The breeze was an added bonus—perfect to keep the mosquitoes away. He added a couple of apples into the cooler along with some potato chips.
“We’re having another picnic lunch?” Chryssa’s voice startled him. “How nice. You think of everything.”
“Yes, if that’s okay with you.” He closed the cooler lid. “It takes about an hour to get to the cabin on a four-wheeler. Sound good? Or do you need to get back sooner? We’ll fly back to Fairbanks tonight, but we’re not on a time schedule. Or are we?”
She approached him and stood very close. “Nope. I don’t think so. It doesn’t get dark for a couple more weeks, so I think we’re okay. But you’re my pilot, you tell me.”
“It gets dusky for a few hours, but we can head back to Fairbanks any time you’re ready. Do you even want to make the trip to the cabin? Maybe you’d rather stay here and work on your sketches.”
“No, I want to go. In fact, I’m up for everything and anything.”
Travis narrowed his eyes, not sure if she meant something else by that cryptic statement. Probably his own wishful thinking. He swallowed hard on his disappointment. “I’m happy to hear that. I’m actually very—”
“Where are you two going?” His brother, Zak, appeared in the kitchen doorway.
Chryssa immediately stepped backward like they’d been caught stealing cookies. Travis grabbed the cooler’s handle. “We’re going to the cabin. I’m taking a four-wheeler.”
“Sure, but be back by dinner, okay?”
“Why do we need to be back by dinner?” Travis had planned on taking their time and not being on any type of schedule.
“Ethan and Carly are flying in, so we thought we’d make it a family meal.”
“Why is Ethan flying in?” Travis asked.
“He heard you were taking some time off, I guess. I don’t know. Does it matter? I’m cooking mooseburgers on the grill. We’ll eat at about six.”
“I can’t make any promises.” Travis gestured for Chryssa to move past Zak who still stood the doorway.
Chryssa stepped to the side. “It’s only noon now. I can’t imagine that we won’t be back by six. Will we?”
“The voice of reason.” Zak nodded sarcastically. “Thank you.”
Travis sighed in resignation. There was no reason to keep Chryssa out in the woods all to himself. “Okay, fine. We’ll be back for dinner.”
Zak stepped aside to let them pass.
“I don’t know what the big deal is,” Travis said to Zak. “We can have dinner some other time.”
Chryssa stopped and turned to face him. “For what it’s worth, if I had siblings who wanted to have dinner with me, I wouldn’t miss it.”
Travis saw the earnestness in her eyes.
“Once again, the voice of reason,” Zak called out from behind them as he made his way into his office. “I like you, Chryssa.”
Chryssa smiled up at Travis.
Travis shook his head. “Don’t get all triumphant looking. He likes everybody.”
“That’s not true!” Zak called out.
“Don’t you have work to do?” Travis called over his shoulder, then locked gazes with Chryssa again. “Quit eavesdropping.”
Chryssa laughed. “I would love to have a sibling to argue with. Consider yourself one of the lucky ones.”
“I’m sandwiched in the middle. Two older siblings and two younger. I’ve never felt lucky. Where do your parents live?”
“They’re retired and living in Florida.”
Chryssa turned to go out the lodge’s oversized double doors and Travis followed. They walked down the steps and toward the warehouse where the four-wheelers were stored.
Chryssa stopped. “Even though they live a long way away, I’m grateful to have them both. I remember when your dad died. We were both in high school.”
“How can you remember that?” He placed his hand on her forearm and moved her around to face him.
She shrugged. “I just do. Your family isn’t easy to forget. You were on the hockey team and your brothers too. You all wore a black band on your jerseys that year and a sticker on your helmet that said WF.”
A pang of hurt and regret pieced his soul. “Yeah, we did.”
“I don’t remember your dad’s first name though. What was it?”
“William.” Travis looked down at the ground because looking at Chryssa somehow made the pain of saying his dad’s name hurt more.
Chryssa put her hand on his shoulder. “Everyone said what an incredible man he was. I remember.”
Travis peered at her. “He was an amazing father.”
Chryssa squeezed his shoulder before letting her hand drop to her side.
Travis gripped the cooler’s handle too tightly. “I won’t complain about my sometimes-obnoxious family again. I do have every reason to be grateful.”
“Even in high school, I thought you had such a special family, but then when your dad died, the community gathered around your family as much as they could.”
That pang of something real and intense hit Travis in the gut again. “I wish I would have known you in high school.”
“It was a big school. You couldn’t know everyone.”
He followed her to where the four-wheelers were parked.
He silently cursed himself for not remembering Chryssa better. He should have paid more attention, but in his own defense, he was dealing with a lot as a teen, the death of a parent was more than most. But at least he had his mom and brothers and sister to lean on.
CHAPTER 13
Riding across the tundra on the back of a four-wheeler with her arms wrapped around Travis’ waist was a rush. Almost, but not quite as remarkable as their kiss. Were they going to talk about it? What would she say? She felt elation and yet, she didn’t want to read too much into it. Was it just a kiss of good luck, or was it something more? She had jumped into his arms. It was only a response to that, surely.
She wouldn’t bring it up. There was no reason.
Duke ran alongside them and seemed to be having the time of his life. They arrived at the log cabin where Travis said they took moose hunting clients in the fall. The roof had grass growing from the top. One small window, along with a porch. Inside were just the bare basics of a wood stove, kitchen sink, a couple of cupboards, and three sets of bunk beds.
She took out her camera and started snapping photos.
In front of the cabin, Travis spread a blanket on the ground. He opened the cooler and removed their sandwiches.
“Hungry?” he asked.
“Yes.” Chryssa took a couple bites of her ham sandwich. “This place is so quaint and picturesque.”
“There isn’t much to it, but I like it.” Travis bit into an apple.
Chryssa flinched when a dragonfly buzzed by her head. “I don’t imagine you have running water here?”
Duke bounded into a grassy field of fireweed chasing the dragonfly.
Travis’ eyes followed Duke’s path. “No. It’s a damp cabin. Which means we have a gray water system.”
Anxious to start sketching, Chryssa finished her sandwich. “What does that mean exactly?”
“It means we have a sink and a shower, but no sewage system.”
“Fascinating.” Chryssa pulled her sketchpad from her backpack. “Does that mean there’s an outhouse around here somewhere?”
Travis laughed. “That’s what it means.”
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing really.” Travis lay back on the blanket and intertwined his hands behind his head like a pillow. “All your questions I guess.”
“You have to understand that I know nothing about cabins in the wilderness. And this scene with the cabin and mountains, it’s amazing. But it makes perfect sense about the plumbing. It’s just nothing I would have ever thought of.” Chryssa looked beyond the cabin’s roof to the Brooks Range. “Do you mind if a sketch a little bit?”
“No, not at all.” Travis chewed on a long blade of grass. “You wo
rk all you want. I’m going to lay here and take a cat nap.”
“A painting with a cabin and a little outhouse in the background, plus the mountains and fireweed… It’s everything, like a dream almost, and if I can capture even a fraction of its beauty for my showing, I will have done something fantastic.”
“I knew you’d like it here,” Travis commented.
Chryssa liked a lot of things and not just the scenery. She could feel her resolve slipping away. She wanted to ask Travis about their kiss and what it meant. Sunshine beat down on his face and once again, she had the urge to sketch him. Her hand slid over the paper in an easy rhythm—shading, then drawing the lines of his face surrounded by different lengths of grass at varying angles. Travis occasionally cracked his eyes open to look at her, but when their gazes locked, he closed them again.
Was he thinking about their kiss as well? The physical proximity to him was getting to be too much. She wanted another taste of him, so she scooted off the blanket instead of making a fool out of herself. “I’m going for a little walk. I won’t be long.”
Travis opened his eyes but didn’t sit up. “Do you want me to go with you?”
“No. You take your cat nap.”
He nodded, then closed his eyes. Chryssa walked on a trail behind the cabin with her sketchbook in hand. She sat on a grassy hilltop and surveyed the landscape. She drew the cabin, outhouse, and mountains. She noticed the black spruce among the lower boggy terrain and imagined the permafrost beneath the layers of sediment. White spruce, birch, and aspen trees covered the hilly slopes. Before she knew it, an hour had passed and she had some workable sketches. A sense of peace enveloped her, except where Travis was concerned.
Her heart was at risk if she allowed anything more to pass between them, but she wasn’t good at pretending she didn’t care either. Focus. Keep your head on your work, not on Travis.
She continued to sketch. This time she drew Duke with his adoring eyes and fluffy fur. He always cocked his head to the side when you talked to him and she attempted to capture that on paper.
Walking back to the front of the cabin, she crouched beside Travis and put her hand on his forearm. “I haven’t seen Duke in a while. Should we be worried about him?”
Travis peered up at her from his prone position on the blanket. “I’m sure he’s not far away. But better make certain.” He sat up. “Duke!” he called. “Come here, boy.”
Chryssa put her sketchbook and pencils back into her backpack. “As long as there are no porcupines around, I guess we’re good, right?”
She’d barely finished speaking before Duke bounded onto the blanket between them.
Travis leaned on the backs of his elbows. “Did you get a lot done?”
“Yes.” She sat beside him and crossed her legs. Although she was supposed to work on her sketches and nothing else, she couldn’t ignore the elephant in the room, or in this case the Alaskan pilot who made her stomach do somersaults. “Are we going to talk about it?”
“We should.” He sat up. “We’re talking about the kiss, right?”
“Yes, the kiss.” Her skin flushed hot.
He fiddled with a blade of grass before looking up at her. “I think we just got caught up in the moment.”
She stared at him, disappointed. She knew better than to get her hopes up. She knew better!
Leaving Alaska and Travis was the best decision she’d ever made. She’d like to tell him a thing or two, but there was no point. Why leave with angry words between them? Never burn your bridges. Who knew if one day she’d return and need a job.
“You’re right.” She nodded. “We got caught up in the moment of my amazing news. I shouldn’t have launched myself into your arms. I was just so happy.”
His gaze looked sincere, and maybe a little bit sad too. “I’m glad you did. I’m incredibly happy for you, Chryssa. It’s a dream come true for you.”
“Yes, it is.” She raised her chin, willing herself not to be discouraged. “My new life in Arizona is full of new adventures and limitless possibilities.”
His eyebrows turned inward and lines creased his brow. “It is everything you’ve ever wanted, right?”
“Yeah.” She nodded, then looked past him to the vast mountain range in the distance. “It’s everything I’ve ever wanted.”
* * *
UPON RETURNING TO GOLD CREEK, Chryssa climbed off the four-wheeler and shrugged on her backpack. She wanted nothing except to be alone. Better yet, to leave Gold Creek, get back to her apartment, and finish packing. “Thank you for taking me farther out beyond Gold Creek. I’ve got more sketches to add to my collection. If I can get the colors right, I know the cabin with the outhouse is going to be a great painting. I doubt I’ll do it as much justice as seeing it in person, but I hope to come away with a product people will enjoy.”
“If it’s anything like the paintings you have in the office, it will be great.” Travis pulled his cell phone from his pocket. “We’ve got a half an hour before dinner.”
She couldn’t have dinner with his family because that would require smiling and visiting. She didn’t know if she had it in her to be sociable. Just when she was about to say she had a headache, a four-wheeler pulled up behind them.
She recognized Travis’ brother Ethan. They’d met before at the re-opening of Tundra Air. He didn’t hide his scarred face anymore. Happiness radiated from him.
Gripping onto his waist was a beautiful redhead she assumed was Carly. Ethan turned off the engine. “Hey, Chryssa, I heard you were out here. This is my girlfriend, Carly.”
“Hello, Carly. Nice to meet you.” Chryssa shook the woman’s hand.
“Hello… I’ve heard about you.”
“Oh really?” Chryssa replied.
“Yes, Travis has always said how invaluable you’ve been to him and his business.”
To his business yes. To him, Chryssa wasn’t so sure.
Ethan interjected, “My mom told me you were in Gold Creek, and that you’re leaving Tundra Air.”
“Yes, I’m moving away actually. But all my Tundra Air duties will be in the capable hands of another employee.” She looked at Travis, but he didn’t return her gaze. “My last day was on Friday. I’m moving to Arizona at the end of the week.”
“How is Travis going to run Tundra Air without you?” Ethan asked. “It just won’t be the same.”
An awkward silence filled the air between them. Carly spoke up, “You all are staying for dinner, right? I’d love to hear about your new job in Arizona. I assume you’re moving for a job? Or is there some other reason?”
There were a lot of reasons, Chryssa thought, but only a few she’d speak about. “Yes, for a new job at an art gallery.”
“An art gallery,” Carly stated. “I haven’t been to a gallery since I lived in New York. How exciting for you.”
“Yes, it really is,” Chryssa replied. “Thank you.”
“Should we go inside and get washed up for dinner?” Travis headed toward the lodge and the three of them walked alongside him.
Chryssa detected annoyance in Travis’ voice and she wasn’t sure why. Or maybe she was just hearing things. All her common sense where Travis was concerned seemed to be off-kilter.
“How was the weather flying in?” Travis asked. “I’m taking Chryssa back to Fairbanks tonight. I still need to check the forecast.”
“It was raining just south of Tanana,” Ethan said.
“I’ll have to check it out,” Travis said. “What’s the occasion for you two coming out here?”
“Zak said Dane was bringing a few of his teammates to the lodge and Carly is hoping to get an exclusive interview with one of them.”
“Of course she is,” said Travis.
“What?” Carly questioned him with rounded eyes. “You make it sound like chasing NHL players around is a crime or something.”
Travis chuckled. “It helps that my family has connections.”
Travis’ somber mood seemed to vanish.
Ethan grinned, then shrugged. “I was off work this week anyway, and figured why not. It’s a beautiful time of year to be here.”
“You’re right about that.” Travis opened the lodge’s front door and held it for them to walk ahead, then said to Chryssa, “I’m going to get online to check the forecast.”
“Okay, I’m going to get my things in order.”
“Sounds good,” Travis replied. “I’ll talk to you in a minute.”
Chryssa went to her room while Carly and Ethan chatted with Sabrina and Zak. Chryssa gathered her bathroom supplies and put them in her bag. She folded a pair of shorts and a tee shirt. She seemed to have everything packed and in order. Sliding the glass door open, she sat on her miniature deck and flipped through her sketchbook. She had her standard landscape drawings, which she’d always gravitated toward. Something about landscapes calmed and de-stressed her.
However, she couldn’t look away from the abstract drawings she’d completed, starting with the drawing she’d done of Travis’ face embedded in the river’s edge. This drawing was a huge departure in line, shape, and form from the type of drawings she’d done in the past.
She’d also drawn Duke splashing in the water, along with a fish, and fireweed flowers. They were interesting compositions and she was thrilled that she’d stepped out of her comfort zone and drawn something that showed a different kind of visual experience.
A knock sounded on her door. She closed the flap on her sketchpad, threw it on her bed, and opened the door. Travis filled the doorway. Her heart skipped a beat and she willed it to stop the nonsense. Not much longer and she wouldn’t have to see him every day. She’d start her new life with her equally new artwork. “I thought dinner wasn’t for another twenty minutes.”
Her Alaskan Pilot: An Alaskan Hero Novel Page 10
