Laura smiled sheepishly.
“By the way, “Hannah continued, “have you heard of Port Ursa?”
“In Alaska?”
“Yes! Do you know it?”
“Not really. My dad went fishing there once. I think it’s a bit of a nightmare to get to–like, one of the islands you can only get to by boat or bush plane or something.”
“Of course it is,” Hannah sighed, “Salted caramel?”
“Can you get that and a cookie dough one?”
“Don’t push your luck.” Hannah picked up her keys and purse. “Be back in five.”
Laura gave her a helpless wave from her position on the sofa.
Hannah marched down the stairs, mildly annoyed that the one rare week she got off would be spent traipsing around in Alaska, no doubt freezing her ass off, trying to locate her legal husband.
Chapter two
“I think we should expand,” Colton Sterling leaned back in his chair, idly scratching his lean torso as he waited for his brothers’ response.
“It’s risky, Colton,” Wyatt spoke in measured tones, “It makes me nervous that we couldn’t cover it with the income from the current fishery.”
“But we can easily cover it with Sterling Outfitters,” remarked Colton, “We’re running a multi-billion-dollar chain. What else do you want to do with the profits?”
Colton’s brother sighed.
“Come on, Wyatt. You know he’s right.” Tucker Sterling broke the silence, “He was right the last time, he’s right this time, and he’s going to be right next time.”
The three brothers sat around the table. They had been playing a game of poker, but talk had turned to business as it so often did. The whisky had stopped being poured as they tried to reach a solution, the game on pause while each man carefully considered the options.
Years ago, when their father died, the three brothers had been left running the family’s small camping goods and outdoor supplies store right in the heart of “nowhereville” Alaska. Colton alone had seen the bigger picture; Alaska was growing its tourist influx every year. Visitors poured in seasonally for adventure and nature watching in the brutal, pristine Alaskan wilderness. All the small towns had an outdoor goods supply shop, but the quality varied, as did the stock. Colton’s brainstorm had been to take over each of these mom and pop stores, one by one, whilst keeping on board the experts who had been running each shop, as employees. It meant more income for them, as well as access to superior quality products. Thus, Sterling Supplies became Sterling Outfitters, Inc. and within a few years, new stores popped up in various locations in a chain that encompassed Alaska, Canada, and most of the lower 48 states. Sterling Outfitters was now a household name. No one could deny that Colton had a mind for business that bordered on genius.
Now, Colton was keen to replicate the model in the fishing industry.
“You know it’s not just the money, Colton,” Wyatt reminded him, “The Jackson pack aren’t pleased with our stronghold here. Purchasing the fishery that previously belong to their pack isn’t going to help politics.”
“Shit, Wyatt, Jackson drank that place into the ground. If it’s not us, that place will just go to waste. There’s no one here that has the inclination to take on a place with so much bad debt attached.”
The brothers were at a stalemate. Both Wyatt and Colton looked to Tucker, waiting for his input.
“Look, let’s talk to Joe about it, see what he says. I agree with Colton, this is a good opportunity and it shouldn’t go to waste, but we also need to think about what the consequences are going to mean for relations between our clan and the wolves. I don’t want more shit from Jackson and the rest of them cocksuckers.” Tucker reached for the bottle of whisky. His action decreeing that the subject was now closed.
Joe Sterling was the uncle of the three men. When their father, Joe’s brother, died, Joe took over as Alpha of the bear clan. Tensions between the wolf pack and bear clan had been growing steadily more precarious. Their father, Jeremiah Sterling, had died in his car, driving back home from work. The investigation into his death wasn’t much at the time. Port Ursa had been such a small town that the police and legal infrastructure hadn’t amounted to much, and the car had been deemed faulty. The death was recorded as an accident. The Sterling clan had their suspicions, though, grounded in the fact that two of Jackson’s pack members had reportedly been seen hanging around the lot where Jeremiah’s car was parked that day.
Tucker poured each of his brothers a drink, and then raised his glass.
“To the Sterling clan. Long may we prosper.”
“Long may we prosper,” echoed Colton and Wyatt, before each downing the golden liquid.
“How’s that woman you’re seeing from San Fran?” Tucker asked.
Colton had spent the last two months opening a store on the San Francisco coastline, whilst simultaneously catching the attention of a local lawyer.
“She’s great. We’ve had a good time,” Colton shrugged.
“Let me guess – you won’t be seeing her again?” Tucker laughed, rolling his eyes at his younger brother.
“Woman in every port, huh, bro?” Wyatt commented, his smile wry.
“Come on, neither of you can talk. Wyatt, when was the last time you even went on a date? And Tucker, you know you’re as bad as I am. I can’t believe you’re both giving me shit for this.”
“Believe it, brother. We know we’re all doomed to perpetual bachelorhood, so we might as well laugh about it,” Tucker replied.
“Yeah, well, I’m too busy making money for you two, to think about settling down.” Colton stood up and shrugged his coat on before either of them could think of a comeback.
***
Colton stood at the dock, it was about ten in the evening but still not dark. The perpetual half-light of the spring evenings had begun, and would continue till September. He could still see the light of the horizon, just a sliver, where dawn was breaking over some far off point on the North Pacific Ocean.
The Alaskan spring had brought some warmth with it, but the evenings still remained viciously cold, and Colton pulled his jacket tighter against himself as he gazed out onto the swaying bulks of the commercial fishing ships rocking in the bay.
Colton had a good feeling about the fishing investment. He’d eventually want to expand their catchment all the way to Japan, but for now he would be content with the Alaskan coast. As much as his brothers’ hesitation frustrated him, rationally he knew they had good reason.
The Jackson pack wasn’t just at odds with the Sterling clan, they were also fighting within their own ranks. Drake Hansen, a wolf that had been brought up in Alaska as part of one of the oldest Yupik packs, had returned from the military to find his pack had been taken over by Simon Jackson’s faction. At the time he’d had no choice but to fall into rank, but since the death of Jeremiah Sterling and the civil unrest this had caused between clan and pack, Drake had seen an opportunity to divide the pack and reconsolidate Yupik power.
The days of Port Ursa being a small, local and peaceful town were drawing to a close. As Colton had predicted, the town had grown rapidly in size–almost too quickly for local infrastructure to keep up. The police department was still based a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Port Ursa, which included a ferry trip, and that was on a good day. During winter, it was better to take a bushplane.
Colton sniffed the air, clearing his senses. He could detect an out of season snow rush coming. Earlier this week, he had considered inviting the lawyer to Alaska for the weekend. He had too much work on to travel, but if the weather was going to be bad it was wise to wait. A couple of nights with the woman would have done him the world of good, but he didn’t want her getting stranded for an entire week. A week would be entirely too much together time. Better to remain solo this weekend and get on with persuading the rest of the Sterling family that fishing was the next frontier.
Chapter three
Hannah hadn’t realized the logistical nig
htmare of getting to Port Ursa. She’d taken a seven-hour flight to Anchorage, then a one-hour connecting flight to Kodiak. Once there, she’d had to rent an SUV before taking a ferry across to Port Ursa.
She’d been able to appreciate the breath-taking beauty of the landscape, the surreal light that turned the sky a sci-fi aqua marine color, the impossibility of such a large, vast stretch of ice and ocean. The moment she’d landed in Anchorage, her phone reception had become laughably obsolete. Hannah knew she would need to lower her city standards considerably and rough it for a while. This part of the world held no prisoners, even less benevolent toward the unprepared and the foolhardy. Hannah had packed the warmest clothes she could find languishing at the back of her wardrobe, and dug out her winter parka. As soon as she got the SUV, she went and purchased an extra gallon of gas to store in the trunk. She wasn’t taking any chances.
She arrived at Port Ursa around four in the evening. The roads were still icy, not yet thawed from the winter. Hannah drove carefully to pick up the keys for the cabin she had rented for the duration of her stay, which she’d hoped would be for one night only.
The town was charming and rustic, mostly wooden buildings dotted here and there selling tourist junk, restaurants and cafes, and expedition centers. Most of the commercial construction took place at the edge of the lively seaport.
Her directions, which fortunately Hannah had the foresight to print out, rather than relying on her phone’s GPS, led her to a small corrugated steel shack. A sign reading ‘Burke Cabins’ hung over the top. Hannah peered in through the window and found a surprisingly cozy room where an old man sat at a table playing Solitaire and smoking a cigar.
She went around and knocked on the door. She could hear him shuffling to his feet, and a few moments later he swung it open.
“Afternoon. Dr. Cooper is it?”
“That’s me, hello.”
“Come on in. Coffee, whisky?”
Hannah wiped her feet on the welcome mat before making her way in, noticing that the old man was wearing a pair of bedroom slippers.
“I’m good, thanks.”
“Suit yourself,” the old man flicked on the kettle, “I need one on the hour, every hour.”
Hannah’s medical degree kicked in and she dearly wanted to comment on the hazards of stomach ulcers, but held her tongue. She didn’t get the impression it would be very well received.
“I got your keys ready, the place is in good shape. Try not to get too lonely out here. Tourist season hasn’t started yet, so you’ll be the only one in the cabins. I got three up the way,” he gestured up past the main road, “but you’re getting the best.”
“Thank you,” Hannah replied, “I really appreciate it.”
“Huh, don’t thank me yet. You’re a city girl, I can tell. If you want heat in that place, you need to burn a log fire. If you don’t, you’ll freeze your backside off.” The man gave a short bark of laughter at his own joke, and Hannah smiled weakly.
“Ah, don’t mind me. There’s plenty of wood in there for you, you need more, just come down and holler.”
The man shuffled over to a wooden cabinet on the wall and retrieved a set of keys.
“These are them. There’s a manual in the cabin, tell you anything you need to know.” He placed the keys in Hannah’s palm. “What you here for anyway? One of those marine biologists? You lot are always coming and poking around.”
“No, I’m… I’m a medical doctor. I’m just looking for a friend. Brad Crawford?”
“Ah. Yeah, I know the guy. What you want with the likes of him?”
“We went to high school together.” The old man’s tone didn’t really surprise Hannah. It reminded her of the way teachers at school would refer to Brad. He was obviously still making a name for himself by being a little bit wilder and more reckless than the next guy.
“Huh. Surprised he went to school at all. Well, you’ll find him at the garage.” He shuffled around looking for something in his desk drawers. “Here–map of the area. Brad’s on the other side of the island, but it’s only about a twenty-minute drive. He’ll be closed by now though–likes to get off early that one.” The man grunted, clearly unimpressed by Brad’s work ethic.
“Great, thank you,” Hannah took the map and shoved it in her purse.
The old man saw her out, nodding in approval at her SUV, and gave her the directions to the cabin.
Hannah drove her vehicle slowly, following the rough track to the cabin. On arrival, she lugged her small suitcase out of the back seat and ventured inside.
It certainly had plenty of rustic charm, she told herself, whilst shivering violently, as she closed the door behind her. Before doing anything, she needed to light the fire. Hastily she pushed the logs onto the grate and crumpled up some old newspaper. Flicking the match, she was relieved to see it rapidly come to life, but it would be a while before she’d be able to remove her coat.
Next, she checked the sleeping arrangements. The bed was in the same room, which was a relief. It wasn’t damp, either, but with only a duvet for night time warmth, Hannah thought it would be wise to invest in a sleeping bag, even if it was just for the night.
She checked her map and found a camping supplies store in the center of the town. Hopefully it would still be open, and plus, she was starving and far too tired to cook. It would be dinner for one tonight at the nearest, least touristy looking restaurant.
***
The storefront lights were still glowing when she reached Sterling Outfitters. It was by far the largest and grandest looking store on the street, and Hannah vaguely recalled seeing a few from the same chain in Chicago. She stepped in and was welcomed by a blast of heat and a genuine smile from the rugged looking man behind the counter.
“Can I help you?” he asked as Hannah approached.
“Please. I’m looking for a sleeping bag.”
The door chime rang as a family entered behind Hannah. Two children ran in, followed by their mother.
“Be with you in a sec,” the assistant called to them, and gestured Hannah over to the neatly stacked sleeping bags. “We’ve got pretty much every type. Are you looking for a one man or two man?”
“One man would probably be best, as long as it’s seriously warm.”
The assistant laughed, “You staying at one of Burke’s cabins?”
“How did you guess?”
“My aunt stayed there one winter during my wedding–house was full. She didn’t stop complaining about the cold. The local motel closes over winter till start of June, so sadly there’s nowhere else to stay.”
“It’s okay, charming really, as long as I can keep warm tonight. It’s only for a night.”
The man nodded and pulled down one of the bags, “This is filled with duck down, as well as some Japanese-made synthetic materials. Can’t really go wrong.”
“Perfect,” Hannah smiled gratefully. She was about to say something else, but froze to listen to the sounds of sharp gurgling gasps coming from behind her, followed by silence.
“Jamie, Jamie!” The little boy’s mother rushed over to him, waving her arms about helplessly.
The boy’s eyes were wide open and desperate. His face blossomed bright red and then rapidly started to lose color. Hannah dropped the sleeping bag and was beside him in less than a second.
Chapter four
From his chair in the back office, Colton heard a commotion coming from up front. It almost sounded like the place was being held up—a loud, blood-curdling cry was emanating from a woman, and he rushed to the door anticipating wolf trouble.
He burst into the main store, his primitive bear senses kicking in as his eyes rapidly surveyed the scene. He relaxed at the absence of wolves, and mere presence of one hysterical woman crying over a child. There was also a second woman, who at the moment was standing behind the child executing an efficient Heimlich maneuver. Giving one final thrust, a bright blue object flew through the air and smacked against the glass display case. The child s
tarted crying.
“You need to get him to his pediatrician. He may have damaged his airways,” the woman calmly addressed the mother of the child, whilst soothing the crying boy.
“Thank you! Oh, I can’t thank you enough!” The mother took the boy back in her arms.
“Lego,” the woman commented, picking up the bright blue object, “Happens all the time.”
“We can’t get to the doctor. We can’t cross on the ferry in this weather and the flight path’s closed, do you think he’ll be alright until next week?” The tinge of hysteria was edging back up in the woman’s voice.
“Let me have a look,” the red-haired woman turned and addressed the boy, “Will you open wide for me?”
Amidst his sobs, the boy did as he was told.
“He looks okay. Get him to a doctor as soon as you can, though. Is there really no one around here, not even a general practitioner?”
The mother shook her head.
Colton stepped forward to offer his assistance, then halted mid-stride. The mother had moved, clearing his line of vision and now he could clearly see the little boy’s savior.
For Colton, it was as if time stood still. Her hair flowed loosely down her shoulders, thick, deep red with natural golden highlights. Her skin was alabaster white, contrasting strikingly with full pink lips. She was curvy. Beautiful, voluptuous curves that made Colton’s mouth water. Her eyes were a piercing artic blue, and right now they were looking expectantly at Colton, as if waiting for him to speak.
“I have a plane you can use to take your boy to the mainland if you need it.” Colton addressed the mother. He vaguely recognized her; she was fairly new to Port Ursa.
“Thank you, that would be wonderful. It’s really so kind of you…”
“Colton.”
He glanced over at the redhead. She had broken eye contact with him and was now rising to her feet. He wanted to speak to her before she left.
“Jake, will you get the flight charted?” he spoke to the shop clerk, who rapidly ushered the boy and his mother into the back room.
Bears of Burden: THORN Page 12