Wild Heart
Page 1
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Preview of Wild Cat (Alaska Wild Night Book 2)
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Wild Heart
(Alaska Wild Nights Book 1)
Tiffinie Helmer
Copyright © 2018 by Tiffinie Helmer
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Edited by Adam McLain of amclain.com.
Cover design by Kelli Ann Morgan of Inspire Creative Services
Created with Vellum
For Charles Allen for nicknaming me Wild Heart the first time we met years ago. The nickname spurred the idea for an eight-book series (Alaska Wild Nights) featuring the Wilde Family of Heartbreak. Charles, you are a true gentleman and a prince among men, and I am blessed to know you.
Acknowledgments
Many thanks go out to my Facebook Street Team, Tiff’s Wild Readers for their help in suggesting business names for my fictional town of Heartbreak, Alaska. You guys are a fun and creative bunch.
Special mention goes to the following: Mike Helmer, Barb Blanc, Adam McLain, Kerri LeRoy, Charles Allen, Darcy Fairbanks, Maryann Abbot, Tamye Davis Whitener, Karen Short, Catherine Brownfield, Melinda McCubbins, Tonjua Hayes, and Kelli Zimmerman. You guys ROCK!
Contents
Acknowledgments
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Preview of Wild Cat (Alaska Wild Night Book 2)
25. Chapter 1
26. Chapter 2
Author’s Note
About the Author
Also by Tiffinie Helmer
Prologue
We have to do something. These kids of ours aren’t stepping up to the plate.” Jack Wilde nursed his beer at the bar of the Pump House, the local watering hole in Heartbreak, Alaska.
The bar had been around longer than he had. The place didn’t look like it had been redecorated since the gold rush, and he appreciated the step back in time. He’d called Quinn, his long-time friend, asking him to meet him so they could discuss what to do about their wayward children.
“Sorene still refusing to date?” Quinn asked.
“Damn, stubborn girl,” Jack mumbled. “If she’s been on a date in the last ten years, I’m Paul Bunyan.”
Quinn gestured to Jack’s red flannel, scruffy salt and pepper beard, faded jeans, and worn boots. “You dress the part.”
Jack waved that off and continued with his rant, “She says she’s too busy and not interested in romance. Have you heard anything so foolhardy? Romance is the spice of life.”
“Ash tells me to butt out anytime I bring up him settling down. At this rate, we’ll never have grandchildren. I’m getting old, and Lord knows, you aren’t a spring chicken anymore.”
“Speak for yourself,” Jack scoffed. “I have plenty of spring where it counts.”
“Uh-huh, which is why you haven’t dated since your wife died.”
“This isn’t about me. I had my chance.” Jack had been married to the love of his life, blessed like no other man he knew. Any woman he met paled against the memory of his sweet Nicola. Not wanting to venture into the bittersweet past, he redirected the subject to why he’d asked Quinn here in the first place. “I don’t buy that Ash isn’t dating.”
“I wouldn’t call what he’s doing ‘dating.’ More like going through women like they’re potato chips.” Quinn slumped forward. “I can’t even get the kid to visit me. He’s always too busy flying off to parts unknown. If I want to see him, I have to travel to God knows where and meet up with him. I’m getting too old for that shit. Did you know that my ankles swell every time I get on an airplane? Damn painful is what that is. And scary. I heard about this man who had a heart attack while flying to the lower forty-eight. He developed a blood clot in his leg from sitting so long. My age, and a tough one to boot.”
“At this rate we’ll be dead without any legacy to speak of.” Jack leaned forward on his elbows and sighed heavily. “It’s really too bad those two kids broke up in high school. They were perfect for each other.”
“And our grandchildren would have been beautiful,” Quinn added wistfully.
There was a pause and then they both straightened and looked at each other.
“You thinking what I’m thinking?” Quinn asked.
“You bet your ass I am. But how are we going to get Ash back home?”
“I have an idea.” A crafty spark lit up Quinn’s eyes. “I think it’s time my health failed, don’t you?”
“I like it, but what about Sorene? If you can get Ash here, how do we throw them together? That girl of mine is more stubborn than a bull moose.”
“The fact that she hasn’t dated since Ash, says everything. I bet she still carries a torch for my boy.” There was another pause while Quinn considered, then he gave Jack a smile heavy with tomfoolery. “The lake house project. She’s in love with that log cabin, and I’m sure I’ll be too sick to oversee my part of the construction.”
“I knew there was a reason I tolerated you.” Jack signaled the barkeep. “Pour my friend a double. He got bad news today, turns out he doesn’t have long to live.”
Jack picked up his beer. “Here’s to Operation Offspring.”
They clinked glasses, sealing the deal.
Chapter 1
Ash Bleu navigated the curvy, mountain road toward Heartbreak. The last place in the world he wanted to be, and he’d even endured the hell of the Amazon during the rainy season. He preferred the torrential rain, poisonous bugs, and venomous snakes to returning home again.
Ten years since he’d left with his heart shattered—ten years of attempting to fill the hole that still ached within. He wasn’t quite sure it had mended enough to return to his past…and to her.
Granted, he hadn’t traveled from the other side of the world to see her.
A lump formed in his throat at the thought of his larger-than-life father in failing health. Once he’d received the message that Quinton Bleu was sick there was no choice but to come home.
He rounded the bend and came to a stop at seeing the log post sign:
Welcome to Heartbreak, Alaska.
The words he’d carved under the welcome, on the night he’d left, read:
“If Alaska doesn’t break your heart, the women here will.”
; Interesting that the words hadn’t faded in all this time. In fact, they looked more pronounced. Curious, he killed the SUV he’d rented at the airport in Fairbanks and walked over to the sign, boots crunching on frozen snow.
The letters were bolder as if someone—or several someone’s—had painted over the letters throughout the years. His lips quirked into a sardonic smile. Guess he wasn’t the only one to leave Heartbreak heartbroken.
Rubbing his cold hands together, he traipsed back to the warmth of the SUV.
February in Alaska was colder than most winters in other parts of the world, and he should know. His job as a travel writer had him investigating the four corners of the planet. He’d yet to find a place that spoke to him like Alaska did.
Cold or not, it was home, and he’d missed Alaska more than he realized.
He engaged the engine and drove into the quaint mining town with its slapstick wooden houses painted in a kaleidoscope of colors. The citizens of Heartbreak were proud of their town and did a fair job of keeping it looking picture perfect, not only for themselves, but for the tourists who flocked to this edge of the world throughout the seasons.
Heartbreak nestled before him in a valley fortified on three sides by snow-frosted, purple mountains, with a spattering of lakes to the south that never froze due to the volcanic activity and resulting hot springs. Once the gold had dried up, the hot springs had insured that Heartbreak hadn’t died like so many other mining towns across Alaska.
Ash crept down Main Street, or the Main Artery, as the locals referred to it. They took to heart the name of the town until it was almost comical. In his jaded mind, Heartbreakers could do with a lot less of that, but as a travel writer, his fans got off on visiting places like Heartbreak.
He refused to write a book featuring his hometown, not wanting to dredge up the painful memories the place stirred up. This trip would be no different, even though his editor had been after him for years to feature Heartbreak and other eclectic towns that dotted Alaska’s map. Alaska was made up of an interesting bunch of unique tourist stops, and it reflected in their towns, villages, and cities.
Turning off the main artery, Ash drove up the hill toward his father’s house.
He didn’t want to think about what he’d find there. His father’s text had been cryptic, and Ash hadn’t been able to get Quinn Bleu on the line since. All his message had said was:
My heart is sick. Come home.
Ash had left message after message and all he’d received in return was another vague text:
I’ll explain when you get here.
The hill leveled out, and he turned onto the gravel, ice-packed trail choked on both sides with black spruce. The trees needed to be thinned out, for that matter, the road needed a serious grading. He hit a teeth-rattling rut, surprised the suspension hadn’t fallen out of the SUV. Good thing he’d opted for the added insurance. Alaska’s roads were treacherous at best, and then there were the moose to contend with. Winter had them crashing through trees and brush and out of the heavy snowpack to traverse easier roads.
He came around a corner and slammed on his brakes, skidding on the ice as a bull moose stood there staring down at him. It was like he’d conjured up the massive animal. Ash honked the horn, flashed his headlights, and swore when the moose only snorted, his breath a foggy plume floating in the air.
Until the moose decided to move, he wasn’t going anywhere. The immense animal took up the breadth of the lane.
He picked up his cell phone and tried his dad again. No answer. Worry snaked through his gut. What if his dad lay incapacitated at home, or worse, had already died alone? Old Man Lester had died alone one winter, his family snowed out from reaching his place up in the hills. Things like that happened all the time here in Alaska where people lived remote and were cut off by weather and circumstance.
He left another message, informing Quinn that he was stuck in a moose stare down on the lane, then he waited, giving the horn a frustrated punch, before laying heavily on it. The moose finally decided to mosey over to the side, and Ash gunned the SUV. The rear tires slid and he fishtailed, coming close to nosing the front of the SUV into the snowbank, until he got the vehicle under control again. He flipped the moose the finger, even though the moose wouldn’t give a rat’s ass, but hey, it made him feel better.
He pulled into the gravel drive and parked next to a Subaru he didn’t recognize, looking at the log cabin he’d grown up in. It was a modest A-frame, the logs weathered to gray and badly in need of treatment. An arrow of guilt intruded. He was his father’s only child and should have visited more often. The neglect around the place testified to his long absence. Steeling his courage, he grabbed his duffel bag and climbed out of the SUV. The cold hit him with a frosty slap, and he struggled to drag air into his lungs.
Walking up the creaky, ice-coated steps, he came to a stop at the front door and braced himself for what waited for him inside. He opened the door and stepped into the overwhelming heat of the house.
“Dad?” he hollered, setting down his bag in the boot-crowded entryway, struggling out of his coat. He hung it up on the wooden, homemade pegs that had been a Christmas present for his dad when Ash was in elementary school.
A cough sounded, followed by a weak, “Ash? Is that you?”
Ash entered the main room and came to a halt. The furniture had been pushed together in a corner pile to make room for a hospital bed. His bear of a father lay there, looking flushed, an IV hanging from his arm, and an oxygen tube anchored in his nostrils and looped around his ears. A buxom woman with a short bob of red hair stood next to the bed, looking official in blue scrubs, taking Quinn’s blood pressure.
Ash swallowed hard, dread flipping his stomach inside out and causing his heart to clutch.
“My boy,” Quinn said, holding out his hand and motioning him over toward the bed. “You made it.”
The words seemed unfinished, like they were missing, “Before I died.”
“What’s wrong?” Ash gripped his dad’s hand, surprised to find it clammy. Sweat beaded Quinn’s hairline and upper lip, his cheeks ruddy in color.
“It’s my heart, son. I’m so glad you’re here.” He gestured to a woman who had to be in her mid-thirties. “This is my home health nurse, Rea. Rea, my son, Ashworth Bleu.”
“Call me Ash, please.”
“I’ve heard a lot about you,” Rea said, her hazel eyes kind and sympathetic. She glanced down at the chart and noted Quinn’s blood pressure.
“Don’t worry, it’s all been good,” Quinn said, a twinkle in his eye when he looked at Rea.
“Why aren’t you in a hospital?” Ash wanted to bundle him up and drive him into Fairbanks to be seen by a specialist this second.
“Bah, you know I hate hospitals. If I’m going to die, it will be in my own home.”
Ash swallowed again, emotion clogging his throat. “What’s wrong with your heart? What doctors have you seen? We should fly you to Seattle and get a second opinion.”
“I’m not going anywhere. There’s nothing that can be done anyway. Just having you home will make all the difference, I’m sure.”
Quinn squeezed his hand, and Ash was surprised how much strength there was in the grip. His dad was putting up a good fight, trying to show how strong he still was.
“Tell me what you need me to do.”
“Well, for starters, I need help with the business. I can’t oversee the jobs like this.”
“Done. What else?”
“That’s my main stress at the moment. Those men are counting on their paychecks, and in order for that to happen, the jobs need to be completed.” Quinn signed deeply. “I hate letting them down, and I haven’t told anyone in town what’s going on.” He arrowed a sharp look at Ash. “You have to promise not to mention it either.”
“But, Dad—”
“No buts. You have to promise. They have families to feed, mortgages to pay. I won’t have them worried they’ll be out of a job. I need this, son. Unt
il I can secure a buyer, or talk you into taking over, I need business to carry on as normal as possible.”
“Normal? But, Dad—”
“No buts. Remember? And there’s something else, I need you to promise me one more thing. This is important.”
“Anything, Dad, you name it.”
“I want to see you married before I croak.”
Chapter 2
So, how’d it go with Ash?” Jack asked, answering the phone on the first ring.
“Better than expected, though I am feeling a little guilty,” Quinn said, adjusting himself on the hospital bed and switching the phone to his other ear. “He’s truly worried about me.”
“Don’t lose your nerve. Remember the end goal.”
“To tell you the truth, I’m surprised he bought it. He showed up sooner than I thought and almost caught Rea and me in the act.”
Jack barked out a laugh. “Good thing he didn’t catch you. A man with a sick heart wouldn’t be getting lucky. By the way, getting Rea onboard was a stroke of genius.”
“Right? It’s going to be harder to sell than I thought. I hate lying around all day, and it turns out Ash is a hoverer. Who knew the kid was such a mother hen? I sent him on a bogus errand for a chance to call and report.”
“Think of it as a vacation. Get caught up on Top Gear.”