Under an Alaskan Sky

by Jennifer Snow

  Tank sighed as she left the bar. She had one thing right—he had a ton of heat on him. Cassie was pissed with him for not being able to give her what she wanted. Montana was moving full steam ahead with her new life plans, with barely a consideration for him, and he still needed to come up with the cash to buy her portion of the bar.

  He’d leave Erika to her scheming.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  THE HIKE TOOK almost two hours and the terrain beneath her hiking boots left a lot to be desired. This trail was not for the average climber, but once they reached the jump spot at the top of Suncrest Peak, Cassie understood completely why Montana had chosen this particular place. “Wow, it is breathtaking up here.” The smaller mountain range sat between Mount Palmer and Mount Michelson and while at an altitude of only three thousand feet, the panoramic view was phenomenal. Chugach National Forest was in sight in the distance, but below the peak was an extended stretch of valley divided by a beautiful glacier river. She’d hiked this mountain before but not this particular peak. “How on earth did you find this?”

  “My first trip to Wild River was with my dad when I was ten. He was a pro skier in a former life and we traveled a lot to all of the most spectacular ski resorts around the world. We were heli-skiing over Chugach Mountain and I saw this peak. I begged him to climb it with me and we did. I fell in love with this view.” Montana set her backpack on the ground and retrieved her water bottle.

  “So, adrenaline junkie runs in your family, huh?” Explained where Kaia got her no-fail attitude and adventurous spirit. Cassie had thought maybe she’d been rubbing off on the little girl. A silly idea really.

  “You could say that. My grandmother was one of the first female skydiving instructors in Colorado and she taught me to skydive when she was sixty-eight years old. My first tandem jump was with her. It was an incredible experience.”

  “I bet.” Kaia obviously came from a long line of strong, confident women. It was unfortunate that she hadn’t gotten an opportunity to get to know them... From the pieces she’d put together over the years, Montana’s parents had chosen not to acknowledge Kaia, claiming a relationship would be too difficult, given the circumstances. Cassie couldn’t wrap her mind around it. What grandparents wanted nothing to do with their grandchild?

  But Montana was here now and maybe her parents would eventually come around, as well.

  “You’re fairly adventurous yourself,” Montana said.

  “Not like you.” Cassie loved the outdoors and the Wild River wilderness, and while she loved the view from the mountain peaks, heights weren’t her favorite thing of all. Even heli-skiing took some coaxing from her friends. The helicopter ride was the least enjoyable aspect. “I’m more of a feet on the ground explorer.”

  “Well, you are not the only googler on this mountain and I happen to know for a fact that SnowTrek Tours is rated one of Alaska’s best tourist resources and destinations.”

  Why did Montana’s approval and admiration mean so much to her? It was almost as though she felt the need to prove herself worthy of Tank’s and Kaia’s affections. “I’m really proud of what I was able to accomplish with the company. When I first opened six years ago, there weren’t many guided opportunities for tourists that took them off the beaten tracks. The other company in town liked to stick to landmarks and touristy locations for their hiking and climbing adventures, and I worked for them for a year and discovered from the visitors that they wanted more. They wanted to take on more challenging hikes and venture out into untapped terrain... So I decided to start my own company.”

  “That was brave. You must have a business degree, then?”

  “Actually, no. Just a high school education.” And barely. She’d never liked school, always preferring to be outside exploring. She was smart and capable of completing her homework and tests, but she’d lacked interest. That’s where Erika had been invaluable. Her studious friend had made sure Cassie went to school and graduated with everyone else. You’ll have your whole life to explore the world, but you’ll only conquer it if you finish high school, Erika had said.

  She’d always remembered her friend’s words when she felt like dropping out, and Erika had been right. “I did complete all of my wilderness training and safety courses and over the last seven years, I’ve taken a few accounting and marketing courses. Enough to successfully run all aspects of the business without having to hire outside resources.”

  “Well, you’ve obviously made all the right decisions,” Montana said.

  Well thought out, nonimpulsive decisions, with input from those she trusted. Until now. This was the first one that she’d jumped headfirst into.

  But they were just checking the site. She hadn’t fully committed to this yet. Without a legal site, this venture wouldn’t happen anyway. She took comfort in that. If the mayor approved the site, then it obviously wasn’t a completely insane idea.

  She surveyed the area. “Okay, so we should get both still shots and video of the area. We need to take ground measurements and altitude numbers. I’ll leave the jump logistics to you...”

  Montana nodded, checking her watch. “Great. Yeah, let’s get started.”

  Cassie opened her backpack and retrieved her camera. Looking through the lens, she adjusted the clarity, focusing on the mountain peaks in the distance that extended up and into the clouds. The lighting contrast between the spring sun peeking through the light cloud cover and the dark shadows cast by the ragged cliffs on either side was a photographer’s dream. This place was magical. Even if they didn’t succeed in legalizing it for BASE jumping, Cassie would organize a hiking tour that explored the area. She’d arrange a staff hike in the coming weeks and route out an easier trail for the amateur hikers.

  She snapped a few shots and moved a little closer to the edge.

  “So, you and Tank...”

  The camera nearly suffered an over-the-cliff death.

  “What exactly is happening there?” Montana continued. There was curiosity in her tone and Cassie figured the woman had a right to her question about them. She was Kaia’s mother and Cassie was a big part of Kaia’s life.

  She took a step back, readjusting the strap around her wrist. But what exactly was happening between her and Tank? They had been moving forward, but thanks to Montana’s untimely arrival, they’d been yanked several feet back. “We are friends. We have been for a long time.” They hadn’t gone to school together, having grown up in different parts of Alaska, but Cassie felt as though she’d known Tank her entire life. He’d owned The Drunk Tank already by the time Cassie had settled back in Wild River after her travels, and while Reed knew him from their positions on the search and rescue team, Cassie met him for the first time at a Wild River community meeting two years before she’d opened her business. It was her first time meeting Kaia too. Without a babysitter or anyone in town he could really rely on, Tank had arrived at the meeting with Kaia in her baby carrier strapped to his chest. He’d sat next to Cassie and all she’d been able to focus on was this hot-as-hell single dad with the baby asleep on him.

  For several months, they’d chat at the meetings and two things became clear—one, Tank and Kaia were a team and nothing was more important to him than that child, and two, they both would become important to her.

  “But it’s more than that, right?” Montana asked, taking a measuring tape from her backpack and measuring the running track from the edge of the cliff.

  Yes. But it was complicated. This was one conversation she did not want to have with Montana. This was a conversation for Erika...though her best friend had already heard countless variations of it in the last six months. Everyone was getting tired of Cassie and Tank’s issues...including Cassie. She annoyed herself with her moaning and whining over Tank’s inability to commit and she was starting to see how pathetic she must look, constantly letting him off the hook and sitting around waiting to be the one he wanted. Not anymo
re. That ended now. Or as soon as she could get the courage up...

  “It’s his fear of commitment,” Montana said when she didn’t answer. She jotted measurements in a notebook before continuing. “Believe me, it has nothing to do with you and everything to do with his past.”

  Cassie’s gut tightened. Montana and Tank’s history was still a mystery to her, but Montana obviously knew more about Tank than Cassie had assumed. Which stole the air from her lungs. “Yeah, I know he had it tough growing up.” Her family may not have had much, but they’d had one another. Tank’s lonely childhood and troublesome teen years, when he’d struggled just to survive, made Cassie’s heart ache. He didn’t like to talk much about his past and she never forced the issue, respecting his privacy. Had he ever opened up to Montana about it?

  “He had no one to depend on. No one to trust. It made him the person he is today. For better or worse...” Montana continued.

  “He’s an amazing dad and successful business owner—I think he’s doing okay.” Why did she feel the need to defend Tank? Probably because he never sought sympathy or a break just because life had been harder on him. Montana’s dismissal of the success he was now irritated Cassie. The other woman had been away for a long time. She couldn’t claim to know Tank as well anymore or make any judgments on situations she knew nothing about.

  Montana must have detected her defensiveness. “Oh, he’s doing wonderful...on the outside. In fact, he is so different from the man I knew that he’s almost unrecognizable. So mature and responsible and level-headed...”

  What guy had Montana known? Tank had always been that way since Cassie had known him.

  “Becoming a father definitely changed him and I’m happy that he seems better adjusted...more secure and stable. I just mean, despite his strong external shell, I don’t think there’s been a whole lot of internal healing.”

  Internal healing? Probably not. Tank wasn’t exactly the open, let’s-talk-about-feelings kind of guy, but sometimes Cassie wondered if discussing things ad nauseam was really that beneficial for anyone. Growing up, she didn’t talk much about her father’s disappearance. It was easier to move on with life, focus on the good, and not dwell on the sad or troublesome aspects of life. Tank seemed to adopt the same philosophy.

  “I mean, he hasn’t had a relationship...since me,” she said.

  Cassie’s chest tightened. “He’s worried about Kaia and doing the right thing for her.”

  “You were the right thing for her.”

  Okay, her camera was totally going to fall over the side of the cliff if Montana didn’t stop surprising her with these comments. “I don’t... I mean...” What?

  “Kaia talked nonstop about you the other night. I’ve seen all the photos. You two must spend a lot of time together. I’m actually so incredibly jealous of your relationship with her.”

  “We are close...” And Cassie was going to miss how much time she’d been spending with the little girl, now that Montana was in the equation. She hadn’t realized just how much of a part of her life she was until she started to think about the things Kaia normally did with her that she might now choose to do with her mom instead. Tank wasn’t going to find it easy sharing Kaia’s time either.

  Montana put the measuring tape back in her bag and stood. Her gaze locked with Cassie’s as she said, “You’ve been everything I couldn’t be for her and I can’t thank you enough.”

  Then why did it sound as though she was being dismissed of duty?

  * * *

  LATER THAT WEEK, Tank leaned against the fire hall wall and smiled. Across the room, Kaia led a junior wilderness survival workshop for a group of kindergarten-age kids. She’d designed the program herself with smaller kids in mind and volunteered twice a month to host it. He couldn’t possibly be more proud of her. From an early age, she’d been involved in the Search and Rescue’s Hug-a-Tree program for older kids, helping out with the demonstration and encouraging her classmates and friends to complete the course that was designed to keep them safe in the backwoods. She was a mature and level-headed kid.

  Several parents glanced his way with appreciative smiles and he nodded to them. Parenting Kaia was easy. He knew he was lucky.

  She wrapped up the session and moments later, after everyone had cleared out, he helped her stack the chairs. “Great job. Was this your biggest turnout yet?” There had to be at least twelve kids in the room that day.

  “Yep. Mr. Sader let me announce the program on the school announcements this morning while parents were still in home-reading with the kids. Now, I just need him to approve my workshop sign-up sheet for the afternoon students...”

  Tank shook his head. “Wow. You are unstoppable.” One day, she’d make a great member of the search and rescue team, which he’d come to terms with already. There would be no deterring her. She was ten and already her ambition and determination made it difficult to tell her no. What luck would he have when she was old enough to do whatever she wanted without his permission?

  Not that he ever wanted to deter that determined spirit. He loved her strong will and dedication to the things she was passionate about.

  “Hey, so I was thinking...”

  Oh no. He knew that tone.

  “It’s the weekend and I don’t have anything planned—my guitar lesson was canceled for tomorrow morning because my teacher is away on vacation... Um, do you think it might be okay for me to stay at Mom’s tonight?”

  He blinked. “Like overnight?”

  She nodded. “She said it was okay with her.”

  “You asked her already?”

  “Well, I knew asking you would be tougher and there was no point putting myself through those nerves if Mom was just going to say no, so I texted her at lunchtime today.”

  She’d been worried about asking him? Shit. Now what was he supposed to do? Confirm that she’d been right in assuming he’d have a problem with it? Or agree to something he wasn’t at all okay with yet? “Um...well, you’ve only had one real visit with her since she got here.” They’d been texting a lot and even that had taken all the strength he had not to question Kaia about their exchanges. Her relationship with her mother was her business and he had to give them space to cultivate it...or at least that’s what he’d read in the new coparenting book he kept hidden in his desk at the bar.

  “But it went really well,” Kaia said.

  “Yes...but I think her apartment only has one room.” Was Kaia comfortable enough with Montana to share a bed with her? Obviously if this was going to become a thing, Montana might have to reevaluate her living situation. It wasn’t unheard of to postpone sleepovers until the noncustodial parents had the appropriate accommodations for the child.

  Again, the parenting book.

  “I’ll sleep on her pullout sofa.”

  “She has extra blankets, pillows...?”

  “I’ll bring my camping stuff—sleeping bag and travel pillow.”

  Okay, so she’d thought of everything. Leaving him with no real good excuse to say no. Except his own hesitation and lack of trust in Montana. “You’re sure you’re comfortable with that? Staying in a strange house overnight?” Her sleepovers with her friends had taken months of regular playdates and Tank had developed friendships with the parents...

  Kaia nodded. “She’s my mom, Dad. Not a stranger.”

  Practically a stranger. Kaia had barely spent four hours with her. He sighed. “Okay. Sure. If you’re okay with it and your mom says it’s okay with her, then yeah...sure.”

  Kaia hugged him. “Thanks, Dad.”

  “Of course.” He leaned back to look at her. “And from now on, don’t be stressed about asking me things or telling me things. We’re a team, remember?”

  Kaia smiled. “I know, Dad. The best team.”

  The best team. One that might now have to expand to include Montana?

  “Can I ca
ll her and tell her the good news?”

  “Sure.” Tank continued to stack the chairs as his daughter moved away to make the call, keeping an ear on the conversation. Maybe Montana had expected him to say no and that’s why she’d agreed. Would she make up an excuse to get out of it? As much as Kaia might think she was ready for this step, he doubted Montana truly was.

  He certainly wasn’t.

  “Hi...it’s me. I asked him and he said yes... Great. I’ll be ready. Bye.” She disconnected the call and her excitement made Tank’s chest ache. “She’s going to pick me up at our house in an hour.”

  “Great.” He picked up a stack of chairs and put them in the storage room.

  Kaia followed behind with a stack of her own. “Hey, you should be excited too. You have the house all to yourself.”

  Right. “Yeah...no, it’s great.”

  She cocked her head to the side. “You sure you’re okay with this?”

  “Yes. Of course.” He paused in stacking the remaining chairs. “Just going to miss having you at home, that’s all.”

  “It’s no different than when I stay at a friend’s house. You’ll see,” she said. Was that the pep talk she was giving to herself too? Was she worried about this just a little?

  He was. Despite her attempt to reassure him, he knew this was definitely different than when she stayed at a friend’s house.

  * * *

  “DON’T STRESS, WE got this.”

  For one ounce of Montana’s easy confidence, Cassie would sell her soul. What was it about Montana that reduced her to this self-conscious self-doubter? She hadn’t made it to where she was in life by being this way, so why was she struggling? “How are you so sure?”

  Sitting in the reception area of the town office, Montana leaned closer, a conspiratorial grin on her face. “I did a little research on Mayor Morell. Turns out he is an expert skydiver. Completed his thirty-fifth jump two months ago near the Grand Canyon.”