Page 33 of Pick Yourself Up (Heroes to the Core #3)

The huge lodge was even bigger than Amber’s Inn. There was evidence of renovations in progress, with scaffolding along one edge of the back wall. Aisling waved down at them. “Hi guys. Tansy and Sam are out front. I’ll meet you there in a few.”

The view as they rounded the lodge had them both stopping with a gasp. Midnight Lake spread out before of them, surrounded by trees of all shades and colors. It was even better than what they’d seen so far.

Amber’s voice was hushed with awe. “This may be the prettiest view I’ve ever seen.”

He had to agree. Several docks reached into the lake, canoes, and kayaks ready to go. Chairs and benches were scattered to enjoy the view on the ground and on the huge deck. It was beautiful and inviting.

Sam waved them up to the deck. “It’s even prettier from up here. Come on up.”

Tansy smiled. “Welcome.”

He knew the tiny woman was a brilliant scientist and inventor, but she had no airs about her. Her quiet, gentle manner reminded him of Amber.

They’d met the remainder of the group during the apple picking party, but Sam went through the names, probably in case they’d forgotten or were nervous. Between former FBI agents, a firefighter and arson investigator, an artist, and another scientist, it was an eclectic group of smart people.

Another German shepherd bounced up from where he’d been sprawled on the deck. He woofed a greeting, and Boomer checked in with Amber. She smiled. “It’s okay Boomer. Friend. Friends. They’re all friends.”

Boomer moved to greet the other shepherd and then two labs and a husky-German shepherd mix that loped up the deck stairs to join the party.

Joe opened the door to the lodge and the huge Moose lumbered out. He and Boomer were already friends since Lia had come to the farm to check on them.

Watching the dogs get to know and accept each other was fun and he could feel Amber’s tension ease away as Boomer made friends.

Gray slung the pack he’d carried onto the table. Tansy had invented a non-plastic hot box. There were always a few on hand at the diner for when someone from the Lake would pick up dinner for them all. It was an ingenious box with various-sized compartments for different types of meals.

With a quick look at Lia, they arranged the seating so that the doctor was on one side of Amber and Gray on the other, with Tansy on his other side.

Sure enough, conversation was easy as they ate their meal. At one point, he leaned down to whisper in Amber’s ear. “You doing okay?”

She nodded, her wide smile genuine. “Very. Thanks.”

He kissed her cheek. “Good.”

Tansy leaned forward. “I’m excited to hear more about what you’re doing with your inn. I love the idea of reusing old equipment as decor.”

Sam laughed. “You’ve made a friend for life just by using the word reuse . Tansy’s a huge fan of reducing our human footprint on the world.”

Tansy smiled and shrugged. “It’s important.”

Amber nodded. “It is. I’m hoping to add solar panels to the inn and the farmhouse as soon as I can afford to buy some.”

Tansy’s face lit up and at least half of the people at the table groaned while the rest grinned. Graham laughed. “Now you’ve done it, Amber. I hope you’re prepared for what you’ve unleashed.”

Tansy laughed. “Just tell me if I’m too enthusiastic.”

Amber grinned, and for a while they talked about ways to make the farm eco-friendlier. The scientist was fascinated with regenerative farming and Gray’s plans for his gardens.

They talked about sensory plants, moon gardens, water features, invasive species and ways to attract good predators.

By the end of the meal, Amber was as relaxed as if they were with her family.

Tansy led the way to the lodge’s basement. “It appears everyone who has lived here has been a fan of reusing and keeping things just in case they needed them.”

Sam laughed. “Or they were hoarders.”

Grinning, they explored the rows and rows of items in the basement. Barrels and crates packed the space along with boxes on shelves.

Amber grinned. “This is amazing. I could spend days in here.”

Tansy squeezed her arm. “You’re welcome anytime. No invitation required.”

Sam nodded and then leaned down to kiss Tansy. “You ladies good here? I’m going to give Claus a tour of Midnight Security. Recruit him as a backup.”

Gray grinned at the idea, even happier when Amber indicated she was fine with Tansy and Boomer. “I’d love to see it.”

The Security cabin wasn’t far from the lodge itself. Sam pointed out at the lake. “There are a dozen more cabins out there, but we claimed this one for the business because it’s the largest and closest to the road.”

Which was still a two-mile hike away. This was another enormous property.

The cabin was filled with state-of-the-art technology and a small gym area for training. Gray had a blast checking it all out.

Sam leaned his hips against a large conference table. “We do a lot of training with law enforcement, military, and bodyguard agencies.”

Gray nodded. “You’ve got an excellent reputation. I worked with Norm Cassidy for a while.”

Sam grinned. “Cassidy Protection is great. We’ve worked with a few members of their crew. It’s a small world that you ended up right next door to us.”

Gray laughed. Right next door meant a two-mile hike and a half-hour drive. “Definitely a small world. And a good one. I haven’t faced down the winter yet, but I think it’ll be fine.”

Sam grinned. “You’ll have fun. You and Amber will have to come out for some snowshoeing or wind-sailing.”

“Wind sailing?”

Sam nodded. “Graham loves to experiment with machines. We’ve got a couple of old canoes and boats that he’s hooked up with glides on the bottom. It’s a blast racing them on the lake.”

That did sound fun.

Then Sam got serious. “I’m sorry we weren’t there faster when that asshole took Amber.”

It still made Gray’s heart pound, and he rubbed at the ache in his heart. “Thanks. We knew we could count on you to block the road. That we’d get him.”

Sam nodded. “It’s scary as hell when the woman you love is taken. It’s been a few years now and I still have nightmares about Tansy being kidnapped. If you guys ever need to talk, we’re here. We’ve all gone through some shit and it’s good to talk it out and not let it eat you from the inside.”

“Thanks.”

“How do you feel about teaching some classes on coping with situations as a bodyguard some day? It’s good to have someone who’s recently been on the job. Knows the ups and the downs.”

Gray grinned. “The boring as hell times and the holy shit times. That sounds fun and I’d be glad to jump on board.” It would also give him a purpose during the winter, when the gardens wouldn’t require his full attention.

Sam nodded as his phone buzzed, and he smiled. “Looks like the women are ready to head to the sawmill to check for more goodies there. And it sounds like we’re needed as pack mules.”

That made Gray laugh. He was thrilled Amber and Tansy were having fun. It didn’t sound like she’d had a lot of close friends in her life, and he hoped she was finding more here.

With their similar personalities, he wouldn’t be surprised if Amber and Tansy clicked into an easy friendship.

Full of contentment, Gray walked back to the lodge with Sam.

While much of it had been a nightmare, he was glad he’d been on duty that night at The Sidderlight because it had brought him everything he’d ever wanted. And more.