The Last Bride (DiCarlo Brides #6) by Heather Tullis Read Free Book Online Page B

together later this week to pound out a deal with them.”
    “All right.” Jeremy bit into his pizza again.
    “Have you done anything with that Camero since we saw it last? I’m dying to see it all shiny and new again.” Vince stood from the sofa.
    “Some. You have to check it out. It’s a thing of beauty.” Gage smiled. Later the house would be quiet and empty again but for the next half an hour, he would enjoy some time with his buds.

Delphi’s a go.
    Gage looked at the text message from Jeremy and sighed in relief. He’d already gotten confirmation from Vince so he would have what he needed to get the lifts repaired. Even if it did kill him by inches to have to sign over more of his business to anyone—friends or not. He picked up the phone and called the company that made the haul ropes to arrange the purchase.
    His mother and sister didn’t understand why he had bought the ski resort to begin with. Their father had been a well-known architect and they expected Gage to do something similar. He had gone to college, even looked at getting his master’s degree, but it wasn’t what he wanted, and he hadn’t been able imagine spending another two years in classes for something he didn’t love. He had worked the lifts on and off through high school and college for pocket money and loved it there. He had become a certified ski instructor and learned more about the business.
    Then his father had died and Gage had to settle affairs for his mother and sister. His grandmother had left trust funds for both him and his sister, and his father had left specific bequests to them. Gage had taken that and arranged to empty his trust fund to buy the business. The bank had been willing to pony up the difference. The mortgage payments made him wince, but he had still been turning a profit, so he hadn’t worried about it. For the most part.
    The ski season was a lot shorter than twelve months, which is why he’d added the hot air ballooning and the mountain bike trails and events. They didn’t even begin to match his winter income, but they helped balance out the expenses a little. And his friends had always come through in a pinch.
    He loved the business, loved seeing people’s happy faces as they came to have fun on his mountain. He loved teaching an occasional ski class when one of the instructors had an emergency and seeing the excitement on people’s faces as they discovered the joy he’d always felt on skis.
    Managing was hard work and long hours, but he enjoyed that too—most of the time—and he had a great staff. It made him happy. And the hot air balloon business and mountain bike events were just as great.
    He contacted one of the suppliers and put together an email for the guys with anticipated costs and deadlines. Just as he was hitting send, his phone rang.
    “It’s me,” his office manager, Sandy, said. “You have a visitor. Says he needs to talk to you about the lifts.”
    Gage wondered if the inspector was back, but why wouldn’t she have said so? He stood and moved to the door, opening it to find a man in his forties, lean with dark hair that was graying at the temples. He stood, watching Gage’s doorway. “Can I help you?” Gage asked. He didn’t recognize the man at all.
    “Yes, I’m James Scott.” He offered Gage his hand. “I wanted to speak with you about the resort if you have a few minutes.”
    Gage felt a nagging feeling at the back of his mind as he tried to figure out why he knew the name. “Come on back.”
    The door had barely shut on the older man, blocking Gage’s office manager out when James began to speak. “I’ve been doing some research, trying to figure out who to contact about my interest in the ski resort. Oddly, my digging led me back to you.”
    Gage slid his hands into his pocket and feigned surprise. “Really? That’s probably because I’m the manager.”
    “No, it’s because you’re the real owner. Very cleverly hidden. It took a lot of work to figure