The Rogue

by Jennifer Bernard

  “We were way off base, I’ll tell you that. This chili is phenomenal.” He’d already eaten half a bowl without even realizing it. “No one does it like Renata.”

  “The taste of home.” Kai scooped spoonful after huge spoonful into his mouth.

  “And the smell of home, too. Remember the fart-fests we used to have from this stuff?”

  They both burst out laughing. “No one is ever going to forget those. Especially when you tried to light yours on fire.”

  “Because you dared me to. Fricking idiot, always getting me into trouble.” He grinned affectionately at his older brother.

  “What else are big brothers for?” Kai polished off his chili and set the bowl down with a sigh. “Except for asking what the hell is up, bro.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “You’re acting different, ever since you got back. Edgy, distracted. We’ve all noticed.”

  Griffin automatically stiffened at the thought that his family was watching and discussing him behind his back. “I’ve been working hard, that’s all. Retiring isn’t the cakewalk I thought it would be.”

  “Is that why you’ve been so distracted? The roof? Because if that’s it, maybe you should take a vacation. No roof is that important.”

  “I don’t need a vacation.” Griffin set his teeth. He didn’t like anyone messing with his business, especially Kai. “And that roof is pretty fucking important.”

  “But what are you thinking about up there? Sometimes I say something to you and it’s like you’re in your own world.”

  And there it was. Griffin’s shoulders tensed, a fight-or-flight response he was very familiar with. He dealt with it during a race by breathing through it, by focusing only on the course ahead of him. “Working the moment,” he called it. But in real life, without his bike under him, he didn’t know how to deal with it.

  Of course he could just tell his brother the truth.

  Or not.

  “I’m just up there trying to figure out how the hell we’re going to make this place viable again, like everyone else around here.”

  “Like everyone else around here what?” Gracie strolled into the lounge, still in her work coveralls. Her job was to steam the wallpaper off the walls of the guesthouses, so these days she constantly went around with pink cheeks and damp hair.

  “Worried about the lodge,” Griffin told her, preempting Kai.

  “I’m not worried,” she said promptly, pouncing on the big urn of chili. “It’s going to work out great. All our old guests will come back as soon as we reopen, because they’ll be so excited to see all the changes. And new guests will come because, oh my God, the plumbing actually works now and we don’t have to put up those ‘if it’s yellow, let it mellow’ signs.”

  Griffin and Kai both laughed. “Ambiance,” Kai said. “What would this place be without those signs?”

  “Speaking of which, what happened to Benji and Radar and Goofball and the others?” Griffin pointed to the upper stretch of wall over the hearth. Back in the old days, a parade of mounted deer heads filled that space. Plastic deer heads, since Mom had hated the idea of actual dead animals watching over her guests.

  “They’re in the storeroom,” said Kai. That particular look passed over his face, that look that meant he was thinking about Nicole.

  Griffin made a big show of analyzing his expression from every angle, side to side, up, low.

  “What?”

  “I’m trying to figure out what the hell plastic deer heads have to do with you and Nicole, but I think I just decided I’d rather not know.”

  Gracie let out a peal of laughter. “Right? That’s his ‘Nicole and I have a secret’ face. I’ve seen that one a lot.”

  Griffin and Gracie high-fived each other, their hands colliding with a satisfying clap.

  “That’s ridiculous.” Kai dumped his bowl in the bin for dirty dishes and glowered at the two of them. “And in case you’re wondering, this is my ‘you can all fuck off’ face.”

  Kai pretended to snarl at them, but he was clearly having just as much fun as they were. This kind of conversation was pure nostalgia for the Rockwell siblings.

  “Speaking of secrets, I just got a text from Izzy,” Gracie said between slurps of her chili. “She got her ticket. She’s coming back in time for Thanksgiving.” She broke into a happy little jitterbug. “That’s like, so soon. Less than two months! Yay!”

  Griffin smiled at Gracie’s excitement. He hadn’t seen Isabelle in about a year, since he’d been on the circuit and she’d been mostly in Africa for her Doctors Without Borders assignment. “That’s great. I hope Jake’s back by then. That slacker’s been gone for nearly a week.”

  Kai’s eyes gleamed as he spotted a chance for revenge. “I heard you swooped in on his ‘special protected status’ waitress while he was gone.”

  Griffin snorted. “His what?”

  “Serena. Ever since she started, he’s been warning people away. Kinda figured he had a thing for her. Is a full-scale Rockwell war going to break out when he gets back?”

  Griffin opened his mouth, ready to clear up the misunderstanding—then remembered that Serena was supposed to be helping him fend off attention. He had to keep up the illusion. “We’re just getting to know each other,” he said, using a line he’d used to the media when questioned about his love life.

  “Well, personally I’m glad to hear that!” Gracie said. “I’ve been dying to know what’s going on with her and Jake. He’s like her personal junkyard dog, but he always says they’re just friends.”

  “They are.” Of that much, he was completely sure.

  “Then why is he so snarly about her?”

  Griffin wasn’t sure how to answer that without giving away any of Serena’s private life. “Why do you even worry about it? It’s their business.”

  Nicole walked in just then. With a smile for everyone, she headed for the urn of chili. Griffin was glad she’d missed the convo about the plastic deer heads and Kai’s “Nicole” face.

  “There is nothing wrong with worrying about my brothers.” Gracie flicked Griffin in the arm. “Especially when they’ve been acting weird.”

  “Exactly what I said.” Kai pointed at Griffin. “You’ve noticed it too, right Gracie? Like his head is off in the clouds somewhere and he forgets we’re even here.”

  Gracie nodded eagerly, while Griffin wondered ruefully if coming back to Rocky Peak had been a huge mistake. “There’s one simple and obvious explanation,” she said, clapping her hands together. “I’ve already figured it out.”

  “I have too,” said Kai smugly. “Bet I got it before you did.”

  Griffin looked back and forth between his sister and his brother. Was it really possible that they’d figured out his secret? “This ought to be good,” he said cautiously.

  “You go first, Kai,” said Gracie.

  Kai opened his mouth, but Nicole forestalled him. Blowing on her bowl of chili, she said, “Maybe you guys should just leave Griffin alone. If he has something to say, he’ll say it.”

  Kai and Gracie looked at each other and burst out laughing. They bent over, slapping their knees at the hilarity of her suggestion.

  “You must be new around here,” Griffin told Nicole dryly. “But thanks for trying.”

  She smiled at him and offered a helpless shrug. “Rockwell in future name only here.”

  “Clearly,” Gracie jumped in. “He’s secretly falling in love with Serena from the Last Chance. But he’s worried that Jake might also secretly be in love with her. That’s why he’s so distracted.”

  “That’s a good guess, my child,” said Kai in a superior tone. “But I’m afraid that’s not quite it. He’s distracted because he usually doesn’t have to lift a finger to get attention from women, but Serena’s a tough cookie. So he’s up there trying to figure out some new moves. He’s wondering how he’s going to get any action now that he’s an ex-Rogue.”

  “Okay, okay.” Nicole waved a hand in the air. “You tw
o need to back up and give your brother some space. Oh my God, did I just say that? I sound like a mother of toddlers.”

  “Yes you did, and it was cute as hell.” Kai hugged her to his side. “If you insist, my queen, I’ll stop torturing Griffin.”

  “I will too,” said Gracie. “But just so you know, Griff, Jake is not in love with Serena. And she isn’t in love with him. So you can stop worrying about that and just go for it.”

  “That’s—uh—I’ll keep that in mind.” Griffin pulled on his jacket, more than ready to ditch this conversation. They were way off about all of it. He wasn’t thinking about Serena—at least, not much.

  Mostly he was thinking about Coach Nelson and what the hell he should do about that situation. He still didn’t have any answers.

  “Right about now, that icy cold wind up on the roof is looking pretty good, so I’ll see you pathetic gossips later.”

  Gracie made a face at him, while Kai laughed.

  “Oh wait, before you go.” Nicole touched him on the arm. “I came in here to let you guys know that Lyle Guero wants to come see the lodge and meet everyone! I invited him to come for Thanksgiving.”

  “Who?”

  “The man who saved the lodge,” explained Kai. “The silent investor.”

  “But I thought he wanted to be silent. Why is he coming here?” Griffin didn’t like that idea. A silent investor was supposed to stay out of all management decisions. That was the point.

  “Silent, not invisible,” said Nicole sassily.

  Kai grinned and hugged her tighter. “That’s my girl.”

  Griffin tipped an imaginary hat to her. “You’re getting more Rockwell by the minute, Nicole.”

  7

  “I found something for you,” said Betsy deVane as Serena unloaded her shopping cart onto the conveyor belt at the Mountain View Stop and Shop. It was a barebones grocery and convenience store that everyone called the Depot, for some historical reason unknown to her. Betsy, the owner, was third-generation Rocky Peak, so Serena had shown her a photo of her father early on. Everyone shopped at the Depot, so why not her dad?

  Betsy hadn’t recognized him from the photo, but had promised to keep an eye out and dig up some records.

  Serena held back her excitement at what was probably another false lead. “Great! What did you find?”

  Betsy punched keys on the register. The Depot also had a small seating area where people could drink their burnt coffee and it included a hotdog machine with the most revolting corn dogs she’d ever seen. It always smelled vaguely like diesel to her. In the corner, Betsy’s crazy dog Boingo snoozed on his dog bed.

  “This.” The register sprang open and Betsy reached in and pulled out a pendant. “I went through some of the old transaction registers from the timeframe you’re looking at. Someone brought this in as a lost and found item.”

  Dangling it from one finger, she displayed a pendant suspended from a leather thong. It was a beautiful object made of glass with swirls of scarlet and black inside.

  “That’s stunning.” Serena touched the smooth glass. “No one ever claimed it?”

  “Nope. It’s been sitting here all this time. I’ve never seen anything like it here in Rocky Peak. Thought it might belong to your dad.”

  Serena gazed at it for a long moment. The swirls were hypnotic, and the longer she looked at it, the more depth and intricacy she could see. It made her think of Griffin and the banked fire that she noticed in his expression.

  “No, I’ve never seen it before. But do you mind if I keep it? Maybe I can track down where it came from. I can check some sites for glass art.”

  “Sure, why not? It’s been sitting here for over fifteen years. Have at.” She handed over the pendant and placed Serena’s groceries into a box. “That’ll be fifty two-seventy.”

  Serena winced. One downside of living in such a remote place was the high cost of groceries. It was a good thing Jake paid well. “These better be the best scrambled eggs anyone ever made.” She handed over her credit card.

  “Griffin doesn’t like eggs.”

  “Excuse me?”

  Betsy grinned. “Just saying. I’ve known him since he was a babe.”

  He was still a babe, in Serena’s opinion. Just a different kind.

  “I guess I’ll just have to make him pancakes instead,” she said mildly, since she had to continue the fiction that she and Griffin were a couple.

  “No blueberries though.”

  Serena gave a double-take, then caught the usually dour woman’s glimmer of a smile. “I’m having you on. I don’t know him that well. He’s all grown up now, for all I know he drinks blueberry-egg smoothies for breakfast. Tell him I said ‘hi.’”

  “I’ll do that.”

  “Tell him I also said he should tell the rest of the town to fuck off. None of their business when he retires.”

  “Amen to that. Spread the word, the poor guy could use the support.”

  “Eh, he can handle himself. Guess you know that by now.”

  “Mmm-hmm.”

  Her impulsive action at the Last Chance already seemed like a mistake. She wasn’t used to the way news spread like wildfire in a town this size. Back in San Francisco, it wouldn’t have made it past the front door of the bar.

  Serena took her box of groceries and headed out the door, tugging her hood over her head as she went. A light sprinkle of snow danced through the air, kissing her face with icy mist. She filled her lungs with the clear air—it felt so different from the air back in San Fran, like sharp champagne compared to murky water. She’d never expected to find living in the mountains a sensual experience, but it was. The piney fragrance of the forests, the high calls of birds of prey, the warmth of wool against the cut of the wind. The rich taste of coffee on her tongue as she walked through town, soaring peaks rising to the west.

  Two lodges were located nearby. Her father could have stayed at either of them. She’d visited Majestic Lodge first. It was the busier establishment, and more modern. Its architecture didn’t appeal to her—too fake-Colonial, too prefab in its construction. No one there had any memory of her father. They’d even searched their computer records for his name, but nothing showed up.

  Rocky Peak Lodge was another story. It was tucked deeper into the mountains in a more remote and spectacular spot. She loved its quirky downhome chalet-style look. She’d driven up there as well, when she first arrived. Gracie hadn’t recognized the photo, and had searched through their guest book for any reference to Frank Riggs.

  Nothing there either. But she hadn’t been able to speak with Max or any of the staff because the place was in such disarray. She still hoped to meet Mad Max one day, but he rarely left the lodge so there wasn’t much chance of that.

  The stories told around town about the Rockwells were all kinds of wild. His tempestuous relationship with the free-spirited Amanda, who grew up on a sailboat and never forgot her attachment to the ocean. Their five kids, who grew up running wild at the lodge. The grief that had floored Max after the accident that killed his wife. The outrageous battles with his oldest son, Kai. His flat-out refusal to help Jake out when he decided to buy the bar. His hurt when Isabelle left to become a doctor.

  And, of course the phenomenal success of Griffin, motocross superstar.

  The whole family was fascinating and she’d love to see them in their natural habitat. Maybe she could wrangle a dinner invitation out of her new fake boyfriend.

  The short walk to her cabin took very little time, and a few minutes later she was unlocking the door. It wasn’t until she was halfway inside that she realized someone was already there.

  Quickly she pulled the door shut and ducked out of sight.

  Shit.

  Someone was inside her house. Notes were one thing, but breaking and entering?

  Who? Why? What the—

  She turned and hurried down the driveway toward the road. Should she call Griffin or just run like hell?

  “Hey!” She spun around. A
young woman was chasing her down the street. Fluffy flaxen wisps of hair, red suede boots with tassels, a sparkly silver scarf wrapped around her neck—she looked like a winter elf.

  Serena finally recognized her—Gracie Rockwell. Since she’d met her at the lodge, she’d seen Gracie at the Last Chance a few times, and had always admired her unique style.

  “Hi.” She clutched her grocery bag, in which the carton of eggs had shifted to a perilous angle. “Gracie. That was you in there?”

  “Yes.” The girl—probably about twenty-two or three—skidded to a stop. “I’m so sorry I scared you. I have the key to that cabin because I used to clean it between tenants. They forgot to change the lock and I forgot that you’re renting it now. I swear, I backed out as soon as I realized someone was living in it. Well, almost as soon as.” She pulled a little face of apology. “I…well, the truth is, when I was cleaning it last, I started sketching that amazing view. But I forgot a few details, so—” Another rueful look. “I’m sorry that I bothered you.“

  “Hey, no. It’s fine. It’s quite the vista, isn’t it?” She shifted her grocery bag onto her hip. “Maybe you could show me your sketch sometime.”

  Gracie gestured at the bag. “Want me to carry that in for you?”

  “Ohh, a guilt carry, I’ll take it.” With a smile to confirm that she was teasing, she handed over the bag. Gracie walked next to her toward the little cabin.

  Truth to tell, she wanted a chance to interrogate Gracie a bit more. The girl had a mixture of innocence and enigma, all wrapped up in a package of adorableness that probably threw people off. Gracie was tougher than she looked; at the Last Chance, Serena had seen her get rid of pesky barflies like a human fly-zapper.

  Inside, she winced at the state of chaos in her little cabin. With Jake gone, she didn’t have much time to tend to basic housework. Dirty laundry sat in an ever growing pile next to the hamper. Stacks of dirty dishes filled the drainboard next to the sink.

  “Sorry for the mess. I blame your brother,” she said lightly.

  “Which one?”

  “Jake, of course.” She glanced with surprise at Gracie, then remembered that she was supposedly Griffin’s new fling. Oops. “Since he’s been gone I’ve been twice as busy at the bar.”