Falling For The Hometown Hero

“Eight o’clock too early?”

“Not at all.”

Nodding, he leaned an elbow against the counter and tried not to stare at his newest employee. The way her silky brown hair spilled over her shoulders and the hint of a dimple in her right cheek.

He cleared his throat. “The front office here is where you’ll spend most of your time. That’s my office there.” He motioned to the small room at his left.

Her brow puckered as she scrutinized the area. “It has promise. A few simple cosmetic changes could brighten this space considerably.”

“Cosmetic changes?” What was she talking about? “The place is perfectly fine. A bit rustic, but in some circles, the rustic look is all the rage. I put my money where it really mattered. Upgrading the rental Jeeps and tour trucks.”

His former boss, Mountain View Tours’ previous owner, had been a notorious cheapskate, barely putting any money into his vehicles and, in turn, ruining the company’s once-glowing reputation. A reputation Kaleb was determined to restore.

Grace smiled politely. “Okay, then—”

“I got a lollipop!” The announcement came from Kaleb’s four-year-old nephew, Jack, as he barreled through the front door in cowboy boots and shorts, lips bright red from the candy he proudly held in his hand.

“Is that for me?” He scooped the child into his arms before sticky fingers could make contact with anything or anyone.

“No.” Jack squirmed and giggled, his brown eyes alight with amusement. “You hafta get a haircut to get one.”

“Jackson Kaleb, you are supposed to wait for Mommy.” Sami, Kaleb’s sister, looked fit to be tied as she strode into the office, fists clenched at her sides, her blond ponytail escaping its confines. “What if there had been a car coming?”

Kaleb glared at his nephew. “Jack...? Did you run across the street by yourself?”

“But I wanted to show you.” The sincerity of Jack’s words settled into Kaleb’s heart.

After falling prey to an IED in Afghanistan, Kaleb had returned to Ouray just before Jack was born. He soon discovered that holding Jack and spending time with him was the best medicine Kaleb could have asked for, taking his focus off of his inabilities and forging a special bond. A bond Kaleb hoped to one day share with a child of his own.

He softened his expression. “Safety first, soldier. You know that.” He regarded his new employee. “Jack, this is Grace. She’s going to be working here this summer, so you’ll probably see a lot of her.”

“Hi, Gwace.” Jack popped his lollipop into his mouth.

“How’s it going, Jack?” Smiling, she waved and Kaleb saw a spark in her eyes that had him suspecting she liked kids. Yet as quick as it came to life, it was gone.

Suddenly shy, Jack laid his head against Kaleb’s shoulder.

“Hi, Grace.” His sister extended her hand. “I’m Sami, Kaleb’s sister, part-time helper around here and mom to this little mischief maker.” She poked a thumb toward Jack.

“Nice to meet you.”

“Grace just got into town.” Kaleb smoothed a hand across his nephew’s back, the sweet smell of strawberry enveloping them both.

“Welcome to Ouray.” Sami gave Grace her full attention. “This your first time to visit us?”

“Yes.” Grace’s eyes drifted to the window. “And it’s even prettier than I imagined.”

“That it is.” Sami let go a contented sigh, before addressing Grace again. “Where are you from?”

“All over.” Grace faced his sister. “I grew up a military brat then joined the navy right out of high school.”

“Wow!” Sami’s dark brown eyes flashed with excitement. For all of her contentment, Kaleb knew his sister longed to travel. “I bet you’ve been to some exotic places.”

“I suppose. But few as beautiful as what I saw driving in today.” Grace hesitated, a puzzled expression on her face. “I’m sorry—have I said that already?” She looked from Sami to Kaleb. “It really is true, though.” The conviction in Grace’s voice was hard to miss. And precisely what Kaleb needed to set Mountain View Tours on the road to becoming a thriving business once again.

Anticipation flooded through him as he set Jack on the floor. “Grace, you haven’t even seen the tip of the iceberg. Just wait till you find out what’s in store for you.”

* * *

Grace, you are such a goober.

Gravel crunched beneath her tires as she backed her bike into the tree-canopied campsite that butted against the jagged sandstone surface of the mountainside.

When she’d talked with Kaleb Palmer on the telephone, his deep voice had her envisioning him to be somewhere upwards of fifty years old, with a moderate paunch around his midsection, wearing an old trucker hat and coveralls. Instead, he was only a few years older than her twenty-eight years, well built, with biceps bigger than her thighs. Not to mention those gray-green eyes that had her gushing like a schoolgirl.

She cringed, recalling how many times she’d used the word beautiful or some variation thereof. Even if she had meant it, she probably came across as phony.

Much like her ex-husband. It’s all right, Grace. We’ve got each other, and that’s all we need. Over the two years that Grace had tried unsuccessfully to conceive, Aaron had uttered those words month after stinking month. She’d even started to believe him. Until he left her for his pregnant girlfriend.

Annoyed that she’d allowed her mind to wander down that depressing path, she killed the engine, dropped the kickstand and got off her motorcycle. After removing her helmet, she surveyed the place that would be her home for the next few months.

The showers weren’t too far away, so that was a bonus. Across the way, a large motor home was parked at an angle. Several sites down from her, there was a silver Airstream trailer and a few more RVs dotted the campground. Aside from that, the place was empty. Something she was certain would change as they moved into summer.

Focusing on her own campsite, she noted the picnic table and a small fire pit that doubled as a grill. A water spigot and electrical box. Lifting her gaze, she studied the mountains, many still topped with snow. Definitely something she wasn’t used to seeing from the deck of an aircraft carrier. Or from the screened-in porch at her home in Jacksonville, Florida.

She shook away the unwanted memories, dropped her helmet and jacket atop the picnic table then tugged the phone from her back pocket and sent a text to her sister, letting her know she’d arrived safely. Thirty seconds later, the phone rang and Lucy’s name appeared on the screen.

Grace should have known her little sister wouldn’t be satisfied with a text.

“Hey, Luce.”

“I told you to call me when you got there. Not text.”

“Just trying to save time.” Grace sat down at the table. “I haven’t even set up camp yet.”

“In that case, I’ll cut you some slack. So... What do you think of Ouray?” Excitement laced Lucy’s tone.

Her sister and mother had spent the summer after Dad’s death up here and Lucy had fallen in love with the town. If only things had been that simple with their mother.

“In a word? Gorgeous. The pictures you showed me didn’t even begin to do it justice.”

“See? Didn’t I tell you?”

“You did.” Something she was certain Lucy would never let her forget.

“I think the change of scenery will do wonders for you, Grace. At the end of the summer, you’ll feel like a new woman, refreshed and ready to conquer the world.”

Conquering the world was exactly what Grace planned to do. Unfortunately, the ship the cruise line had assigned her to was in dry dock, undergoing renovations, and she wouldn’t be setting sail as an excursions manager until late September. So, at Lucy’s relentless urging, Grace reluctantly accepted a summer job in Ouray.