“This is all your fault. I’m blaming you. It’s because of you all these women are here.”
“It’s good for our town, I have to admit, but things didn’t turn out like I expected.”
“Then again, what does?”
“Exactly. You know I wrote a letter to an outdoor magazine, hoping to drum up interest in our tour business. I couldn’t stand to see this business my Ben built fail. The town needed the jobs. This company is the major employer in the area. I was only trying to help.”
He understood. It destroyed him, too, to see the town failing and the people he’d known all of his life struggling. Amy was even more attached to this place because her great-great-grandfather, Mack Tanner, had founded the historic gold rush town and played an integral part in its success. Word was, Tanner had buried a fortune along the Chilkoot Trail, but no one had ever found it.
He’d read the original letter, so he knew exactly how well-intentioned her letter had been. The proposals and offers of help she’d received after Ben’s loss touched her deeply, and she’d written about the fine men who had tried to take care of her. She could have tried to promote her company, but it had been her employees and the men of this town she’d lauded. How that caring letter had wound up on an editor’s desk at a glossy women’s magazine in New York City was anyone’s guess. But there was no doubt the Now Woman magazine article had made quite a splash. The area was full of tourists—women, to be specific—who were staying in hotels, eating in local restaurants and spending money in the town shops. The good Lord surely worked in mysterious ways.
“I think we can both agree you helped. Maybe all this business will be enough to save the tour company and help with the town’s deficit.”
“It’s hard to tell if this is a phase or a lasting thing. We can’t count on it being permanent, but we can do our best to give these ladies the best tours we can.” Amy pushed a schedule sheet his way. “You are booked solid for tomorrow’s Gentle Waters River Rafting tour.”
He glared at the list. All women. He wasn’t enthused. “Yippee.”
“Gage, you crack me up.” Amy chuckled, shaking her head. “Why are you here anyway? I take it you found the missing hikers?”
“That’s an affirmative.”
“You don’t seem happy. Do I dare ask what happened?”
“You know what happened. One of them tried to entrap me in the chains of marriage. When I sidestepped, she went after Reed.”
“Reed?” The amusement slipped from Amy’s face. That always happened whenever Reed’s name was mentioned.
Not his business, but personally, he thought there was something between the two of them. Not that either of them knew it yet.
“Thanks for finding a sub for my morning’s tour.” He pushed away from her desk. “I appreciate it.”
“That’s the drawback of having the best search-and-rescue men on staff. I’m glad everyone was found safe.”
He wasn’t the best, but he didn’t feel up to arguing with her. “Do you need anything done?”
“No. You may as well head home early. How are things going with the nanny hunt? You know, with all these ladies in town maybe some of them would be interested—”
“Don’t even say it.” The last thing he wanted to do was to entangle himself with marriage-minded women. “I’ll be in bright and early tomorrow, unless I get another emergency call.”
“You’ve been getting a lot of those lately.” She was smiling again. She knew how much it tortured him.
Not that he minded rescuing women—but to have them propose? And they hadn’t even bothered to read up on basic outdoor skills.
Take the women he’d found today—not a single survival skill between them two of them. The ending could have been very different. He gave thanks to the Lord all had ended well—except for the marriage proposal.
Now he only had one marriage-minded female on his mind, and he grabbed the phone at his desk to dial home. After a few reassurances from Gran that Karenna Digby was gone from both his life and his house, then he could hop into his truck and head home without fear. He was not going to be stuck with Karenna for another night. But the phone rang four times and the answering machine came on.
That isn’t a sign of doom, he told himself, as he hiked out the back door. Gran might be upstairs getting Matthew up from his nap. She might be outside weeding the garden. There was a long list of reasons why she didn’t pick up and why Karenna would be gone. Not that he felt ready to risk a trip home to find out, so he bypassed his truck in the lot and circled around to the sidewalk. He’d be smart and run a few errands first.
“Yo there, Gage.” Bucky looked up from behind a luxury sedan’s hood and grinned like a toothpaste commercial actor. The mechanic was twenty-six, had played quarterback on the high-school football team back in the day, and had lately taken over his dad’s garage. All-American, golden-haired, blue-eyed and square-jawed, he was exactly what women like Karenna had flocked to Treasure Creek to find.
Great. Gage couldn’t explain why that ticked him off. Just that it did. He felt lacking. Doing his best not to show it, he managed what he hoped was a pleasant smile. “Looks like you’re doing a bit of work. Did you get a chance to look at Miss Digby’s car?”
“You mean Karenna? Truth is, I’m over my head, between towing and doing repairs.” He straightened up and circled around the side of the car. He wiped his hands on a purple, grease-stained rag. “Truth be told, it took longer cuz I’m getting to meet some of the fine ladies come to town. Woo-hee, I’ve never had so much fun doin’ my job before.”
“So I see.” At least someone was enjoying the madness. “The car?”
“Karenna sure is a pretty gal. I saw her when I went to your house this morning.” Bucky lit up like the Fourth of July—sparkling eyes and beaming expectations. “Sure seems nice, too, helpin’ out your gramma with the housework. And the way that baby took to her. She’d make a real fine wife. Here’s prayin’ she stays in town so I get a chance with her.”
Hard to say why that made him see red. “What about all the other women who seem to suddenly have car trouble? You want a chance with them, too?”
“One at a time. Got to prioritize.” Bucky looked like a kid in a candy store—one that could have anything he wanted and had already made his choice.
Gage ought to be happy at getting Karenna out of his house and out of his life. So why wasn’t he?
“Can you fix her car?”
“No problem. I just need to replace the radiator. I’ve got her Fiat in one of the bays.” Bucky stuck the hand rag in his back overalls pocket. “I’ll get to it right away. Wish me luck with her.”
“Good luck.” He didn’t know what else to say as he walked on by. Couldn’t explain the lingering sadness that hit him. She was gone from his life. Good. He ought to be relieved. He was glad to see her go.
The hard knot in his chest wasn’t jealousy, he told himself as he glanced around town. The sidewalk was packed and he had to dodge women as he made a beeline for the general store. Bucky was perfect for Karenna. They were both as idealistic as could be, and that woman was trouble, sure as shootin’.
And to make things worse, he’d been unable to stop thinking about her most of the day. The image of Karenna in his kitchen last night, beautiful in spite of the torn and stained gown, haunted him. She made an incredible bride, but she was naïve and unrealistic. He wished he had told her more about what had happened to his marriage. Maybe she could have used a word of warning.