“Then don’t bother asking.” He shut his eyes. Man, he was tired. It had been a hell of a day. It had been a hell of a few months. Who was he kidding? His life had always been hell. He’d be better off dead then he wouldn’t have to feel. Darkness closed in on him. Not comforting, but numbing.
Whatever. He’d take it.
CHAPTER TWO
Raven grabbed the bottle sliding out of Aidan’s grip right before it would have fallen off the edge of the bed. “He’s out.” Thank the lord, she thought.
“Good,” Eva said. “I hate patients who complain.”
“I didn’t hear him complain,” Raven said, wrinkling her brow.
“I know.” Eva reached for packing strips. “I can’t sew him up. The puncture wounds are too deep. They’ll need to heal from the inside out.” She glanced at Raven and then Lynx. “We’ll need to care for him. Change his packing, bandages.”
“The hell we will,” Lynx said, crossing his arms over his chest. “It would have been better for everyone if Fox hadn’t found him.” He glanced at Raven. “You need to have a talk with your son about picking up strays. Some things are better off left to die.”
“Lynx,” Eva scolded. Just the tone of her voice had Lynx standing down.
“Fine,” he grumbled and pointed to Aidan prone on the bed. “But I don’t want him here any longer than he has to be.”
“He’ll have to stay a few days,” Eva said. “I don’t believe his leg is broken, but he isn’t going to be driving out of here on it. He’s going to need his bandages changed, his wounds repacked, and I’m worried about infection. We’ll have to take turns caring for him.”
“Hell no,” Lynx said, arms back across his chest. “You’re asking too much, woman.”
Eva narrowed her eyes. “If that’s the way you’re going to be, it’ll be hard on me, with the pregnancy so close to term and all.” She sighed. “But I’m not going to let the man die.”
She was good, Raven thought. Her brother had married his match and then some.
“Well, shit,” he muttered.
Eva turned to Raven and quirked a brow.
“Fine,” Raven said. “But I don’t want Fox in here.”
“Good luck keeping him out,” Lynx scoffed. “You know the boy. Finders keepers.”
“We’ll have to keep him busy.” Raven stared at both of them. “I don’t want him anywhere around Aidan.”
“We’ll do our best,” Eva agreed, but Raven knew she was going to be hounded with questions later over why. Eva turned back to her patient. “I still need to pack his wounds.” She sighed. “I hope he sleeps through it.”
“He drank enough whiskey to put him into a coma,” Lynx said.
“You would have done the same in his situation,” Eva said. “Make yourself useful and hand me those packing strips.”
Raven watched as Eva doctored the punctured wounds the teeth of the trap had made. There were six in all around Aidan’s calf. She couldn’t imagine how much it had hurt him. A pang of something unwanted and uncomfortable intruded. She stamped it down. She no longer cared for Aidan. That was long over and had been a mistake from the get go. But being with Aidan had resulted in Raven’s greatest joy.
Fox.
She had to make sure her inquisitive son didn’t get attached to Aidan. Fox had no way of knowing Aidan was his father, and Raven would make sure he never acquainted himself with that part of his gene pool.
“Okay, that’s done.” Eva placed gauze pads over the packed wounds and then wrapped his leg in an ace bandage. The skin was bruised black and blue from the force of the trap clamping down around it and already swelling. “I’m going to place a soft splint around this in case he did break it. I don’t think so, but he could have a hairline fracture. If he hadn’t been wearing his boots, the bone definitely would have snapped. When the snow stops we’ll take him to Fairbanks for an x-ray.”
Raven and Lynx looked at each other.
Eva stood and placed her hands on her lower back and glared at both of them. “Yes, one of you is going to take him. You can fight it out between the two of you because I’m not doing it.” She pointed to her protruding belly. “I have a good excuse.”
“Fine,” they muttered.
“Okay, I need to give him a couple of shots. An antibiotic in the ass and a tetanus in the arm. Which one of you is going to volunteer to stay with him tonight?” She glared at them. “Don’t give me any flack. He needs to be watched. I don’t want him trying to get out of bed, and we need to keep an eye on his temperature. Plus, I want to ice his leg. We need to keep the swelling down. I don’t want any chance of blood clots forming.”
“What about Mom?” Raven suggested.
“Oh, come on.” Eva looked at her with annoyance. “She’s already got three guests to watch out for. You want her up all night taking care of a patient too?”
Raven felt low being scolded like a kid. She glanced at Lynx, but the jerk wasn’t volunteering. “Fine, I’ll stay.” Aidan would probably sleep the whole night through from all the whiskey he’d drunk. “But Fox will have to bunk down at your place.” She pointed at Lynx. “And you have to drive Aidan into Fairbanks when the roads are clear.”
“Lynx?” Eva prompted when he didn’t quickly agree.
“All right.”
“Wow, you guys are acting like selfish brats,” Eva said. “I know Earl Harte was an asshole, but what did Aidan ever do to you?”
Raven looked down at the sleeping man she used to love and had always thought she’d spend her life with. “Because of Aidan our father is dead.”
Aidan awoke and ran his tongue over his hairy teeth. What had crawled into his mouth and died? And he badly needed to pee.
He looked around the darkened room. A light had been left on in the bathroom leaving a soft amber glow to illuminate the bedroom. Where was he? A timber wolf pelt hung like a trophy on the wall, and a pair of handcrafted fur-trimmed Eskimo masks flanked a mirror over an old dresser where a woven basket with an Inuit design sat on the surface.
The bear trap.
He was at the Chatanika Lodge. And he’d seen Raven. Over the years, he’d wondered many times what she looked like now. How her beauty had matured. Well, now he knew and wished to God he didn’t.
He sat up and looked at his leg propped up on pillows and wrapped in a splint of sorts. The pain was down to a welcoming throb. Getting to the bathroom was going to hurt like hell. His head pounded. He shouldn’t have drunk so much of the whiskey. He never could hold his liquor. There was movement in the corner of the room from the rocking chair.
“You’re awake.” Raven’s voice was low and husky, reminding him of dark nights like this when they’d snuck away to be together.
“You’re here?” Surprise didn’t even begin to explain the jumpstart of his pulse. She’d undone her braid and her thick, blue-black hair hung straight down to her lap. Beautiful hair. Soft and silky and flowing.
“Eva made one of us volunteer.”
“You volunteered to watch over me?”
“It was the lesser chore. Lynx has to take you to the hospital when the roads are cleared.”
“So one night, which I’d probably sleep the most of, instead of hours in a car and then what? Wasting time at the hospital?”
“Yep.”
“You always were the smart one.”
“Except you’re now awake.” She frowned. “Go back to sleep so my plan works for me.”
“I…can’t.” He glanced longingly at the bathroom. He really had to pee.
She followed his gaze. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
“’Fraid not.” He shook his head. “Too much whiskey.”
“Or not enough,” she grumbled, throwing back the afghan she’d curled up under in the rocking chair. “Let’s get this over with.”
“I’d rather not do it with you.”
“Good. If you did, I’d think you really were sick.” She reached for a pair of crutches. “Eva already considered
this. She had Lynx drop these back by. She doesn’t want you putting weight on your leg until it’s been x-rayed.” Raven brought the crutches over to the bed. “Don’t think of crossing her. She’s very pregnant and very moody.”
“You forgot to mention she’s also very scary.”
Raven laughed, and it looked as though it surprised her. She was quick to smother it. “She also told me I’m supposed to take your temperature if you woke.”
“Bathroom first.” He didn’t want to embarrass himself in front of her. It was hard enough breathing the same air when he never thought he’d see her again. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, being careful of his injured one. Someone—probably Lynx—had removed his flannel shirt, leaving him in an undershirt and boxers. His leg throbbed but felt a hell of lot better than earlier. He reached for the crutches and noticed how careful Raven was to not let their hands touch. It said a lot about a person when they could care for you and still hate everything about you. No wonder he’d always worshipped her. She reminded him of his ex-girlfriend, Sonya. Or had Sonya reminded him of Raven all these years? It would explain why he’d latched onto the idea of him and Sonya being together.
But then he’d fucked that up too.
He stood, balanced on one leg, and put the crutches under his armpits. He was shaky but holding his own. Manning up, he swung on the crutches toward the bathroom and shut the door behind him. He didn’t want Raven’s help in this department any more than she wanted to give it.
He finished, flushed, and hopped to the sink, leaning the crutches against the counter. Thankfully, he found a new toothbrush and paste laying on the vanity, which he used to scrub the nasty taste off his teeth and tongue. Then he splashed water on his face and stared at his reflection in the mirror.
He looked like shit. But then again, he felt like shit.
He didn’t want to go back out there. Raven had looked at him like he was trash. And he was. He’d never been worthy of the Maiskis. Not worthy to be Raven’s lover or Lynx’s friend. He should leave. But how the hell was he going to do that? He was stuck by a snowstorm, a chewed up leg, and he still needed to do what he’d come here to do. Then he could be done with this place for good. Never to return. Never to have his heart ripped out of his chest, his love thrown back in his face. Never disappoint those he cared about again.
He returned to the bedroom and headed to the bed. Raven was gone. Guess he hadn’t needed to delay his time in the bathroom avoiding her.
Carefully he sat on the edge of the bed, breathing a sigh of relief he’d made it under his own steam. History had taught him that relying on others was always an exercise in disappointment. He swung his leg over and repositioned himself on the bed, pulled the blankets up to his chin, and tried to get back to sleep. But his head pounded and he was thirsty.
Sure, one minute you have to pee, and the next you want something to drink. Suffer. He wasn’t getting back up again.
The door squeaked open, and Raven entered carrying a glass full of water like an angel, or dark angel. Had she poisoned the water? But then that wasn’t like her. If she wanted him dead she’d had plenty of opportunity while he’d slept. Besides she wouldn’t have chosen poison.
She’d gut him.
“Here. Eva said to take two aspirin if you woke.” She handed him the pills and the glass of water.
“Thanks.” Gratefully he took the items she held out, again making sure they didn’t touch.
“Don’t thank me. Just following orders.”
“Got anything stronger than aspirin? My head is killing me.”
“The aspirins are supposed to help prevent any blood clots from forming. Oh, I was also supposed to give you some Ibuprofen.” She scratched her head. “But I wonder if you should be taking them together.” She shrugged. “It’s your choice. I’m not waking Eva to ask her.”
“Give me.”
She dumped two pills in his hand. He motioned for more. She dropped two more into his palm. “That’s all. You can overdose on your own time.”
He tossed back the pills and swallowed them down with another long drink of water. He set the glass on the nightstand and laid back down, his head propped up on pillows. Raven presented a thermometer.
“I don’t have a temperature,” he said.
“Orders. Open up.”
He opened his mouth, and Raven placed the thermometer under his tongue. They waited. Raven refused to look at him. She gazed off into the room. As it was dark, with just the glow from the bathroom, he didn’t know what she saw, but it must have been preferable to looking at him.
When a sufficient amount of time had passed, she reached for the thermometer, turning on the diamond willow lamp to read the number. Her brows rose. “Don’t have a temperature, huh?” She held the thermometer out for him to read.
“That hardly counts.” It was barely a hundred.
She harrumphed and shook down the thermometer and then set it on the nightstand. “Let’s see how you react to the pills you just took.” She turned off the light and walked around the bed to the corner rocking chair, curling into it and wrapping the crocheted afghan tight around her shoulders.
“You don’t have to stay,” Aidan said.
She scowled at him. “I promised Eva, and I don’t mess with that chick.”
“How long have she and Lynx been married?”
“Three years.” She fidgeted in the hard chair, trying to get comfortable.
“You don’t have to sleep in the chair.” He felt the heat of her glare burning him from across the room.
“I’m not sharing your bed. It’s hard enough being in the same room.”
“Don’t be an idiot. I’m in no condition to try anything, besides you’d kill me.” She snorted in agreement. “The bed’s plenty big if you stay on your side.”
“Like I’d cozy up to you.”
“Fine. Be uncomfortable if it makes you feel superior.”
She swore and stood, trailing the afghan behind her. Looked as though Raven still fell for the idiot ploy. She dropped to the bed, obviously not caring if she jostled him, but being extremely careful not to touch him.
A brick wall might as well have been between them as they lay next to each other. Aidan was in no condition physically or emotionally to try scaling it. But he also couldn’t sleep. And he could smell her. Definitely needed a distraction.
“How did Lynx and Eva meet?”
She turned her head on the pillow and looked at him. “We aren’t going to share, are we?”
“Listen, I can’t sleep. I was curious.”
“Fine.” She sighed and turned back to facing the ceiling. “You know how Lynx has always rescued animals.” She didn’t wait for Aidan to nod. “Well, a moose he befriended took a liking to Eva right after she arrived, and chased her into the woods and up a tree. To make a long story short, Lynx was hooked.”
“What does she do?”
“She runs the medical clinic in town.”
“The town’s really grown.”
“Yeah.” She snorted. “We even have a volunteer fire station.”
“What about a school?”
“A group of us got together and converted old Wilkerson’s place when he died. We take turns with lessons for the handful of kids around. It’s a step-up from homeschooling. We got the borough to agree to send a bus halfway up the Steese to pick up the few high schoolers.” She yawned. “Every year, it seems, we become more civilized. Still no Starbucks though.” He heard the frown in her voice.
“What have you been up to?” he couldn’t help asking.
She didn’t move, but he felt her stiffen. “Same old stuff.”
He laughed. “Right. Still planning on playing guitar for Bon Jovi? Wait a minute, you had a full scholarship to Berkeley to become an architect. What became of that?”
“None of your business,” she snapped. “Now go to sleep.”
He’d obviously touched a nerve, pushed far enough. Silence settled over the room. Unfort
unately Aidan wasn’t tired, and without conversation he started to feel the throbbing in his leg, the aching in his head, and the hunger in his stomach. He hadn’t eaten since he’d picked up the rental car and stopped at the Food Factory in Fairbanks for a steak sandwich before heading to Chatanika. Man, that sandwich had been good. One thing Seattle didn’t have was the Food Factory. Guess there were some things he’d actually missed about living here.
His stomach growled.
“Can’t you be quiet over there and just go to sleep?” Raven asked, her voice muffled as she’d turned her face into the pillow.
“I’m hungry.”
She raised her head and looked at him. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
“I haven’t eaten since lunch. And that was around one. What time is it now?”
“Time to sleep.” She tossed the pillow over her head. “Ignore it. It’ll go away.”
His stomach growled again.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake.” Raven slapped the pillow aside and got out of bed. She stomped to the door. “You were supposed to stay in a drunken stupor.” With that she left the room.
He hoped she was coming back. But he assumed the worst. After all the worst was what he usually got.
“I can’t believe I’m getting food for that man,” Raven muttered under her breath, her head inside the refrigerator looking for leftovers. No way in hell was she cooking for him.
“To the right on the third shelf there’s some roast left over from dinner,” Fiona said.
Raven lifted her head over the door of the refrigerator to find her mother leaning against the counter, her arms folded across her chest. “Why aren’t you sleeping?” Somebody should be getting some shuteye. Raven pulled out the container her mother had indicated and closed the door to the refrigerator.
“I heard someone roaming around in my kitchen.” Fiona raised a brow. “You really ought to work on your muttering. Never know when someone might hear something you don’t want them to.”
“Why? You hear something tonight?”
“Aidan isn’t the bad man you think he is.”
“I don’t want to get into it, Mom.” Raven grabbed a plate and filled it with roast and potatoes that were also in the container.
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