The Memory

                                                                        Excerpt from Chapter 1

Sadie & Gray’s Home 
February 18 
7:00 a.m.

Sadie ran her hand up and over Gray’s taut behind and peeked at his colors. They were there, and as bright as always. But would that be the case later…or tomorrow? Or, more to the point, would she be able to see them?

“Come here, Legs.” Gray tucked her safely against his chest, “Talk to me.”

She snuggled in a little closer, tangling her bare legs with his rougher ones. “I touch your butt, and you want to talk?”

“It wasn’t why you touched my ass,” Gray retorted.

“How do you know?”

Gray leaned back, enough that she could see the tenderness in his blue eyes in the low morning light. “Because I know you.”

It was hard for her not to get lost in the love she saw looking back at her. And harder still for her not to use whatever means necessary to prevent him from asking questions.

“You think so?”

“Sadie,” Gray dropped a light kiss on her lips, “what am I missing?”

“Nothing.”

“Right.”

He rubbed his chin against her head for several moments. And while she wanted to think he’d let it go, she knew he wouldn’t. He’d keep on until she told him…everything. But by the time that happened, her hope was the issue would be moot. It was just, when you were dealing with emotions, sometimes it was difficult to be logical.

“What’s on your agenda after your appointment?” Gray asked, taking the conversation in a different direction.

“I know what you’re doing.”

“Think so?”

“Yes.” Sadie pressed her bare body against Gray’s, pleased to know that while her husband may be acting nonchalant, certain parts of him were very aware of her. “But I’ll tell you, anyway.”

“Who’s covering the clinic while Emma and Killian are away?”

“Doctor Thatcher. And Maggie said she’d go in early to feed Emma’s cats.”

“Your hair appointment is at 9:00 a.m.?”

“Yes.”

“Have you heard any more from your cousin?”

“Since last night? No, but maybe I should…” Sadie started to roll over, but Gray halted her movement, by pushing on her lower back, causing her hips to roll against his.

“What’s your hurry?”

“I thought…”

“You thought you’d get away without answering my questions, didn’t you?”

“Maybe.” But then she flopped over on her back in frustration. “Okay, yes. I don’t want to talk about my aunt. I don’t want to think about the fact that she might die. About the fact that there’s nothing I can do to take away her pain.”

“Except…” he continued to prod.

Sadie sighed, thinking about what she and her cousins had planned for her Great Aunt Eliza. And while on the outside, it seemed harmless, that didn’t tell the whole story.

“Cut my hair,” she finally answered, wrapping her hand around the long brown strands. Ones that had only been trimmed for years but never cut. And when she’d done that…

“It will grow back,” Gray murmured. “If that’s what you’re worried about.”

Her thoughts pinged in several directions before locking on the comment about it growing back. She rolled onto her side and met his assessing gaze. “I’ve only cut my hair a handful of times in my life.”

Gray wrapped his fingers around her hair and pulled it over her shoulder. “Long Legs and ponytails.”

“You’ve said that before,” she grinned. “Is that all you remember about me?”

“It’s all I try to think about,” he offered cryptically.

A quick expression flashed across his face she couldn’t interpret. “What does that mean?”

“It means,” Gray reached for his watch to check the time, “we have a little while before we have to leave. And I’ve got a few ideas before all of this is cut off.”

He tugged her head back and kissed her in that way that immediately set her on fire. Sadie’s heart raced, and her mind cleared of everything but him.

“Do you have a problem with that?” Gray murmured, his lips skimming across her neck.

“Just one.”

“Just one?”

Sadie tangled her fingers in his hair. “If we shower, we can…”

She hadn’t even finished before he’d scrambled from the bed and picked her up. “I like how you think, Mrs. Hunter.”

Then his lips were back on hers, and her thoughts scattered. Another quick peek at his colors assured her they were still there, but this time his pinks and purples were deeper, and his reds glowed brighter. And that was for her…all for her.

                                                                      ~~~SH~~~

Mountain View Lodge 
February 18 
9:00 a.m.

Donuts, cinnamon buns, and apple fritters,” Paula, of Paula’s Bakery, rattled off. “Is that it?”

“Thanks, Paula.”

Gray set the box on the front seat of his truck and headed toward the Lodge. A message from Damian Murphy, his newest employee, had served as the distraction he needed to focus on work…instead of his wife. But why the other man wanted to speak to him so early was puzzling. After all, they were scheduled to meet with the investors in an hour.

Hunter Construction, Inc., his family’s company, had been tasked with restoring a piece of property in the mountains above Swan Harbor. There were a few stories that revolved around the Mountain View Lodge, but a fire when he’d been a kid had closed the doors for good. Recently, a group of investors, led by Finn Reade, had purchased the land and buildings.

Finn seemed to think the place would be perfect to open a couple’s retreat. A place where lovers came to rediscover what had been misplaced somewhere along the way. Which wasn’t a new sentiment if you’d grown up in Swan Harbor. There had always been something unique in the air, and people made statements you didn’t question. But no two sayings were repeated more than, ‘your heart wants what your heart wants’, and ‘listen to your heart, it always knows.’

And, while there’d been a time when he’d not paid much attention to what his heart said, that was in the past. His heart had met its mate.

Gray had just turned onto the Old Lodge Road that would take him up the mountain when his phone buzzed. “Miss me?” he asked when Sadie’s picture flashed on the screen.

“You’re still in the truck?”

Gray chuckled. “How do you know that?”

“Hot Legs,” she replied, referring to the song that was playing on the radio.

“And yours are,” he teased. “I especially love when they’re wrapped around—”

“—Gray!”

“I’m sorry,” he capitulated. “Is it done?”

“Not yet,” Sadie sighed. “Helen’s running a little behind.”

“But you’re still worried?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“How can you ask that?” she exclaimed. “You know what you said.”

Gray knew precisely what she was referring to. But he couldn’t quite get to the bottom of why cutting her hair was such a big deal to his wife. Therefore, he’d been pushing, hoping to uncover…

“What I said?” he echoed. “You mean the part about not recognizing you if you cut off your hair?”

“Well, yes,” she huffed, the air of vulnerability still there.

“Sadie,” his voice grew huskier, “I didn’t say I wouldn’t love you…now did I?”

“Well, no, but…”

“Legs,” he murmured. “I love you. Cut your hair, shave it off for all I care. What would make you happy?”

“Making my great-aunt smile,” she finally responded.

“And?”

“Helping others, by donating my hair through the Locks of Love program.”

“And?”

“Dying it red.”

And?” he continued to push.

“Because she no longer can.” Sadie hesitated again. “I’m sorry I’m being such a baby about this.”

Gray didn’t respond because he’d said it all. His wife needed to make the choice on her own. That, he understood.

“Helen’s waiting on me.”

“Go do what you need to do,” he encouraged. “You’re hot, no matter what your hair looks like.”

It was quiet on the other end, and somehow he knew she was nibbling on her thumbnail.

“Is there something else?”

“No, be careful at work today.

“I’m always careful,” he told her.

“True, but it’s not every day you play with explosives.”

“They’re just little ones.”

“Gray!”

“Sorry.” He hesitated, not wanting her to worry, “I’m not even sure they’re necessary. That’s my job, though. To check the integrity of the structure.”

“I know … but I worry.”

“That’s nice to hear,” he told her. “You can examine me for injuries later.”

“Oh, you,” she laughed, lightening the worry he’d been feeling. “You know I’ll take you up on that.”

“I should hope so.” Gray pulled the truck into a spot and shifted into park. “Go become a redhead. I’ll see you later.”

“Bye, Gray. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

He grabbed the plans his brother had created for the retreat and stepped out into the crisp February morning. On his way to the Lodge, he punched Damian’s number and let it ring.

Just as he grabbed hold of the doorknob, the world around him exploded.

It blew him off his feet, sending him flying backward, the door traveling with him. He hit the ground and bounced, the door banging against his head hard enough to cause the air around him to spin.

With his ears ringing, Gray clawed the ground, searching for something, anything to stop the noise. He’d just grabbed hold of what felt like a rock, when the earth below him opened, and he was free-falling.

There was a sudden rush, and his senses were overwhelmed. The smell of dirt, the feel of cooler air, and then he hit bottom, and his head bounced, causing black spots to flash in front of his eyes.

The door and other debris rained down on him. And before he could protect it, his head was hit hard enough to allow the darkness to creep close. Gray tried to fight the blackness, but another explosion rocked the ground, and the pain washed over him, pulling him under.