Her Alaskan Hero

by Rebecca Thomas

  “I knew you looked familiar,” Troy said, slapping his thigh. “Didn’t I say that right when I arrived? You’re Senator Tate’s daughter. I contribute to several campaigns. Unfortunately, none that your father supports, but I knew I’d seen you before.” His eyes narrowed at Sabrina. “I didn’t think you were married, though. That’s your older sister who’s married, right?”

  The room held a collective breath.

  “Yes, my sister is married,” Sabrina said. She blew out a breath and bit down on her lower lip. “I am not.”

  Ethan, with his accident-hardened features, looked beyond criminal. He was going to kill someone. “Get this clown out of here,” he said. “Travis, help me.”

  Zak stood rooted to his spot, not sure of what to say or do. In his moment of indecision, each of his brothers took an arm of the reporter and dragged him across the lobby.

  All at once, people started chiming in. “Yeah, get him out of here.”

  “Go back to whatever rock you crawled out from.”

  “His kind doesn’t belong here.”

  “String him up in the meat locker with the moose.” The men chuckled.

  Vince ripped the camera out of Zak’s hand, put it on the floor, and proceeded to stomp it to pieces.

  Travis and Ethan escorted the reporter to the front door, while he continued to ramble expletives about how he was going to sue because of his damaged camera. Nick also said his story would be on the front page of both the Anchorage and L.A.Times by morning. He spouted out how he couldn’t wait to write his Gold Creek article, and more importantly, his feature on the Forrester Lodge.

  The fog cleared in Zak’s brain. Now everything Sabrina had said about reporters and her life as a senator’s daughter made more sense to him. If Ethan wasn’t going to kill the reporter—he would.

  Sabrina’s voice carried over the group. “Stop. Wait.”

  Ethan and Travis stopped in front of the lodge’s front door with their prisoner still in tow.

  “I’m so sorry everyone.” Sabrina glanced across the anxious faces of the group, then strode to Zak. She placed her hand on his chest and said quietly, “I’m so sorry. I’ll make this right. I’ll give him his interview, then I’ll be gone.”

  Zak looked into her eyes and his heart hurt. Her poise, her seriousness in the wake of such commotion, flabbergasted him. He had thought he was cool under pressure. He didn’t know what to say, except he knew she would leave. He knew she was just passing through. He knew, like the snow, she wouldn’t stick.

  She stepped away from him and scanned the group, not speaking to anyone in particular. “When does the next flight leave?”

  “Not until tomorrow morning,” Betsy said. “The plane overnights here and departs at six o’clock.”

  “Great. Betsy, can you wait a moment for me to pack my things? I’ll stay at the B&B with you tonight.”

  “Of course, honey. I’ll wait.”

  Sabrina marched to the front door of the lodge where the three men still stood. “I’ll give you your exclusive interview, Mister…what did you say your name was?”

  Nick lifted his chin. “I didn’t say, but it’s Ferrantino, Nick Ferrantino.”

  “I’ll give you your interview. It will be an exclusive, as long as there is no negativity directed toward the people of Gold Creek, or this lodge. Is that understood?” she asked.

  “Sure, if you promise it’s an exclusive.”

  “I just said I’d give you an exclusive,” Sabrina repeated. “Now, you give me your word or I’ll let these two gentlemen string you up in the meat locker.”

  “I give you my word. Nothing negative about Gold Creek or Forrester Lodge as long as my interview is exclusive and you answer all my questions.”

  Sabrina tossed back her hair. “Of course.” She swung around. “Betsy, I won’t be but a moment. Travis, Ethan, if you’ll take this man outside, I’ll be right behind you.”

  Zak’s brothers nodded to Sabrina as though she were in command of an army.

  She marched down the hall.

  Vince’s voice sounded in Zak’s ear. “Are you going to let her go?”

  Zak didn’t truly understand the implications of Sabrina’s semi-celebrity status until now. If he had ever had any doubts about her staying, they were gone. “She was never going to stay,” he said.

  * * *

  SABRINA SHOVED all her clothes in her carryon bag and fought the tears that begged to spill from her eyes. Melody had warned her. Why hadn’t she listened? She should have gotten out of town before a reporter found her. She should feel lucky only one had found Gold Creek. Or worse yet, her father could have been on that plane.

  She glanced at her wedding dress, still laid across the chair from the first day she arrived. So much had changed since she set foot in this lodge. What was she going to do with that dress? It was worth a small fortune. Maybe she’d auction it off or put it on eBay, then add whatever money she got for it to the fund for resurfacing the tennis courts. She folded it and placed it on top of her clothes.

  A knock sounded. She knew Zak stood behind the wooden door as certainly as she knew the snow would eventually stick. Blinking away the sting of tears, she said, “Come in.”

  Zak entered the room. Tension sizzled between them so thick she could taste it. So tangible she could reach out and squeeze it with her bare hands.

  She waited for him to speak first, but he stood before her silently. Heat radiated from him and she wanted nothing more than to pitch herself into his arms and wrap her legs around his waist like she’d done so many times before.

  The silence was deafening.

  The gray-green of his eyes stared at her, drilling into her. She fidgeted with the bottom edge of her tank top. She squared her shoulders, determined not feel small in his presence.

  He flexed his jaw. “So you’re leaving.”

  “Yes.” She didn’t know what else to do; apologize for the reporter, thank him for the best week of her life, or smack him for being too ruggedly handsome. Instead, she decided there were no words…she could only do what her body craved. Show him how much she cared. Have him in her arms one last time.

  She placed her hand on the center of his chest where she could feel his heartbeat best, lifted herself on the tips of her toes, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

  His big hands touched her waist. He asked in a raspy voice, “What are you doing?”

  “I’m kissing you goodbye.” Arching her back, she placed her lips gently on his. The now-familiar tingle of want and desire coursed through her.

  He loosened his hold on her waist and broke their kiss. “I didn’t know you were famous.”

  “I’m not famous. My family is. There’s my mom’s illustrious acting career combined with my dad’s outspokenness in Congress. My sister was featured in a couple tawdry B-rated movies, and then there’s me, the jilted bride.” She unwound her hands from his hair and whispered in his ear. “And I did tell you.”

  “Yes. I know you did, but not with that amount of detail. I guess I didn’t really understand until I saw that reporter,” he said. “How can you live like that? That constant harassment?”

  “Well, it’s worse than usual right now because of the wedding, or the wedding that never was. Of course they want direct quotes from me about it.” She stepped out of his embrace. “He’s just doing his job. But now you can see how very different my life is from yours. Do you have any idea how many people want to get to know me as a means of getting to my father?” She fisted her hands and bit down on her lip. “No, you wouldn’t, because you’re pure and untarnished from that kind of life. It’s one of the things I love about you, Zak. You’re honest and real.”

  “But—”

  “Stop. Listen to me. I’ve had the best, most fantastic week of my life. You and I both know it could never work. We’re from completely different worlds.”

  She shoved the last of her items into her roller bag. “I’ll stay with Betsy tonight and I’ll be on that pl
ane in the morning. I could stay here tonight, but why drag this out? You and I both knew how this would end.” She grasped the handle of her carryon bag and pulled it behind her as she walked out of the lodge and out of Zak’s life forever.

  CHAPTER 13

  That evening Zak kept busy hanging meat and unloading gear, anything to keep his mind off Sabrina. He ate dinner alone in his room, and everyone at the lodge gave him a wide berth. He kept re-living those last moments with Sabrina. The words she’d said: we’re from completely different worlds. Yes, that was true, but did it matter?

  Or was she really saying I could never live in your world? And if that were true, wasn’t it true for both of them? He could never live in a big city like Los Angeles.

  After eleven o’clock at night, he kicked at the sheets in his bed, unable to sleep. He kept reaching for Sabrina. Sniffing the pillow where she’d slept, staring at the ceiling, wondering why he’d let himself get in this situation.

  In fact, he wasn’t even certain which town she was from. But he realized he could find out: he could do an internet search on her. It wasn’t as if he was going to sleep tonight, so he got up, pulled on sweatpants, and walked to his office.

  He passed Ethan and Travis, who were sitting on the front sofas in the lobby, drinking beer.

  “How are you doing?” Travis called out.

  “I’m fine,” Zak replied and kept walking.

  “Hey, tomorrow when I’m flying back to Fairbanks, I can make a sightseeing stop in Coldfoot, or maybe I’ll need more fuel. Then I can ‘accidently’ leave what’s-his-name behind,” Travis joked.

  Zak stopped mid-stride and turned to look at his brother. “That isn’t a half-bad idea.”

  “Yeah, I know. I’m full of brilliant ideas. Since Coldfoot’s on the road system, he’ll get back to Fairbanks,” Travis said. He took a chug of his beer. “Eventually.”

  The idea of that reporter hitching a ride down the gravel, potholed, always-under-construction Dalton highway delighted Zak. “Do it,” he said, and kept walking to his office.

  “No problem,” Travis called out.

  Zak closed the door. He heard his brothers laughing and wished he could join them, but he couldn’t. His heart was breaking and he didn’t know what to do about it. Sabrina was passing through. How many times had he told himself this? She was leaving Alaska; she was leaving him.

  Besides, just because he fell so hard for her inside of a week, it didn’t mean she felt the same way. After all, he was her rebound guy. He knew this and yet, no matter how hard he tried to reimagine this week, he still couldn’t imagine resisting her or regretting their time together.

  Flipping open his laptop, he typed in Sabrina Tate… The first result added “…is the younger of Senator Reginald Tate’s two daughters.” He skimmed over the information about what sorority she belonged to and how she had graduated magna something or other, and read another story about her being charged with a misdemeanor for attempting to use a fake ID to purchase alcohol. “You never told me you were such a bad girl, Sabrina,” he said.

  Zak smiled. None of the stories he found said how much money her family had, but her high-society lifestyle explained the wording she’d used when she said “other people” cooked for her. Other people meant the hired help. It dawned on him that this was the reason she left things laying around all the time—she always had people to pick up after her. He’d fallen into the role of pick-up guy with her, just like he’d always done with his brothers.

  If he had known this about her before he met her, would it have made a difference? Would he have treated her differently? He knew the answer was no. So why did all this information about her life in California bother him now?

  A knock sounded on his door. Ethan walked in and propped his hip on the desk.

  “Ya know,” Ethan said, “I knew this girl was different from the moment you mentioned her on the phone.”

  Zak powered down his laptop and lifted his gaze. “I assume there’s a point you’re trying to make?”

  “That last morning before Richelle left for work—”

  Zak shut the lid of the laptop. “You don’t need to do this.”

  “Just let me finish,” Ethan said. “She kissed me goodbye. We said goodbye and I always regretted not saying I love you, one last time.”

  “Ethan.” Zak hung his head.

  Ethan held up his hand. “I said, let me finish. It’s obvious you love that girl. She’s going back to wherever it is she came from, I know that, but don’t let her leave without saying how you feel.” He pushed off the desk. “That’s all I’m going to say.”

  Zak still had tremendous guilt about his last parting words to his father. He watched Ethan leave the room and knew his brother was right. He had to tell Sabrina how he felt. She was leaving Alaska forever. He wouldn’t leave anything unsaid.

  * * *

  SABRINA SAT at Betsy’s picnic-style kitchen table across from Nick Ferrantino. She reminded herself he was simply doing his job, however slimy the job was.

  “I’ll repeat the story back to you, how I understand it, and you can tell me if I’m wrong,” Nick said.

  “That’s fine.” Sabrina glanced at Betsy, who stood in front of her stove, braced to do battle for her if the need arose.

  “You had no idea Kyle Gerringer would call off the wedding, and he gave you a note.”

  “He didn’t give me a note. He gave it to his best man and the best man gave it to my friend, then she gave it to me.”

  “Okay.” Nick nodded and jotted a few words in his notebook.

  “I just want to make sure you have the facts right,” Sabrina said, trying not to sound bitchy.

  Nick folded his hands. “We are recording this conversation, as I said, so I don’t think we are in danger of reporting inaccurate facts.”

  “Oh, but I think we are, Mr. Ferrantino. I know how the stories get changed before they go to press and I’m telling you right now, you better keep your facts straight.” She leaned across the table. “Do we understand one another?”

  “Perfectly, Miss Tate.”

  “Good. And remember, not one negative word about the Forrester Lodge.” She reached over to hit the stop button on his tape recorder. “If the Forrester Lodge loses any business, I will know about it, and I will make sure you never work as a reporter in Los Angeles again.”

  “Got it.” Nick slid his pen behind his ear in true reporter fashion.

  She glanced at Betsy’s raised eyebrows. “Good. I’m off to bed then, it’s been a long day.”

  “So what will you do when you return home?” Nick asked.

  “I’m not sure.” Sabrina stood up. “But either way, I don’t believe it’s any of your business.”

  Sabrina climbed the narrow staircase to her room on the second floor. She undressed and put on a frilly nightgown that was supposed to be worn on her wedding night. The tag was still on, so she cut it free with a fingernail clipper. Rubbing the silky fabric between her fingers and thumb, she thought about how much her life had changed in the span of a week. She hadn’t even worn any of her lingerie when she stayed with Zak. They had always fallen asleep without clothes on. She couldn’t let her mind wander to him. She had a responsibility to the families who used the tennis courts she planned to have resurfaced and rebuilt. Once that fundraising event was over, she’d re-evaluate her life and what she really wanted.

  She’d have to explain to her parents that big changes were going to happen. She wasn’t going to sit by, idly letting them make decisions for her. Those days were gone forever. Kyle leaving her at the altar, then flying to Alaska, then meeting Zak…all these things had changed her. She would never again be the Sabrina Tate she was before.

  In her heart of hearts, she knew she wanted to get to know Zak better. But he would never move away from his beloved Alaska, so that meant she’d have to move to the Last Frontier. The idea of it sounded completely crazy.

  How could she live without shopping malls or spa treat
ments or even asphalt for roads? This place was so far removed from the world she knew—she’d have to be completely out of her mind to even consider such a drastic change. Besides, she wasn’t cut out for this type of isolated lifestyle. Was she?

  Zak had made no promises to her, as she’d made none to him. All she knew was the thought of never seeing him again made her sick to her stomach. Her flight left at 6 a.m. and she had to get some sleep. Reaching for her bedside lamp, she clicked it off.

  She heard a tink sound. She sat up and heard it again. Tink. Tink.

  The sound was coming from her window. A pesky raven, maybe? Pecking at a fly or gnat? She cranked open the handle of her window and was stunned to see Zak standing below, several pebbles in his hand. The moonlit mountains towered behind him and illuminated his handsome face. This land and Zak Forrester went hand-and-hand; you could never separate the two. She had wanted to remember seeing him at the lodge, in the place he’d so lovingly built, but this was even better.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked. “And why didn’t I hear your four-wheeler?”

  “I walked,” he said.

  “Zak, I don’t want any long, teary goodbyes.”

  “Do I look teary to you?” he said in his classic smart-ass tone.

  A smile tugged the corners of her mouth. “No, I suppose not.”

  He shuffled his feet on the gravel driveway. “I came to tell you two things.”

  Her heart beat harder. What could he have to say? He could ask her to stay, but that just wasn’t possible. “I’m listening.”

  “My brother is going to make an unscheduled stop on the way back to Fairbanks and leave that reporter, what’s-his-name behind, so you can—”

  “You can’t leave him in the wilderness alone! My God, what—”

  “No, no, no, he’ll be left in a town. Don’t worry about it. This way you’ll have a head start and get home before he does,” Zak explained. “You can settle back into your life before the news hits.”

  “Thank you, but he really isn’t that bad—as far as reporters go.” The cool night air sifted across her nearly bare skin. Goosebumps erupted on her arms. “What’s the second thing?”