Wild Rush Of Love (Winter Lake Book 5) Read online

  “It’s so beautiful.”

  “Isn’t it? I think it’s one of the best features of Winter Lake Lodge. Here.” The woman held out a mug of steaming creamy brown liquid. “This will warm you right up. I’m Alice Dean, head of housekeeping. Why don’t you take a seat by the fire while I check you in and get your key and welcome pack for you.”

  “Oh, no, I can—”

  “You just relax.” Alice patted her arm and steered her toward the fire. “I’ll just be a moment then I’ll join you.”

  Reena’s chest squeezed, the tone of Alice’s request reminding her of her aunt. Both women knew how to make you do as they asked while couching it as a suggestion.

  And really, the armchair near the hearth did look comfy. The brown and cream knitted throw draped over the arm looked soft and snuggly too.

  Sighing, she decided the offer of a seat beside a roaring fire and a hot cup of sweet smelling cocoa were too much to resist. Putting her mug on the side table, Reena slipped out of her jacket and placed it on the couch opposite. She picked up her cocoa and, cradling the mug in both hands, lowered herself to the plush armchair and almost passed out with pleasure.

  It wasn’t just comfy, it was warm and spongy and held her butt and thighs in a perfect caress. Like floating on a cloud, or in a warm bath. Muscles, tight from the long drive, relaxed and Reena allowed herself to sink deeper into the luxuriant seat.

  “Ah, yes,” Alice murmured as she sat in the chair next to her. “That’s so much better. I’ve been on my feet all morning. It’s lovely to take the load off for a few minutes. Need a top-up?” she asked, waving the flask in her hand.

  “No. I’ve barely touched it yet. Too busy admiring my surroundings and sinking into this glorious chair.” Bringing the mug to her lips, Reena drew in a deep breath before taking a sip. Sweet and chocolaty with a hint of spice, the warm liquid coated her tongue and flowed down her throat in a warm slide that soothed the slightly raw edge the cold air had given it. “Oh, yeah, that hits the spot.”

  “It does, doesn’t it? We’ll just sit here a moment and enjoy the moment before we dive into all the information about Winter Lake Lodge, your room, and Winter Lake itself.” Alice took a sip from her own mug. “Mmm… Nothing beats Hank’s cocoa. I don’t know what his secret ingredient is, and I’ve tried bribery and blackmail to get it out of him, but I swear, there’s nothing like it anywhere in the world. Of course he shared the secret with my niece down at Bake and Brew so I can always get my fix there if he decides to get stingy with it.”

  “Bake and Brew?”

  “Yes, a lovely bakery-cafe down on Lake Front. The info on that is part of your package.” She indicated the hand basket on the small table between their chairs. “Carly, my niece, runs it and that child was gifted with the skills to make anything baked or brewed. They do—oh listen to me going on and on, you can find out for yourself when you read through the welcome packet.”

  “Thank you.” Reena peered into the basket. “Are those bath bombs?”

  “Yes, they’re handmade by one of our locals; you’ll find her wellness studio down on Lake Front too. Again, all her information is in there. You’ll find a little about all the businesses along the lake as well as activities the Lodge and various Winter Lake companies offer for the region.”

  “All in there?”

  Nodding, Alice said with a grin, “Yep. All in there.”

  “There’s a lot in there.” She eyed the half bottle of wine. “Is that a local wine?”

  “Oh, no, we don’t have a winery. Yet. We’ve got plenty of local beers and then there’s Melt, that shit will knock you on your ass so I’d steer clear of that if I were you. That’s a small bottle of one of my favorites out of Napa Valley. It’s for when you drop one of those bombs in the clawfoot in your room.”

  Reena sat up straight. “There’s a clawfoot tub in my room?”

  “One of the biggest we’ve got.” Alice smiled. “Want to see it?”

  “Yes.” Reena pushed to her feet. “I might have to drop one of those bombs right now.”

  “Well, if you do, you’ll be able to watch the sun set behind the mountain on the far side of the lake from the tub in an hour or so.”

  “Sunset? From the tub?” She waved a hand. “Lead the way, Alice. Lead the way to this decadent luxury.”

  Chapter Two

  Legs aching, lungs heaving, and heart pounding, Reena pushed on.

  She could see it now, the lookout, up ahead through the trees that had started to thin out.

  A few more steps…

  God, she really didn’t want to take them, except she couldn’t stop now. Not when she was so close.

  She blamed the tub.

  It wasn’t lack of fitness that had her legs heavy as lead, her lungs burning with each breath, and her heart hammering its way out of her chest. Being a waitress meant she was on her feet all the time, taking thousands of steps a day, while carrying trays loaded with food and drinks and dirty dishes. Plus she walked everywhere. She wasn’t a slouch in the exercise department.

  It was definitely the tub’s fault.

  She’d spent three hours in the thing yesterday. Topping up the water to keep it nice and hot every thirty minutes or so until the sun had dropped behind the mountains across the lake and the stars had flickered to life on a blanket of deep blue-black sky.

  By the time she’d climbed out and called room service, she was a wrinkly prune and every part of her felt like melted wax, warm and squishy.

  Then again maybe it had been the wine she had sipped all afternoon while she watched the day end and the night begin. She probably shouldn’t have ordered that second bottle with dinner either.

  Yeah, the wine and the tub. They were to blame. They’d made her soft.

  They were the reasons for her current struggle to walk up a damn hill.

  Okay, fine, not so much of a hill, more like the side of a mountain, but it was a small mountain and it wasn’t as though she was going all the way to the top. Nope. She wasn’t even going halfway.

  She glanced up. Barely twenty feet from the lookout now except from here it seemed like twenty thousand miles.

  Everything in her wanted to stop, just stop. Which was why she kept going.

  She wasn’t a wimp. She’d rest when she got there.

  Maybe die a little bit too.

  Head down, breath rasping in her ears as a harsh accompaniment to the drumming of her heart, she charged on.

  She’d keep going. One foot in front of the other. She would make it. One step at a time.

  She didn’t look up, kept her eyes locked on the hiking boots she’d spent the last six months breaking in, and trudged on, taking those steps one at a time.

  The ground leveled off beneath her feet and with her lungs screaming for breath and her legs trembling, she stopped, bent over, and braced her hands on her knees, sucking in air like a damn vacuum cleaner stuck in overdrive.

  She just had to catch her breath. Then she’d gloat, revel in the glory of making it to Lake View Lookout.

  In a minute.

  Maybe.

  Oh god.

  She really needed to up her game in fitness. Although to give herself some credit, it wasn’t like she’d trekked up a mountain before. This was a first and the reason she’d chosen to holiday in Winter Lake. She liked to walk. Loved getting out and walking along the Baltimore harbor. Enjoyed her local parks as well.

  Of course those paths didn’t weave their way up the side of a mountain where snow still lay in patches on the ground.

  They also weren’t at twenty-seven hundred feet above sea level.

  Maybe she had altitude sickness.

  Too out of breath to laugh, Reena choked on the sound before it could form.

  Jeez, she really needed to up her fitness game.

  This didn’t bode well for the rest of her holiday.

  The plan had been to head up to Fire Trail Ridge but that was three times as long and another five hundred fee
t up.

  She’d have to work her way up to it. That’s if she ever managed to make it back to the Lodge. Right now that seemed impossible.

  Reasonably sure she’d caught her breath, she eased upright and lost it all over again.

  The burst of air that left her lungs sounded like ‘wow’ but that was debatable.

  Water and trees and sky and water and trees and more sky stretched as far as the eye could see.

  She took a step closer to the beautiful white draped vista. “It’s beautiful. Perfect.”

  “Yeah, nothing—”

  “Argh!” Spinning around, Reena lost her footing and, arms pinwheeling, she flailed about before strong arms wrapped around her middle.

  “Easy. I’ve got you.”

  She couldn’t see who had her, not with her face smushed into a hard shoulder, and when she got her heart out of her throat and back in her chest, her lungs breathing normally, and her legs solid beneath her, she’d worry about that.

  Right now whoever had her was the only thing holding her upright.

  “Here, sit.” He managed to move her a few feet and park her butt on what appeared to be a naturally formed rock bench. He crouched in front of her, holding out a bottle of water. “Take a sip.”

  “Thanks.” She sucked in a breath, waved his offer aside. “I have my own.”

  Her gloves made it hard to get the small drink bottle out of her pocket and she wasn’t surprised to hear the small huff of exasperation from her would-be rescuer as he brushed her fumbling hands aside and took over.

  When he popped the lid and held it out she muttered ‘thanks’ again before taking it in both hands and slugging back a few big gulps.

  “All good now?”

  “Yeah.” Reena sighed. “Sorry about that. You scared the crap out of me.”

  “Didn’t mean to. I thought you saw me.” His smile kicked up higher on the left side and his blue eyes rivaled the sky above them. “You stopped right next to me.”

  “I did?” She’d been too busy trying to catch her breath. From the trek up here and then the mountains and lake… She pointed at the view behind him. “Guess I was a little distracted.”

  He turned to look over his shoulder. “Yeah, it just grabs you and holds on, doesn’t it? You never get used to it.”

  It wasn’t the only thing grabbing her. Now that she’d gotten a little more oxygen to her brain, she was noticing more than the gorgeous view. The man crouched before her was gorgeous too. And all man.

  He looked like a lumberjack.

  Well, what Reena imagined one would look like. Jeans, flannel shirt, thick muscles filling out both, dark scruff covering a strong jaw, that lopsided smile, and those sparkling blue eyes combined to make one hell of a view in her opinion.

  “So.” He turned back, held out a hand. “Rush.”

  “What?” She took his hand. “Rush?”

  He grinned. “My name. Rush. Rush Whelan.”

  “Oh! Reena. Sabreena Howe.” She returned his grin with one of her own. “Nice to meet you, Rush. Is that a nickname?”

  “Nope, it’s what’s on my driver’s license.” He grinned.

  Chapter Three

  After a day of lying around—in bed and in the scandalously decadent tub—Reena finally managed to pull on some clothes and headed out of her room.

  She’d woken this morning with so many aches and pains she’d barely—and yes, she’d crawled—made it out of bed to use the bathroom.

  Pain meds and room service had been the order of the day. And when the meds eased some of the discomfort she’d hobbled back to the bathroom and filled the tub with water so hot her skin was still pink.

  But it worked. It had taken the better part of the day and three different sessions soaking in the tub but finally, finally, she could walk without looking like she’d broken every bone in her body. Or whimpering in pain.

  She wasn’t up for a walk into town but she was able to make her way downstairs to the Bar and Grill, the Lodge’s onsite restaurant and bar.

  The place was quiet when she walked through the wide wooden archway. A couple sat at a table in one corner, two men—not together—sat on stools at the bar. She was debating where to sit when a woman in black pants and white shirt beneath a red apron headed toward her.

  “Good evening. Table for one?”

  Smiling, Reena nodded.

  “Right this way.”

  Following, she scanned the room. Lots of wood and a smaller rock fireplace similar in style, and she was sure built from the same stone, as the one in the Lodge’s main room held her gaze as they stopped beside a two-seater on the other side of the space.

  “Oh, would you like to sit by the fire?”

  “Can I? I love the one in the main room.”

  “You could eat out there if you want; we serve there too.”

  “No, that’s all right. If I can have one of the tables close to this one that would be great.”

  “Sure.” The woman made quick work of getting her settled by the fireplace and taking her drink order. “I’ll be back with your hot cocoa.”

  Reena had decided to stay clear of wine tonight. She hadn’t had any since her first night and with the pain meds she’d been popping like candy all day she figured it would be best not to partake again yet.

  “Hey! Reena.”

  Glancing over at the bar she found her gaze caught by a bright blue one. The smile overtook her face as she whispered, “Rush.”

  “Kennedy get your drink order?” he asked as he came out from behind the long wood-topped bar and moved toward her.

  “Yes. Yes, she did. I ordered a mug of the house hot cocoa.”

  “Good choice.” He pulled out the chair next to her and sat. “So, kind of strange that we spent a couple of hours together yesterday and neither of us mentioned this place.”

  “Yeah.” She shrugged. “It didn’t really come up.”

  “No. Well, I work here. Manage the bar. Live here too. In the staff quarters.”

  She smiled. “And I’m staying here for two weeks.”

  He nodded at the menu in front of her. “Planning on dinner?”

  “Yes. Seeing how you work here, what would you recommend?” She closed the menu and folded her hands on top of it.

  “That depends what you’re in the mood for.” He leaned closer. “Want some company? I just finished my shift and was going to grab something in town but I’d rather sit here with you if that’s an option.”

  “Yes. Of course. Definitely.” She handed him the menu. “And that means you’re in charge of ordering dinner.”

  She’d enjoyed the time she’d spent with Rush yesterday. They’d hung out at the lookout for about an hour. He’d pointed out landmarks, buildings they could see down in Winter Lake and where other lookouts were around the lake as well as a general overview of the town and surrounding area before they had walked back down to the parking lot.

  And she had to admit she’d been a little sad when they’d said goodbye, gotten into their own vehicles and gone their separate ways.

  Now he was here.

  “Good. I’ll go put our order in and grab a drink. Back in a sec.” He tucked the menu under his arm and pushed to his feet. Waving at the waitress who’d seated Reena, he called out, “Don’t worry, Kennedy. I’ve got this.”

  Kennedy looked between them with a questioning glance but didn’t say anything. She placed a thick white mug filled to the brim with the creamy brown liquid Reena knew was smooth as silk on the table and said, “I’ll leave you in Rush’s capable hands.”

  She was gone before Reena could say thank you. Looking around, she saw the couple from the corner was gone and one of the men at the bar had also left. The fire crackled merrily a few feet away, the warmth surrounding her along with the scent of wood.

  She’d loved the main room, and her own room, but she thought this room might actually be her favorite. There was an intimacy here that was missing in the big room, and while her room with its kin
g size bed and huge tub was intimate due to the fact it was a bedroom and private, this room, the long bar, the stools, the tables and chairs…there was something sexy about it.

  Her gaze found Rush as he came through a side door.

  Then again maybe it felt sexy because of the man walking toward her with that lopsided smile and sparkling blue eyes.

  He walked with a swagger but it didn’t appear forced. It was a natural roll of his hips resulting from those thick-muscled legs eating up the ground between them.

  He placed a mug of beer on the table and retook his seat. “So. Tell me all there is to know about Reena.”

  “What do you want to know?” She took a sip of her drink. “Oh, god. This is the best thing I’ve ever tasted.”

  Rush grinned. “It’s the special ingredient.”

  “So I’m told.” She took another sip then put her mug down. “Okay, about Reena. I’m twenty-five, live in Baltimore, work in a family owned Irish pub with an attached restaurant. That’s pretty much it.”

  “Siblings?”

  “No. Only child.”

  “Ditto. And I’ve got ten years on you. I’ve been here, at the Lodge, for fifteen years, the last ten as Bar and Grill’s manager.”

  “Do you like it? Managing the bar?”

  “I did. I didn’t. And now I do again.”

  “Oh?”

  He waved that away. “Long story. Not really dinner conversation. Okay, so tell me the plan.”

  “What plan?”

  “For your holiday. You strike me as the type to have a plan.”

  “Actually I’m not. Usually. But you’re right. I’ve got a plan for the next two weeks. Although yesterday may have put an end to that.” Reena frowned.

  “Why?”

  “Well, as embarrassing as it is to admit, and even more so to know you saw, I barely made it up to the lookout and I wanted to go up to Fire Trail Ridge while I was here.” Sighing she added, “There’s no way I’ll make it all the way up there without dying.”

  Rush chuckled. “You’re not used to the altitude. It won’t take much to get you there. Why don’t I take you on some of the easier treks around here, then when you’re ready we can hit Hargrove Trail up to Fire Trail Ridge.”