by Marie Carnay
He would deal with it by keeping all of his dates as far away from her as possible. One look at Keira and his mother would hear wedding bells. He needed to rein her in before she ruined everything.
Keira sat next to him in the passenger seat, oblivious to his inner turmoil. She stared out the window, craning her head to catch a glimpse of the town as it came into view. Grant had grown up a few blocks from the restaurant and he loved the town. But to outsiders it was more a pit stop than anything. With only a handful of businesses, a bar, and a not a single stop light, it wasn’t much to talk about. But it was home.
He turned onto Main Street and forced a smile. “This is Pinetree. Like I said, it’s not much.”
Keira smiled back and looked past him to catch a glimpse of the only bar. “It’s wonderful. Is this the center of town?”
Grant nodded.
“I’ve always wanted to go somewhere like this. All the little shops in a row on the street. A place where everyone knows you and says hello. It’s so different from the big city. Everything’s so impersonal and shallow there.” She turned back to her window and twisted around as they drove past the town square. “How long have you lived here?”
“My whole life.” To her it probably seemed ridiculous. Spending years in a town no bigger than a subdivision in Seattle. But she didn’t grow up there.
Keira pointed at a storefront. “What’s that?”
Grant glanced at the windows covered in posters for hunting and fishing. “That’s Dwayne’s place. He tries to bring in tourists in the summer months.”
“For what?”
He scowled. “Guided hunts. He hikes people out and assists in locating big game. Moose and elk. Grizzlies.”
“Doesn’t sound like you care for him much.”
Understatement of the year. “I don’t. He’s always skirting the law. There are very few places you can legally hunt in this area. Most of the surrounding area is private or protected park land. And Dwayne’s practices are…” He trailed off. The last thing Grant wanted was to drag up Dwayne’s history with Keira. She could find out all about him later. “Let’s just say he’s not the most ethical guide.”
Keira nodded and Grant pulled into a parking spot in front of Mabel’s Diner.
“Well, here we are.” He turned in his seat. “Before we go in, I wanted…well, it’s just…”
Keira grinned and patted his arm. “Let me guess, your mom’s a bit protective.”
Grant swallowed. “And easily excited. It’s not often I bring a girl around for internet access.”
Keira laughed. “I figured as much.”
“Am I that obvious?”
“You’ve been grimacing the entire drive.” She patted his arm. “It’s okay Grant, I won’t embarrass you.”
Oh, hell. Embarrassing him? She had no idea what she was about to get into.
8
Keira loved the look of panic on Grant’s face. She’d had to stifle a laugh the entire drive into town. The closer they got, the more nervous he became. Had he never brought a woman to meet his mother? From the looks of it, the answer was not even once.
She stole another glance at his chiseled profile. Grant had been the best lover she’d ever had. Thoughtful and gentle when he needed to be. Rough when she wanted it. Mmm.
Memories of the night before came back to her. Heat. Passion. Unbelievable sex. She ran a hand through her hair and shook her head. Part of her wanted to forget all about her camera and the photos waiting on it and the whole outside world. But reality would come calling sooner or later.
She had an apartment, a job, friends. A whole life in Seattle. Keira couldn’t just up and leave all that to what? Follow her libido into the Alaskan wild? Ridiculous.
No one uprooted their lives because of one night of great sex. But for Grant…She glanced at his face as he turned off the engine. So handsome.
A million questions bounced around inside her head. Was there a way to make it work between them? Did he want more than a one-night-stand? Could she think of…moving there?
Keira wasn’t a risk taker. She planned. Prepared. Hell, she’d wanted to come on this trip for two years before she finally made it a reality. She swallowed down her confusion and turned toward the diner. Through the windows she could make out retro chrome and red vinyl. A long counter for people to sit and sip coffee and chat. A place you could come to every day and never get tired of it.
Keira pulled the front door open before Grant could get there to be the gentleman. She caught him wiping a sheen of sweat off his brow as he hustled up. Brace yourself, Grant. There’s a first time for everything.
“Grant!” The warm honey voice rang out from behind the counter and a woman with black hair pinned up on her head and a red checked apron smiled. She hustled around the counter and stuffed her notepad in her pocket.
“Hi, Mom.”
Keira had seen the cocky, rough side of Grant. That look on his face when he told her to stay in the cabin? All man. But as he wrapped his thick arms around his mom and hugged her? He might as well have been a teddy bear. He had a soft side, too.
Keira thought she caught a whisper between the pair, but she couldn’t make out the words. At last, Grant pulled back. “Mom, this is Keira. Keira, this is my mom.”
Grant’s mother held out her hand. “Mabel Wilcox. Nice to meet you.”
Keira gave her hand a shake and smiled. “You, too.” She didn’t know what Grant was so afraid of. His mom didn’t have fangs or that crazy look some women get when their son brings home a girl. She seemed nice. Keira could work with nice.
“Are you two here for breakfast? Grant, you want the usual?”
He ran a hand through his hair and glanced at Keira. “Actually, I was hoping I could run to the station. Keira’s a nature photographer and I told her I’d be her guide this afternoon. I want to check out the latest reports before we head out.”
His mom lost the smile. “Jake stopped in for coffee. Said they’re tracking a poacher.”
Grant frowned. “Another one?” He glanced behind him toward the street. “If I find out Dwayne’s involved…”
“You’ll arrest him and get his shop shut down.” His mom caught Keira’s eye. “They have a bit of history, if you couldn’t tell.”
From the way Grant reacted, it was obvious. Keira looked at him and tried to have her face say everything’s fine. “You go ahead. I’ll send the photos, and eat some of the food that smells amazing.” She flashed his mom a smile. “Take your time. We’ll be fine.”
His mom nodded. “You heard the woman.”
“All right. Just don’t regale her with tales from my childhood, okay? She’s not interested.”
Keira held back a smile.
“I should only be gone an hour.”
She nodded and watched Grant walk out the door before turning back to his mom. “So about those childhood stories…”
His mom beamed. “Come on, I’ll get you a menu and we can chat.”
A half an hour later, Keira had stuffed herself on fluffy pancakes and some of the best sausage she’d ever eaten. She’d washed it down with enough coffee to drown Pinetree and now she was full, happy, and falling for the friendly little town.
Where Grant was the brooding, silent type, his mom was warm and gracious and downright awesome. She’d made Keira feel at home without ignoring a single customer. No wonder she ran the only diner in town. Why would anyone go somewhere else?
Keira pulled out her laptop and turned it on while Mabel chatted with the other customers.
“With a fancy set up like that, you must be from out of town.” A man with a scruffy beard and head-to-toe camouflage sat down next to Keira.
Even his boots were covered in leaf print. Wow. That’s some dedication. She gave him a smile. “That obvious, huh?”
He grunted and pulled open a menu. “You don’t look like the hunting type. You a reporter?”
A reporter? As if. “Why would you say that?”
; He scratched his beard, but didn’t take his eyes off the menu. “There’s always a story ’round these parts. You know, with all the fur lovers around.”
The what? Keira frowned. Did he think she was out to bash hunting? She glanced down at her ripstop pants and flannel button-down shirt. She didn’t look like an undercover journalist. She held out her hand. “Keira Thomas. And you are?”
He stared at her hand but didn’t move. “Name’s Dwayne Richards.”
She blinked. The guy Grant couldn’t stand? In his mom’s diner? She shook her head. “You’re the hunting guide?”
He bristled. “What’s it to you?”
“I—” What was it to her? It’s not like Grant had made another move on her. For all he cared, she was just a tourist in town who’d hired him to do a job. The thought made her frown. She knew they had a connection. She just didn’t know how to get through to him long enough to make him see it.
But none of that had a single thing to do with Dwayne. She shook her head. “It’s nothing to me. I’m not a reporter. Just a tourist.”
“Don’t look like a tourist to me with that fancy laptop and camera bag. You sure you’re not trying to get a scoop on my hunts?”
The nerve of the guy. What made his hunts so special? No one was going to treat her like that and get away with it. He wanted to think she was a reporter? Fine. She could play that game.
She turned to him with a smile. “The way you’re talking, Dwayne, it’s gotten me curious. Say I was a reporter. What’s so special about you? You aren’t…breaking the law, are you?”
Keira batted her eyelashes and Dwayne swiveled on his stool.
“If you so much as take a single photo of me or my hunting party…”
“You’ll what?”
Anger flashed in his blue eyes and his grizzled face took on a harsh edge. “I don’t care what people ’round here say. I got every right to take down an animal. I don’t got to make sure of nothin’ before I shoot it.”
Keira raised an eyebrow. What the hell was he talking about? Now the man just seemed crazy. Was he hunting endangered animals? Trespassing on private land? Whatever it was, the guy gave Keira the creeps. The last thing she wanted was to ever meet him with a gun between them.
She opened her mouth to respond when Mabel appeared with a pot of coffee and the same gracious smile as before.
“Are you harassing this nice young woman, Dwayne?”
He scowled and swiveled back toward the counter. “No ma’am. Just makin’ conversation.”
“Good, because she’s a guest of Grant’s. He’s taking her out later today to go hiking, isn’t that right dear?”
Keira nodded. If Mabel could be nice to Dwayne, she supposed she could be, too. Even if the guy deserved to be shaken up. She exhaled and turned back to her computer. “I’m not a journalist, Mr. Richards. I’m a photographer. I’m here to get some wildlife shots, that’s all.”
“Hmph.” Dwayne flipped his menu shut. “Still look like a reporter to me.”
Mabel paid him no mind. “That sounds lovely, Keira. You do that full-time?”
Keira blushed. She hated telling people about her job. “It sounds silly, but I’m a food photographer in Seattle. I take photos for magazines, restaurants, the paper.”
Dwayne gave her the side-eye. “You take pictures of food? And people pay you?”
Keira nodded.
He shook his head. “You lower-forty-eight types have too much time on your hands.”
Mabel put a take-out container in front of him. “Here you go, Dwayne. Three-egg omelet and bacon. All ready for you.”
He fished out a handful of bills and set them on the counter. “Thanks. Be seein’ you.”
Keira watched as he pushed off the stool and walked out of the restaurant before turning back to Grant’s mom. “Is he always like that?”
Mabel nodded. “Pretty much.”
“How’s he stay in business? I wouldn’t want to go anywhere with a grizzly like him.”
Mabel laughed and it warmed the whole room. “I knew I liked you. But he’s not a grizzly, dear. Just an angry old man who doesn’t want to change.” She re-filled Keira’s empty mug and whisked away her dishes.
The food had been so good, Keira contemplated licking the plate clean. “Breakfast was delicious. Thanks.”
“Glad you liked it.”
Keira nodded. “I’ve never been one to shy away from food. As evidenced by the size of my back end.” She gave a little shimmy.
Mabel smiled. “Nothing wrong with a healthy appetite and a curvy figure. Grant likes a girl who can eat.”
Keira grinned. Was this the meddling mom Grant was so afraid of? “He seems like a nice guy.” And one hell of a kisser.
“Thirty-five years old and still not married. It just breaks my heart.” Mabel wiped the counter clean with a frown. But her face brightened as her eyes settled on Keira. “He says he just hasn’t met the right girl yet. Maybe that’s about to change.”
Keira’s mouth fell open. His mom approved of her already? She picked up her coffee and took a sip to avoid answering.
Mabel pointed at the laptop like she hadn’t just set off explosions in Keira’s head. “Do you have any photos on your laptop? I’d love to see some.”
Keira exhaled in relief. Photos she could talk about. “You bet. I can set up a slideshow in a jiffy.”
9
Leaving Keira with his mom had to be one of the worst ideas Grant had ever had. She’d been trying to marry him off for years. More recently she had started pulling out the guilt card that soon she’d be too old to enjoy her grandchildren, assuming she ever had any. There were worse things a mother could do, but he wasn’t in any hurry, and he hated being rushed—especially when it came to his love life.
Not sitting down to breakfast with them had at least kept the conversation to a minimum. It gave him a chance to run home, grab a quick shower and change, and figure out what the hell his feelings for this woman amounted to. She was only in town a week. One week and she’d be gone. He needed to remember that.
He hustled into the station and tipped his hat to Betsy, who was crocheting behind the front desk. “Thought it was your day off today, Grant,” she called out. “Especially since you had to camp out in the park last night.”
“Just wanted to check in with the boys on a few things.” He didn’t pause for any further conversation. It was bad enough that everyone in the office probably knew that he had spent the night with a hiker he’d just met.
He found Killian and Jake, another trooper on the force, near the back of the station sitting at their desks. Killian looked up, and by the shit-eating grin on his face, had already guessed what Grant and Keira had been up to the previous evening.
“How’s the hot photographer this morning?”
“Safe and sound, which is what is important. I barely caught her before she would have gone around that bend right before the falls.”
“Lucky for her that you were there.”
Grant wasn’t going to point out that she wouldn’t have gone into the water if it hadn’t been for him. “Let’s focus on the business at hand, shall we?” Grant said, eager to change the subject. “I didn’t find the boat Cooper called in about, so I thought I’d head back out there today and check it out.”
“Isn’t it your day off?” Jake piped in.
Grant cursed himself. “After what happened yesterday, Keira agreed that she probably needs a guide. She wants to get some shots of the falls, so I offered to take her out there.”
Killian’s grin grew even wider as he leaned back in his seat. “Seems you and Keira are getting mighty close. Did you keep each other warm last night? It was pretty chilly out there.”
“Cool it Killian. I pulled her out of the river and made sure that she didn’t end up with hypothermia due to overexposure or a severe concussion. I was doing my job.”
“Remind me where to find hooking up with a hot woman in the rule book.”
&nbs
p; Fuck this. He wasn’t going to be goaded into talking about last night. Not with an ass like Killian. “If there isn’t anything else…”
Jake stopped him. “Before you go, come take a look at this.” Grant made his way over to the counter where Jake had spread out a map. Kill sites had been marked in red X’s on the map. There were too many.
“I’m taking Keira back out this afternoon to get some more shots. I’ll swing by the area where Cooper saw the boat.”
Killian tensed next to him. “You think that’s a good idea?”
Grant stared at the X’s. “Either of you have time to do it?”
Both men shook their heads.
“Then I don’t think I have a choice.”
Jake nodded before pointing at the map. “I’ve marked all the bear sightings of the past week in yellow.”
Grant whistled. “They’re coming in way closer to town than usual.”
Jake nodded. “They’re hungry early this season. With the weak salmon run, they’ve been venturing closer and closer to Pinetree.”
No wonder unauthorized kills had increased. He knew exactly who was responsible. “I take it Dwayne’s had it easy this season.”
“He’s not the only one.” Killian stepped forward. With his dark brown hair and enormous build, you’d think he played for the NFL. Instead, he was one of the toughest troopers in Alaska. He pointed at one of the red marks on the map. “I caught an outfit from Anchorage in the park yesterday. They’d gotten a male grizzly. He’d come down from the mountains. From the look of the carcass, he was hungry. You know what they’re like if they’ve had a bad season.”
Grant nodded. If it had been tough to pack on weight that summer, grizzlies could be unpredictable. Dangerous. If they were venturing down into the area on the edge of town, that meant they were desperate.
Once word got out among the unscrupulous hunters in the area, it would be open season on bears. Poachers would be swarming the town. Hunters would be out in protected areas. There would be too many to keep track of for the handful of troopers stationed in Pinetree.