Ursa Major

by Mary Winter

  Liam leaned back in his desk chair, dreading the phone call he had to make. As soon as they’d arrived back at the lodge Sarah had disappeared upstairs, undoubtedly to shower and change clothes. He battled the images racing through his mind, of her staring down a juvenile grizzly bear. Had it been a full grown adult, he wondered if either one of them would have made it out of the encounter alive. When he’d told her he wanted to return, he hadn’t lied. He had her safety foremost in her mind. But mostly, he knew if he stayed one more night in the tent with her he’d probably do something they both regretted.

  Dragging his fingers through his hair, Liam released a sigh. When it came to clients, he’d never been conflicted like this before. Then again, he’d never wanted any of them like this before. Sure, he’d had his fair share, more than his fair share if his brother were to be believed, of women come onto him during their tours. Something about being in the backcountry with a capable guide set their hormones all aflutter. Not Sarah. She surveyed everything, as if she imprinted it on her memory, and he suspected that they both saw the world the same way. The majesty, the beauty, and the danger.

  That’s what made her dangerous to him. He couldn’t shove her away in a tiny box with a label. Picking up the phone, he hit speed dial for the Quintursa. Better get this over with as soon as possible.

  Moments later he spoke with the Quintursa agent in charge of this region. “I didn’t expect you back so soon. I figured at least three days in the wild, enough to make her think about a nice comfortable bed and running water,” the agent chuckled.

  Liam knew the agent only as a voice on the phone. At least he sounded more personable today. “This isn’t going to work,” he answered.

  “What do you mean not going to work? You’re the best guide we have in the area. Surely you can handle one woman.”

  Liam bristled at the implication that he might be less than competent. “She’s too sharp. She’s going to figure things out and then where will we be? Besides, she’s seen a bear. Isn’t that all we wanted her to see?”

  Silence filled the phone line. Liam struggled against the urge to squirm in his seat. He had his mission, and as far as he was concerned he’d done it. Show Sarah the wild side of Alaska. She’d come face-to-face with a grizzly bear. Doesn’t get much wilder than that.

  “So you took her out, she ran into a bear, and now you’re ready to give up? That doesn’t sound like you, Liam. What’s going on out there?”

  Liam pinched the bridge of his nose. “Nothing is going on.” A burst of feminine laughter sounded outside his den, followed by his brother’s deeper tones. He suppressed a sigh. He thought he’d told Cameron to stay away from her. The urge to slam down the phone and give his brother an ass kicking surged through him. He bolted to his feet and took two steps. Oh hell.

  “Doesn’t sound like nothing. We want her to be certain she writes the report in our favor. Showing her a night in a tent isn’t going to do it, Liam. Now I don’t know if you hate this woman or want to fuck her. Either way, get over it with. I’d like her to see some drilling. Have her witness first-hand exactly what the oil rigs are doing to our landscape. Then take her out again. I want her so much in love with this place that she doesn’t even want to return to Washington. I want her to fight for it like a mother bear protecting her cubs. Do you understand?”

  Suitably chastised, Liam nodded. “Yeah.” He brought up his maps on the computer to determine the closest drilling site to the lodge.

  “Good. Whatever is happening there, I want you to put it behind you. The Quintursa have given you a mission. Make this woman see that she cannot even hint that it would be okay to expand drilling in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. She has to believe in it enough to fight like hell against those who want to drill up here. She has to believe it enough to risk losing her job.”

  “What?” Liam rested his hip against the desk. “But her firm sent her here.”

  “I don’t think their goals and ours are the same, Liam. We have reason to believe that her mission wasn’t supposed to be quite as unbiased as she’s been lead to believe. As soon as we have more information I’ll let you know, but do not, under any circumstances, tell her this. She’s going to have to find out what kind of shark-infested waters she’s swimming in on her own.”

  At the seriousness in the Quintursa agent’s voice, Liam sank into his chair. “Shouldn’t we tell her? She has to guess something isn’t right.”

  “Negative. She is not to know anything from us. Look, Liam, I know this is difficult. But the truth is, according to her you’re just a self-employed Ecotourist Guide. If you start telling her these things she’s going to wonder where you received the information from. She’s not stupid. She’ll figure out your secret if you start feeding her things you shouldn’t know.”

  “You have a point,” Liam admitted.

  “Of course I do. Now you know what to do. Show her the drilling and take her back out into the woods. I don’t care if she sees a hundred bears, so long as she doesn’t figure out our secret, the Quintursa doesn’t care. She has to write her report in our favor.”

  Liam finished up the call. The Quintursa didn’t care. In his mind, that was the problem, not the solution. A bunch of stodgy old men who thought they knew what was best for everyone. He snorted and put down the phone, only to pick it up again. If they wanted him to show Sarah drilling, then that’s exactly what he’d do.

  It took a little under twenty-four hours to make the arrangements and hire the plane to fly them out to the drilling site. In order to give her a good overview of the drilling, Liam decided to take her well away from the lodge. That way she could watch the landscape change as they moved closer to the drilling sites. And now, sitting beside her in the plane, he knew he wouldn’t have missed it for the world.

  Sarah was an adventurer like him. She sat in the seat, face pressed against the window, watching as the Alaskan landscape unfolded beneath them. Mountains, valleys, glacier passes, the plane took them over all of it, and Sarah watched with wide-eyed wonder. Moments like these took his breath away.

  Another time, different circumstances, Sarah would be the kind of woman he’d want to pursue a relationship with. Not now. Not when he reported to the Quintursa and had secrets he couldn’t reveal and she worked in the middle of Washington politics. Getting together with Sarah would be a bad idea, a very bad idea indeed.

  And yet, as the plane descended, he thought of her lips, soft and pliant beneath his and the way her body molded to his. The plane bumped onto the makeshift runway, slowing down as it neared the drilling site. Gravel flew from the tires, and he saw Sarah’s exuberance fade until she looked crestfallen. “This is it, isn’t it?” she said, her voice soft as the plane slowed to a halt.

  “We’re here. This is a land based drilling operation.” Liam unfolded himself from the small plane’s seat. He gave instructions to the pilot to wait for them as they’d be flying back tonight, and then held out his hand to help Sarah from the plane. No sooner had they stepped onto the ground, he felt it, the tiny tremors of the drilling operation. His heightened senses picked up the disturbance to the ground. The smell of chemicals filled the air.

  He tried to see it through Sarah’s eyes as he led her nearer. Not too close, only authorized personnel could get within several feet of the drilling operation. A chain link fence surrounded the monstrosity. No trespassing signs hung every so many feet, warning humans and animals away from the site. Liam doubted any self-respecting wildlife would be caught close to this place with the chemical scent in the air and the noise.

  Behind the site hills rose into mountains, lush and verdant in the high summer. Though the chilly air threatened to cut through his windbreaker, the sun shone high overhead in a nearly cloudless sky.

  “Dear goddess, I never imagined,” Sarah breathed, her first words since landing. She curled her fingers into the chain link fence and leaned forward. “I knew it’d be difficult to be impartial on this assignment, but I didn’t know how
hard.” She drew a shuddering breath.

  Sarah was a tree hugger. He didn’t know whether to give her a hug for being on his side of the war or pity the difficult position she must be in. A little bit of both, he supposed. Stepping forward, he rested his hand on her shoulder. He squeezed gently.

  “I’m sorry. You must think I’m a nut or something,” she said. “But it’s true. I mean we drive our cars and most of us never think about where the oil comes from. The Middle East, we figure, or somewhere. It doesn’t matter because it’s so far away. And yet, it’s right in our own backyard. We’re taking what we want without asking for permission or thinking about how it’s going to affect the planet. Maybe I feel too strongly about this to be objective.”

  Workers bustled around the equipment. Loud, mechanical noises filled the air, and she winced as something crashed.

  Liam stepped behind her. He pulled her against his body, his hand around her waist. “I understand,” he whispered into her hair. Even here, amid the workers and the oil rig, he smelled lavender. “It’s why I wanted you to see this. You have to know what the government wants before you can give it the truth.” He pointed to a dying patch of vegetation just beyond the fence. “Not only is there an impact to the environment when they set up the drilling site, but they have to haul equipment, chemicals and fuel in here constantly. All those make waste products and that has to go somewhere. Here, there was a leak and it’s going right back into the environment.”

  “Can’t they fix it?”

  “It’s expensive. I’m sure they will. Or they’ll try, but it’ll happen again and again. Let’s walk.” He stepped away, sliding his fingers into hers. Liam led her along the fence line, away from the make-shift runway down to a small road. It cut through the countryside, a sore on the surface of the land. He watched as Sarah cast glances back at the drilling. A frown marred her face. A tiny smudge of dirt rested high on her cheekbone, and he curled his fingers into his fist to avoid reaching out and brushing it away.

  Sarah reached into her bag to retrieve a notepad. She pulled a pen from the spiral binding, then flipped it open. Dating the page, she began to scribble notes. Liam tried not to watch over her shoulder, but the urge to know what she wrote made him look. First she jotted a few things about the view, the hills and mountains. Then she wrote about the drilling itself. For someone who was supposed to write an impartial report, the words she used were anything but. As he watched her write, a smile grew on his face. Perhaps the Quintursa was right after all. He wondered how Washington would receive her report and if she knew the hornet’s nest she was about to kick over.

  Chapter Five

  Liam halted halfway up the stairs to tell Sarah that they were headed out to camp again, this time without consulting the Quintursa first, he stopped. Her raised voice drifted into the hallway. She must be talking on the phone. His brother had left early in the morning for a personal hiking trip. Aside from him, no one else was in the lodge.

  He crept up the stairs, not wanting to eavesdrop, but if her conversation had anything to do with her report or him, he needed to know. The Quintursa needed to know. Liam frowned, not liking reporting everything back to them, yet knowing how important it was. Two doors down, he halted.

  “I don’t care what you say, it’s more important than that, Walt. You haven’t seen the drilling. All you care about is that you get cheap gas for your BMW.”

  Liam flinched at the vehemence in her words. Whoever Walt was, he didn’t envy the man.

  “Look you’re the one telling me that I have to see this issue from both sides. Why can’t you see it from mine?”

  Her voice stopped, as if the person on the other end of the phone had cut her off. In her room, Sarah paced. Her steady footfalls carried her across the room and back again, the swishing of her socks against the hardwood floor, paused only when she stepped over one of the braided rugs. Listening to them, he could count the number of times she paced. Various sighs and groans, none of them happy, emanated from the room.

  “Walt, now isn’t the time to bring up the ring,” Sarah sighed.

  Ring? He remembered not seeing one on her fingers. Could this Walt be a boyfriend? If so, he was an ass for letting her come to Alaska by herself. He would have demanded to go with her if Sarah were his girlfriend. Of course, she might call him lots of names like Neanderthal, but at least he’d be with her, not all the way across the lower forty-eight shouting into a cell phone. Liam smirked.

  “Yes, I know I haven’t worn it except for special occasions. We’ve talked about this. I’m not sure I want to be the wife of one up DC’s up and coming lawyers. You’re as married to your job as I am. I want—”

  Liam leaned against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest. So she didn’t think she wanted to be his wife, did she? He struggled to stifle the grin that spread across his face. Had to give the woman credit, she stood up for what she believed in. But then, if she didn’t, he doubted he would have taken on her request for this tour and the Quintursa wouldn’t be so involved in this report. Then again, who knew what the Quintursa knew or did? He certainly didn’t. He simply took orders from them.

  “Walt, I’m tired of discussing this with you. I’m here and I’m going to do the best damn job I can on that report. If you don’t like that, then maybe there’s a reason why I’m not wearing your ring. I’m sorry.”

  Liam straightened. He hated listening in on her private conversation, knew he should turn around and walk away, come back later to tell her about the camping. Yet, like a moth to a flame, he couldn’t leave. He half expected to hear something bad about himself, after all eavesdroppers never heard anything good, or so the saying went.

  “No, there isn’t another man.” Sarah snorted. “What makes you think that?”

  See, and there it was. With the memory of the kiss they had shared still imprinted on his lips he knew what he meant to her.

  “He’s just the guide. I hired him, or rather my firm did to show me around Alaska so I could write this report. If you think there’s something between us, then you’re sorely mistaken.” She laughed a bit too shrilly to be believed, and Liam wondered if Walt on the other end of the phone line believed her too.

  His body hardened thinking of her soft against him, her breasts crushed against his chest, the way her curves nestled against him. He stepped forward, intending to finally announce his presence. He hated himself for not doing so sooner.

  “Walt, if you believe that I’d just jump into bed with someone because he’s available and male, then maybe you don’t know me after all. I’m not like you.” Her words held venom, as if Walt might not have been as faithful as he claimed. “I’ll give the ring back to you as soon as I get back to DC. I think it’s over. You never trusted me or the integrity of my work. I guess I was too blinded by all the power brokering to see the real you. Good bye, Walt. Don’t call me again.” She snapped the cell phone closed hard enough to be audible in the hall. With a heavy sigh, she sat down on the bed, the springs creaking beneath her.

  Liam longed to be right there beside her, an arm on her shoulder, offering her whatever support she needed. He might not have known Sarah for long, but he knew she didn’t deserve a jerk like the guy she’d just talked to. Slipping from his hiding place, he hurried downstairs before she saw him. If the dynamics of her relationships back in Washington DC changed, the Quintursa needed to know. It would affect her report and affect them. Pausing at the head of the stairs, he rubbed the bridge of his nose. Things would be so much easier if only he could be honest with her about everything.

  Back in his den, Liam wrestled with the decision that had already been made for him. For a moment he debated about not passing the information along to the Quintursa. After all, what business was it of theirs whether Sarah slept with anyone? Her love interests held no bearing on keeping his kind and their abilities a secret, right? Liam frowned. He knew the truth. If she dated a prominent Washington lawyer, her pillow talk might pass along sensitive information. W
ith a snarl he picked up the handset on the phone and punched the speed dial button for the ruling body for his kind.

  His contact answered.

  After few pleasantries, Liam got right to the point. “Did you know Sarah Doyle dated a lawyer named Walt? Apparently the two were engaged. I overheard a phone conversation. She broke it off.”

  “Walt Beamer is a rising star in political circles. Rumor has it the young lawyer can get anyone out of anything. This is important information.”

  “Does it change anything?” Liam asked. If it didn’t, then he was nothing better than a gossipmonger. Hadn’t his grandma told him if he didn’t have anything nice to say, then not to say anything at all? “I hope this was important to the cause.”

  “It is. Mr. Beamer sides with those who believe drilling won’t cause any problems. He could have had a negative effect on Ms. Doyle’s report. As it stands now, there’s a good chance she’ll side in our favor just because she doesn’t like Mr. Beamer’s actions.” Liam heard the smile in the Quintursa agent’s voice and didn’t like it.

  His scowl deepened. Though admittedly he didn’t know Sarah very well, he knew her. To think she’d change sides, or bias her report over something like a broken relationship painted her in a disturbing light. “You wouldn’t think she’d do that, would you?”

  “She’s human.” The Quintursa agent bluntly responded.

  The absoluteness in the agent’s voice made Liam snarl. He sat straighter in his chair. The hairs on the back of his neck rose, and he bared just a hint of teeth. Fingers clenched against the edge of the desk hard enough to jab a splinter into one of his nail beds. “Just because she’s not one of us doesn’t make her any more, or less, trustworthy. I reported this information to you. I didn’t sign on to be her babysitter. I signed on to show her the terrain so she could write a report. If you want me to do something useful for you, I will. Otherwise, I’ll continue to show her around as I was paid to do, and whatever she does is none of your damn business.”