He was nodding off again. “Uh-huh.”
I covered him with the comforter and then went down the hall to my room to get ready.
When Jacob and I built the store, we added a second floor with a two-bedroom apartment. At one end of the hall was a door that acted as our front door and went down to a parking area in the back of the store. At the other end of the hall was the door that opened to a staircase that led into the store.
The apartment had a full-sized kitchen, a large living area, and we each had our own suites, with a bedroom, bath, and small office.
I showered quickly, washing my hair twice and applying a leave-in conditioner. I left it down so it could dry on its own.
Dressing for the day in my thermal long underwear, black stretch pants, and white turtleneck sweater, I pulled my fur-lined boots out from my closet and pulled them on over knee-high socks.
The sun was shining today, but I had lived in Jackson long enough to know that the temperature was most likely in the teens. It would be biting cold outside.
Peeking in on Jacob before I left, I saw he was fast asleep. I pulled the blanket up over him and left the door open just a bit.
Hanging on the rack by the door was my fur-lined jacket, which I grabbed on my way out the door into the store. Before I stepped out, I glanced at the clock above the microwave…10:02. Late, but not too bad.
I walked out onto the balcony that looked down into the store and locked our apartment door behind me.
Not only had I managed to live my dream, but my brother and I had built our business into something bigger than either of us had first imagined.
After college, Jacob had been drafted by the Seattle Seahawks. Four years into his career, he broke his leg. Both bones down near the ankle.
I’d left California right after high school to travel and compete in snowmobiling races. Polaris found me cute and inspiring - their words- and they started sponsoring me. Eventually, I became a face of the brand and traveled all over promoting them. I moved to Jackson, Wyoming, permanently. When my brother was injured, he came to live with me while he recovered.
The sports doctor here in town told him that the way the bone had healed, he could never play again. He still walked with a bit of a crooked gait, but he pulled the cowboy thing and made it look like a swagger. It certainly did not ward off swooning girls, and I was constantly signing them up for rafting trips…the ones he led.
Jacob decided to stay in Jackson, and I was starting to tire of the traveling, so we settled on snowmobiling tours. Then we added white-water rafting. Followed by fly-fishing. Later, overnight excursions, which is when we built Racers Roost.
Now, we had four guides and a mechanic, and I was perfectly content. I had already won the World Championship Snowmobile Derby, basically the Indy 500 of snowmobile racing. I loved being able to stay here, in Jackson. It was my home.
Standing on the ledge, looking down into the store, I was proud of the business we had built. We had a section for fishing, a section for kayaks, a section for skiing, and of course, an apparel line.
Cody was unlocking the front door and I saw Mac enter through the back. He caught my eye and raised his green industrial coffee thermos to me. “Ready for the day, Princess?”
Descending down into the store I smiled at him. “Absolutely!”
I reached the bottom of the steps as Cody started the cash register. Mac came to a stop in front of me and I gave him my standard morning greeting. “Today looks like promise Mac, today looks like promise.”
Chapter 2
Even though wewere open for business, it would be unusual to get any walk-in customers this early on a Tuesday.
Our shop was located one street back off the town square, and it was usually tourists and Christmas visitors that would stop in. We shared a wood-plank walkway with a clothing store, a bank, a small café, and an art gallery.
I jumped up on the counter, watching as Cody counted out the cash in the till. Mac stood on the other side, one hip leaning casually against the counter, and waited for my morning talk.
“Jacob is sick. I think he has the flu, so I called Morgan to come help out.” I watched as Cody’s ears turned red and tried not to giggle at him. “Cody, I need you to fill up the trucks and then work the store while Mac and I get the gear ready for the expedition this weekend.”
Mac stood up straight and removed the ever-present toothpick from his mouth. With a craggy voice he asked, “You takin’ the trip instead of your brother?”
I sighed heavily. “Unfortunately, yes. But the two of you will be with me, so I’ll be fine. Morgan will be here at 2:30 p.m. so Cody and I can head to the airport to pick up the bachelor party.”
Mac chuckled under his breath and put his hands in his front pockets. “Oo-wee! I feel sorry for them boys. The great Mia Brooks is gonna knock them senseless if they get outta hand.”
“I appreciate the vote of confidence, but babysitting a bunch of drunks on a bachelor party was not how I wanted to spend my weekend.”
He laughed heartily and reached across the counter for the expedition packet. “Let’s see what size men we got here, and I’ll start pulling out the gear.”