Water's Edge (Alaskan Frontier Romance Book 1)

by Jennifer McArdle

  “Are you alright?” he asked. “Does anything hurt?” He still held her, inches from the ground.

  “I… I’m fine,” Nora said. She was fine, except for the severe embarrassment and wounded pride.

  “You’re sure?” he asked again as he lifted her back up onto her feet. He still didn’t release his grip on her and she didn’t try to pull away. She looked up at him and nodded. “Yeah. I’m okay.” He held her close, reluctant to release her from his embrace, and brushed a stray hair away from her face.

  Nora was still stunned at how quickly he reacted. She could have seriously injured herself if she’d fallen on the jagged rocks along the trail. But he caught her in the nick of time. She gazed up at him.

  “Th-thank you.” Those were the only words that escaped her lips before Jake covered her mouth with his own. This time, Jake kissed her long and hard. Nora had no choice but to kiss him back. She didn’t want to do anything else. She completely forgot her misgivings about getting involved with Jake. She didn’t care. His kiss felt so good. Her body responded instinctively and when he pulled away, she found herself wanting more.

  And then Jake brought them back to reality.

  “Maybe I shouldn’t have brought you up here. The trail can be treacherous in some spots,” he said. “Do you want to turn back?”

  She’d never thought of herself as clumsy before, but it was becoming more and more apparent to her that she had a tendency to trip over rocks, fall out of boats, and slip in creeks. The great outdoors was unforgiving, and Nora seemed to be rather accident-prone. But she didn’t want her incompetence to keep her from seeing that view Jake had mentioned.

  “No. Let’s finish this hike,” she said, more determined than ever. “I’m looking forward to the view from up top.”

  He released her from his embrace then, but kept a tight grip on her hand. Then he smiled at her and resumed the lead position. “The view is great,” he said over his shoulder as he started back up the trail. “But that’s not what we’re going up there for.”

  “You’re not going to tell me, are you?”

  “Nope.”

  Nora followed closely behind him. Jake moved much slower now, making sure she had good footing with each step and holding her hand for support. Even though they were only a short distance from the alpine meadows of the mountaintop, it took nearly a half-hour before they emerged from the forest and the trail opened up to a grassy expanse. Nora turned around to take in the view of the inlet and the other mountains that seemed so much smaller from up there.

  “Beautiful, isn’t it?” Jake said.

  She had no words to describe it. She felt like she was on top of the world. The buildings in the tiny town below were mere specks. Everything looked so peaceful.

  “Come on. We’re not done yet.”

  Nora turned to follow him. The peak of the mountain still stood at least another 200 feet above them, by her best guess.

  “Are we going all the way to the top?”

  “We could if you want, but I had something else in mind,” Jake said, veering off the path and heading toward the south side of the peak. He stopped for a second and looked at Nora expectantly, waiting to see if she really did want to hike the rest of the way up.

  “This is close enough to the top for me,” Nora said, smiling. “I don’t need to stand on the summit.”

  Jake grinned at her. “Alright, then. Follow me.”

  Nora willingly obeyed, following him off the path and through the tall grass. As she followed him, she found herself looking around, taking in the sweeping views of the inlet and wondering if she would be able to see her own cabin. Of course not, she realized. If she couldn’t see this peak from her cabin, then surely she wouldn’t be able to see the cabin from the mountaintop.

  The sound of an engine caught Nora’s attention and she stopped to watch a float plane descend into the inlet. Like a bird, it swooped down toward the water and skimmed the surface until it came to rest on the water next to one of the docks by The General Store. The only way she knew it was the store was because it sat on the far end of town and was surrounded by a large dock. From this distance, the building was nothing more than a small rectangle and the plane really did look like a bird off in the distance. Almost at the same time the first plane landed on the water, a second float plane revved up its engine and took off from the inlet. Looking around, Nora saw at least one other plane in the air, heading toward the small town.

  “Tourists,” Jake said. He was watching her as she watched the float planes coming and going. “It’s that time of year.”

  “Is it always like this in the summer?” Nora couldn’t help but ask. The town was so small, she couldn’t imagine it being able to handle hordes of visitors. “The Rainforest Lodge can’t possibly be big enough for that many people. Where do they all stay?”

  “It doesn’t get too bad,” Jake said. “There are seven… no, eight… lodges in town. Plus another one a few miles north.”

  “Eight lodges?” She walked past the Rainforest Lodge almost every time she came into town, but she had no idea there were so many others. “Where are they, hidden in the trees?”

  Jake smiled, realizing she still had a lot to learn. “They’re all mom-and-pop places. You pass by them all the time. About a quarter of the houses in Heron are technically lodges. It’s how a lot of the people here make a living… at least, when they’re not fishing.”

  “But what brings them here? The tourists, I mean.” Nora shook her head. “Wait, that didn’t sound right. This place is beautiful. It’s obvious what brings them here. What I don’t understand is, of all places in Alaska, how do they find out about this little town?”

  “Well, what brought you here?” Jake asked her in all seriousness.

  “But I’m not a tourist.”

  He chuckled. “For the time being, you are. Everyone in town is still waiting to see how long you’ll stick around. Most are betting you’ll be gone before autumn.”

  “That’s encouraging,” Nora said sourly.

  Jake smiled at her again. “Hey, don’t worry about it. I’m betting you’ll at least make it through the winter.” He was teasing her. “The way I figure it, you’ll be determined to make a go of it here. By the time you realize you were crazy to spend a winter in the bush, you’ll be snowed in and won’t be able to leave until spring, anyway.”

  Nora smiled back at him. “You know, I might surprise everyone and stay here forever.”

  “I’m counting on it,” Jake said sincerely, hoping she wouldn’t change her mind further down the road. Then he turned and started walking again. “Come on, it’s not much farther now.” He sincerely hoped Nora planned to stay for good, but somewhere in the back of his mind he still had his doubts. Not for the first time, Jake wondered how smart it was to fall for the new girl in town. There was no doubt, though, he was falling for her.

  When the terrain grew rocky, Jake took Nora’s hand again. He led her through a narrow passageway between two large boulders. As they reached the opening, Jake stepped off to the side, affording Nora her first look at a hidden lake. The sight nearly took her breath away and she let out a small gasp. Nestled above the tree-line and surrounded by large boulders, the lake sat perfectly undisturbed. The surface was so smooth and reflected the mountains so clearly that Nora had a hard time distinguishing where one ended and the other began.

  Along the northern shore of the lake sat a small cabin, built by the U.S. Forest Service as a recreational cabin for back country hikers.

  “This is incredible,” Nora said, unable to tear her eyes away from the sight.

  Jake agreed. “I know. I’ve been coming here since I was a kid.”

  “Is this what we came up here for?” she asked.

  “Yep,” he said.

  He led her to a grassy spot near the lake shore. Then he took his jacket off and spread it out on the ground for Nora to sit on. He laid down on the ground next to her and they spent the early afternoon by the lake. Ly
ing there beside him, Nora felt more content than she ever had in her life. They barely spoke. They were just two people alone on the mountaintop, enjoying the sound of nature around them, listening to each other breathe, basking in the warmth of the sun.

  As the afternoon wore on, Nora’s stomach grumbled, breaking their silence.

  “Listen,” Jake said quietly, dramatically. “Did you hear that growl?”

  “Umm, hmm.”

  “Sounds like a bear.”

  “Very funny.” Nora looked over at him and shoved his arm playfully.

  “How about a late lunch?” he asked, sitting up. She looked so beautiful, lying there beside the lake. He wanted to stay there, beside her forever. But the day was wearing on and she was obviously getting hungry. So was he. “I did promise you a flat bread pizza if you’d stick around and you definitely held up your end of the bargain.”

  “It’s about time,” Nora grinned. “I was beginning to think you were trying to starve me to death.”

  Jake smiled. “No. I wouldn’t want to do that.” He grabbed the backpack he’d carried up the mountain and headed toward the USFS cabin. Nora followed him.

  The inside of the cabin was primitive, even more so than Nora’s cabin, though it was significantly larger. It was one large room with a big wood stove right in the middle of the room. Bunk beds lined one wall. A wooden table and chairs sat along the opposite wall.

  “Remind me not to complain about my accommodations when I get back home,” Nora said dryly, looking around the cabin.

  “It’s not so bad.” Jake smiled, sitting his backpack down on the table. From the backpack, Jake pulled out a bottle of olive oil, bottled water, and a thermal bag that held a chunk of Parmesan cheese and a chunk of fresh mozzarella.

  “You’re in for a real treat. This is homemade mozzarella,” he said, handing it to Nora. “Go ahead and try it,” he encouraged her.

  She tore a small piece off and popped it into her mouth. It tasted divine.

  “Are you for real? You’re not going to tell me you’re a closet cheese maker, too, are you? Is there anything you can’t do?” she asked incredulously.

  He chuckled and shook his head. “No. I can’t take credit for that one. Tracy, next door to me, makes it. You’ve probably seen his goats.”

  Nora nodded. She had seen them wandering around during the festival.

  “I’ve been buying his cheeses for years. It really pisses Nate off. Cutting into his business, he says. But this is so much better than anything he has at the store.”

  Jake turned then and opened a cabinet. He pulled out a canister of flour, salt and yeast.

  “How did you know that stuff would be there?”

  “Everyone keeps the cabin stocked with the essentials. If someone gets stranded up on the mountain, at least they have shelter and some food,” he explained. “I brought these up a few weeks ago.”

  In a matter of minutes, Jake had mixed up some dough and was kneading it on the small wooden table. The muscles in his forearms moved in rhythm and Nora couldn’t help but admire his form. He was everything a woman could want… masculine, sexy, and making her dinner.

  She watched him, a little envious he was able to make something from scratch without even using a recipe. It seemed to come so naturally to him. Nothing had ever come naturally to Nora. Sure, she had eventually mastered her mother’s brownie recipe, but it had taken a lot of trial and error and she still didn’t know the recipe by heart. Nora had to work at everything and she still never quite measured up to those around her. But for the first time in her life, when she was around Jake, she felt like she was good enough.

  Finished kneading the dough, Jake placed it on a pan, covered it with a towel, and then turned to her. “It’ll be a while before I can finish this,” he said, looking at her expectantly. “What would you like to do in the meantime?”

  Uncontrollably, Nora’s thoughts went to the bed on the other side of the room. There were a few things she wouldn’t mind doing, but that wouldn’t be appropriate, not so early in their relationship. She tried to force those thoughts out of her mind. “I’m not sure,” was all she said.

  “Well, I was thinking we could go look for some mushrooms for the pizza. There’s a ridge not far from here where a small forest fire went through last year. It should be a good spot to find some morels. We’d only need a few.”

  Nora smiled, happy to have an excuse to get out of the house and away from the temptation of the bed.

  Jake grabbed two small canvas bags from one of the cabinets and led her out the back door. Walking away from the cabin, they passed through a stand of tall pine trees as Jake confidently led the way down a small hill and then back up onto a blackened ridge. The cabin was blocked from Nora’s view, but she knew it wasn’t more than a few hundred yards away.

  “Lightning struck over there,” he pointed, “and started the fire last summer. Thankfully, the rain put it out before it got too far.” Then he smiled. “I’m actually glad the fire came through, though. Gives me a good spot to find morels. For the next couple years, they’ll be growing like crazy right here.”

  Jake showed Nora how to spot the mushrooms and how to tell which ones were good. She had never done anything like this before in her life, but she found it quite fun to search for the elusive fungus. It was exciting each time she found one. As she picked her third morel, Nora felt a drop of rain hit her arm. Jake felt it too, and looked up at the sky, which only moments before was blue and now was covered in rapidly darkening clouds. One thing he knew all too well was that the weather on top of the mountain could change in an instant. “We better get back now,” he said, taking Nora’s hand and leading the way toward the mountaintop shelter. Seconds later, the skies unleashed a torrent of rain. By the time they reached the cabin, they were both soaked, but Nora was laughing.

  “What’s so funny?” Jake had to ask.

  Nora shook her head, still giggling. “I don’t know. I just feel so alive right now.” They stood on the covered porch, safe from the downpour, but Nora felt an overwhelming urge to run back down the steps and stand in the rain. Spontaneously taking Jake’s hand, she pulled him back out into the rain. He stood there in awe, watching as she spread her arms out and tossed her head back, welcoming the cool rainwater. Jake couldn’t help but be amazed by this woman… everything she did and everything she was.

  Then the sky filled with lightning and Jake’s better sense kicked in. It wasn’t safe to stand out there in a thunderstorm.

  “C’mon. We gotta get inside.” Nora was still smiling, but she heard the urgency in Jake’s voice and she quickly followed him back up to the porch. She stayed outside, under the safety of the porch, while Jake darted inside to find something to dry off with. There wasn’t much in the cabin, but he did find a blanket under one of the beds.

  When he went back out, he found Nora on the porch swing, happily watching the storm. He wrapped the blanket around her and sat down beside her.

  Nora sighed. “Looks like it’s going to be a while before we can head back down.” There was no trace of disappointment in her voice, Jake noticed.

  “Might be stuck up here all night,” he said, looking at her so he could gauge her reaction.

  She glanced at him, smiled coyly, and then turned her attention back toward the heavy rain. Being stuck in a cabin on the mountaintop with Jake would not be a hardship, not by any means.

  Nora pulled the blanket tighter around herself. The chill of the rain was setting in and Jake noticed her discomfort. “Let’s go inside,” he suggested. “You can watch the storm from the warmth of the cabin, if you want.”

  “That’s a good idea.”

  When Nora stepped inside, she found the stove had been lit and the fire was rapidly warming the cabin. Still dripping wet, in spite of the blanket Jake had given her, Nora went straight for the wood stove. The fire was hot and her clothes began to dry almost immediately.

  “Better?”

  She nodded her head. “Muc
h.”

  “Good.”

  Jake went to the table and began slicing the mushrooms. Nora watched while he topped the dough with olive oil, mushrooms, and slices of the fresh mozzarella. Then he expertly slid the flat bread onto a pan and took it over to the stove.

  “Dinner will be ready soon.”

  “Good,” she said. “Because I’m starving. I believe you promised me lunch, but it’s a lot closer to dinnertime now.”

  Jake chuckled. She was right. “Sorry about that,” he conceded.

  * * *

  “Well, now what?” Nora asked after they had eaten dinner. The rain was still coming down and every few seconds the sky lit up with lightening. The heart of the storm was upon them. They were definitely stuck in the cabin.

  “That’s what I was going to ask you,” he said with a mischievous grin. “I guess we’ll have to entertain each other.”

  “It’s a good thing I found a deck of cards.” She reached up onto a shelf on the wall and picked up a small cardboard box. She had spotted the deck of cards earlier and thought it would be a safe diversion to help them pass the time away while they were stranded. “I play a mean hand of poker,” she added, hoping to entice him into a game.

  “Well, I play a mean game of strip poker.” Jake meant his comment as a joke, but as soon as the words were out of his mouth, he regretted them. The last thing he wanted to do was force Nora to strip down to nothing. He’d much rather take her clothes off himself, slowly kissing every part of her body.

  Feeling certain she could outplay Jake, Nora decided to take the dare. “You got it,” she said confidently. It might be fun, Nora thought, thinking about how uncomfortable Jake would feel stripped down to his skivvies.

  Jake smiled uneasily. He didn’t often find himself in this position, feeling unsure of himself and very much out of control of the situation. He never in a million years would have expected Nora to take him up on a game of strip poker. But Nora always had a way of surprising him.

  “Let’s keep it simple. Five card draw. Nothing wild,” she said, taking immediate command of the situation.