by Kay Lyons
I’m sorry, okay? I shouldn’t have shut Luke out but we’re okay now. Where are you in AK? Need to talk.
She’d sent a second one:
How’s it going in Man-ville? Find one to keep you warm on those cold Alaskan nights?
Alex rolled her eyes. Man-ville? Most people still remembered the old days of the Klondike when the male to female ratio was eight to one but that wasn’t the case anymore. It was true that most hunting and fishing lodges were nearly all male, but the male to female population had evened out over the years in the larger cities. As to finding a man to keep her warm… Focusing on the reminder of how well Dylan warmed her up, Alex scrolled down, unprepared for Shelby’s next line.
Need to talk. Went back to doc for my checkup after DNC. Everything fine. More than fine. I’m pregnant. Again. And totally freaking out!!! The doc said it has happened like this before. Yes it’s fabulous, but what if something goes wrong like last time? Talk me off the ledge. Can’t tell Luke yet. Too soon. Don’t want him to worry. Yes, we’re fine now but new job is keeping him busy. Sorry for being a pain after the accident. Really. Doing better now and wish you were here. I need you, Lex. I’m getting my hopes up.
Smiling and happy and worried all at the same time, Alex said a prayer for a healthy pregnancy and easy delivery, sensing deep down that this time everything would be all right.
Luke and Shelby’s loss had nearly destroyed their marriage and Alex didn’t want to see that strain happen again. Shelby’s response explained the weirdness Luke sensed, though, and Luke really ought to know.
Alex debated whether to call Shelby. She needed to talk but the thing was, her friend could always read her like a book and Shelby would know immediately that something was up. And what would she say? Man-ville is beautiful and, oh yeah, I’m falling for the greatest guy. He’s got a kid, takes care of his dad and I’m leaving them in a matter of days so it can’t be more—but I love him.
Her heart stuttered in her chest.
She loved him?
Alex sat there, shocked to her core. She couldn’t love Dylan. Not the long-term, golden anniversary kind of love. It was too fast. Real love didn’t happen that way. It was slow and built over time, right?
What she was feeling was infatuation, tenderness. Not love.
Nodding to herself, she hit the reply button, her hands trembling as she wrote:
Man-ville is gorgeous. Taking lots of pics. I’m sorry, too. Glad you two made up. Talk to Luke, he’ll be thrilled and he’ll understand why you’re scared. You need to lean on each other until you’re comfortable telling the rest of the fam. Take care of yourself and don’t overdo. Breathe. Have faith. It’ll be okay.
She heard the scrape of the door latch in Dylan’s room and knew he had returned. He walked through the open door between their rooms her body heated at the sight of him. She hit the button to send the text and tossed the phone aside.
Yeah, Man-ville was great.
So great…she kind of wanted to stay.
Chapter 16
LATER THAT AFTERNOON, Alex was fresh from the shower and dressed in her bathing suit, ready to explore. “Come on, come swimming with me in the hot springs.”
Dylan flipped down the edge of the newspaper and gave her a regretful shake of his head. “No, thanks. I don’t swim much.”
Did that mean he didn’t like to swim, didn’t know how to swim? She found that hard to believe considering he lived on a lake and went fishing all the time. “I’ll teach you.”
“I know how, Alexandra. I don’t want to.”
“You don’t like to swim?”
“I like it fine.”
He knew how to, he liked it. What was the problem? Something wasn’t right. She crossed her arms over her chest, not about to give up. “Then why not swim?”
Inhaling, he finally said, “I don’t like crowds. You go on without me.”
She frowned at that. She knew Dylan didn’t like crowds—that was obvious given his desire to live in the middle of a wilderness—but they were here and they were alone and swimming together would be fun. It was the only one of her excursions that involved getting in a pool.
Couldn’t he compromise? Pretend for an afternoon? It wasn’t as though there were that many people there.
When she glanced at him and made eye contact, she saw a sad awareness in his eyes. He knew she wanted to go, knew he was disappointing her. So why not meet her halfway? She wasn’t asking to go to a stadium full of people for a ball game.
Dylan went back to reading his paper and Alex walked to the closet to retrieve the warm, fluffy robe provided by the hotel. Fine, he didn’t want to go. But she wasn’t going to sit in the room while Dylan read the paper, of all things.
She tossed the towel she wore over her suit on the bed and noticed Dylan eyeing her from behind his newspaper, a dark frown on his face. Smiling to herself, she had a brainstorm and did a slow turn in front of the mirrors lining the closet doors. “Maybe I should wear my black suit, though it is a little skimpier. What do you think?”
Dylan swallowed hard and cleared his throat. “It’s—that one is fine. How long do you think you’ll be?”
“Mmm. Not sure. But I can’t come all this way and not get in the pools. That would be such a waste. I really wish you’d join me. I love the feel of the water on my skin. It’s very relaxing. We could find a nice quiet spot and just sit there if you like.”
She reached for the robe and by the time she put it on and straightened and tied, the newspaper was on the floor and Dylan was on the edge of the bed. “Alexandra…”
She looked up, trying her best to look innocent.
Dylan swallowed, the sound rough. “Is that…new for your trip?”
She hid a smile. At least he hadn’t gone with the old You’re wearing that? question that got so many guys into trouble. “You like it?” She did a slow turn, modeling it for him. Like every woman she had a hard time finding a suit that fit right, was comfortable and still somewhat modest. She’d known the moment she’d tried this one on that it was the suit for her.
“It’s…you’re beautiful. Maybe I’ll…walk down to the pool with you. I’ll get dressed and get my coat.”
“And sit there in the cold beside the pool instead of in it? No, you can’t do that,” she said firmly.
“Alexandra, I didn’t bring trunks. I didn’t plan to swim.”
“They have at least three different places selling bathing suits here.” She walked over to him and rested her forearms on his shoulders, clasping her fingers behind his head. “Tell you what, I’ll run to the gift shop really quick to buy you trunks. We’ll go swim and later…we’ll stay in or go out, whatever you want.”
He pulled her to him.
“Whatever I want?”
She smiled, seeing the indecision in his eyes. She could tell he wanted to go with her but was letting something hold him back. She had to convince him, show him that he could forget his scars and have some fun. “Within reason.”
“Mmm.”
“Come on. What color do you want?”
His grip on her tightened and squeezed. “Whatever,” he growled like a grumpy bear.
“Thank you,” she whispered, pressing a kiss to his lips. “I didn’t want to go alone.” Alex started to pull away when he tugged her back.
“It’s just swimming.”
It was… But it was also so much more.
* * *
DYLAN SPENT NEARLY THE ENTIRE next week taking Alexandra flight-seeing. The places she wanted to see were widespread, so it took hours flying to and from the destinations.
They flew over Mount Redoubt so she could photograph the top and the little puff of steam rising into the air from the active volcano, Mount Spur, she gaped at the blue of the glaciers and she downloaded hundreds of pictures after every trip.
Playing with Colt and listening to Zeke and the men talk was the entertainment of their quiet evenings at the lodge but Alexandra didn’t seem to mind, which rais
ed his hopes that she could get used to a simpler life, maybe even like it. That she could get used to living there? Staying there?
Surprisingly, swimming in the hot springs had been fun. Several people were rude enough to stare at his scars, but whenever it happened, Alexandra made a point of reaching out to grasp his hand, cracking a joke or doing something to draw the attention from him to her.
But more important, no one recognized him, and aside from the attention his scars drew, no one seemed to notice him otherwise.
It was a good realization to have after spending so much time alone. Maybe enough time had passed and Zeke was right that Dylan was the only one holding on to the past. Maybe he could do more than dream of a future with Alexandra.
While he carried his sleepy son to bed and tucked Colt in, Alexandra grabbed her pajamas and toiletries to wash her face. Dylan would have liked Alexandra to join them but that was one ritual she said she wouldn’t intrude upon. He knew why she kept her distance from Colt and their father-son time but Dylan also hoped if he could get her to agree, she might begin to see herself in their lives rather than passing through.
Minutes later Dylan entered the small bathroom and stood behind her, his broad shoulders dwarfing hers in the little mirror.
Zeke and the others had built another bonfire and if they held true to form, they wouldn’t come inside for another hour or more.
Dylan waited and watched while she rinsed her face and patted it dry. He could watch her perform the simple chore for the rest of his life and not get tired of it.
Alexandra lowered the towel she held, her fingers clutched it as if she could read his thoughts. She wanted no pressure and he’d tried to adhere to the rule but with every day that passed it became harder to imagine her gone.
Holding her gaze in the mirror, he saw her eyes darken with a hint of fear. Not of him physically, but, if he had to guess, of what she saw in his eyes when he looked at her.
“Dylan…don’t.”
It was a warning, one daring him not to trespass, daring him not to say the words because she wasn’t ready.
He kissed her temple and turned her to face him. The pulse in her throat picked up speed, matched the pounding in his chest. Dylan stared into her eyes and kissed her as he wrapped an arm around her waist, lifted her off her feet.
And because he couldn’t keep quiet any longer, couldn’t not demand more, he pressed his nose into her hair and whispered, “Stay.”
* * *
STAY.”
The next day even the roar of the Super Cub’s engine couldn’t drown out Alex’s thoughts. Last night she’d heard Dylan say the word. But it was so low… had she imagined it? Because she wanted to hear it?
She’d made an excuse that she wasn’t feeling well and practically ran from the bathroom, locking herself in her room the rest of the night. When she saw Dylan at breakfast he’d acted as though nothing had happened, reinforcing her thoughts that maybe her mind had supplied the word, not him.
So was that what she wanted to hear? What she wanted him to say? Demand? What about Colt’s issues? What about her job? The review and the fact she’d never told Dylan about it?
Sitting behind Dylan in the two-seater Super Cub, she stared out the window at the vastness of land below, deciding she wasn’t sure. A part of her wouldn’t mind a few words to let her know what she meant to him besides his obvious physical reaction to her, but knew there had been a couple instances—one of them last night in the bathroom—when she’d warned Dylan not to press and he’d heeded her request. It was her own fault she was so confused because she kept shutting Dylan down when he tried to talk to her. She couldn’t demand no pressure from him and not give it herself.
“Look down. That’s the land I told you about.”
She looked down and saw—nothing. Thinning trees, lots of snow. She didn’t see any buildings or people. That was the land? Maybe she’d missed the houses and they’d flown over without her seeing them?
After twenty more minutes the land flattened as they neared their destination. This part of Alaska was the opposite of the area around the lodge. It was wide-open, with no signs of trees.
Finally they flew over the half-dozen homes on the wind-barren plain and circled around for landing. The houses weren’t elaborate—simple boxes that nearly blended into the snow-covered ground. Only the smoke coming from chimneys and the people spilling out of one of the doors revealed the life inside.
On the ground, Alex looked around quickly before Dylan introduced her to Owen Foxx and his wife, Kate, their children Marcus, Kyle and the youngest, Sarah.
“What a wonderful surprise!” Kate said in response to Alex’s presence.
Once all the niceties were out of the way, Kate led Alex over the snowpack to her home. “Come in and warm up while the men unload the supplies,” she said. “Please, make yourself comfortable. Other than the supply drops we rarely have guests, especially women.” Kate flashed a bright smile. “And look at you. You’re so glamorous.”
Alexandra blushed at the description. “Thank you,” she said with a laugh as she pulled her hat from her head and went to work on the buttons of her coat.
“Have a seat in the living room while I make us some tea. Or would you prefer coffee?”
“Either is fine. Don’t go to any trouble.”
“No trouble at all. The others will be in soon.”
Alex moved into the living room Kate indicated, taking in the simplicity and the homey feel. “Your house is lovely.”
Kate was busy at the stove, so Alex continued looking about, noting their computer setup and plastic containers of school supplies stacked neatly nearby. Turning, her eyes widened when she noticed a wall stacked floor to ceiling with books and magazines. Tilting her head to one side when she spied a familiar spine, she headed toward the stack. “Looks like you get a lot of reading done.”
Kate popped her head around the corner and laughed. “It’s an addiction. The summers are short and the winters are long.”
Alex picked up one of the magazines. “Traveling Single?”
“Have you heard of it? It’s a vacation magazine,” Kate said from the kitchen. “Owen teases me about the single part saying I’m planning my divorce, but I like it. Those are all old issues Zeke gave me when he was done with them. I get the new ones through an online subscription now but I can’t bear to destroy those. I like being able to turn the pages.”
“Are you planning a trip?” Alex asked, seeing a mix of romances, mysteries and biographies amongst the shelves.
“I am. I’ve gone to New Zealand and Australia and to Hawaii, but I’m not sure where I want to go next.”
“Does your husband have a preference?”
Kate’s laughter drifted into the living room. “Oh, he’s not going. Not that I don’t want him to,” she clarified, “it’s just that he never does. Owen got hurt on the job a while back and sitting for long periods of time is painful for him. That’s when he began to carve. But, I love to travel and need to get away sometimes, to be someplace warm. We’ve had our share of arguments over it, but even Owen says I come home a new woman.”
Alex tucked her hair behind her ear, Kate’s words bouncing around in her head. She could identify with how Kate felt all too easily. Suppose Alex decided to stay, would that be her future with Dylan? Traveling alone, even though she wasn’t single? She’d practically had to drag Dylan into the hot springs.
Opposites were supposed to attract but how well could she and Dylan get along if that was such a personality issue? Seeing him interact with Ansel and Walter and, later, the hunters, Dylan didn’t seem like an antisocial guy. He joked, he got along with people. So what was the problem?
Kate and Owen’s children burst into the kitchen and the small home was filled with the sound of stomping feet. Their mother waved a hand toward a doorway to the left of the kitchen. “Boys, go play in your room and no interrupting, okay? You know the rules—blood or fire only. Keep an eye on Sarah, too, and
let me have some girl time with Alexandra. I’ll give you each one of those lollipops we’ve been saving if you behave.”
Instead of complaining about having to care for their sister, Alex was surprised when the boys readily agreed and the three took off to their rooms.
Kate pulled out a wooden tray and gathered coffee mugs from a cabinet. “So…you and Dylan. Is it serious?”
Chapter 17
TAKEN ABACK BY THE QUESTION, Alex blinked. “Um…”
“Sorry, but we don’t have time for skirting an issue when visits never last long,” the other woman said with a laugh. “And I need something to focus on besides the kids and me trying to keep up with their schoolwork. Don’t be shy. It’s obvious you two are together. I saw the way he looked at you out there. Oh, you’re blushing. How sweet is that.”
Alex put her hand to her cheek. She could feel the heat in her face and it made her feel like a girl with her first crush. But with Dylan she felt that way, all out of sorts and unsure.
“Dylan’s a good man, don’t you think?”
One of the best. In the two weeks she’d known him she knew she’d never meet another man like him. “Yes, he is.”
“So?”
So, Kate wasn’t going to drop the line of questioning until Alex answered. Too bad she didn’t know the answer. She liked Dylan, she had fun with him. But how serious could it be at this point? Three weeks? Could she really be in love with him? Half of her balked at the thought but the other half… “It’s complicated.”
“Ah, so it is serious,” Kate said.
Something in her expression must have given her confusion away. Kate leaned her shoulder against the doorway between the two rooms and studied her with a knowing expression. And because she couldn’t pick up the phone and call Shelby to talk out her feelings, Alex knew Kate was her best—and only—female option. “I’m here on vacation,” she said simply. “But Dylan and I started talking and connecting. We’re friends. No pressure, no promises, that’s what we agreed to.”
