He could hear the lullaby of her voice as she exchanged words with Gran in the living room. He punched in the phone number and waited for it to connect. No room at the inn, he was told, so he punched in the next number. There were only a few hotels in town, plus the boarding house. By the time Karenna had returned to whisk the bottle from the boiling water and test the formula on her wrist, hed made his last call. Looked like he was stuck with her.
What a good boy, Karenna whispered at the crib rail, latching it securely. One look at Matthew asleep in his fluffy blue sleeper made her melt. Such a little doll. She had a soft spot for all babies. Its what had made her good at her job and what she hoped would make her a good mom one day.
That day was now a lot farther in the future.
She took one last look at the sleeping baby, asked God and His angels to watch over the child and padded into the hallway. She drew the door closed behind her, hoping Gage had found her a place for the night. If not, she always had her car.
Thanks for helping out. Gage was sitting in the mostly dark living room. Hed turned all but one lamp off, and he rose, merging with the shadows. Taking care of the baby is too much for Gran to do alone day in and day out.
Isnt there anyone else to help?
No family close by, and I havent found a nanny. Dont think I havent tried. Until a few days ago there was a serious scarcity of women in these parts.
So I read. It had seemed eons ago when shed spotted the little diner north of Bellingham and stopped for coffee. The jury was still out on whether her decision to drive to Alaska had been a good one, but she was hopeful. Since the hotels are brimming with women, Im sure you can find someone to hire who wont mind your surly disposition.
Or maybe they are too desperate for marriage to care about my disposition. A hint of humor warmed his words.
I suppose thats what you think I am. Desperate. An opportunist looking for a man. She spotted her purse on the vanity table behind the sofa and circled around to fetch it. You think that I heard there were available bachelors and I couldnt get here fast enough to catch one of them.
Thats how it looks. He moved toward her to stop her from grabbing her purse. Someone only out for herself and her own gain wouldnt have waited on Gran, taken care of Matthew, put both of them to bed and then cleaned up the kitchen. And all done with a smile on your face.
I like to help people. She figured there was a lot more she could tell him. How shed disappointed her upwardly mobile parents, who were a tad on the ruthless side, by choosing to take care of babies instead of pursuing a white-collar profession, which they thought was the only acceptable pathway. How her mother had told her after reading Alans letter, Im so ashamed of you, Karenna.
No, best to keep those things to herself. I figured I owed you, seeing as how you could have left me with Myron and his bear, even if I wasnt welcome.
That dog does look like a bearand acts like one, too. I couldnt do that, even to you. Was that a smile in his voice?
Maybe just a little one, she decided, realizing she was smiling, too. I hate to impose, but could I borrow a blanket and a pillow?
What for?
To make my front seat a little more comfortable. I had to buy the fun car instead of being sensible and getting a sedan with a backseat. She rolled her eyes. What was I thinking?
That you wouldnt be stuck on a country road in Alaska overnight?
Right. Im mostly a stay-close-to-home kind of girl. What Im doing here, I have no real idea. Especially since I just figured out you cant run from whats hurting you.
It comes right along with you. Yep, I learned that the hard way, too. He felt unusually close as he cleared his throat. About the car. I think its a bad idea.
Because of bears?
Because its not right. I changed the sheets on the bed upstairs while you were in the kitchen. Theres fresh towels in the bathroom and a few of Grans things folded on the dresser. Have a good night.
But where will you sleep?
The couch will suit me fine. He brushed passed her and reached for the remote. He flipped on the late-night news and hunkered down in a recliner to watch.
Thank you, Gage. She thought she felt him smile again as she padded up the stairs, but the mountain man was still too much of a mystery for her to be sure.
Chapter Three
Karenna in the morning was a sight to behold. Gage nearly dropped the coffee pot when she strolled into the kitchen. Good thing the thermos was nearly full. He set the carafe back on the burner with an unsteady hand. Strange that he would react to her like that. He gave a single nod of recognition as she opened a cabinet and helped herself to a coffee cup.
Good morning. She appeared as if she meant it, for her too-big and impossibly blue eyes were sparkling. She looked as cute as could be, even with her golden hair damp from a shower, and she was wearing a pair of his old gray sweats. She looked like one of those cheerful morning people. I hope you slept well? I kept worrying that you werent comfortable on the couch.
I noticed you were up several times during the night when Matthew cried.
I took his crib monitor from Jeans room when she wasnt looking. I figured she could use a full nights sleep. She sidled next to him at the counter and whisked the coffeepot off the burner. Playing nanny for a bit was the least I could do in exchange for your hospitality.
Thats decent of you. He twisted the cap on his thermos tight.
Back at you. She poured a cup of coffee. You look as if youre about to head out the door. Where do you work?
Im a guide for a local tour company.
The one in the magazine?
Yes, and dont give me that look.
What look? She pulled the carton of milk out of the fridge and stirred a thin stream into her coffee.
The one that promises all of Alaskas Treasures tour guides are handsome, eligible bachelors. Obviously, they didnt include me in the article.
Obviously.
Sure, she was beautiful. She was cute and captivating, wholesome and charming. Now that she wasnt in a wedding gown, he didnt feel nearly as defensive around her. But that didnt mean he intended to like her.
If they had, then women like you wouldnt be flocking into town
Excuse me. Women like me? She arched a brow at him. The look on her face said, no longer wholesome. Shed morphed into the tire kicker, the woman whod been all steamed up when hed first come across her, stranded in the dark. She arrowed the full force of her gaze at him. What exactly does that mean?
Flighty women. Women looking for advantage and opportunity.
Oh, so now were back to me being an opportunist. Tell me, what opportunity am I looking for? What advantage?
Hard to say when youre in a mood like that. Uh-oh. Hed never had a way with the ladies, and this was a flash of what had gone wrong in his marriage. He would open his mouth very clear on his opinion of things, only to be outright misunderstood. Women. Not just a mystery to him, but to the entire universe. Lets just say youre not the staying type.
Staying type? Oh, and men are? She shut the refrigerator door and stalked across the floor to glare up at him. I just got left at the altar. Hello? I wasnt the one who ran off.
I didnt know that. This wasnt going at all the way he wanted. Panic set in, along with the fervent wish hed gotten out the door before shed come into the kitchen. When I got divorced, I never figured I would have another irate woman to deal with before breakfast.
Guess again, buddy. She shook her head, scattering bouncy golden locks. I cant think of anyone who has ever gotten me so mad so fast. You have a gift, Gage.
Ive got something. A disaster record when it came to women. Good thing he was under no illusions that he ought to try marriage again. He and women just didnt mix. Like oil and water. Like gasoline and flame. Like dynamite and a detonator. Ive got to get to work. Bucky ought to be here around ten. It was real nice meeting you.
You dont sound as if you mean that.
I dont. Good luck, Karenna. That he meant.
He couldnt help the tug in his chest as he grabbed his lunch pail, his egg sandwich from the counter and his thermos. He opened the back doordidnt know why he took one last look at her.
Maybe he sort of liked her. She was spunky and perky and had been kind to Gran and Matthew. She looked out of place in the simple country kitchen, so beautiful she hurt his eyes.
He shut the door behind him, closing down his emotions. He had no business feeling anything for her. He strode down the porch and into the morning light.
What a cantankerous man. Karenna watched Gages SUV trail down the driveway, the taillights growing fainter until the thick stands of cedar and fir stole him from her sight. He was too young to be truly called cantankerousthat brought to mind someone at the end of his life, embittered and thoroughly disagreeable. Its more like Gage had a grizzled personality.
That, and he didnt think much of women. After putting cold water and fresh grounds into the coffeemaker, she carried her cup to the round table in the sunny breakfast nook. She was a Seattle girl, raised in the Green Lake neighborhood north of the University district, where leafy trees lined pleasant streets and a short walk took her to the small city park and lake. That was her idea of nature.
Not anymore. The view outside the picture window was awe-inspiring. A lush green forest marched up the hillside as far as she could see, to the lower skirt of a mountain range. Snowcapped peaks, rugged and majestic, speared the flawless blue sky, as if the earth were trying to reach all the way to heaven. What a beautiful start to a day, gazing upon all of this. Surely, living here would make someone less cantankerous over time?
A deer and two small, spotted fawns wandered into the driveway. Such tiny, delicate creatures, peaceful and sweet. She held her breath, not daring to move as they passed by the window.
Probably come to try to nibble at my garden. Jean broke the silence, padding into the kitchen in her pink terry-cloth robe and scuffed yellow slippers. Gage got it fenced up good and tight for me, but theres no telling if the deer will stay out. Theyre real inventive. Good morning, dear.
Good morning. Did you sleep well?
Like a rock.
Matthew had a bottle around four. He was sound asleep the last I checked.
He is. I just peeked in at him. Sleeping like an angel. Jean shuffled to the coffeemaker. I see you made fresh. Gage takes half of the pot in his work thermos.
I wanted to make sure there was enough for you. Karenna pushed out of her chair. I was thinking about breakfast. Would you like me to cook? I wouldnt mind.
Oh, I couldnt let you do that. Youre our guest.
Guest? More like an imposition.
It depends on who you are talking to. Jean appeared amused as she stirred milk into her cup. You saw Gage before he left?
Saw him, talked to him, lived to regret it.
You and everyone else. Jean laughed easily, reminding Karenna of her own grandmother. Im not at all sure what Im going to do about that boy.
Boy? He was a man in his prime, wide of shoulder, brawny and strong. Karenna couldnt imagine Gage as a boy. Was he always that impossible?
You mean stubborn? Strong-willed? Jean nodded. Yes. He was the funniest kid. Kept me in stitches the whole time he was growing up.
Gage funny? She fished a frying pan out of the lower cabinets. You have to be talking about someone else. I dont buy it. Not Gage.
He was a card. Always laughing. Always seeing the bright side of life. Jean opened the fridge and handed over a carton of eggs. That was before his marriage fell apart. I knew that girl wasnt right for him. She was nice enough. She just didnt value all the right things, Gage especially.
That sounds difficult. Having some experience with that very thing sent a wave of sympathy through her. Hard to picture Gage with a smile on his face, always laughing. He must have changed completely.
Aint that the truth. I hardly recognize him. Jean dug through the fridge and produced a package of bacon and a pitcher of orange juice. Hes not the same man. These days, hes hard and cynical. I dont think he means to be. Hes simply lost.
Is that why hes living with you? He was recently divorced? Karenna took the bacon and peeled off thick, smoky slices.
No. Ive been living with him for five years, going on six. This is his house. He moved back from Washington
Washington State? She nearly dropped the bacon on the counter.
Some fancy Seattle suburb.
She and Gage had once lived in the same city? Scary coincidence.
Thats where Margaret had to live. Fancy was what mattered to her. Unlike her grandson, Jean wasnt bitter or harsh. Her lovely face crinkled with loving compassion. I still feel so sorry for her, fighting for what could never truly make anyone happy, not in the long run. Gage was so in love with her, he wore himself out working long hours in that firm
A firm? She definitely couldnt see that. The mountain man working in a firm? Wearing a suit and tie?
Hes an architect. Leastways, thats what he went to school for. Graduated top of his class and landed a real fine job. Pride lifted Jean up. Easy to see how much she loved her grandson. He did real good down there. But when he came home, he wasnt the same.
He must have truly loved her.
He did. Jean wiped at the corner of her eyes with a napkin. I keep praying for him. I have faith that God will lead Gage back to His heart. Our Lord wont let us down.
He is ever-faithful. This she knew for sure. At twenty-five, she still had a lot to figure out, especially about love and life, but she believed. Shed felt Gods touch in her life too often to doubt. Maybe He had brought her to Alaska for a reason. Maybe there was some good she could do.
Yes, our Lord is always here with us. Jean reached out and squeezed Karennas hand. Her touch was warm and strong, a connection between two kindred spirits. He had a plan in bringing you to us.
Thats what I was thinking, too. I would feel much better if my emotion-fuelled drive here was for a greater purpose, and not just another big mistake of mine.