Return by Land (Glacier Adventure Series Book 2)

by Tracey Jerald

  Kody stills. “You talk to the girls—”

  “Women,” I interject.

  “Women,” he quickly agrees. “Every month?”

  “No.” He seems to deflate in relief. “Actually, it seems to be like every other week.”

  “What? How did I not know about this?” he roars just as Russell comes back into the office.

  “Is there a problem?” my boss asks tentatively.

  “Not at all. Mr. Laurence is just perturbed he didn’t know I was the one who cleaned out Nature’s Song,” I smoothly lie.

  I chose the wrong thing to smooth over Kody’s bearlike attitude though. If anything, that seems to set him off more. “Add that one to our list, Meadow,” he says menacingly.

  I roll my eyes.

  “Well, I’m pleased to see you both are getting your working relationship under control. Kody, I spoke with our client, Mr. Wilde. We have authorization for you to use the lesser budget plus for you to redo the kitchen. However, that will be paid for directly by him. In the event of any contingencies, he’d like to be prepared with the additional budget from the insurance settlement, and we’ll have some additional cash flow by handling it this way.”

  “Smart man,” Kody immediately agrees.

  “Excellent. Then, I just need to fax the bid to Mr. Wilde. He prefers to use his own paper for contracts.” Russell is apologetic. “That will take a day or so to prepare.”

  “That’s not a problem at all. I need to look at securing housing for my crew, so I’ll be around.” He reaches into his pocket, pulls out a worn leather card carrier, and flips it open, then hands us each a business card. “My cell is on there as well.”

  “Who’s your carrier?” I blurt out. When Kody names it, I shake my head. “You’re going to need a cell while you’re here.”

  “Why do you ask?” He frowns.

  I shrug and look at Russell for the explanation. He smiles fondly. “Meadow isn’t wrong. With the mountains, our coverage is spotty on all but two carriers.”

  Ruefully, Kody pulls his phone off his hip. “Well, damn. Here I was hoping it was just a peaceful day since I haven’t received any hysterical calls from Greta.”

  “Your sister?” I burst out with. Kody’s head snaps in my direction. “Umm, no one mentioned the two of you worked together.”

  He nods, even as his lips curve. “For about seven years. She’s the best project manager I’ve ever had.”

  “That’s terrific.” And I mean it. Kody’s as close to his family as I am to mine.

  Russell clears his throat. I get a hold of myself. Right. We’re here for Nature’s Song. “Why don’t you take tomorrow to get your affairs settled, Mr. Laurence. Then we’ll all meet back here Wednesday around nine?”

  Kody holds out his hand for Russell to shake. “I look forward to it. We won’t let you down.”

  Is it wrong I’m disappointed when he doesn’t do the same with me? Instead I plaster I smile on my face before I start to follow Russell out of the office.

  After a quick conversation with Russell where he effusively praises me for finding a contractor of Kody’s caliber, I’m standing by my SUV. I’ve just unlocked the vehicle when I hear my name being called. My head whirls around, and Kody is coming at me at a fast jog. “You left,” he accuses.

  “Well, yes. The meeting was over.” And right now, I want to go home and dissect it with a glass of wine.

  “Good. Then I can finally do this.” The next thing I know, Kody’s strong arms are around my waist, lifting my feet off the ground. I wrap mine around his neck to keep my balance.

  My purse falls haplessly to the ground. Then, because it feels so natural, so right, I lay my cheek against his shoulder. “Thank you, Kody.”

  “No, Meadow. Thank you for trusting me enough to let me in. And I think congratulations are more in order since we’re going to be partners.”

  I don’t know how long we stand there just like that before Kody lowers me down the front of his body, scalding every nerve ending of mine along the way. When my feet touch the ground, he removes one arm from behind me to run a finger down the line of my nose. Without another word, he turns and walks away.

  Gathering my wits about me, I yell to his retreating back, “I’m signing your checks. Technically, I’m your boss.”

  Just as he’s about to slide in the cab, he calls out, “Whatever, Meadow. Let’s see who rides herd on who by the time this is done.”

  I’m frozen the entire time he gets into his truck and pulls out of the parking lot, but there’s one rampant thought going through my mind.

  Forget the glass. Tonight, I might need the whole damn bottle.

  Kody Laurence is back in my life for the foreseeable future. And it’s not only my heart that’s pounding at the thought.

  Meadow

  I call my sister the minute I walk into the front door. Before she can say a word, the words “Oh, my God” tumble from my lips.

  “Is everything okay? What’s wrong?” Rainey’s concern is immediate.

  I hear MJ in the background, and it makes my heart ache so much. I drop my head to the counter to counteract the pain of hearing my son giggling with his cousin when I apparently give my children nothing but pain. “Yes. No. Hell, I don’t know.” Getting a hold of myself, I sum up everything. “Kody’s here. His company is going to help restore the cabin.”

  “That’s wonderful news!”

  “Of course you’d see it that way,” I grumble beneath the mass of my hair. “You sent him here.”

  “No, all I did was call Brad and tell him what was going on. He’s the one who flipped the cards and showed your hand.”

  “Remind me to thank him right before I—”

  “Why are you upset?” Rainey interrupts me. “Someone you know—who isn’t going to mess up or screw you over—is going to be right by your side.”

  How am I supposed to handle dealing with the man who never let a piece of my heart go every single day for the next eleven weeks without losing what’s left of my sanity? Is there a way to put words to what I’ve held so close to my heart all these years? Deciding, no, there isn’t, I reply dully, “You’re right.”

  “What just happened?” Rainey wonders aloud.

  “Nothing. I just realized you’re right. I…I’ll handle with everything else.”

  “What everything else?” Suspicion enters Rainey’s voice.

  “Don’t worry about it. Are Elise or MJ up to talking?” Pushing myself to my elbows, I shove the dark hair I inherited from our mother off my forehead. “I’d like to hear how their days were.”

  There’s a pregnant pause before Rainey’s footsteps are heard. “Give me a second to get somewhere more private.”

  “What happened?” I hear the sliding door that leads to Rainey’s backyard open and close. “Damnit, Rainey, tell me.”

  “Well, you know how one of Elise’s friend’s fathers was on the force with Mitch?”

  “That boy she liked, Dennis,” I confirm.

  “Right. Well, apparently, she worked up the nerve to ask him to the end-of-year dance today. And he wasn’t kind about how he said no.”

  “What did he say?” I brace for the answer.

  “She was crying when she told me, but—”

  “I hope she told him to go to hell,” I interrupt.

  “She did, before she called me to ask me to pick her up from school.” I suck in a deep breath. Elise loves school; it’s been one of the biggest bones of contentions about having to move. The whole process of trying to find new friends and fit in for a thirteen-year-old is daunting at best.

  “What did he say?” I get out. Somehow, some way, I know this is about Mitch.

  Rainey hesitates just slightly before she repeats, “What if you ask me now and decide you don’t want to go with me later? Kind of the way your dad decided he didn’t want your mom?”

  “Goddamnit!” I roar. Fisting my hair with one hand, I debate the wisdom of outright killing my ex-husband for t
he ongoing agony he’s put our family through because he couldn’t man up enough to discuss the fact that maybe our marriage wasn’t working before he sank his dick into another woman. “What did Elise do?”

  “She’s your daughter through and through, Meadow. From what she shared, she tossed her hair and said, ‘Or maybe you just can’t make up your mind. From what I know, little boys want to hog all the toys.’ Then she walked away. It wasn’t until I had her in the car that she broke down and asked me if it was true.”

  “I’d swear on a stack of bibles, I’m over the anger of what he did to our marriage, what he did to me; I swear I am. But right now? What his actions keep putting our kids through? I’d cheerfully sink a knife into Mitch’s chest.”

  “You’re going to have to tell her what really happened, Meadow,” Rainey lectures me.

  “I was trying to protect his image. She worships him,” I remind her.

  “I think the glow has faded a bit after today. What are the chances of you being able to fly back home and talk to Elise and MJ before the move?”

  “Right now? I have no idea.” Quickly I catch her up on what’s happening. “But if it means their mental health and well-being, I’ll quit the job.”

  “I don’t think it will have to go that far,” a familiar voice says behind me. Whirling around in fear, I find Kody lounging in my doorway. His face is completely blank, but I remember where to look to figure out his moods. His sea-colored eyes are almost jade with fury.

  “How did you get in?” I whisper, forgetting Rainey can hear everything I’m saying.

  “Covington gave me my own code into the gate. I thought I’d see if you were up to a quick walk-through. Your door was open.”

  “So, you eavesdropped?” I yell.

  He shrugs. Rainey’s squawking in my ear. “Hold on a second,” I tell her.

  “Is that Rainey?” Kody asks.

  I nod, expecting him to pass along a message to Brad. When he steps forward and plucks the phone from my hand, I stutter, “What…what on earth…”

  Kody presses a hard finger against my mouth. “Hey, Rainey. Yeah.” My fury mounts as he chats with my sister for a few seconds about the shenanigans over the last weekend. “Listen, I don’t care, I’ll find some way for the schedule to work to make a trip up to Juneau. After all, it’s not like I can’t cash in one of a million favors Jennings owes me. Right?” Another pause. “Do you want Meadow back? Okay, I’ll let her know. Talk soon. Bye.”

  Pulling the phone away from his ear, Kody pulls his finger away from my mouth—which is a good thing because he was about to lose it from my biting it off—and hands me my phone. “Rainey said she’ll talk to you later. Elise was coming to look for her.”

  My fury over what happened to my baby girl due to my ex-husband and now Kody’s high-handedness has a lethal edge sliding into my voice. “If you ever contemplate pulling that crap again, Kody, I swear to God, I’ll…”

  And between one blink and another, it’s like someone took a drop of blue and diluted the green back to the turbulent sea color of his eyes. “What will you do, Meadow?”

  “Well, let’s just say you’ll end up with one less finger for sure.”

  He tosses back his leonine head and laughs.

  “It’s not funny,” I snap, stomping my foot.

  “You don’t have the taste for blood, Meadow.”

  “I’m quickly developing it,” I growl, thinking about the devastating blow my daughter was handed today. “If only I was there…”

  “What would you do differently?” Kody asks me quietly.

  “I’d have been their mom! Every minute I’m away from Elise and MJ, they’re happy to stay up there. Away from me.” As much as I try to suppress it, a lone tear falls down my cheek. I turn my head to the side in case any more fall.

  “You can’t fix everything, Meadow. Some hurts have to be experienced to make the gifts that much more appreciated.” I wait for him to go on, but when he doesn’t, I glance back up. Kody’s eyes are tracing every inch of my face as if he’s trying to memorize it. With a start, I remember he used to do that years ago. How did I never notice? I think wildly.

  Stepping back, I offer a wan smile. “I appreciate your support, Kody. And you’re right. Tonight would have been a perfect night to go through the house again. But I think I’m pretty done in. I think I’m just going to figure out something to eat and crawl into bed.”

  Not even a flicker of disappointment flashes across his face. “I understand. But there is one thing?”

  “What’s that?” I turn to face the counter to grab the pen and notepad I laid there for my grocery lists. My heart stops beating when I feel his strong arms wrap around me from behind. He squeezes, the gentle hug almost doing me in. “Kody.” My voice breaks.

  “I’ve wanted to do that since I saw you last year at the funeral. I’ve missed you, Meadow.” His voice whispers against my ear.

  I can’t formulate thoughts, let alone words, until his warm body moves back from mine. I finally get my head together enough to tell him how much I missed him in my life too, but by the time I do, I hear the snick of the door.

  He’s gone.

  But at least I know I’ll get to see him again for a short while.

  And I already know what it’s like to live on the memories of that.

  After a good night’s sleep, I woke up early and worked up a possible project plan I want to run by Kody after he gets his arrangements for his crew under control. But that can wait; right now, I have a phone call to make.

  I dial and wait for the call to connect. He should pick up even though we’re an hour ahead here in Montana.

  He does with a yawn. “Meadow, do you know what time it is here?”

  “Well, Mitch, I would assume eight?” My voice is like the ice in the deepest crevices of the Mendenhall Glacier. “Didn’t you say you were in training?”

  “Uh, yeah. We kinda had a late night.”

  “I don’t give a shit. Do whatever you have to do to wake up,” I snap.

  “Whoa, Meadow. What’s wrong? Is it the kids?” Suddenly Mitch is Daddy Dearest. I really wish the phone company had come through with the reach-out-and-touch-someone option. I would love to choke my ex right about now.

  “You could say that.” I give him a rundown of the ridicule Elise suffered at school yesterday. “Have any bright ideas how to help?” I ask.

  “I could talk with the guys,” he offers.

  “It’s too damn late for that. This has already made its way around the middle school, Mitch. What’s next? The boys won’t let MJ play on a team because they accuse him of cheating?” The sharply indrawn breath shows my aim struck true. “You’re finally getting the picture now, aren’t you? Our children are now suffering because of your actions. I’ve sheltered them as much as possible from this, and look. Now what, Mitch? What do we, as their parents, do to help?” I keep my silence as I wait for his response.

  And my temper flares when he says, “I don’t know.”

  “Well, what do you know other than how to throw me under the bus to our daughter?” I bite out.

  “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Oh? Are you calling Elise a liar?”

  “Well, no. Of course not.”

  “Then tell me why I’ve been accused of keeping secrets, when the only secrets I’m keeping are the reasons we divorced. Can you explain that, Mitch?” My voice drips acid.

  “Elise must have been confused.”

  “Really?” I drawl.

  “You know how the minds of teenage girls work…” And that’s when I hear in the background, “Honey, do you want to get coffee at Wake Up this morning?”

  There’s dead silence on the line. Then Mitch begins talking. “Meadow, I just flew in last night. I swear, I was going to see—”

  “Don’t,” I hiss at him. “Don’t you dare try to lie to me. I couldn’t care less if you flew in to see your girlfriend. The two of you exist for me only because you are the fa
ther to my children. She doesn’t exist after what happened in our home. But how could you sit there and listen to what I’m telling you and the first words out of your mouth weren’t ‘I’ll go see them’? Are you trying to demonstrate you’re just as much a failure of a father as you were a husband? For once, be honest. Can you do that?”

  “Yes,” he bites out.

  “Did you really have training scheduled for your new job?” I impatiently wait for his answer.

  A significant pause before, “Yes, I do.” I relax slightly before he admits, “It begins in five weeks.”

  I want to rail at him for not seeing Elise and MJ, but what good will it do? “If our children see you in Juneau, you had better not tell a lie to them, or I will tell them everything, Mitch. I swear to God.”

  “Threats, Meadow?” Then he has the gall to laugh.

  “No, promises. And your child support better be in my account on the first of the month, or I am threatening I’ll file a complaint in court against you that will make it to your employer.” With him sputtering, I press End to disconnect the call.

  I’m breathing heavily, so it’s not a surprise I don’t hear the slow, steady clapping until it’s practically on top of me. Whirling around, I find Kody approaching me, pride stamped across his face.

  I open my mouth, to say what, I have no idea. But before a word can get out, Kody cuts me off at the knees. “I fell for you seventeen years ago, Meadow Borneman. I thought I knew everything there was to know about you. I’m fucking thrilled to realize I’m wrong.”

  Leaving me stunned, unable to move, Kody moves past me to the door of the main house. “Are you coming?” he calls out behind him.

  My heart still pounding, I face Kody. My insides quiver at the almost tactile contact from just his eyes raking over me. “I’m ready,” I acknowledge. “By the way, what are you doing here?”

  He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a box cutter. “Did you really think I was going to leave you to do this all on your own?”

  “But how did you know…” My voice trails off as I come abreast of him and he hasn’t moved an inch.