Raven Falls

by Jill Sanders

  “Right,” Raven nodded, fully understanding now.

  Her cousins were totally living off the resort’s money, along with their parents. No wonder they were upset at her. She’d just moved back with the promise to take all of their security away.

  Just one look at the place and anyone, including Cade Stone, could see that someone was siphoning the money, if there was any actually coming in, from the business.

  “So, are you working?” she asked Liza.

  “Working?” Liza balked. “As in”—she motioned with her many ringed fingers— “here?” She laughed.

  “Then, what are you doing for money?” Raven asked.

  Liza blinked at her, a blank look in her eyes.

  “Oh, I have some money saved up,” Liza added dryly.

  “Right.” Raven sighed. “And your brother?”

  Liza’s eyes grew colder, and Raven realized she’d gotten her answers.

  “Well.” Raven stood suddenly, knowing that if she was going to make the rounds to determine what needed to be done, she needed to get at it. Besides, she doubted she would gain any other knowledge from her cousin. “I need to start making my rounds.”

  “Rounds?” Liza stood up. “What is it, exactly, that you think you’re going to do around here that Daddy doesn’t already do?”

  Raven pasted on a smile. “For one, I’m going to schedule some remodeling. It’s time we brought the resort into this century,” she joked. “Second, I’m going to tighten the belt around here.” She locked eyes with her cousin. “The flow of money seeping out of the accounts will stop.”

  “You know,” Liza jumped in, “everyone in town blames you for the fire. You know that, right?”

  She’d witness her cousin’s changing moods before and had prepared for them over the past ten years.

  “What they or anyone else thinks about me no longer matters.” She felt her gut twist but held her ground.

  Walking out of the office with her iPad in hand, she decided to start at the bottom and work her way to the top. She hadn’t expected Liza to follow her around for half of it, complaining and trying to convince her to leave. Two hours later, her cousin Cal found her making notes about purchasing some new equipment in the kitchen.

  “So, it’s true.” Her cousin walked over and, to Raven’s surprise, hugged her. “You’re back.”

  Smiling, she nodded. Her cousin was even more handsome than she remembered. She knew that he had been hiding the secret of his sexuality from his family, but Raven knew the truth. Still, she kept his secret. It wasn’t hers to give away.

  “How are you?” she asked, setting down her iPad and getting a better look at him. “Liza says you’re modeling?”

  He shrugged. “A few gigs here and there.”

  “That’s great,” she said automatically.

  “Liza says you’re taking over this…”—he rolled his eyes— “hot mess.”

  “Trying to.” She leaned against the counter. So far, she hadn’t seen a single employee. Anywhere.

  “Good. It needs some serious help. Dad’s been absent lately.” He leaned closer and lowered his voice. “Rumors have him and his mistress spending a lot of time together. Which is why Mom drinks.” He sighed and shook his head. “You can find her in the bar upstairs or the one downtown most nights.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said.

  “Don’t be. She made her own bed. Both of them did.” His eyes ran over her slowly. “You’ve grown up. I like what you’ve done to yourself.”

  She laughed. “Ten years,” she reminded him. “You’ve gotten some new muscles and grown a few inches taller yourself.”

  He nodded. “You won’t hear a word of discouragement from me. I can’t say the same from my parents or sister. They’ll fight you right up to the end. I wouldn’t put it past them to sue you for control of this place.” He shook his head. “Don’t let them take it from you. Fight. I know you’ve got it in you. And Liza, well, she’ll come around, after she comes to grips with the fact that her access to unlimited income has to end.” He shrugged.

  “Yeah.” Raven sighed. “So, about that. I’m having my dad’s old accountant take over. I don’t want to put your family out, but unless they start working, actually working around here, things are going to have to change.”

  “Then change them,” he said with a smile.

  “What about you?” she asked, worried to make yet another enemy.

  “Girl, I’ve got a place to stay. I’ve been… seeing someone,” he said.

  She raised her eyebrows slightly.

  Cal’s eyes quickly ran over to the kitchen. “You’ll meet him soon enough, when the dinner shift starts. His name is Tim. He works here in the kitchen and wants to be a chef.” He shook his head. “During the season he’s a ski instructor.”

  “That’s wonderful. So, your family knows then?” she asked.

  He shook his head quickly. “No, they think I’m seeing… someone else. I know you’ve known for ever and, well, I think my secret is safe with you.”

  “It always has been.” She touched his arm. “It’s good to be back,” she said suddenly.

  “I’m glad your back.” He hugged her again. “Now, I’m off. My family doesn’t know it, but I have a part-time job down at an art studio in town.”

  “Good for you.” She nodded. “Before you go, is there anything else I need to know?”

  He thought for a moment. “My father’s mistress… happens to run the books for the resort.”

  “Morgan Roche?” she asked quickly.

  He nodded and walked away, waving over his shoulders. “See you later, cousin.”

  By noon, she’d run into a handful of employees around the facility.

  Liam Montford reintroduced himself as her uncle’s business manager. The middle-aged man reminded her of a retired lawyer. He was very careful in everything that he said to her and even wore a suit and tie. She scheduled a meeting with the man for the following afternoon, as he claimed his schedule was full for the rest of the day.

  She met Eddie Mimms, a younger version of Montford, who claimed to be the manager of the resort. She didn’t know what the difference was, between Liam Montford and Eddie but figured she would find out the following day, since both men seemed to be too busy for her.

  She ran into Rachelle Braun in the hallway. The woman had been running around, yelling at a few of the cleaning staff for smoking in the hallways.

  So far, Rachelle was the only employee Raven had met that was actually doing any work.

  “If you find some time later today, I’ll be in my uncle’s office. I’d like to sit down and have a quick chat,” Raven had requested.

  The woman had smiled and nodded. “Will after lunch work out?”

  “Perfectly. Thank you.”

  The woman practically sprinted down the hallway to finish talking to the cleaning crew.

  Deciding she needed a break and that it was time to face the rest of the music, she headed into town for lunch.

  Parking in front of the Cannon Falls Diner brought back so many memories. Her hands gripped the wheel tightly, and she had to breathe through another panic attack.

  The diner hadn’t changed a bit. The same neon sign hung over the old wood-sided building that sat just on the edge of town. Its outlying location had saved it from the fate the rest of the buildings in town had paid.

  It took her almost ten minutes to build up the guts to walk into the diner. Just watching townspeople come and go added to her nerves, people she vaguely remembered or wondered if she should remember.

  Finally, she took a deep breath, climbed out of her car, and walked inside.

  Instantly, her eyes scanned the familiar surroundings.

  “I thought you were going to sit in there forever,” a deep voice said directly behind her as she stepped inside.

  Turning, she saw Cade sitting on a barstool by the front door.

  She’d been so nervous, she hadn’t even seen him. From his position, he mus
t have been able to clearly see her sitting in the car. She kicked herself for not parking further away.

  When he motioned to the stool next to his, she tried to think of a reason not to join him.

  Then a loud piercing squeal filled the diner. She jumped and spun around.

  “Raven!” Darby Nabers, one of Raven’s best friends, rushed towards her and engulfed her in a tight hug.

  Darby, or Darb, had been a steady friend most of Raven’s life. The bubbly, energetic blonde had been like Phoebe from Friends in their group. Carrie Edwards had been their Monica. Which left Raven as the Rachel in the group. Well, they’d been a lot younger back then.

  She’d kept in contact with Darby and Carrie over the years, though not by her doing. Darby was the kind of person that just wouldn’t let go. Like cling wrap, she tended to stick to you.

  After Raven had moved in with her grandmother, Darby had hunted her down and, ever since then, they’d texted one another on an almost weekly basis.

  She knew everything about her friends’ lives. Darby still ran her family’s diner with her dad, Steve. Her mother, Barb, had died in the fire ten years ago, which was one of the reasons Raven found it hard to stay in contact with her friend. But Darby had made it perfectly clear that she didn’t blame Raven for her mother’s death. And, after ten years, Raven believed her.

  Carrie had started her very own travel guide newspaper a few years ago. Her online version was more popular than the paper one that went out once a week. She mainly talked about current world affairs or places she’d traveled to. Both Darby and Raven believed the small town was holding their friend back from greatness. But Carrie loved the lifestyle in Cannon Falls and took several long trips each year to exotic places.

  “You’re here. You’re really here,” Darby said, spinning her around.

  Laughing, Raven stopped her from knocking a few customers over.

  “I am,” she agreed.

  Then Darby dropped her hands and narrowed her eyes. “I’m mad at you.” She pointed a finger into Raven’s face. “You didn’t tell me you were coming.”

  “Sure I did.”

  “You said you were thinking about it. Thinking. You didn’t say, ‘I’m coming.’” She shook her head. “Oh!” She pulled out her phone. “I have to tell Carrie you’re here.” She shot off a text. “The three musketeers are back together.” She held up her hand, and Raven lifted hers as well in the friends’ salute as she laughed. “Sit.” She pushed Raven into the stool next to Cade, taking the decision to sit somewhere else away from her. “I’ll get you your favorite.” She quickly disappeared.

  “I take it the two of you know each other?” Cade said dryly.

  Raven chuckled and sighed. “Best friends in school,” she explained.

  “Right.” He nodded.

  “Darby’s friendly with everyone,” she admitted with a smile as she watched her friend disappear into the back.

  “She doesn’t seem to like your cousin or aunt and uncle much,” he pointed out.

  Raven’s back tensed. “They’re an… acquired taste.” She wished more than anything she could scoot over or, better yet, sit somewhere else.

  “How goes your assessment of the place?” he asked, taking a sip of his drink.

  “Fine,” she answered, unwilling to give him anything further.

  It was then that she noticed the old dog lying by his feet. She hadn’t even spotted him when she’d walked in.

  Nodding, she asked. “Is he yours?”

  Cade glanced down at the snoring dog and smiled. Up until then, she hadn’t seen him smile. The movement transformed his entire being. Somehow, he went from a sexy broody alpha male to a too-hot-to-handle sex god with the slight curve of his lips.

  Damn. She was in deep trouble. How the hell was she going to keep her secrets from a man who looked at her with eyes that seemed to bore into her soul?

  She knew he wanted answers about that night ten years ago. So did most of the people who had survived. But she just couldn’t give them to anyone. There was no way she could live with herself if her secrets were exposed. No amount of counseling could save her from the fate of saying the words out loud. Even alone.

  She’d resolved herself to taking what had happened on her seventeenth birthday to her grave and no amount of sexy, sulky looks from Cade Stone could ever make her reveal her darkest secrets.

  Chapter Four

  There were never butterflies, just fire

  Cade sat on the stool next to Raven and observed the interaction of the three friends with a watchful eye.

  It was extremely hard to not get drawn into the laughter and fun. Especially when Darby and Carrie were involved. Over the years, he’d come to like both women. Darby for her quirkiness and ability to make anyone laugh, no matter how bad their day was going. Carrie for her seriousness and her ability to ask all the wrong questions at the wrong times.

  Both ladies had survived the fire and had remained friends with Raven Brooks, the proof of which was displayed directly in front of him.

  While he watched the trio, he realized that Raven was still so reserved. Guarded.

  He surmised it had something to do with him sitting directly next to her. Then again, it could be that every single eye in the diner was on her.

  No one in the place was watching the trio as if enjoying the friend’s reunion. Instead, they watched Raven with spiteful gazes.

  Some of those looks were downright scary, and he wondered if anyone would have confronted her if he hadn’t been sitting next to her. He didn’t want to find out, not this early in the game, at any rate.

  He needed to get information and answers out of her. Which meant he couldn’t afford for her to get spooked out of town. Not just yet.

  So he stretched his lunch out a little longer and waited for the friends to wrap up their reunion.

  When Raven and Carrie walked out of the diner, he was right behind them.

  Carrie gave Raven a hug, glanced at him, gave him a quick nod, then disappeared down the street, no doubt to the little building she rented for the newspaper she wrote.

  “Why are you still here?” Raven turned on him.

  “I live here,” he answered easily.

  Raven’s eyes narrowed at him, then Blue walked over and nudged her leg with his nose.

  Seeing the smile brighten her face as she bent down and gave his dog a pet, he felt his heart skip slightly at how utterly beautiful she was.

  He’d always believed her to be plain looking when she’d been younger. So much had changed.

  “What’s his name?” she asked, smiling up at him.

  “Blue,” he answered. His dog’s ears perked up slightly.

  “Blue?” Raven questioned. “What a… unique name.” She chuckled when the dog nudged her for more attention.

  “He came with it,” he said. When she looked up at him in question, he added, “He flunked out of the police force. It was his lifelong dream, when he was a young pup, to be a search-and-rescue-dog, but alas, his training interrupted his nap time too much.” He shrugged slightly and enjoyed the sound of her laughter.

  This time when she stood up, he saw kindness in her eyes rather than concern.

  “They say you can tell the kind of person by the company they keep.” She tilted her head slightly and assessed him. “Blue, here, proves that you can be a kind person.”

  His eyebrows rose slightly. “Did Blue tell you that?”

  “No, but my gran always says that she never trusted a person who didn’t like dogs.”

  Since she’d given him the opening, he figured he’d take it.

  “Your gran and mine were best friends,” he said.

  She looked slightly surprised, before nodding. “Yes, I seem to remember that. How is your grandmother?”

  “She’s doing well.”

  “Is she still living in the big place?” Her voice dropped off slightly, and he saw worry fill her eyes.

  “Yes,” he added quickly. “She was lucky
that it was spared since it was made of stone and set aside from the rest of the homes due to the yard being much larger.”

  “That’s good.” She seemed to shrink back as if disappearing into her thoughts. Her eyes moved to the diner and then down at her watch. “I have… a meeting.” She started to move away.

  He wanted to say something more, to get her to feel more relaxed around him. It was the only way to get her to trust him and open up. But instead, he snapped his fingers and helped Blue into his truck and then watched her drive away in an older sedan.

  As he was making his afternoon inspection rounds, he ran into Jake Green, who owned and ran a local landscaping business, All Things Green.

  “Hey, man.” Jake bent to give Blue some attention. “You’re just in time. We’re celebrating getting the new gig up at the resort.”

  “Oh?” Cade asked, a little curious.

  “Yeah, I guess Raven Brooks is back in town. Seems like she wants to do an entire overhaul on the grounds,” Jake said.

  “Really?” He figured on letting Jake tell him everything, since he knew the man was a talker.

  “Yeah. We sure needed the job. You know how it’s been lately. Not a lot of people can afford to have someone do their yard work. But getting the job to do the entire grounds up on the resort…” He whistled. “Not just maintenance, but an entire restoration. She wants plants, new pathways, the whole nine yards.”

  “That’s good.” Cade wondered where the money was coming from. His grandmother had mentioned that Raven had attended business school in San Diego shortly after graduating high school, when she’d moved in with her grandmother.

  Since his grandmother had lost contact with Raven’s grandmother two years ago, she didn’t know much more.

  Rumors around town were that the resort was in the red. Deeply so.

  Everyone knew that it was just a matter of time before it went under. The people and businesses in town that had depended on the resort for their income had been suffering for a while. Many had decided to leave Cannon Falls for the city.

  After the fire, some had rebuilt, but of the survivors, more than half had picked up and left everything behind, leaving plenty of vacant lots with charred foundations where their lives had once flourished.