Courting Carolina

by Chapman, Janet

  “I set it a quarter mile away because the sound of the falls doesn’t allow you to hear danger approaching.”

  “What kind of danger?”

  “Like a thunderstorm or helicopter or…a woman screaming.”

  She grabbed his belt with her fingers—poking him in the back with a fir branch—and pulled him to a stop, then walked around to stand facing him, her brow furrowed. “Are you saying you actually consider such things when you’re laying out a trail?”

  “Not so much the helicopter and woman screaming,” he said with a grin. “But a thunderstorm catching a hiker by surprise in the middle of the night can be dangerous. And I prefer to hear a bear nosing around before I wake up to find it sitting on my chest.” He gave her a wink. “We might close our eyes to sleep, but there’s a reason we don’t have ear-lids.”

  Well, she didn’t look embarrassed by his answer this time, but she definitely looked thoughtful as she turned away and started for camp again. Not five minutes later, she suddenly started walking backward. “That makes perfect sense.” She smiled. “Which is why it’s a good thing you are laying out the trail and not me.” She turned back around with a decided spring in her slightly limping gait. “Would you mind if I stayed at the shelter after lunch and…took a nap?”

  Oh yeah, Jane Smith knew exactly what she did to men. “Not at all, sweetheart,” he said cheerily through gritted teeth as he watched her sashaying bottom. “I guess if you can scream loud enough, I might hear you if that big old bear that’s been hanging around follows his nose to the cooler of ham this afternoon.”

  This time he was ready when she glanced over her shoulder, and he had his eyes trained on her face. “A bear?” she squeaked, looking into the woods on both sides of the trail before turning to him. “There’s been a bear hanging around your shelter?”

  He nodded, and smiled, and took over the lead again. “That’s why I keep all the food in a sealed locker. But don’t worry; Kit might be able to scare him off. Although,” he said cheerily, “it is a really big bear. Speaking of Kit, where is your pet?”

  “He ran off when the helicopter arrived,” she said as she rushed to catch up.

  Alec grinned at the worry in her voice, not the least bit contrite. Two could play her little game. And if the woman was going to drive him crazy, he was going to damn well make sure she did it in plain sight, since he only had her for a week. Hell, maybe he’d have to take off his shirt this afternoon while he anchored the bridge. Yeah, it had grown noticeably hot for mid-September all of a sudden.

  Chapter Four

  Apparently the threat of a big old hungry bear hanging around was enough to turn the tough and resilient Jane into a clinging vine. By the time they made it back to camp later that afternoon, Alec sorely regretted scaring her, as babysitting a nervous princess was enough to make even a saint take up serious drinking. He was dog tired; mostly because his poor confused blood cells had spent the day rushing to his groin, only to find out they weren’t really needed and had to rush back to his upper brain before he said or did something else stupid.

  Honest to God, this nightmare just might kill him. But at least he’d die smiling, he decided as he stretched out on the fir-tip mattress Jane had made him with the tarp he’d lugged to the bridge for her after lunch. Well, she’d made it in between bouts of rushing to him at every little noise she’d heard in the woods. Apparently escaping knife- and gun-wielding kidnappers spoke to Jane’s braver side, whereas bears had her needing big strong arms to hold her while the big strong man they belonged to whispered assurances that he wouldn’t let anything hurt her.

  Oh yeah, he’d been thinking with his lower brain when he’d mentioned the bear, especially seeing how Kit still hadn’t shown his fur-covered face since the helicopter had spooked him this morning—which implied the wolf also had selective bravery.

  “I stink,” Jane unabashedly announced as she came up the shelter steps, slightly out of breath from her run to and from the privy in broad daylight. “I haven’t had a bath in four days.”

  He’d been waiting for that announcement, actually, and had spent a good part of the day coming up with a plan to accommodate her—because Jane was always so kiss-bestowing grateful when he did. “I can remedy that, but it will require a boat ride.”

  She straightened from sitting on the food locker trying to tug off her boots, her expression wary. “I don’t wish to go into town.”

  “Not to town; just across the fiord. Then you have the choice of hiking a couple of miles up to a warm-water pool, or we can stay at the shoreline where the brook spills into the fiord—except the water’s cooled off a bit by the time it reaches there.”

  She stopped tugging on her boot again, her eyes lighting with interest. “There’s a pool that’s warm enough for swimming?”

  He nodded. “It’s the temperature of bathwater. But it’s a two-mile hike up the mountain,” he reminded her. “In the dark.”

  “Didn’t you say your uncle lives on that side of the fiord?”

  He sat up, nodding again. “Aye, but Duncan and Peg’s home is down by the shore and a good three miles from the pool.”

  “How far to their house from where the brook spills into the fiord?”

  “About a mile.”

  “And how cool is the water by the time it reaches there?”

  “Still warm enough to bathe in.” Without freezing off your luscious little heart-shaped bottom, he silently added.

  She stood up. “If we leave now, we could be there before dark.”

  Alec lay back against his duffel bag, locking his hands behind his head. “Too risky. Someone might see you in my boat. And since I’ve used up my monthly quota of lies on the sheriff, I’d rather not have to come up with another one—especially to Duncan—explaining what I’m doing running around with a woman nobody is missing. So, it’s either go after dark or heat up water on the camp stove and take a sponge bath.”

  “Do you take the boat across the fiord to bathe every day?”

  He grinned in anticipation. “No, I take a shower in the falls we were at today.”

  “But that water was freezing when I dipped my hand in it!”

  “I’m a first-generation Maine highlander, lass,” he said with a laugh. “My father had me and my brothers swimming in cold mountain ponds since we could walk. So, what’ll it be: a sponge bath or a boat ride?”

  “Are there bears across the fiord?”

  He was going to hell for the lies he was telling, but Jane did seem to bring out the best of him. “Nay, I believe the beasts prefer this side of the waterway.”

  She nibbled her bottom lip, glancing at her larger satchel. “I didn’t think to pack a swimsuit,” she said, looking over at him, “because it’s September in Maine.”

  He arched a brow. “So you were on your way to Maine when they kidnapped you from that Boston hotel?”

  She nodded.

  “Where in Maine?”

  “I had rented a cottage on Mount Desert Island near Acadia National Park. But when I realized the kidnappers must have discovered my iden—my itinerary, I decided to fool them by coming inland instead.”

  “So you were heading to Nova Mare when they caught up with you?”

  She hesitated, then nodded again. “I didn’t have reservations for a cottage, though. But I thought they might have the hotel finished since the last time I was there.”

  “When was that?”

  She walked to her satchel and opened it. “About two years ago.”

  Okay then; either Jane was finally getting her own lies in order, or her tall tale was actually starting to make sense to him. Well, except that she’d changed her mind about going to the resort for some reason and decided she preferred camping out in the middle of nowhere with him. “Right around the time you had your fight with dear old dictatorial Daddy,” he said, “and he disowned you. Has he stayed at Nova Mare?”

  She looked over her shoulder at him. “That…that’s where we had the fight.”


  “Then why come back here?”

  “Because this is the last place he would expect me to come.”

  Alec scrubbed his face in his hands, then dropped them to grin at her. “That was pretty damn smart. But let me get this straight; you came here to hide from both your kidnappers and your father? And no one in your family knows you’re missing?”

  She sat down on the sleeping bag and wrapped her arms around her knees with a nod. “And I don’t believe the other man who was in on the kidnapping is aware that I’m missing, either.” She looked up at the rafters and frowned. “Well, he might know by now, but he’d left to go set up for the ransom before I escaped.”

  Alec jerked upright. “Are you saying the ransom demand may have already been delivered? For the love of God, why did you wait until now to tell me?”

  She went perfectly still, her eyes widening in alarm. “I thought it didn’t matter, since I’m no longer kidnapped.”

  “But the third kidnapper and your father don’t know that.” Alec jumped to his feet, making her scramble across the sleeping bag to the back corner of the shelter. “Jane,” he said softly, reining in his own alarm. “Your father probably has the authorities in twenty different countries looking for you right now.”

  “I told you, he disowned me.”

  “And I told you that no matter what the fight was about, fathers do not turn their backs on their children when they’re in danger.”

  She pressed deeper into the corner, hugging herself into a tight ball even as she raised her chin defiantly. “I’m not going back to him, Alec,” she whispered. “Not ever.”

  He turned away and rubbed his neck, blowing out a harsh sigh. “Pack your small satchel with whatever you need for your bath,” he said, walking down the steps to the trail. “We’ll leave in a couple of hours, so fix yourself something to eat while I’m gone.”

  “Wait. Where are you going?”

  “For a walk,” he said without looking back. “I need to think.”

  “But what about the bear?”

  “If it comes around, just bang some pots together to make noise,” he said with a negligent wave over his shoulder. “It’s more afraid of you than you are of him.”

  Dammit to hell; messing around with a grown woman who wasn’t missing was one thing, but continuing to hide a kidnapping victim from her father and probably the authorities was an entirely different matter, and potentially dangerous.

  Christ, they could eventually trail her here, catch sight of him with her, and shoot first and not ask questions until after. Or, if Daddy was as rich as Alec suspected he was, there was a chance the man would just quietly hire professionals to find her, and they wouldn’t ask questions before or after—just like he hadn’t for eight years. He used to get in, get the goods—human or otherwise—and get out; his first concern not implicating his country in the crime, his second getting out alive, and his third effectively dealing with anyone who could mess up concerns one and two.

  Alec eventually reached the fiord and crouched down on his heels just inside the tree line to stare at his overturned boat. He was back to his theory that Jane was an innocent victim of a cult or fraternity crime gone bad—except how had the kidnappers known who her father was? Jane’s fake IDs had been professionally made, and she’d obviously been taught to use them by someone who knew the intricacies of traveling between countries without raising any red flags. So where was this mentor, and why hadn’t Jane run to him—or her—when she’d escaped?

  And why Spellbound Falls, other than because she’d been here before, he wondered as he rubbed his face in his hands—only to stop in mid rub. Maybe she had been running to her mentor but hadn’t quite reached him. Alec looked back toward the mountain. Maybe that’s why Jane had wanted to stay at camp this afternoon; she’d intended to use the satellite phone to call and let the guy know she’d been trying to get to him when the bastards had caught up with her again.

  Well, she was all alone with the phone now. And he’d bet his hunting rifle that she didn’t realize he could look up the last numbers dialed on the call log. So, okay then; he was finally getting somewhere. Jane Smith, who now was most likely officially missing, obviously had someone in Spellbound Falls—because this was literally the end of the road to nowhere—who could fabricate entire identities and who cared enough about her to help pay her way.

  Mac? He had the means—albeit magical—to conjure up some driver’s licenses and credit cards, and he certainly had the bankroll to keep Jane in the lifestyle she was obviously accustomed to when her jewelry ran out. But then, Alec wondered with a frown, how come he’d never seen her around town the last two summers he’d been here? Jane wasn’t exactly a woman who would have slipped his notice, even in the throng of tourists who’d been flocking to the Bottomless Sea since its magical creation two and a half years ago.

  But if Mac was Jane’s friend, then why hadn’t she just let him call the resort to come get her yesterday? Who else in town might have the knowledge required to invent a whole new identity? Alec stilled again. Sam Waters, Olivia’s long-lost father. The moment he’d met Sam, he’d realized there was more to the man than met the eye. Rumor was Sam had abandoned Olivia thirty years ago to protect her from his enemies, and men didn’t make enemies who went after daughters unless those enemies were cold-blooded killers—much like his own targets had been. Hell, he doubted Sam Waters was the man’s real name. Sam’s father was Ezra Dodd, who owned the Bottomless Mercantile & Trading Post in Spellbound, and he’d bet his hunting rifle again that Dodd was also a bogus name.

  Christ, he’d been living with a bunch of shadows right under his own damn nose for the past two summers. Had his instincts gone to hell in a handbasket, or what? But then, Waters could have been nothing more than a common criminal and Mac could have simply…erased his father-in-law’s past transgressions, because the wizard was just that much in love with Olivia.

  Alec straightened and walked to his boat and stood staring down at it with another frown. So that meant Jane’s ID-forging mentor could be anyone in Spellbound Falls. Or maybe Turtleback Station, which was a larger town on the southern end of Bottomless. Or the guy could merely be a frequent guest of Nova Mare. Jane could have called him when she’d escaped her kidnappers, but in order to keep their rendezvous a secret they could have agreed to meet out on the water. Only the kidnappers had caught up with her first, and she really hadn’t had the opportunity to get in touch with him since Alec had kept her pretty well occupied today.

  Alec started to turn over the boat, but snapped his head up at the sound of a wave cresting offshore. He dropped onto his belly when he saw the swirl speeding toward the small gravel beach, recognizing the unmistakable head and dorsal fin of a killer whale break the surface. There was a sudden flash of light just as a burst of energy pushed through the air with enough force to make— Sweet Christ, the whale turned into a wolf the moment it hit land!

  It had been traveling at such great speed that the momentum nearly drove the wolf’s nose into the ground as it stumbled to gain its footing, continuing up past him at a flat-out run and disappearing into the forest. Alec straightened to his knees in time to catch a glimpse of it heading up the mountain in the direction of the shelter.

  He scrubbed his face in his hands—after using them to close his gaping mouth—then jumped to his feet and ran to where the whale—no, the wolf—had exited the water. His jaw dropped again as he stared down at the wet tracks that went from the dragging imprint of a broad belly and fins to paws clawing for purchase, then slowly lifted his gaze to where it had run into the forest. He swayed at the rush of blood draining from his head, and fell to his knees with a muttered curse.

  Kit was an ocean wolf—an orca.

  Which meant the woman he’d rescued really was a princess.

  And he was a lust-blinded idiot standing neck-deep in the goddamned magic.

  Chapter Five

  They walked down to the boat at dusk without talking, Jane
finally breaking the silence once he pushed them into the fiord. “Please don’t be angry with me, Alec,” she said as she hugged Kit to her on the front seat. “I didn’t tell you about the other man leaving before I escaped because it never occurred to me that it might be important.”

  Alec stopped with his hand on the motor cord and blew out a heavy sigh. “I’m not mad at you, Jane. I’m just not being talkative because I still haven’t decided what this means for us—for you staying with me without letting anyone know you’re okay.”

  “Is there some way we could get word to my father without revealing where I am? What about your uncle? Could Duncan help us?”

  Alec looked her directly in the eyes and nodded. “Tell me your father’s name and how to reach him, and I’ll have Duncan get word to him.”

  She mutely dropped her gaze, only to suddenly lift her head again. “What if you take me to Turtleback Station and I call him myself?”

  “If the authorities are already involved, or if your father hired professionals to find you, his phone is set up to trace calls. Even if you kept the conversation short, they’d be able to trace you at least to Maine. And considering two strange men were found dead in the resort’s woods, this would be the first place they’d check. And I’m only guessing here, but I’m thinking the moment your father discovers you were kidnapped, your two years of freedom will come to an abrupt end—with or without your cooperation.”

  She hung her head again.

  “Well, I hope Kit doesn’t get seasick,” Alec growled as he pulled the cord and started the motor. He put it in gear and sent the boat speeding diagonally up the fiord. Dammit to hell, why wouldn’t she admit who she really was? She’d been trusting him with her life and her damn value for almost two days, so why not her identity? Did she think he’d be so in awe of her father that he’d run up the mountain shouting he had her?

  Christ, he was probably the only person in Spellbound Falls who wouldn’t know her on sight, likely because he’d been in Pine Creek whenever she’d been visiting.