Ordered By The Mountain Man(14)

I noticed that she pulled back, which surprised me. She wasn’t supposed to be timid or shy. I told Monique that I wanted a woman who could take care of a business.

So why is Delta acting all surprised about this job? It’s like Monique never let her know what her life would be like here—which is a motherfucking problem. Delta should have known before she came what she was signing up for.

But it looks like she was thrown in the deep end. Just like me.

The last thing I want to do is convince a woman that this life is for her. I want a woman who knows what she wants.

Though, to be fair, it’s pretty clear Delta wants me.

Now I just need to convince her that this job isn’t all that bad.

“Um. Boone. Is that real?” she asks, her eyes widening as we walk into the gathering room of the lodge.

She’s pointing to a grizzly bear, the largest animal we have, which is on display in the center of the room. Leather sofas and chairs surround the large room, and a river rock fireplace is at the far end.

“Hell, yeah—gorgeous, isn’t it?” We have mounted animals all over the lodge; it’s something that has always set us apart from other hunting lodges, which may have only a handful. We have hundreds.

“Did someone kill that for, like, fun?” she asks, looking horrified.

“For fun? Hell, no—this bear attacked my uncle. The bear grabbed him by the head and was attacking my uncle, when his hunting partner shot the bear, stopped him dead.”

Delta recoils. “I don’t get it. Why would you keep something so horrible?”

“Taxidermy is about memories. Preserving something. This bear reminds us of our uncle.”

Her eyes get wide and she stops walking, grabbing my arm instead. “Boone, all those animals in our room? They were real? Not, like … pretend?”

“Nothing is pretend in Alaska.” I shake my head at this woman. What the hell is she getting at?

“Oh, my God, I think I’m gonna be sick.”

“Hold yourself together,” I tell her. “The crew is gonna want to meet you.”

“I know, but … this totally grosses me out.”

“You sound pretty damn high maintenance, Delta.”

She purses her lips, her soft, gentle edge replaced by something steely and unwavering.

“I am not high maintenance. It’s just. So. Many. Animals.”

We walk into the dining room, and Dirk and his wife Sally are here. Sally comes straight over to us, greeting Delta warmly, and I appreciate her effort. It means a lot. A handful of the men who guide with us, who stay here year round, are sitting at table, and there are a few college-aged women who are up here from Anchorage for the summer to lead kayaking trips around the lake. All in all, there are about fifteen of us living here full-time.

Trey, our chef, is bringing out food to the tables, family-style, and I explain all that to Delta as we walk to the center of the room.

“We eat this way when the lodge isn’t open. We’ve been closed for nearly five months while we’ve recovered from my parent’s death. But in a week we reopen our doors, starting a new season with new owners. Mason and me.” I look at her intently. “And you.”

The tables of people stand, clapping for us. “Congrats, Boone,” they holler, and “Look at you,” and “Let’s hear it for the happy couple!”

Looking more closely, I see it’s Mason who’s leading the welcome. Dickhead. He knows I don’t care for attention.

Delta is smiling congenially, and I can tell that she’s able to take this cat-call greeting in stride.

“Thank you,” I tell everyone, waving for them to take their seats.

“Toast, toast, toast,” Lukas, one of the guides, chants.

I flip him off, laughing. “Listen, everyone, this is Delta,” I tell them, taking her hand in mine. It’s so soft and I don’t let go. “She arrived this afternoon—”

“We know, we heard ya!” someone calls, and I shake my head, worried that Delta might be pissed. But she isn’t blushing; she’s laughing along.

“She’s moving up here from Portland, Oregon. And she could use some space to acclimate to the lodge, understood? If you could all do your best to help her if she has any questions, that would be great.”

“When’s the wedding?” someone asks.

“Pastor Vince will be here tomorrow to marry us.” I squeeze her hand, wanting her to know I’m in this with her. “Delta has a degree in hotel services, and will be a great addition to our team here at Grayson Lodge.”

Everyone claps for us and I lead her to a table, where Mason is sitting with other guides.

“Evening, Delta,” Mason says, kissing her cheek as she sits beside him. “Look at you; you’re glowing.”