Finding Paradise

by Barbara Dunlop

Marnie took a step their way.

  “Marnie!” It was Mia’s excited voice, and in seconds, Marnie was swept into a laughing hug. “You came. I can’t believe you came.”

  As Mia drew back from the hug, the other women clustered around them.

  “It was a last-minute decision,” Marnie said, trying to gauge Mia’s expression to see how much inconvenience she was about to cause.

  “This is going to be great,” Mia said. Then she looked around the circle. “It’s wonderful to finally see you all together! Let’s get you out of this wind.”

  * * *

  * * *

  Cobra watched the cluster of women file their way into the little office next to the WSA hangar. They looked exactly how he’d expected, fresh-faced and pretty, dressed in highly impractical clothes, gawking around like they’d never seen a pine tree in their lives.

  One of them was dressed like she was headed to a boardroom, her halo of bright copper hair blowing free in the wind. She was a tiny thing, with eyes as green as a glacial lake. He couldn’t come up with one single reason why a woman like that would have to come all the way to far-flung Alaska in search of a man.

  He had an inexplicable urge to warn her away, to suggest she get right back on that plane and return to civilization. He’d give her five minutes alone in the bush before some predator caught her scent and moved in. As the thought formed, he laughed at himself and shook off the image. Nobody was letting any of these women wander off in the bush on their own.

  “So, what now?” Brodie asked Silas, as if the extra woman were Silas’s fault.

  “Hey, I’m just the pilot.” Silas raised his palms.

  “You’re going to throw your fiancée under the bus?” Brodie demanded.

  Cobra couldn’t help but smirk. Brodie had cornered Silas with that jab, and they all knew it.

  “I’ll talk to Mia,” Silas said. “Find out how the plans changed.”

  “They might have to double up,” Cobra said, although he didn’t know how that would work.

  “In single beds?” Brodie asked.

  “I can’t see one of them sleeping on the floor,” Silas pointed out with a frown.

  Mrs. France owned the only bed and breakfast in town—three rooms above the Bear and Bar Café. But they were full of the men who’d vacated WSA staff housing to make room for the women in the first place. And it wouldn’t be fair to disturb other Paradise families with this silly scheme.

  “What we need is another WSA unit,” Silas said.

  There was a moment of silence, and then both men looked at Cobra. He knew exactly what they were thinking. His WSA housing unit was the next one down from those they’d redecorated. It might have been the natural choice, but it sure wasn’t his first choice. Other guys were still living in their housing rooms—guys who’d been in favor of this thing from the start. Let one of them move.

  “Seriously?” He looked to Brodie because he knew Brodie would have more sympathy than Silas.

  “It makes the most sense,” Silas said.

  “None of this makes any sense,” Cobra objected.

  “You could bunk above the hangar,” Brodie ventured.

  Cobra shot them both what he knew to be an intimidating glower. The caretaker suite in a loft of the WSA hangar hadn’t been used in years. He didn’t mind roughing it when necessary, but that suite was gritty and rundown. He also objected on principle. He’d purposely stayed far away from this thing while everyone else got all amped up. And now he was the guy stuck with fixing the last-minute problem?

  “It’s just a few nights,” Silas said.

  “Since when do you care where you sleep, anyway?” Brodie asked.

  The three men had spent plenty of time in rugged remote fly-in camps over the years. Cobra could sleep anywhere.

  “Fine,” Cobra said because he couldn’t think up an acceptable reason to refuse. “I’ll take one for the team.”

  “Good man.” Brodie clapped him on the shoulder.

  “Probably be nicer out here anyway,” Cobra said, thinking it wasn’t the worst weekend to stay out of town.

  “Should we go see what’s what?” Silas asked, nodding to the office.

  The three men started for the building.

  “Raven’s coming out in her truck,” Silas said as they walked. “Mia brought the SUV.” He was clearly doing math inside his head.

  “And with your two trucks,” Cobra finished the count for him, turning to angle toward the hangar where he was on deadline servicing an airplane, “you can fit all thirteen.”

  “Me?” Brodie asked. “I’ve got work to do out here.”

  “I’ve already done my part,” Cobra called over his shoulder.

  “I’m your boss,” Brodie noted.

  “Not for long if this keeps up.”

  Brodie and Silas both chuckled as Cobra lengthened his strides.

  Leaving the others to drive the women into town, Cobra picked up his impact gun and started back to work. But then he caught sight of the pile of luggage he’d left sitting on the gravel next to the plane.

  He told himself it wasn’t up to him to load it into the pickups.

  He covered a bolt and triggered the gun to loosen it.

  Brodie and Silas were perfectly capable of moving the pile of suitcases by themselves.

  Cobra removed another bolt. Then another and another while the luggage stared accusingly back at him. He hated to see a job left half done.

  He removed the final bolt and dropped it into the tray.

  Then he set down the impact gun. He didn’t know what they were doing in the office all this time, throwing a tea party or something. But he couldn’t stand staring at the bags any longer. Plus, he wanted the gaggle of women away from the airstrip and off to town just as soon as possible.

  He headed for Silas’s truck first. The keys were in the ignition, and he pulled it over to the twin otter, transferring half the bags into it. Then he switched to Brodie’s truck and set the remainder of the bags in the pickup box, parking the vehicles in front of the office so they could easily load up the passengers. He told himself he was likely saving Brodie and WSA from a lawsuit by not having the women cross the uneven parking lot again in their ridiculous shoes.

  As he exited and slammed the driver’s door on Brodie’s truck, Raven arrived in hers.

  “Hey,” she called to him, hopping out. “Everything under control?”

  “Absolutely,” he said.

  “What’s wrong?” She drew close, peering at his expression.

  Cobra liked Raven. Everyone liked Raven. She was friendly, practical and hardworking, an Alaskan born-and-raised woman who made their lives easier by running Galina Expediting so efficiently.

  “Nothing,” Cobra answered, neutralizing his expression and taking the edge out of his tone.

  She didn’t press.

  “They all inside?” she asked with an anticipatory smile.

  “All present and accounted for,” he said. It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her they were more than present and accounted for, but he left that for Brodie and Silas.

  “This is going to be fun,” she said.

  “Fun,” Cobra echoed, trying to sound at least slightly enthusiastic.

  “You coming in?” She gestured to the office.

  “Not right now.”

  “Busy?”

  “Yeah, behind schedule.”

  “Catch up later then.” A bounce in her step, Raven headed for the office door.

  Cobra turned for his own domain in the hangar. Although a green-eyed copper-haired woman danced alluringly behind his eyes, he had no plans to catch up on any of it until the weekend was completely over.

  Chapter Three

  “I didn’t mean to cause such a big problem,” Marnie said, feeling guilty as Mia led the way into
a WSA housing unit that was currently occupied by one of the ground crew members. She regretted for about the dozenth time getting on that plane at LAX—if only the flight had been full, it would have saved her from making such an outlandish decision.

  She could have been home in her apartment right now, maybe with a pizza from the Obverse Gourmet, scrolling through the Bernadette Day Spa menu and planning a luxurious self-care day tomorrow. She was close to needing a new pedicure, and a deep-tissue massage would have worked miracles.

  “You’re not causing a problem,” Mia said, still chatting enthusiastically as she flipped a light switch and illuminated the corners of the room with bright white fluorescence.

  “I got caught up in the moment,” Marnie said, looking around the austere bedroom in surprise. She wasn’t sure what she’d expected from a single man working in rural Alaska, but it wasn’t hospital corners on the bed and a nearly bare dresser top with nothing but a historical crime novel, a flashlight and a shine.

  “I’m so glad you did.” Mia turned in the middle of the room. “I’m sorry it’s so stark.”

  “Does anyone really live here?” Marnie walked past the bed, the dresser and a compact desk to peep into the bathroom. It was similarly tidy, with a bar of soap on the counter and two towels hanging perfectly straight on the rack.

  “Former military.”

  “Oh, that makes sense.” Marnie turned back. At least it explained why you could likely bounce a quarter off the dark gray bed.

  “Someone from WSA will come by with fresh sheets and towels later on, but you can leave your . . .” Mia gave her an apologetic grin as her gaze went to Marnie’s compact purse. “I guess you don’t have any bags to leave, do you?”

  “I was hoping to do a little shopping here.”

  “Butterfly Boutique it is.” Mia glanced at her watch. “Or the hardware store. We’ve got an hour or so until they close.”

  “The hardware store?” Marnie asked in confusion.

  “For boots. They have the good stuff,” Mia clarified.

  Marnie could tell she meant the kind of shoes that were sturdy, practical and unattractive but would support your ankles, keep your feet bone-dry and repel snakebites.

  Marnie knew all about that kind of footwear. She’d rather buy something with a little style and a heel. “The Butterfly Boutique doesn’t carry shoes?”

  “Some,” Mia said, taking in Marnie’s wedge sandals. “But you’re going to want something for walking. The scavenger hunt is the first activity tomorrow.”

  “I wasn’t planning to do the activities.” Marnie wasn’t here to participate in the matchmaking weekend. She didn’t mind helping with the event. And hanging out with Mia again was going to be a load of fun, but she had no intention of interacting with Alaskan men looking for romance.

  She was an introvert at heart, and she loved the city. She was the last person who’d have screened in as a potential match for an Alaskan man, and she wouldn’t risk giving anyone the wrong idea about her future. She planned to spend it helping grow Miller and Marsh into a bigger, more successful and highly respected law firm.

  Mia’s life might have taken a totally unexpected professional and personal curve, but Marnie’s future in LA was brighter than she’d ever imagined.

  “You don’t have to sit them out.” Mia reached out to clasp Marnie’s shoulder. “Seriously. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

  Marnie peered into Mia’s blue eyes. “Who are you, and what have you done with the ice princess?”

  Mia chuckled. “Well, for one thing, she got laid.”

  Marnie split a grin at the unexpected answer.

  “There you are,” Mia said approvingly. “Kick back. Relax. You’re here now. You might as well have a good time.”

  “You seem disgustingly happy,” Marnie said, taking another look around the room. She sat down on the bed and bounced a little. It wasn’t bad; firmer than her own, but she’d manage for a few nights.

  “I’ve been stopping and smelling the roses. It’s funny how things that seemed so important—”

  “Like a multi-million-dollar corporation and a mansion?” Marnie was still wrapping her head around Mia’s decision to walk away from her inheritance.

  “Aren’t as important as you thought they were,” Mia finished, sitting down at the opposite end of the bed and canting her leg to turn sideways.

  “I should admire your tranquility,” Marnie said.

  “But you don’t?”

  “I do. In some ways.”

  “But you can’t understand it,” Mia guessed.

  “Not so much. Maybe we’re in different places, but it doesn’t compute for me. I’ve only just started building my client base. I can’t imagine slowing down my career for—” Marnie gestured around the room.

  “I won’t be living in staff housing.”

  “But you are going to live in Paradise.”

  “With Silas.”

  “The guy who’s so very good in bed.”

  Mia gave an eyebrow waggle and a secretive grin. “Yeah, him.”

  Marnie was happy for Mia, puzzled sure, but mostly she was happy. She knew guys like Silas were few and far between. But women like Mia were also few and far between.

  Marnie really missed having her in LA.

  She tried to shake off her mood by changing the subject. “I have a new client, and you’ll never guess who.”

  “You want me to try?”

  “Lafayette Fashion.”

  Mia looked suitably surprised. “How did that happen?”

  “Hannah asked me last night at the cocktail party.”

  “Didn’t think I’d ever see that happen.”

  “Me neither.” Marnie shook her head. “You know it’s not the same without you. I miss you.”

  Mia leaned forward and clasped Marnie’s hand. “I miss you too.”

  Marnie looked down at their hands. “You think you’ll ever come back?”

  “On vacation, maybe. But Silas won’t move there.”

  “Have you even asked him?”

  “He offered.”

  “He did? When?” Marnie couldn’t hold back her enthusiasm. “That’s so great. It would be perfect.”

  “I already said no.”

  Marnie’s jaw dropped. “What? You mean, you could have had it all? The company, the house, the great guy—what were you thinking?”

  Mia rose to her feet. “That I wanted the great guy to be happy.”

  Marnie stood too. “What about you? What about you being happy?”

  “I love Paradise.”

  “I know you think you do.” Marnie could imagine how easy it might be to convince yourself you wanted what the love of your life wanted.

  “No. I really do.”

  Marnie frowned, skeptical that cultured, sophisticated Mia could—coincidentally—have had that big a change of heart.

  “You’re going to have to trust me on this,” Mia said, clearly reading the doubt in Marnie’s expression.

  “I remain unconvinced.”

  Mia clicked her cheek. “Sadly for you, you don’t get a vote.”

  “Sadly for me,” Marnie conceded. “Butterfly Boutique?”

  “First the hardware store.”

  “I admire this new you, but I really miss the old Mia right now.”

  “Would the ice princess have taken no for an answer?”

  Marnie conceded that point. “The hardware store it is.”

  * * *

  * * *

  As he passed by Bill’s Hardware store a few hours later, Cobra heard music coming from the Bear and Bar Café. The aroma of grilled burgers and homemade gravy wafted over the sidewalk, reminding him that he’d worked through dinner. The scents might have been enticing on his empty stomach, but he was committed to his plan to avoid the
partygoers.

  The WSA cafeteria grill would be shut down this late, but he could always pick up some cold snacks there to take back to the hangar. He’d grab himself something for breakfast too.

  He’d blown most of the dust out of the hangar’s caretaker suite, but none of the appliances were in working order. They’d disassembled the fridge a couple of years back—raiding it for parts—and the stove had at least one blown fuse. Not that he planned to take up cooking over the weekend.

  He’d parked his pickup near the corner of Main Street, intending to grab a pillow and blanket from WSA storage. He’d also pick up a few things from his room. He assumed the woman using it would be at the mixer by now, so he wouldn’t disturb her. She was likely flirting with Xavier or Jackson, or maybe with AJ from Galina Expediting. Who knew what her tastes were in men?

  Pilots T and T-Two, fraternal twin brothers, were coming the other way on the wooden sidewalk. They stopped to open the door to the Bear and Bar.

  “The party’s rolling,” T-Two said, holding back the door and waving Cobra in.

  “I’m not . . .” Before Cobra could refuse, the aroma of Mrs. France’s signature gravy hit him full-on. The appeal of fruit and a cold ham sandwich instantly shrank to nothing, and his stomach perked up at the thought of a Super Bear Burger and some fries slathered in gravy. “Sure,” he said instead and walked inside.

  There were only thirteen of them, he reasoned. The Bear and Bar was large enough to give him space. On the restaurant side there were a dozen square tables, lined along the front windows and scattered through the dining room. The lounge side featured both high tables and dining tables, barstools and a couple of pool tables. A guy could always lay low over there, or he could head out to the back deck if he wanted to hide completely.

  He scanned the crowd, seeing that it was thicker than usual. No surprise in that. A few people were sitting, but most were standing, mingling, sipping drinks and having conversations. He had a vague impression of well-dressed women with pretty, flashing smiles. But he didn’t let his gaze linger on anyone in particular.

  Then he caught sight of her copper hair. She was facing away from him, and he let himself pause for a look. She seemed shorter than she had at the airstrip. Maybe it was because she was standing next to Silas and Mia. Silas was six-two, while Mia was a former model and taller than average.