Dad for Charlie & the Sergeant's Temptation & the Alaskan Catch & New Year's Wedding (9781488015687)

by Stewart, Anna J. ; Sasson, Sophia; Carpenter, Beth; Jensen, Muriel

  CHAPTER FOUR

  DANA SLID A muffin tin into the hot oven. She’d picked up the pan, as well as the ingredients, yesterday on the way back from hiking. Blueberry muffins used to be Chris’s favorite breakfast, and she’d hoped to surprise him this morning, to put him in a good mood and get him talking. But Chris still wasn’t back from his fishing trip. Hopefully Sam would enjoy the muffins.

  What was up with him? Last night, they’d been having a great time. He obviously loved his job, and she found it fascinating to listen to him talk about how he did it. It would be wonderful to have a job she could feel passionate about like that. He seemed to enjoy her stories about Chris growing up. But at the end of the evening, Sam had suddenly withdrawn into himself, and she had no idea why.

  Not that it was really any of her business. She needed to remember she was in Alaska to get the answers she needed, not for a vacation. Her phone beeped and she found a text from Ginny. When r u coming home?

  A problem with Mom? Dana bit her lip and typed a reply. Not sure. Still working.

  OK. Will handle. Handle what? Dana found she really didn’t want to know. Whatever it was, either Ginny would take care of it or Dana would deal with it when she got home. She had enough on her plate here. Which reminded her—she needed to call the women’s shelter where she volunteered.

  “Hi, Jane. It’s Dana. How are things there?”

  “Not bad. We got in a new family with three kids in elementary school who could probably use your help.”

  “Ooh, sorry. I was actually calling to let you know I’m out of town and won’t make it in for tutoring next week and possibly the week after.”

  “That’s too bad, but I’m sure Melinda and I can muddle through. Good thing we don’t have any kids in high school right now because I’ve forgotten everything I ever knew about algebra.”

  “Maybe you can sit in on my next lesson. I’ll let you know when I get home. Bye, Jane.” Dana smiled as she hung up the phone. She loved tutoring the kids at the shelter. So many of them thought they hated math, but really they were just struggling with some basic concept. A little individual attention did wonders for their confidence.

  While she had her phone out, she checked her voice mail. A message from the lawyers asked if she’d located Chris and gotten his signature. She called and left a message of her own.

  “Hi, it’s Dana Raynott. I got your message. I did locate Chris, but he’s temporarily away from home. I expect him back anytime now, and I will certainly get that signature and send it to you ASAP. Then I’ll concentrate on locating that other party.” She ended the call. The lawyers didn’t seem too worried, but she wouldn’t feel right if she didn’t at least try to locate this Petrov guy and check out his story.

  “Did I hear you say Chris would be back soon?”

  Dana jumped at Sam’s voice and turned. “Oh, hi. I didn’t realize you were up. I was just leaving a message with the lawyers. They were checking up on my progress.”

  “You know he’s fishing, right?”

  Dana nodded. “Yes, but I expected him to be home by now. How long does it take to catch a fish?”

  He gave her an odd look. “Chris is a commercial fisherman. He’s on a shrimp trawler. They won’t be back to shore until they fill the hold or the season ends. It might be a few weeks.”

  “Weeks?” Dana’s voice squeaked.

  “I thought you knew.”

  “Chris just said he was going fishing. I didn’t realize…” A commercial fisherman? Okay, he had a job, which explained how he paid for the sports car in the garage. That was a good thing, she supposed, but now what? She shook her head. “Do you have his cell number?”

  Sam smirked. “There are no cell towers in the middle of the ocean.”

  “No, I guess there wouldn’t be.” This whole plan was falling apart. She looked up at Sam. “There’s really no way to reach him?”

  “There’s ship-to-shore radio for emergencies. Is this an emergency?”

  Maybe. Well, no. She could call from Kansas if she had to, but she wanted to talk with him face-to-face. “I guess not.” Okay. New plan. “How long is he usually gone for?”

  Sam shrugged. “Depends. I believe the season closes in mid-August, but I doubt they’ll be out for more than a month, sooner if they’re having a good catch. Once they fill the hold, they’ll come to shore to unload and refuel, and Chris will probably check in and maybe stop by for a day.”

  One month. Plus however long it took to convince Chris to see it her way. She would probably get better results face-to-face than on the phone. Ginny could handle her mother in the meantime. She hoped. “I’ll wait for him.”

  Sam raised his eyebrows. “You’re going to wait for Chris? Here?”

  “Oh.” She hadn’t thought about where she would wait. “No, of course not. I’ll get a hotel.”

  “That’s not what I meant. You can stay here as long as you want. I just thought you’d need to get back to Kansas. I can call you if Chris shows up.”

  She shook her head. “This is more important. I don’t want to take a chance on missing him. Besides, I have another task about my dad’s estate to handle in the meantime.” The timer went off and she pulled the muffins from the oven, all the while preparing a mental checklist of items to accomplish. “But I will find a hotel or something. You never signed on to have me here for a few days, much less a month.”

  “I don’t want you to move out.” His declaration sounded surprisingly firm.

  She cocked her head and studied his face. “I can’t keep imposing on you. You don’t even know me.”

  His shoulders twitched. “You’re Chris’s sister. I want you to stay.” He eyed the pan cooling on the counter and the corners of his mouth tugged upward. “Assuming, of course, that you’re going to offer me one of those muffins.”

  Dana laughed. “You can have all the muffins you want.” She pulled out a plate, plopped a warm muffin on top and set it on the counter in front of him.

  “Then I believe we have a deal.” Sam poured himself a cup of coffee and settled at the bar. He broke off a bit of steaming muffin and popped it in his mouth. “Delicious.” He took a sip of coffee and eyed her. “So, what’s this other task you need to handle?”

  “It’s possible my dad owed money to someone, and I want to check it out before they settle the estate. I need to get into public records in Fairbanks. Are they online, do you think?”

  “Probably. Although I don’t know how far back they would go.”

  “I’ll find out.” Dana dried the batter bowl and utensils and put them into the kitchen cabinets. “I brought my laptop.”

  Sam nodded. “The password for Wi-Fi is in the top drawer of the desk in your room. Good luck.”

  * * *

  SAM SPENT THE morning going through his mail and generally catching up. Dana had disappeared into her bedroom right after breakfast and he hadn’t seen her since. Was he crazy, inviting a Raynott to stay in his house? Apparently, he’d been living with one for years and never knew it.

  Maybe it was a coincidence. Maybe the Raynott his mother blamed for everything bad that had happened to them wasn’t related to Chris and Dana. Yeah, right. Sure, it was just a coincidence that his best friend happened to have been born with the same unusual name as this person his mother hated. The whole situation was fishy, and while Dana sure didn’t seem like the type to be running some sort of scam, the whole point of a con was to appear trustworthy. Still, he couldn’t see what she had to gain by hanging around him.

  Just out of curiosity, Sam did an internet search on his phone for Raynott. Dana had a couple of mentions in fund-raising articles for a women’s shelter. A business article about a chain of equipment and tool rental stores mentioned a Wayne Raynott as owner. And a newspaper in Kansas showed an obituary for Wayne Raynott from three
months ago. That was all he found.

  Wayne Raynott. Sam couldn’t be positive, but he was fairly certain that had been the name on the check his mother tore up. And now Dana was here in Alaska, trying to talk Chris into taking an inheritance and looking for some mysterious person her father owed money to. He couldn’t see the whole picture yet, but he was starting to collect a big stack of puzzle pieces.

  His phone rang. Ursula. He smiled. “How’s it going, Auntie?”

  “It would be better if a certain someone would check in with me like he’s supposed to when he gets in from his rotation.”

  He settled on the barstool. “Sorry about that. I only got home on Wednesday and I’ve been a little busy.”

  “So Marge tells me. Gallivanting around town with your pretty new girlfriend instead of calling your auntie Ursula. Tsk-tsk.” Laughter bubbled through her words.

  Ursula was worse than Chris. Chris just thought Sam needed some female company. Ursula was determined he needed a wife. Better shut her down before she started making wedding plans. “She’s not my girlfriend. She’s Chris’s sister.”

  “Really?” She paused. “I didn’t know Chris had a sister.”

  “I didn’t, either.”

  “He didn’t mention her when he came by to drop off the dog.”

  “Odd, huh?”

  “You’ve been roommates for years. What does he have to say about this?”

  “So far, nothing. He went out fishing and left her here. I haven’t talked with him since I got home.”

  “Huh. Well, bring her along for the weekend. I had a cancellation.”

  “This weekend?”

  “That’s right. I need you to make me a new gate on the vegetable garden. A moose smashed it. You can come down this afternoon.”

  “You want me to build a gate?”

  “That’s right, Mr. Landlord.”

  “Why didn’t you just call a carpenter?”

  “There’s no need to waste money on something you can do yourself. Didn’t Tommy teach you anything? Surely someone with a fancy engineering degree can build a gate.” Tommy, Ursula’s husband, had been a gifted handyman and a patient teacher to twelve-year-old Sam after he moved in with them. And yes, he could probably build a gate. “Besides, this dog of yours is eating me out of house and home.”

  Not likely. “Didn’t Chris bring his dog food?”

  “Kimmik prefers real food.”

  Sam was sure he did. “Dog food is better for him.”

  “Well, then, get over here and pick him up, and you can feed him however you see fit. And bring Chris’s sister along. I want to meet her.”

  Not a bad idea, actually. Ursula had good instincts about people. He’d like her read on Dana. “I’ll see. She’s working on some things of her own.”

  “It’s the weekend. Tell her all work and no play will give her wrinkles.”

  Sam laughed. “Says the woman who never sits down.”

  “It’s not work if you love it. I’ll make chili for dinner. Don’t be late.”

  Sam smiled as he pocketed the phone. Ursula and Tommy were the best things that ever happened to him. Now he just needed to check out the internet for gate designs.

  Sam knocked on the open door of Dana’s room and stuck his head in. “Sorry to bother you, but I need to get my laptop from the drawer there.”

  “Sure.” She got up from her chair at the desk and stretched.

  He extracted the computer. “Having any luck?”

  She shook her head. “I can’t seem to find anything except current property tax records. I think I’m going to have to drive to Fairbanks. How long does it take to get there?”

  “About six hours.”

  “So if I leave after lunch today, I could get there by sundown.”

  “No problem.” Sam grinned. “Sundown is after midnight in Fairbanks this time of year. But today is Friday. Government offices won’t be open until Monday.”

  Her shoulders sagged. “That’s right. I lost track of the days. So, no Chris and no public records.”

  “I do have an alternative plan for the weekend. I have to go repair a gate for my auntie Ursula. She runs a B and B down on the Kenai Peninsula. You could come along.”

  Her face brightened, but then she frowned. “Does she have room for an extra person?”

  “She had a cancellation, so yes.”

  “I’d like that.” She studied his hands as if taking his measure. “You know about carpentry?”

  “Not as much as Ursula thinks I do. That’s why I need my laptop. To bone up. You can come along and laugh at me. You game?”

  Dana grinned. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

  * * *

  DANA GAZED ACROSS the water, the glassy surface reflecting the snowcapped mountains on the other side of the arm. She was happy to gawk while Sam did the driving, his truck winding along the road, hugging cliffs on one side and the ocean on the other. “So beautiful. Does the snow stay all year?”

  “It will gradually melt, all but a few shady spots. It’s already gone on the south-facing slopes.”

  They passed a small waterfall spilling from the rock on the left side of the road and trickling underneath to the ocean. “What ocean is this?”

  “This is Turnagain Arm, on Cook Inlet, on the Gulf of Alaska, on the Pacific Ocean.”

  “Turnagain? Odd name.”

  “It was named by Captain Bligh, Captain Cook’s sailing master. They were exploring Cook Inlet and looking for the Northwest Passage. They followed Knik Arm first, but reached a dead end and turned back. Then they followed this arm, and when they found it was also a dead end, the captain ordered the ship to turn again.”

  “Makes sense. Captain Bligh.” Dana thought for a moment. “Why do I know that name?”

  “Did you ever see the movie Mutiny on the Bounty? That was Captain Bligh.”

  “Yes, I watched that movie on TV once. I thought it was fiction.”

  “Nope, it was a real incident and Captain Bligh was a real person.”

  “Not a very nice person, if the movie was any indication.”

  Sam laughed. “Aren’t you glad you don’t work under him?”

  “I am. The last boss I had was bad enough.” Dana continued to watch the water. A seagull swooped down and snatched something from the surface. Eventually, the road left the shoreline and began to climb. They passed through birch and spruce forests until they reached a fork in the highway.

  Sam went left. “We’ll be at Ursula’s in another ten minutes or so.”

  Dana suddenly felt shy, wondering if she should have tagged along on a family visit. She pictured a fussy old lady with a houseful of doilies and knickknacks. Or maybe it was a family business. “Will you have cousins, too, or is it only your aunt?”

  Sam didn’t answer immediately. His eyes remained on the road. Dana was about to repeat the question when he spoke. “Ursula doesn’t have any kids.” He paused. “And she isn’t really my aunt.”

  “Family friend?”

  “More than that. If it weren’t for Ursula and her husband, Tommy…well, I don’t know what I’d be, but it wouldn’t be who I am today. They took me in when I was twelve and raised me.”

  “What happened to your mother?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  Wow. She hadn’t seen that coming. Dana started to ask for more information, but something in his closed expression stopped her. Instead, she just nodded.

  A few minutes later, they pulled into a graveled parking area in front of a tall cedar building. A scent of smoke and fish greeted Dana when she climbed out of the truck. Sam came around to stand beside her and took a deep breath. A smile crossed his face. “Ursula must have been fishing.”

  A familiar b
rown dog rushed up to Sam, wagging his whole rear end. Sam crouched down and fondled the dog’s ears. “That’s a good dog. Did you miss me?”

  The dog pressed his body against Sam but scooted closer so he could rub his head against Dana’s jeans, obviously inviting more affection. She stroked along his broad crown. “Hi, Kimmik.”

  Sam looked up at her. “You know Kimmik?”

  “We met, briefly. How did he get his name?”

  “Kimmik is an Inupiat word.”

  “What does it mean?”

  Sam grinned. “Dog.”

  Dana laughed. “Original.”

  “So here’s the prodigal son. Did you get lumber?” A woman with cropped gray hair emerged from an opening in a fenced area beside the house. She carried a basket on her arm. A smile of delight lit up her face.

  “I did.” Sam held out his arms and the woman wrapped him in a big hug, the basket of greens bumping against his back. Seeing the obvious affection between Sam and Ursula, Dana felt almost jealous. Neither of her parents had ever greeted her with such enthusiasm.

  “Good boy.” She reached up to run her hand over his jaw as if inspecting him. “Tommy would never have believed you’d grow up to be so tall. I guess I fed you well.” She turned a smiling face toward Dana. “And you must be Chris’s sister.”

  “Yes. I’m Dana.”

  “Welcome.” Dana got a friendly hug, too, if not quite as exuberant as the one Ursula gave Sam. Ursula looked her over. “You don’t look much like your brother.”

  “No. I take after my mother, and Chris—well, I don’t know who Chris takes after. Must be a recessive Viking gene or something.”

  Ursula smiled. “Well, any sister of Chris’s is a friend of mine.”

  “You know Chris well?”

  “Oh, yes. He stops by to see me every time he’s up or back.” She changed her voice to a stage whisper. “Between you and me, I think he really comes for the scones.”

  Dana laughed. “He does have a sweet tooth.”

  Sam took a deep breath. “I smell fish smoking. Did you get some reds?”