Was Cassie really prepared take on the role of stepmom to Kaia? She’d been his daughter’s primary female role model for years and the two of them were really close, but while Kaia had learned to have Cassie in their life as someone she could depend on, learn from...his little girl knew at the end of the day, it was just the two of them, that his loyalties were with her.
Cassie’s chosen lifestyle made it difficult for Tank to see her in their lives on a full-time basis. Her adventurous, no-fear attitude and zest for life both attracted Tank and repelled him. As lead adventure guide of her company, SnowTrek Tours, Cassie took on the most challenging expeditions through the Alaska wilderness and sometimes took calculated risks that other, more inexperienced guides wouldn’t even consider. Tank worried about her.
He struggled with his involvement on the search and rescue team because of the guilt that if something happened to him out on a mission, Kaia would be on her own. It was the reason he hadn’t committed to becoming a full member yet. So Cassie having a similarly risky career, going out into the wilderness on adventure-seeking trips year-round, made her someone Tank wasn’t sure he could fully commit to...
He’d been down that road before with Kaia’s mother.
“I saw the events this morning,” said Jimmy, Frank’s son and their volunteer training “target,” joining them. “Your girl soared over that pond. What the hell kind of jacked-up motor was in that dune buggy?”
“It met regulations and Cass is just a friend.” And he was a major asshole saying it. She deserved more from him...and damn, he wished he could give it.
Jimmy glanced at Diva. “But isn’t your partner here her dog?”
“Yes.”
“And I saw her leave your place really early the other morning...like walk-of-shame early.”
Small towns and their assumptions. “There was nothing shameful about it. She stays over sometimes to watch Kaia when I have night shift duty at the station.”
“She stays over when you’re not there?”
“Correct.”
Jimmy and Frank exchanged looks that suggested Tank was indeed an asshole. Was he crazy or was even Diva judging him?
“Can we get started?”
“Sure thing,” Frank said, checking his chart. “You know, I think we’re ready for phase five... Diva’s been tracking for several weeks now without treats.”
Tank hesitated. Phase five was the final stage before they were eligible for certification. He’d hoped to stay in phase four a little longer, but Diva was an unexpected superstar. Despite her narcolepsy, she was proving to be a lot tougher and smarter than her sequined collar and pampered paws suggested. “Are you sure? Don’t want to shake her confidence, you know...”
Jimmy laughed. “I’ve never seen a dog with more confidence. She wears pink booties and a winter coat when she isn’t training and struts around town like a Chihuahua.”
“Jimmy’s right,” Frank said, putting on his hat and gloves as a cold wind blew through the clearing. “Diva’s ready for this.”
But was he? It was shitty to have doubted the dog in the first place, but now he needed more time. Their certification to full search and rescue members meant a lot of changes Tank wasn’t quite ready for yet. This had been Kaia’s idea. Since Diva was a pup, she’d been desperate for the dog to be the first four-legged member of the S & R team. Tank hadn’t believed Diva could pull off the demanding obedience training and commitment to their tracking practice. Her condition—unpredictably falling asleep without cause or warning—would make her a liability, he’d argued.
Diva’s vet disagreed. Dr. Jose believed that training for a greater purpose might help Diva have fewer episodes, keep her focused. And so far, the dog was performing better than anyone had expected.
“Holding her back wouldn’t be fair,” Frank warned. “That would do more damage to her confidence than trying and failing. You need to show her you believe in her and that it’s okay to try.”
When they put it that way... “Okay, I guess we’ll give it a shot,” he said.
Tank moved aside and Jimmy took over interacting with the eager puppy. He played with her and allowed her to sniff him, his clothing and skin. Then, handing Tank his sweatshirt, he headed off with Frank toward the thick forested area at the end of the clearing.
The two men would walk so far together, then they’d break off and go in different directions. Diva’s test was to follow and track Jimmy and not let herself get distracted by Frank. The “distraction” element of phase five proved the most challenging for most dogs.
“Okay, girl, you ready?” Tank asked, reattaching Diva’s leash and letting her sniff Jimmy’s sweater.
Diva took her job seriously. She sniffed and pawed at the garment, then sat at attention, satisfied she had the scent.
“Find!”
On Tank’s command, Diva headed in the direction the two men had walked. As in phase four, she wasn’t rewarded at intervals...just kept going until the target was found. She led Tank past the clearing and into the trees. Mud from the thawing ground caked his boots as he followed. Spring weather meant the trees were blooming, and the damp floral scent in the air made tracking a little tougher. Each season provided its own challenges, but winter months would be the hardest.
Diva followed Jimmy’s scent to the marking where the men had separated.
Could the dog get this right on her first try?
She sat at Tank’s feet, looking up at him.
“Find!”
She sniffed the air, but remained seated.
Confused by the two scents and not wanting to get this wrong, she wouldn’t move any further. Her tail wagged against the ground and she let out a little whimper. She was clearly discouraged by this new challenge.
He tried again. “Find!”
Diva stared in the right direction, where Jimmy was hiding forty feet away, out of sight, but she refused to go to him.
Tank knelt beside her and pet her soft gray-and-white fur. “Good girl. You almost got us there.”
Diva whimpered and looked disappointed. Overachiever complex. Like her owner. “It’s okay. You did good.” Standing, he led the dog down the correct trail to Jimmy.
Seeing him, Diva barked her alert, then sat again, ears down. She knew she’d failed this test.
Tank unhooked her leash as Jimmy praised her for her assistance, but Diva still looked at Tank for his approval.
He took a treat from his pocket and Diva’s favorite ball. Her tail wagged happily, reminding him that she was still just a pup. Work time was over. Time to play. “Fetch!” Tank said, throwing the ball back toward the clearing.
Diva dashed after it.
“Well, it was a good first attempt,” Frank said, returning to them.
“Yeah...not bad.” For a second, Tank had thought Diva would get it right. It wouldn’t take many more attempts for Diva to pass this stage of the process too...and that had him nervous as hell.
An hour later, after he’d exhausted his right arm throwing the ball, they’d packed it in and headed to SnowTrek Tours. “We’re back,” he called as they entered Cassie’s office.
“Hey, how did she do?” Cassie asked, standing on her office chair, peering through her window blinds.
“She attempted phase five today.” Tank removed Diva’s leash and hung it on a hook near the door. The dog immediately passed out on her cushion near the front window.
“Really? That’s great,” Cassie said, barely glancing his way. Her attention still on the window.
Closing the blinds, Tank moved her away from it, lifting her into his arms and off the chair. He set her feet on the floor. “You have to stop stressing. That company is opening whether we want it to or not.” Not that they hadn’t tried to prevent North Mountain Sports Company from buying the building across the street the year before. They’d started petitions
and talked to the mayor, but ultimately it had been decided that the big chain adventure company was a positive addition to the community.
Even if it meant driving out some of the smaller competitors, like Cass.
Cassie sighed. “I just wish they weren’t being so secretive.”
Part of their grand opening launch depended on a great storefront reveal. Therefore, no one other than the work crews renovating the building were allowed inside, and everyone involved had signed NDAs. Large black tarps draped over the exterior and big fences blocked any external views of the construction.
“Look, your company has survived competition before. You have a great reputation. Stop stressing.” He rubbed her arms and her expression changed.
He’d wanted to comfort her, but damn if the feel of her arms beneath the thin fabric of her sweater didn’t make him long to keep touching her. Everywhere. This was the problem with being alone with her. Without anyone around, he felt his guard slipping a little. He forgot that he had responsibilities to Kaia...and to Cassie, not to act hastily and put the situation they had working for them at risk. An impulsive kiss could throw off the balance they had in their lives.
Could being with her make things better? Absolutely. As long as everything worked out, but he wasn’t prepared to take the chance that it wouldn’t.
“Would you be feeling as confident if there was an internationally well-known bar moving into that space?” she asked.
Competition for his own bar on Main Street, The Drunk Tank? Absolutely not. “I feel you, I do.” More than was safe, really. “But the locals here have your back. I have your back.”
Damn, her blue eyes were mesmerizing. Most days they held him captive because of the excitement there that never seemed to die, but today, they held a concerning hint of worry.
“Listen, they are a chain store. They might have a big flashy opening that draws a crowd for a few weeks, but it won’t take long before everyone realizes that they are simply selling overpriced name-brand equipment and clothing and that the tours they offer aren’t up to your standard. You’ve gotten permits from Wild River to explore backwoods areas this company has never even heard of.”
“That’s true...”
“And their guides are probably some pretty boys from Aspen who have never experienced wilderness like this.”
Cassie cocked her head to the side. “Some tourists like pretty boys from Aspen... I can’t compete with the eye candy.”
Tank laughed. That just might be the other company’s edge over her. Cassie’s male guides were Alaskan-tough with mountain man beards and muscles built for function, not fashion. If tourists were looking to fulfill some romantic fantasy on their vacation, they’d best stick to North Mountain Sports Company, but if they wanted an authentic outback experience, they couldn’t do better than SnowTrek Tours.
“Unless, of course, you and I cross-promote and I send them into the bar for a free cocktail, served by Alaska’s hottest bartender,” she said.
Damn, when she flirted, it erased every cautionary reason he relied on for keeping things PG between them. Instances like now, when they were alone, Kaia wasn’t around and he was touching her, it was hard as hell not to take the plunge and let everything work itself out.
At first, when they’d met, he’d had Reed as enough of a cockblock not to act on his crazy lust-filled attraction to Cassie. They were on the search and rescue team together, he was Reed’s boss at the bar...there were far too many lines that would be crossed, but over the years Reed had more than given his blessing for Tank to go for his sister. It was like that here in Wild River. No bro codes broken when one guy fell for another guy’s sister...or ex-girl... Love was love and they could all act mature about things.
After that, his hesitation was Kaia. And his daughter’s best interests were more than enough for him to put on the brakes. Kaia loved Cassie, but he wasn’t sure how his daughter would feel about having Cassie in their life full-time. Having to share his attention with someone else. And if things fell apart, his daughter would be devastated to lose Cassie, as well.
There was too much at stake.
“The free cocktail I’ll happily provide, but you can’t be pimping me out to tourists,” he said.
“Why not? I mean, how long is your vow of celibacy anyway?” The teasing glint in her eyes should have had him retreating, but his betraying body just stepped closer.
“Don’t tempt me, Cass...”
She stood on tiptoe and still only came below his chin, but her attempt at intimidation was cute. “That’s exactly what I’ve been trying to do...” Her glaze flitted between his lips and his eyes as she slowly raised her arms, wrapping them around his neck.
“Cassie...” It came out more as a groan, his entire body tensing. Hard. Could they cross the line to physical without actually entering into a real relationship? Best friends with benefits sounded like the perfect situation to him...but he knew she wanted more and he couldn’t give her that. He was already taking so much from her and not giving nearly enough back.
Diva’s bark alerted them to the presence of another person before the door chimed.
Tank cleared his throat and stepped back as Bobby Taylor entered, struggling to carry the large, awkwardly shaped Slush Cup trophy that Cass had naturally secured that year. No other competitor had even been a challenge. The woman had a no-fail drive to succeed. “Where do you want this, Cass?”
“Oh...um...” She looked annoyed at the interruption, but Tank was relieved.
“How about right here next to the Business of the Year Award?” Tank suggested, raised eyebrows implying she was giving North Mountain Sports Company far too much power. Wild River didn’t give out the Business of the Year Award for arbitrary conditions or who spent the most in advertising in their monthly newsletter.
Cassie should know that based on how many years she’d come up just shy, one year losing it to his bar.
That had certainly made things interesting for a while.
Bobby set the award on the shelf near Cassie’s desk. “Don’t get too attached. It’s headed back to Bobby’s Delicates next year.”
Tank didn’t doubt that it would. Bobby’s Delicates had claimed the Slush Cup title for six years running. Cassie’s unexpected win that year had been an upset. While Bobby had inherited the lingerie store from his mother—also named Bobby—his true passion was his mechanic’s shop, and he stayed as far away from women’s underwear as he could. Both professionally and personally.
“She’s all yours again next year,” Cassie said. “I just needed to borrow her for a while.”
He actually looked teary-eyed as he glanced at the trophy before leaving the store.
“So that means we’re not entering again next year?” Tank was hopeful.
Cassie turned her office chair around to show him the soft, inflated donut she was using as a cushion. “Not unless someone else is flying over that pond. The bruises on my ass are no joke.”
“That’s a hard pass, then,” he said with a forced laugh.
Unfortunately, now all he could think about was how much he’d like to kiss away her injuries.
CHAPTER TWO
“HEY, MAN. HOW’D it go?” Reed asked as Tank entered the Search and Rescue station later that day.
“Training was amazing. Diva is a superstar. Didn’t quite make it past phase five today, but I’m sure it will take her no time...”
“You’re talking a lot, which means you’re diverting from my actual question—you and Cass still haven’t discussed Diva moving in with you, have you?”
Tank hung his training equipment on a hook. “Nope.” Cassie knew that in order for Diva to be an official member of ASARD, the dog would have to live with him, but so far they’d both skirted the issue. Diva was her pet and she adored the dog. She’d rescued her from the side of the highway the year before. Someone had a
bandoned an entire litter of Siberian husky pups and Cassie would have kept them all if she’d had the space in her condo.
She kept Diva because of her narcolepsy. A puppy with a medical condition would be harder to find a home for.
“You know you two won’t get certified as a team unless Diva lives with you. They are letting it slide for now because you two spend so much time together,” Reed, stater of the obvious, said.
“Explain to me how I’m supposed to have that conversation with Cass.” Hands on his hips, Tank waited. He’d welcome the other man’s suggestions on the matter.
Reed could talk a big game, but disappointing his sister wasn’t something the guy did often either.
“You know, if you and Cass lived together, you wouldn’t need to have this conversation at all.”
Where the hell had Erika come from with her wisdom?
Tank shot his buddy a look as Erika entered the room and plunked herself down on Reed’s lap.
Reed shrugged. “What? She has a point. It would save you from having to steal my sister’s dog.”
“I’m not stealing her dog.” But he wasn’t making the leap to live with Cassie either. That would be insane. They hadn’t even gone on a date. Not a real one anyway.
Four months ago, he’d finally grown a set big enough to take a chance with her. They’d planned a real date for New Year’s Eve—just the two of them—but then Reed almost died on a rescue mission and well...their rescheduled date hadn’t quite happened.
His balls had shrunk right back up into his body.
Reed’s accident had only served as a reminder that things here in Wild River could be dangerous with his choice to be on the S & R team, and he relied on Cassie to be there for Kaia...if anything were to happen to him. If they took a chance on a relationship and things didn’t work out, what then?
He knew it was selfish, but he needed Cassie in his life; he wouldn’t know what to do without her. Having her as a best friend was better than not at all...on so many levels.
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