The Rockwell Legacy (Books 1-3)

Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Fifteen years later

Two days of trudging across the Chugach backcountry in a downpour had put Kai in a lousy mood. Now, finally, by some miracle, he’d stumbled across the two teenage girls who’d gotten separated from their outdoor education group. The girls he’d been searching for with barely a break.

Chelsea and Heather, both sixteen, city girls on their own in the Alaska wilderness. They were huddled together in the shelter of a fallen spruce, staring at him with big eyes.

“I’m Kai, I’m here to rescue you,” he said, absurdly, to his mind. Why else would he have trekked through alders and across glacial creeks? The two girls clung even closer together, as if he was Yeti come to life.

Oh, right. He touched his jaw and the two-day growth of beard there. He probably looked like a crazed mountain man. Even though he was sore and wet and exhausted, he forced a smile onto his face.

“Look, I’m Kai Rockwell, I’m a mountain guide and paramedic working with a local rescue team. Are you Heather and Chelsea? Are either of you injured?”

Finally the girls relaxed their guard. They scrambled to their feet and exchanged a high-five with each other. “A-plus survival skills,” said the one who must be Chelsea. who’d been described to Kai as Asian-American.

Kai dug out his handheld radio and spoke into it. “Victims located. Both appear to be in good condition.”

The crew leader answered in a crackle of static. “Good work, Rockwell. Can they hike out or should we send the bird?”

He glanced around at the terrain. No obvious place to land a helicopter. “You girls okay to hike a bit?” he asked them.

The other girl, Heather, groaned. “Seriously, we have to walk some more?”

“If you complain about your blisters again, I’m going to scream.” Chelsea turned to Kai. “Yes, we can hike. Just get us out of this pinecone hellhole.”

At least they were acting like normal teens now. No big damage done during two nights in the wilderness. He had to give them credit for that.

“No on the chopper,” Kai told the coordinator. “We’ll be back to base in an hour, tops.” He switched off the radio and spoke to the girls again. “Do you two still have water? Are you hungry?”

“We rationed our water and our trail mix,” said Chelsea proudly.

“One M&M an hour is not rationing, it’s torture.” Heather made a face at her friend.

Fighting a laugh, Kai grabbed their packs and added them to his load, which was already heavy with first aid and rescue gear.

These girls reminded him of the twins. They used to bicker like that. It used to drive him nuts, until Max kicked him out. Then he missed it.

“You both did good. Two days lost in the mountains can be pretty scary.”

“Thanks, Hottie Mountain Guide.”

He snorted. Apparently they’d gotten used to the beard. He led the way down the path he’d bushwhacked. The girls had managed to go in circles, so they weren’t actually very far from base. He could set a nice slow pace and they’d still get back before dark.

His cell phone buzzed, surprising him. Generally he had no service in these mountains, but occasionally a signal slipped through a line of sight in the terrain.

“Wait. You have cell service?” Chelsea gasped.

Kai dug out his phone from his pack. The text was from his brother Griffin.

What’s going on with Dad? I got a weird call from Jake, something about some chick changing things up at the lodge. Know anything?

He frowned. Did he even care what happened at the lodge? It wasn’t part of his life anymore. All his brothers and sisters had scattered in different directions. He hadn’t been back to Rocky Peak since the age of seventeen. He texted back. Nope. I’d be the last to know. What’s up?

“Can we call our parents?” Heather asked.

“Of course. But don’t worry, the crew’s in touch with them. By now they know you’re safe.” He handed over his phone. She dialed, but the call didn’t go through. Her lip quivered as if she might burst into tears. “Try texting. There may not be enough service for a call.”

But before she could tap out a text, the phone buzzed again. She handed it back to him.

This text was from Jake. Jake owned a pub in the town of Rocky Peak, close enough to the lodge to keep an eye on things.

Sounding the alarm here. Dad’s acting strange. Not sure what’s up. Maybe it’s because of his new nurse.

NEW NURSE? He fired back. Who? Why?

Heart disease. Nicole Davidson. She’s a nurse aide. Didn’t you get his email?

Yes, he’d gotten Max’s email but he must have minimized the danger. He hadn’t mentioned anything about hiring a nurse. What does she have to do with the lodge?

He likes her ideas. Spa treatments, retreats, stuff like that. Talks like he’s ready to dump the place on someone else.

Wow. Max Rockwell had devoted his entire life to the lodge. Not once had he mentioned turning it into a spa. And “dump” it? That sounded so unlike him.

What’s the nurse like?

Young. Cute. Never comes to my bar because she doesn’t drink. Always at the lodge.

“Excuse me, Mr. Hottie Mountain Guide, you said we could use your phone.”

He handed it to Chelsea, who tapped out a text message while Heather looked on.

Kai barely paid attention as he processed the news from Jake. Some non-drinking nurse-type was going to waltz into Rocky Peak and take over the lodge? The historic place his great-grandfather had started as a remote ski cabin over a hundred years ago? That Kai’s parents had built into a destination for skiers, families, rock-climbers, hunters, anyone who wanted to breathe fresh mountain air?

Hell, it even doubled as a volunteer fire station, with an engine and rescue gear stored on the property. Kai had helped out there as a volunteer fireman and with the ski patrol from the age of fourteen onwards.

And then there was the cozy, lantern-lit restaurant with its legendary venison chili and scoops of Rocky Peak Nugget ice cream. Guests used to drive miles up that winding mountain road just for a glass of wine by the fireplace.

Of course that was in the old days. A lot had changed since Kai had left. He really had no idea how much.

“You’re getting another text,” Chelsea called to him, rolling her eyes. “From Isabelle. Is that your girlfriend?”

“Sister.” He reached for the phone, but the teenager kept her grip on it.

She read the text out loud. “She says, ‘Someone has to check on Dad. I nominate you and everyone else seconds that.’”

“That’s ridiculous,” Kai said, as if his siblings were actually in front of him. “I’m the last person who should check on him.”

“Relax, mountain dude. I’m just reading the message.” Chelsea squinted at another text message coming in. “Isabelle sounds really worried, though.”

“What else did she say?” God, now he was sounding like a middle school kid himself. Also, this was getting ridiculous. “You about done with my phone yet?”

Another text buzzed.

“If we didn’t keep getting interrupted…” This time Heather read the text out loud. “It’s Isabelle again. She says ‘why are you ignoring my texts? You can’t just bury your head in the sand.’ She’s right, Hottie Mountain Guide. Burying your head in the sand doesn’t work. When my so-called boyfriend was cheating on—”

Kai threw up a hand to stop her. “Don’t need to know. Just wrap it up and give me back my phone.” He scrubbed a hand through his hair and took a long swallow from his water bottle. Some rescues—many—were literally life and death. This one was more like a wilderness version of Clueless. At least his two rescues were in good shape, already back to their sassy teenage selves.

“You got another text from Jake,” called Chelsea. “He says to stop ignoring Isabelle’s texts. Want me to answer?”

“Please don’t—“

“Too late, I told him you don’t appreciate his attitude.”

Kai called on his ‘first responder’ voice, the one that issued commands that people generally followed. “Phone, please.”

The girl meekly handed over his phone. Another text had just come in. This one came from Gracie, the only sibling who still lived at the lodge.

Is it true you’re coming home? Yay!!!! And then a string of happy-looking emojis.

At that point, the two girls needed his attention—all the blisters and bickering were getting to them.

Later, after he’d delivered Chelsea and Heather to their group leader, he changed out of his wet gear, sat in his truck in the trailhead parking lot and blasted the heater. What he wanted most right now was a giant cheeseburger with extra pickles and a beer, a hot shower and a good night’s sleep—in whatever order he could get them.

But first he had to find out more about this Max situation.

He initiated a group text with all of his siblings. Correcting rumors. Not coming back. If Max wants to pass the torch, that’s his right. He wouldn’t listen to me anyway. He’d probably do the opposite of what I say. He’d probably GIVE the lodge away just to spite me.

From Gracie: How can Dad give the lodge away? It’s the Rockwell legacy!

He’s supposed to avoid stress, Jake texted. No more coffee or alcohol.

Good argument for me to stay away, Kai tapped out. If I showed up his blood pressure would go crazy.

Isabelle joined in for the first time. He’ll have to have surgery unless he can change his lifestyle.

Lifestyle or anger level? Kai texted.

He could imagine each of them, in their various far-flung locations, wincing at that comment.

That’s why Nicole is here, Gracie chimed in. She’s helping him work on his stress. He’s a lot calmer than he used to be.

Griffin texted, I’d go back but I have the Lucas Pro coming up. Biggest race of my career. Then I can take a break.

Wow. Maybe this really was serious, if Griff was considering a break from racing. He lived for motocross.

I have a few weeks left on this contract, but I’m due for a vacation after that.

Isabelle, take a vacation? Kai’s worry deepened. Isabelle was a fiercely dedicated workaholic surgeon who worked with Doctors Without Borders. If she was that concerned about Max, there must be good reason.

What if this Nicole chick is a con artist going after the lodge? Maybe that sounded paranoid, but someone had to say it. Gracie was too naive. Jake too kind. Griffin and Isabelle too absent. Kai would have to take on the role of cynic. Hell, he was used to it.

He waited for someone to tell him that was a d**k thing to say, but none of them did.

The next text came from Gracie. That’s silly. She’s very nice. But you can find out for yourself when you get here! Squeee!!!

He’d walked right into that one.

He gazed out his windshield—cracked from a rockfall—at the breathtaking view of Turnagain Pass. Snow still glistened in the cornices of the mountains. Alders and spruce blanketed the lower slopes. God, he loved the Chugach.

But not as much as he loved the Cascades.

The summer guiding season in Alaska would be over in a month or so. A ski patrol team in Montana was trying to recruit him for the winter. He hadn’t said ‘yes’ yet, and he wasn’t entirely sure why. He loved rescue work, it was incredibly satisfying. Last winter he’d helped save a high school ski group from an avalanche. He’d rescued skiers who’d broken bones, snowboarders who’d sprained their wrists, multiple concussion victims, kids who’d gotten lost on the cross-country trails.

On the other hand, he was thirty-two now, and he’d spent his entire adult life roaming from one job to another. Short-term leases, short-term jobs, short-term relationships. Since the age of seventeen, he’d known exactly how to kick the dust off. He knew how to track, how to rescue, how to fight.

One thing he didn’t know was how to go back. How many times had he thought about it? Wanted to? Longed to breathe Rocky Peak air again?

Maybe this was the perfect opportunity. It would be short-term, of course. A check-in. A drop-in. No strings. No demands. No obligation.

Geez, now it sounded like a credit card application.

If he could handle an eighty mile per hour avalanche, he could handle a visit to Rocky Peak Lodge. To Mad Max Rockwell, who had a heart condition.

A stab of real fear shot through him. He imagined his giant volcano of a father grabbing his chest. In pain. He imagined not seeing him again, ever. f**k. He had to go back.

There’s a Rocky Peak Nugget double scoop in it for me, right? he texted.

Squeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!! wrote Gracie.

Double shot at the Last Chance too, texted Jake.

Griffin said simply, Good.

And Isabelle added, Don’t forget—no stress for Dad. No fights. No yelling. No arguments. Promise.

Oh.

Hell.