by J. H. Croix
A tumble of thoughts and feelings raced through Hannah. She laughed to herself when she thought of Susie sending Luke with the dog. Knowing Susie, she’d likely hatched this plan as soon as she knew Hannah was home, but decided ambush was the best option. She looked back over at Luke who was politely waiting. They both spoke at once. “I, well, I….” from Hannah. “This may seem crazy…” from Luke. They both stopped. Hannah gestured to Luke. “You first.”
“May seem crazy, but Susie seemed pretty confident you’d want Jessie. She promised me you’d be a good home too. Been putting off finding Jessie a home, but soon we head out for almost three weeks. Much as I’d like to keep her, she needs to be with someone who’s around more than me. Most summers, I’m out for work at least a week or two every month. She’s a good dog. Trust me, she’s a keeper. Do you want to see her again?” he asked, gesturing to his truck.
Hannah looked over. “Well, it may be crazy, but I’ve known Susie long enough to know that sometimes what’s crazy is the right thing. I would love to have a dog again. I just hadn’t thought it would happen so fast.”
She wondered what Luke knew of her. If Susie sent him with Jessie, Susie trusted him, so by extension Hannah would. She thought about trying to explain to this man with deep green eyes that she would give anything for the unconditional love of a dog just this moment. Because while she hadn’t been thinking about a dog precisely, she craved the presence of anyone other than just herself in the house. The echoes of her parents and Grayson were too keen at some moments. Just the idea of having a dog to get to know almost brought her to tears. She also thought it would be a good way to help her link to the present instead of being bound too deeply to her memories. As these thoughts circled through her mind, she wanted to reach up and brush Luke’s unruly curls away from his eyes. He had a tendency to shake them back.
She followed Luke’s gaze and found him looking quietly at the field to the side of the house. He seemed content to wait for her to continue.
“I’d like to see her again if that’s okay,” she said.
Luke’s response was to walk down the stairs. As they approached the truck, Hannah saw Jessie sitting in the passenger seat of the truck. Jessie’s wagging tail turned into a blur as Luke opened the door. Jessie flew out of the truck, ran in tight circles around them, and rubbed against Hannah’s legs. She quickly calmed, sat at Luke’s feet, and watched him expectantly.
“She wants me to throw her a ball. She’ll fetch all day if you’ll let her. Do you mind if she runs around here for a few minutes?” he asked.
“No, no, of course not.”
Luke grabbed a ball from the glove compartment. He began a game of fetch with Jessie who raced back and forth. Her fur was long, silky, and wavy, and her tail flew like a flag behind her. She was a medium-size dog on the leggy side.
Hannah asked Luke what he knew about Jessie. In explanation, he offered, “Not much really. Hung out on our road for a few days. None of the neighbors knew where she came from. We started feeding her, and after a day or two of her camping on our deck, she was staying with us. She likes to play outside, but inside she’s pretty mellow. We let her on the couch, so if you want to keep her off, you might have some work to do there. She’s affectionate and seems easy to train. Took her to the vet to get her checked out. Did the shots and got her spayed about two weeks ago. She’s healed up, but you can still see where the incision was. The vet guessed she was maybe a Lab-Gordon setter mix. They say her coat is like a Gordon setter’s. That’s about all I can tell you, other than that she’s a sweetie.”
Jessie had been exploring the weed-filled flower beds. Luke called her over and asked her to sit. Hannah reached to pet her, her hand sinking into soft, silky fur. Jessie immediately leaned into her hand and rubbed against her legs again. She looked up with her tongue dangling and a smile. Hannah would usually wait on a decision like this, but she found herself telling Luke she’d be glad to keep Jessie.
Luke looked relieved with a simultaneous glimmer of sadness. He caught her watching him. “Part of me wishes I could keep her, but being out of town for weeks at a time isn’t a good situation for a dog.”
Yet again, the instinct to withdraw and politely send Luke on his way rose. But before she’d come home, Hannah had promised herself she’d try not to wall the world away. So she invited him in for a cup of coffee. Jessie followed them in and immediately began exploring the house. Hannah realized that she hadn’t clarified when Luke wanted to officially leave Jessie with her, and that she needed to handle logistical details, like getting her vet records and food and water bowls. She hurriedly asked Luke when he wanted to leave Jessie.
“Honestly, whenever you’re ready to have her. Figured if you were a friend of Susie’s, you’d probably put up with me asking you how Jessie’s doing and maybe even let me see her every so often,” Luke said with a laugh. “Might be ridiculous, but I feel kind of responsible for her since I found her. And she’s an awesome dog.”
Hannah poured Luke a cup of coffee and got her own ready. “That’s not ridiculous. You can check in with me anytime about Jessie and even visit. As for when I can take her, I just need to get some things for her. Dog bowls, food, that kind of stuff.”
“Oh, you can have what we’ve been using. We’ve got it all, even food. Should be enough to get her through a week or so. I’ll also make sure you have a few tennis balls for her. Didn’t get her any of those though. She has a knack for finding them.”
“Well, in that case, she can stay today. Or is that too soon?” she asked.
“I’ll miss her, but she should be where she can stay. Didn’t bring her stuff with me though. Spur of the moment thing after I ran into Susie at the gas station. Hope it’s okay that I dropped in.” Luke took a sip of his coffee and looked across the counter at Hannah.
Hannah laughed. “Well, Susie’s never been known to hesitate. She knew I missed our old dog. I hadn’t really thought about getting another dog just now, but it seems meant to be. If that makes any sense.”
“Sense or not, it’s probably best for Jessie to get to know you sooner rather than later,” Luke said with a shrug.
She felt caught in his green eyes and quickly looked away. She was out of sorts, drawn to Luke’s eyes and comfortable masculinity. He carried a warmth combined with a down-to-earth feeling that simultaneously lulled her into feeling at home with him and kicked up her heart rate. Jessie was sniffing her way around the living room. Hannah called her over as a distraction. Jessie came quickly and flung herself on the floor by the counter where they were seated. Hannah shifted into small talk, asking Luke what he thought of Diamond Creek and what type of fishing he did. He filled in a few more details about their decision to move from Seattle to Alaska.
He joked about the feeling of being under the social microscope of a small town. “You’d have thought we were aliens for the first few months with all the curiosity, but that’s gone now. We love it here. Keep saying we need to spread out, but we all still live together in the house we bought as a starter property when we got here. Works for now.”
Hannah realized that at some point Luke would ask more about her and wondered what he might know from Susie or anyone else in town. She reached to pet Jessie, realizing Jessie was quickly becoming a way to take her mind off things. As she rubbed Jessie’s neck, she decided that rather than waiting for the questions to come, she’d take the lead. With a deep breath, Hannah succinctly explained that she’d spent most of her childhood in Diamond Creek and stayed in Alaska through college, and that her parents’ unexpected death had happened just when she started graduate school.
“I knew that I wanted to come back because Diamond Creek is home to me. My closest friends are here. But…” She paused for a moment. “I don’t know if you’ve lost anyone important, but it kind of threw my world into…well, I was about to say chaos, but it’s more like being frozen on the outside and a mess on the inside. Being in school seemed to help because it gave me something to f
ocus on.” She looked to Luke as she finished and again felt pulled into his eyes. They were dangerously green; it was too much really.
“Can’t say that I’ve lost someone like that. But I know how much my family means to me. Probably don’t need to tell you this, but Susie is beside herself to have you back here.” Luke looked at her intently for a moment when he stopped speaking, and when she looked away, he turned to look out the window.
Hannah thought she should say something. “The whole thing is awkward to try to talk about. Being away when it happened was good and bad. It’s like I could pretend I had another life, which in a way, I did. I’m relieved to be back though. I missed it more than I let myself know.” She took a breath. “Moving on though, Susie’s a good friend…the best really. Not to mention a damn good accountant.”
She followed Luke’s gaze out the window, taking in the spruce, the mountains, and the bay. Luke turned to look back. “Well, you’re here now. And now you’ll have Jessie too. She deserves a good home. Susie assured me you couldn’t be better. Glad I took the chance to ask.” Luke searched out Jessie who had remained cozied against Hannah’s legs while she stroked her. “Sweetheart, right?” he asked.
“Oh, hard to miss that. She’s an easygoing girl. I think we’ll do just fine. How much longer are you in town before you head out for fishing?”
“About two weeks. Still sorting out the final details of when we’ll leave and who will be on the crew. Then the usual guiding trips for most of the summer.”
“Well, maybe before you go, we can plan to get together for a Jessie visit. Do you want to keep her for the day until I can arrange to pick up her stuff from you? I have to head into town in a bit anyway.”
“That’ll work. We live a little farther up the hill, not far from here. Jessie usually tags along with me whenever I’m out and about. Let me give you my cell number, and you can call when you think you’ll head our way. I’ll give you directions.”
They exchanged numbers, and Luke gulped the last of his coffee. “Good coffee, by the way. Might beat Misty Mountain.” He winked as he got up to leave. She walked Luke and Jessie to the door. Jessie leaped into the truck, and they drove off. The house felt quiet in their absence. She thought having Jessie here would take the edges away from some of the emptiness that the house held.
Chapter 6
Luke cracked the windows for Jessie as he drove away from Hannah’s house. Jessie immediately nosed her head out and leaned into the breeze. He thought back to the last half hour and wondered about Hannah and if Susie had an agenda in sending him Hannah’s way. He didn’t doubt Hannah would be a good owner for Jessie; in fact, he was relieved Susie suggested it.
In the days since he’d collided with Hannah at the beach, he’d forgotten how beautiful she was. He had taken every chance he got to look at the view outside just so she wouldn’t think he was staring. Her sky-blue eyes were hard to look away from. She carried herself unself-consciously. He doubted she knew how beautiful she was. She had an air of sadness about her. Diamond Creek was small, and from what he could tell, her family had been woven into the community. Their deaths on a flight to Barrow had saddened the many friends they’d left behind. Given how many friends he and his brothers had in common with them, Luke figured he would have come to know her parents had they still been alive when he moved to town. Over time, he’d heard people wondering when Hannah would come home. Susie had worried about her often. When he had run into Susie this morning, she’d been ecstatic that Hannah was home. As soon as she saw Jessie, she immediately began trying to convince him that he should see if Hannah would take Jessie.
Luke wondered more about what Hannah was like aside from being one of Susie’s best friends. He had only a sketch of her life—that she’d been her parents’ only child, and she’d left town for graduate school in environmental science. What he had sensed, she had confirmed when she talked about her parents’ death and the struggle of being away. It was obvious she was still grieving in some ways. Beyond getting a gauge on her loss, he hadn’t had many blanks filled in today. He knew she was an avid hiker and runner because Susie had mentioned it last year when he and Jared had participated in a local race. Luke found himself wishing to know more and circling back to those blue eyes and silky hair. Aside from how pleased he was to have found a good home for Jessie, he couldn’t deny that Jessie gave him an excuse to see her again.
Moments later, he walked into the house with Jessie at his heels. He found Jared downstairs in the office reviewing details for their upcoming trip, and Nathan on the phone with what sounded like a potential crew member.
Jared looked up. “Longest gas run I’ve known you to take.”
“Yeah, yeah. Ran into Susie. You remember the woman I mentioned the other morning, Hannah? Susie seemed to think she needs a dog.”
Jared smiled slowly. “You just jumped on that chance, huh?”
Luke rolled his eyes. “Well, seeing as we’re headed out in a few weeks, I thought I should follow Susie’s lead. May have caught her off guard, but she said she’ll take Jessie. She’s coming by later today to get her.”
Jared laughed. “Well, all right then. Hope you don’t think Nathan and I were pressuring you to get rid of Jessie. We love having her around too, you know. It’s just…”
“No need to explain. It won’t work for us to keep her; we’re gone too much in the summers and sometimes in the winter.”
Nathan hung up the phone and jumped in. “So, did I just hear you met Susie’s long lost friend and found Jessie a home?”
Luke nodded. “Hannah’s nice. Don’t think we could have found a much better place for Jessie. You’ll meet her later if you’re around,” Luke said. He shifted focus. “What’s the status on whomever you were just talking to for the crew? We still need, what, about three more for the run?”
Nathan filled them in while Jared kept checking notes and filled out a shopping list for Luke. Luke’s mind remained half on Hannah and half on what he needed to do for the upcoming trip. Part of him hoped his brothers wouldn’t be around this afternoon because they were attuned to him and would likely pick up on his attraction to her. The last thing he needed was weeks of teasing from them with Jared already starting. He mentally swatted the thought away as he realized he might be thinking a little too much about Hannah.
He focused on Jared, who was asking him questions about what he thought they needed from the store. As usual, Jared was weeks ahead of the game in organizing for the trip. He already had dry goods listed for Luke to pick up for the boat. When Luke and his brothers had started their fishing business, they had naturally fallen into different roles. Jared handled most of the planning while Nathan handled most of the contacts they needed to make and the grunt work. Luke fell somewhere in the middle, doing a bit of everything.
Luke headed back toward town. The next few hours kept him busy with various errands. He stopped by the harbor before going back home. The Diamond Creek Boat Harbor was tucked in Otter Cove, a small cove within Kachemak Bay. It was sheltered from the wind and higher waves by high bluffs on both sides. The harbor was filled with boats every summer, ranging from large commercial vessels to small motorboats used for recreation. He loved coming to the harbor, even just to stop by. During summer months, it was usually busy; yet he felt grounded by the sound of water lapping against boats, gull calls, and the occasional eagle call. There was a resident otter, Howard, who swam about and entertained everyone with his antics. In the winter, it was much quieter, yet the brace of cold ocean winds refreshed Luke. He loved the sounds and smells of the ocean.
The brothers owned one commercial fishing boat, Iris, named after their mother. She was alive and well in Bellingham, Washington, where she and their father, Matthew, had retired after years of living and working in Seattle. She’d been an elementary schoolteacher, and their father had started an aerospace engineering company that became successful enough that they could retire early in comfort. Matthew’s serious hobby was fishing. The
brothers got their love of the ocean from their father. He’d taken them out every chance he could. He’d been thrilled when they decided to try to fish for a living. While their parents missed them being nearby, they visited Alaska several times a year. Iris and Matthew were both still healthy, but Luke and his brothers had a few discussions about planning to get them to Alaska, so they’d be closer if their parents needed support. For now, their parents were enjoying retirement and showed few signs of slowing down.
Luke thought about his parents as he tucked canned goods away in the storage area of the boat. He wondered what they’d think of Hannah and shook his head at himself. He’d spent maybe thirty minutes in her company and was already imagining her meeting his parents. For him, that was quite a leap and one that wasn’t particularly comfortable. While he might not be quite the playboy that Nathan was, he wasn’t interested in anything serious. He was more focused on his next adventure, which usually entailed something risky. Whether it be telemark skiing in the backcountry, a grueling hike through Resurrection Pass, known for its frequent grizzly bear encounters, or white-water kayaking, that was when he felt invigorated. Romantic relationships were secondary and best kept casual.
While he finished organizing the storage area, he considered his draw to Hannah. He hadn’t had a serious relationship since just before they moved to Diamond Creek, and he had learned his lesson in that relationship. His father’s successful business kept the family name in the public eye when they lived in Seattle. The business made enough money that plenty of people tried to make connections through Luke and his brothers, including women. His ex-girlfriend, Cristina, had been livid when Luke had broken up with her when he’d tired of her constant focus on how much he’d inherit from his father and her frustration that he wasn’t planning to work for his father. The day after Luke broke up with her, she’d tried to seduce Nathan, so committed she was to worming her way into their family’s money. He and his brothers may have had many flaws, but lack of loyalty wasn’t one of them. Not only had Nathan turned her down, but he’d told Luke immediately. As much as he’d like to say Cristina had shown her true colors by then, little did he know how far she’d go. She harassed him constantly after the breakup and Nathan turning her down. Even after they moved to Alaska, he occasionally had to field calls from her and heard from friends that she still asked about him.
