Finding Paradise

by Barbara Dunlop

  Silas’s throw was better. “Off your game?”

  “Are you trying to be annoying?”

  Troy Corbett, who was acting as the official, gave two short whistle blasts, signaling that the competitors could walk onto the throwing range and retrieve their axes.

  “I’m trying to get your attention,” Silas said as they walked forward. “Do whatever you want.”

  “I wasn’t waiting for your permission.”

  Silas grinned knowingly again, annoying Cobra. “Just don’t come crying to me.”

  “Crying? Seriously?” Cobra jerked the ax out of the target. He hadn’t run crying to anyone since he was six years old and split open his knee going over Barrick’s homemade bike jump on the concrete driveway at their house.

  Cobra turned to find Marnie, Mia and Raven heading their way across the meadow. He zeroed in on Marnie’s smile, his mood lifting, his chest tightening and his hormones buzzing with the memory of yesterday’s lovemaking. Her eyes sparkled as she looked back at him, her bright hair glistening in the sun.

  “I guess I’m too late,” Silas said flatly.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Sorry, man.” Silas clapped him on the shoulder. “Really sorry. Let me know if you need to talk.”

  Cobra shrugged the hand away. “Back off.”

  “Backing off.”

  Cobra switched his attention to Marnie again. He knew full well she was leaving Paradise. He wouldn’t fall for her like he had for Shelby. He was walking into this thing with his eyes wide open, and he had no intention of slowing down.

  “Morning,” he said to all three women, but mostly to her.

  “Who’s winning?” Raven asked.

  “I didn’t see.” Cobra looked up and down the row, realizing he’d have normally checked out Jackson’s, Brodie’s, T’s and T-Two’s throws.

  “Cobra blew it,” Silas said. “He seemed distracted.”

  Cobra shot him a hard look, but Silas just grinned, stepping up to Mia and giving her a quick kiss at her hairline.

  “You’re trying out for the women’s team?” Silas asked Raven.

  Raven gave a firm nod and rubbed her hands together in anticipation. “I’m all ready for this.”

  Troy gave three more whistle blasts, and Cobra took a last look at Marnie before turning to the line.

  “Going to impress her?” Silas asked.

  “Get out of my head,” Cobra muttered. He took a stance and focused. Truth was, he did want to impress Marnie. He wasn’t sure that skilled ax throwing would do it, but he’d give it his all.

  The whistle sounded and everyone threw.

  Cobra landed a solid bull’s-eye, and he heard cheering behind him.

  He checked up and down the targets for the other throws. Silas had bettered his first throw, Brodie’s was on the first ring, while the others were close to the bull’s-eye but not touching it.

  Walking back with his ax, he met Marnie at the line.

  “Did you win?” she asked, looking impressed.

  It was a silly, small thing to feel proud of, but he did. “Best two out of three. My first throw was weak, and all these guys are good. How are you doing?”

  “Good.”

  “Yeah?” He searched her expression, looking for any signs of regret.

  “Yeah.”

  He liked the emerald glow in her eyes. “Glad to hear that.”

  The whistle blasted to line them up one more time.

  “Good luck,” she told him.

  Cobra turned back, rotating his shoulders, determined to have another good throw.

  Silas stepped up beside him, and Cobra gave him a sidelong warning look.

  “Not saying a word,” Silas said, readying for the throw.

  Cobra hit the bull’s-eye straight on again, making him and Silas the team designates. Jackson came third to be the alternate.

  Troy called for the women’s tryouts.

  “That’s me,” Raven said, as Brodie walked over.

  “Congrats,” he said to Cobra and Silas. “You had me beat today.”

  “Thanks,” Cobra answered. “You know you’re guaranteed in Firewood Stacking.”

  Brodie nodded. “Nobody else was even interested.”

  “It’s not like anyone could put up a challenge.” And unless one of the other communities had found a ringer for the event, the Brodie/Raven team guaranteed points for Paradise.

  Brodie’s attention moved to the competition, and Cobra looked around for Marnie.

  He spotted her several yards away watching Raven and the other women line up to throw.

  “Congratulations,” Marnie said as he joined her.

  He shrugged. “It’s all in fun.”

  “I take it you can enter multiple events?”

  “As many as you want. Raven’s doing Firewood Stacking. She’s sure to be in Ax Throwing too. She always ends up in multiple events.”

  “I thought there’d be more interest in this one,” Marnie said, looking at the three women lined up.

  Cobra wasn’t surprised at all. The women in Paradise skewed both older and younger, Mrs. France and Dixie, the Galina bookkeeper, at one end, and Breena, who was out at university, at the other. There weren’t many town residents like pilot Hailey Barrosse, young adult women who were physically suited to the Klondike Challenge events.

  “Can anyone try this?” Marnie asked.

  “You know how to throw an ax?”

  She gave him a look.

  “I don’t know why I asked that. Yes. Go for it.”

  She grinned and headed for the target next to Raven.

  Raven looked her up and down, and Cobra had to admit, Marnie looked a little out of place in skinny jeans, heeled boots and a short, green, rhinestone-decorated jacket that she must have borrowed from Mia. Her hair was up in a messy bun, and her earrings dangled sparkly and low. Man, she was sexy.

  Silas appeared at Cobra’s side, taking in the sight of Marnie. “Is that safe?”

  “She’s fine.”

  Silas took a step back, obviously concerned the ax might fly prematurely out of Marnie’s hands and sail the twenty yards to where they stood.

  Cobra wasn’t worried. The whistle blew, and he watched her form. Good backswing, nice grasp, good lineup. She let the ax go and it spun forward, catching the corner of the bull’s-eye.

  He gave a whoop and clapped his hands.

  Silas checked Cobra from under his arched brow.

  “What?” Cobra asked. “It was a good throw.”

  “Where’d she learn that?” Silas asked.

  “Kansas.”

  “I thought she was from LA.”

  “Not originally.”

  “You kiss her yet?”

  “None of your business.”

  “So, that’s a yes.”

  Silas didn’t know the half of it, and Cobra wasn’t about to tell him, at least not without Marnie’s okay.

  * * *

  * * *

  Marnie made the ax throwing team, but she felt guilty when she saw disappointment on the face of Bear and Bar waitress Bonnie Kline. Had she thought of it, she would have blown her second and third throws on purpose and let Bonnie take second to Raven.

  She didn’t mind bumping Raven from the sharpshooting competitions, since it was Raven who’d encouraged her to enter. But she hadn’t intended to displace anyone else who wanted to participate in the Klondike Challenge.

  After a day of tryouts, including Chainsaw Chucking and Snowshoe Racing, they were in Cobra’s pickup heading back to Mia and Silas’s house. Marnie could have ridden with Mia and Silas, but it had seemed natural to walk back to the parking lot with Cobra, and here she was.

  “I should have let Bonnie come second,” she said.
r />   “There was no need to do that.”

  “I’m not here to get in the way of anyone’s fun.”

  “Good to know.” There was an odd inflection in Cobra’s tone as he took the turn into Mia and Silas’s driveway.

  “What?” she asked.

  “What?” he said back, glancing her way.

  She watched him for a minute then decided it must have been her imagination.

  He stopped the truck in front of the garage, and she was already halfway out when he came around. He propped one hand on the doorframe, seeming to wait to see if she needed any help. It was on the tip of her tongue to make a sarcastic remark about her ability to exit a vehicle, but he was so obviously being a gentleman that she kept it to herself.

  They went through the arctic entry and into the kitchen.

  “Silas is firing up the grill,” Mia called from where she was running water in the sink.

  Cobra gave Marnie’s hand a parting squeeze and headed for the sundeck door.

  “It’s so weird to see you cooking,” Marnie said as she passed the breakfast nook and joined Mia in the kitchen.

  “It’s not exactly cooking. The burgers are premade, and the buns are from the Bear and Bar. I’m just washing vegetables.”

  “How many years did you have a chef?”

  “Chefs,” Mia answered with a laugh as she shut off the tap, shaking excess water from the colander. “There were three of them all told.”

  “For the two of you?”

  “Mornings, evenings, weekends and parties. It’s more work than you think.”

  “And here you are, doing it for yourself. What can I do to help?” Marnie glanced around at the tomatoes, lettuce, pickles and onions set out on the counter.

  “Cut up anything you like. Sharp knives are in the butcher block, and there’s another cutting board in the bottom drawer next to the fridge.”

  “I love your kitchen,” Marnie said as she gathered up the implements. She decided to slice the onions first, in case they planned to sauté them.

  “It’s bigger than the plans we borrowed from Wildflower Lake Lodge. Silas expanded almost everything.”

  “Your guest room is huge.”

  “The bedrooms at the lodge are plenty roomy too. That’s what tourists want more than a big kitchen. You know, we should get Silas to fly us up there someday. You’d love it.”

  “Sure.” It was hard for Marnie to wrap her head around Mia having a live-in pilot, but she was learning to go with the flow. She sliced through the crackling onion skin and peeled it back. In her peripheral vision, she could see Cobra and Silas on the sundeck talking over the barbecue.

  “So . . .” Mia said as she dried the lettuce leaves with a paper towel.

  “So . . .” Marnie repeated, wondering what she meant.

  “So, Cobra?!”

  Marnie supposed the inquisition was inevitable. “What about Cobra?”

  Mia’s voice went singsong. “He doesn’t seem so annoyed that you extended your stay in Paradise.”

  Marnie glanced Cobra’s way and her gaze settled on him.

  “And you’re looking pretty sappy over there,” Mia continued.

  “He’s not annoyed,” Marnie agreed.

  “And how do you feel about him?”

  Marnie reminded herself to carry on with the onions. “Well, he’s sexy,” she said, stating the obvious.

  Mia dried off her hands and moved closer. “I can see the rugged appeal. What else?”

  Marnie sliced through the peeled onion and her eyes began to sting. “He’s funny too. And smart and compassionate. I wouldn’t have a fling based on sex appeal alone.”

  “What really happened yesterday?”

  “I told you, we stopped by the hangar.” Marnie let her smug expression fill in the lovemaking details.

  Mia’s eyes twinkled in mirth. “Is the workbench your go-to spot now?”

  Marnie rolled her eyes at that, then she blinked because they were starting to water. “There’s a suite upstairs, remember?”

  “You upgraded.”

  “We did.”

  “Cobra should be the one to take you to Wildflower Lake Lodge. Now that’s an upgrade.”

  Twin tears trickled down Marnie’s face, and she was only halfway through slicing the onion. She looked up as the sundeck door opened.

  “—and he broke the pulley, lost his grip on the snowmobile and started a small avalanche that buried the truck,” Silas said while Cobra chuckled.

  Then Cobra caught sight of her. His expression instantly fell, and he strode forward. “What’s wrong? Are you all right?” He took her wrists to check out her hands. “Did you cut yourself?”

  “The onions,” she managed with a sniffle and a watery smile. “I’m fine.”

  “She’s cutting onions,” Mia said, her eyebrows raised in interest at his reaction.

  It seemed to take Cobra a moment to let his guard down. “Oh.” He slowly released her wrists.

  “Grill’s hot,” Silas said in an upbeat voice. “Since Marnie’s not dying or anything.”

  “Nope, not dying, just hungry,” Marnie said, appreciating Silas moving the conversation along.

  “Burger patties are in the fridge,” Mia said.

  Silas started for them. “Can you grab the barbecue tools from the entry room?” he asked Cobra. “They’re in the top cupboard across from the dryer.”

  “On it,” Cobra said. He stroked the pad of his thumb across Marnie’s cheek to erase a tear and gave her a sheepish smile.

  “He’s got it very, very bad,” Mia whispered in her ear as he walked away.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Since there was no point in pretending anymore, Marnie had invited Cobra to spend the night. The huge soft bed, the thick carpet, fine furniture and beautifully appointed bathroom seemed amusingly luxurious after the workbench and the tiny suite.

  She awoke early in his arms, warm and comfortable, her head nestled into the crook of his shoulder.

  “I like this,” he whispered against her messy hair.

  She smiled to herself and sighed, snuggling up closer. “I like it too.” Waking in Cobra’s arms felt like a luxury.

  “I wish I didn’t have to go to work,” he said, his fingertips trailing along her shoulder.

  “You sure you have to leave so early?” She pressed her damp lips teasingly against his chest. Kissing once, then once again.

  He groaned. “You’re a cruel woman.”

  “I’m really quite friendly.”

  He chuckled. “In a torturous kind of way.”

  “Why do you have to go right now?” She kissed him again, hoping to change his mind.

  He tipped her head back, thwarting her attempt at another kiss. Then he smoothed her hair. “So planes don’t fall out of the air.”

  “Oh. So, nothing important.”

  “I wish it wasn’t.” He drew her into a hug. “I’ll see you later?”

  “I hope so.” She’d be counting the minutes.

  He slowly loosened his arms then slipped from the bed. He paused and gazed down at her with warm, dark eyes. “Don’t move.”

  “Ever?”

  His lips curved into a smile. “I’d love that.”

  She smiled back.

  “For now,” he said.

  She snuggled in, dozing as he showered and waking fully when he brought her a sweet coffee with whipped cream.

  He kissed her goodbye one more time, promising to finish work as early as he could.

  As the bedroom door closed behind him, she sat up, leaning back against the headboard. But she was barely two sips into the coffee when her phone rang, vibrating against the bedside table.

  It was the unknown number again, and she groaned in frustration. This was getting ridiculous. She gla
red at the screen for a moment. Then she picked it up and stared at it, trying to divine who might be calling.

  Her thumb hovered over the decline button while Cobra’s words came back to her. Curious, he’d said. Better to know than not to know. She knew if she took the call she could at least stop wondering.

  She shifted her thumb to accept. Then she closed her eyes and pressed, raising the phone to her ear. “Hello?”

  “Marnie?” It was a raspy male voice that instantly stiffened her spine.

  “Yes?”

  “It’s your father.”

  “I know who you are.”

  “I’ve been trying to call for days now.”

  Marnie ignored the barely veiled annoyance in his tone. “Is there something you want?”

  “Didn’t that woman give you the message?” The annoyance wasn’t veiled now.

  Marnie shook her head in disbelief. Even after all this time, he was demanding. “I’ve been out of town.”

  “Where?”

  “What do you want, Dad?” If he didn’t get to the point soon, she was ending the call.

  “Your family needs you.”

  Dread filled her, and she closed her eyes. “Why?”

  “We have a parole board hearing.”

  “You’re getting parole?” She didn’t know why she was surprised. They’d been in jail for years on a nonviolent crime. It was inevitable that parole would come up eventually.

  “We need you to speak at the hearing.”

  “Me? You think I can speak for you?” After their deception and their lies? They’d played her for a fool. She didn’t have anything good to say about them.

  “You’re a hotshot lawyer now. You can tell us what to say.”

  “The truth?” she suggested mockingly, which was exactly what she’d do in front of a parole board—not that she’d ever be in front of one on his behalf.

  “You know what I mean.” He sounded exasperated now. “The tricks. The right words. The things these people look for.”

  “I’m not a criminal lawyer.” Even as she said the words, she hated that she felt the need to give an excuse. She should simply say no. He hadn’t done a single thing to earn either her legal advice or her support as a daughter.