blood, and everything went dark.
Jarred into reality, her body shook and the darkness waned, she opened her eyes. Big man, sexy grin . Jax stared down on her. “We’re here.” he helped her out of the truck
A cloud-covered sun splayed bright rays over his shoulder. Crisp, cool air filled her lungs and whipped her cheeks.
“This is beautiful.” She breathed a foggy breath of awe into the atmosphere. Already amazed by the peaceful beauty and general untouched nature, she was even more surprised by the looming cabin behind them.
Scattered beams from the sun bounced off of the three solid stories of glass and wood. Shocked by the natural opulence, Lane’s mouth fell open so wide her jaw nearly unhinged.
“Christmas retreat,” he told her. “The best skiing in the country is a good ten miles away in any given direction.”
“I don’t see any neighbors.” Surrounded by the vast nature of Douglas firs and Ponderosa pines, they appeared isolated from the outside world.
“Yeah, my pops didn’t want to use this place for networking. Business is business, he always told us, but family is family.”
Lane wondered what his childhood must have been like. Not once had she gotten a whiff of any privileged kid antics from him, unlike Parker, who had spoiled brat written on his forehead. It was too bad she’d had blinders on. Otherwise she’d seen what she needed to with Parker Lockland, not what she wanted to.
“Jackson!”
She turned toward the pert, feminine voice filled with pure adulation. A dead ringer for Raquel Welch, with a Coke-bottle body and auburn hair, approached them in a graceful pony. Reminiscent of every pin-up girl she’d ever seen, Jax’s mother was stacked better than one of those girls in a pervy magazine.
“Mom!” She intercepted them. “I didn’t expect you here,” he mumbled into the woman’s full embrace.
Lane stood back in the sidelines.
“Surprise,” his mother cried. “Let me look at you.” She made Jax turn around. “From where I’m standing, it doesn’t look like you’re in any trouble to me.”
“Never let ’em see ya sweat, someone great taught me that,” he bragged.
With a hearty laugh, his mother punched him in the arm. “Not one drop, boyo.”
The myopic scope of this meeting hadn’t included her yet, which Lane didn’t mind. She lived for the fly-on-the-wall perspective.
“Did you have a good trip?” A man joined them, dropping a load of cut lumber at his feet. “This light snow is just a preview. In a couple of days, it will be full white-out conditions,” he said before hugging Jax.
Lane assumed he was Jax’s dad. Every man in the Thornbird family resembled one another. Big broad shoulders and dark hair…sexy men. She admired them from her vantage spot behind the youngest Thornbird, the one she had begun to fall in love with.
“The flight wasn’t bad,” Jax admitted. “Look, guys, I’ve got someone I want you to meet.” He moved aside for everyone to get a good look at her. “My mom, Dottie, and my dad, Truman, this is Lane—”
“Garrett,” she offered up her maiden name before he could give out the wrong one. The ink on her divorce papers may have just dried, but she hadn’t been married long enough to get used to the Lockland name attached to hers.
“Welcome, Lane, our casa es su casa ,” Dottie greeted her.
She ran her palms down the front of her jeans before she shook his parents’ hands. Even though she was on the run with their fugitive son, she didn’t want the Thornbirds to get the wrong impression.
“So.” he nodded. “What’s this?”
“What?” both of them asked.
“This.” He wagged his finger between them.
His parents looked at one another in confusion before his father relented. “Oh, hell, son, it’s not like you have another brother or sister on the way. Your mother and I are spending some time together.”
“For how long?” He asked. Cop hat, Lane quickly noted by his tone; he was in full
Jarred into reality, her body shook and the darkness waned, she opened her eyes. Big man, sexy grin . Jax stared down on her. “We’re here.” he helped her out of the truck
A cloud-covered sun splayed bright rays over his shoulder. Crisp, cool air filled her lungs and whipped her cheeks.
“This is beautiful.” She breathed a foggy breath of awe into the atmosphere. Already amazed by the peaceful beauty and general untouched nature, she was even more surprised by the looming cabin behind them.
Scattered beams from the sun bounced off of the three solid stories of glass and wood. Shocked by the natural opulence, Lane’s mouth fell open so wide her jaw nearly unhinged.
“Christmas retreat,” he told her. “The best skiing in the country is a good ten miles away in any given direction.”
“I don’t see any neighbors.” Surrounded by the vast nature of Douglas firs and Ponderosa pines, they appeared isolated from the outside world.
“Yeah, my pops didn’t want to use this place for networking. Business is business, he always told us, but family is family.”
Lane wondered what his childhood must have been like. Not once had she gotten a whiff of any privileged kid antics from him, unlike Parker, who had spoiled brat written on his forehead. It was too bad she’d had blinders on. Otherwise she’d seen what she needed to with Parker Lockland, not what she wanted to.
“Jackson!”
She turned toward the pert, feminine voice filled with pure adulation. A dead ringer for Raquel Welch, with a Coke-bottle body and auburn hair, approached them in a graceful pony. Reminiscent of every pin-up girl she’d ever seen, Jax’s mother was stacked better than one of those girls in a pervy magazine.
“Mom!” She intercepted them. “I didn’t expect you here,” he mumbled into the woman’s full embrace.
Lane stood back in the sidelines.
“Surprise,” his mother cried. “Let me look at you.” She made Jax turn around. “From where I’m standing, it doesn’t look like you’re in any trouble to me.”
“Never let ’em see ya sweat, someone great taught me that,” he bragged.
With a hearty laugh, his mother punched him in the arm. “Not one drop, boyo.”
The myopic scope of this meeting hadn’t included her yet, which Lane didn’t mind. She lived for the fly-on-the-wall perspective.
“Did you have a good trip?” A man joined them, dropping a load of cut lumber at his feet. “This light snow is just a preview. In a couple of days, it will be full white-out conditions,” he said before hugging Jax.
Lane assumed he was Jax’s dad. Every man in the Thornbird family resembled one another. Big broad shoulders and dark hair…sexy men. She admired them from her vantage spot behind the youngest Thornbird, the one she had begun to fall in love with.
“The flight wasn’t bad,” Jax admitted. “Look, guys, I’ve got someone I want you to meet.” He moved aside for everyone to get a good look at her. “My mom, Dottie, and my dad, Truman, this is Lane—”
“Garrett,” she offered up her maiden name before he could give out the wrong one. The ink on her divorce papers may have just dried, but she hadn’t been married long enough to get used to the Lockland name attached to hers.
“Welcome, Lane, our casa es su casa ,” Dottie greeted her.
She ran her palms down the front of her jeans before she shook his parents’ hands. Even though she was on the run with their fugitive son, she didn’t want the Thornbirds to get the wrong impression.
“So.” he nodded. “What’s this?”
“What?” both of them asked.
“This.” He wagged his finger between them.
His parents looked at one another in confusion before his father relented. “Oh, hell, son, it’s not like you have another brother or sister on the way. Your mother and I are spending some time together.”
“For how long?” He asked. Cop hat, Lane quickly noted by his tone; he was in full
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