, then paused, staring intently into each other’s faces before they turned and went their separate ways.

As Marley was locking up the front entrance and turning on the porch lights and setting the security, she could hear Trey coming in from outside. By the time she headed back, the fresh logs were neatly stacked, and he was gone.

She banked the fire, secured the fire screen, and then went to make sure everything in the kitchen was shut down and left the night-lights on in all the usual places.

It wasn’t until she started toward the family quarters that she realized Trey was sitting on the stairs, waiting for her. He stood up as she approached.

“Oh! I thought you’d already gone to bed.”

“I forgot something,” he said and, without asking, cupped her face and kissed her like he’d been starved for the touch. It wasn’t until he heard her groan that he stopped, then stood with his forehead touching hers—breathing the same air and silently wanting more. Finally, he lifted his head and ran his finger down her cheek. “Sleep well, my little angel,” he said softly, then went up the stairs and into his room without looking back.

Marley was still standing where he left her. Mute. Motionless. Telling herself to run. But which way? To her room? Or up the stairs?

It was the ticking of the grandfather clock that finally broke the spell. Time. Time was getting away from them. They barely knew each other. And it scared her to think about life without him in it.

Finally, she lowered her head and walked away.

***

Trey couldn’t sleep and was up before daylight.

He’d deleted all of the final messages from the Cinderella wannabes. Then he composed another message and released it to the media. The message was brief and obviously final.

THE SEARCH IS OVER

My Cinderella mystery is a mystery no more. I found the angel who saved me. She’s as brave and as special as I hoped she would be, but for the sake of her privacy, this is the extent of what I will share. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to all of you for sharing my message and aiding in my search. You helped make my Christmas miracle happen. I wish the same blessings and magic for you.

Trey Austin

After that, he pulled up his manuscript and went to work. His life was as confusing as this mystery he was writing, but he knew what to do with the story. He just didn’t know what to do with his feelings.

He heard Marley moving around downstairs and knew she was stirring the fire to rebuild it. His heart was pounding as he heard the central heat come on. Eventually, he was going to have to go downstairs and face her, and it was going to kill him if her sunny smile was missing.

When he began to smell coffee and the scent of frying bacon, he hit Save on the file and closed his laptop. It was now or never. He combed his fingers through his hair, picked lint off the front of his sweatshirt, and left his room.

***

Marley’s sleep had been fitful. She’d dreamed of pulling Trey out of the wreck all night—over and over. Every time she got to the point where she got in her car and drove off, the dream would start over at the crossroads with the angels pointing her in the other direction. It wasn’t until she woke up that she realized that was a message. That was them, telling her over and over that he was her path to happiness.

But there was a kink in that path. Corbett Lodge was her heritage, her joy, and her purpose. He would have to want into this world for it to work, because she did not belong in his. This was who she was. He was who she was falling in love with. It was the most terrifying, wonderful, uncertain feeling ever to love this hard, this fast, and to find out later that it didn’t last.

But lying in bed fretting about it changed nothing. She had things to do. As soon as she was dressed, she stomped off into the lodge with her chin up and fire in her eyes. She’d never quit on a thing in her life and wasn’t about to start now. By the time she reached the kitchen to start the coffee, her feet were planted in the present. The future was yet to be, and today was all that mattered.

She got a text from Wanda, telling her they were coming over, and added another egg, more buttermilk and flour to the pancake batter she was making. As soon as it was done, she set it aside to rest and began frying bacon.

Soon afterward, she heard Trey’s footsteps on the stairs and took a deep breath.

“Suck it up, Bug. He’s just a man, not a god. Even if his kiss curled your toes, it didn’t fry your brain,” she muttered. But when he entered the kitchen, she had to remind herself… Just a man. Just a man , then looked up and smiled. “Good morning. Did you sleep okay? I did not…thanks to that toe-curling kiss. What are you going to do about that, mister?”

All the panic Trey had been feeling turned to joy. There was that smile. There was his girl. He went straight to her and kissed the top of her head.

“Best I can do while that bacon is popping. I don’t want to get shot down before I’ve had whatever it is you’re cooking, and no, I didn’t sleep any better than you did. I’ve been up forever, working.”

“That’s what happens when you throw a match on a bonfire and walk away. We’re having pancakes and bacon. I’ll make you eggs to go with it if you want.”

“Pancakes and bacon sound perfect. So, I threw a match on a bonfire?”

She shrugged and flipped the bacon to the other side.

He slid his hand beneath her hair and gave her neck a slight squeeze.

“I’m sorry. I’ll be more careful about starting fires. I also ended the public search for you early this morning. I didn’t mention your name or anything about you. Not even where you are from, but I sent out a brief post to social media that my search was over and deleted the thousands of emails I’d received, along with the new ones that came after I’d found you. However, I want to be clear, I did it that way for your privacy’s sake, but in no way do I want to hide you. I would shout it to the world, but that’s not my decision to make. You are the one who is free to reveal whatever you choose. Okay?”

Marley sighed. “There you go with your pretty talk again. Understood.”

Then the roar of the snowmobile shifted their focus. “That’s Jack and Wanda. Today is for plowing the snow from my drive, and she’ll clean your room and change the sheets on your bed while she’s here, and don’t fuss. It’s part of her job.”

“Yes, ma’am. I’ll just get out of the way and try to look as pretty as I talk,” he drawled.

She laughed out loud, and was still laughing when Jack and Wanda came in the back door.

Wanda looked up at Jack.

“See, I told you she was okay,” he said.

“I need to see that man for myself,” Wanda said.

“Then come on, honey. I smell something good.”

She rolled her eyes. “One of these days your pants are going to be too tight to fasten.”

“Naw…I got myself a good metabolism,” Jack said, and swatted her backside as she led the way into the kitchen.

Marley looked up and smiled. “Wanda, your cheeks are rosy red. That must have been a cold ride.”

“It was a ride, for sure.” And then she went straight to Trey and held out her hand. “Mr. Austin, I presume. I’m Wanda.”

Trey knew he was being measured, and shook the hand she offered. “Trey, please, and it’s a pleasure to get to put a face to a name. I’ve already learned that you two are Marley’s favorite people.”

“Bug is the child we never had,” Wanda said. “She means the world to us.”

“Special people like Marley deserve the best,” Trey said. “Can I get you a cup of coffee? You must be cold after that ride.”

Wanda’s eyes widened. She was the one always serving others. “Oh, I’ll get—”

“It’s no trouble,” Trey said, and quickly poured her a cup and handed it to her. “Wrap your little hands around that and warm them up,” he said.

“Thank you,” Wanda said, and when Trey pulled out a chair at the table for her, she sat down like a little queen on the throne and cast a glance at Jack, as if to say, This is how you treat a woman .

Jack sighed. “Now you’ve gone and done it, boy! I’ll never hear the end of this.”

Trey shrugged. “Sorry, dude. This was Manners 101 at boarding school.”

Wanda frowned. “Boarding school? Why did you go to boarding school?”

“Because my parents decided I was too old for nannies and not old enough to take care of myself,” he said.

“Good grief,” she muttered, but stopped with the questions. Something wasn’t right in his family, but she didn’t have the privilege of knowing his personal business.

Trey winked at her. “It’s okay. I’m just the prerequisite heir. After that, I think Mother felt as if she’d done her duty. She’d given birth. The rest of it was up to the hired help.”

Wanda’s frown deepened. “For pity’s sake.”

Marley smiled to herself. Trey had just relieved their worries by telling them in his own way that he wasn’t after her money or her property, or here for all the wrong reasons.

Wanda glanced at the scar on his forehead and then at Bug, and realized but for her heroism, this man wouldn’t be sitting here talking to them. No wonder he wanted to find her. She continued to sip her coffee as Marley plated up pancakes and bacon, while Trey carried them to the table.

“None for me,” Wanda said. “I can only hold one breakfast at a time.”

Jack snorted as he reached for the butter.

As they sat down to eat, Wanda finished off her coffee. “If it’s okay, I’m going to do Trey’s room while you’re eating. That way I’ll be done and out before he needs back in it again.”

“That’s fine,” Marley said.

Wanda set her coffee cup in the sink and slipped out of the room while the others ate.

***

Jack finished eating, then made an announcement.

“There’s more snow predicted, but I’m gonna head on out to the shed to get the tractor. The drifts in the driveway look big enough to ski on, so I need to knock them down before more is added. I’ll check the main road and bring in your mail when I come back, okay?”

“Very okay, and be careful,” she said.

“Always,” he said, then grabbed his sock cap and gloves from the utility room as he went out the back door.

“There’s another stack of pancakes in the warmer if you want them,” Marley said.

“I’ll make room for them,” he said.

Marley refilled their coffee, and Trey was already back at the table putting butter and syrup on his second stack when his cell phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID.

“It’s my mother,” he said, and put it down.

“Aren’t you going to answer it?” Marley asked.

He shook his head.

She frowned. “A day will come when you’ll want to hear her voice and you can’t, because she’ll be gone. Trust me. Answer the phone,” she said, and then she got up and walked out of the room.

The shock of what she said was enough to make him put down his fork and answer.

“Hello?”

“Trey! OH MY GOD! Are you okay? The daughter of one of our friends was talking about you searching for some girl…that you’d been in a wreck! That you nearly drowned. Your dad is on the phone with me. Why didn’t you call us? Why are we the last to know?”

He sighed. “That was weeks ago. I’m fine now.”

“But why didn’t you call us?”

“You weren’t even in the country. I didn’t want to bother you,” he said.

“But you’re our son, and I’m devastated that you didn’t think of us.”

He sighed. Her feelings were hurt, and he was the one who’d nearly died. Right back to square one.

“Look, Mom. I don’t mean to hurt you, but you and Dad taught me at an early age that you were less concerned about my welfare than you were your social calendar.” He heard her gasp, but he kept talking. “If you remember, you two were in Bali when I broke my arm. I was eleven. You didn’t come home. You and Dad were in Africa on safari when I got pneumonia at the boarding school and was in the hospital for a week. I was thirteen. You didn’t come home then. You were in London, dining with some landed gentry when I was mugged on the streets of New York City and wound up with a broken nose and two broken ribs. I was twenty-two. You didn’t come home then, either. The day you sent me off to boarding school was the end of the random times we’d even see each other. You are my parents, but you have never shown me that I mattered to you. I’m thirty years old. I don’t need either of you, and I didn’t think you’d care.”

And the first thing he heard was his father’s voice, angry and defensive.

“You, by God, sure take the income we furnish to you,” Anders said.

The ugliness of the words was nothing but confirmation to Trey of what he’d always known. They were still paying him off to be out of their hair.

Trey took a breath, telling himself not to shout. “If you were half the businessman you claim to be, you’d know I haven’t spent a dime of anything you’ve put in that account since I left college. You don’t get to console your conscience by pretending you’re supporting me because you’re not. I don’t need your money. Check your bank later. The money will be back in your account.”

Gloria interrupted. “Both of you, stop! Anders. How dare you? And Trey, you do not send anything back. I didn’t know you held such a grudge. I’m devastated.”

“It’s not a grudge, Mother. I have no animosity toward either of you, but at the same time, I am who you two created.”

“Where are you? I want to come and talk to you,” Gloria said.

“Well, you can’t, because I’m not in Phoenix.”

“Then where are you?” she asked.

“I’m at Corbett Lodge in Colorado Springs with the woman who saved my life. We’re snowed in, and I’m eating her pancakes and bacon, and I’m staying here and spending Christmas with her and her friends, and I’m happy. For the first time in my life, I am happy. So, whatever you want to say, you can say over the phone. I’ll always answer if I can. But I made a life for myself years ago, without either of you or your money.”

“Then we’ll come there and spend Christmas with you,” Gloria argued.

“Nope. The lodge is closed until New Year’s Day.”

“Then why are you two there?” she asked.

“Because the lodge is hers. She owns and runs it. It’s been in her family for four generations. And I’m her guest,” he said.

“She’s just after your money!” Anders shouted. “She knows who you are and she’s—”

Trey hung up, then put the phone on Mute. Their words were still ringing in his ears when he felt Marley’s arms slide around his neck, and then she laid her cheek against his head.

“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I heard what you said to them. You break my heart. I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”

He turned around and pulled her down onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her. He didn’t talk. Couldn’t talk. He just sat within her love until the despair had passed.

“What can I do?” Marley asked.

He shook his head. “You can’t fix them. I learned a long time ago that you can’t force something to happen just because you want it.”

She hesitated, knowing if she said what was on her heart, she would be opening herself up to rejection, but the sooner she found out where she stood with him, the better off she would be.

“Oh, Trey, I care about you. Maybe too much. I feel so many things for you that I don’t even have a name for them. The scariest part is falling for you and knowing whatever passes between us will end when you leave. I belong here. I would never be happy living anywhere else. And that’s my cross to bear.”

“I envy you this place, and the roots you have here. I don’t even know what having roots means. My job is fluid. I can do it anywhere. But nobody knows what I do, and that’s because I didn’t want any parental interference. I didn’t want to hear their opinions of what I chose as my life’s work. Nobody has ever known except Meredith…and you. I told you I’m a writer. Most people don’t consider it an occupation, and I have had all of the criticism from family I could swallow. I wasn’t up to dealing with reviews of my work, as well, and so I kept it to myself. I don’t have a plan. But I’ve been fortunate to make a good living at my work. Just know that this is who I am, and what I deal with, and tell me again after Christmas that you’re not afraid of it. I don’t want anything I am, or any aspect of my life to destroy the perfection of yours. Don’t say more now. Just think about it,” he said.

“It’s a deal, but in the meantime, we try out love, okay?”

“Lord, yes, we will love,” he said.

At that moment, they heard the tractor start up and Wanda banging cabinet doors upstairs.

“I’m sorry about the pancakes, but I’ve lost my appetite.”

“They don’t matter. I always make too many. Come with me. I have something to show you.”

She took him by the hand and led him all the way to the family quarters. The moment they entered, his first impression was that it was a miniature version of the main lodge, and he imagined the generations of people who had lived here, and Marley was the last. He understood her need to keep it alive.

“This is the original homeplace,” she said. “It’s the family side of the property and off-limits to all paying guests. This is my sanctuary.”

Trey let her lead him through the rooms without explanation or apology. This was her world. And she was offering it to him as is.

“This is how I separate my life. Work is out there. Home is in here. I make a good living. I want for nothing…except companionship. I go to bed alone. I wake up alone. And despite the love and care Jack and Wanda give me, at the end of the day, they’re gone, too. I think you and I are more alike than we are different.”

Trey frowned, thinking of all the strangers who sleep under the same roof.

“Are you ever afraid?”

She immediately thought of Jared Bedford, and then let it go. “You mean, of the guests?” she asked.

He nodded.

“I don’t let myself go there. If I did, I’d freak out every day wondering ‘what if.’ We don’t have room service or concierge services, so I am not actually at the beck and call of guests night and day.”

Trey slid his arm across her shoulders. “I think you’re amazing. The lodge is so warm and welcoming…or maybe that is what you give to the place. A sense of home. But in the meantime, if it’s okay with you, I’m just going to keep falling in love,” he said.

Marley put her arm around his waist and leaned against him. “Permission granted.”

When they heard the tractor rolling up outside, they left the family quarters and went up front to the lobby area to watch.

Wanda came down shortly afterward and saw them standing arm in arm near the Christmas tree, watching Jack clear the drive. She smiled. It was early days, but she liked Trey Austin, and seeing Bug so happy made her happy, too.

***

Anders Austin was still fuming, stomping through the rooms in their hotel suite and swearing a steady stream of invectives, and Gloria was torn between the shock of her son’s declaration and irked with Anders for throwing the money card in Trey’s face.

“He hung up on me!” Anders yelled.

“You insulted him. He’s a grown man and you talked to him as if he was some wayward teenager. What’s the matter with you?” she said.

“He doesn’t work. He wants no part of this company Dad and I built.”

“How do you know he doesn’t work?” Gloria said. “Just because he isn’t working for you doesn’t mean he’s idle. He said he hasn’t spent a penny of your charity, so he’s obviously been productive on his own.”

Anders threw up his hands in frustration. “Doing what?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know, and that’s my fault. When I call, I never ask him what he’s doing. I just go on and on about us. What does he say to you?”

Anders’s face was still flushed with anger, but now wearing guilt as well. “I don’t call him.”

Gloria gasped. “At all? You never talk to him?”

“No, that’s not what I said. I just meant I don’t call him on my own. I always talk to him when you call,” he muttered.

Gloria paled and then sank into the nearest chair. “Oh my God! Trey was right. We are terrible parents, and it’s far too late to make up for any of it.”

Anders didn’t like to be wrong. He resented being chastised. And he was as bullheaded as they come.

“Maybe so, but I know that woman, whoever she is, is after him for his money.”

Gloria was crying. “She didn’t know who he was when she saved his life. She didn’t even leave her name when she left the scene after emergency services arrived. She didn’t go looking for him. Trey was the one who wanted to find her. And it took weeks before she even responded to his search.”

Anders turned, still angry. “So? Would I have been as enticing to you if it hadn’t been for the family money?”

Gloria reeled as if he’d just slapped her. Her voice was trembling with hurt and with rage. “That is the most insulting thing you have ever said to me, and I will never forgive you for saying it. I thought you were the most enchanting man I’d ever met. I fell in love with you. The family money was there, but I didn’t marry it. I married you. I had no idea you’d turn into this greedy, grasping man. Yes, I know I enjoy the benefits of your money. We travel when we want, and it’s nice having the money to buy what I want, but none of it would matter without you! I am ashamed of you. You will, by God, apologize to our son or rue the day.”

Anders already regretted what he’d said to her. “I didn’t mean it…about you. I was just angry,” he muttered.

“So, you didn’t mean what you said to Trey, either, but you chose to be mean to him because you were angry? Is that how you run your office? Verbally slashing throats and firing people willy-nilly when something falls through?”

He glared.

She walked out of the room.

“Where are you going?” he shouted.

“Down to the bar. I have a sudden need for a good, stiff drink.”

“We have liquor here!” he shouted.

She paused, then turned to face him. “Yes, but I don’t want to drink with you. At the moment, I don’t even want to hear the sound of your voice. And don’t push it, Anders. I need to gather myself to keep from hating you, right now. Just remember…we don’t have a prenup, and now that I know what you really think of me…”

She walked out, leaving him speechless and in shock.

***

It was later that evening before Anders remembered what Trey had said about returning the money and checked his bank account. He just wanted to catch Trey in a lie. Instead, there was a transfer deposit of over ten million dollars from Trey’s account to his. Ten years plus of money he’d sent, plus the accrued interest that his son hadn’t spent. He was in shock. What the hell had Trey been living on? What was he doing, and why didn’t he know about it?

He began going back over the conversation, trying to remember where Trey said he was. He hadn’t mentioned the woman’s name, but he mentioned the name of the lodge. Corbett Lodge, in Colorado Springs. After running some searches on Google and social media, he easily found information about the lodge that had been there since the early 1940s and, four generations later, was still owned and run by the same family.

Then in one of the advertisements for the lodge he saw a picture of the current owner, Marley Corbett, a curvy blond in blue jeans, boots, and a bright-red sweater, leaning against the sign at the entrance onto the property. The background was trees and a road leading up into the trees, and then a separate picture of the lodge itself.

Anders was taken aback at the elegance and size of the place, but he wasn’t changing his mind about what she was after. He kept staring at her, at the open and happy expression on her face. She was a little bit of a thing, but a beauty, and she’d obviously set her hooks in his son.

He put his laptop aside and walked to the windows overlooking the ski slopes. Now he was wishing they were still back in the States, but they already had plans here through Christmas. However, as soon as it was over, they were going home. He intended to fly to Colorado Springs and pay a visit to Corbett Lodge.