The Return Of David Mckay. Ann Evans

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СКАЧАТЬ wood-and-glass architecture a powerful, glowing presence among the tall pines. Beyond the lodge, Lightning Lake sparkled with late sunlight as though it were dressed in salmon-colored sequins. In the distance, the mountains sat like silent sentinels. It was a sight Addy never tired of.

      Geneva McKay sighed. “Oh, it’s so peaceful up here. I can’t wait to spend a little time with your family before we leave tomorrow.”

      The lodge—sixteen rooms and two suites—had been built years ago by Addy’s mother and father, Rose and Sam D’Angelo. They’d raised three sons and one daughter in the private quarters behind the downstairs lobby, and Addy had never known any other home.

      “You haven’t been up here since Mom’s birthday party, have you?”

      “No. And I’ll be interested to see where my painting ended up.”

      A while back, Addy’s father had commissioned Geneva to paint a portrait of her mom. A talented artist in her younger years, Geneva now had her work in a place of honor over the family’s living room fireplace.

      “There was a lengthy conversation about where it should go, but Pop won. They’ll be so glad to see you. And, frankly, your being there will take a little of the heat off me. Things have been a little…testy…between me and Pop lately.”

      Geneva gave her a knowing look and reached over to pat her hand. “I heard.”

      “Who told?”

      “Your mother. She said she’s really all right with whatever you decide, but she’d like to wring your father’s neck.”

      Addy couldn’t help but laugh. She felt exactly the same way.

      A couple of weeks ago, Addy had come to a life-changing decision, and once she’d told the family, it had been like being in the middle of a presidential debate. The D’Angelos loved a good, loud discussion, and no one ever kept their opinions to themselves.

      But you’d think a topic as sensitive as artificial insemination would have left them speechless for at least a day or two.

      It hadn’t. While most of the family had seemed stunned but openly supportive when Addy announced that she was interested in finding out more about the procedure, Pop had been furious. What was wrong with having a baby the old-fashioned way? Through love and marriage?

      Addy had patiently explained to him that the man of her dreams didn’t seem to know where she lived and that she wasn’t getting any younger. Then the fireworks had started. Truthfully this trip out to the Devil’s Smile would be a nice break from all the recent tension in the household.

      Stopping under the front portico, Addy signaled to George, the front desk clerk and bellman, that she needed help with luggage. As he collected Geneva’s bags, Addy said, “I’ve put you in one of the ground-floor rooms so you won’t have to battle the stairs. Pop still refuses to put in an elevator.”

      Sam D’Angelo had suffered a stroke a couple of years ago, and though he was reliant on metal crutches occasionally, he refused to make many concessions for his health. Even Nick had given up trying to convince him.

      “The parking lot is so full,” Geneva said, glancing around.

      “We’re pretty busy this week. Mom and Pop might put you to work if you’re not careful.”

      “So what do you do every day, dear?”

      “Anything that needs doing,” she replied.

      That was true. After college, she had fallen into her parents’ expectation of joining the family business. Pop was still the head of the household and oversaw the bottom line. Mom ran the kitchen like a field marshal. Aunt Renata took care of the dining room, and Aunt Sofia kept the rooms shipshape. Her oldest brother, Nick, once a Navy pilot, ran helicopter tours from the resort in his two R44 Ravens. And though brothers Matt and Rafe lived down the mountain in Broken Yoke, they were often here with their wives, helping out when circumstances called for it.

      As for Addy, professionally she was still finding her niche. She had her pilot’s license so she could help out Nick when tours backed up, but she couldn’t honestly say she loved it. Cooking bored her. As for the bookkeeping she’d been relegated to lately by her father…well, as Nick diplomatically claimed, she had no flair for numbers.

      She loved kids and she was good with her nieces and nephew. Maybe that’s why it had seemed so sensible to stop waiting on Mr. Right and just do something about it….

      She got Geneva settled in her room, then hurried off to help her mother in the kitchen. There were three special occasions planned in the dining room tonight—the wedding anniversary of a couple who’d met at the lodge twenty-five years ago and two birthday celebrations. They required extensive preparation and every available hand.

      When she entered the kitchen, the first person she saw was her sister-in-law Dani, who’d married Addy’s brother Rafe two months ago. Evidently the night was going to be busy enough that reinforcements had been called in.

      Dani was seated at the big butcher-block table, trying valiantly to carve radishes into roses for garnish. She wasn’t doing a very good job of it. As soon as Dani saw Addy, she beckoned her over with her paring knife. Addy snatched up an apron and gloves, putting them on as she came to Dani’s side like a doctor approaching a patient on the operating table.

      “Save me,” her sister-in-law begged in a low voice. “Both your mother and Aunt Ren have shown me how to make these darned things, and I still don’t know what the heck I’m doing.”

      Addy lifted a radish and squinted at it. It resembled a pinecone more than a rose. “Gee, it doesn’t show.”

      She removed the knife from Dani’s hands. “Go see what help Aunt Ren can use. I’ll take care of these.”

      Dani was the newest addition to the D’Angelo clan. Although she was a newspaper columnist by profession, so far she didn’t seem to mind the way a person could get sucked into the family business at a moment’s notice.

      Addy liked her a lot. Growing up, she had been closest to her brother Rafe, once the wild child in the family. She was glad that he’d settled down at last, that he’d finally found a reason to come home and a woman worthy of coming home to.

      She picked up a radish and began making the cuts that would turn it into a flower. Carrot curls. Tomato stars. Even squash swans. She knew how to make them all. A Jill-of-all-trades.

      And absolutely a master at nothing.

      ONCE THE DINING ROOM closed, things settled down at the lodge quickly. Guests usually kept early hours because of all the daytime activities the area offered, and tomorrow promised to be a beautiful day just made for outdoor fun.

      With one person manning the front desk after hours, the family often sat around the living room of their private quarters, drinking coffee or sharing a bottle of wine as they compared notes about the day. Tonight Geneva McKay had been invited to sit with them. Although she was some years older than either Rose or Sam, they had all known one another for years.

      Addy sat in a back corner, listening to the conversation with one ear. She was tired, and for some reason her nerves felt jangled. She supposed it was just anticipation of the trip, the go-go-go of this evening’s workload. And the fact that it seemed as though СКАЧАТЬ