Page 162 of Ice Princess

The harmony of their voices suffocates me.

Mom grins. “How long are you going to be in town, Clancy? Does anyone else know you’re here?”

“Not yet,” Uncle Clancy says, tapping his way to the chair and sitting down gingerly. “I thought it would be a nice surprise if I showed up unannounced.”

“I’m honored that we’re the first house you came to. Stewart and the rest will be so jealous when they hear.” Mom preens.

I growl at my uncle, “Why the sudden visit?”

Mom’s eyes whip to me, blazing with silent disapproval. “Excuse him, Clancy. Gunner’s not one for mincing words, but his bark is worse than his bite.”

Mom finishes off the excuse with another, pointed look at me.

Behave,her eyes convey.

Uncle Clancy grips the top of his cane and swivels to face me. “I was finishing up a very important deal close by and I figured, since I’m here, I might as well come down to Lucky Falls and see the old haunts.”

“You’ve been gone since the funeral, haven’t you?” Mom taps her chin. “Wow. How many years has it been?”

“Too long,” Uncle Clancy says wearily. “I stopped by the cemetery on my way in.”

Mom turns sober. “Did you visit Clay’s grave? We keep it clean and I regularly change the flowers.”

“I appreciate that.” Clancy smiles sadly. “It’s been so long, but the pain of losing him is still fresh. Between the two of us, Clay was the dreamer.”

“He contributed so much to Lucky Falls,” mom says, dabbing at the corner of her eyes. “I’ll never forget how nervous I was when I got married and he spoke to me so kindly and made me feel welcome. He was the kindest man I’ve ever met.”

“Maybe a little too kind.” Clancy’s eyes turn strained. “If I wasn’t there to stop him, our family would have gone broke a long time ago.”

Mom straightens her shoulders. “Well, there’s a time for kindness and a time for business. You need both to survive. That’s why you were such a great team. It’s thanks to you and Clay investing in Lucky Falls that our family was able to thrive here.”

“Clay was the one who saw what this town could be. I was just along for the ride.”

Mom smiles.

“Carol, you wouldn’t happen to have something warm I could drink, do you?” Clancy rubs his throat. “I’m feeling a bit under the weather.”

“Of course. Of course. I’ll be back in a jiffy. Gunner, you should update your uncle on everything you and the team have accomplished this season. Did you hear thattheChance McLanely joined our local hockey team?”

“That I did.” Uncle Clancy lets out a rusty laugh. “Very impressive.”

Mom beams from ear to ear. “I’ll be right back.” On her way past me, mom stops and gives me a pointed look.

I hold myself still until she disappears.

The moment her footsteps recede, all the warmth in the room leaves with her.

“Gunner, sit, sit. Why are you standing there? You look uncomfortable.”

I remain standing, on edge.

Uncle Clancy laughs at my face and then he looks past me, sighing heavily. “My brother had a soft spot for this backward town.” His eyes pierce through the window. “I never understood what he found so magical about this tiny place. My whole life, I knew I was destined for bigger things, but Clay never seemed to get it. You can’t go big in a town this small.”

Uncle Clancy’s posturing is fooling no one. It was Grampa Clay’s investments in this ‘tiny’ town that gave him the seed capital to start his business back in the city. Everything he has now… is because of this town.

“You never answered my question,” I say darkly. “Why are youreallyhere?”

“You know…” He pushes to his feet. “That deep voice of yours makes everything you say sound like a threat.”

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