A Mother's Wedding Day

by Rebecca Winters; Dominique Burton

  He asked her to move her fingers, making her feel like a guinea pig. Then his hands encircled her neck and he lifted her head to look at her. There was no way to describe the intensity of those eyes as he checked to make sure it was safe to move her.

  While she lay there in a daze, he sat in the space he’d cleared. Next he gently slid his arms beneath her neck and legs, and in one quick motion cradled her against his body.

  Being so close to Jake again, Sammi thought she’d gone to heaven. Nothing compared to the feeling of being in his arms. He pressed her face into his neck, and she felt his breath on her hair. This was what it was like to feel safe. It had been so long since she’d seen him.

  “Sam? I need you to look at me.”

  She didn’t want to leave the cocoon of his embrace. All she wanted to do was go to sleep. “I’d rather rest.”

  Jake wouldn’t let her do any of those things. He pulled away, cupping her face in his hands. He was so handsome. She loved him in his uniform. “You’re one sexy ranger. I’m going to call you Smokey because you’re so hot.” She leaned in and kissed him. Jake didn’t turn away, but he wasn’t as responsive as usual.

  “What’s wrong? Don’t you like me anymore?” Sammi could feel herself getting emotional.

  His expression was full of worry. “Oh, I like you all right, but I don’t take advantage of women who are hurt. You have a concussion.”

  “Really?”

  “Your pupils are dilated and your head is bleeding.”

  Sammi felt with her hand, and cringed when she saw the bloody mess on her fingers. She quickly wiped them on her jeans. “I think I hit my head.”

  “Yes, you did.” His expression remained impassive. He reached over and opened the first-aid kit hanging on the side of the plane. With some gauze and bandages, he stopped the bleeding. By the time he’d finished, she was sure she resembled a war patient. “I must look hideous. Like when Van Gogh cut off his ear.”

  He suppressed a laugh. “Van Gogh, huh?”

  “My mom really liked his work. We had lots of sunflowers at the vineyard. I always remembered the story of him cutting off his ear. Now look at me. I’m Van Gogh.” She was pathetic. “I’m not pretty.”

  “You could never be anything but beautiful. You’re hurt, but it doesn’t mean you’re not attractive.” His green eyes bored into hers and she leaned in and kissed him again.

  “Is it hot in here? Maybe it’s being next to you, Smokey. It’s making me hot.” She clumsily removed her jacket. Jake ended up helping her. She kept trying to kiss him, which made things more difficult.

  Her short-sleeved T-shirt had a big, smiling hippo and the message Kiss Me. “Do you like my shirt?” She smiled, trying for another kiss.

  “Why didn’t you come in the hangar and ask me to take you along?”

  Sammi snuggled against him, rubbing her face against his, bandages and all. “After I left for Africa, I didn’t think you wanted to see me again.” She loved the feel of his freshly shaved face, the smell of his aftershave, but she still wasn’t close enough. “I had a lot of stuff to tell you, so I sneaked aboard so you couldn’t get rid of me.” She started kissing his neck. Then she tried to kiss his lips.

  “Samantha!” He pulled away from her abruptly and put his hand on her forehead. His cool touch felt delicious. “You’re burning up with fever.”

  “I’m burning for you, Smokey.”

  “You have no idea what you’re even saying.”

  Jake sounded gruff. He carried her to the front passenger seat and strapped her in. It was a pain because he wouldn’t let her go to sleep. He kept nudging her awake. She could hear him talking to her and then to somebody else, but it was very confusing to know when to answer. His conversation came in bits and pieces.

  “I’m going to set down at Winstanley Island and seek refuge at the cabin there. I have some medical supplies on board, but she’ll need antibiotics and medical help as soon as possible.

  “Contact Doc Stevens and get him ready to fly out once the storm clears. Forward a message to the Engstroms. Tell them I have Samantha with me in the Fjords…. How long do you think the storm will last? Over and out.”

  JAKE HEARD THE DOCTOR’S floatplane before it landed on the picturesque waters near the shore of Winstanley Island. He was still shaking when he thought of Sam hitting the ceiling of the plane. What he couldn’t comprehend was her stealing on board like that, but it didn’t matter now.

  He ran a hand along his jaw, trying to calm down. The most important thing was that he and Sam had made it safely to the forest service cabin before the snow hit. Luckily, the forecasters had been wrong and the storm was headed north.

  Though he’d given her ibuprofen, she was still burning up with fever. He didn’t know what more he could do, and was grateful Doc Stevens had come to check on her. They’d been friends since their undergrad studies in Anchorage. Cole owed him big time with all the sticky situations the doctor seemed to get himself into. He was always radioing Jake to help him get people out of the worst of circumstances.

  One thing about Cole, he’d do anything to help a patient. Some rescuers wouldn’t touch the remote areas Jake ventured into. But Doc Stevens took the Hippocratic oath to an extreme.

  Jake knew the reason for it. Cole and his brother had gone on a backcountry ski trip and had been caught in an avalanche. His brother was killed instantly, and Cole was forced to wait forty-eight hours alone in the Alaskan wilderness with a broken leg before he was rescued. After that experience he vowed he’d never let someone be alone and in pain if he could help it.

  He was now known as Doc Stevens, the Alaskan Bush Doctor. He loved all the women he could woo with his exciting lifestyle, when he could find them. But he wasn’t getting Sam!

  Cole stepped out of the plane onto the cabin dock. “Powell—did you have to give a girl a concussion to get her alone in the wilderness?”

  For perhaps the first time Jake realized that his friend was a good-looking guy. Tall with blond hair and a large frame, he looked suave in his preppy mountain wear. Would Sam think the same thing?

  “Better than your brash ‘doctor hero’ approach.”

  “So what happened?”

  Jake explained as they walked up to the cabin.

  “Stop,” he said as Cole reached for the door. “There’s one more thing.”

  His friend chuckled. “I’ve never seen you so tied up in knots before.”

  “She’s not acting like herself.”

  “Right, a concussion and high fever. You and I went to paramedic school together. You already know all this stuff. This girl has you so wound up I think you need a doctor.”

  “She’s been calling me Smokey.”

  His pal broke into laughter and slapped him on the back, but Jake wasn’t in the mood for joking. “Right now she’s extremely affectionate and I don’t want you to think she’s that type of girl. She’s not!”

  Their eyes met. In a more serious tone Cole said, “You’ve fallen for her.”

  “Maybe.”

  “I never thought I’d see the day Jake Powell would switch feelings from Beastly to a woman. Now I’ve got to meet the female who calls you Smokey. Like the bear?”

  “She claims it’s because I’m so hot.”

  More laughter rolled out of Cole as he followed him inside the cabin, then he let out a low whistle. “She’s pretty hot herself.”

  “I’m watching you, Stevens.” Jake knew he sounded uptight, but he didn’t care. She always made his heart race.

  Sam was lying on the cot with her hair splayed over the pillow. She’d pulled the compress off her head, revealing a glimpse of her perfect profile. She still wore her hippo T-shirt. He’d put her into a pair of his pajama bottoms and had covered her with a sheet.

  “I like the shirt,” Cole teased.

  “So does she.”

  He went about checking her vitals and temperature. “She might have malaria. Let’s get on the phone to her magazine, her doctor
and the team she worked with in Kenya.”

  Two hours later the malaria was ruled out. She’d been careful to take her medication.

  “Jake? Turns out she has a bad bug and a minor concussion. She’s going to be fine. If you weren’t so involved, you’d be able to see that.”

  “She hit her head on the ceiling of my Cessna, Cole. It scared the daylights out of me. Thought I might lose her.”

  At that revelation Cole went out to his plane and brought back a couple of bags of IV antibiotics. “Since you’re trained, I’m going to have you give her this medicine. I’d rather not move her if we don’t have to.”

  Cole drew some blood to take back with him in case there was something he’d missed. Then he inserted the IV in her hand. “She should be fine in a day or so. While I pack up, will you run out to the plane and get some extra tubing?”

  “Anything else?” Jake barked. “Laundry? Coffee? A beer?” He stomped out of the cabin, hating being ordered around.

  “JAKE, I’M THIRSTY AND HOT.” Sammi slowly sat up and glanced around. She took one look at the stranger and frowned. “You’re not Jake. Where is he?”

  “I’m Dr. Stevens, a friend of Jake’s. Can I examine you now that you’re up?”

  Tears welled in her eyes. “Where’s Jake? Where am I?”

  “You’re in Alaska, in the Misty Fjords. You have a fever from a bug you caught in Africa. Can I look in your eyes, Samantha?”

  “No. I want Jake. I want my Smokey.”

  Jake came through the door. “Why is she crying, Stevens?” he demanded.

  “Jake—”

  He came and sat down next to her. “I’m here.”

  Sammi was so happy he was back, she climbed right onto his lap. “Why do I have an IV?” She fell against his chest, wanting to go to sleep again. He began to massage her back and play with her hair.

  Cole cleared his throat. “I’d like to check her now that she’s awake, and see what kind of concussion she’s sustained.”

  After ten minutes of prodding, they got Sammi to cooperate enough to rule out anything major. By the time they were done, she’d fallen asleep in Jake’s arms. He laid her on the cot, careful not to jar the IV.

  “Walk me out to the plane, Jake. I don’t think she’ll wake up for a while.”

  The two men headed out of the cabin into the rugged paradise surrounding them.

  “I’ve never had a woman take such a dislike to me before.” Cole rolled his eyes. “That girl is crazy about you. How did you manage that, Powell?”

  “My concern now is to figure out how to keep her.”

  “Oh, I think you’ll find a way, Smokey,” he teased before he climbed into his plane.

  “One day it’s going to happen to you, Stevens.”

  “Oh, no. I like my freedom.”

  “That’s what we all say until we meet the right one.”

  Cole ignored his comment. “Radio me if you need anything, lover boy.”

  Jake shut the door to the plane and jumped back on the town dock.

  SAMMI WOKE UP with a dull headache and a throat so dry it felt like a desert. She couldn’t open her eyes. It took her a moment to realize she had a compress on her head. With a weak hand, she reached up to remove the cool washcloth. Then she sat up in her cot. Where was she?

  The tiny cabin was cozy, with a fire blazing in the wood-burning stove. There was another cot right next to hers. Jake!

  It all came flooding back to her—the plane, the wind shear and the accident. What a fool she’d made of herself. Sammi reached up and felt a bandage on her scalp. “Did I really call him Smokey?” she muttered to herself.

  “I believe it’s because I’m so hot.”

  She turned to see her rescuer standing larger than life in the doorway. In a flannel shirt and jeans, he looked as if he belonged here in this rustic cabin. Humiliated, she groaned, “Did I really say that?”

  “I can elaborate if you’d like.”

  Sammi studied his inscrutable expression to see what he thought of her actions. Had she ruined everything? She bit her lip, terrified of the consequences. No matter what, she had to face them.

  Jake walked into the cabin, letting the door slam. The noise made her jump. She saw a hint of mirth in his eyes. Hopefully, he wasn’t too mad.

  “How are you feeling?” he asked.

  “Do you want the lie or the truth?” Sammi propped her hands on either side of her.

  “The truth.” He moved closer, making her stomach flutter.

  “Horrible.”

  “Considering what you’ve been through, I’m not surprised.” He sat down on her cot and lifted her chin. His touch made her breathing shallow.

  Their eyes met and she knew why the eight weeks away had been torture for her. More importantly, she knew why she wasn’t going to leave anymore. Sammi hoped she could make her four-month trial for the magazine work so she could stay here in Alaska.

  In Africa she’d carried a photo of Jake on her at all times, like a moonstruck teenage girl. Now she realized no photo could replace him in the flesh. He needed a shave and his hair was unruly, but that’s what she loved about him. He didn’t have to primp. Jake was all male.

  Sammi raised her hand to his cheek, letting her fingers explore his arresting features. “Thanks for taking such good care of me.” At her touch he closed his eyes, not pulling away. It made her more daring. She brought her other hand up to trace his full lips with her fingertips. Then his eyes opened, and the look he shot her sent electricity through her whole being.

  He pulled her into his arms, crushing her against him. With just a kiss he took possession of her body and soul. Sammi couldn’t get enough. Jake had never been this bold, running his hands up into her hair and down her back. Somehow the kiss seemed to melt away the eight weeks of separation. As their bodies clung, their kiss grew deeper.

  Jake laid her back on the cot and followed her down. His lips never left hers. Sammi struggled to stay awake. The world started to spin and she grew light-headed. As he kissed her neck, she turned her face away. “Jake? I think I’m going to pass out.”

  Chapter Nine

  Jake realized he had to get control of himself. Don’t attack the poor girl the second she comes out of her fever.

  Now that he knew Sammi had awakened, he couldn’t bear to leave her side. Hell, since Cole’s visit three days ago, Jake had left the cabin only long enough to get the bare necessities, retrieve water, do some fishing and chop wood.

  He sat in his old camping chair, resting his face in his hands. When he left this cabin, he planned on burning the chair, since he never wanted to sit this much again.

  A sudden movement caused him to look up. Sammi had opened her eyes, pulling him from his thoughts.

  Weighted with guilt, he said, “I’m sorry, Sam.”

  She sat up, quirking her brows. “For what?”

  He rubbed his eyes. “You’ve been sick and I took advantage of you.”

  Sammi gave him a teasing look. “Oh, I think it was pretty mutual.” She swung her legs over the side of the cot and began to stretch. “Is there anything to drink?”

  Her voice sounded so weak. Then she had to start biting her lip in that adorable way…. Thinking of her mouth, Jake leaped out of the chair.

  “There’s coffee or water. If you’re hungry we have some freeze-dried food to eat.” He pointed to some boxes in the corner. “I can fix you something right now or you can wait until I catch dinner.”

  “Just water, thanks.”

  He handed her a bottle before walking to the other side of the room to get his fishing tackle. Jake needed to put some distance between them. His mind was filled with so many thoughts and questions to ask her, but she’d just gotten up. He couldn’t do that to her yet.

  Her soft tread reached his ears. Her presence in the cabin was driving him wild. Her smell, the sound of her voice—and now she was awake. Against his better judgment he followed her progress across the room. How could a woman look so
incredible in a huge T-shirt and oversize pajama bottoms? His body trembled at her approach.

  “I’ve got to go catch some dinner. I’ll be outside on the shore. If you need me, holler.” He grabbed his tackle and pole and was out the door before he did anything stupid, like take her back to the cot and kiss the daylights of out her.

  THE SECOND THE DOOR SHUT, all the emotion Sammi had kept bottled up for weeks exploded in a gush of tears. She’d made such a mistake.

  All she’d done was make his life miserable. He probably had work to do and now he’d been forced to take care of her for who knew how long?

  Sammi walked over to her camera bag, the one thing in the room she owned. Bending down, she pulled the camera out to see the date.

  “It can’t be!” She shot up and looked through the lens again. She’d been out of it for four days! After putting the camera back in the case, she sank down on the cot. How could that be?

  No wonder Jake was so tense. Here he’d been a gentleman, taking care of her, and what did she do? Wake up and throw herself at him, then pass out when he kissed her. How humiliating!

  Sammi scrambled to find her one outfit, folded tidily in a corner. She changed into her jeans and T-shirt. An hour later, after she’d managed to eat some soup and clean herself up, she threw on her jacket and went outside to talk to Jake like a normal person. She hoped she could face him without feeling too weak.

  Once out the door, she found the magic of the Misty Fjords stopping her in her tracks. She’d already been entranced by Alaska, but this natural wonderland was beyond description. It was automatic for her to run back to the cabin and get her camera.

  The sun was starting to set in a semicloudy sky. Like sentinels, the forested mountain peaks jutting out of the sea were haloed in clouds. The sun’s last rays lit up the mist on the mountains, infusing the vapors with hues of pale yellow and gold. They added an ethereal beauty to this heaven on earth.

  Yet to Sammi the most breathtaking view of all was the picture Jake made while he fly-fished. He had a way of melding into the scenery. She stood on the porch, snapping pictures of the man she loved. Whatever type of fish he caught, she was sure he could tell her its name, habitat, what it ate, and how to filet and cook it.