by J. H. Croix
He didn’t like feeling physically limited. Yet, he knew he’d be damn lucky if he were cleared for active duty as a SEAL again. His leg had been torn up when the IED exploded. They’d done preliminary on site stabilization and surgery to reconstruct his shattered femur. This follow up procedure was to remove the remaining shrapnel. His lingering pain was from nothing more than a few pieces of shrapnel missed in the first round of surgery. He’d stuck with a modified conditioning routine to stay in shape, which by most standards was a grueling workout. Yet, for him, he didn’t feel up to par and only hoped he might after the surgery.
As he rounded a curve in the road and Last Frontier Lodge came into view, Violet strolled into his thoughts again. He half-wondered if he’d been ridiculous to try to see her before his surgery. Yet, he didn’t want to wait through the recovery afterward where he most certainly wouldn’t be up to seeing much of anyone beyond his family before he saw her again. He was a terrible patient and he damn well knew it. He didn’t know what it was about Violet, but he wanted to have a little more than a passing encounter with her. He wanted to see her cheeks flush and those gorgeous blue eyes lock onto him again. He didn’t quite know what to think about it, but with her, it wasn’t just that she called to him physically. It was that he’d felt comfortable with her. Of all the situations to feel comfortable with someone, getting his blood drawn had to rank as one of the least likely, if anything because it took place in the cold, sterile hospital lab.
Chapter 4
Violet stood in front of the mirror and swiftly ran a brush through her hair. She’d spent far too much time worrying about what to wear and finally settled on jeans and a bright blue shirt that fell in a swinging swirl at her hips with a scoop neck held together by a small bow. Even though she had no idea where Sawyer planned to take her, anywhere they went in Diamond Creek could handle casual. Her dark hair shone from her ruthless brushing. Restless and annoyed with herself for even worrying about how she looked, she left it down and practically stomped out of the bathroom.
Aside from her quite purposeful choice not to pursue relationships, she most certainly hadn’t missed the worrying part of it. Dating, of any kind, was annoying. The whole wondering what someone wanted and everything that went with it nearly drove her mad. She’d forgotten that part of it. She kept reminding herself not to read too much into this and to remember she needed to keep her cool.
Sawyer had texted earlier today and confirmed he’d be by to pick her up around six. Her apartment was the upper floor of an office building in downtown Diamond Creek. With it being mid-summer, it was still daylight and would be for hours longer. Her living room and kitchen occupied one large room with windows overlooking Harborside Road with Otter Cove Harbor and the bay visible in the distance. She walked to the windows and looked out over the view. She still hadn’t gotten used to waking up to this everyday. She loved New York City where she’d grown up, but it was all hustle and bustle and no view to speak of beyond the city unless one counted Central Park and the Hudson River, which were both quite lovely but most definitely urban. Here in Diamond Creek, she felt like she was on the edge of the wilderness, and she truly was. Yet, she had all the comforts of great restaurants, plenty of touristy shopping and an interesting mix of people.
She saw a black truck roll to a stop in front of the building. It didn’t surprise her in the slightest to see Sawyer step out. She hadn’t been able to resist doing a bit of gossip reconnaissance about him. She might be newer in town than many residents, but she knew how to gather information. She’d managed to learn he was a Navy SEAL and on medical leave due to whatever happened to his leg. That information proved to be somewhat unreliable because she’d heard everything from him getting shot on a mission to being nearby when an IED exploded. Diamond Creek was small, despite its status as a tourist destination. Anyone who wasn’t a tourist passing through couldn’t land here without making a few waves and creating gossip. She’d learned that herself when she first moved here. Sawyer might not be planning to stay, but he wasn’t a tourist. He had family who’d quickly established themselves in Diamond Creek and had the credibility of being born here and descended from an old family that used to practically run the town. In her casual queries about Sawyer, she’d learned his grandfather, who had passed away over twenty years ago, had once been the mayor of Diamond Creek.
To say the locals were curious about Sawyer was an understatement. She’d overheard one of the elementary school teachers, Becky Wright, gabbing on about how hot he was. Violet wholeheartedly agreed, but she refrained from announcing it to the world. As if on cue, there was a knock at her door. She strode to the door and swung it open before she chickened out. Because she was that close to chickening out and telling Sawyer something came up. Perhaps the mama moose and her two calves in the trees behind her apartment would’ve served as a good excuse. She’d thought of telling him she couldn’t safely leave because they were napping by the front stairs. That had actually occurred last week, so it wouldn’t have been a total lie.
Yet, she hadn’t chickened out. She looked up at Sawyer, and heat raced through her. His silvery gaze met hers, and his mouth curled up at one corner. Oh, Violet. What have you done? Her sensible self asked the question when her belly did a slow flip and her pulse skittered wildly.
“Hey there,” Sawyer said, his voice slightly gruff.
Damn. Even his voice was hot. Just rough enough it sent shivers over her skin whenever he spoke. After a few beats, she realized she was simply standing there. He arched a brow, which nudged her out of her daze.
“Hey!” Her greeting came out a bit too forcefully.
His smile stretched from one side to the other. “Ready to go?”
Violet spun around, calling over her shoulder as she did. “Yup! Let me grab my jacket and purse.”
She snatched a lightweight fleece jacket off the hooks by the door and grabbed her purse. It was still fairly warm out at the moment, but she knew it would cool within hours. Summer in Alaska meant warm days and cool nights, so she’d learned to always have a jacket on hand. He stepped to the side as she reached the door, waiting while she locked up behind her. When she turned to face him, he was leaning against the wall with his hand tucked in one pocket, giving her the tiniest glimpse of his muscled abs. It’s not like she’d been wondering whether he had a body to die for, but that little glimpse sent heat pooling in her low belly.
She couldn’t find her words, so she quickly jogged down the stairs only to swear softly when she realized his knee wasn’t up for jogging. She turned back and bit her lip. “Sorry. I’m always rushing.”
He wasn’t that far behind and cleared the last step with a shrug. “I’m not too slow. Give me a few weeks, and I’ll be back on track.”
He held the door for her, surprising her. She settled herself in the passenger seat and glanced around as he walked to the driver’s side. His truck was simple and high end with plush leather seats and about every electronic feature she could imagine. He glanced over as he started it, a gleam in his eyes. “I was told to take you to Diamond Creek Brewery or the Boathouse. Seeing as I haven’t been to either place, I’ll let you decide. Or you can tell me somewhere else.”
Violet grinned. “Ah. I see you’ve been given good advice. Aside from those two places, the only others I’d suggest would be Sally’s or the lodge restaurant. I’m guessing you’ve had plenty of chances to eat at the lodge.”
He let the steering wheel slide through his relaxed grip as he backed up. “Oh, I’m spoiled rotten at this point. Delia keeps us well fed. If you want to go there, we can, but…”
“Oh no. Let’s go somewhere you haven’t been. Let’s go to the Brewery.”
He grinned and arched a brow. “Tell me how to get there.”
He needed to stop grinning. It did crazy thing to her insides. Her pulse had taken off at a full gallop, and her belly was doing somersaults. She managed to catch her breath and tell him where to go. From where she lived, Diamond Creek B
rewery was only a short drive. She was usually a chatty person, but found herself quiet on the drive over there. She was too busy trying to get her body under control. Prior to taking one look at Sawyer and getting all flustered, she’d have said she wasn’t one of those women who went gaga over any man. Even when she’d been engaged, she hadn’t been bowled over. Oh, she’d had an active sex life and enjoyed having fun, but that was it. Since her engagement blew up and she’d had to come to terms with her infertility and decided not to pursue romance, she hadn’t missed much of anything. Oh, she was close personal friends with her favorite vibrator, but that was about it.
Sawyer showed up for a routine blood draw, and her body had gone haywire. She spent the few minutes on the way to the Brewery thinking about the most boring things she could, specifically the lab reports she ran at the end of every week. By the time he pulled into a parking spot in front of the Brewery, her pulse was back to normal. Then, he went and grinned again.
Oh hell. This was a problem.
“Are you sure this is a restaurant?” he asked, gesturing toward the building in front of them.
Sawyer’s question nudged her out of the weirdness in her brain, mostly because it sent her into a fit of laughter. Once she managed to catch her breath, she glanced over to find him patiently waiting for her to answer, a bemused smile on his face.
She looked ahead at the Brewery and could easily see why someone might wonder. Aside from the sign and the cars out front, there wasn’t much to clue one in that the place housed a restaurant. It happened to be in an old refurbished plane hangar. The owners had left the outside of the building as it was. As such, all that was visible was a giant plane hangar with its corrugated steel walls and a single door leading inside from the parking area.
“I’m sure,” Violet finally said. “Come on.”
By the time she had her seatbelt unbuckled, Sawyer had reached the passenger side of the truck and was opening her door. She caught his eyes. “Do you do this all the time?” she asked.
“Get the door?”
At her nod, he closed the door behind her as she stepped out, turning to walk at her side before replying. “Usually do. Is that a problem?” he asked as they reached the restaurant door. He promptly held it open, his eyes almost daring her to oppose his action.
She pondered his question as she stepped into the crowded entryway. She didn’t mind anyone getting the door for her, yet she was by nature, an independent person and had perhaps taken great strides to become even more independent the last few years. She adored her parents, but to say they were a tad overprotective after she’d had childhood leukemia was a massive understatement. By the time she was officially clear from cancer, she’d been ready to jump for joy and scream her lungs out and do all the crazy kid things she hadn’t been able to do because, well, chemo was completely draining and made her miserable. Her poor parents had wanted to treat her like china and tuck her away in a display cabinet somewhere. They’d loved her enough to learn to let go of that and recognize their worries might be unreasonable. Yet, she’d spent most of her childhood knowing they worried, so she’d hewed to a careful line in her life—one where she tried to not rattle their nerves too much, yet tried to find her own way at the same time.
Until her engagement blew up and she had to face the fact she’d never have children, at least not biologically, she’d played life safe. After that, she tossed caution aside and decided to follow her other dreams. She’d always dreamed about moving clear across the country, so she had. She couldn’t say exactly when the kernel of that dream formed, but she remembered hours and hours of reading nature books and looking through wildlife magazines when she was in the hospital getting chemo. The world in those pictures seemed so far from the sterile hospital where she’d felt trapped. Learning she was infertile and getting dumped had jumpstarted her inside. Reeling and devastated, she’d set out to find happiness another way and immediately started planning to move. She’d landed in Diamond Creek and hadn’t looked back yet. Her parents had mellowed with their worrying over the years, likely because she was still alive and breathing, and had sent her off with good wishes and visited plenty. Her mind circled back to Sawyer’s question.
She looked to her side and realized he was still patiently waiting. She liked that about him. He wasn’t antsy for conversation to move along at a fast clip. With the cluster of people waiting to be seated, he’d somehow managed to create a bubble of space by his mere presence. He definitely had that whole sexy military vibe going with just enough of an intimidation factor to make people step back and give him room. Well, that worked for her. She caught his eyes. “About the door…I don’t mind. I was just curious.”
He grinned, a slow, dangerous grin that sent flutters twirling in her belly and a hitch in her breath. Her body had a mind of its own when it came to Sawyer. She’d have to keep ahold of her sanity, but she was up for the challenge. “Good then. Would hate to argue about doors,” he deadpanned.
Violet realized she needed to stay on her game. She’d lost her footing for a bit there, what with actually being interested in a man, but she wasn’t about to let him get the upper hand. “If I had a problem with it, there would be no arguing,” she countered.
At his chuckle, she glanced around, circling back to him. “See, it’s a restaurant,” she said, gesturing with her hand.
The inside of the plane hangar was expansive and instead of housing the small planes that flew all over Alaska, it contained a restaurant and brewery. The back end of the building housed the brewery behind a brick wall that separated it from the restaurant. The wide space above was decorated with model planes hanging from the ceiling, offering a whimsical touch to the space. While the side of the hangar where the entrance was had been left as is with a single door, the far side had replaced the massive garage doors with windows, offering a view of an adjacent field, which often had moose browsing in it and the mountains in the distance. Booths lining the walls and tables scattered in the middle easily filled the large space. Bright wall hangings and colorful rugs softened the noise in the cavernous space. As with most evenings, the restaurant was at capacity. Violet doubted there was ever a summer evening when the restaurant wasn’t bustling.
Sawyer scanned the area, his perceptive gaze landing back on her. “So it is. Hard to tell from the outside. Gage swears this place is his second favorite after the lodge.”
“The lodge restaurant is hard to beat, but this place is good. Trust me, I grew up in New York City. I know good food when I find it.”
“Ah, yes. You’re a New Yorker. Alaska’s a serious change of pace.”
“And just what I needed.”
He started to say something else when the hostess stopped beside them. “We have a booth for two in the corner. Every other party waiting is larger. Are you two ready?”
“Absolutely!” Violet said quickly.
Violet started to follow the hostess and almost stumbled when she felt Sawyer’s palm land on her low back, the heat sifting through the fabric of her shirt. She’d started to convince herself all she’d needed was a little more time in Sawyer’s company and his effect on her would wane. Nope. A subtle touch, and she was right back to butterflies and breathy with her pulse running off wildly.
Chapter 5
Sawyer looked across the table and wondered if he could find a way to finagle his way into Violet’s bed before he had surgery. Her dark hair fell around her shoulders, gleaming under the lights, and the deep blue of her eyes drew him in every time she looked his way. Dinner with her had been more fun than he could remember having in, well, too damn long. He had fun with his family, but it was a different kind of fun. With Violet, everything felt sharp, clear and alive. Her forthright humor, sly sarcasm, and the warmth he sensed underneath drew him to her like a magnet.
They’d just had a good natured debate on baseball with Violet vehemently declaring baseball to be the most boring sport ever. She’d corrected herself and said golf was so bad it didn’t re
ally count as a sport in her mind. Sparring with her over silly topics was funny and served to notch up the desire thrumming in his veins.
He recalled his mother gently pointing out he’d become more serious over the last few years. He loved his career as a Navy SEAL—he thrived off the discipline and deeply respected the underlying mission of being a SEAL. Yet, he’d never deny it wasn’t a sobering life. He and his team went on high-risk missions and often saw things he wished he could forget. His last mission had ended with him writhing in pain and being rushed off in a helicopter. He counted himself lucky to be alive, but it didn’t change the fact he’d rather not see his career end like that. The last few months had been hard in more ways than one. Violet somehow nudged him out of that dark place inside.
Their waiter paused by the table, a lanky young man who was probably swimming in tips in this summer job. “Anything else guys?”
Violet cast her warm smile on the waiter. “Dessert. Tell me the options. Wait…” She paused and looked over at Sawyer. “Are you up for dessert?”
He was up for anything with her, but he was also always up for dessert. “Definitely,” he said, winking before he’d realized it.
Her cheeks flushed slightly, her gorgeous eyes lingering on him for a moment, before she glanced back up at the waiter. “So tell me what’s for dessert. Oh, and after dinner drinks. I need one of those too.”
Sawyer had no idea what the waiter said, but when Violet asked him if he’d split something chocolate, he nodded. He could watch her all day. She was lively and amusing with everyone and had the waiter laughing when she bet him Sawyer wouldn’t get an after dinner drink and would stick with beer.
