Last night Nels had stood at the fireplace a broken man. Sammi knew he’d phoned her mother because he’d thought it was right. She drummed her fingers on the table, trying to control her turbulent emotions.
“How can you forgive her so easily for keeping this secret for twenty-three years?”
Nels put his hand on Sammi’s. “We lost our boy.” His voice cracked. “Life is too precious to waste on the past. I’ve been trying to move forward for twenty-three years, but I didn’t know if that was possible until I saw you on the front porch yesterday. That’s what I told your mom.
“I believe it’s a miracle that you’re here. I thanked her for raising an amazing daughter and taking such good care of her. Your dad would be proud. I know we are.”
Sammi got up and hugged him. “Thank you.” She moved on to hug Marta. “I don’t know when I’ll be able to forgive her.”
“Time, dear. Just give yourself some time,” her grandmother said as she gently rubbed Sammi’s hair.
She took her seat again. “I was thinking I might rent a room in town for when I’m not working. For the next little while I would like to get to know you two better. What do you think?” She bit her lip, waiting anxiously for their response.
Nels stood up and took his plate to the kitchen sink. “I think that’s a fine plan, except no grandchild of mine sleeps anywhere but in our home.” His voice had turned firm, but the vulnerability in his eyes was still evident. She was comforted to know he wanted her there with them.
The noise of an engine caught their attention. Nels looked out the window and started laughing. “It looks like we might have a little competition, Marta.”
“What are you talking about?” his wife asked.
“A certain forest ranger seems to be awfully interested in what’s going on over here all of a sudden.”
Sammi’s stomach filled with butterflies. “Does the forest service come here often?”
Nels shook his head. “Jake hasn’t been over here this much since high school. Don’t get me wrong—he checks on us from time to time. Just not on a daily basis.” Her grandfather’s smile was infectious.
The thought of Jake coming to see her sent a jolt of excitement through her. She heard the truck come to a stop, then a knock on the front door. Nels left the kitchen to get it.
Sammi was in a quandary what to do. Should she act excited or wait to see what he wanted? She decided to wait.
NELS OPEN THE DOOR. “Morning, Jake.”
“Nels.”
“What can I do for you?”
In a quiet voice he said, “I just wanted you to know Samantha’s background check cleared. Here’s the info.” He held out an envelope with the Tongass National Park logo on it.
“Never doubted it.”
“You don’t want the proof?”
He shook his head. “Already have it. Told you that last night.”
“You’re a good man, Nels. That’s why I’m so protective of you.” He folded the envelope and tucked it in his back pocket.
A glimmer shone in Nels’s eyes. “Are we finished, son? If so, I’d like to go back to breakfast.”
“Wait!” Jake put his hand on the door frame. Automatically, he ran his other hand through his hair. “Once Sam wakes up, would you let her know I’d like to take her to Craig’s Annual Third of July show? And Mom wanted me to invite her to the family barbecue tonight.”
“Why don’t you tell her yourself?”
“She’s up?” He could feel his body come alive at the thought of seeing her.
Nels nodded and motioned for him to come inside. Jake couldn’t resist. The desire to be with Sam had been the real reason he’d driven over instead of calling. He’d secretly hoped she might be up. Now he was glad he’d come.
They walked through to the kitchen. Sam was a beautiful sight this early. He didn’t think he would ever get used to looking at her. “Good morning, Sam.”
“Good morning to you.” She got out from behind the table to put her dishes in the sink. Her unique little walk was enough to drive a guy mad.
“So what are the Engstroms up to today?”
Marta answered for them all. “We were going to take Sammi to your parents’ house for the annual Fourth of July barbecue later. Other than that we thought we’d let her rest after all of her travels.”
“Actually, I thought I might take a few pictures of the island,” Sammi interjected.
“You can come with me if you’d like,” Jake suggested. “I’m heading up to a pretty remote area of the island to check on a research project.”
Sammi looked at her grandparents. “Marta? Nels? Is it okay?” She didn’t want their feelings to be hurt.
Jake wondered if Sam was naturally this thoughtful.
“Go have a fun time,” Marta said with a chuckle.
“That would be great.” She hugged her grandma before turning to Jake with a wink. “Maybe I can get your story on the various types of salmon, after all.”
He laughed at the comment.
Sammi smiled as she walked past him and headed up the stairs. “Let me get ready. I’ll be down in five minutes.”
Just now Sam had looked excited, Jake realized. She had a way of getting to him. All he wanted to do was take her away from everyone in his truck and kiss her senseless. Unfortunately, it was the exact sort of activity that would scare her off right now.
Better stick to hiking.
After she’d disappeared, he looked at the Engstroms. “Don’t worry. I’ll have her back in time for dinner before the fireworks.”
“Now listen here, Jacob Powell.” Marta had her hands on her hips and a stern expression on her face that Jake hadn’t seen since he got caught stealing cookies from her jar when he was a kid. “I’m not too old to see the way you’re looking at my granddaughter. You better bring her home early, and no funny business, if you know what I mean.”
Nels gave him a knowing eye, seconding her orders. How had Jake gone from adopted grandson to teenage boyfriend predator in just a day?
“Marta, I’m thirty-one and Sam is a woman. We’re hardly kids.”
“My Sammi—that’s what her mamma calls her—is vulnerable, and I won’t have you taking advantage of her. You Powell boys have broken enough hearts up here. I won’t have you breaking hers.” Marta looked like a mother bear ready to strike.
“I’ll be on my best behavior.”
Sam came down the stairs moments later. The woman clearly had no idea of her appeal to the opposite sex. If she did, she wouldn’t be wearing that form-fitting outfit. He didn’t know how she could look so attractive in cargo pants and the button-down, anti-bug shirt, but the way they hugged her figure, he realized she had way too much feminine appeal.
Right now he really did feel like a teenager. With Nels and Marta staring warnings at him the whole time he’d been in the house, he’d never felt so unwelcome in his life.
Chapter Five
The trailhead to the Harris River hiking area looked like a secret entrance to a magical world. A midday sun was trying to poke through the frothy clouds, enchanting the forest with dapples of light. Sammi, Jake and Beastly began their walk on the earthen trail, wending their way into this fairyland.
“There aren’t as many mosquitoes up here as I’ve been told.”
“We don’t have it as bad as they do up north. But it’s still no picnic.”
“True.” She swatted one as she spoke. “Thanks again for the special repellent.”
Everywhere she looked the landscape was full of ferns, hemlocks and aspens, with mosses thick at their feet. The trail led them farther into the beauty of this untamed territory. About a quarter mile into their journey Beastly shot ahead into the mist. Sammi figured the dog must have heard something and gone to chase it.
“Will she get lost?”
“Beastly?” Jake’s laughter rang out. “That dog knows this island better than I do. She’s probably going to the river to see my coworkers.”
Sammi nodded. “Out here it feels we’re the only people around.” She was having a hard time not staring at Jake and how perfectly he filled out his ranger uniform, with those broad shoulders and long legs. His presence alone would put her at ease here in bear country, even without the gun slung over his back.
“They always have treats for her. She’s everyone’s favorite girl.”
Sammi heard the love Jake had for his dog. “Is she yours?” What was she thinking, saying that out loud?
“Absolutely.”
“So—does that mean there’s no serious girlfriend?”
He kept walking. “When we get up the river aways, I’m going to be busy for a little bit. I need to check the weir—”
“Hey, you didn’t answer my question. Is it a touchy subject?” Sammi teased.
She turned around to face Jake, thinking he was a few feet away. Wrong. She was just inches from his tall, muscular body. Sammi tilted her head back to get a good look at him, wishing she were a little taller. At least her hiking boots added a few inches to her five-foot-three frame. She still couldn’t believe that a ranger could be so…wow!
Jake pushed his sunglasses on top of his head, then looked down at her and brushed a strand of hair from her cheek. Sammi’s knees went weak. He brought both of his hands up to gently caress her face. “There’s no girlfriend right now. Does that answer your question?”
“Yes.”
The feel of his hands and the tender way he touched her hair made her a little dizzy. Sammi had never been so mentally and physically attracted to a man before. It was shocking.
“What about you? How many boyfriends do you have around the world?” He eyed her lazily.
“Oh, you know, a million or so.”
His hands dropped and he took a step back before moving on. “I can believe it.”
“Why?” Did he think of her as some man magnet? The love ’em and leave ’em type?
Until now Jake had been very amenable, walking at a pace that allowed Sam the chance to take pictures and ask questions. “Hey! You can’t just drop a bomb like that and walk away without an explanation!”
He increased his speed. Sammi found that if she jogged, she was able to keep up with his long strides.
“Tell me!”
“Well,” he drawled, “how about the morning we met? You lied about your identity.”
“Okay, but that was a first for me. Now that you know the circumstances, you have to understand why.”
Jake unexpectedly stopped. When he did, Sammi ran right into him. If he hadn’t turned around and steadied her, she would have fallen.
“It’s hard to believe anything about you.” For the first time since she’d met him, she saw that he’d grown distant. Apparently the playful jokes hid his true feelings.
That did hurt. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying it’s hard for a guy like me to understand how you flit around the world, waltzing in and out of people’s lives whenever you want, not thinking of those you leave behind.”
Her temper was about ready to blow. “That’s not fair. You don’t know me. I don’t flit around the world. I take pictures on locations. The goal of the magazine I work for is to share cultures from around the world with our main readership here in America.”
“What about your mom?”
Her jaw clenched tightly.
“Are you going to abandon her the way your father abandoned his parents?” Jake’s expression was full of concern. It made everything worse. At least if he were mad she could hate him.
“I can’t answer that question right now,” she whispered.
“As you can see, Nels has never forgiven himself for what happened with Chris. His death came before anything could be resolved. Don’t do that to your mom,” Jake urged in a quiet voice.
“This is none of your business,” she retorted, and continued up the trail. She wasn’t ready to deal with the direction of their conversation. She’d just met her grandparents. Over the last twenty-four hours she’d learned so much. And then there were all the lost years, the lies and the pain of losing trust in your parent.
Mother Nature must have sensed her mood and sent her own tears from the clouds above. Sammi reached in her pack and pulled on her rain slicker, happy for the first time in her life to walk in silence.
She didn’t know if she would ever want to talk to Jake Powell again. How dare he tell her how to live her life!
“Sam—stop!” It was a command. What was going on?
Jake came up behind her, cocking his rifle. “Fresh bear tracks,” he whispered in her ear.
He pointed his rifle to the side of the trail, pushing Sammi behind him while he looked around. Then he turned to her. “I’m going to check the outer perimeter.” He caressed her cheek lightly with his free hand. It sent shivers down her neck. “Stay here. You’ll be safe.”
She stood in the middle of the once enchanted woods, terrified. Every few seconds she glanced at her watch and waited for Jake’s return. The first two minutes crept by. She could hear the forest alive with birds and scurrying animals.
Jake had a way of making her feel so safe. Now every sound, chirp or creak made her jump. Soon the rain abated, but the mist continued to fall. It created shadows that looked like bears coming out of the dense shrubbery. She shivered, yet all she could do was wait. He’d been gone for five minutes now. Where was he?
All of a sudden she could hear a crunching sound coming from the forest. She got the Mace out of her pocket in case it was a bear. A shot of it would give her enough time to run, or take the fetal position before the bear took a swipe at her.
The sound got louder and closer. “Sam, put that down!”
“Jacob Powell!”
“Yes?”
“Don’t you ever do that to me again! Next time you go off to find a bear, I’m coming with you. Don’t you ever leave me like that! Do you hear me?”
“I hear you, but I had to keep you safe. There was a mama bear with two baby cubs thirty yards away. I needed to make sure they continued in the opposite direction.”
“Fine, but take me with you.” Sammi’s first instinct was to pick up a rock and throw it at him.
“You’re a spirited little thing. I figured with all of your travels and boyfriends you’d be used to danger.”
“I’m afraid you’ve lost me again.”
“You’re an adventurer, like your father. You’re living the life he always dreamed of. When my dad heard what you did for a living, he said, ‘That’s Chris’s daughter, all right, and boy, would he be proud.’”
Sammi stepped back and began kicking at the dirt trail under her feet. She took a deep breath before she looked at Jake. “I’m trying to understand something here. How did we go from talking about you not leaving me when bears are around, to my being a heartless wanderer?”
“I’ve met other photographers like you who come up here, taking pictures for your magazines. You’re always looking to have fun. Once you get bored, you’re gone.”
Sammi contemplated what to do. She still wanted to throw something at him. Or she could run back to the road and hitchhike to Craig, but neither of those ideas would do her any good. She wasn’t a coward and she wasn’t going to back down from this fight.
He had a warped view of her career. She loved taking pictures. As for a home, she didn’t have one. The secret her mom had kept was something Sammi was trying not to think about. And boyfriends weren’t even in the picture. It wasn’t like she hadn’t dated, but her job didn’t allow commitments.
“I’m not always looking for a good time, Jake. I go where the magazine sends me. Why would you insinuate I have boyfriends all over the world? Anyway, it’s none of your business if I do or don’t. I’m only twenty-three. Since when did this conversation turn serious? I like my life. It’s a dream come true.”
Jake started walking again. The forest grew darker and the mist clung to their bodies the farther they went. This wilderness hike would have been per
fect if Jake hadn’t ruined it with all his questions.
Fifteen minutes of pure silence passed. To her reckoning, this was the worst quarter hour of her life. Sammi kept looking at her watch, trying to think of something to say.
“So when do you head out on your next adventure?” Jake asked at last.
“He speaks?”
He stopped when they reached a small river. She heard him chuckle. “Do you really hate silence? How do you take good pictures if you can’t keep quiet?”
“That’s what all the reporters ask. It’s the hardest part of the job for me.”
Jake’s laughter grew louder. It ricocheted around the small clearing they’d just approached. Sammi tried not to smile, but she was extremely self-conscious and had probably turned bright red.
The river looked too deep to cross. She glanced up and down the stream for a log or bridge. That’s when the pristine water caught her eye. The ripples were as clear as crystal.
“Do you realize what a paradise you live in?”
“Every day.”
Sammi bent and put her hand in the river, letting the cool water flow over her fingers. “Alaska has proved to me that real nature exists in the world, untouched and pure. I’ve often wondered if I would ever get to see a place like this.”
“I’m a completely biased guy, but I don’t think anything rivals this place. Admittedly, I haven’t traveled much—just to a few conferences in the lower forty-eight. Jeremiah makes fun of me because I’ve never felt the need to travel. I tell him Alaska is perfection. It’s in my blood. It’s home.”
“Does C.J. hate it when you call him Jeremiah?”
“Oh, yeah.”
Sammi loved seeing Jake with such a carefree expression on his face. She stood up and wiped her wet hands on her jeans. She felt more at peace in this setting than at any other time she could remember—as long as the personal questions were at an end for the time being.
“Most of the photos I take for my assignments have to be carefully shot to hide the damage made by human hands. Look around, Jake.” She raised her arms and pointed in every direction. “I could take a shot anywhere and not have to hide a thing. Alaska is as pure as nature can get. I’m beginning to think this place may be in my blood more than I realize.”
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