At her words Jake’s face turned stoic. She took a deep breath and walked back to the river, listening to the water flowing over the rocks. Sammi felt like a fool for voicing her feelings out loud. She knew better than to do that.
“I forgot to grab waders for you. There’s no way to cross this river without getting wet. You can either do that or I can carry you.”
Sam liked the last idea. “I really don’t want to get wet, so I don’t mind if you carry me across.”
Jake drew closer.
She flashed him a glance. “Did you do this on purpose, so you would get to carry me?”
He just smiled, leaving her to wonder. Before she knew it, he’d easily picked her up in his arms and started across the river. When Sammi looked at him, his eyes told another story. They were on fire. It sent her pulse racing.
“You never answered my question, Sam. When do you leave for your next shoot?”
As Jake put her down on the opposite bank, her body slid slowly against his. She was having a difficult time thinking. “Next Friday I’m off to photograph the Greek Islands for a couple of weeks. Marta and Nels have agreed to let me live with them when I’m not working.”
“You’re coming back to Craig?” His emerald eyes revealed a glimmer of light that hadn’t been there all day.
“Yes. Does that scare you?”
“No.” He paused. “You’re really going to live with Marta and Nels?”
“Yes. I was going to rent something in town, but they wouldn’t hear of it.”
“Why not go back home to California?”
“Because I feel like this is as much my home as California. I have family here and I want to get to know my grandparents better.”
“Is that all?” His eyes were probing.
“What do you want me to say?”
A smile broke out as big as the sky. “I’d like you to say you’re interested in a guy from Alaska.” Then his expression changed. He bent down and kissed her neck. She could feel goose bumps break out on her skin where his lips had touched.
“I’d like you to say you met a ranger who finds you attractive.” He cupped her face and softly brushed her lips with his. She felt as if she’d been burned. Her breathing grew shallow from that simple touch.
“I’d like you to say he has a great dog named Beastly.”
Sammi’s husky laugh died the second their eyes met. Jake’s hand reached behind her neck and brought her lips to his in an all-consuming kiss. It felt so natural, so right the way their bodies fit together.
Oh…the way Jake kissed was unlike anything she’d ever experienced. She couldn’t get enough. Sammi met him halfway, wrapping her arms around his broad shoulders, holding on to him for support as she gave herself completely to the moment. Unfortunately, it was too short, leaving her breathless and wanting more.
As Jake pulled away, his eyes were glazed with passion and his lips were swollen. It made her feel better to know he was just as affected as she was. She began to trace the rough contour of his jawline, loving how his morning stubble felt.
“Have I said enough, Sam?”
“No. But I like what I’ve heard so far.”
Chapter Six
Sammi marveled how the day had turned out. She sat on one of the wooden chairs on the patio off the Powells’ home. The sun shone brightly above the clearing, creating a mirage of glimmering diamonds on the tranquil sea’s surface. The brilliant rays brought the various hues of nature to life, with colors she hadn’t known existed.
Jake’s parents had picked a perfect spot to hold a barbecue. Their home sat on the other side of the cove from her grandparents. The view was glorious. Bald eagles soared above the ring of trees. What amazed her most was the ocean. This evening it was alive with playful porpoises, and sea lions sunning themselves on the small islands.
This was a very different setting than the traditional small-town America celebrating Independence Day. It got Sammi thinking.
What was the ideal American Fourth of July? She thought back to her experience growing up. Wonderful memories of her mother flooded her mind, plus the smell of the vineyard, grapes ripe from the vine, freshly squeezed grape juice, quiche and potato salad.
Sammi could see herself running around the courtyard near the cottage where she and her mother lived. She had a sparkler in her hand, while her mom chased her around with three of them. That was her wonderful, eccentric mother. She’d always been Sammi’s friend.
She wondered what her mother was doing on this Fourth with her new husband.
“How was your day of hiking?” Nels asked in his quiet way.
Sammi jumped. “I didn’t hear you walk over.”
He patted her arm. “You looked lost in thought. The sea has a way of doing that to a person.” Her grandpa took a seat next to her and began to eat. He was an amazing man. To think her mom had kept them apart. How was Sammi ever going to put the two halves of her heart back together?
“The hike was beautiful,” she said. “There were some bears close by. It scared me a little. Besides that, it was enchanting and pretty much uneventful.” The image of Jake kissing her flashed into her mind. She hoped she wasn’t blushing. “I’m excited to see the fireworks tonight. What about you, Grandpa? What did you do today?”
“Oh, I went out fishing. For forty years I made my living that way. Had to retire. Arthritis.” He tried to make a fist. “But once in a while I find the call of the sea too strong not to go out and do a little bit of it now and again.”
She stared at him, thinking he must have been a handsome man when he was young. Now his skin was tough like leather, with wrinkles and sunspots. She could see how that lifestyle had taken its toll. It was written on his face. “I hear fishing is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world.”
“Part of a fisherman’s pride.”
Nels still had spunk. Maybe one day she would do a piece on the fishermen of Craig, Alaska. Spontaneously, she reached over and clasped his shoulder. “I’m so glad I found you.” She kissed his cheek, then got up and walked toward the buffet tables before she got too emotional. Tonight was for fun, not tears.
She went over to where the rest of the group was lined up to get their food for the informal party. There were two tables set with red-and-white checkered tablecloths. It was a fish lover’s dream, with an assortment of dishes to rival that of the finest restaurants. Sammi loaded her plate with everything. She took a big helping of the potato salad and a large piece of Marta’s sour cream apple pie.
“Samantha? How do you stay so thin when you take portions like that?” Doris Powell exclaimed.
“Mom. Be nice.” Jake spoke up from behind her. For the last couple of hours Sammi had been waiting to hear his voice. He’d dropped her off at her grandparents so he could do a little work and then clean up.
She turned around to see what a cleaned-up Jake looked like, but Beastly wasn’t going to have that. The dog came right up to her, nudging her hand. Sammi always had a soft heart when it came to dogs. She gazed down at the Beast’s big brown eyes and gave her a good pat. Then she searched out her owner.
“You look incredible tonight.” When Jake bent close and spoke into her hair, Sammi knew she was in trouble. No other guy had the power to make her feel like putty just by the way he talked. She turned around.
Hello! The ranger cleaned up nicely.
He was dressed in jeans and a dark blue polo shirt, filling both out perfectly. The blue of his shirt accentuated his tanned, olive skin. How was she going to handle being close to him? Her friends back at school and at the magazine would die if they saw him. She was dying.
“You look pretty good yourself.” Heat filled her cheeks. All of a sudden she wished the Alaskan terrain and climate allowed her something feminine to wear—a pretty summer dress, perhaps. But nope—between the bugs and cool night air, that was never going to happen.
Tonight she was back in staple attire—jeans. She’d done her best to accessorize them with suede boots, a pa
le blue, long-sleeved shirt and a creamy knit vest lined with faux fur.
“So is this your second or third helping?” Jake teased.
“First.” Sammi kept quiet for a moment. “But I have to say I’m looking forward to that pie.”
“Sour cream apple. Marta makes the best.”
“Don’t worry, Jake. I saved you a piece,” Marta interjected. “Samantha, dear, you didn’t tell me what you two did today.”
Sammi glanced over her shoulder at her grandma. Just then Jake decided to rub her back. She was so bemused he answered for her. “We went up to the Harris River.” Evidently he knew Sammi wasn’t thinking straight. “I’m heading up a research project doing a census on steelhead trout.”
The problem was, how could Sammi think when she was around him? This situation was getting complicated. He gave her a wink to let her know he was onto her. He also shot her a look of desire that spoke of what he was really thinking.
She needed some space before she made a complete fool of herself, and headed to the end of the table to grab a drink.
Once everyone was seated, Sammi turned to Doris. “Where’s C.J.?”
Everyone stared at her in such a way that she sank back in her chair.
Marta answered for Jake’s mother. “Didn’t you hear Doug tell us he had to fly back to California early?” Her grandmother couldn’t hide the smile on her face.
“I guess I must have missed that.” Embarrassed, Sammi stared at her plate and kept eating.
Marta continued to talk. “Well, it would make sense. Doug was telling us where he went just as Jake arrived at the barbecue.”
Sammi reached for her cup of punch and drank it in big gulps. When she peeked at Jake, he grinned at her while he ate, happy as he could be.
Doris, on the other hand, had started crying. Doug reached over and tried to comfort his wife.
“Mom…” Jake spoke with irritation. “This is something Jeremiah does all the time.”
His mother sniffed. “You don’t have to look so pleased about it.”
“I don’t think Jake’s glad his brother’s in danger,” Doug stated.
“Jeremiah lives for this stuff, Mom. His favorite part of the summer is fighting wildfires.”
“Son….” his father admonished.
“There’s a wildfire in California?” Sammi’s heart lurched. Was the vineyard safe? Her mom? “May I ask where?”
“Of course.” Doug smiled at her. “No need to worry. It’s not where your mother lives. It flared up in the hills near Malibu. Chris just got called in. Fortunately, he was able to catch the last ferry out of here to Ketchikan tonight.”
“I’m sorry he had to leave, Doris.” Sammi put her half-eaten plate of food on the ground, then straightened. She could hear Beastly licking it up. She didn’t really care. She had little appetite tonight, anyway. “I don’t blame you for being worried. Last summer I did a piece on wildfires.
“There’s one thing I learned when I was out with brave women and men like C.J. They’re highly trained and always put safety first. I’ve never seen such camaraderie as on those teams. I’m sure he’ll be fine.”
For the rest of the meal the Powells asked questions about her wildfire article. It seemed C.J. had kept them in the dark, likely to prevent them from worrying too much. But without him meaning it to, his silence on the subject had raised their level of anxiety.
As Sammi explained what she’d learned about firefighter teams and how they worked in the field, she hoped to abate some of Doris’s fear. What she hadn’t anticipated was the panic she’d instilled in her grandparents and Jake, after recounting details of the two-week period she’d spent getting the spread.
By the time she’d finished talking about it, she found herself having to calm Jake down. She made him promise not to call her editor and chew him out for putting her in danger. “It was my idea to take the story,” she insisted.
“You sounded like your father just then,” Doug commented. Sammi glanced at him, then at her grandparents. At the moment she couldn’t read their faces.
“Are you really that crazy?” Jake snapped. His eyes held disbelief.
“No, but it was my first chance to get a feature article, so I took it. My mom already lectured me, for a good three months at least. Believe me, I’ve heard about it.”
“Sounds like your mama has some sense. Maybe you should listen to her,” Marta interjected.
Sammi was done with all this talk. She decided it was time to go to the kitchen and help clean up. Jake followed her, as did everyone else. Half an hour later they had the Powells’ yard and house back in perfect condition. Jake and his dad headed outside, while the rest of the party went into the living room to chat.
Jake’s mother walked over to Sammi. “Would you like a tour of the house while Jake finishes helping Doug with the boat for a moment?”
“Sure.”
Doris headed down the hall, motioning for her to come so she could show her their spacious home. Everywhere Sammi looked there were lighthouses! Jake’s mom was truly obsessed. Her home could be a lighthouse museum, with her collection including everything from soap dispensers to light fixtures. Sammi marveled at how many ways one could decorate with that motif.
The room that surprised her most was Doug’s den. The walls were covered with photos of the twins and all their accomplishments. Sammi’s mom had done that back at the cottage, except that in her mother’s case it wasn’t just one room—the whole house was filled with pictures of Sammi. It made her wonder if things were kept the same now that Andrea was married to Max.
After one look around the den, Sammi was drawn to the wall dedicated to Jake. While she avidly gazed at the pictures of him, his mother asked, “How did you know this was my Jakey?”
“These photos look like him.”
Doris studied her for a moment. “Very few people can tell the twins apart.”
“Yes, but here he’s playing in the dirt and fishing, and his eyes are a little bigger.”
“I’m impressed,” the older woman murmured.
Sammi’s gaze traveled beyond the pictures. “Look at all these science awards! Is that a Ph.D. in ecology?”
She nodded. “The boys are the first in both Doug’s and my line to graduate from college. My Jacob is the brain in the family. We were so proud when he got his doctorate. C.J. didn’t go on past his master’s. He could never quite keep up with Jake in that department. The twins are very competitive.”
Sammi felt like an idiot. Here she thought she was hot stuff, with a bachelor’s from Brooks. Little did she know Jake had three degrees.
“Here’s his crowning achievement.”
“There’s more?”
“I know. He’s special.” There were a lot of implications in that one word. Sammi picked up on his mom’s undertones.
Above Doug’s desk hung a plaque that gave all rights of a patent to Jacob Douglas Powell. “What kind of a patent?”
“Mom?” Jake’s voice came from the hallway. “You’re showing her the wall of shame.” He sounded like an embarrassed teen.
Sammi turned around in surprise. “Tell me about your patent.”
“Did you have to do this, Mom?” He leaned against the door frame, looking annoyed at his mother. The man was so handsome he almost stole Sammi’s breath away.
“I show everyone this room,” Doris said defensively. “You know that.”
This ranger was more than Sammi had ever bargained for. He was gorgeous, he loved his parents and his job, and he was highly educated. Except she could tell from their conversation earlier today that he had a hard time trusting. What had happened to make him so wary?
He had another imperfection, too. He didn’t like to travel. Just hold on to that thought before he steals your heart, Sammi.
JAKE TURNED OFF THE MOTOR on the boat. “Do you like it out here, Sam?”
What wasn’t there to like?
He’d brought her to a spot in the harbor in his speedboat wher
e they could look at the town of Craig to watch the fireworks. Causeways connected this unique community set on small islands—a fishing village that brought fisherman as well as all types of tourists to its charming shores.
“It’s beautiful the way the water is lit up by the town lights—very picturesque. I can’t recall the last time I saw so many stars. Funny how I was under the impression that Alaska was the land of the midnight sun.”
He took her hand and began to caress it. “That’s probably one of the most common comments we get, but you have to realize that here in Craig we’re only a thousand miles north of Seattle. As you can see from the clock on the boat, it’s almost eleven and it’s dark. The sun sets around ten-thirty and comes up around four. We aren’t Anchorage. It’s like comparing Minnesota to Texas.”
“That’s another note to put in my article. Alaska is huge and spans different longitudes, getting lighter and lighter the farther north you travel.”
“Its weather is unpredictable, too,” he added. “When we were little my dad used to bring us out here to watch the fireworks if the elements cooperated. Most of the time it rained, but the town always sets off fireworks, anyway.”
“Then what did you do?”
“We went into town and tried to see the show from the truck window.”
“That sounds cozy. So tell me why Craig does its fireworks on the third of July?”
He chuckled at all her questions, but his amusement soon dissipated and the look that entered his eyes made her knees go weak. She was grateful to be sitting down as he began massaging her shoulders. “Want to come back and sit on the benches with me to watch the fireworks? It’s a lot more comfortable.”
His lazy smile made her nervous in an exciting kind of way. Sammi had kissed guys before, but she’d never been this attracted. He was going to make a move, she just knew it. But did she want to get involved?
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