Free Christmas on the Last Frontier (Last Frontier Lodge #1) by J.H. Croix Page A

to crawl through his defenses and flash a ray of sunshine inside his battened down heart—had been attacked and robbed. He could hardly stand to think it. He closed his eyes and took a breath—the cold, bracing autumn air rushing through him. He didn’t know how, but he’d find a way to make sure she never got hurt like that again.

Chapter 8

    Marley stood up from the couch where she’d been planted for most of the morning, deep into work on one of her app projects. She’d sent it out for beta testing to a few trusted contacts before switching over to post an update on the lodge’s website. Gage had grumbled, but he’d allowed her to take photographs of the repairs he’d finished on the lodge for the purpose of posting them on the blog. She knew they needed to raise the profile of the lodge online, and she hoped using the blog to post cute updates would stir interest. True to his word, Gage was clueless in the online world. She’d been childishly pleased he went along with her plan for the photos. Once she finished posting the photos, she closed her laptop and forced herself to get off the couch. The cabin had a slice of a view of Kachemak Bay through a gap in the trees. The water sparkled in the sun, wind ruffling the surface. She walked to the door at the side of the kitchen and out onto the deck, which wrapped around the cabin.
    Autumn was almost gone. She expected it to snow any day now. Every morning, the snow fell lower on the mountains across the bay. Living close to the ski lodge meant living fairly high up in the foothills that encircled Diamond Creek. Downtown Diamond Creek was a descent of over one thousand feet down to sea level. The hills around town could have a foot of snow, while downtown by the ocean may only have a few inches. A bracing wind blew through the trees. She breathed deep, invigorated by the sharp, cold air.
    She turned and looked up toward the ski lodge. The buildings were visible above the treetops. In the distance, she saw a man on a ladder resting against the side of the main lodge. Though all she could see was a silhouette, she knew it must be Gage. Her breath caught and her pulse raced. The other night with Gage had taken her to a place she’d never been, and she could hardly stop thinking about him. She hadn’t seen him for two days afterwards by virtue of her mother cajoling her into a trip to Anchorage for shopping. She’d been somewhat relieved because she could barely behave normally around him, and thought perhaps a day or two away would set her head straight and get her hormones under control.
    No such luck. Gage had texted and called both days. While his queries had mostly been mundane, he sent her heart wild when he commented that he hoped she wasn’t avoiding him. His voice had become gruff when he said this. Marley had squeezed the phone in her hand and forced herself to keep a straight face with her mother driving in the car beside her. She wasn’t avoiding him, but she also didn’t know what to do with her feelings. He’d blown her mind and body the other night. Any free moment, her mind wandered to thoughts of him. She wanted to ask him what he wanted, but she didn’t quite dare. She was afraid all he wanted was to take advantage of the chemistry that crackled like a livewire between them. It was discombobulating that a tiny corner of her heart wanted something more.
    Replaying the moment in her mind, she flushed. Another gust of wind coasted through the trees, cooling her heated skin. With a whirl, Marley turned and went inside, snatching her purse and climbing in her car. An old friend had called her this morning about meeting for lunch. She quickly texted to confirm she was on her way. Beyond wanting to reconnect with friends, she needed something to get her mind off of Gage. She’d never experienced the way she felt with him and didn’t like how out of control it made her feel.
    A short drive later, Marley walked into Glacier Pizza, one of her old