by Cassie Hayes
He tried to push the thought from his head, but it crept back in like a mangy coyote, skulking around in the darkness of his soul. If the grand opening of The Eyrie at Yosemite Flats was delayed by so much as a month, increased labor costs, a bigger marketing budget, and lost income would burn through his budget faster than Sophia could snarf down prosciutto-wrapped dates. Which would mean doing the unthinkable: calling his dad for help.
No, he’d just have to figure it out himself. This was his deal and he refused to run to his powerful father for help. He loved and respected Richard Conrad — he’d built a hotel empire from nothing, after all — but Grayson had lived in his shadow for too long. He’d pushed hard for his father to give his stamp of approval on The Eyrie project, and when he finally gave it, Grayson made it very clear that he wanted Richard to keep his opinions about it to himself. And to his credit, he agreed.
What Richard Conrad didn’t suspect at the time, was that Grayson fully intended to make Yosemite Flats his new hometown. He wanted to start a new life for himself and Sophia outside of the frenetic energy of Los Angeles. Kicking it off by bullying local officials would only earn him a reputation as a ruthless businessman who’d do anything to win. He didn’t want to be that guy. He wanted to be the guy who brought jobs and tourists to a tight-knit community filled with good people.
And to that end, things were going well. Sure, Sophia complained endlessly about the lack of sushi, but she was slowly acclimating to small-town life. Grayson had put in a lot of face-time at local events over the last several months, and all that hard work was paying off. People seemed to genuinely like him, and even better, he liked them right back. Every day, Yosemite Flats felt more and more like home.
Grayson glanced at his watch as he pulled up to a tidy little house in the middle of town. The small front lawn was brown and dried out, just like everyone else’s in California, thanks to the prolonged drought, but the house’s pale yellow paint lent a note of cheerfulness to the neighborhood.
As he climbed out of his car, the screen door screeched open and a voluptuous brunette sauntered out, leaning one curvy hip against the porch rail and crossing her arms, which boosted her already impressive gifts.
“You’re late,” she cooed through glossy red lips.
“Only by two minutes,” Grayson said with his most charming smile as he approached the house. “Can you ever forgive me?”
The blush that flooded her pretty cheeks told him he was already forgiven, if he’d reallybeen in trouble in the first place. Just then, the screen door slammed open again, and a screaming pink blur of holy terror hurtled toward him.
“Daddy!”
Chapter Two
“How do you find anything in this mess, Mom?” Alexandria grumbled as she moved another stack of old bills and junk mail in the search for the hotel’s checkbook.
Her oldest brother, Brett, and her younger brother, Hale, dug around in other cluttered corners and nooks of the dusty old office, while their mother, Charlotte, inspected her nails in the doorway. Brett and Hale hadn’t changed a bit over the last two years, except for maybe a touch of grey at Brett’s temples. They were both a good head taller than her and built like lumberjacks. Of course, Hale kind of was a lumberjack and Brett was in construction, but she wasn’t sure what came first — the body type or the career. Regardless, they were as ruggedly handsome as ever, much as she hated to admit it.
Alexandria couldn’t get over the change in her mom. She kept slyly glancing over to make sure the thin, haggard creature was actually Charlotte Luther. She’d always taken great pride in her appearance, never leaving the family’s living quarters without full makeup and hair, and dressed in the most stylish clothes the family budget would allow.
This new Charlotte had lost weight she couldn’t afford to lose, and she didn’t wear a stitch of makeup, save for a dried-up coat of red lipstick that was mostly chewed off. The nails she was picking at wore no polish, unthinkable when Lex was growing up. And instead of complimenting her ex-tomboy daughter on her sense of style, Charlotte has muttered something that sounded suspiciously like “tramp” when she thought Alexandria wasn’t listening.
Nice.
Charlotte simply shrugged at Lex’s question. “Your dad had a system, I never could figure it out. Guess things just piled up after…”
She choked on her words, and Hale, the most sensitive of the Luther kids, wrapped a comforting arm around their mother. “Why don’t you go take a lie-down before dinner, Mom? We’ll keep looking, okay?”
Charlotte beamed up at him, then cast her smile on Brett. “You boys take such good care of me.”
Alexandria wasn’t surprised that her mother didn’t so much as glance in her direction as she shuffled out of the office. Charlotte’s affection for her, as much as she had to begin with, apparently died along with her husband. Now if only she could stop feeling hurt every time the woman slighted her like that. But if two years away hadn’t dulled her emotions, nothing would.
“Typical,” Alexandria said with a huff.
Brett, the most down-to-earth of the Luther kids, frowned at her. “You expect her to throw you a parade for coming home every couple of years? Not to put too fine a point on it, Lex, but Hale, Nash and I are here every day.”
Guilt washed over her, knowing her dad would have been disappointed by her long absence. But after the humiliating scene at his funeral, she honestly never believed she’d step foot in Yosemite Flats again. Yet here she was, thanks to some well-timed guilt-tripping from her brothers.
The last thing she wanted was to get into a fight with them on her first night home. There would be plenty of opportunities for that. Time to deflect and distract.
“Where is Nash, anyway?” she asked.
“The casino has him working nights now,” Brett said, giving her a shrewd look as he fingered through a banker’s box of old documents. “And don’t change the subject.”
She huffed in frustration and shoved another stack of papers aside instead of meeting his eyes. “You know exactly why I stayed away, Brett.”
“Not this again. Don’t you think it’s time to get over it already?”
Her jaw worked as her mother’s cruel words echoed in her memory. If you’d come back after college and helped him like you promised, he wouldn’t have died. Right at his graveside, in front of God and the entire population of Yosemite Flats.
Russell Luther had been a man of great influence, and even greater friends. The town had mourned for months, her brothers informed her. So had she. Two years later, and she still hadn’t fully processed the loss. Probably never would.
Finally meeting Brett’s gaze, she jammed her fists onto her hips and glared up at him. “Exactly how does someone ‘get over’ her mother blaming her for her father’s heart attack? Tell me, please, because I’ve been trying to and haven’t been able to manage that miracle. Even my shrink is at a loss.”
Brett crossed his arms and scowled back at her, but Hale dropped an arm over her shoulder. “Lex, you know she didn’t really mean it.”
“Didn’t she? Then why hasn’t she reached out to apologize? Not once…in two years.”
Hale glanced at Brett, who shrugged and went back to searching for the checkbook. “Imagine losing the love of your life. Forty years together, working as a team, and one day, you’re all alone. Mom was delusional with grief for a month, did you know that?”
In fact, she didn’t. After her untimely departure from town, her brothers hadn’t contacted her for several months. At the time, she’d thought they were giving her space, but now she wondered if they were simply mad at her.
“She kept seeing Dad walking around corners, but he was always gone before she could catch up.” Hale shook his head. “She sank into a deep depression, sis. Still is, but she refuses to talk to anyone about it. The three of us help out where we can, but the inn was never our thing, you know that. Not to mention, we have our own lives to deal with.”
Brett practically gro
wled. Oh, right. He’d gone through a nasty divorce not long after their father’s passing. He must have been a wreck — well, as much of a wreck as solid, even-keeled Brett could ever be. Hale was just coming into his own as an adult, and really could have used a few more years with Russell. And if any of them was in need of more guidance, it was Nash, who loved to act the “player” but loved and respected their father even more.
The anger and defensiveness inside her drained away, replaced by guilt that flipped her guts inside out. She’d been consumed by her grief and resentment for so long, there’d been no room for compassion. She hadn’t just turned her back on her spiteful mother, she’d abandoned her entire family. They didn’t deserve that.
“I’m so sorry, you guys,” she whispered. “I’m sorry for being so selfish.”
Hale gave her a squeeze. “Hey, you’re here now; that’s what counts. Right, Brett?”
Her older brother only grunted in response, but when he turned, his face was more relaxed. A good sign that he’d moved past her juvenile tantrum. She vowed to stop acting like a petulant child, no matter how much her mother goaded her.
“Sure. And while you’re here, you can help by figuring out the finances.” Brett tossed an ancient, burnished leather check portfolio on the cluttered antique roll-top desk. “Tomorrow. Right now, I need a beer. You?”
“I haven’t had a beer in so long…” Alexandria’s mouth watered at the thought.
Brett gave her the side-eye. “What’re you drinking down there in La-La-Land? Cosmos or something?”
“How do you know what cosmos are?” She laughed, looping one arm through Brett’s and the other through Hale’s as they left the office on the second floor.
The family living quarters — a three-bedroom suite of rooms at the far end of the hallway — were to the left. They turned right down the wood-paneled hallway toward a staircase straight out of Gone with the Wind that would lead them to the bliss of a fresh-poured draft.
“What am I, a Neanderthal?”
“Well…” she teased.
“How’s work down there in the big city?” Hale asked. She loved his earnestness. He was always so present in a conversation. Like he really cared. So refreshing after all the Hollywood phonies she’d met.
“Pretty good, actually. I’m up for a promotion.”
“Yeah?”
“Yup. General Manager of the Marina del Rey location.”
Brett frowned. “Wait, didn’t you apply for that job a few years ago?”
She grimaced. “Yeah. Didn’t get it. My boss put in a good word this time though.”
For the last few years, Alexandria had played the game. She’d put on a happy face to prove to them she was right for the job, if and when it ever came open again. As luck would have it, that GM moved up and now the job was hers for the taking.
As they walked, Alexandria noticed empty room service trays and the occasional pair of shoes waiting to be shined outside several doors. More than she ever recalled. “How’s the occupancy rate been?”
“Pretty good,” Brett said. “The new resort build has had it almost to capacity for months.”
“What resort?”
“The Eyrie at Yosemite Flats,” Hale explained. “They’re building behind the inn. See?”
He led her to a window looking out over what had once been a beautiful meadow full of wildflowers and deer. A meadow she’d spent hours on end playing in with her brothers and Zoe. Now it was a muddy eyesore of a construction site with a hideous half-finished building marring the landscape.
“What a shame,” she said with a sigh. “They’re staying here? Our competition? That’s weird.”
Brett shrugged. “No one else could accommodate so many of them. Besides, Grayson’s a really great guy.”
Alexandria’s ears, among other things, perked up. “Grayson?”
“Yeah, Grayson Conrad,” Hale confirmed. “He’s brought a lot of jobs to town, and more to come once the resort opens. It’s an upscale place, so we won’t lose much, if any, business. Some of the out-of-town crew are staying here, including Grayson and Sophia.”
She couldn’t stop the spike of disappointment that stabbed her heart, even though she shouldn’t have been surprised. No way was a guy that good-looking single. It was the lack of a wedding ring that had fooled her. Men in LA often went without rings, which she thought was particularly skeevy. But even if he wasn’t married, he probably had an entire harem of gorgeous model-types to keep him company on business trips. Still, she couldn’t stop herself from trying to ease her curiosity.
“Who’s Sophia?”
“Only the love of my life,” said a voice from behind them. She whirled around to find the man himself smirking down at her. “Would you like to meet her?”
It took a gargantuan effort for Grayson to not chuckle at Alexandria’s flaming red cheeks and obvious discomfort. He shouldn’t have teased her so mercilessly when he didn’t even know her, but he couldn’t help himself. It was almost too easy.
“Or better yet,” he continued, “why don’t you have dinner with us?”
Brett and Hale Luther exchanged curious glances. “You know our sister?” Brett asked.
Alexandria coughed. “No…um, I mean, yes…um…,” she stuttered, casting a pleading look at him. She needn’t have worried that he’d embarrass her by telling her big — very big — brothers that they’d flirted over coffee. He preferred his ass bootprint-free.
“Not really,” he explained smoothly, although his heart was thumping in his chest at the mere sight of her in that white dress. He could have happily walked behind her for the rest of the night, but dinner with such a beauty was even better. “Just chatted at Starbucks while we waited for our coffees. I should have realized who you were by your last name. So how about it? I’d love to introduce you to my better half.”
“Hey, that’s a great idea, sis,” said an all-too-observant Hale, shoving his sister toward Grayson. If the man knew what Grayson had been imagining doing to his sister, he might not have been so eager to push them together.
“Won’t Mom want me—“
“I’m sure she won’t mind,” Brett interrupted, giving her a grim look that spoke of family drama.
Alexandria stiffened and her mouth pursed as the siblings communicated silently. Finally, she turned to Grayson with a forced smile. “Then I’d love to join you. Lead the way.”
Surprisingly, she needed no help managing the stairs in her stilettos. They were ridiculously out of place in a small town like Yosemite Flats, but oh how they showcased her…assets. A vision of the shoes wrapped around his hips flashed in his head before he willed the image away.
“So—” he tried to say, but had to clear the frog from his throat first. “So you’re only in town for a short visit?”
“Couple of weeks. I’m in hotel management in LA. I guess Mom let things go after Dad died, so I’m here to help get this beast running smoothly again. I think I’d rather have gone to Tahiti for my vacation, but…family first, right?”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
He knew plenty of women back in LA who couldn’t have agreed less. Their top priorities were looking good, being seen and marrying well. Careers were often chosen as a means to an end. But not for this country girl-turned-city girl. Interesting. Maybe she wasn’t a typical lemon-drop after all.
“Where do you work? I know a few people in the industry.” Even to his own ears that sounded pretentious. So much for leaving behind the falseness of the city.
Thankfully, she smiled. His heart skipped a beat at the sight of it.
“I bet you do. The Conrad Group is our biggest competitor. I work for Stellar Hotels.”
Grayson nodded his recognition, but had to bite his tongue to stop from chuckling at the comparison. While it was certainly possible that Stellar considered The Conrad Group their biggest competitor, Stellar was barely a blip on the radar for his father’s company. On top of that, Stellar didn’t have the best repu
tation in the industry, either by customers or employees.
“Wonderful,” he finally managed, hoping she’d had better experiences than others he’d met.
For some reason he couldn’t understand, he felt incredibly protective of this woman, despite the fact he had no doubt she could handle herself. He even had to force himself to not rest his hand on her lower back.
As they entered the hotel’s dining room — complete with gold-and-burgundy fabric wall coverings, dark wood panels and a blazing fireplace — Grayson paused to drag out the suspense. Alexandria’s eyes flicked around the room, and he knew she was searching for a single woman, but the twenty or so tables were filled with his workers and a handful of couples. The only single female in the room was Sophia, her head-full of brown curls bent over her phone playing a game, just as he’d left her a few minutes earlier under Jacob’s watchful eye at the next table.
His heart filled with a love that still had the power to stagger him. He wasn’t lying when he called her the love of his life. He couldn’t imagine loving someone more than his beautiful, stubborn, smart, willful daughter. Then she glanced up and smiled, and his knees nearly buckled.
Alexandria caught the connection, but still hadn’t put it all together. Time to end the torment, as much fun as it was. When he led her to their table, Sophia gave her a once-over that was so LA it hurt. That was, of course, one of the many reasons he’d moved them to Yosemite Flats.
“Alexandria, I’d like you to meet my daughter, Sophia. Sophia, this is Alexandria Luther, Mrs. Luther’s daughter.”
“Hey,” Sophia said with an upward jerk of her chin. Such a Southern California thing.
Alexandria looked more confused than ever as they sat down. “Um, hi,” she managed, her head ping-ponging between them. “Daughter?” she half-whispered to him.
Grayson winked and couldn’t stop from chuckling. As much as he told himself he needed to stay away from this gorgeous vixen, he was drawn to her. Besides, it was only dinner.
