The Clarke Brothers (Complete Series)

by Lilian Monroe

  I still can’t speak, and I let my eyes travel along the mountain peaks that surround me. I take a deep breath and let the air fill my lungs. I wonder if I’ve ever breathed air this fresh. I glance back at Aiden and take a deep breath.

  “I don’t know what to say,” I tell him. His eyes travel up toward me and his lips purse together in a thin line.

  “I can’t tell you what to do,” he says.

  With that, he turns back toward the path and holds out his hand. The same thrill passes through my body when our palms touch, and I feel just a little bit emptier when his hand slips out of mine. We walk back down in silence until his cabin comes into view. When we get to my car, we stand in front of each other until I look at his face.

  “I know I can’t convince you,” I say. “But you obviously know these mountains better than anyone else. Won’t you come help with the community garden and you can teach me what my company doesn’t know? I can help. I can make a difference.”

  His face sours and he glances into the forest. His eyes swing back toward me and we stay motionless for a few long moments. Finally his chin dips down a fraction of an inch.

  “I’ll think about it,” he says. Without another word, he spins around and stalks back toward his cabin. The door closes behind him and my shoulders slump. I get into my car and drive back down toward Lang Creek, trying to ignore the pulsing between my legs and the fire in my belly.

  12

  Aiden

  I slump down onto the couch and wait for the noise of her car to disappear down the mountain. I close my eyes and rub my temples with my fingers.

  She wants me to help. She wants to learn.

  Every part of my body wants to be nearer to her. Every part of me wants to feel her skin against mine, to hold her hand and pull her close, but my mind is screaming no.

  How can I teach her anything when she’s powerless to change things? She works for the corporation that’s going to destroy our little slice of heaven on these mountains. As good as her intentions are, she doesn’t understand that the changes the hotel brings will be irreversible.

  I glance toward the shelf and see the picture I brought from the big house. My father’s eyes stare back at me from the grave and I get up to slam the picture down. I can’t look at him, not now. Not when I’m considering working with Maddy, working with the people who want to destroy my home.

  A paper crunches in my pocket and I pull out the brochure that Maddy handed to me. I open it up, looking at the fake rendered photos of the luxury hotel, and I read through the meaningless words that brag about ‘sustainability’ and ‘conservation’. I snort as I read through it and shake my head. I slip the brochure into the stove and watch it curl and disintegrate as it burns.

  It’s the same bullshit. They say all these things but all they care about are the thousands of tourists that will pay hundreds of dollars a night. They'll walk through these mountains and leave behind trash, trampled ground, and destruction. I watch the brochure burn into nothing and slump down on the sofa.

  I spend a restless night tossing and turning in my bed. Tonight it feels too hard, or too lumpy, or too cold. I can’t get comfortable. Usually when I spend the day outside, working on my car or walking through the forest, I sleep like a log. I fall asleep when the sun goes down and I wake up when it comes up.

  Not tonight, though. I wake up when it’s still dark out and stare at the ceiling until it becomes too much. Yesterday’s events run through my head over and over. I can see the look on Maddy’s face when she watched the falcon flying overhead, and how earnest she was about the community garden.

  Finally, I swing my legs over the side of the bed and shuffle to the kitchen. I put on a pot of strong coffee and watch it as it brews, trying to ignore the throbbing cock between my legs.

  A woman hasn’t had this effect on me in years. I can’t get her out of my head. When the coffee is ready, I pour the black liquid into a mug and take a long sip. I close my eyes and let the bitter taste fill my mouth, all the while imagining how sweet Maddy’s lips would taste if she were here this morning.

  I turn around and lean against the counter. I take another sip and head toward the wood-burning stove to start today’s fire. There’s one colorful piece of paper in there. It’s a small corner of the brochure she gave me, a tiny bit of paper that survived the flames. I stare at it and it feels like it’s taunting me.

  Come into town, it’s saying. Work on the community garden, it calls out. See her one more time.

  I take a deep breath. I already know I’ve lost. Before I know it, I’m showering and getting dressed and heading to my father’s old truck. I load up the back of the flatbed with bags of compost I’ve made at the cabin and take some young plants from my vegetable garden. I load up a spade and a shovel and take a deep breath before closing up the truck.

  What am I doing? By showing up to this garden, I’m essentially supporting the construction of the hotel. I shake my head and walk over to the driver’s side.

  That’s not true. I’m going in to see what it’s about. The garden will be a good addition to the town, and maybe I can speak to Maddy and teach her more about the area. I can show her that the hotel will only lead to the destruction of these mountains and forests. She's gotten a small taste of them now. She might understand why we care about them so much.

  The drive into town is quiet. The early morning mist is lifting as I pass the old timber sign that says, ‘Welcome to Lang Creek”. I can feel the pulse through my whole body, and I don’t know if it’s because I’m in the town that has caused me so much pain, passing the McCoy’s hotel, or if it’s because I’m going to see Maddy soon.

  I turn the corner at the end of town and find the small plot of land set aside for the community garden. No one is here yet, and I check my watch. It’s barely past 7am. On a Sunday morning, most people will be in bed for a couple more hours.

  I jump out of the truck and start unloading my tools. It looks like there have been some garden plots laid out, but they’re in dire need of some good soil and more plants. I look around, still seeing no one, and get to work on my own.

  It feels like the old days, when I’d drive into town with my brothers and father and work on various jobs. He’d take us along from the time we were old enough to hold a hammer and taught us how to fix anything that was worth fixing. I work slowly and methodically, from one end of the garden to another, until all the garden plots are freshly turned and ready for planting.

  I head toward my truck to grab some rich compost when I hear a whistle. I turn to see Maddy with a grin on her face and an eyebrow raised, looking over the garden with an approving eye.

  “I wasn’t expecting to see this this morning,” she says with a smile. I turn to look at my work and then shrug.

  “It’s good for the town,” I say. “It doesn’t mean I think the hotel should be built.”

  “So you’re just using my company, is that it?”

  “Something like that,” I reply, trying to stifle a grin. “Just like your company is using this town.” I can feel the blood pumping through my veins as she takes a step toward me. Her hair is pulled back in a high ponytail, showing off her gorgeous hazel eyes and her high cheekbones. Her lips look more kissable than ever.

  She walks up beside me to grab a bag of compost from my truck. Her arm brushes against mine and my cock twitches in my pants. I think of my shower yesterday, and all I want to do is bend her over the back of the truck and ram my cock into her. She glances up at me and winks before hauling a bag of compost toward the garden.

  “Well don’t just stand there,” she says with a laugh. “Come and help me.”

  13

  Madeline

  It’s hard to keep my cool when he’s so close. I don’t know how long ago he got here, but he’s prepped almost the entire garden for planting. We work silently side by side, exchanging furtive glances and blushing without saying anything.

  Why is my heart thumping so much? Why does the movemen
t of his body make my center heat up? Why does it feel like an electric thrill passing through my veins every time he looks at me?

  I know he’s still against the construction of the hotel, and I’m not sure why he’s here. He cares about this town and he cares about the mountains, so maybe he was telling the truth when he said that he wanted to do anything that was good for the community.

  But every time he looks at me, I can’t help but feel like there’s something more. He’s turning the earth on one of the plots when I walk up with some young plants. We exchange a long glance and he nods to a small hole in the earth.

  “Put it in here,” he says. I drop the plant in the hole and the two of us pat the rich brown earth gently around the plant. Our soil-covered hands brush against each other and for a moment his fingers intertwine with mine. My heart starts thumping against my ribcage and I look up to see him staring at me. His lips look impossibly soft and my whole body is buzzing with desire.

  We leave our hands there, covered in dirt, gently brushing against each other as our eyes devour each other. His shoulders are straining against the fabric of his shirt, and his sweat has soaked through the front in a small ‘v’. My eyes trail down and I wish I could see the muscles underneath his shirt ripple and move. I wish I could see his cock again. I’d take it in my hands to feel the smooth hardness of it.

  I flick my eyes back up to his and try to swallow. I try to think of something else, but with our fingers intertwined in the dark earth, all I can think about kissing his lips and wrapping my body around his. The seconds tick by and he tilts his head toward me. I can smell the piney musk of his body as he gets closer. His fingers trail from my hand to my wrist and up my arm as his face inches closer to mine.

  My heart is thumping. Every bit of skin that his fingers touch is set on fire, and I feel like my body is about to burst. I lick my lips as his eyes flick down to watch the movement. He moves his hand a bit further up toward my elbow and moves his head ever so slightly closer to mine.

  We’re going to kiss. I know we are. I want to, and I know that he wants to. I don’t know if I’ve ever wanted anything more in my entire life. Our faces are inches apart and I can feel his hot breath washing over my cheek as he leans in.

  “Yoo-hoo!” A voice calls out. The two of us fall backward and I look over to see Cecilia rounding the corner and heading toward us. “Wow! The place looks great!”

  I stand up and brush my clothes off, only to cover them with more dirt from my hands. Aiden jumps up and clears his throat before grabbing a nearby shovel and stabbing it into another garden plot. I force a smile at Cecilia while trying to control the violent beating of my heart.

  She walks up with a huge smile on her face and talks incessantly, waving at the garden and saying things I can’t quite understand yet. It takes a few moments for my brain to catch up as I force a smile and nod at Cecilia.

  “Yeah, definitely,” I say, hoping it makes sense with whatever she was talking about. She seems to accept my response and turns toward Aiden.

  “I thought you were opposed to all this?” she says. Her voice sounds too loud, too piercing.

  Aiden just grunts in response and I widen my eyes at Cecilia who shrugs in response. “What!” she mouths at me and I shake my head. I nod to a stack of plants.

  “Can you bring me those, Cecilia? We can finish this plot.” Aiden glances over at me and our eyes linger on each other. His eyes flick down to my lips and I can’t resist trailing my own gaze down the length of his body. I stare just a second too long at his crotch, imagining the cock that I saw yesterday.

  Cecilia appears beside me and I snap my head toward her, forcing a smile. We work together, planting the plants as she talks away about everything and nothing. After a few minutes, Aiden picks up his tools and nods.

  “I’ve got to go. Good luck,” he grunts. I open my mouth to speak but he’s already walking away. It’s not until the truck rumbles down the street that Cecilia looks at me and shakes her head.

  “He’s a bit of a brute, isn’t he?” she says. My gaze snaps back to her and I frown.

  “Just because he’s quiet doesn’t mean he’s a brute!” I say. My words are more forceful than I intended, and Cecilia looks taken aback. Her eyebrows shoot up toward her hairline and she nods slowly.

  “I was only saying… With his display at the town hall meeting and all, it seems a bit strange that he’d be here helping this morning.” She cocks her head to the side and looks at me curiously. “Maybe he likes you.”

  I shake my head and snort. “Don’t be ridiculous,” I say, avoiding eye contact with her. I pat at the dark earth around a young plant and feel her stare on my face. My cheeks redden and I keep my gaze steady on the plants in the garden.

  “Mmhmm,” she says. I finally look at her and see the incredulous look painted on her face.

  “What!” I protest. She laughs and shakes her head.

  “Be careful, Madeline. Remember that you and he are on opposite sides of a very expensive coin here.”

  “There’s nothing to be careful about, Cecilia,” I say, standing up and grabbing a shovel. “Because nothing is going on.”

  “Right,” she says. “You know, I was young too, once.” She’s staring at me, and I can almost feel the grin on her face even though I’m not looking at her. How much did she see, I wonder? She walked up as Aiden was touching my arm. Our faces must have been inches apart.

  I shake my head. She didn’t see anything, because there was nothing to see. She’s still staring at me, so I ignore her and turn to another plot as Margaret McCoy appears and waves. “I brought friends!” she says, motioning to the other townspeople. “We should make great progress today!”

  I force a smile and try to push Aiden Clark to the far, far back of my mind.

  14

  Aiden

  I accelerate down the road a bit faster than I should. I don’t know what just happened. Why was I there? I shouldn’t have been there. My father’s old truck revs down the main road until I turn off toward my cabin. As soon as I’m off the main road, I breathe a sigh of relief and feel my whole body relax.

  Going into town was a mistake. Seeing Madeline was a mistake. Helping with the garden was a mistake. I should be opposing all their projects with everything I can, not helping them! I park the truck in front of the cabin and slide out, slamming the door behind me. I set off toward the forest without looking back at the pickup.

  One step after another, I make my way through the forest, up the winding path toward the top of the mountain. The endlessness of the forests calms me down, and I take a deep, cleansing breath. I brush my fingers along the trees as I walk by and recite their names in my head, just as my father taught us.

  Balsam fir, red maple, birch, spruce, aspen, eastern hemlock.

  It’s like a poem, running continuously through my mind as I put one foot in front of the other. I put more distance between me and Lang Creek, more distance between me and Maddy Croft. The narrow dirt path switches back to climb further up the mountain. Before I know it, I’m at the lookout where I stood with Maddy less than a day ago.

  I climb up the boulder and look over the wide expanse of the countryside. The sun is still burning off the morning mist and I take another deep breath.

  The mountains have always been a calming place for me. I’ve always felt at home here. But now, as I stand on this rock and stare out in the distance, all I can think about is Maddy’s soft exhale when she saw it for the first time. My fingers tingle at the thought of her hand slipping into mine. I can still see the brightness in her eyes as she gazed upon the Adirondacks from up here for the first time in her life.

  It doesn’t feel calming to me now. It feels empty and meaningless. I turn my back on the awe-inspiring landscape and head up higher toward the tree-line. As I get higher, the trees start to thin until there are only a handful of pine trees dotting the mountainside. The air is thinner already, and I feel that familiar tightening in my chest when I get nearer
to a summit.

  My breath is more labored but I push on, putting one foot in front of another until all that’s left are a few shrubs and loose rocks. The scree rock slides under my feet and it feels like I’m constantly taking two steps forward and one step back. I zig-zag up the side of the mountain, keeping my head down and focusing on my where my next step will go. Almost all of a sudden, I’m at the top.

  I look out across the countryside, spinning in a full circle as I take in the endless peaks that surround me. They feel like my mountains. They feel like my territory, my home. I can see Lang Creek spreading out at the base of the mountain, chimneys letting out thin tendrils of smoke. My eyes travel up the mountainside toward the patch of mountain that I know has been bought by Maddy’s company.

  Soon, those trees will be razed and all that will be left is a huge lump of a building on this mountain. I sit down on the summit and let my eyes wander from the peaks to the town to the site of the future hotel. A cold breeze lifts the edges of my jacket and I feel it pierce through my bones.

  Suddenly, my chest feels tight and my eyes are prickling. I can feel my father all around me. I can almost see him in front of me, teaching me about the trees and the plants, guiding me to listen to the calls of the birds and even showing me the insects that make the whole forest regenerate. Everyone plays a part, he used to tell me.

  I try to look toward Lang Creek but my eyes blur. If he were here, he wouldn’t be chasing after some woman. He wouldn’t be helping the corporation that’s trying to destroy these forests that our family has called home for generations.