When Love Comes

by J. H. Croix

  The afternoon passed in an idiosyncratic blur. Being with Emma felt oddly comforting and familiar. This feeling existed alongside the still unsettling awareness of the fact that she had a sister and the attendant novelty of their relationship. They took Hannah’s truck to town, Jessie seated between them. Along with picking up the rental keys, they visited Susie at work. Susie had been ecstatic to see Emma and incredulous that her mother had kept the secret about Emma’s planning. Hannah called Luke and left him a message while they were in town. He had left for Anchorage with Jared yesterday and was due to return that evening.

  As the afternoon rolled along, Hannah sensed that Emma was still sorting out where she wanted to be and what she wanted to do. There was still much she didn’t know about the path that had led Emma here to begin with, but she avoided pushing. Hannah drove up the hill past fields of faded fireweed. The day was overcast and damp, as fall so often was. The air felt raw. The pavement was slick from the rain that had been spitting off and on throughout the day. Alpine Lane was a tad higher on the hill than her road with the scenery largely the same—clusters of spruce trees giving way to fields of fireweed. Emma directed her to a driveway almost hidden by alder trees. A small cabin sat back from the road. It was a basic A-frame design with a whimsical touch. The roof was deep green metal, the siding stained with a light finish, and the trim a bright purple. A purple star was mounted toward the top of the A-frame, where the sides of the roof met in a point.

  “This is cute. What’s the deal with it? Just a winter rental?” Hannah asked.

  Emma shrugged. “The realtor said the owners used to live in the area and they moved away about a year ago. I guess they don’t have a firm plan on whether it’s just a winter rental, but they let me sign a three-month lease, which is all I wanted for now. They agreed to let me reconsider if I decide to stay longer.”

  “Did the realtor mention who the owner was? I wonder if it’s someone I know.”

  Emma shrugged again. “Don’t know, but I’m sure that between you, Susie, and Faye, one of you will find out.”

  They walked together to the front door, which was situated in the center on a small porch. The inside of the cabin was open and airy. The downstairs was comprised of an open living room and kitchen area with a bathroom to the back. A spiral staircase led upstairs, which included a loft area that was furnished with a desk, two reading chairs, and built-in bookshelves lining the walls. A door upstairs led to the single bedroom, which had a balcony off the back. It was perfect for one person and came fully furnished.

  After a brief exploration, Hannah drove Emma back to the house for her to pick up her rental car. Watching Emma drive away, she stood on the deck as a misty rain fell softly around her. The mountains across the water were shrouded in fog, their outlines blurred. The bay was slate gray. Wind skidded across, stirring up whitecaps. The green of the spruce trees surrounding the field was bright among the shades of gray and faded fireweed. A path had been beaten down by the moose that often wandered through the field.

  Calling for Jessie, she waited until she heard her rustling her way through the trees. It occurred to her that she could probably walk to Emma’s cabin if she cut through her backyard to the road behind. After toweling Jessie dry, she took a long look around the house. Her gaze paused on a book of Luke’s left on an end table by the couch. One of his sweatshirts was thrown on the back of the chair that Jessie loved. Jessie jumped onto the same chair and curled up. A wave of emotion rocked Hannah. She had a sister nearby, and her parents would never walk into this house again. To experience that and see the markers of the new life she was shaping drove the point home that she was letting her parents go. The house felt like hers now, not an echo chamber for memories of her parents.

  Epilogue

  The morning of winter solstice had dawned cold and clear. Snow blanketed the landscape of Diamond Creek. Hannah and Luke were married late that afternoon, almost exactly six months to the day that they’d met on that cool summer morning. The ceremony was simple, and they were married in front of the local judge, who’d been a friend of her father’s. Susie, Emma, Faye, and Luke’s family, parents and all, were witnesses. Hannah had kept her wedding dress simple—a cream colored silk sheath. She paired it with a string of her mother’s pearls and matching earrings. Luke had worn a dark navy suit that brought out the green of his eyes. After a wink and a promise that she’d behave, the judge had allowed them to bring Jessie in the courtroom since Jessie’s wandering had brought Luke to Hannah’s doorstep those many months prior.

  Jared and Nathan threw a large party at the Boathouse Café. The café was filled with friends who had watched Hannah grow up and old friends of her parents. During the party, Hannah observed Jared once again trying to hold back his smiles when he was around Susie. She had the effect of alternately irritating and amusing him. Hannah briefly wondered what that might mean and decided to leave well enough alone for now. She had enough to worry about with Luke’s parents, Iris in particular, abandoning any tact about their desire for grandchildren.

  Looking out the windows while she sipped wine, she took in the view. The mountains stood tall and silent across the bay. The setting sun gave the snow-coated mountaintops a lavender hue—alpenglow. By the time the party broke up, the sun was long gone and the moon high in the sky. Luke’s hand in hers, she felt a rush of adrenaline—an old, familiar feeling, but this time not tinged with anxiety and fear. Instead of tamping it down, Hannah let go of Luke’s hand and ran ahead to the edge of the dock. The water in Otter Cove was bright from the moon. She tore off her coat and whipped her dress over her head, kicking her shoes off. Her wedding attire lay in a rumpled heap on the dock. Clad only in her underwear, she glanced to Luke who had stopped at the edge of the dock just beside her. His gaze was bemused. She grabbed his hands and pulled him close for a quick kiss. Turning away from Luke, Hannah bounced on her heels and dove into Otter Cove. Plunging into the icy water, her lungs seized for a moment. Breaking the surface, she looked up at Luke, whose head was thrown back in a laugh. Shivering, she swam for the ladder at the end of the dock, exhilaration arcing through her. She climbed the ladder and stepped into Luke’s warm embrace.

  Thank you for reading When Love Comes - I hope you loved Hannah & Luke’s story!

  For more steamy, small town romance, Tess & Nathan’s story is next in Follow Love. Tess takes a vacation to Alaska, colliding with the oh-so-sexy Nathan Winters. Nathan’s never met a challenge he didn’t win, but Tess tests him to the limit. Don’t miss Nathan’s story!

  Keep reading for a sneak peek!

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  Sneak Peek: Follow Love by J.H. Croix; all rights reserved

  Chapter 1

  Nathan leaned over the side of the guide boat and tugged on the fishing line. While he didn’t know what was on the other end, it was definitely live because he could feel the sense of vibration. Still tugging on the line, he looked over his shoulder to call to his oldest brother, Jared. Just as Nathan turned away, water splashed his shoulder. Turning back, he glimpsed a king salmon, now fighting madly against his grip on the line. King salmon were called king for a reason; even average ones weighed in at fifty plus pounds with some topping one hundred and more. He guessed this one to be medium sized, roughly two feet long and had to wrestle to keep hold of the line.

  “Damn!” he said as the salmon bumped against the side of the boat. “Could use a little help here,” he called. Wrestling a slippery salmon wasn’t easy.

  Michael, the man who caught the king salmon, started to move towards Nathan, fishing pole in hand.

  “Stay put, I don’t want the line to loosen at this point,” Nathan directed. His other older brother, Luke was coming his way from the front of the boat.

  Nathan and his brothers ran a commercial fish and guiding business, The One That Didn’t Get Away, in Diamond Creek, Alaska, a small town
on the shores of Kachemak Bay. Kachemak Bay was one of Alaska’s coastal jewels, straight out of a postcard. A large bay off of Cook Inlet in South central Alaska, Kachemak Bay was home to several tourist hubs in Alaska. Though small, Diamond Creek was busy and catered to its tourists with world-class restaurants, shops and art galleries. Mountains encircled Kachemak Bay, eerie translucent blue glaciers were tucked between a few mountains, and Mount Augustine, a lone volcano, sat sentry in the bay. Along with the natural beauty, the bay was famous for its salmon and halibut fishing, drawing hordes of tourists from spring until the snow fell.

  Today, they were hosting a family - Michael, Tess, Simon and Jordan - for a full day of fishing. Michael was father to Tess and Simon, both adults, and grandfather to Jordan. Nathan had to tamp the impulse to flirt with Tess. He couldn’t keep his eyes off of her. She had short honey-colored hair that curled in a tousled bob around her face. She had a soft, rounded figure, curves in all the right places. Her ginger colored eyes and luscious mouth, bow shaped and bright pink, kept drawing Nathan’s gaze. Though quiet, she had a sly sense of humor in the company of her family.

  “So Dad, I thought the plan was to catch a record size halibut,” Tess commented sardonically.

  “I’ll take a king salmon,” Michael replied with a wide grin.

  Nathan looked to Tess. “Oh don’t worry, we’ll make sure he gets that halibut,” he said with a wink. For a flash, he saw a spark of interest, a tease, in her eyes and he almost lost his hold on the fishing line. Focus on the fish, stupid. He had to force his eyes away from her—she was distractingly delectable.

  Luke reached Nathan’s side and leaned over with a net as the king salmon continued to thrash against the side of the boat. With Nathan maneuvering the feisty salmon into the net, he and Luke lifted it over the side together. Just as they set the net down, Luke lost his grip, and the salmon flung itself free from the net and slapped Nathan in the face with a slimy tail. He lost his footing and slipped onto the boat deck, landing just beside the salmon.

  “Really?!” he said, looking to the salmon who ignored him and gave another flick of its tail.

  Luke shook his head, trying and failing to hold back a grin. “Sorry about that, couldn’t keep a hold of the net.”

  Nathan rolled his eyes. “Noticed that. Only wish you’d been the one whacked in the face.”

  A towel landed in his lap. He turned to see Jared grinning at the wheel of the boat. “Thought you could use that.”

  Nathan snatched the towel up and wiped the slime off his cheek. Standing, he tucked the towel over his belt and looked to Michael. “Your call on whether you keep this one or release it. You have a king tag, so you can keep it if you want.”

  Michael came to stand at his side. He looked admiringly down at the salmon. “Let’s release it. My goal is halibut and if I’m gonna keep a king, I want it to be record size. Let me get a picture though.” He quickly snapped a photo with his phone.

  Nathan nodded and turned back to Luke. “Let’s get this back in the water. Think you can manage to keep me from getting knocked down again?” he asked Luke.

  “Oh I’ll do my best. Salmon love a fight though. He seems to have settled down now,” Luke replied.

  Nathan looked down at the king salmon, which lay still on the deck, its gills laboring. “Good size one, at least fifty pounds,” he said. With efficiency, he and Luke went into motion. Luke held the salmon’s mouth open while Nathan grabbed the hook and carefully worked it out. In short order, he picked the salmon up and lifted it over the side of the boat, holding it steady in the water for a moment before gently letting go.

  The silver of the salmon flashed briefly in the water before disappearing under the waves. Tess stared out over the water for a moment to see if it would reappear, but all she saw was the sun’s reflection against the water. She lifted her gaze to look at the volcano sitting in the distance. She’d read plenty of tourist materials on the flight to Alaska from North Carolina and learned that she was looking at Mount Augustine, which sat alone in this area of Kachemak Bay. It rose starkly from the water, wispy clouds floating around the top. It had erupted twice in recent decades, once spewing ash for days at a time. The latest eruption had been subtler, if there was such a thing as a subtle volcanic eruption, but ash had still disrupted flights in and out of Alaska. The volcano seemed lonely to her, but then she wondered if she thought practically everything seemed lonely since most of the time she felt that way. With a mental shake, she turned to look towards her father.

  He was getting ready to drop his line back in the water, listening patiently to one of the guides about the best way to prep his line. His smile was wide. This fishing trip to Diamond Creek, Alaska was a dream for him. He’d planned to go for years. Her mother, Celine, had come on the trip with them, but was prone to seasickness, so she’d stayed ashore to visit the many tourist shops in town. Tess had joined them for this trip in addition to her brother, Simon, and his son, nine-year old Jordan. While Tess might not be the fishing connoisseur that her father was, she loved the outdoors and enjoyed fishing.

  Tess shifted her gaze to Nathan who was talking to her father. The three Winters brothers ran the guiding business, The One that Didn’t Get Away. Tess guessed Nathan to be the youngest. All three had almost identical black wavy hair. The only difference in how unruly it was. Nathan’s was the shaggiest, his black curls almost touching his shoulders. He had dark blue eyes while the other two brothers had green eyes. Tess had to keep dragging her eyes away from Nathan, which annoyed the hell out of her. He was the quintessential outdoorsman—handsome with a rugged, sexy edge—so sexy that a mere glance sent her pulse wild.

  He and his brothers had been nothing but kind and funny. They happily regaled her father with fishing stories and earnestly shared his love of all things fish. She could tell they’d let him talk all day and that earned major points with her. They were also kind to Jordan who was so excited about this trip he was practically vibrating. He was a relentless font of questions, filled with a sense of curiosity and wonder.

  Her father caught her absentminded stare and waved her over. She stepped around a cooler and dodged a fishing pole with the few steps it took to get to him.

  “Tess, honey, I was just telling Nathan here that I used to take you and Simon fishing when we went out to Cape Hatteras in the summers. It made me remember that time you caught a giant grouper,” her father said, curling an arm across her shoulders.

  Her father looked towards Nathan again. “She was around Jordan’s age, eight or nine, and had a blast tugging that fish into the boat. Grouper’s good to eat. Not quite as famous as Alaskan salmon and halibut, but cooked right, it’s delicious.”

  Nathan turned his bright blue eyes to her. They crinkled at the corners when he smiled. “So have you inherited your father’s love of fishing? Or you’re just a good sport and tag along because you know he loves it?” he asked with a wink.

  Tess felt her lips curling in a smile, almost in spite of herself. Butterflies swirled in her center, rattling her composure. Nathan’s smile was sparks to tinder—hers, that is. She forced her attention to the moment, tilting her head to the side and glancing to her father. “It’s a bit of both. I almost always go fishing with my dad, so you could say I tag along. But then, I love it whenever I go. Hoping to take my turn at a halibut in a bit here. I was just waiting to give dad a chance to be the first to catch one.”

  Her father smiled even wider, if that was possible. He was so damn happy since they’d stepped off the plane here, just about everything elicited a smile.

  Nathan glanced back and forth between them. “That makes your dad happy,” he said with a chuckle. “Whenever you’re ready, let me know. May not have known your dad long, but I doubt he cares who catches the first halibut.”

  Tess didn’t try to avoid smiling this time. “You’re right about my dad, which is why I want him to catch the first halibut. As much as he loves to fish, this is his to take.” She looked to her fath
er again. “Get that line back in the water before Jordan or Simon beats you to it. You love talking about fishing as much as actually fishing, but you can talk and fish at the same time.” She leaned her shoulder into him with a soft push. “I’ll sit with you.” She turned back to Nathan. “If he doesn’t bring a halibut up in the next half hour, how about helping me get going?”

  Nathan nodded. “Of course. That’s my job.”

  “How about you help me get set up this time?” her father asked Nathan. “I thought I knew how far to let the line go, but I’m not sure.”

  Her father’s arm slid off her shoulders as he turned to step to the side of the boat. Nathan gave her a long look before he followed her father. Her heart fluttered and she felt a flash of heat in her core. It had been so long since she’d felt that way towards any man, it was unsettling. She distracted herself by looking around the boat. Jared appeared to be the assigned boat driver. He stood at the helm, holding the steering wheel in a relaxed grip. Of the three brothers, he was the most reserved, but still friendly with a wry sense of humor. Luke, the other brother, was busy talking with Jordan. He knelt beside Jordan and appeared to be explaining something related to nautical knots as he held a length of boat line in his hands and gestured to one of the knots. Jordan nodded along. While Tess couldn’t hear what they were saying over the wind on the water, she could hear the tone of their voices, Jordan’s lilting in the way it did when he was asking question upon question. The fluttering in her heart had stopped and the heat subsided inside. She shook her head. The last thing she needed was to get worked up over some fishing guide from Alaska.