“Humphrey,” Leith said, trying it out. “Hey, dog, what do you think? Are you a Humphrey?”
The terrier wriggled away from Tal and cocked his head at Leith with a puzzled expression on his face. Then he sneezed.
“I don’t know,” Leith told Sabrina. “He may be allergic to that name.”
“We’ll keep thinking.”
Leith loaded the dogs and wrenched open the passenger door for Sabrina. He waved a hand toward her old blue compact parked in the corner of the lot. “Car running okay?”
“So far, so good.”
He closed the door behind her and went around to the driver’s seat. “By the way, Emma got wind that I was taking you camping and invited herself along. You don’t mind, do you?”
“Of course not. Emma’s adorable.”
“Good because I said yes. We’re picking her up on the way.”
Sabrina laughed. “You’re really close to your family, aren’t you?”
“Yeah. We’re all pretty tight.”
Sabrina thought about the phone call. “I recently discovered a new family member myself.”
“Oh?”
“A half sister. My dad died recently, and it turns out he had another daughter.”
“Wait. What? You didn’t know you had a sister?”
Sabrina shook her head. “My dad left when I was twelve. I never saw him again.”
His eyebrows drew together. “Never?”
“No. The whole thing was...” She shook her head. It was too complicated to get into, and besides, she had no desire to drag down the mood on their camping trip. “Anyway, it turns out my sister didn’t know about me, either, until she was going through his things. She called and said she wants to meet me.”
He glanced over at her. “How do you feel about that?”
Sabrina thought about it. “I don’t know. I’m all over the place. My dad left my mom for hers, and I resent that.”
“That’s understandable.”
“But my sister wasn’t even born at the time, so it’s not her fault.” She looked out the window at a planter overflowing with golden nasturtiums before she continued. “I kind of like the idea of a sister. I don’t have much family. And Misty seems nice.”
“Misty, huh?”
“Yeah.” Sabrina smiled. “She’s already been texting me and sending funny photos.”
“So are you going to meet with her?”
“I haven’t decided yet. I guess I’ll play it by ear.”
Leith nodded, a thoughtful expression on his face. At the next stoplight, he turned into Volta’s neighborhood, but he drove past her street.
“Where are we going?” Sabrina asked.
“Volta’s working today. Emma’s at my folks’ house.”
“Oh.” Sabrina’s first thought was to dig out a mirror and check her hair and makeup. But why should she be nervous about meeting his parents? It wasn’t as though she and Leith were together.
A few blocks down, Leith made a right turn, followed a winding street to the end and parked in front of a two-story painted a restful shade of blue-gray. “We might as well bring the dogs in. Mom won’t let us go until she’s greeted Tal.”
Sabrina gathered her dog in her arms and followed Leith and Tal up the steps to the front porch. He opened the door without knocking and held it for her. Sabrina stepped inside to find herself in a tiled entryway with a staircase on one side and an archway into a living room on the other. It was a tranquil room, with soft yellow walls and a minimum of furniture. The only accessories visible were three pillows on the sofa and a potted palm near the window. Over the sofa hung a large abstract painting that reminded Sabrina of a desert landscape. A knotted rug in shades of gold, russet and deep red covered the living-room floor, and in the center of the rug, a woman with silvery highlights running through her dark hair sat cross-legged, her eyes closed.
Tal ran past Sabrina to sit on the rug directly in front of her, silently gazing at the woman. After a moment, she opened her eyes, smiled at the dog and rose to her feet in one graceful motion. She stroked Tal’s head and turned toward them. “Hello. You must be Sabrina. I’ve heard so much about you.”
Sabrina flashed a questioning glance at Leith, who shrugged. His mother laughed. “Not from this one. He never tells me anything. But Volta and Emma told me they’d met you at the wedding. I’m Dawn Jordan.”
“Sabrina Bell.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Sabrina.” She leaned forward to pet Sabrina’s dog. “Hello, sweetie.”
Behind them, Emma came dashing down the stairs, her purple duffel thumping on each step and a fishing pole in her hand. “I’m ready to go fishing, Uncle Leith. We’re gonna catch a really big one, right?”
“That’s the plan.”
She dropped her things when she reached the bottom of the stairs and ran toward Leith. He caught her up and swung around to deposit her on her feet in the living room.
She giggled. “Hi, Sabrina.” Emma spotted the dog in Sabrina’s arms and squealed. “She’s so cute! Is she yours? What’s her name?”
“It’s a boy dog, and I haven’t named him yet,” Sabrina explained.
“You should name him Cutie McMuffin.”
Leith laughed. “How could he show his face in the dog park with a name like that?”
Emma considered. “Maybe it would be better for a girl dog.” She looked up at Sabrina. “Do you have your fishing pole?”
“Oh, uh, I don’t think—”
Before Sabrina could formulate an answer, Leith grabbed Emma’s duffel bag and pole. “Is this everything?”
“No. I still have my sleeping bag and Rufus up in my room. I’ll get them.” Emma started up the steps.
“Why are you bringing Rufus on a camping trip?” Leith called after her.
Emma didn’t pause in her mission. “He wants to come.”
Dawn laughed. “You can’t argue with that logic.”
“Who’s Rufus?” Sabrina asked.
“Emma’s stuffed dog. Leith gave it to her, and she never goes anywhere without it.” Tal nudged Dawn’s hand and she tickled under the dog’s chin. “I hope you don’t mind Emma tagging along.”
“I love having Emma along. She’s great.”
“We all think so.” Dawn gave Leith a hug. “You keep this son of mine in line, okay?”
As if Sabrina had any influence over Leith. But apparently Leith was keeping up the charade that they were dating, so she went along with it. “I’ll try.”
After double-checking that Emma had everything she needed and admonishing her to listen to her uncle, Dawn hugged her granddaughter goodbye and Emma climbed into her seat in the Land Cruiser. The dogs went in after her. Emma stroked their heads and talked to them while Leith drove toward the Seward Highway.
Just before they left town, Leith pulled into a grocery-store lot and parked under the shade of a tree. “We’ll need ice for the ice chests, and I want to pick up some trail mix and fruit.”
“And gummy bears?” Emma prodded.
“Maybe a few gummy bears, if you don’t tell Grandma.” He winked at her. “Mom doesn’t do candy,” he explained to Sabrina.
Sabrina glanced into the back seat, where the two dogs were sleeping beside Emma’s booster seat. Sabrina’s little dog was curled up against Tal’s neck. When Emma unbuckled and slid out of the truck, the terrier jumped up and tried to follow, but Tal put a paw over him and restrained him until Leith had shut the door. He wiggled loose and ran to the window, where he pressed his feet against the glass, so he could bark out of the crack at the top.
“We’ll be right back,” Sabrina assured the dog, but she could hear him carrying on as she followed Leith and Emma across the parking lot. She felt like a traitor for leaving him behind, even if it was only for a few minutes. Once she passed a van and was ou
t of sight, though, the barking stopped, which made her feel a little better.
Inside the store, Leith steered them toward the customer-service desk. “Before we look for gummy bears, we need to get Sabrina a fishing license.”
Sabrina slowed her steps. “Why do I need a fishing license?”
“Uh, to fish? That’s the whole point of this outing.”
“I thought we were camping.”
“We are. We’re camping at Spot Creek, so we can fish for kings. Let me guess. You’ve never been fishing.”
“Doesn’t it involve putting worms on hooks?” She wrinkled her nose. “I’m not so thrilled about worms.”
“Then you’re in luck, because the area we’re fishing requires artificial bait. People come from all over the world to fish in Alaska. Come on—give it a try. My treat.”
“Fishing is fun,” Emma assured her. “Uncle Leith will do all the yucky stuff with the guts and everything.”
“Is that right?” Sabrina asked Leith.
“If that’s what it takes to convince you, I’ll give you the no-guts Emma treatment. It’s pretty special. Everyone else has to process their own fish.”
“I don’t know.” Camping was one thing, but fishing sounded complicated.
“You have to at least try fishing while you’re in Alaska, and this is one of the best spots for beginners. It’s a relatively small river with a wide gravel bank, so you don’t even have to wade or use a boat. Besides, if you fish it will give you something to talk about next week at the store and you can impress everyone with your ‘outdoorsy-ness.’”
She smiled at the silly word, but what he said was true. Fishing stories and salmon recipes were some of the main topics of conversation in the break room. “Okay. I’ll try it.”
They approached the desk. “She’ll need a nonresident fishing license.”
“For one, three, seven or fourteen days? Or annual?”
“Annual,” Leith declared at exactly the same time Sabrina stated, “One day.”
“Annual is a better deal.”
“I said I’d try it once. I don’t even have fishing equipment.”
“I have plenty.”
“Yeah, but...” Sabrina looked over at Emma, who was busy inspecting the impulse items near the register. She whispered, “You and I aren’t, you know—together.”
“Fine.” Leith frowned and turned to the clerk. “Three-day. And a king stamp.”
“What’s a king stamp?” Sabrina asked, while the clerk was fetching the necessary forms.
“A special license for king salmon.”
“Oh.” They’d mentioned kings at the wedding. Just how many kinds of salmon were there, anyway? Cheap and nutritious, canned salmon had been a staple for Sabrina and her mom when money was tight, which was pretty much all the time. They’d always bought the pink instead of red because it cost less, but she didn’t realize there were other types. She’d never heard of king salmon. But then, there were lots of things in Alaska that Sabrina had never heard of.
She filled out the forms. When the clerk told her the total cost, she gulped, but reached for her wallet. Before she could find it in her bag, Leith pulled his out. “I said it’s my treat.”
“But—”
He swiped his card before she could pull hers out. “It’s all part of the how-to-be-outdoorsy package we agreed on.”
“I think you’ve already fulfilled the conditions of our exchange.”
“Then consider this a bonus.” He picked up the license and tucked it into his shirt pocket. “Come on, Emma. Let’s find the gummy bears.”
Sabrina followed more slowly. It was nice of Leith to pay for the license, but it left her feeling uncomfortable. She didn’t like to be in anyone’s debt. Going as his guest to a wedding where she’d had a wonderful time wasn’t much of a sacrifice. Somehow, she was going to find a way to pay him back for all he’d done.
Once they’d picked up the groceries and Leith had stashed the ice and fruit in an ice chest in the back, they pulled onto the highway. It wasn’t long before they’d passed a marsh Leith said was a bird refuge and reached the ocean.
Sabrina watched out the window as they drove the narrow ribbon of road squished between the mountain and the sea on their way to the Kenai Peninsula. Across the water, snowcapped mountains glinted in the sunlight. They rounded a corner and passed the blue-and-yellow cars of an Alaska Railroad train, rumbling along the tracks beside the highway.
Up ahead, she could make out a few figures scattered across the water. “Are those people?”
Leith glanced at the water. “Paddleboarders. They’re there to take advantage of the bore tide this morning.”
“Bore tide?”
“Yeah. Because the water comes from a wide bay into a shallow inlet, Turnagain Arm has some of the highest tides in the world. When the tide turns, it can sometimes create almost a wall of water pushing along the surface. They call it a bore tide. We’re almost to Beluga Point. If you want, we can stop and watch.”
“I’d like that.”
The figures grew bigger as they got closer, and now Sabrina could make out the shapes of people in wetsuits standing or crouched on surfboards. Before long, Leith pulled into a parking lot with several other cars. A group of people had gathered on the point of land jutting into the ocean.
When the car stopped, Tal and Sabrina’s dog jumped up and looked expectant. Before he turned off the key, Leith rolled down the windows a crack. “Sorry, dogs. Too many people for you here. We won’t be long. Stay.”
Tal sighed and lay down on the back seat, but Sabrina’s dog was determined not to be left behind again. Before Sabrina had even unbuckled her seat belt, he’d jumped over the seat into her lap, and was staring up at her and wagging his tail.
“Are you sure they’ll be okay in here? In Phoenix, they’re always warning you how dangerous it is to leave kids or dogs alone in cars in the sun.”
“Yeah, but it’s sixty-five degrees and partly cloudy here, and we’ll only be gone ten or fifteen minutes.”
“Okay.” Sabrina scratched the little dog behind his ears while Leith got Emma out of the car and shut the door. “I know you want to go, but you need to stay here with Tal.” She picked up the dog and set him in the back seat, but before she could turn and open the door, he was in her lap again.
Leith scooped him up and set him on the floor behind the seats. “Stay.” Immediately, the dog scooted under the seat and popped out between Sabrina’s feet. Leith laughed. “I think I figured out what breed he is. I believe you have one of those boomerang terriers.”
“You are a boomerang.” Sabrina lifted the dog onto her lap.
“You should call him Boomer,” Emma offered.
“Are you a Boomer?” The dog reared onto his back legs and tickled her chin with his tongue. “You like that, huh? Boomer it is, then.”
Leith collected a leash and handed it to Sabrina. “I think the only way you’re going to keep him in the car is to tie him.”
She looked at the leash, and then at the eager eyes watching her. “Or I could just carry him. You said we won’t be long.”
“You shouldn’t reward a dog for misbehaving.”
“He’s not really misbehaving. He just doesn’t know any better.”
“You need to teach him basic commands, like ‘stay.’”
“Yeah, yeah. I only just decided to keep him. Give us time.” She smiled down at the dog. “Besides, he’s so cute. How can you say no to that face? He’s irresistible.”
“That is going to be one spoiled dog,” Leith declared. “Okay, bring him. Tal, we’ll be back soon.”
Tal gave a little whimper, but she stayed where she was. Sabrina pulled on a windbreaker and tucked Boomer inside, only his head poking out above the zipper. Leith looked at them and shook his head, but he was smiling.
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br /> The three of them joined the other people on the point, looking out over the water. On the far side, mountains seemed to rise straight up. In the distance, Sabrina could see what appeared to be a white line across the water, moving toward them at a rapid clip. The water behind the line was a churning gray-blue, pushing the wave against the calmer water. The paddleboarders were positioning themselves in readiness.
“Here it comes!” Emma pointed.
Within five minutes, the white line had caught up to them. It really was a wall of water, a wave eight or ten feet tall flowing across the top. It reached the first paddleboarder, who caught the wave and let it carry him forward. One by one, the others grabbed the wave. One of them missed. His body sagged in disappointment as the wave and his buddies were carried far ahead and up the inlet.
Sabrina turned to Leith. “That was incredible. I went to the beach in California once and saw some big waves, but I’ve never seen a single wave like that.”
“I’m not surprised. There are only a few places in the world with bore tides.”
“Then I’m really glad we got to see it. Thanks for stopping.”
“You’re welcome. We’d better get back on the road, though. I told the others we’d meet them at the campground.”
As they passed a car, a mini schnauzer jumped against the window and barked. Emma jumped, and then giggled. Boomer wiggled free and leaped out of Sabrina’s coat, dashing toward the car and barking. The schnauzer squirmed through the opening at the top of the window and launched himself onto the parking lot.
Leith tried to grab Boomer but missed, and both dogs dashed under a nearby SUV. Sabrina ran around to catch them when they came out on the far side, but they stayed underneath. She crouched down. Leith was looking from the other side, with Emma beside him calling, “Here, doggies!”
The dogs ignored her, busy sniffing each other. Leith flattened himself against the ground. “Emma, stay right here. If the dogs run toward you, try to stop them but do not chase them in the parking lot. Understand?”
Emma nodded. Leith crawled on his belly under the SUV. Boomer saw him coming and ducked away, but Sabrina snagged the dog when he got within reach. Leith was able to grab the schnauzer. Holding on to the dog, he was squirming out from under the car when a woman ran up. “What are you doing with my dog?”
An Alaskan Proposal Page 13
