For the first time in months, she obsessed about something other than the crash and burn of her grand plans to make something of herself. Gage filled her mind—his rock hard body, his sensual mouth…and whoever he was behind his guarded nature.
Gage pushed himself up the trail, his legs finally beginning to tire when he reached the top and paused beside another ski lift. He turned and looked behind him. He could see Marley walking down the trail below. He’d seen her long before she paused at the small building between trails. He’d only been at the ski lodge for a week, but he’d already memorized the pattern of trails and had been cutting across between two trails when he heard her walking. He’d paused in the edge of the woods and watched her. Her auburn hair glinted in the sun. Curiosity drew him to approach her. Why he felt the need to start off by confronting her about trespassing was beyond him. He shook his head. Not exactly the best way to introduce himself to his new neighbor.
From a distance, he’d thought she was beautiful. Up close, she took his breath away. Her wavy auburn hair was paired with forest green eyes, a pert nose, and a sensual mobile mouth—so kissable, he’d had to restrain himself. To make his body tread the edge of embarrassing himself, her body was flat out beautiful—curvy and athletic at once. She’d worn a green fleece jacket zipped halfway, which revealed a thin cotton shirt pulled tight across her breasts, her nipples peaked in the chilly air. From there, her waist dipped then curved into lush hips and strong legs hugged by her fitted leggings. She’d seemed entirely oblivious to the effect she had on him. Wearing his form-fitting running clothes had forced him to rein his body in and required so much attention, he knew he’d come across as a little too brusque. As he watched her walk down the trail, her auburn hair caught in the wind, flying wild behind her.
Marley. He turned the name over in his mind. It suited her though he couldn’t say why since he barely knew her. He watched her until she rounded a curve in the trail and vanished from sight. With a sigh, he glanced around. The building beside this stopping point for the ski lift was also in dire need of a new coat of paint. He turned in a circle. The vantage point up here offered a three hundred and sixty degree view. Kachemak Bay lay glittering under the sun in one direction, Cook Inlet could be seen beyond that with Mount Augustine, a volcano, rising in the waters. In the other direction lay Mount Illiamna, another volcano. Southcentral Alaska lay within the Ring of Fire, an area within the Pacific basin where over seventy-five percent of the world’s active and dormant volcanoes lay. As a little boy, Gage had loved this detail about his birthplace.
Returning to Alaska and his grandparent’s ski lodge was a childhood dream. His parents had moved away when he and his four younger siblings were little. They went to visit Last Frontier Lodge every summer until his grandmother had closed down the lodge after his grandfather passed away. She’d moved to Bellingham, Washington to live with his parents until she passed away. Gage had long ago let go of his childhood dream to return to Alaska because life…happened. Dreams turned into fragments of hope and hope was hard to find for him anymore. He’d recently retired from the Navy after years of active duty as a Navy SEAL and had been struggling to find a way for life to make sense.
Gage had been surprised to learn his grandmother had left the lodge to him and his siblings since he hadn’t even known it was still in the family. He’d inherited the largest share of the lodge with her will stipulating the lodge must be reopened within one year, or they would be required to sell it and divide the profits. He’d assumed she’d sold it as she rarely spoke of it. At loose ends and searching for something to give his life meaning again, he hadn’t hesitated for a minute to move to Alaska. The neglected state of the ski lodge would give him something to focus on beyond what he’d stared down on one of his last missions.
He took a last look around and began jogging slowly down the trail. An eagle flew across the trail ahead of him, its wings casting a wide shadow on the ground. Magpies chattered in the trees. When he reached the lodge again, he jogged down the drive to the road and looked toward the cabin he now knew to be Marley’s. It was hard to miss with its bright red roof practically glowing amongst the deep green spruce trees surrounding it. He turned and looked at the sign for the lodge. It hung at a drunken angle, one of the chains holding it up broken. The lettering on the sign was faded—something else to replace. He looked at Marley’s cabin again, sitting on a small rise, a cheery picturesque home. Her auburn hair, green eyes, and sensual mouth flashed in his mind. The mere flicker of her and his body reacted.
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Christmas on the Last Frontier
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Diamond Creek Alaska Novels
When Love Comes
Follow Love
Love Unbroken
Love Untamed
Tumble Into Love
Christmas Nights
Last Frontier Lodge Novels
Take Me Home
Love at Last
Just This Once
Falling Fast
Stay With Me
When We Fall
Hold Me Close
Crazy For You
Burn For Me
Slow Burn
Burn So Bad
Hot Mess
Burn So Good
Brit Boys Sports Romance
The Play
Big Win
Out Of Bounds
Play Me
Naughty Wish
Shameless Southern Nights (with Ali Parker)
Down & Dirty #1
Down & Dirty #2
Down & Dirty #3
Catamount Lion Shifters
Chosen Mate
Fated Mate
Destined Mate
A Catamount Christmas
Ghost Cat Shifters
The Lion Within
Lion Lost & Found
About the Author
USA Today Bestselling Author J. H. Croix lives in a small town in the historical farmlands of Maine with her husband and two spoiled dogs. Croix writes steamy contemporary romance with sassy independent women and rugged alpha men who aren't afraid to show some emotion. Her love for quirky small-towns and the characters that inhabit them shines through in her writing. Take a walk on the wild side of romance with her bestselling novels!
Places you can find me:
jhcroixauthor.com
jhcroix@jhcroix.com