For the last few months, Tess had been working from California, while she tied up a few loose ends with her apartment, but today was the day she was scheduled to arrive at the Lodge. And Max couldn’t help but think maybe it was for good.
They’d made the decision to put their relationship, if that’s what you could call it, on hold while Tess was gone. They spent a lot of time on the phone and sending text messages, but it wasn’t the same. But now that she was coming to stay for a while…well, anything was possible.
Max was up before the sun and had spent the last few hours making sure everything was ready. Not only for Tess’s arrival, but also for the crew that was headed out to the site later that morning. Saying it was a big day would be a massive understatement. It was huge. He took another big gulp of coffee. Really huge. Because today was the day that they were finally going to start surveying and staking out the foundation for the Hut. And Tess would be right there with him.
He looked at his phone for the hundredth time. She hadn’t called. Or texted. He knew her flight had arrived late the night before, and normally he would have gone to the city to greet her, but with the crews staying at the Lodge, he couldn’t leave. Besides, Tess had said she would be up early and there by breakfast. Which should be any second.
But she hadn’t called.
Max paced the lobby of the Lodge, which was mostly quiet at that time of day. He shouldn’t be so nervous, but he couldn’t help it. He hadn’t seen her in months. Hadn’t kissed her, hadn’t—
There she was.
The taxicab pulled up at the sliding glass doors and before the doorman had made it to the door, Max knew: Tess was inside that car. He stopped, his feet frozen to the spot as the door opened and one denim-clad leg appeared. Followed by another. Followed by the beautiful brunette he’d been holding his breath for. She was gorgeous. And she wore the same pink plaid shirt she had the first day he’d brought her to the Lodge.
Without wasting another moment, Max strode outside and pulled her into a big hug. She felt so good in his arms. A perfect fit. As if there’d been something missing since he’d had to say good-bye. He buried his nose in her hair and inhaled. She smelled like…Tess. Like he never wanted to let go.
“Welcome back,” he finally said when he released her from his arms. He wanted to kiss her so badly it was like a physical ache but he couldn’t be sure how she’d react to kissing so publicly. Especially considering she was in a professional role at the Lodge now. So he waited. And it was the hardest thing he’d ever done.
“It’s so good to be back,” she said. “But it’s a lot colder than it was at the beginning of summer.” She wrapped her arms around her waist and he laughed.
“It’s the mountains. It’ll do that.” He quickly ushered her inside so she wouldn’t freeze. “We can get you all settled into your room after breakfast. The crew arrived last night and we’re all organized to go out to the site. I printed out all the reports and I have all the safety equipment you’ll need. But first I thought maybe we should—”
“Max?”
He turned and his heart skipped a beat when he saw the stern look on her face, her arms crossed over her chest. “Did I…what’s wrong? Did I forget something?” He’d taken care of every detail. She’d been working so hard from afar that he wanted to be sure when she got to the Lodge she didn’t have anything to worry about.
“Yes,” she said. “You forgot this.”
Tess threw herself into him, and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling his mouth down to hers. She kissed him hard and there was no room for questioning exactly what he’d forgotten. His heart soared as their mouths explored each other. All of the heat, the passion, and the love from the last few months infused into that one moment and Max knew without a doubt that the two of them would be building more than just the Hut at Castle Mountain Lodge: they’d be building their future.
When finally they pulled apart and Max could look into her beautiful blue eyes, he kissed her nose gently. “That’s a mistake I’ll never make again.”
“Is that a promise?”
“Absolutely.” He kissed her again. “Welcome home, Tess.”
The End
If you enjoyed Accidental Gifts, you’ll probably like the Castle Mountain Lodge series. You can download the first in the series for free for a limited time, Unexpected Gifts. And for more free books and exciting news make sure to stay in touch with Elena!
Castle Mountain Lodge
If you loved this Castle Mountain Lodge story make sure you follow up with all the characters. Below you will find links to all the books in the series, enjoy!
Unexpected Gifts - Colin & Andi’s story
Hidden Gifts - Bo & Morgan’s story
Unexpected Endings - Colin & Andi’s short story
Secret Gifts - Gage & Megan’s story
Mistaken Gifts - Jeff & Eva’s story
Goodbye Gifts - Dylan & Carmen’s story
Tempting Gifts - Jason & Lisa’s story
Holiday Gifts- Ryan & Julie’s story
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A Castle Lodge Collection (Books 1-5)
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Also by Elena Aitken
Bears of Grizzly Ridge
His to Protect
His to Claim
Castle Mountain Lodge
Unexpected Gifts
Hidden Gifts
Unexpected Endings - Short Story
Secret Gifts
Mistaken Gifts
Goodbye Gifts
Tempting Gifts
Holiday Gifts
A Castle Lodge Collection (Books 1-5)
The Springs Series
Summer of Change
Falling Into Forever
Winter’s Burn
Midnight Springs
Second Glances
She’s Making A List
The Seasons: Volume 1
The Seasons: Volume 2
Fighting For Forever
The Springs Complete Collection - Books 1-10
The Springs—Stone Summit
Summit of Desire
Summit of Seduction
Summit of Passion
Stone Summit Trilogy
About the Author
Elena Aitken is a USA Today Bestselling Author of more than twenty romance and women’s fiction novels. Living a stone’s throw from the Rocky Mountains with her teenager twins and their two cats, Elena escapes into the mountains whenever life allows. She can often be found with her toes in the lake and a glass of wine in her hand, dreaming up her next book and working on her own happily ever after.
To learn more about Elena:
@elenaaitken
elenaaitken.author
www.elenaaitken.com
elena@elenaaitken.com