Northern Renegade

by Jennifer Labrecque

  He walked into the water and she turned away. She was losing her mind to so desperately crave the touch of a man she didn’t even like. He was angry and hard and who needed that bundle of trouble? Certainly not her.

  Tansy reconsidered. She wasn’t losing her mind. It was simply that Bradley had screwed with her head. He’d undermined her sense of self. Her attraction to Sergeant Reinhardt was rebound, pure and simple.

  Determined to get over herself...and Bradley...and the odious Liam...she marched back into her bedroom and changed into the prettiest dress she owned. She was short and needed to drop ten pounds but the flowing cut of the dress accentuated her waist and camouflaged her excess baggage below. She slipped her feet into matching flats and, deciding to go for broke, put in her contacts. She usually didn’t bother, but tonight she was on a mission. Tonight, if she was in rebound mode, she’d find someone other than Liam to rebound with, on, or whatever the appropriate preposition might be.

  Thursday nights were karaoke night at Gus’s and she’d had a heck of a good time last week. Tonight, she, Jenna and Jenna’s husband, Logan, were meeting there for an early dinner and then karaoke entertainment. Thursday night was Jenna and Logan’s date night. Baby Emma had a sitter. So, she’d meet them and maybe, just maybe, she’d meet another rebound candidate that would get her off of this path of hell-bound insanity with Liam.

  She brushed on a light coating of lip gloss and took stock of herself. Not bad. Good, in fact. She looked pretty. She felt pretty. She was ready to set forth and conquer. For good measure and extra fortification, she spritzed on some perfume.

  She picked up her purse and walked out the door, locking it behind her. She paused as she opened the door to her borrowed vehicle.

  Liam was still swimming laps, his arms slicing through the water, his shoulder and back muscles rippling like some athletic verse of poetry. Under different circumstances, she would’ve been neighborly and invited the idiot in the water to go with her, offered him a ride into town. But they weren’t different circumstances, so she left him to his own devices in the lake and climbed into the FJ Cruiser.

  She didn’t glance back as she drove down the driveway.

  She hoped he drowned in his own solitude. Well, metaphorically speaking, not literally.

  Let the lout wonder just where she’d gone...and if she’d be back.

  * * *

  LIAM ENTERED GUS’S, once again in a brooding, dark state. Finally, Wellington had vacated the premises but he’d foolishly allowed Bull and Merilee to talk him into joining them for dinner tonight. He’d figured he at least owed them that much since they’d hooked him up with a place to stay and a job.

  The joint was hopping. Games were going at a couple of pool tables in the back corner and a dartboard. Most of the tables and all of the booths were taken, as were most of the stools at the bar. On the jukebox, Elvis sang “Love Me Tender.” He figured Gus’s ranked two steps below a honky-tonk—it sure wouldn’t qualify as fine dining.

  The question as to where Wellington had taken her quirky, well-rounded ass was quickly answered. Despite the crowded room, he spotted her immediately across the way. The woman had a way of showing up front and center in his scope.

  She sat at a table with Jenna and a dark-haired man Liam hadn’t met. Maybe he was Wellington’s date.

  She was certainly all dolled up tonight, although Liam preferred her wearing her glasses. There was something kind of sexy about her specs—that schoolteacher/library male fantasy thing. The scent of her perfume had hung in the evening air when he’d walked back to the cabin from his swim.

  Maybe she’d take the man beside her back to her cabin tonight. Better yet, maybe the man would take her to his place and Liam would have the whole parcel of land to himself, just the way he wanted. Yeah, that’d be grand. Perfect.

  She was laughing at something the man said when she spotted Liam. She deliberately turned back to her date, as if she hadn’t seen Liam at all. Good.

  Rather belatedly he noticed Merilee and Bull sitting two tables over. Merilee waved him their way. Liam made his way through the tables to them. The two empty chairs faced Wellington...and her date. No biggie. He sat down. “Evening,” he said.

  Merilee reached over and placed her hand on his. “I’m so glad you’re joining us this evening.” She squeezed. “I’m glad you’re here.”

  “So am I. Thanks for the invite tonight.” There wasn’t

  much else he could say under the circumstances.

  Merilee shook her head. “I wasn’t thinking. You and Tansy could’ve shared a ride. I should’ve known she was going to meet Jenna and Logan here tonight. Have you met Logan yet?”

  Logan must be the date. Wellington had certainly pulled out all the stops for him. “Not yet.”

  “Well, there’s no time like the present,” Merilee said. Merilee was really into that introduction business. Liam actually had no interest in meeting Logan. She was in the process of pushing back from the table when Bull spoke up.

  “It can wait, Merilee,” Bull said. He nodded at Liam across the table. “Liam’s going to be here awhile. He can’t meet everyone at once. Let him settle in first.”

  “Okay.” She pushed her chair back into place and said to her husband, “You’re right.” She rolled her eyes across the table at Liam. “Sometimes I hate it when he’s right.”

  Bull nodded with a grin. “I’m always right.”

  Liam laughed. Bull and Merilee were good together. He and Natalie had never been that, never had between them what his aunt and uncle seemed to have. Hell, they’d been together for twenty-five years. And who exactly was this Logan? “Sure. I can meet him later. Who is he?”

  “He’s Jenna’s husband,” Merilee said. Ah. “He splits his time between here and Georgia but he’s mostly here since their baby arrived in June.”

  If Logan wasn’t Wellington’s date, then who the hell was she all gussied up for?

  “You’ll have to meet baby Emma, too,” Merilee said. She caught herself. “You do like babies, don’t you?”

  Well, he didn’t actually know. He’d never spent much time around them. He and Natalie had talked about maybe starting a family one day, but that day had never come. He figured it was just as well considering how their marriage had turned out. He sure as hell wasn’t at a point in his rudderless life right now where it was even on his radar.

  “Uh, I guess I like babies well enough.” He grinned at Merilee. “I don’t dislike them, so does that count?”

  He could feel Wellington watching him. He kept his attention trained on Merilee.

  Merilee chuckled. “We’ll give you points for not disliking them.”

  The waitress, a pretty redhead appropriately named Ruby, stopped by and took their drink orders. “You ready to order dinner or do you need a minute?”

  “We might want to get it in now. They’re pretty slammed,” Merilee said.

  “We’ve got lasagna, caribou stew and bison burgers with fries.”

  “Because Thursday nights are so popular, there are only three choices,” Bull explained to Liam. “The caribou and bison are local.”

  Liam had noticed Wellington working on a burger at her table. And the woman soaked a fry in catsup. It was almost sexual the way she ate her fries. Damn distracting was what it was.

  Liam, Bull and Merilee all opted for the burgers and Ruby hurried off.

  “Everything go okay with Sven today?” Bull said.

  “Oh, yeah. He’s a good guy. He’s got a top-notch crew, too.”

  His uncle nodded. “I thought it’d be a good fit.”

  “And you’re happy with the cabin at Shadow Lake?” Merilee joined in.

  “Couldn’t ask for anything nicer.”

  “Isn’t Tansy just a doll?”

  Liam glanced over at the doll in question and then back to Merilee. That wasn’t quite how he thought of Wellington, but the easiest, least red-flagging course of action was to agree. “Absolutely.”

&nbs
p; “So, you two are getting along okay?”

  He glanced her way again. A smile, directed at Logan, lit her face. Liam looked away. “Like a house afire.” There was definitely heat there, white-hot heat.

  Merilee smiled. “When I heard about the sand, I wasn’t too sure.”

  How’d she know? Shadow Lake was a couple of miles out of town and set back from the main road. It was pretty much to itself.

  Bull looked at him. “Son, I told you yesterday, news travels fast here.”

  Damn. No kidding it spread fast. “It was a joke.” He shot another look over at Wellington, who was chatting up a storm. “She’s got a heck of a sense of humor.” It had been damn funny. She did have a sense of humor.

  Merilee smiled. “That’s a side of her I haven’t

  really seen, but a sense of humor goes a long way in life.”

  Every now and then the husky notes of Wellington’s voice would drift over, not that he could actually hear what she was saying, not that he wanted to.

  “I hear Lars is coming,” Bull said. “You mind if he stays with you or would you rather us put him up with us?”

  Crap. He’d forgotten that his twin was taking leave and coming to see him. How the hell could he have driven all the way to Alaska and still not manage to get away from life and everyone? But since Lars was coming to see Liam, the onus fell on him. “He can stay with me.”

  Ruby arrived with the bison burgers and they all dug in. Between carrying Sheetrock and his swim, he’d worked up an appetite. Half an hour later they’d finished dinner, the meal having been spent on conversation about the town. Merilee had recounted how she and Bull had finally gotten hitched in a Christmas Day ceremony a year and a half ago.

  She knew how to spin a yarn. Liam gave her kudos for not asking him the questions about him and Natalie that were lurking in the back of her eyes. Sooner or later she would, but he was glad it was later. He didn’t want to talk about the past and how he’d wound up where he was now—no career, no wife and no home.

  Throughout the meal, Wellington had remained in his line of sight, in the distance, beyond the gap between Merilee and Bull. A couple of different people had stopped by their table to chat, but no one had dropped into and stayed in the seat next to her. Maybe Wellington didn’t have a hot assignation after all.

  While Tansy had been on his central radar, the sixth sense that had served him so well in combat had been prickling from another area of the room. He turned. A woman, tall with straight blond hair that fell just past her shoulders, sat at the bar. He’d never laid eyes on her. She shot him a smile. He smiled back and then turned around. He wasn’t interested.

  In the far corner, near the pool tables, a long-haired Native fellow he’d met yesterday, Nelson Sisnukett, hopped up on the small stage tucked there. He picked up a microphone. “Welcome to karaoke night at Gus’s.”

  Hell, no. He was just about to excuse himself when Merilee beamed in his direction. “This is fun. Everyone really gets into it.”

  He could hardly leave on that note.

  Nelson continued talking. “We’re going to start out with a real treat tonight. Jefferson Walker Monroe is gonna blow his horn for us.”

  The well-dressed man with the white hair who’d been on the other side of the chessboard took the stage, saxophone in hand, to a rousing round of applause.

  Merilee addressed someone over Liam’s shoulder as the smoky notes of the saxophone carried through the room. “Hi. Are you having a good time?”

  “I am.” It was the blonde from the bar. “There are lots of interesting people here.”

  “Why don’t you join us, unless you’re already with some of the folks at the bar?”

  “I’d love to, if I’m not intruding.”

  “Not at all,” Merilee said. “This is my husband, Bull Swenson, and our nephew Liam Reinhardt. Liam, Bull, this is Mallory Kincaid. She just arrived from New Orleans today.”

  She had the classic girl-next-door look. Shoulder-length hair, slightly square jaw, nice complexion. A smattering of freckles dusted her nose. Liam would put her in her mid- to late-twenties. Damn nice figure, too. Tall, athletic build.

  She was strikingly pretty. And he didn’t feel even a remote interest in her. Given all his sexual energy earlier, none of it transferred to the pretty woman next to him.

  She nodded a greeting as she slipped into the empty seat. “Mr. Swenson, Mr. Reinhardt, it’s nice to meet you.”

  “Liam just got into town yesterday,” Merilee said.

  “Oh, really?” She turned her gaze to him. Her eyes were shamrock-green. “Is it just a visit or are you here to stay?”

  “Not sure yet. How about you?”

  “Oh, I’m just here for a few days to enjoy the Alaskan wilderness.”

  He didn’t know the woman but there was something studied about her casualness. She’d approached their table deliberately. He was pretty damn sure she’d manipulated the invitation.

  Even though she was a stranger, he couldn’t shake the sense she had an agenda and it involved him.

  “Did you get by the spa for an appointment?” Merilee asked.

  “I sure did. I’m down for the works tomorrow at two.”

  Across the way, Wellington was checking out the blonde, surreptitiously, but checking her out nonetheless.

  Jefferson finished his sax solo and the first singing act took to the stage. An older woman started her version of an old Patsy Cline tune, “Crazy.” It wasn’t as bad as it could have been. She actually had a decent voice.

  He stayed through the song and then pushed his chair back. He’d fulfilled his social obligations and then some. Tansy was still sitting with Jenna and Logan. However, she wasn’t smiling now. Her expression was definitely tight. He supposed “Crazy” was a hard song to sit through when a breakup was still fresh. Regardless, he was getting out of here before the next act started.

  “I’m heading out. Early morning. I enjoyed dinner.” He nodded to Mallory. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Nice to meet you, as well. Maybe we’ll bump into each other again.”

  “Maybe.”

  He stood and made his way toward the door.

  He was halfway there when the door opened and his cousin Dirk strolled in. Damn, what was this, old home week? He hadn’t seen his cousin since Liam and Natalie had tied the knot. He knew Dirk had been in town, but then he’d left for parts unknown. Dirk looked rough. Liam almost didn’t recognize him. His hair was down to his shoulders and an unkempt beard covered his face. But beneath all the hair, the square of his jaw and his eyes remained unmistakable.

  A smile that didn’t bode well curled Dirk’s lips. “I heard you were here.”

  Jesus, he might as well have taken out a full-page ad.

  “I heard you’d been here.”

  “Yeah? Well, I’m back. I’ve got something for you. This is for Natalie.”

  The last thing Liam knew was an exploding pain as Dirk’s fist connected with Liam’s face.

  6

  TANSY JUMPED TO HER FEET, along with pretty much everyone else in the room. The music stopped. All eyes were trained on the doorway and the drama unfolding there.

  One minute Liam had been standing, the next he was laid out on the floor. The big hairy man who’d punched him simply stood there rubbing his fist with his other hand.

  Bull made his way through the gawkers and walked over. “You feel better now, Dirk?” he asked. “I hope so because that’s enough. You’re done.”

  On the floor, Liam showed signs of life. He sat up, shaking his head to clear it, his hand to his jaw. Blood trickled down his face. He’d caught his cheek on a chair edge on the way down.

  Dirk looked from Liam to Bull. “Yep, I’m done. I said what I needed to say.”

  Merilee had gone to stand beside Bull. “Say?” She raised an eyebrow.

  Dirk grinned unrepentantly. “You know actions speak louder than words.”

  “You gonna take that, Reinhardt?” a male v
oice from somewhere behind Tansy called out.

  A chorus of male murmurs followed.

  “Quit crowing, Rooster,” Merilee said to the man in the back. “And the rest of you hush up, too.”

  Dirk stepped closer to Liam and held out his hand, offering him help up. Liam looked from Dirk’s hand up to his face. “We’re even.”

  Even though it wasn’t a question, Dirk nodded his agreement. “We’re even.”

  Liam took the proffered hand and rose to his feet. Blood running down his face, he grinned. “You just used your free pass.” He rubbed his hand over his jaw. “You’ve obviously been working out.”

  “Been up on the pipeline.”

  “I hate to break up the family reunion here,” Merilee offered drily, “but you’re dripping blood on Lucky’s floor and this is an eating establishment.” She handed him a paper napkin to staunch the blood.

  “Sorry,” Liam said, holding it to the cut on his face.

  Nelson approached, having turned his karaoke emceeing duties over to a short balding man. “Dr. Skye’s out delivering a baby who decided to show up early but let’s step next door and get you cleaned up. You might need a stitch or two.”

  Dirk, Bull, Merilee, Liam and Nelson all exited through the door that connected the airstrip to the

  restaurant/bar. And the pretty blonde woman—Merilee had said her name was Mallory Kincaid and she had just arrived in town today—after a second or two, followed them into the airstrip.

  Tansy’s stomach felt as if it was tied up in a knot. She sat back down, as did everyone else, and the conversation resumed, ramped up a notch with the drama.

  “That was interesting,” Jenna said.

  “It was definitely unexpected. Who was that? What was it about?”

  “I know they’re cousins, but I have no clue what that was about.”

  Logan laughed. “No worries, honey. You will. Before midday tomorrow,” he said.

  Jenna flashed him an impish grin. “I know.” She looked at Tansy. “I saw that look on your face. Mallory’s

  staying at the bed-and-breakfast. That’s why she went in behind them.”