Behind the Lens (Home in Carson Book 1)

by Renee Harless

  After the explosion on his property, the fire had raged for several hours, destroying most of the woods behind his cabin. He had felt terrible about the destruction, still did. And now, as he looked around the burnt crisps of trees that succumbed to the fire, his chest twinged. He felt as dead as those branches.

  The only bright spot from the devastation was the cool breeze off the lake. Being in the nook of the valley the space received a constant gentle wind, and with the water, it kept the property cool.

  “Man, this place is going to be great when it was done,” Harlan claimed as he took a swig of his beer. “I may get Austin to renovate my house while I’m out on tour.”

  “You’re going on tour again? “Austin asked. Cliff was surprised that he seemed to be the only one that knew that secret.

  “Yeah, but this time Cassidy is coming along. It’s just a for few weeks.”

  “Just let me knew what you’re thinking and I can get it drawn up. Summer is the busy season, but I can get a team ready. No worries.”

  “Thanks, brother.”

  The men finish their breaks, and head back inside, groaning as they grabbed sheets of drywall in groups of two. They started with the upstairs, working their way from one end of the house to the other, finishing the four bedrooms before the sun began setting beyond the mountains.

  Cliff walked with the men outside, waving as they left for the evening, all of them promising to return the next day to complete their work. He’s grateful for their help, most of them taking time away from their jobs to help him. They understand his urgency. He wasn’t finishing it for himself; he was rushing it in the hopes that Alexis returned.

  The night crept in, setting the cabin in a familiar navy blanket, only the light from the outdoor porch light illuminating the space. He sat in the far corner of the porch; his back pressed against the railing as a beer dangled from his hand.

  Cliff ignored the sound and the lights of a car as it moved slowly down the path leading to his home. He recognized the engine sound without having to look at the image of the vehicle on his security camera.

  “Help yourself to a beer. Landon left the cooler,” Cliff called out to Dylan as the man stepped from his truck.

  “Thanks. Don’t mind if I do. Can Sydney have one too?”

  That got his attention. None of the Connelly women had made it out this way yet since they started construction. He assumed most of them are probably waiting to get to the decorating part so they could kick him out and do it themselves.

  “Sure, have a seat. Though all I can offer is the floor of the porch.”

  Sydney moved toward him first, Dylan came up the rear grabbing two bottles of beer along the way.

  “How are you doing?” Sydney’s melodic voice asked as she perched beside him.

  “I’m good. Wish the house was coming along faster, but most of that’s my own doing.”

  “You can’t rush these things,” she pointed out with a gentle tap to his arm before taking the beer from her husband. Cliff got the slightest suspicion that she wasn’t referring to the house.

  “Amy got the kids?” Cliff asked, knowing that Amy watched a set of grandkids every night. That woman was the epitome of a grandma.

  “That she does. We were on our way home from dinner and wanted to stop by. I hadn’t seen the place yet.”

  Taking a sip of beer, Cliff added, “Not much to look at.”

  “But it will be beautiful when it is done.”

  The trio sat in silence for a few minutes, the sound of bugs moving toward the light and zipping away played a symphony of music with the crickets and frogs.

  “I hear you were given another mission.”

  Cliff knew not to question how Dylan got his intel, it was about as secret as receiving his own. And it was the truth. He got the call two days ago, but this one would take him overseas for a little less than a year.

  “Yep.”

  “Also, hear you haven’t responded yet.”

  “Also, correct.”

  The softness of a woman’s touch brushed against his arm and Cliff looked down to find Sydney’s hand settled there. Her pale skin a stark contrast to his dark and colorful tattoos; even in the darkness, the difference was jarring.

  “You miss her. It’s okay to admit it. No one will think any less of you.”

  After a deep exhale, Cliff confessed, “I do.”

  “I know it was terrible what happened, and I couldn’t believe they wouldn’t let you stay with her at the hospital. I would have been devastated if that happened with Dylan. But trust that she loves and misses you too.”

  “It has been over a month.” Putting his fear into words was like a knife through his chest, spearing and twisting with every letter.

  “Don’t give up on her yet, Cliff.”

  What more could he do? With every frame and wall he added to this house, this house where he dreamt of making a family with her, it was as if he was hammering the nails to his own coffin. Every day without her was one more day of losing himself.

  He remembered the pain after his ex-wife died, how he had felt that he was the reason for her death. But this agony of not having Alexis was ten-times worse because he loved her with everything that he was.

  “Thanks for stopping by guys. I have an early morning,” he fibbed. He’d be up early, but that was because he’d spend the night counting down every minute in the hopes that he’d see her again.

  Cliff watched as Dylan and Sydney drove away then headed inside the cabin. He set up one of the upstairs rooms as his makeshift bedroom. It was the smallest in the house. He couldn’t bear to make the largest bedroom his room yet, even with the blank walls, all he saw was her.

  The air was hot and muggy, just as it had been those nights he and Alexis opted to take a swim in the lake as a reprieve from the heat. Cliff plugged in a box fan and opened the windows, letting the warm breeze run over his skin. Lying just under the window, Cliff tilted his head back and counted the stars, making it to about thirty-two thousand before the sun broke through the sky. It was not the first time he’s stayed up the entire night, nor would it be his last.

  The relief of the new HVAC system being installed was immediate. The Connelly men were equally as gracious, helping to finish hanging the drywall throughout the house while the servicemen worked on adding the air vents.

  “I ordered dinner from Angie’s as a thank you,” Cliff told the group of men nailing in the last ceiling sheetrock.

  “Damn, you’re my new best friend,” Brooks joked as he shoved Logan aside to perch over one of the blowing air vents. The HVAC had only been running for about two hours, so the air in the house was still warm, but it was cooling rapidly.

  Cliff’s phone alerted him of an incoming vehicle and he told the men that the food was here. A gentle knock on the door sounded and Cliff opened it wide expecting to come face to face with a teenager holding various take out bags, only to stand slack-jawed at a recreation of his photo of Alexis.

  “What the-” his question died off as the photo lowered, only to reveal the woman in question holding the image.

  “I’m sorry it took me so long to get here.”

  Fuck, she looked gorgeous. Her shorter hair tucked neatly behind her ears, and her FBI issued blue shirt and black pants were gone, replaced by a tight black T-shirt and jean shorts.

  “Are you really here?” Cliff’s voice cracked from the hoarseness. He had imagined her pulling up to his cabin so many times, but somehow his imagination hadn’t done her any justice.

  “I’m really here, to stay, if you’d let me.”

  God this woman. Let her? He planned to never let her go again.

  Reaching out he pulled her by the back of her head and crushed their lips together, not even the corner of the canvas digging into his abdomen discouraged him from staking his claim. She returned his kiss as eagerly, as if she’d been craving it just as much.

  A cough sounded behind Alexis and Cliff and he pulled his lips away, anger spe
wing at the cause of the interruption. The pimply adolescent held up the plastic bags from Angie’s, silently pleading that Cliff spare him his life.

  “We’ll just take these inside. You two go. . .catch up,” Dylan explained as he took the bags from the delivery driver and marched them inside, winking at Cliff’s surprise guest along the way.

  Alexis took a small step back, Cliff’s hand falling back down by his side as she moved the canvas over to rest on the porch railing.

  He could tell she was weighing her words carefully, and after one deep breath she dropped the bomb on him.

  “Cliff, I have something I need to tell you.”

  ***

  This place was majestic. She stared at the new construction for a solid minute before she got the strength to take the journey up the stairs. Questions bombarded her mind in quick succession. Had she been gone too long? Did he move on? Did he move away? Had he missed her?

  None of those answers mattered though when he opened the door and pulled her toward him. His mouth sealed against hers, taking every ounce of love she possessed for him. He held her head so tightly he seemed to think she would slip away at any moment.

  Even now, as they walked toward the lake, he kept glancing her way, as if she’d slip away at any moment. He guided her to the end of the dock, the same place they had sat when she stayed with him that first day.

  “The mission I was sent on, the one that brought me here, isn’t over.” Cliff stiffened beside her as he digested her words. “But,” she added, laying a hand on his arm, “I won’t be a part of the team.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Well, plainly it means that I quit. But you know with any mission, you can’t just quit. I had to go through days of debriefing and interrogations. I also had to sit in and listen to my father’s depositions. The days turned into weeks, and those weeks turned into a month.”

  The time away from him had been agony. When she was finally cleared to leave her position, she was unsure of herself for the first time. Alexis packed up her apartment, left a note for her landlord, and rented a car. She drove through the night to get back to Carson, to get to Cliff. She had been away long enough.

  But as he stared across the water, Alexis worried that the time had been too long.

  “So, what happens with the investigation on the cartel and sex trafficking?”

  “Heath will take it over. He should have been the leader to begin with. Harposia is still running it from her jail cell, though no one had figured out how, nor do I think they ever will. My father’s second in command has moved up the ranks.”

  “The threat against you still exists.”

  “Maybe, maybe not.”

  This was the part she hadn’t figured out how to disclose. With the help of the FBI and the hospital staff, Alexis pretty much wiped herself off the face of the earth. The doctors forged her chart and said she didn’t survive after the brain trauma of the accident. Cliff nodded as she explained everything as detailed as she could. Many of the parts she wasn’t sure of herself. Somehow strings were pulled and she was provided with a new last name, social security card, and passport.

  “What’s the name?” Cliff asked, reaching over to take her hand in his.

  “Walker. I asked for the last name Walker.” Walker was a common last name, and at the time, she had but a moment to decide. It was the first thing that came to mind.

  “You have my last name,” Cliff whispered, his thumb stroking back and forth along her knuckles as he stared at their joined hands.

  “I didn’t mean to be presumptuous. I can go have it changed.”

  “You will not,” he growled. The pad of his thumb stopped over her ring finger. “It just made this part easier.”

  “What part?”

  “Alexis Walker. Will you marry me? I’ve been in misery without you.”

  “Yes. For the rest of my days, yes.”

  The morning sun gleamed on Alexis’ back, warming her already heated skin. The heavy arm of a tattooed man rested along her shoulders, keeping her close.

  A smile broke on her lips as she remembered how he kicked his friends out of his home and made love to her for hours upon hours last night. Her bones and muscles still ached in the best possible way.

  “Good morning, beautiful,” Cliff’s deep voice said as he turned her body to face him, kissing her along the corner of her mouth.

  “Morning. What’s on the agenda today?” she asked, though she wasn’t opposed to spending the day in bed with him making up for lost time.

  “Well, I have a shop to run, but first I’m thinking a quick trip to the jewelry store and breakfast at Angie’s.”

  “Shouldn’t we do breakfast first?”

  “If I’ve learned anything in this town, it’s that if you can kill two birds with one stone then throw it into a flock.”

  “I don’t know what that means,” she laughed.

  “I think Amy is rubbing off on me. It just means if you wear your engagement ring to breakfast then more people can confirm the gossip.”

  “Which means, less people bothering you.”

  “Exactly.”

  “You’re such a hermit.”

  “But you love me anyway.”

  “I do. I really do.”

  Getting dressed took three times longer as it should. Cliff tugged away every article of clothing that she put on until he had her back in her naked state and showed her again how much he loved her. Thoroughly and numerous times.

  By the time they made it to Angie’s, the diner was already serving lunch. It only took a few seconds before Shirley and Temple Fitzgerald of the Lady Busy Bees noticed her arrival, and then their gazes fell on the three-carat marquise diamond resting on her ring finger.

  Congratulations followed them through the town as they walked to Cliff’s shop. She waved at people she’d never seen before, but unlike last time, the unfamiliar faces didn’t frighten her.

  “I’m going to run across the street real quick. I’ll be right back.” She kissed Cliff’s cheek then made her way over to the Carson Police station.

  Inside she found a young woman chewing loudly on a piece of gum, while the phone rang continuously. Alexis stopped just inside the room, waiting for the woman to take the call, not wanting to interrupt. But the woman just stared at her as if she’d grown two heads.

  “I’m sorry, are you going to get that?” Alexis asked.

  “No, I’m on a break.”

  Wow, okay. Let’s hope that wasn’t an emergency.

  “Is Preston he-”

  “Zia, if I’m paying you through your lunch then you need to answer the phone. And stop having your boyfriends call this line. It is for emergencies.”

  The woman simply shrugged then picked up the next ringing line.

  Alexis called out his name as he steered himself back toward the offices.

  “Alexis, welcome back. What can I do for you?”

  “Do you have a minute? I wanted to talk to you about something.”

  Twenty minutes later Alexis left the station with a new pep in her step and she couldn’t wait to give Cliff the good news. She had been afraid that Preston wouldn’t be open to someone encroaching on his territory, but she was pleasantly surprised when he asked when she could start. He begged for that day to be tomorrow.

  “Cliff,” she shouted as she walked into the shop, smiling at a quiet girl with cute black rimmed glasses perched on her nose. She was manning the desk like Alexis had when she worked at the shop.

  “Back here,” he called out. As she turned the corner, instead of finding him drawing or working on a client, he was toying with a camera in his hands.

  “Is that your camera?”

  “It sure is. I haven’t used it in quite a while. Now that I’ve pulled back on some of my government work, I thought I’d get back into it.”

  “No more secret missions?” she asked, thrilled that he’s stepping back from the danger. She had heard from Dylan the night before that a n
ew assignment had requested him.

  “No more. I turned down the last one offered. Did you get what you needed?”

  Alexis gleefully jumped on his lap and explained her new position with Preston as Deputy Sherriff.

  “So, you’re making Carson home?” Cliff said.

  Wrapping her arms around Cliff’s neck, she brushed her lips against his, adoring the way he responded to her touch.

  “You’re my home, Cliff. Wherever you are is home.”

  Epilogue

  “Wow, this is more beautiful than I expected,” Alexis whispered as they looked out across the Smoky Mountains from their cabin’s balcony.

  “Can’t argue with that.”

  Cliff stood a couple feet behind Alexis, mesmerized by her bare back as the ivory slip dress blew in the breeze. With the sun setting just beyond the mountains, the combination of her and the view was breathtaking.

  Lifting his camera to his eye, Cliff adjusted the lens and snapped a few pictures. No better way to capture their wedding day than with a few personal pictures.

  He had convinced Alexis to take a short trip to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, while Austin put the final touches on Cliff’s house in Carson.

  Once they arrived, Alexis had immediately asked if he wanted to elope. Like he would turn down making her his wife sooner rather than later.

  They grabbed a marriage license at the courthouse and were married in a small chapel the next day. Neither one of them came from large families, it was perfect for Cliff and Alexis. Though Cliff suspected that Mrs. Connelly won’t be too keen on not having another wedding to plan.

  The sound of the shutters alerted Alexis and she turned on her bare feet, leaning against the railing.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Capturing something beautiful,” he explained as he snapped another picture of her.

  “Come here, husband of mine,” she beckoned. He couldn’t turn her down. “I want one of us together.”