Northern Lights

by Michelle Cary

  “Yes, but what about your crew?”

  “They’ll be fine with it, especially after they taste your wonderful cooking.”

  He rounded the truck and grabbed his bag from the back. “You want to win them over, then cater to them. Find out what their favorite meals are and cook them. Help the guys out when they’re tired and clean up after them. Go out of your way to make them feel special and you’ll be in with no problem.”

  He grabbed hold of her bag. “Here, let me carry that.”

  She wiggled away and turned to face him a look of defiance plastered across her delicate features. “Like hell.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “You’re my boss, not my boyfriend. How would it look if I let you carry my stuff on board?”

  Well! There was that spitfire attitude. He had to admit, he’d like to see more if it. With hands in the air, he backed away from her. “Okay, then. Follow me.”

  He could only hope her enthusiasm to prove herself lasted once she got a real taste of the Bering Sea.

  * * *

  Brooke shifted her feet to steady herself and hoped the Dramamine she took earlier would work. She’d spent a lot of time on her father’s boat when she was younger and never remembered getting seasick. Still, it had been nearly twenty years since the last time she’d stepped foot off dry land and at one-hundred-thirty-eight-feet, the Northern Lights made her father’s cabin cruiser look like a row boat. Besides, from what Nathan and Adam had told her about the Bering Sea, it wasn’t going to be the Gulf of Mexico waters. She’d rather be cautious than sorry.

  Already the men were outside checking equipment and making any last minute repairs before the season started. From the way Adam explained it, they’d need to get to Dutch Harbor first and retrieve their equipment for the job. Then they would head out to sea before they’d actually start catching crab.

  She’d told Nathan that she wanted to be treated like any other member of his crew, but discovering she was supposed to sleep in a room where four other men would be bunking was definitely more than she’d bargained for. To keep from causing problems, she’d dutifully put her things away and pretended it hadn’t bothered her. No way could she bring herself to sleep that close to men she didn’t know. She’d simply have to find someplace else to bed down. The only other real place to sleep would be the built-in booth seat where the crew ate their meals. It wouldn’t be the most comfortable place, but then this trip had nothing to do with comfort. It would do.

  Then there was the whole issue of cleaning. After taking stock of the cleaning supplies on board, she quickly realized that, while the men had the means to clean, for whatever reason, they didn’t, or at least didn’t do it well. No way would she take a shower in that bathroom until she’d had a chance to scrub it from top to bottom. Who knew what kind of nasty bacteria was growing on that shower floor? Good thing she’d thought to bring rubber dish gloves to protect her hands, but too bad she hadn’t thought to bring a mask as a barrier against the mold and mildew she’d be eliminating in the next few days.

  Her stomach fluttered and for a split second, she worried she might be getting seasick. Then the fine hairs on the back of her neck stood at attention and she realized she wasn’t alone. She spun on her heel to find Nathan standing directly behind her, leaning against the counter, arms folded over the wide expanse of his chest, hiding the Northern Lights logo on the front of his green sweatshirt. The same color green as his eyes, she noted. His long chestnut hair, normally held back by a leather thong lay draped over each shoulder, giving him that rogue pirate look she liked so well.

  He smiled, revealing the two small dimples in his squared chin, and Brooke swore she was going to melt before his eyes. The man’s smile could thaw ice. “You scared me,” she finally managed to say and held a hand up to cover her heart.

  “I didn’t mean to.” He pushed off the counter and spanned the short space between them. “You looked like you were in deep thought and I didn’t want to interrupt.”

  “Oh, I…um…I was just thinking I needed to start making a list of meals so I’d know what food we’d need to get at the store.”

  Nathan leaned in close and the steady beat of her heart doubled. His face was mere inches from hers, their lips millimeters apart. Was he about to kiss her and if he was, how exactly did she feel about that? Would she kiss him back? There wasn’t any doubt in her mind that she liked Nathan, a lot, but relationships were not her thing.

  She’d never managed anything close to what most people deemed a “real” or “long-term” relationship, always cutting away before the third date. Some people called her lack of commitment fear. She called it self-preservation. Then, none of the previous men in her life had ever created the same magnetic pull she felt around Nathan. There were reasons, she reminded herself, why she never let men get close and she wasn’t about to start now, no matter how attracted she was to Nathan Lowery.

  Before she could open her mouth to ask what he was doing, he reached above her head, opened the cabinet and pulled a coffee mug from inside. “You made coffee, right?”

  Relief and disappointment cascaded through her veins. Nathan was too smart to start something with her while he was working. She needed to remember that. Feeling more than a little stupid for thinking what she had, Brooke nodded and pointed toward the full pot sitting safely in its carafe. “Adam said my number one priority was to make sure I had fresh coffee available at all times. It was the first thing I did.”

  His smile widened. “Good. Are you still nervous?”

  “No,” she shot back much quicker than she should have and bit down on her bottom lip in embarrassment. Nice, Brooke! Very smooth. So much for keeping your feelings in check. Why not just broadcast to the world that you’re interested in the man? “What I meant was—”

  He set his cup down on the counter and turned to face her, placing a hand on each shoulder. “Hey, like I told you before, it’s okay to be a little nervous. This is all new and strange to you. Honestly, I’d probably be worried if you weren’t.”

  He assumed her nervousness was because of the job and not him. She’d go with that if it meant keeping her true feelings hidden. “Okay, so I am a bit nervous. I just don’t want to screw anything up.”

  He tugged her into a quick hug and dropped a soft kiss on her hair. “You won’t. I have faith in you.”

  He pulled away, snagged his cup and headed back up to the wheelhouse. Adam had told her that Nathan was a different person on the boat. That he took his job very seriously. We don’t coddle people and we don’t spare their feelings when they screw up. So be prepared. Adam’s words pinged around inside her head like a pinball.

  Then what had that been about, because it certainly wasn’t a “not spare her feelings” moment?

  CHAPTER 3

  Nathan perused the racks of outerwear looking for one in an extra small. Considering women didn’t fish for crab, it wasn’t likely he’d find one, which presented a slight problem. If he’d been thinking ahead of time, he’d have taken Brooke to a place in Seattle where he would have had a better chance at outfitting her with what she needed. It was too late for that so he’d simply have to make do.

  He pulled a small waterproof jacket off the rack and handed it to Brooke.

  She took the garment from him and pulled it over her head. “Can I ask why I need this stuff if I’m not going to be on deck?”

  Since they’d left Seattle, she appeared to have worked through her initial fears and seemed to be settling in nicely. Not keen on the idea of flying her back, Nathan was thrilled to see her making the adjustment.

  Almost from the moment they’d docked in Dutch Harbor, she’d been full of questions, asking how things worked and why the men did things one way versus another. He’d even noticed at one point how the sadness she often carried seemed to have disappeared. He couldn’t explain why it was gone; he was only glad it was.

  “Because, if you should somehow end up on deck—which you shouldn’t—but
if you do, I want you in the right gear. Without the appropriate coverage, you’ll easily get soaked to the bone by a single wave over the wheelhouse. The water is just above freezing and it’d take no time for hypothermia to set in.”

  She pulled the jacket over her head and held out her arms for his inspection, her lips curled in a playful smile. “It’s a little big.”

  Nathan rubbed his chin with his thumb and forefinger, while he inspected the garment. “You’re right and that’s the smallest they come in that brand. Guess we’ll need to try a different manufacturer.”

  She pulled the hooded jacket over her head and handed it back to him. “I’m guessing you don’t get a lot of women up here wanting to fish.”

  He placed the jacket back on the hanger and turned her toward another rack a few aisles away. “Not really. If there are any women, they’re usually doing your job, so there’s not really a demand for small sizes.” He scanned the rack and pulled a bright yellow hooded jacket from its hanger. “Here, try this.”

  She repeated the process until they’d finally settled on the best fitting gear he could find though, even an extra small it was still a little big on her.

  “Okay.” Nathan clapped his hands together. “Now to get you a survival suit. Stay put for a minute while I talk to the clerk.”

  He walked toward the counter, catching Brooke watching him while she supposedly perused the racks of outerwear. This probably seemed a bit over the top for her, considering the job was cooking. Maybe she didn’t need all the gear, but knowing she’d have it made him feel better. His reasons were simple—he wanted her prepared for anything.

  After briefly speaking with the clerk, he returned to where Brooke stood waiting. “The suits usually come as a one size fits all, but there sometimes is a noticeable difference in how they fit from one person to the next. While we have several extra on our boat already I’ve seen men twice your size fit in them. I don’t think they’d conform to you the way we need them to. The clerk has a couple of suits from manufacturers that run on the small side. She’s going to dig them out for us. They’ll need to fit like a glove if you’re going to pass the coast guard inspection. I want you to try them on before we decide which one to buy.”

  “Here you go, Mr. Lowery. Just let me know which one you want.”

  “Thank you,” he said to the sales clerk before turning back to Brooke. He picked up the first bag and held it out for her. “Inside this bag is the one thing that’ll hopefully keep you alive long enough for the coast guard to find you if the boat should sink. Since you’ve never put one of these on before, I’m going to help you. Be aware you’ll have to learn how to don one without help before you’ll be allowed to sail out with us.”

  She nodded. “So what do I do?”

  Nathan shook the suit free, then unrolled it so it lay flat on the floor. “You need to get in.”

  “Do I leave my clothes on?”

  He tried not to smile. He really did, but in the end, he couldn’t help himself. “As much as I’d like to get a peek at that gorgeous body of yours, the honorable man in me dictates that I tell the truth. Yes, you leave your clothes on.”

  Her lips tilted up at the corners and her cheeks flushed a dusty rose color. He wondered if her skin looked so pink and lovely after making love. Whoa, buddy, back the boat up! Thoughts like that had no room in his head during this trip.

  Taking a step back, he worked to shake loose his last mental wanderings as she climbed into the suit and began pulling it up and over her body, punching her arms through each sleeve. “It seems a little loose.”

  Trying to keep his mind on the task, Nathan studied the suit. “Yeah, I think you’re right. Don’t bother zipping it. Just take it off and try the other one on.”

  She wiggled out of one garment and into the other, and struggled to get her arms in the sleeves. “Is it supposed to be this tight?”

  “Yes. The better the fit, the less chance the suit will let icy water in.”

  She wrangled her second arm into the sleeve, then groped around for the zipper.

  “Here, let me do that.” Nathan reached for the zipper. It was supposed to be a benign gesture meant to help her, but when his hand brushed against her abdomen, sparks raced through his fingers and up his arm. She sucked in a quick breath, and his gaze flicked up to meet hers. Her eyes radiated her surprise and something more. That something more drew him in and pulled at his very soul.

  As much as he wanted to deny it, he couldn’t. The attraction was too great, too powerful for him to ignore. Before he even realized he’d done it, his other hand spanned her waist, holding her in place. For a few heartbeats, their surroundings faded away, and he had a sudden overwhelming urge to lean over and kiss her.

  “Um…I think I have it now,” she said, breaking the silent link they shared.

  Nathan let go and took a much needed step back, giving them both some space. If he didn’t get his renegade emotions under control now, this season was going to be pure hell.

  He cleared his throat. “I think that’s the one.”

  * * *

  “I’m supposed to do what?” Unsure she’d heard him correctly, Brooke stared down at the gear, which only hours ago they’d purchased on Nathan’s dime. She certainly hadn’t been comfortable with him spending nearly a thousand dollars on equipment she might never wear and would, hopefully, never need. Yet, he’d insisted on paying, citing the fact he’d approached her about the job and wouldn’t feel right if she had to pay for her own gear. Knowing she didn’t have the money in her bank account to both cover her bills and pay for the outerwear, she’d conceded. Her only consolation was the fact at the end of the season she’d have enough money to pay him back. Brooke Hague didn’t take charity from anyone—not anymore.

  “You need to be able to get in to your survival suit in less than a minute. Adam will walk you through the process a few times, then you can try it on your own.”

  “Why?”

  “Because, like I said back at the store, if we’d need to abandon ship, that survival suit is what’s going to keep you alive long enough for the coast guard to find you. Without it, you’re dead in minutes.”

  A quick full body shiver shimmied up her spine and spun outward. Well, wasn’t that a scary as hell prospect? Die at the hands of a mad man or possibly freeze to death in the Bering Sea. Nice choice. “Okay. Show me what to do.”

  Twenty minutes later, Brooke was nearly exhausted from pulling the suit on and off, but had managed to beat the time. With a look of approval plastered across his face, Nathan smiled. “Good. Now we’re going to practice abandon ship procedures.”

  She eyed him warily, very much wishing she could crawl into her bunk instead. “Which entails?”

  He pointed to the small pack Adam held. “Adam’s going to throw that pack into the water and pull the cord to inflate the life raft. Then, while wearing your survival suit, you’re going to jump into the water, swim to the raft and climb in.”

  Mouth agape, she stared wide eyed up at him. “I’m supposed to willingly jump into the water?”

  He nodded. “That’s part of the drill.”

  “That may be, but you said the water temperature is just above freezing.”

  The smile he wore disappeared and he stepped into her space, forcing Brooke to step back in order to look up at him. Adam had warned her on the trip up that Nathan didn’t appreciate having his orders questioned. Now she understood what he’d meant. It wasn’t so much anger she saw in Nathan’s emerald eyes, but disapproval.

  “That’s right. And out there”—he pointed toward the harbor entrance—“the water won’t be nearly as calm as it is inside this harbor. We run into trouble and have to abandon ship, you’ll need to know what you’re doing or you will die.”

  The tone in his voice told her he wasn’t joking in the least. Still, something didn’t seem right and she couldn’t help but ask the question bouncing around inside her head. She hadn’t survived for the last ten years by rolli
ng over and playing dead whenever someone dictated it. “Okay, but why don’t you have to go through the drill with us?”

  Boy, oh, boy, was that the wrong question to ask. He wrapped his fingers around her bicep, sending a wicked chill through the neoprene that she imagined was colder than the water she was about to jump into. Then he leaned over and whispered against her ear, “Because I’m the captain. Now, if you don’t want to do this, I can easily call the Dutch Harbor police and they can make sure you’re safely delivered back into the capable hands of the Seattle PD.”

  Shock raced through her system as his words took root. How did he know about her situation and the police’s involvement? More importantly, how did it tie to her being here?

  Wide-eyed and mouth agape, she stared up at him, knowing those questions would have to wait until later when she could talk to him in private. She swallowed hard, nodded, turned and walked to the end of the deck to wait for the order to jump.

  Two hours later, his words still echoed in her ears as she busied herself in the galley, stocking shelves with all the food staples that would keep the crew fueled and working over the next few weeks. Her only explanation for him knowing was that Willow had told him about the trial and the danger she now faced. Willow was the only person she’d confided in.

  She’d thought it odd when she called Detective Morrison to let him know about the job opportunity and he’d so easily agreed to let her go. Now she had to wonder if Willow had given Nathan the necessary information to clear the trip without her knowledge.

  She loved Willow like a sister, but damn the woman couldn’t keep a secret to save her life. It wasn’t any wonder why she hadn’t told Willow everything about her past. The last thing she needed was Nathan or any of her other friends looking at her differently because of something she’d just as soon forget ever happened.