Colorado Cabin in the Pines (Peakview series Book 3)

  COLORADO CABIN

  IN THE PINES

  Book Three in the Peakview Series

  Jill Haymaker

  Digital Edition

  Copyright © Jill Haymaker 2016

  Colorado Cabin in the Pines is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Except for use in any review, no part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express permission of copyright owner.

  All rights reserved.

  Cover art: Copyright © Jill Haymaker 2016

  www.jillhaymaker.com

  Books in the Peakview series:

  Colorado Sunset

  Breakfast for Two

  Colorado Cabin in the Pines

  Coming summer 2016:

  Colorado Wrangler

  Home is where the heart is,

  This book is dedicated to anyone

  who was lost and found

  their way back to love

  CHAPTER ONE

  “Damn!” Luke swore. The hammer came down on his thumb, still he kept right on nailing the shingles to the roof. Physical pain he could endure. It was much easier than the emotional kind.

  “Hey stranger, what you doing up there?”

  Startled, Luke lost his hold on the nail gun, and before he could grab it, it careened down the slope of the roof toward where she stood. “Look out below!” he barely managed to yell, before the heavy gun crashed to the ground a few feet from where she stood.

  “Trying to kill me already?” Penny laughed.

  The sound of her voice, her laughter, it slayed him, just like it always had. What was she doing here? Grabbing on to the peak of the roof for support, he turned and tried to regain his composure. There she stood, all five foot two inches of her, long blond hair flowing down her back. Dressed in her riding jeans and boots, she looked the same as she had before she left four years earlier. For a moment he thought he was seeing a ghost, but then she spoke again.

  “I stopped by the ranch house and your dad told me you were up here. Nice cabin, by the way.”

  Still shaken by her presence, Luke decided he’d better get off the roof before he went the way of the nail gun.

  “Give me a second, and I’ll come down.” He quickly gathered the rest on his tools and backed down the ladder. Once on solid ground—at least physically—he looked over at her slim, attractive body.

  “Visiting your parents?”

  “Actually, I’m here for the summer. I got a job teaching in Humbolt Park in Chicago starting the middle of August. I thought I’d enjoy some rest and relaxation in the mountains for a couple of months. Once my full time job starts, who knows when I’ll have time to get back to Colorado. It’s good to be home.”

  “Congratulations. On the job that is. Sounds like what you wanted.”

  Had the touch of resentment he still felt come through in his voice? Okay, maybe more than a touch of resentment. All through high school, when everyone referred to them as the school’s most likely to grow old together couple, he’d believed that she loved him and loved their life together in the Colorado Mountains. They’d even talked about building a home right here and raising horses and children together. How wrong he’d been. Apparently inner city Chicago was more to her liking. She left for college and never looked back, breaking his heart. That is—what was left of it after his mom’s death.

  Penny looked up into those smoky blue eyes. Twenty-two year old Luke looked even more attractive than he’d been in high school, if that was possible. His skinny body had filled out, and his arms bulged with solid muscle. All his years of working on this ranch definitely kept him in shape. He stood in front of her now—shirtless, tanned, his jeans slung low on his hips. She fought the urge to pull him into her arms. Nope, she definitely didn’t trust herself to touch him. He was her past. They’d both moved on. She needed to keep this platonic.

  “I met June. She seems nice.”

  “She’s great. I’ve never seen my dad so happy, at least not since mom died. Although they’d never say it, now that they’re married they need their own space. I feel like a third wheel sometimes. So here I am, far enough away to give them some privacy, but still on the ranch I love.”

  Penny sighed. That had been the problem. He still lived a few yards away from his childhood home. At eighteen, all she’d wanted was to experience something other than Peakview County, Colorado. Her world had seemed so limiting—almost suffocating. She had the same friends from kindergarten through high school. She knew that Luke would never leave, so she’d left him behind.

  “Can I have a tour?”

  “There’s not much to see, yet, but I’ll show you around.”

  Luke turned and headed toward the front door. She followed, her eyes locking on that beat up cowboy hat, the one she had given him for graduation. Her heart started to beat faster. Quickly, she looked up at the cabin. It was amazing. She could tell that Luke had put his heart and soul into building it, making sure he got everything little detail perfect. He’d always been good with his hands. Inside there were only studs, but Luke walked her through anyway, explaining where each room was going to be when it was finished. There would be four bedrooms. This definitely wasn’t intended to be a small bachelor pad. Was he dating someone? She had wanted to ask her mom, but the last thing she needed was for Mom to start thinking that she cared one way or the other. Her parents had been almost as devastated as Luke when she had moved away. She sure didn’t want to give them any false hopes that this was anything more than a temporary visit home. Her life was in Chicago now. She believed that God had led her to Chicago to help inner city kids, and that’s where she intended to spend her life. She felt needed there.

  They walked back out the front door of the cabin, as darkness descended and the last trace of the sun disappeared behind the mountain range. She forgot how quickly it got dark here amid the tall peaks. The sweet aroma of pine from the massive trees surrounding the clearing filled the cooling air. She paused on the wide porch and gazed down at the sprawling Walker Ranch below.

  “The view from here is spectacular, Luke.” She paused. Just like we always knew it would be. No, she wouldn’t let her mind go there. “I better get back to my parents’ house. They still worry if I’m out riding after dark. It’s good to see you. Maybe we could go for a ride together while I’m here—be like old times.”

  “Yeah, maybe.” Luke fidgeted with his hat. “Enjoy your summer.”

  Penny swung her leg up into the saddle turning Ginger around. She gave Luke a wave before kicking Ginger into a full gallop down through the shadows. She didn’t know what she’d expected, but the flood of old feelings that assaulted her from the moment she laid eyes on him overpowered her. The cool evening breeze whipping at her face relaxed her. She let the horse have her head. Luke Walker was ancient history. He’d been her first love. That’s all. Of course, she’d react to seeing him. Being back here her memories of their amazing years together, stuffed inside and forgotten in Chicago, obviously seemed more real. She prided herself on looking forward—not back. Her future did not include Luke.

  As she unsaddled Ginger and brushed her down before letting her loose in the pasture for the night, she had to admit she had, at times, missed her Colorado mountain home. The wide open spaces filled he
r with a sense of peace. Peace—hard to find in the hustle and bustle of inner city Chicago.

  Uninvited, Luke popped back into her mind interrupting her calm. She shivered as she locked the gate and headed to the house. Her mind pictured his tan, muscular body up on that roof. No, the feelings that Luke stirred in her were anything but peaceful.

  Luke’s eyes followed Penny until she became nothing more than a trail of dust heading over the eastern horizon. He turned and stared blankly at his cabin—the cabin that they’d once dreamed of together. Well, that was over. He struggled to figure out why just the sight of her had upset him so much. Probably because she took him by surprise. He wasn’t going to get any more work done tonight. His mind occupied by ghosts from his past. Besides, it was almost completely dark now. He gathered up his remaining tools and stowed them safely in the locked tool bin inside of the cabin. Not that there was much danger of anyone taking them out here on the ranch, but he liked to be careful. Accepting defeat for the evening, he untied Geronimo and headed for home.

  “I was wondering when you’d show up for some food.” His new stepmom gave him a hug as he walked through the back door into the kitchen. “I’ll fix you a plate. Your dad and I already ate.”

  “Thanks Mom, I’m not really very hungry.” The term “mom” still sounded a little strange. His biological mom died when he was only twelve, but he truly loved June and wanted her to know that he accepted her as family. After almost a year, it was getting easier.

  “What? The Walker men are always hungry. Are you feeling, okay?”

  “Just tired. It’s been a long day. Smells good though.” He smiled when she set a full plate down in front of him.

  “Oh by the way, Penny stopped by earlier. Did she find you?”

  “Yeah, she rode up to the cabin.”

  “She seems nice.”

  As much as he loved June, he wasn’t in the mood to discuss Penny with anyone right now. He concentrated on his food, hoping she’d let the subject drop.

  “You two used to date, didn’t you?”

  No such luck. “Back in high school, yeah. That was a long time ago. She’s moved on. A Chicago city girl now.”

  Finishing the last bites of his food, he stood up and loaded his plate in the dishwasher. “Thanks for a great meal as always. I’ll go find Dad. We need to discuss what’s on the agenda for tomorrow.”

  Females. Why did they always want to talk about everything? Over the last ten years, he and his dad had established a great relationship. Although they loved each other dearly, they didn’t feel the need to get into emotional issues.

  He found his father kicked back in his recliner in the living room. Although an open book lay on his lap, he appeared to be doing more dozing than reading. Jeff startled and looked up as Luke entered the room.

  “How’s the cabin coming along?”

  See. Here was a subject he felt comfortable discussing. “Roof’s almost done. Ran out of daylight. Hopefully I can get those last shingles on tomorrow and then move to the inside.”

  Luke sat on the couch across from his dad and listened to his plans for the following day, with thankfully no mention of Penny Anderson. When June joined them carrying a cup of tea for herself and his father, Luke excused himself and headed upstairs. He turned in early. Life on Walker Ranch started with the sunrise each morning. He usually had no problem falling asleep, but tonight thoughts of a blonde on horseback raced through his mind and sleep was hard to find. It would be a long day tomorrow if he couldn’t push her out of his mind and get some rest.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Penny squinted as the bright Colorado sunlight hit her eyelids. Opening them a tiny crack, she smiled at the dark blue sky outside her window. She had to admit she’d missed waking up to the blue sky over the mountains. All she saw out the bedroom window of her third-floor city apartment in the old brownstone was the brick wall of the building next door. Besides, in Chicago the sky was usually overcast in the morning. Colorado sunrises always made her feel like the whole world was out there waiting to be explored. She leaned back on her pillows, reminding herself that she was on vacation. She could stay in bed as long as she liked. She glanced over at the clock on the nightstand. Nine o’clock already? She didn’t want to waste the whole day. Stretching, she climbed out of bed and wandered downstairs to the aroma of fresh coffee.

  “Mornin’ Mom.” Penny surrounded her mom in a hug from behind, placing a kiss on her cheek.

  “It’s so good to have you home! Sit down and I’ll get you some breakfast. Did you sleep well?”

  Penny reached around her mom to grab a large mug and pour herself some coffee. “I always sleep good in my old bed. So many happy childhood memories surround me in there.”

  “Got any plans for your first full day back? Ann set a heaping plate of pancakes in front of her daughter.

  Penny laughed. “You are going to make me fat this summer if you keep this up.”

  “You look like you could use a little more meat on your bones.”

  “Then none of my clothes would fit. My starting teacher’s salary won’t pay for a whole new wardrobe.”

  She took a bite of a made-from-scratch pancake and sighed in pleasure. She had missed her mom’s home cooking. “Sure is good though. I’m going to try and just relax for a few days and then get serious about my lesson plans for the coming year. Maybe I’ll take a drive into town, and I want to take Ginger on a long ride later.”

  “Did you enjoy your ride last night?”

  “Yeah, it felt good to be back in the saddle. Ginger enjoyed going for a run again, too. Even Bandit had fun following along. She reached down to sneak a bite of pancake to her childhood companion, a miniature white and black Australian Shepherd.

  “Don’t you be feeding table scraps to that dog. You’ll get her back into the bad habit of begging. She never does that with your dad and me.”

  “You know who really loves you don’t you, girl.” Bandit wagged her tail in response. Time to change the subject.

  “I met June Walker last night. It’s strange to have a woman at the Walker place, but she seems great.”

  “She’s wonderful. She has quickly become one of my closest friends. For an Easterner, she fits right in. Did you see Luke?”

  There it was. The question she knew her mom had been dying to ask. She opened the door for that one. “Yeah, working on his cabin. I stopped there for a minute.”

  “And…”

  “There’s no “and.” Luke and I…that was a long time ago. I’ve put him behind me. I’m sure he’s moved on, too.”

  “I’ve never seen him with a girl since you left. June says she worries about him being so alone at his age. He should be out having fun. Such a serious young man. Maybe you two could hang out this summer.”

  “Mom, don’t go trying to do any matchmaking. My life is in Chicago. You know this is just a vacation, right.”

  “Right. How is Darren, anyway?”

  “Darrell. His name is Darrell, mom, and he’s good. You know we’re teaching together next fall. He’s leading a summer program for at-risk youth at the school and working on getting our classrooms set up. I’m thankful that he’s there for the summer, since I decided to escape. Where is Daddy this morning, by the way?”

  Since retiring from the Farm Bureau last year, Dad was never far from home.

  “He’s probably at Violet’s shooting the breeze with his buddies. He’ll be back in a while.”

  “If you don’t mind, maybe I’ll head that way myself. Catch up on the latest Peakview gossip. You want to join me?” Penny put her dishes in the sink and took a last swig of her coffee.

  “Thanks, but no. I have a lot of work that I want to get done in the garden today. You go right ahead.

  ***

  Penny pulled her Camaro up in front of Violet’s Café, the one and only hangout in the small mountain town of Peakview—population somewhere around 100. If you wanted to know any local gossip, Violet was your go-to person. She’d r
un the small café since before Penny was born. Not much happened in the entire county that Violet wasn’t aware of. Besides, Luke and his dad stopped by there almost daily, and she wouldn’t mind running into him again.

  She barely opened the front when Violet looked up and smiled. “Well, Penny Anderson. Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.” The older woman wiped her hands on her apron and walked around the counter to give her a hug. “Gary said you were back for the summer. Let me look at you. You haven’t changed a bit.”

  “Thanks.” She looked down the counter and couldn’t stop the frown that formed on her face. Luke wasn’t here. If you are looking for your daddy, he left a few minutes ago with Tom Peyton. They were heading up to Peaktop Ranch. Would you like some breakfast?”

  “Just coffee, please. Mom already stuffed me full of her homemade pancakes.” She took a seat at the end of the counter and said hello to the few other locals. “So what’s new in our little town?”

  Violet poured herself a cup and took a seat next to her. “Quite a lot really. You know that Howard and I got hitched a couple of weeks ago?”

  “Mom mentioned it. Congratulations. Mr. Crandall is such a nice man. I can’t even remember how many times he rescued me when my old Camaro chose to break down.”

  “I’d forgotten about that car. Is it still running?”

  “As a matter of fact, it’s parked right out front. I flew home, so I’m going to be driving it for the summer. Tell Howard he may have some business from me.”

  “And then there’s Melanie and her daughter Sophie who opened Sophie’s Choice, the bookstore across the street. Melanie is Howard’s daughter. It’s a long story, but he never even knew she existed until a few months ago. I’m so thrilled to have a new daughter and granddaughter.”

  “I noticed the shop when I drove up. Is that really the same old eyesore that had sat there deserted for so many years? I remember as kids, we used to think it was haunted.”