Hope Falls_Accidental Gifts

by Elena Aitken

  She craned her head around, trying to get a better look through the windshield. “They go on forever!”

  “They sure look like it.” Max chuckled. “But I can tell you from firsthand experience, they don’t. I’ve stood on the top of that one.”

  “What?” Tess whipped around to stare at him. “You did what?” She turned back in the direction he pointed. “That one?”

  “That’s the one. Mount Athabasca. It’s actually a pretty basic hike most of the way. Once you get to altitude, there’s some scrambling and real climbing though. We could go if you want?”

  “What?” Tess shook her head. “No. I don’t think so.”

  “You don’t hike?” His eyes were teasing, but his question was serious. “At all?”

  “Well…” She looked out the window again. “No. Not really.” And by not really she meant not at all. Not unless you counted a long walk through a city park, but she was pretty sure Max wouldn’t.

  “I can’t believe that,” he said. “Okay, actually I can.”

  “Pardon?” She glared at him. “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “Just that you don’t really seem like the hiking type. I mean, no offense, but you don’t seem like the outdoor type at all. I’m surprised, actually.”

  “How so?”

  “Your bio.”

  Bio. Tess racked her brain. What bio?

  “On your website,” he continued. “It said something about Clara Clark spending as much time outdoors as she could. Blah blah blah. Hiking through rain forests, camping on beaches.”

  Oh shit. Of course. Clara’s bio read like something out of an adventure magazine. Primarily because she only dated men who would whisk her to exotic locations around the globe and do crazy things like that with her. Of course Max would have done his research on her. Or Clara. She shook her head. It was a good thing there were no head shot pictures of Clara on her website. She’d chosen for more of a “lifestyle” approach. Which meant there were only shots of her hiking and skiing and…doing the very things Tess had just admitted she’d never done.

  Shit.

  She had to think quickly because something told her Max would not take kindly to knowing he’d been totally duped by an out of work payroll clerk, instead of the professional he’d hired. “Oh, that.” She waved her hand and tried for a super casual tone. “I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but those website bios are all propaganda. I mean, don’t hold it against me or anything, but…” She leaned in for effect, and was almost thrown off her story by the scent of him. All raw, masculine and…damn. Tess took a deep breath to steady herself, but it backfired as her senses filled with the scent that was pure Max. She leaned back and with some concentrated effort, finished what she was trying to say. “It’s all made up to appeal to a wide audience.” She barely managed to get the words out. How was it even possible for one man to smell so freakin’ good?

  “Is that right?” His mouth twisted up into a sly grin, and for a second, Tess was pretty sure she was going to get called out. Instead, he said, “Well then, I think it’s time you quit lying.”

  “What?”

  Maybe she was going to get called out. A trail of cold sweat beaded along her spine.

  Crap. Crap. Crap.

  How the hell was she going to get out of this? If he called her out on lying to him, it was over. Clara would kill her and worse, she wouldn’t get paid and she’d lose her apartment. And him.

  That thought came out of nowhere. She didn’t have him, so she couldn’t possibly lose him. But she could lose the time she was spending with him, which to her surprise, she was enjoying more and more.

  It was almost worth the stress of the whole thing.

  “I’m not lying,” she finally managed to squeak the words out.

  “You are too—you just said so.” His smile told her he knew a lot more than he was saying, but to her relief, all he said was, “About your bio.”

  The bio. Of course.

  “Why would you say all those things in your bio if you didn’t mean them? And more to the point, why not actually start to experience those things so you aren’t lying anymore?”

  “Wait. What?”

  He wasn’t busting her. He was just calling her to task.

  “I mean, you can change your bio,” he continued. “Or…I’ll just spend the next few days helping you cross off some of those things off your list. How does that sound?”

  Terrible was how it sounded. The very idea of Tess trying to be even half as adventurous as Clara was terrified her. But then when she looked at Max, she couldn’t help it. He was so assured, so confident, and so damn sexy. “I think it sounds good,” she said before she even knew the words had come out of her mouth. “Let’s do it.”

  5

  Max certainly hadn’t thought she would agree so easily. What he’d really expected was for her to come clean about who she was and then they could actually begin the process of getting to know each other and possibly…no. He couldn’t think about what would come after they got to know each other. Because really, what was that? Sex? A relationship?

  The very thought of the word almost caused him to laugh out loud. He’d never had a relationship, but it wasn’t because of the reasons most people would suspect. It wasn’t because he was a loner, a wanderer who never wanted to settle down. Not at all. He’d never had an actual relationship because he’d never had that feeling before. The feeling that he couldn’t live one day without seeing a woman. That feeling in the pit of his stomach that told him she was the one.

  Max had never had any of that. And when he did, he’d know it was right and he’d do anything to make it real.

  “We’re almost there.” He pointed out the window as he turned the truck onto the side road that would take them up to Castle Mountain Lodge. “If you look out your window, you’ll see the sign soon.”

  She shook her head. “I still can’t believe I’m here. This is absolutely beautiful. I mean, Mountain Ridge Outdoor Adventures was pretty, but…”

  “There’s nothing quite like the Canadian Rockies,” he finished for her. “I’ve traveled all over this world, and there definitely are some amazing places out there, but there’s no place like—”

  “Home?”

  Max laughed. “It’s home for now, I guess. And I plan to enjoy every moment of it.” He glanced at her and held her gaze for a moment. He also planned to enjoy every moment with her.

  “Oh. I see it.”

  Max turned his focus back to the road as they passed the large wooden sign announcing their arrival. He knew it would only be a moment before the Lodge came into view. And then—

  “Oh my goodness.” Tess practically bounced in her seat. “It’s…it’s absolutely spectacular.”

  A grin crossed his face, because it was spectacular. The main building of Castle Mountain Lodge was constructed of a mixture of huge logs and natural stone that almost melted into the surrounding mountains and forest. He parked the truck right out front of the oversized sliding glass doors. Almost immediately, Ryan Morrison, the guests service manager, greeted them and opened Tess’s door for her. Max had let him know there were coming, and told him he planned to give Tess the entire Castle Mountain experience.

  “Welcome to Castle Mountain Lodge.” Ryan held out his hand for Tess to take as she stepped down out of the truck.

  “Thank you. It’s absolutely amazing.”

  “Oh, you haven’t seen anything yet.” Max joined her next to the truck. “Wait until we go inside.”

  “I think you’re going to enjoy your stay here. I’m Ryan, the guest services manager, and if there is anything I can do to make your stay more enjoyable, please don’t hesitate to ask. Although, I’m pretty sure you’re in good hands here with Max.”

  Tess laughed. It was a beautiful sound. “I’m Te—Clara Clark. Thank you so much for having me here on such short notice. I’m really looking forward to seeing the Lodge firsthand and seeing how we can help you implement some of the acti
vities Max and I have already discussed.”

  He had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. She was trying so hard to maintain the role of business consultant. He really needed her to let it go. And he was hoping that the very first thing he had planned for her would do just that.

  “She’s in very good hands.” Max handed Ryan the keys to his truck. “In fact, I have a full schedule planned for us, so we should get started.”

  “Absolutely.” Ryan gave Max an envelope. “I’ve booked Ms. Clark into our second best room. My apologies, Clara, but our very best room is taken by some very special guests and friends of the Lodge, Gage Mitchell and his girlfriend, Megan Powers.”

  “Gage Mitchell? Really? Isn’t he the star of…”

  “Tumbleweed,” Ryan finished for her. “Yes, he is. He and his girlfriend, Megan, try to come back to visit a few times a year. They actually met here and fell in love. The Lodge is kind of a special place for them. In fact, Castle Mountain Lodge is known for bringing people together. Lots of couples fall in love at the Lodge.”

  Ryan looked pointedly between Max and Tess, a look Max didn’t miss. He’d heard the stories of all the people who’d come together at the Lodge; he just never thought he’d be one of them.

  Until now.

  Tess had only been at Castle Mountain Lodge for less than an hour and already she didn’t want to leave. Ever.

  It was amazing, but that wasn’t even the best word to describe it. Not even close. It just didn’t feel adequate to explain the feeling that had come over her the moment she’d stepped out of Max’s truck.

  Peaceful. Inspired. Home.

  Tess shook her head and splashed water on her face. She needed to clear her mind. She was being ridiculous. Of course it was easy to feel at home in a spectacular condo suite with a mountain directly out her back floor-to-ceiling windows. When Ryan said it was their second best room, she had been prepared for a stunning room. But nothing could have prepared her for what she actually got. But it wasn’t the furnishings, which were lovely, but the location and the view and just the overall feeling of the place. It was indescribable. Especially for a city girl like her. She’d always preferred city views. A downtown, high-rise hotel looking out on the skyline of a major city: that was what she’d preferred.

  Maybe all that time, she’d been wrong. But maybe it wasn’t just the mountains and the fresh air that was making her feel things she’d never felt before. Maybe it was only just a part of it?

  There was a knock on the bathroom door. “Are you almost ready in there?”

  Max waited for her in the living room of her suite while she went to change in preparation for their first adventure. She had a living room. “Almost,” she called back. The truth was, she was nowhere near ready. But at this point, she didn’t think she’d ever be ready for whatever Max had planned. Because the more time she spent with Max, the harder it was to lie to him. Maybe if she could just get him to sign off on their contract, declaring the job done, maybe then she could come clean to him?

  Yeah, right, Tess. And maybe he won’t totally hate you for lying to him all along.

  Tess tugged her hair up into a ponytail. He was totally going to hate her. She either didn’t say anything at all and squash the feelings she was undeniably starting to have. Or she could tell him the truth and he’d hate her. Either way, she lost.

  “Nice job, Tess. You’ve really screwed things up this time.” Her reflection in the mirror gave nothing away. With one last sigh, she pasted on her best I’m ready for this smile and headed out to meet Max and see what he had lined up for her.

  When she finally emerged into the main room of her suite, Max had his back to the room and stood at the picture window, staring out at the mountain. Like a clichéd movie scene, she paused and watched him a moment, using the opportunity to check him out without his noticing.

  If circumstances were different…

  No. There was no point thinking about it. They would never work out, anyway. Whoever said opposites attract clearly didn’t live in the real world. Even if there was a mutual attraction, and no extraneous circumstances, it would never work. There was no point giving it any more thought.

  “Ready?”

  He turned around and smiled. “Always. And you look substantially more ready for some time in the outdoors than you did the other day.”

  Tess laughed because she knew the words ready for time in the outdoors was a huge stretch. She’d scoured the depths of her closet for something that looked remotely as though it could pass for “mountain adventure” gear. She wasn’t sure her pink plaid shirt and oldest jeans did the trick, but it was the best she could do. “Honestly, this type of thing isn’t usually something I’m prepared for.”

  “You don’t say.” He winked at her as he walked past. When his hand brushed hers, thrills shot up her arm. “But you look great, and absolutely perfect for what I have in mind today.”

  She followed him across the room and out the front door, stopping only long enough to grab a bottle of water. It wasn’t until she was sitting next to him in an open top Jeep that she thought to ask him what exactly he had in mind for the day.

  Having her sit so close to him, smelling so damn good, it took all Max had to focus on the rough road as they bumped along. Every once in a while, Tess bounced up in the seat and grabbed the handle to hold herself still. “Sorry the road is so rough,” he said, not really sorry at all. Watching her trying to keep her composure was one of the cutest things he’d seen in a long time. And it didn’t hurt that the tank top she wore under the ridiculous plaid shirt—that was thankfully unbuttoned just enough to notice—was nice and snug on her curves. “Normally I’d start hiking right from the Lodge, but given that you don’t have a lot of experience in the woods, I thought it might be better to drive some of the way. It was that or a horse ride, which I could—”

  “No. The Jeep is fine.”

  He couldn’t help it; he laughed at her. “Don’t tell me you’ve never been on a horse either?” He shook his head. “Man, that bio of yours really is a piece of fiction.”

  Tess’s lips pressed into a thin line. “It’s not that it’s fiction…”

  “It’s just that it’s totally fabricated.” He grinned and decided to push a little harder. “I have to think that it’s not very ethical to misrepresent yourself that way. What else have you misrepresented yourself about? Are you really a business consultant? What exactly is your expertise in advising on this type of job?” Her eyes were wide, and he could see a flash of panic reflected there. It wasn’t his intention to upset her; he just wanted the truth. No, he needed the truth. “I’m pretty sure we hired you based on the information in your bio,” he continued. “After all, you present yourself not only as an expert of business analysis, but on an adventure lifestyle. On paper, you were the perfect person for this job. But in real life…”

  “What are you saying, Max?” She turned in her seat and stared at him.

  He had to admire her courageousness. She was clearly in a losing situation, but she wasn’t giving in.

  “What I’m saying is that I think you’ve been misrepresenting yourself.”

  She took a deep breath. “Okay.”

  “Okay?”

  “I’ll tell you the—oh my God. What’s that?”

  Max slammed on the brakes with her outburst and turned around to see what she was pointing at.

  “Is that a…”

  “A moose.” He put his hand on hers in an effort to calm her because it was indeed a beautiful bull moose, standing just through the trees off the road and watching them. “I can’t remember the last time I was so close to one.” He kept his voice low. “Good eye. I would have missed him.”

  “Is he…will he…”

  Max slipped his hand around hers and squeezed to keep it from trembling. “He won’t hurt us. He’s just curious. Kind of like we are. As long as we don’t spook him and he doesn’t feel threatened, it’ll be fine.”

  The animal was ma
gnificent, but his strong presence had nothing on the beauty sitting next to Max.

  “You’ve never seen a moose before?”

  She shook her head, her eyes fixed on the creature. But Max only had eyes for her and the wonderment on her face as she gazed at the animal. “I’ve seen an elk,” she said. “And deer of course.”

  “Of course.” Max tried not to smile.

  “But…wow. It’s…I just can’t…”

  He was so caught up watching Tess watch the moose that Max didn’t even realize he’d started to stroke the top of her hand with his thumb. It was completely inappropriate, but it felt right in that moment.

  And then the moment was over.

  “Oh,” she said. “He’s leaving.”

  By the time Max turned around to see, he could only make out the retreating form of the huge animal moving away. As big as they were, moose could move very quickly, and shockingly quietly. Not that he would have noticed if the creature had made a huge noise—Max was way too fixated on Tess.

  “That was so cool.” Tess pulled her hand away from his, and immediately Max wanted to pull it back, and pull her back. Closer to him. Much closer. With an effort, he placed both his hands on the steering wheel to keep from reaching out to her again and continued the drive to the trailhead. For the rest of the drive, Tess chattered on about the moose and how she’d wished she had a camera.

  “We’re here,” Max announced as he pulled the Jeep into a small clearing on the side of the road.

  “We’re where?” Tess propped herself up on her hands and peered around. “I don’t see anything. I thought you were going to show me—”