The Hometown Inn - Chapter 1

I didn’t think that when I finally moved back to Colebrook, it would be under these conditions. A headache pounded in my temples as I drove through the minuscule town square, where the streets were lined with homey cafes and shops that hadn’t been there the last time I visited. 

Colebrook truly was the quintessential small town, and it made me feel suffocated.

My phone rang through Bluetooth, and I accepted my sister, Kat’s, call. “What’s up?” I said, unable to keep my annoyance out of my voice.

“Geez, Alana, can you try to sound just a little bit excited?”

I sighed. “I’m sorry. You know I’m grateful and everything. It’s just a bit of a shock coming from the city to. . .” I gaped as a few wild turkeys merged into my lane better than most drivers in Boston.

I was a city girl through and through. When I finally left Colebrook for Boston, it all seemed so promising. I was going to be doing marketing and design at the sort of company people killed to work at: modern, young, exciting. It was the perfect fit.

Until it wasn’t.

Thinking about it now made a knot form in my throat. The lay-offs had been completely unexpected. One minute, I was feeling good about some new designs I’d just sent to the director, and the next, I was piling the contents of my desk into a cardboard box. 

When my savings ran out, Kat had swooped in and rescued me. She’d offered me a job at the Colebrook Inn in all its rural glory. I was going to plan events, help run the front desk, and provide them with a revamped marketing campaign. It sounded like a great opportunity on paper, but as I pulled up to the inn for the first time, I realized how much different this job would be. 

The inn itself was a massive cabin-style structure built of white wood and stone. A big log porch sprawled around the front of the huge building, and I had to admit, the size impressed me. I didn’t think Colebrook would ever be home to a place that looked like something out of a Hallmark movie. Nestled at the top of a winding road, it overlooked a deep valley of rolling hills. The large lawn gave way to a wooded area.

“I just pulled up,” I said to Kat on the phone. “Come outside and meet me.”

As I sat there taking deep, steadying breaths, a tall man throwing bags of mulch into a flower bed on the side of the inn caught my eye. He wore black work pants and a white t-shirt molded to his body by sweat. It was hard not to stare at the way his shoulders moved and flexed. 

A tap on my window made me gasp.

“Stop being a creep,” Kat said, smiling as the breeze blew strands of her jet-black hair around. “And get out and hug me.”

I stepped out of the car and wrapped my arms around her. It felt good and comforting to be near her, which was something I desperately needed.

“So who is that?” I muttered to her, walking to my trunk to grab my bags. 

His name was Dane, and he was the inn’s maintenance supervisor, who did everything from minor repairs to landscaping. 

As we walked up to the front door of the inn, Kat called out to him. “Dane, this is my sister, Alana. She’s going to join our team for a little while.”

Dane waved in my direction, his wavy brown hair glinting in the light. “Welcome. I’ll come give a proper introduction when I’m not covered in mulch.”

Kat and I headed into the inn. She gave me a tour that was more overwhelming than I’d anticipated. I followed her like a lost puppy, taking in the big front desk, supply closets, and dining room where guests milled in and out.

“Does Colebrook really get a lot of visitors?” I asked, mostly to myself. To me, this town had always been so sleepy.

“Thirty minutes to Big Bear ski resort, remember?” she said, indicating she’d heard me. “Also, keep in mind that not everyone hates the mountains and nature as much as you do.”

Self-consciously, I brushed my dark hair behind my ears. “I don’t hate—”

“It’s fine.” Kat rolled her eyes. “Come on. Let me show you where you’ll be staying. For free, mind you. Because I’m the nicest big sister ever.”

I had to admit, my room was incredible. It was a bit rustic for my taste, with its wood walls and beamed ceilings. But the bed was big with plush white blankets and pillows. The bathroom was a deep pine color with a luxurious bathtub and complimentary toiletries on the sink. I picked up a tiny bar of soap stamped with the etched words “COLEBROOK INN.”

“Wow,” I said, stepping back into the bedroom. “You manage a pretty good place here, Sis.”

Kat looked pleased. 

I walked to the window, and even I had to admit that the view was amazing. The openness rolled on for miles, lush green hills melding against the evergreens. Down on the lawn, I caught another glimpse of Dane, now holding a weed trimmer near the high grass at the tree line.

“I shouldn’t even be telling you this, because I’m the General Manager, and it’s not professional, but he’s single.” Kat nudged me with her elbow. 

I stammered, trying to find something to say, but Kat just laughed. 

“Get settled in. I’ll see you tomorrow at eight, okay?”

She closed the door behind her, and I looked at my watch. It was still so early in the afternoon. What was I going to do all day? I had been so used to working nonstop, and I assumed Kat would put me to work right away. Admittedly, I had been hoping for it. It felt so strange to be back in Colebrook.

Feeling nervous that he could see me, I kept an eye on Dane, watching him move along the lawn, trimmer in hand. It was embarrassing how thirsty I was for him, and I didn’t even know him. It hit me then that I hadn’t had sex since I’d broken up with Jason. 

Five months ago.

Five months without so much as a kiss. It was physically painful.

Throwing caution to the wind, I changed into a slightly more flattering top and headed outside. Luckily, Kat was nowhere to be found as I walked past the front desk, out the big door, and into the sun.

I looked around for Dane, realizing that the trimmer wasn’t going anymore. I busied myself at the trunk of my car, pretending to be searching for something.

“Sorry about the awkward hello earlier,” came Dane’s low voice.

I spun on my heel to see him walking toward me, wiping his brow and smiling from ear to ear. 

“Don’t worry about it.” I extended my hand. “Alana.”

“Dane,” he said. “More proper this time. So Kat’s your sister?”

“Older sister, yes… by two years. And I recently lost my job in Boston, so I came back to Colebrook to help her out.”

“That’s nice of you.” Dane nodded. “Sorry about the job though. And Boston? Wow. This is, uh, quite a change.”

I couldn’t keep the laugh that spilled from my lips. “It really, really is.” I realized then how gloomy I sounded, so I quickly said, “But it’s peaceful out here. Do you live close?” 

“Yup, just down over the hill.” He pointed in the distance. “I’ve got myself a perfect bachelor pad. It’s small and private—I don’t need a lot.”

“Bachelor pad,” I repeated. Was he trying to let me know he was single? 

I allowed myself a long look at him. His eyes were alarmingly green, with small lines at the corners when he smiled, and he was tanned and muscular, in a rugged sort of way. His brown hair glinted almost golden in the sunlight. Chest hair peeked out over the top of his t-shirt, and when my eyes moved further down, I noticed just how big his hands were. 

“So Kat gave you the official tour inside the inn, I assume, but did she take you around out here?” 

I shook my head, suddenly feeling lighter. “No, she didn’t.”

“Well then. Come on.”

I followed Dane around the perimeter of the inn. 

“We’ve got three separate firepits out on the lawn, a horseshoe area, and several hammocks strung up as we get closer to the woods.” He pointed toward one such hammock, empty and tied between two pine trees. “There are talks about putting in a hot tub, which I would love if you spoke to your sister about because I wouldn’t mind jumping into one myself.”

I laughed. “I’ll do my best to convince her.”

I followed Dane closer to the edge of the woods to the thick white canvas hammock. It was amazing how much cooler it was underneath the shade of the trees. I found myself unable to resist the hammock, so I climbed inside it.

Dane stood next to me and watched as I stretched out. “Is it comfy enough?” he asked, looking amused.

“Yes.” I smiled and closed my eyes. “I could stay here all day.”

When I opened my eyes, Dane was biting his bottom lip and shaking his head.

“What?” I asked.

“Nothing.” He looked over his shoulder at the inn and then back at me.

I sat up. “No, tell me.”

“There’s just an energy about you we don’t see a lot of around here. And I don’t know—I think you’re trouble a little bit.”

My heart jumped, and I felt like a giddy teen. I was racking my brain for the perfect response when Dane said, “I should get back to work. Your sister can be a tough boss when she wants to be. I’ll see you around though?”

“Yeah,” I said, feeling disappointed. “See you.”

As he walked away, I called out, “Dane.”

He spun around. “Yeah?”

“Maybe you can give me a tour of Colebrook sometime? I know there’s not a lot to see, but I haven’t been back in ages, so I’m—”

“Yes.” Dane nodded. A smile tugged at his lips, small and sly. “Let’s plan on that.”

Later, Kat came by my room before she went home for the night. She sat on the edge of my bed and, judging by the look on her face, had something important to say. 

“I saw you and Dane outside earlier,” she said. “Look, I don’t care what you two do, but just be careful. Mixing business and pleasure is never a good idea, and you’ve only just gotten here.”

“I will be.” I played with the end of my long, loose braid. “We’ll go slowly. I think he’s going to take me into town one night and show me what’s changed since the last time I was here.”

Kat raised her eyebrows. “An official date?”

“It’s not that deep.”

“You could do worse than Dane, anyway. After his breakup with Lauren, I seriously thought he was going to leave town.” At my expression, Kat continued. “Oh, she’s a woman he was with for a couple of years. She runs this bakery in town. You might see her around—curly blonde hair—because she comes and drops off bread and muffins for the meal services. It’s amazing food.”

“Oh,” I said. “So he was pretty devastated after that?”

Kat stood up, stifling a yawn. “Yeah. But that was over a year ago now. He moved into that little cabin over the hill and has been doing pretty well ever since. He’s a good guy. And not too bad on the eyes, either.” Kat winked. “Alright Sis, get some sleep, won’t you?”

As she closed the door behind her, my mind was still spinning with thoughts about Dane, Colebrook, and whoever this Lauren woman was.