Page 107 of Hard Knock Hero

“I’m on board. A hundred percent. My family will be, too. They’ll love it.” Aiden kissed my forehead, wrapping me up in his arms. “You are absolutely amazing, you know that? If I was the type to settle down, I’d be thinking seriously about asking you to marry me.”

“But you’re not the marrying kind, huh?”

“Sometimes I surprise even myself. Guess we’ll just have to wait and see.” His expression was placid, but his eyes shone down on me, so full of love and fondness and more things than I had words for. “Do you have a name for this wonderful place you’re envisioning?” he asked, our hands linked together.

“I do. I want to name it Last Refuge. So that anyone who feels they have nowhere else to turn will know. They can come here.”

CHAPTERTHIRTY-THREE

Aiden

I lifted the sledgehammer.“Do you want to do the honors, Jessi?”

She grinned and took the sledge in both hands. Our audience of friends and supporters cheered.

We were back on Refuge Mountain. And today was the day. We were breaking ground—and some walls—on the Last Refuge Inn & Tavern. Jessi’s idea was going to become a reality. On the surface, a new gathering place for the people of Hartley. We certainly needed it with the way the population had been growing.

But underneath, Last Refuge would be a beacon for people who needed help. We were going to keep it quiet. Let word of mouth slowly spread. There were some rules to follow for running a shelter, and we’d do what was necessary to keep it aboveboard, as least as far as the state was concerned. But for those who truly needed it, we would make sure they were provided for. Regardless of anyone’s rules.

Jessi was the heart and soul of this entire enterprise. I was just the muscle when the occasion called for it, and more often the cook. Because everybody would have to eat.

Our friends counted down while Jessi took practice swings. “Three. Two.” When they reached zero, the sledgehammer crashed into one of the walls we were breaking down inside the old ranch. There was clapping, more cheers. And I took the sledgehammer from Jessi’s hands, giving her a kiss as I did.

“Your turn,” she said.

I swung, taking out a larger chunk of the wall, and Jessi whooped. I hooked her waist with my free hand, tugging her close. Jessi had been floating on air for days, looking forward to this. She’d really shown her appreciation to me last night, and of course, I’d returned the favor. Such a hardship. It was a tough life I led.

“Okay, that’s enough,” I said. “Better let the pros take over from here.”

She pouted. “It’s so cathartic, though.”

“I’ll have to find you something else to smash. But not this. We have big plans for this place.”

She grinned. “We do indeed.”

We had spent all summer finalizing the land purchase, working with architects, and getting our contractor in place. The fact that we were starting so soon was a minor miracle in itself. But it helped that this county had virtually no regulations, and the financing had come through in a snap, thanks to an additional silent benefactor that Trace had connected us with. As with everything concerning Trace, it had been mysterious. Some ex-Army friend of his who wanted to remain nameless. But I didn’t care. The money came with no strings except that we establish Last Refuge according to Jessi’s proposal. And that was all I wanted.

We’d purchased the old ranch, as well as much of the surrounding mountainside, including the old cabin that the legends spoke about. The main building of the ranch would become our restaurant, and a row of existing cabins would be converted into guest cottages. Eventually, we would repurpose and expand the barn into an event venue, and a new building would house the hotel. It was a major undertaking. But we hoped the construction on the restaurant itself might be finished this fall, if everything went perfectly.

But Jessi had been working her butt off on this project along with me, and when she put her mind to something, I was amazed what she could do. We already had a party in the works for the restaurant’s grand opening, date to be determined, and my family all planned to visit Hartley to attend.

For today, we had champagne waiting back at the diner, as well as some appetizers and desserts that Jessi and I had whipped up. As soon as everyone had finished here, we would head down to Main Street.

While Jessi and Scarlett bent their heads together to chat, I stepped outside and walked over to the barn, where Trace had retreated. He made me look social by comparison.

“How’re you doing?” I asked.

“Fine.” His voice was gruff. And it was a non-answer, as always. I got it. I did. But I knew how much Trace’s reticence was getting to Jessi.

For the last few weeks, he had been living in one of the cabins up here. Trace had volunteered to be security for the work site during off hours, as if that was necessary in Hartley. But if more people got ideas like the Rigsbys, then maybe it was. We wanted Refuge Mountain to be a safe place.

That had been on my mind a lot too, actually.

Trace cleared his throat. “It’s commendable, what you and your family have done for Jessi.”

“Your benefactor friend helped. Whoever he is. But Jessi’s doing a lot of it herself. She’s the heart of Last Refuge.”

He nodded. “She is. It’s a good name. A good idea, too. A place for people with nowhere else to turn.”

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