“Friends more than anything. I took her to the school dances.” He glanced at her again with a smile as memories flooded.
“Got it. She had a crush on Mick. You had a crush on her. You were in the friend zone with her, which was safe from the brothers while you and Mick were together.” Phil threw back the rest of his drink and nodded to the bartender for another.
“Basically, yes. These group things aren’t simple to put together as adults. As teenagers, it’s asking for disaster. Her father would’ve pulled a gun on either of us if we made a move.” Mick shared a look with Sean.
“Damn right. That old man was territorial even by Alaska standards. He’d have shot us, and his boys would’ve butchered and fed us to the bears over on Kodiak before anyone missed us.” Sean shivered at the memory of Mr. James’ disapproving glare when they were headed for a school dance, no matter how many times Tiff and her brothers assured their dad it was okay.
“The baby of the family and only girl. Men around here protect what’s theirs. The women too.” Mick nodded to Phil.
“Right, but she’s grown now. I think we need to go say hello,” Phil replied.
“Fine. But follow my lead.” Sean led the way.
“I’ll hang back.” Mick leaned on the bar.
Sean marched back to him. “I’m sorry. Aren’t we in this together?”
“I know we want her as the fourth. All the history and us just being back after years. She probably hates me and resents you for just wanting to be friends. He’s barely been in Alaska a couple years.” Mick pointed at Phil.
“You were friends with her brothers. So what? Why would she hate you?” Phil asked.
“It’s complicated,” Sean said.
Mick shrugged. “She asked me to one of those turnabout dances in high school. I told her no and froze. Before I could explain, she ran off. One of her brothers said she was crying. I didn’t know what to do. A crying woman still flusters me. As a teenager, how was I to handle that? She was never the same open and friendly girl to me again.”
“But you love her?” Phil asked.
Sean and Mick shared a look.
“I was safe there. Good friends. You know my home life…” Mick shrugged.
“Sucked,” Phil supplied.
“Relax. We’re not going to rush it. We’re saying hi to an old friend. We’re back in town. Dana is over there too. Don’t open with we want Tiff in our ménage,” Sean said.
“Fine, I’ll say hi, but don’t get too friendly,” Mick warned.
“There is a whole group of women there. I don’t think we’re in any danger of looking predatory.” Phil headed over.
Tiff looked a bit like she’d seen a ghost, but her smile for Phil seemed genuine. She eyed Sean and Mick with a bit more trepidation as she introduced her friends.
“Dana, this is Phil Henderson. He’s joining Mick at the trooper post here. Dana is a Sterling native. It’s nice to see new faces too,” Sean said as he turned on the charm.
“Gretchen was just locking in a date with Dana for her wedding at the Sterling Inn. I don’t see the point of four-way marriage if it’s not legal, but I don’t mind the jewelry.” Melody fingered the diamond on her left ring finger casually.
Sean got the message. She and Gretchen were taken.
“Congratulations,” Mick said.
“Thanks.” Gretchen beamed.
“So, Phil. Where are you from?” Dana asked.
“I’ll go get another round of drinks for everyone,” Mick said.
“Wyoming,” Phil finally answered Dana’s question.
“Outsider? I thought he was your third,” Dana said to Sean.
“I am,” Phil said proudly. “I went into the military after high school. After that I wanted a fresh start. Bisexual wasn’t exactly well received at home, so I came to Alaska.”
“How fun.” Bethany eyed him like a choice cut of meat.
“It is. I love being a trooper and how different everything is here.” Phil smiled at her.
“I’m sure the military was a good prep for Alaska. We do things differently here for our own reasons.” Tiffany held her glass tightly. “I had no idea when we met on that call you were with them.”
“I had no idea you knew them either. Just glad to see so many beautiful women in Sterling.” Phil stared at Tiffany.
“So you’re doing traffic patrol? Not wildlife or anything?” Dana asked.
“For now, yes. But I’m pretty decent on a snowmobile, and I can drive a boat,” Phil said.
Sighs came from all the true Alaskans.
“What?” Phil asked.
“Machines. Snow machines.” Sean laughed.
“You guys are so picky. Means the same thing.” Phil blushed.
“Like a retired Marine and an ex-Marine mean the same thing?” Tiffany asked.
Phil’s posture stiffened. “No, I’m retired from the military. There’s no ex-military.”
“Exactly. Snow machines are necessary in Alaska. Like bush planes and boats if you’re on the water. It’s not a weekend toy. I bet you don’t even own a snow machine.” Tiff leaned back in her chair.
“I’ve been moving around for training. Mick and Sean have them, but I doubt it’ll be mandatory this far south.” Phil held his ground.
“Why don’t you help Mick with the drinks?” Sean suggested.
Phil went, but his expression told Sean he didn’t like being dismissed. There was history to sort out that Phil wasn’t involved in. He wasn’t helping right that minute. Sean would explain later.
“Tiff, you haven’t changed a bit.” Sean smirked.
“He’s an outsider.” Tiff shook her head. “You and Mick shacked up with an outsider?”
Dana shrugged. “He’s hot. He’s military, so he’ll adapt. Trooper training is good. What do you care, Tiff?”
“I don’t. I just never imagined Mick would have the patience for someone who can’t butcher a moose solo.” Tiff nibbled at the appetizers. “Back for good?”
“They both took a permanent assignment to the post here. They might patrol over in Homer as well, but you know how it goes. They’ve got their territory.” Sean went for the lovable old friend angle. “Miss us?”
Before she could reply, Dave James walked up. “These guys bothering you, sis?”
“We’re fine, Dave.” Tiff seemed annoyed.
“If they’re a problem, we’ll get rid of them,” Dave offered.
Dana wasn’t one to be pushed around. “Oh, please, Dave. Mick is your old pal. He’s at the bar with another trooper. You can’t bully them. They can arrest you. So let your sister have some fun, and quit being a chaperone.”
For a second everyone was quiet. Sean fought to hide his grin. Dana was strong and smart but bookish and had never been one of the popular girls.
Dave nodded. “You’re right, Dana. She’s already got you to be the boring chaperone. Neither of you two ever did anything out of line. I’m just offering help. I’ll go chat with Mick.”
Gesturing to his brother, Dave headed for the bar.
“Sorry about him,” Tiff said to Dana.
“Forget it. My parents always liked it when we went places together because I don’t have any siblings and you had enough older brothers to spare. Talk about safe.” Dana laughed it off. “Where are those drinks?”
Sean saw that Dana had grown into her role more easily than Tiff. Dana’s parents were older. Sean had paid them a visit looking for odd jobs until tourist season. With no one judging her every move or cramping her style, Dana was a pillar of the community ready to find the right trio of men. Tiff still seemed stuck in the role of little sister.
Phil and a waitress brought over the drinks. The women thanked them, and Sean waved it off. For women there was no charge, so Mick had just used it as an excuse to get away for bit.
“So, Tiff. How about a dance?” Phil asked.
There was a small dance floor to one side of the bar with couples on it. Sean instantly knew it was too fast.
>
“Thanks, but I’m actually coming down with a headache. I’m going to splash some cold water on my face and see if it helps.” Tiff sipped her cola and then headed for the ladies’ room.
The women followed their leader like a heard of caribou bounding over the landscape. Sean sat down in Tiff’s chair. “Way to go, Phil.”
“What? I was trying to get some alone time with her to show I’m not a total jerk or clueless. She really is sensitive.” Phil frowned.
“Sensitive. She’s also an Alaskan girl who is tough. She’s probably carrying a gun on her and a knife. Plus, she’s a paramedic, so she could kill you in a few ways you might not expect.” Sean grinned.
“I can handle her.” Phil’s military posture came out again.
“I wouldn’t brag too much on the military thing either. I told you, Alaskans don’t like being told what to do or how to do it. Being a trooper is one thing. Being a marine too, they’ll think you’re just about the orders.” Sean respected the military and loved the pics of Phil in uniform, but here independence and self-reliance were prized higher than any medal.
“It is weird. Was Tiff’s dad military?”
Sean nodded. “One of her brothers went in too for the education. It’s not a bad thing if you’re from here. You’re from outside, so you have to prove you can make it here. The military stuff, Tiff was being nice. Alaska weather changes in minutes. You have to improvise, innovate, and anticipate shit you don’t even know might happen yet. The only way to be accepted here is to make it here for a year.”
“I’ve been a year in Anchorage.” Phil studied the bar.
“That’s a big city, and you did some other posts. This is a small town. People are sizing you up. Looking you over and judging right here.” Sean gestured to the room.
“I can feel it.” Phil nodded.
“Be a dick, no one will talk to you. Be everyone’s best friend, they’ll think you’re after something. Be yourself, in a relationship with me and Mick, and you’ll meet people and gain their trust. Don’t try too hard with them or Tiffany.” Sean texted Mick to get his ass over to the table. They weren’t leaving until they got another chance to chat with Tiffany.
“Got it. Geez, it’s like basic training all over again.” Phil downed his beer.
“It’s worse here. We don’t trust outsiders, so you don’t get trained or taught things readily. People shoot trespassers. The animals can kill you about as fast as the people.” Sean smiled.
“If it were easy, everyone would move here.” Phil never backed down from a challenge, and that made Sean love him more. Tiff would be one hell of a challenge.
Chapter Two
“I’ve got some aspirin,” Gretchen offered.
“Thanks, but it’s just the men.” Tiff smiled. They were safe in the women’s bathroom, but the trio of hot men had Tiff aroused and confused. Two had been her first fantasies and loves. Phil was the new option, and they’d all converged to complicate her life.
“They’re hot!” Bethany said.
“Yeah. I know. Phil is really with them?” Tiff asked Dana.
Nodding, Dana sighed. “Sean came by to see if my parents needed anything done. He’s leading tourists in hikes, animal watching, or hunting when the season hits.”
“He’s handy.” Tiff didn’t begrudge them work. Sean was a good guy, but she’d detected a slight limp in his walk that made her curious. He was very in tune with nature and people.
Mick was like a sledgehammer.
“They hired Sean as a proxy hunter. We’ve got a handyman.” Denise shrugged.
“Wait. What’s he hunting?” Melody held up a finger.
Tiff smiled. “Anything. Proxy just means that he’ll hunt for older people or people who can’t physically. They let Sean hunt for them and compensate him for doing the legwork.”
“Makes sense. If he’s going to be taking people out hunting anyway, might as well help people on top of it. I like him.” Gretchen nodded.
“Sean is sweet, but it’s more complicated. Tell them,” Dana advised Tiff.
After a brief rundown of Sean and Mick together in high school and leaving in different directions, Tiff realized it didn’t explain why she was freaked out. “Sean and I were friends, and we went to dances and stuff. I had a crush on him and Mick. Even though Mick teased me. He was closer with my brothers and always at the house.”
“Jerk,” Melody said.
“Sean was okay with your brothers?” Gretchen asked.
“They thought he was less of a threat. Bi guys are normal enough around here, and Sean was into Mick. Plenty of us thought they’d form a ménage after high school. They went off and pursued other things after graduation,” Dana said.
“Well, maybe that’s what this is all about?” Gretchen perked up.
“Mick doesn’t want to deal with me.” Tiff shook her head.
Dana checked her makeup. “That’s the weird part. Sean said Mick was the one who wanted to move back. He got his pick of posts, so he moved home. Maybe they found Phil and are coming back to claim you? A lot of people thought he and Sean were after you.”
“Right. Then Mick is avoiding me…why?” Tiff hated drama. Men were usually good for less drama, but their egos could be fragile.
“Maybe he’s not sure how to smooth things over? Being a teenager is hard. Crushing on your friend’s little sister is weird. I should know. All my brother’s friends couldn’t stop staring at me.” Bethany propped a hand on her hip. “If you want me to distract them, I will.”
Dana smiled. “Tiff was a lot less if you’ve got it, flaunt it.”
“Still not into flaunting it.” Tiff hate being the center of attention, but the idea of Bethany with those guys made her see red. “I didn’t think you were looking for anything serious, Bethany.”
“Who says they are?” Bethany shot back.
Dana laughed.
“What?” Bethany demanded. “I spent six months in Anchorage and six more months in Fairbanks. Plenty of men to keep me warm.”
“Groups are different,” Gretchen chimed in.
Melody wagged a finger at her friend. “Yeah, I thought I was just enjoying three hot guys, but it’s more intense. In a big city, the odds are against running into the same guy over and over. But in a small town with three men involved? You don’t want to make things complicated, Bethany. Don’t you dare run off, though. You have to stick around at least through Gretchen’s wedding.”
“I was just offering to take them off her hands.” Bethany smiled innocently.
Tiff smiled. “Thanks, I wish it were that simple. Hopefully Mick and I can be some sort of friends. And Sean. Phil, I thought he was cute and nice. I even gave him my number at the crash scene. How dumb.”
“Fate.” Gretchen poked Tiff’s shoulder.
“Or hell. They’ll find someone else to talk to.” Tiffany decided to put the men and her past feelings out of her head.
Dana looked at the floor. “So we can go back out? This looks like we’re hiding.”
“Sure. Thanks.” Tiffany didn’t even glance at the mirror. It didn’t matter. Two of those men had seen her at her most awkward stages. She had to be strong and not let her anxieties loose. The men had caught her off guard tonight, but she’d be better now.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about him. I was going to tonight. I never dreamed they’d show up here on ladies’ night looking for you,” Dana whispered to Tiff.
Tiffany smiled. “I understand. Thanks. And my brothers had to be here too. Men.”
“There are worse men out there. Teenage Mick fit in with your brothers, but give him a chance now. We’ve all grown up a lot. We’re all over thirty, so maybe they’ll be more mature?” Dana sounded hopeful.
“My brothers’ aside, I agree.” Tiff faced the bar full of people again.
Phil and Sean were over at the table. Mick was talking to her brothers. The women headed for the table, but Dana headed for Tiff’s brothers. As Tiffany passed another
table, a man stood up and blocked her path.
“I know you,” said the drunken man.
He looked vaguely familiar, but he was younger and not a friend. Probably a patient. Alcohol and drugs were a huge problem in Alaska, so her help wasn’t always welcome or appreciated. “Okay. Nice to see you.”
“No. You made them pump my stomach. They took my stuff.” His accusatory tone didn’t match his wobbly stance. Still, people who were high or drunk could be deceptively strong and dangerous.
“If you needed your stomach pumped, it was the doctor’s call. I didn’t touch your stash. I’m not a cop. I think you’ve had enough tonight.” She signaled to the bartender to cut him off.
“No, you owe me three hundred dollars’ worth of stuff!” he shouted.
The room got quieter. When she tried to walk away, he grabbed her arm. She’d handled men like this dozens of times. She didn’t have the chance. In a blink, Mick had the drunk man pinned against the wall with a forearm to the throat. “You want to go to jail tonight?”
“What the hell? What for?” the guy croaked.
“Assault. Drunk and disorderly conduct. Disturbing the peace. We’ll search you and your car. Bet there will be more.” Mick turned to Phil. “Get a local unit here.”
“Are you sure?” Phil asked.
Mick glared at Phil who got on his cell phone immediately.
“I don’t need your help. I’ve handled plenty of patients like him.” Tiffany protested more for her ego than for the jerk who was getting what he deserved.
Mick wasn’t one to relent when he’d chosen a course of action. That guy was going to jail, and he’d probably be better off for it. She could take care of herself, but it was nice to have a man step up and do the right thing…especially when the man wasn’t related to her. Maybe Dana was right? Maybe Mick had changed?
The siren and lights outside said the local police had arrived. It was a quiet night, and this would be all over town by morning. Tiff hated gossip, but the addict was still alive, so she’d done her job before. Maybe Mick was only doing his job now? A peace offering? Mick frustrated her because he was so hard to read.
* * * *
Mick had handed off the problem and given his rundown of the situation. Shaking hands with the local officer, he liked the feeling of being home. Tiffany had pressed charges, which was what this guy needed. When Mick approached her, her brothers exited the bar.
Arctic Adventure (Men of Alaska Book 3) Page 2