The Marriage Risk

by Debbie Macomber

  “You were each selected for a reason,” Cassie said. “Tank is the muscle…” And boy did he have muscles. She eyed her friend’s solid, sculpted chest in the suit. His pectoral muscles should have been deemed illegal, and his abs gave way to oblique muscles that had her drooling. She lost her train of thought. They had to start having sex soon. It was five years overdue, in fact.

  A few months before, they’d finally started moving away from friend territory, but Tank moved at the pace of a military vehicle. And damn, her patience was certainly being tried. His fear of commitment and his unwavering dedication to the only permanent woman in his life—his daughter, Kaia—kept her lusting from afar.

  “And the rest of us? How did we make the cut?” Erika asked.

  Cassie turned to her brilliant surgeon friend. “You’re here to fix my face if this goes horribly wrong…”

  “Which it most likely will,” Reed said.

  “Shhh…and you, big brother, are here to film it all,” she said, handing Reed her cell phone. She readjusted her GoPro camera on her helmet as she climbed into the craft. Various angles would make a more compelling video. “Be sure to get a good, clear shot. One I can use for promotion.” Bookings at her company, SnowTrek Tours, were down since winter ended, and with the opening of North Mountain Sports Company in a few weeks, a rival chain store, Cassie was desperate to drive more tourists to the mountains. People just needed to see how fun Alaska could be in the spring and how much her company was part of this wild and adventurous community. Adding footage of their participation in the Spring Carnival and the annual Slush Cup competition would definitely help.

  Looking down the steep slope, she almost lost her nerve. Every competitor so far had been swallowed up by the half-frozen pond. Could she make it across in one piece?

  Thousands of spectators watched from the sidelines, waving signs in support of their favorite team. It was one of the busiest weekends in Wild River. Cassie’s goal was to turn some of these extreme sport fans into customers.

  If she survived.

  She took a deep breath, putting on her goggles.

  With the man of her dreams watching, she couldn’t wimp out now.

  “Come on, Cass! You got this.” Tank’s daughter Kaia waved from her position at the base of the slope, camera poised and ready to take the still shots for the social media promo. Cassie’s Siberian husky sat at Kaia’s feet, trying to be obedient, but the panting and wiggling of her tail betrayed her. Diva would happily be in the pond if Kaia wasn’t holding tight to her leash.

  Cassie climbed into the craft. There was nothing to worry about. She had a surgeon and two of Alaska Search and Rescue’s best on her team, and they’d designed a foolproof…

  The craft’s steering lever broke off in her hand as she tested it.

  “Well, that’s unfortunate.” Was it too late to make adjustments to the dune buggy? Like maybe install an airbag?

  “Okay, so we’re out?” Erika said, looking more than happy to call it a day. “This means we’re out, right?”

  Reed shook his head. “Don’t get your hopes up. She’s insane.”

  Cassie gave him the middle finger.

  “Don’t worry. You don’t need it,” Tank said, taking the steering lever from her. “You’re only going in one direction.” He bent next to her, getting ready for push off, as the official signaled for them to get into position. “Ready? Let’s get this stunt of yours over with.”

  His dark charcoal-colored eyes revealed his concern. They held that emotion a lot. On rescues with S & R, he was always tense, worried until the mission was over, and as a single dad, he was constantly concerned about Kaia…whether she was safe, whether he was making the right parenting decisions, whether he was successfully fulfilling the role of father and mother… It was a big part of what attracted Cassie to Tank—his thoughtful, serious nature, fierce loyalty and protectiveness. She was carefree and always up for adventure, but having someplace safe to land and someone to have her back as she adventured her way through life was a good feeling. And she had that in Tank.

  As a friend.

  He brushed her hair out of her eyes, and the feel of his cool hand against her sweating skin made her shiver. Maybe she should kiss him just in case she died without getting the chance… How many times over the years had she wanted to? But she always came to her senses before taking the plunge over that line. Once she crossed it, there’d be no going back, and there was a lot at stake. Everyone in Wild River thought the two of them were perfect together…everyone except Tank. He either ignored the whispers and looks they got from everyone, or he was actually that obtuse.

  Would a kiss finally make him realize they could be more than just friends? She stared at his mouth. Tempting Tom Hardy lips…

  He grinned. “Can you focus please?”

  Damn, he could always read her mind.

  She tore her eyes away from him. “Okay. Ready,” she said, gripping the sides of the buggy.

  Reed gave the wave to the official at the bottom of the hill and the five-second countdown started.

  “I can’t believe I’m helping you do this,” Tank muttered, giving her a shove. “Please don’t die.”

  The dune buggy tipped over the edge of the slope and Cassie clenched her eyes tightly shut as the craft picked up speed, descending a lot faster than she’d anticipated. Wet snow flew up from beneath the skis, hitting her in the face and sticking to her hair. The craft shook and the sound of rattling confirmed that screws were coming loose.

  Maybe they weren’t essential ones.

  She struggled to hold on as the craft soared over several small ramps—added for more “fun.” Who the hell came up with this event in the first place? She was a thrill-seeker, but this was just violent, the way her body bumped and thumped on the way down the slope.

  Tossed around like a rag doll, she white-knuckled it as she neared the big final ramp that would launch her across the pond.

  Or into it…

  “Open your eyes for the pics, Cass!”

  Forget the promo pics, she was going to die.

  She held on even tighter as she neared the end of the slope and felt the craft lift over the packed-down ice and snow.

  Airborne lasted far too long. Each second felt as though someone had hit a pause button.

  Please make it to the mat. Please make it to the mat.

  Crashing hard onto the pad a second later, she inhaled sharply as she was thrown from the dune buggy. But she was on the other side.

  She’d made it. She was alive. Definitely would be bruised to shit, but alive.

  Cheering from the crowd made her smile as she opened her eyes and removed the goggles.

  Reed, Erika, Tank and Kaia all ran toward her. Diva, her narcolepsy getting the better of the puppy in all the excitement, was asleep in Tank’s arms.

  “Jesus, sis, you must have hit a new height on the jump,” Reed said.

  Impressing her older brother took some doing, so Cassie shook off the rattled feeling in her brain. “Just tell me you got it on camera,” she said.

  “You bet. I’ll upload the video later today.”

  Erika approached and took her face between her hands. “You good?” She scanned her eyes for signs of concussion.

  Cassie laughed. “Yes, I’m fine.” She hugged her friend, feeling better than ever. A good adrenaline rush did that to her. Made her feel invincible. Once there was no turning back and the initial danger was over, of course.

  “You advanced to the finals!” Kaia looked to be the only one excited about that.

  “Yeah, you know, I think maybe we’ll forfeit. Quit while we’re ahead?” Tank said.

  Damn, that sounded good. Why tempt fate? But Kaia’s look of disappointment made Cassie put on her bravest face. The little girl had been looking forward to this for weeks, had helped paint the dune buggy with the SnowTrek Tours logo and had gone shopping with Cassie for the silver body-con suits…

  “No way! Kaia’s right. We’ve
made it this far and we’re totally going to win this thing.”

  But first she needed an ice pack for her ass.

  * * *

  TANK ARRIVED AT the training clearance field five minutes behind schedule. The Alaska Search and Rescue Dogs van was already there. Parking his truck next to it, he grabbed his Search and Rescue jacket. “Diva, we’re late.”

  Through the rearview, he caught the dog’s look that said, “Not my fault this time.”

  “For once, it’s all on me.” Peeling off that bodysuit and washing the silver sparkle paint off his face had taken forever. There was no way to get all that shit off. He’d be glistening for months.

  Opening the back of his truck, he let Diva out and gathered her leash and training gear.

  She danced at his feet, eager to start that day’s training. She’d been sitting next to Cassie’s apartment door when he’d picked her up. Her tail wagged so fast it blurred, and the tiny whining noises coming from her meant she had energy to burn.

  Usually they arrived early enough to play catch, but today they’d have to play later. “Ready to go to work?”

  She sat obediently, though Tank knew it was a struggle.

  He suppressed a grin and forced authority into his voice. “Alright, let’s go.”

  Diva walked alongside him to the training area. He varied his pace several times and she matched him. After four months of training together, they were well synchronized as a team.

  “Hey, man…I was hoping you’d still be in your silver bodysuit,” Frank Jennings, head trainer at ASARD, called to him. The older man had helped train and certify over fifty search and rescue dogs for the organization in his thirty-year career. They were lucky to have his assistance training Diva, their first attempt at adding a tracking dog to the team.

  “I’m burning that thing,” Tank said. He still couldn’t believe Cassie had talked him into wearing it, but when had he ever successfully said no to her?

  How could he? She was his best friend, someone he could trust and rely on to help him with his ten-year-old daughter, Kaia, and man, he was crazy about her. So much so, he’d resisted a relationship with her for five years. Kaia was his focus, his priority, and until he was sure they were both prepared for a life with someone else, he couldn’t take that leap.

  But watching Cassie that day in her tight, body-hugging silver suit had driven him wild. Her athletic, rock-hard body containing her adventurous, fearless spirit was tempting as fuck… But the way she’d looked like she was about to kiss him at the top of that suicide slope had made him panic. He knew she had feelings for him that went far beyond friendship and he sensed her patience with him was running out. His patience with himself was running out. How much longer could he keep his attraction to her in check? Chemistry wasn’t the problem—they had plenty of that. It was commitment he wasn’t ready for. It wasn’t just himself he had to think about.

  Was Cassie really prepared take on the role of stepmom to Kaia? She’d been his daughter’s primary female role model for years and the two of them were really close, but while Kaia had learned to have Cassie in their life as someone she could depend on, learn from…his little girl knew at the end of the day, it was just the two of them, that his loyalties were with her.

  Cassie’s chosen lifestyle made it difficult for Tank to see her in their lives on a full-time basis. Her adventurous, no-fear attitude and zest for life both attracted Tank and repelled him. As lead adventure guide of her company, SnowTrek Tours, Cassie took on the most challenging expeditions through the Alaska wilderness and sometimes took calculated risks that other, more inexperienced guides wouldn’t even consider. Tank worried about her.

  He struggled with his involvement on the search and rescue team because of the guilt that if something happened to him out on a mission, Kaia would be on her own. It was the reason he hadn’t committed to becoming a full member yet. So Cassie having a similarly risky career, going out into the wilderness on adventure-seeking trips year-round, made her someone Tank wasn’t sure he could fully commit to…

  He’d been down that road before with Kaia’s mother.

  “I saw the events this morning,” said Jimmy, Frank’s son and their volunteer training “target,” joining them. “Your girl soared over that pond. What the hell kind of jacked-up motor was in that dune buggy?”

  “It met regulations and Cass is just a friend.” And he was a major asshole saying it. She deserved more from him…and damn, he wished he could give it.

  Jimmy glanced at Diva. “But isn’t your partner here her dog?”

  “Yes.”

  “And I saw her leave your place really early the other morning…like walk-of-shame early.”

  Small towns and their assumptions. “There was nothing shameful about it. She stays over sometimes to watch Kaia when I have night shift duty at the station.”

  “She stays over when you’re not there?”

  “Correct.”

  Jimmy and Frank exchanged looks that suggested Tank was indeed an asshole. Was he crazy or was even Diva judging him?

  “Can we get started?”

  “Sure thing,” Frank said, checking his chart. “You know, I think we’re ready for phase five… Diva’s been tracking for several weeks now without treats.”

  Tank hesitated. Phase five was the final stage before they were eligible for certification. He’d hoped to stay in phase four a little longer, but Diva was an unexpected superstar. Despite her narcolepsy, she was proving to be a lot tougher and smarter than her sequined collar and pampered paws suggested. “Are you sure? Don’t want to shake her confidence, you know…”

  Jimmy laughed. “I’ve never seen a dog with more confidence. She wears pink booties and a winter coat when she isn’t training and struts around town like a Chihuahua.”

  “Jimmy’s right,” Frank said, putting on his hat and gloves as a cold wind blew through the clearing. “Diva’s ready for this.”

  But was he? It was shitty to have doubted the dog in the first place, but now he needed more time. Their certification to full search and rescue members meant a lot of changes Tank wasn’t quite ready for yet. This had been Kaia’s idea. Since Diva was a pup, she’d been desperate for the dog to be the first four-legged member of the S & R team. Tank hadn’t believed Diva could pull off the demanding obedience training and commitment to their tracking practice. Her condition—unpredictably falling asleep without cause or warning—would make her a liability, he’d argued.

  Diva’s vet disagreed. Dr. Jose believed that training for a greater purpose might help Diva have fewer episodes, keep her focused. And so far, the dog was performing better than anyone had expected.

  “Holding her back wouldn’t be fair,” Frank warned. “That would do more damage to her confidence than trying and failing. You need to show her you believe in her and that it’s okay to try.”

  When they put it that way… “Okay, I guess we’ll give it a shot,” he said.

  Tank moved aside and Jimmy took over interacting with the eager puppy. He played with her and allowed her to sniff him, his clothing and skin. Then, handing Tank his sweatshirt, he headed off with Frank toward the thick forested area at the end of the clearing.

  The two men would walk so far together, then they’d break off and go in different directions. Diva’s test was to follow and track Jimmy and not let herself get distracted by Frank. The “distraction” element of phase five proved the most challenging for most dogs.

  “Okay, girl, you ready?” Tank asked, reattaching Diva’s leash and letting her sniff Jimmy’s sweater.

  Diva took her job seriously. She sniffed and pawed at the garment, then sat at attention, satisfied she had the scent.

  “Find!”

  On Tank’s command, Diva headed in the direction the two men had walked. As in phase four, she wasn’t rewarded at intervals…just kept going until the target was found. She led Tank past the clearing and into the trees. Mud from the thawing ground caked his boots as he followed. Spring w
eather meant the trees were blooming, and the damp floral scent in the air made tracking a little tougher. Each season provided its own challenges, but winter months would be the hardest.

  Diva followed Jimmy’s scent to the marking where the men had separated.

  Could the dog get this right on her first try?

  She sat at Tank’s feet, looking up at him.

  “Find!”

  She sniffed the air, but remained seated.

  Confused by the two scents and not wanting to get this wrong, she wouldn’t move any further. Her tail wagged against the ground and she let out a little whimper. She was clearly discouraged by this new challenge.

  He tried again. “Find!”

  Diva stared in the right direction, where Jimmy was hiding forty feet away, out of sight, but she refused to go to him.

  Tank knelt beside her and pet her soft gray-and-white fur. “Good girl. You almost got us there.”

  Diva whimpered and looked disappointed. Overachiever complex. Like her owner. “It’s okay. You did good.” Standing, he led the dog down the correct trail to Jimmy.

  Seeing him, Diva barked her alert, then sat again, ears down. She knew she’d failed this test.

  Tank unhooked her leash as Jimmy praised her for her assistance, but Diva still looked at Tank for his approval.

  He took a treat from his pocket and Diva’s favorite ball. Her tail wagged happily, reminding him that she was still just a pup. Work time was over. Time to play. “Fetch!” Tank said, throwing the ball back toward the clearing.

  Diva dashed after it.

  “Well, it was a good first attempt,” Frank said, returning to them.

  “Yeah…not bad.” For a second, Tank had thought Diva would get it right. It wouldn’t take many more attempts for Diva to pass this stage of the process too…and that had him nervous as hell.

  An hour later, after he’d exhausted his right arm throwing the ball, they’d packed it in and headed to SnowTrek Tours. “We’re back,” he called as they entered Cassie’s office.

  “Hey, how did she do?” Cassie asked, standing on her office chair, peering through her window blinds.