Today, she thought. Please let it happen today.
Cody couldn’t help but smile when Cassie opened the door to her townhome. She’d been so professional in how she’d dressed the other day at the fire station, so perfectly styled and manicured and flawless. No doubt, the woman had been hot. Capital H Hot, but he’d felt intimidated by her, too, like they weren’t on the same playing field in life.
Looking at her today, wearing jeans, riding boots, and a tight black tank top that showed off the tantalizing curve of her breasts was hot on a whole other level. With her blond hair in two braids and her simpler style of clothing, she looked more like a woman he could handle. More like a woman he had a chance in hell with.
“Hey there,” he said as he came up the walk.
“Hey there, yourself.” Cassie leaned against the doorframe with a hand on her hip. “How did you like the feature segment I did on the fire station?”
“I liked it fine,” Cody said, although he’d been teased mercilessly by the other guys for his starring role. He stopped in front of her on the small porch step. “But the fire chief called over and bitched to Jack Barnes because you didn’t give him any face time.”
“You were more interesting … and a lot more photogenic,” Cassie said, laughing. “Hey, am I dressed okay? I wasn’t sure what to wear since I don’t know what we’re doing.”
“It’ll do.” Cody resisted the urge to tug on one of her braids. “We’re going fishing, if you must know.”
“Fishing? As in, with fish?”
He grinned. “Is there any other kind?”
“I guess not. Why don’t you come on in while I get my—” Her cell phone rang. “Oh, I’d better grab that. It could be work.”
He followed her, stopping just inside the door, as Cassie rushed to her phone. He took a quick glance around, hoping for more clues about her, but he was disappointed. The house had reddish hardwood floors, all-white walls, and bland corporate-style furniture that he suspected had come with the rental. There was nothing to reveal Cassie’s personality, not a single personal touch anywhere.
“Hello?” Cassie said into the phone, giving him an apologetic smile. And then she paled, and stiffened, and turned from him. “You have the wrong number.”
She ended the call and tossed her phone on the dining room table like it had given her an electric shock.
“Everything okay?” Cody said, seeing clearly that everything was not okay.
“I’m fine.” Cassie sounded distant. “Can you just—? I’ll be right back.”
She took off toward the stairs which presumably led up to her bedroom and disappeared from sight. Cody suddenly worried she was going to cancel the outing, which he’d been looking forward to for days. When she came back down a few minutes later with a shaky but determined smile, he was relieved.
“You got some texts,” he said, nodding at the phone on the table, which had buzzed several times while she was upstairs.
She summoned a big sigh and checked the messages, her face unreadable as she did so. He watched as she turned off the volume on her phone and set it on her kitchen counter. Then she gave him a bright, forced smile.
“So, fishing!” she said. “It occurred to me that I might have to murder helpless little squiggly worms in our quest to catch a fish.”
Cody laughed. He imagined that she’d never touched an earthworm in her life.
“Hey, I’m game,” Cassie added. “It’s just … ew.”
“About that call,” Cody began.
“Don’t worry about it.” She waved it off. “It’s just the past trying not to let me go.”
“A messy breakup?” he guessed.
“Not exactly. It’s really nothing.”
Cody wanted to know more, but he could tell she didn’t want to talk about it. He wanted to hug her and tell her everything would be all right. His instinct was always to support women when they were feeling sad or mad or weak, a legacy left over from his childhood and dealing with his mother. He’d gotten along well with his last girlfriend for the most part, not much drama, but when they did argue she accused him of treating her like she was too fragile. I’m as strong as you, she’d said. As capable as you, and I can damn well take care of myself. Stop treating me like a china doll that’s about to break.
He’d had plenty of time to ponder her words in the year since their relationship had ended, and he’d taken them to heart. Growing up, a shroud of depression had descended on his mother at predictable intervals—October through March—and it rendered her lethargic and incapable of getting through the days like a normal person. As a little kid, he’d tried valiantly to keep up her spirits, to coax a smile out of her, to keep the darkness away. But her moods changed with the seasons, and she slipped away from him and his father every winter, largely taking to her bed as she waited for the long darkness to pass. Her presence was an anchor that weighed them down, a sleeping beast they tiptoed around. So Cody knew a thing or two about how the past could hold on to a person, and he also knew better than to comfort a woman who didn’t want it.
“Let’s get out of here,” Cassie said.
She left her phone behind, gathered her purse and keys, and came over by him, touching him lightly on the arm to guide him out the door, which she locked behind them. As she bent to lock it, he caught a whiff of her hair, a warm scent of coconut and vanilla, and he wanted to pull her to him, tuck her head against his shoulder, and tell her to forget whatever reminder of the past had upset her.
But he said nothing, because he trusted that Cassie could handle herself.
“So where are we going fishing?” she asked as they started off in his Dodge Ram.
“Sean’s place is along the Nanook River,” he said. “He offered his back yard for the day.”
Initially, he’d wanted to take her to his hunting cabin on White Spruce Lake. Accessible only by boat, the cabin was on the remote shore of a long, narrow lake high in the Alaska Range that Cody considered one of the most pristine spots in the world. But he decided against taking her out into the wilderness alone their very first time together in case it made her uncomfortable. After witnessing how shaken up that phone call had gotten her, he was glad he’d decided against it.
The last thing he wanted to do was scare her away.
7
Cassie was quiet on the drive to Sean’s property, staring out the window and fighting off the urge to cry.
How had Stalker Doug gotten her personal cell phone number? He hadn’t had it before she left New York. He would have used it if he had. She’d thought about changing her number anyway, but deactivating all her social media and changing her professional name and moving thousands of miles away had seemed like enough, especially since he’d never contacted her by phone before.
His words wouldn’t leave her head. “Cassandra. Beautiful Cassandra. I haven’t seen you in a while. You moved? You can’t hide from me.” At this point he’d breathed huffily into the phone, the sound too-close in her ear. “But no matter. I’ll be seeing you soon. You can count on it.”
She hadn’t thought twice about answering her phone, but hearing his voice again sent a familiar icy dread slithering down her spine. She’d instinctively said he had the wrong number and disconnected the call, but of course the bastard wouldn’t let her go.
Don’t ever hang up on me again, he’d texted. Ignoring me will not end well for you.
As if she’d keep her phone number one day longer now that he’d somehow acquired it. And how had he? It was unlisted, and paid for under her father’s account. A panicky, irrational instinct made her want to pack up again, to flee Golden Falls, but during the drive to Sean’s place she reasoned herself out of it. There was no way he could know she was in Alaska. She’d changed her professional name and rented the townhouse, all utilities included, under Abby’s name. She’d bought a used Toyota Camry with cash and put the title and registration under an LLC she’d created just for that purpose. Nor had she changed over her driver’s lic
ense to Alaska, so for all public purposes, her old self was still in New York.
There was no reason to think he had any clue where she was, no reason for him to think she was anywhere other than hiding in plain sight among New York City’s millions of residents. She was safe here. Anonymous.
“Ever been camping before?” Cody asked, as if trying to draw her out of her anxious funk.
She turned her gaze from the passenger-side window and looked at him. In profile, Cody was as handsome as he was straight on, with his strong jaw and chiseled cheekbones, and, of course, those bulky arms. Looking at him relaxed her. Excited her, too.
“No, I’ve never camped. My parents are total city people. Well, except we used to go skiing in Vail every winter, and there’s plenty of nature there.”
“You ski, huh?”
She nodded. “I was thinking about trying cross-country this winter. Have you ever done that?”
“Oh, sure,” Cody said. “That and snowshoeing were my primary means of getting around in Bettles during winter when I was a kid. It wasn’t recreation so much as it was a necessity.”
“You must have had an interesting childhood, being from such a tiny, remote place.”
“I had a lot of freedom, and I basically grew up in the wilderness,” he said. “Not a bad way to spend a childhood.”
“Are you an only child?”
“Yeah. You?”
She nodded. “Me, too.” She looked out the window at the trees flashing by. “I bet you’re more comfortable outdoors than indoors.”
“I sure am. So you’ve never camped. Ever gone hunting?’
“No!” She laughed at the idea, and then looked closer when she saw the merry look in his eyes. “Why do you ask?”
“Because you can’t truly understand Alaskans until you hunt and fish and camp,” he said.
“Are you telling me those are all going to be part of my Alaska lessons?”
“If you’re up for it.” He gave her a sidelong glance. “Are you?”
His quiet presence put her at ease, made her feel safe. Her stomach felt flippy again just looking at him, and she felt the impact of her stalker’s phone call and texts slip away. She’d change her number, and he’d be out of her life for good, simple as that. Out with the old, in with the new.
Cody could be her new and shiny plaything.
She gave him a flirty smile. “Ask me after today’s fishing lesson.”
“Will do.”
They drove along in companionable silence, punctuated by a few small-talk questions here and there, until they arrived at Sean’s place. When they pulled up, Cassie was pleasantly surprised to find a paved driveway bordered by long timbers, a good-sized log house, and behind it a large lawn sloping gently toward the river.
Cody parked and jumped out of the truck, coming around to open her door for her.
“Such a gentleman,” she said, putting her hand lightly in his as she hopped down.
He’d helped her down the other day from the fire truck, too, and she’d used it as an excuse to get close to him. Today, she did the same thing, tipping forward as she landed just the least bit clumsily so he had to steady her.
Reluctantly, and unable to read his intentions or body language, she withdrew her hand from his. Before they started walking toward the back of the log house and the riverbank, he grabbed a large tackle box, a duffel bag, and two spindly long fishing rods out of the covered bed of the pickup, giving Cassie an opportunity to watch him as he stretched forward and hoisted the gear.
He was every bit as hunky out of uniform as he had been in it. He wore a t-shirt that stretched tight across his broad chest and arms, and nylon khaki pants Cassie guessed one would wear for fishing.
“Is Sean home?” she asked.
Cody shook his head. “Gone for the day, but he’s always happy to lend his back yard for fishing.”
“This is some back yard.”
The Nanook River was wild and gorgeous, a rushing band of blue-gray. The river ran through the middle of town, but here Sean’s soft green shag grass lawn sloped down to a rocky edge, interspersed with the occasional tall pine tree. Afternoon sun filtered down and glinted off the water. A slight chill in the shadows was a reminder of how far north she was.
They walked to the river, where Cody set down the tackle box and rods. He unzipped the duffel bag and pulled out a pair of what looked like rubber waders, holding them by their suspenders.
“These are for you,” he said.
“Waders?” she said, feeling self-conscious and out of her element. “Oh, my. How … uh … how deep is the water? Is it safe?”
“Perfectly safe. I’ve fished here lots of times.”
Cassie glanced at the river. “It seems to be moving awfully fast.”
“Trust me,” Cody said, handing her the waders. “If you get swept away, I’ll rescue you.”
His grin was sure and sudden, and the thought of his strong arms around her gave Cassie pleasant rush throughout her body. But then he frowned.
“What’s wrong?” she said.
“We’re going to have to get you some better clothes. Jeans are no good. If they get wet, they take forever to dry. Your shoes, too. Those boots are way too nice. And leather? They’ll get ruined if they get wet or in mud. You want Gore-Tex.”
Cassie thought her English riding boots had been a practical choice. “It was either these or my four-inch-high stilettos.”
Cody raised his eyebrows. “Now that would have been something to see.”
She brightened because for the first time, she felt sure he was flirting with her. Or sure that he was probably flirting with her. He was so subtle, it was hard to tell.
“Play your cards right and maybe you will,” she said, relishing how his face reddened at her forwardness. Cassie was the opposite of subtle, the opposite of shy.
“I look forward to that,” Cody said. “But for now, go ahead and take off your boots. It won’t hurt to just wear socks with the waders.”
“Okay.”
She leaned down to take off a boot but wobbled as she tried to balance. Cody put his hands on his knees and bent at the waist. “Here, use my shoulder.”
She could feel the hard bulge of his trapezoid muscle, solid as a rock under his t-shirt. She wanted to run her hand along his body and go exploring. She imagined what he would look like shirtless—or better yet, naked. The thought was a physical ache between her legs. It was difficult to concentrate on taking off her boots.
Cody moved the waders next to her so she could step into them without getting her socks dirty. He put the straps over her shoulders and tightened them, and she stood perfectly still except for the rapid, lusty beating of her heart as she felt his touch through the fabric of her tank top.
“All set.” He stepped into his own pair and grabbed one of the fishing poles. “Fly fishing is an art. Don’t worry if you don’t get the hang of it right away.”
“I’m sure I won’t,” she said. “But at least I’m building my Alaska credibility with my news director.”
“Are you having problems with him?”
“I don’t think he wants to invest much in me because he thinks I’m a short-timer.”
“Which you are.”
“Which I am.”
Their eyes locked briefly, and Cassie thought she saw a flicker of disappointment in his.
“I’ll step out first into the river,” he said. “The current will be strong, but we’ll be able to stand, and we won’t go too far in. Grab my hand.”
Cassie took Cody’s large hand. He clasped hers reassuringly and she, feeling aroused and afraid and all kinds of conflicted, followed him into the river.
8
Fishing had always been a relaxing activity, but that day Cody was anything but relaxed. He’d never gone fishing with a woman before, especially not one he’d been fantasizing about for days. They’d only spent one day together, the day at the fire station, but she’d been on his mind ever since.
&
nbsp; Specifically, he’d envisioned her plush lips. Her ample breasts. Her narrow waist.
Her long eyelashes.
Her shapely legs.
The coconut-vanilla scent of her gleaming blond hair.
Cody was sure he must have embellished her features, made them into something they weren’t. But seeing her on the riverbank, tumbling out of her riding boots with the sunlight hitting her hair just so, he realized she was even more beautiful in person than she’d been in his memory.
He wanted her, and he wanted her bad. He wanted to lay her down on the bank of the river, unbutton those tight jeans, pull them off, and grip her firm ass as he explored her mouth with his tongue—her mouth and other places, if she’d let him. That tank top could be thrown off, too.
So here he was, wading into the water with a hard-on for the woman who’d just told him she was leaving at the first chance she got. But even that hadn’t dampened his desire for her.
Still holding hands, he carried one fishing rod for them to start with, planning to retrieve the other once she was comfortable. They went about a quarter of the way into the river.
“This is good,” he said when the water came up to his thighs and her hips. “I’ll cast first so you can observe, and then I’ll let you do it. It’s all in the shoulder.” He reached into his pocket, brought out a nymph, baited it, and then turned back to Cassie. “Like this.” He cast his line expertly, aiming for a small cove of rocks where trout would feel protected. “Now we wait a few minutes, see if anything bites, and then cast again.”
Upon seeing the nymph, Cassie narrowed her eyes in a cute challenge. “You said there’d be worms.”
“Did I?” He grinned. “I can dig some up for you if you want.”
“No, no—this is good!”
“Are you ready to try casting the line?”
She flashed a faintly anxious smile. “I feel like I’ll get it caught in my hair or something.”
True North (Golden Falls Fire Book 1) Page 5