The M.D. Meets His Match
The M.D. Meets His Match
Marie Ferrarella
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKEALASKA? One week back in her rustic hometown, and April Yearling remembered exactly why she'd fled to the lower forty-eight. The moment her ailing grandmother recovered, she planned to hightail it back to civilizationalone! Never mind that a certain sexy doctor had her yearning for everything she'd sworn she'd never need.Sought-after physician James Quintano hadn't come to the northern wilderness to put down roots, and he certainly wasn't here seeking female companionship. But what red-blooded man could resist the great outdoors, the promise of adventureor an elusive, alluring hot-blooded beauty?
What did you do that for? April demanded.
The lady packed a hell of a punch, Jimmy thought. He couldnt remember the last time a slight kiss had turned into a full three-course affair. He found himself fighting the urge to do it all over again. Have you ever felt like you just had to find out something?
April struggled for her deepest-sounding voice, afraid that anything less would crack. I generally go to the encyclopedia.
His grin was ever so slightly lopsided. He toyed with a strand of her hair.
They dont have anything like this in the encyclopedia.
No doubt about it, she thought. Educators and scholars probably hadnt come up with a word to fit what had just happened here.
The M.D. Meets His Match
Marie Ferrarella
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
To Aileen and Adrian Galang,
Happy wedding!
Happy life!
Love,
The Third Photographer
MARIE FERRARELLA
earned a masters degree in Shakespearean comedy and, perhaps as a result, her writing is distinguished by humor and natural dialogue. This RITA Award-winning author has one goal: to entertain, to make people laugh and feel good. She has written over 100 books for Silhouette, some under the name Marie Nicole. Her romances are beloved by fans worldwide and have been translated into Spanish, Italian, German, Russian, Polish, Japanese and Korean.
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Epilogue
Chapter One
With a sigh, April Yearling moved the desk fan closer to her. It was stuffy in the archaic post office, but she couldnt turn the fan on high because it would send the tonnage of envelopes, leaflets and whatnot around her flying off in an unauthorized, frantic dance.
One week back in Hades and she remembered why shed left.
She mopped her damp forehead with the back of her wrist and instantly regretted it. The area hidden beneath the haphazardly wrapped bandage on her wrist stung, reminding her that there was a consequence for moving too fast, even in a place like Hades.
Biting her lower lip, April continued to sort the mail. She glanced at her watch, swearing that time was altered here in the backstretch of Alaska, moving at a snails pace that was completely unacceptable to normal human beings.
At least, it was unacceptable to her.
Gran had proudly pointed out that there were people who had moved here from the lower forty-nine. Why a place like Hades, numbering about five hundred on its town roster, would attract anyone to come and settle here was completely beyond April.
Glancing at the scribbled name, she tossed the envelope into its proper pigeonhole.
She moved the fan a tad closer and longed for air-conditioned rooms. It was unseasonably warm for the middle of spring. April couldnt remember a spring ever being so hot and muggy. But this old building wasnt wired for air-conditioning. She supposed she should be happy that it was even wired for electricity, otherwise shed be relying on candles and the now dormant fireplace in the corner.
A fragment of a memory flashed through her mind. She and her brother and sister gathered around a fireplace, listening to the wind howl outside and the fire crackle as Gran read a ghost story. She remembered waiting to be frightened, but she never was.
Maybe that was her problem, April mused, flipping the last envelope into its cubbyhole. She was too fearless. Nothing frightened her. Except maybe the specter of falling in love.
Small chance of that ever happening, she told herself confidently. She was too smart.
Bending to retrieve more mail out of the sagging pouch Jeb Kellogg had just flown in and dropped off, April smiled. She was a city kid through and through. It had taken her exactly five minutes in Seattle, her first port of call after graduating high school, to discover that about herself, although shed secretly thought it for years before her great escape.
There had been this exhilaration that had telegraphed itself through her the moment shed stepped off the plane and looked around Seattle. She knew then that her soul belonged in a citythe bigger, the better.
April glanced at the next envelope and deposited it where it belonged. Her soul certainly belonged to something bigger than a town comprised of two rows of buildings that faced each other like participants in an old-fashioned square dance.
When shed left, shed been positive that nothing would ever bring her back here, here amid the snow and the scenery that went on forever without so much as a soul to disturb it, the loneliness so thick you couldnt cut through it. But of course, her family was hereGran and Max and Juneso thered been short visits throughout the years. And then shed received the letter from June saying that Gran, their tiny but invincible tower of strength who had never been ill a day in her life, was sick. Angina, the doctor, Shayne Kerrigan, had said. So she had come back.
It was as simple as that. She owed Gran everything. She and Max and June, they all did. Everything. If Gran hadnt taken them in when their mother had left them in every way but physically, becoming a vacant, broken shell of a woman, April wasnt sure what she would have done. As the oldest by eleven months, she would have had to do something and she had tried. Tried to care for her brother and sister and her mother. But eleven had been a very young age to suddenly become an adult and she hadnt been quite able to manage it.
Until then, she had believed herself up to the challenge. Shed felt shed grown up rather quickly even before her father had walked out on them and their mother had gone to pieces. Living in a rural town in Alaska was no picnic, no matter what the travel brochures said to the contrary about the frozen state. Alaska, she thought, tossing a fashion magazine onto Edith Plunketts stack of mail, was an uncompromising mistress who demanded a great deal from everyone who inhabited her terrain.
And right now, she was stuck here. April thrust a postcard into Jean-Luc LeBlancs pigeonhole. As much as she longed to leave, she felt too worried and too guilty to return to the life shed placed on hold.
Postmistress. April shook her head. Never in a million years would she have ever seen herself in this position. Gran had even made her take the oath, hand on the Bible and everything. Gran had said it wasnt official otherwise, which meant she couldnt handle the mail when it came through. Gran had taken her position here, both with the government and with the community, very seriously. So April had taken the oath to placate Gran rather than just whisk her away the way shed wanted to.
April sighed, picking up another envelope. She fervently wished that Max or June had had the time to take over for Gran. But career-wise, neither of them had her flexibility. Max was Hadess sheriff and June was the towns resident mechanic who had more than her share of work to keep up with. That meant she had been elected.
So far, election meant frustration.
It was beyond her why Gran had been so adamant that one of them take over for her here at the post office. It was either that, or have her continue. Gran absolutely refused to turn the job over to an outsider. The position had belonged to someone from Grans family ever since the first piece of mail had come into Hades some hundred and ten years ago.
As far as April saw it, this was just another rut to leave behind, not something to aspire to.
Certainly not something to take pride in. But Gran took pride in it and Gran was the one who counted, she thought, resigning herself for the umpteenth time and trying desperately to be patient. Patience was not her strong suit. It never had been. Shed always had the sense that there was something else, something better, waiting for her just around the next corner. So she kept turning corners. And anticipating.
April paused to flex her shoulders and straighten her back. Wanderlust, Gran had called it. She supposed in a way that gave her something in common with her father. The only thing in common. She would never hurt anyone, the way her father had, to get what she wanted. Wayne Yearling had had itchy feet. Hed tried to resist temptation for a while, or so hed said, but then hed finally given in and left. Her mother had thought for days that he would return, but April hadnt. Even at eleven, April had known better. Shed known that her father was gone for good.
Shed gotten one postcard from him a few months after hed left Hades. The only communication shed ever had from him. One postcard in over thirteen years. The picture had been of Manhattan with its steel-girder skyscrapers making love to the sky as they reached up to forever. Shed fallen in love with the city the second shed seen the postcard. The inscription on the back had been the typical Wish you were here and she wished she was there. Wished it with all her heart.
Gran had slipped the postcard to her, telling her in a hushed voice to not let her mother see it because in her anger and grief, Rose Yearling would have immediately ripped it up. So April kept it like a secret treasure, not even letting Max or June know about it. Shed slipped the postcard beneath her pillow and dreamed dreams of New York City and other places that had never seen a dogsled.
It had taken April seven years to make her dream come true. Her mother was gone by then and there seemed little reason to remain in Alaska. Gran could take care of June, and Max was almost grown. So she had left Hades to make something of herself, to forge a career that suited her and the wanderlust shed inherited.
She found her answer and her calling in freelance photography and proceeded to make a minor name for herself. That she never remained long in any one particular place was just a pleasant by-product of her career. She went where the stories were and considered herself a citizen of the world rather than as someone belonging to a tiny blip on the map.
Sighing, she ran a hand through the tangle of blond hair that refused to fall into neat waves the way Junes always did. Her hair, Gran used to say, was every bit as rebellious as her soul. She supposed that it was. April had always rather liked the description. It made her view her hair as a badge of some kind rather than just a sea of golden corkscrew curls that repeatedly defied styling.
According to one of her acquaintances, she was in style now. Eventually, she mused with an absent smile, everything was.
Digging out another stack of envelopes from inside the mail pouch, the frown that returned to her lips deepened. It was too quiet for her.
Returning to Hades, shed forgotten how quiet it could be here at times. How quiet and how dark. It was spring now so the endless winter darkness that assaulted the town was six months away, but even so, once the lights went out, there would be nothing but inkiness in the world right outside her window. Nothing like in the city where there were always streetlights and illumination coming in from all sides.
Here, dark was dark, like the bottom of the mine shafts that half the male population of Hades regarded as their prime source of livelihood.
Dark like a soul without love.
She stopped. Where had that come from? In the spring a young mans fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love, she recalled Tennysons line. Maybe a young mans, but not hers. Love would turn her into someone who was needy. Someone who could be hurt. Like her mother. Shed vowed that was never going to happen to her.
But there were times when she felt as if something was missing. Something
She was just hot, April told herself. Hot, bored and a victim of cabin fever.
Setting down the stack of mail, she moved toward the open stairs in the rear of the post office. The living quarters were upstairs. She, Max and June had grown up there, living with Gran. Now only Gran still called it home, even though April had tried time and again, if not to lure her away, to at least buy her a small house of her own. Gran wouldnt hear of it.
Dont want to get used to anything new at my age, except maybe a man, Gran had said with a wink. You keep your money and buy a house for yourself.
And that was that. Telling Gran she didnt want a house of her own was out of the question. Gran wouldnt have believed her. She had her own preconceived notions of what people did or didnt want and there was no talking her out of them.
Gran, April called up the stairs, is there anything I can get you?
No, Im fine, dear, her grandmothers voice assured her. Just watching my story. Ill be down to help you as soon as its over.
April shook her head as she hurried up the stairs to head off her grandmother. The woman had a patent on stubbornness. Theyd waltzed around this argument every day since shed arrived. The first day had been the most difficult, but April hadnt fooled herself into believing that she had won the war, just tiny skirmishes here and there.
No, you wont, April informed her, entering a tiny living room filled to overflowing with knickknacks that had taken more than six decades to accumulate. April seriously doubted that Gran threw out anything, convinced that the moment she would, a need for the item, no matter how obscure, would arise. If you remember, the reason Im here, playing solitaire with all those envelopes, is so that you can restand sensibly see your way clear to going to the hospital in Anchorage for
Lying on the sofa, Ursula Hatcher waved a small hand in the air to push away the words she knew were coming. Stuff and nonsense, she proclaimed. Bunch of children playing doctor, poking at me for no good reason. She raised her chin, tossing her gray-streaked faded red hair over her shoulder. My hearts fine. Its just a little tired, but it has a right to be. Its been working nonstop for sixty-nine years without a vacation. Youd be tired, too, if youd worked that hard, she insisted staunchly.
April reached over to adjust the black-and-yellow crocheted throw draped over her grandmothers legs. Thats just the point, Gran April began.
Ursula finished adjusting the throw herself, then cocked her head, listening. Is that the doorbell downstairs?
April pinned her with a look. Her grandmother was a great one for diversions when she didnt like the subject under discussion. Whoever it is down there will keep, Gran. They cant be in any sort of a hurry if theyre living in Hades.
Think you know everything, dont you, child? Ursula began digging her knuckles in on either side of the sofa, giving a masterful performance of a person struggling to get up. Its a postmistresss duty to be there when someone walks into the post office. But thats all right, dear, youre busy. Ill go
April struggled to keep from laughing. Her grandmother was ruining her attempt at being stern with her. Very gently, she pushed the older woman back against the mound of pillows shed personally fluffed up this morning.
God, but you are good at dispensing guilt, she informed her grandmother. The older woman smiled in response. Stay put, you hear me? Ill go down and see who it is.
Thats my girl. Settling back, Ursula beamed, satisfied. She watched her oldest granddaughter cross to the stairs, affection welling up within her. April was a good girl, if somewhat misguided. April
One foot on the stairs, April stopped to turn around. Yes?
Feeling slightly awkward, Ursula lowered her eyes and picked at the yellow-and-white daisies crocheted within the throw. Did I ever tell you how much I appreciate your coming back to mind the store?
Aprils smile broadened. Yes, Gran, you told me. And you know Id do anything for you.
I know She strained to listen for the sound of movement downstairs. So go see who it is. She raised herself up slightly, so that her voice would follow April down the stairs. And if you dont know where to find something
Youre right here to tell me, April called back, finishing a statement she had heard over and over again growing up. Unlike their far frailer mother, Gran had always promised to be there for them, to show them the way no matter what. And she had. April and her siblings had come to believe that Gran was going to go on forever. Being confronted with a different kind of scenario was difficult to come to terms with. Yes, I know.
April looked around the small outpost as she reached the bottom of the stairs. As if she couldnt find absolutely everything there was to find in this room within a matter of seconds, she thought. If the post office were any smaller, her claustrophobia would have kicked in.
As it was, the room that housed all the incoming and outgoing mail for Hades could be referred to as small with just cause. She could turn the whole area upside down in a matter of mere minutes if she wanted to.
Grans hearing was as good as ever, she thought. Someone had entered the post office while shed been upstairs. The small bell attached to the door hardly made a sound worth listening for, but Gran was apparently still tuned in to it.
May I help you?
Shoving her hands into the back pockets of her faded jeans, April addressed the words to the back of a head she didnt immediately recognize. When the man turned around, she found she didnt recognize his face, either. She had to admit that it felt a little unusual not knowing the man. Before shed left Hades, there hadnt been a face she didnt know, at least on sight.
She would have remembered this face.
With the trained eye of a professional photographer, she studied him quickly from head to toe. He looked to be several years older than she was, but at the same time, he had a face that appeared as if it would remain perpetually youthful even in old age. He had the kind of eyes, blue and intense, that would twinkle well into his nineties.
They were twinkling now as they took slow, careful measure of her. She could almost feel them passing over her body.
She knew the type. Handsome, charming, and as trustworthy as a barrel of snakes after a nine month fast. Shed met more than a few of those in her travels. Men like that made an exhilarating date for an evening, but after that, their charm wore thin. As did any promises they might make in the heat of the moment. Just like her father.
She had no use for that type of man.
Still, she couldnt help wondering who this man was and what had brought him to such a sleepy little place as Hades. It wasnt as if Hades was exactly on anyones beaten path and it definitely wasnt a place someone would happen on as they were passing through, at least not in this century. A hundred and fifty years ago, prospectors with dreams of getting rich quickly would ride into town, eyeing the hills that were directly behind it. But that hadnt happened for close to eighty years if she was to believe the stories Gran had told them.
For the first time since arriving in town yesterday, James Quintano, Jimmy to all his friends, found his appetite whetting. Not that hed arrived in Hades to have his appetite even mildly aroused. Hed come because Alison was here and hed promised to return to visit his sister and her husband ever since hed boarded the plane right after her wedding. Hades wasnt a town a man would come to look for a fling or a pleasurable interlude. There was a different breed of people here. Decent people who worked hard and played even harder because those times were precious and rare.
It was also a town, hed quickly realized, where a man had his work cut out for him if he wanted female companionship of any kind. Alison had told him the odds were something like seven to one against him. Not that hed ever had a hard time finding willing women. He had a hard time not finding willing women. It had been that way for him ever since hed found puberty a little after his eleventh birthday. Hed grown tall early, began shaving early, and discovered love early. The birds and the bees had had nothing on Mary-Sue Taylor.
Thoughts of Mary-Sue and her successors faded from his mind, as did the woman who was to have accompanied him on the Alaskan cruise before fate in the guise of an apparent family emergency had stepped in.
Habit had him glancing at the blondes left hand. He found it encouragingly unadorned.
Finished with his appraisal, Jimmy smiled and answered her question. I certainly hope so.
And then he saw her wrist. His initial scrutiny had missed that because shed had her hands tucked into her back pockets, making her jeans strain against her torso and distracting him. Now he saw that there was a makeshift bandage wrapped around her left wrist. One that looked as if it was about to come undone with the very next movement she made.
He nodded at it, coming forward. What happened to your wrist?
She looked down at it grudgingly, the strangers question bringing with it a fresh wave of pain. Shed been trying to put herself beyond that. It was an injury sustained this morning because, as always, she had been moving too fast. But fast was the only tempo she knew. Away from Hades, there was always so much to do that moving fast was a necessity to staying on top of things. Her mind elsewhere, shed brushed too close to the skillet and been awarded a red badge of courage in the form of a wide, angry blister.
Nothing. Just a case of a frying pan not moving out of my way, she said with a careless shrug.
As she reached for the pile of envelopes shed abandoned earlier, the bandages began to loosen in earnest, coming completely undone.
I can take a look at that for you, Jimmy volunteered, already reaching for her hand.
Instinct, both inbred and acquired, had her pulling her hand away. Suspicion creased the brow beneath her wayward bangs. And just why would you want to do that?
He didnt usually meet with resistance when he reached for a womans hand. Jimmys smile widened. Well, for one thing, Im a doctor.
Chapter Two
April looked suspiciously at the tall, darkly handsome man standing in front of her, still keeping her wrist very much to herself. Medical treatment in Hades came via Dr. Shayne Kerrigan and, recently, his nurse, Jean-Lucs wife, Alison. Shayne had been trying, unsuccessfully, to lure another doctor to Hades ever since his brother, the only other doctor within a hundred-mile radius, had left town to follow his hearts dreama woman named Lilah who had a wandering soul. Shayne had begged, pleaded and cajoled would-be seasoned physicians and doctors fresh out of medical school to no avail. The idea that one would suddenly just pop up in the middle of town without fanfare and an abundance of rumors preceding him, rumors Gran was always the first to be privy to, was completely beyond belief.
Wariness infused by her wanderings in the city took hold. April eyed the tall, muscular man carefully.
You mean, you want to play doctor, dont you?
The strangers smile widened, becoming even more unsettlingly seductive and convincing April that shed hit the nail right on the head about him. This was no doctor, this was an opportunist at the very least.
After all the money my brother invested in medical school, Id better be able to do more than just play doctor. He took another step toward her. Id damn well better be able to be one.
The suspicion didnt abate. As far as she was concerned, there was nothing about Hades that would lure a person to come visit it. Hades wasnt known for anything, had no natural wonders to offer in exchange for the hardship of seeking it out, and it was as far off the usual route as was humanly possible without falling off the edge of the earth.
Yes, the coal mines were still productive, and nicely so, but if the mans hands were any indication, the only kind of physical work he had probably ever engaged in was ridding women of their outer clothing. And quickly, too, no doubt.
April raised her chin, tucking her hand behind her back. Whats a doctor doing in Hades?
Visiting, he answered succinctly. Why was she so skittish? Jimmy wondered. It was just her wrist he was offering to examine, not the rest of her. Although that would undoubtedly be richly rewarding. I wont charge you.
A glint of anger highlighted the suspicious light in her eyes. For what?
Had she lost the thread of the conversation? She didnt strike him as the simple type, but looks were deceiving, even mouthwatering ones such as hers. For looking at your wrist.
She snorted, retreating behind the huge, scarred oak desk that had belonged to Grans father. Mail was still scattered along its surface. She had work to tend to and this was wasting time.
Good, and I wont charge you for looking at yours, she retorted.
Although, all things considered, April secretly allowed, the strangers wrist would have been the very last thing she would think to look at. The rest of him was a good deal more interesting and arresting than his wrist. Apart from a handful of men, her brother included, the male population of Hades would not have stopped any hearts. This man certainly would.
Stop hearts and set pulses racing, and she had a feeling he knew it, too. He was about a foot taller than she was, with dark black hair and eyes the color of the waters off the cape in the spring. The way he held himself, with an easy, comfortable grace, reminded her of one of the Native Americans whod come into the post office when she was a little girl. Gran had told her hed once been a chief of a tribe that had since died out. To her, the man had seemed larger than life.
That was undoubtedly what this man was, too, larger than life. Except in his case, that description would involve his own view of himself.
Well, she had better things to do than to stroke his ego. Deliberately, she looked down at the mail on the desk.
As he watched the woman in front of him, Jimmys grin widened a little more. She had spirit, no question about it. He liked that. There was nothing duller than a woman who just fell into his arms. Ever since he could remember, hed always enjoyed a challenge. It kept him on his toes and made him feel alive.
He leaned an elbow on the desk, as comfortable as if hed been coming here for years. You know, youre the first unfriendly person Ive met in Hades.
If he was trying to embarrass her, he was going to have to do a lot better than that, April thought. Good, she sniffed, turning her back on him. I never liked being part of the crowd.
That had been his first impression of her, Jimmy thought. Someone not part of a crowd. He leaned forward, watching the way her bottom strained against her jeans as she bent over the mail bag. He had a keen knack for being able to cleanly divorce himself from his professional side outside the hospital. And this lady certainly deserved his undivided attention.
Oh, you might be in a crowd, but youd never be taken for being part of it. Youd stand out no matter where you were.
April looked at him over her shoulder, her eyes narrowing. Is that supposed to impress me?
No, thats not supposed to do anything, he told her with such unabashed honesty, she could almost believe him. Its just an observation. So far, weve ascertained that you stand out in a crowd, youre unfriendly his eyes flickered to her wrist and you wrap bandages worse than a first year medical student.
She opened her mouth to tell him that he and his observations were free to leave the post office at any time, preferably now. But the words never had a chance to emerge as the man took charge of the moment as well as her wrist by taking the end of the bandage and deftly unwrapping it.
April caught her lower lip between her teeth to keep the startled yelp of pain from escaping her lips.
Pulling her hand out of his grasp would prove to be hurtful, so she left it where it was. Instead she glared at him. Just what do you
The wound appeared to be first degree and didnt look infected. Still, he bet it smarted more than a little. Thats rather angry-looking.
That wasnt the only thing, she thought indignantly. Just who the hell did he think he was? You want to see angry-looking, just raise your eyes a little, mister. Just what do you think
The door swung open behind them. Jimmy, whats taking you so The woman entering the post office stopped abruptly as the sight registered. Oh, I should have known. A dimple melded into her expression. Cant let you out of my sight, can I?
Startled, April looked up to see Alison LeBlanc crossing to them. The dark-haired woman shed met briefly when shed gone to see Dr. Kerrigan about her grandmother flashed a rueful smile at her.
Seeing them side by side, April was struck by the similarities between the two people in her grandmothers post office. Although Alison was a good deal shorter, their coloring and the way they held themselves was almost startlingly identical.
April looked from one to the other. Are you two related?
Her would-be healer laughed. Only by the cruel whimsy of fate. With one hand still firmly holding Aprils, he wrapped his arm around Alisons slender shoulders and gave her a quick hug. This is my baby sister. There was teasing affection in his eyes as he regarded Alison for a moment. Shes turned out rather nicely, all things considered.
Alison shot him a withering look that somehow still managed to give the impression of affection. If you mean considering that you were my brother, youre dead-on. I turned out nicely thank-you-very-much despite you, not because of you.
A faint pang drifted through April. This, she thought, she was familiar with. Or at least she had been before shed moved away. It was the kind of relationship shed had with her own two siblings, especially with Max. There were times when she truly missed it, though she would admit that to no one because to do so would mean she was vulnerable. If there was one thing she refused to be in any manner conceivable, it was vulnerable. She knew what vulnerability did to a woman.
Alison looked at her apologetically. Im sorry, I hope Jimmy hasnt been bothering you. I just sent him out to get the office mail. I should have realized that once he got a good look at you, hed forget what he came for and try to charm you the way he does every other woman he encounters.
Just as she thought. The man was all flash, no substance. April congratulated herself on her perception.
Rather than look annoyed at having his game plan revealed, the way April would have expected, Jimmy merely laughed.
I wasnt trying to charm her, I was doing a consultation. To prove it, Jimmy raised the now bandageless wrist he was holding. The lady seems to have injured herself.
Alison quickly examined the wound. Ive got some ointment for that at the clinic.
Grans got some in her medicine cabinet, April countered, indicating the upper floor with her eyes.
Make sure you put it on, Alison advised. What happened?
Nothing to merit all this fuss. Thoroughly embarrassed now, April tucked her wrist behind her back again. She changed the subject before Alison felt compelled to pursue the matter. So I take it hes really your brother?
Until I can find someone to take him off my hands, yes. Hes here visiting me.
Jimmy nodded to confirm his sisters statement, his eyes still on the tempting postmistress who wouldnt give him a tumble. I wanted to see firsthand just what it is that keeps her here, other than Jean-Luc and that stubborn streak of hers that never lets her admit shes wrong even when she is.
Alison pursed her lips in a mock frown. Its a family trait.
Jimmy was quick to agree. Right, our sister Lily has it, too.
Beneath that devil-may-care attitude there wasnt a more stubborn member of the family than Jimmy, Alison thought. It was Jimmy who made a point of volunteering his time at homeless shelters, telling none of them. She would have never known if she hadnt accidentally seen him at a shelter herself. The only notoriety he wanted was that of a playboy, but he was far deeper than that. He had a heart that cared and which was every bit as important as his skilled surgeons hands. But that was the part of him he wanted no one to know.
Like you dont, Alison replied.
He made his appeal to April, not his sister. I am the soul of reasonableness.
Alison merely sighed, shaking her head. She turned to April. If you give me Shaynes mail, well be out of your hair, she promised.
It struck April as odd to have the doctor referred to so familiarly, but then shed forgotten the townspeoples penchant. Everyone in Hades was on a first-name basis with everyone else.
Right here. Reaching over the counter to the tallest stack, she pushed it toward Alison. There might be more. April glanced at semifull sack on the floor. I havent finished sorting todays pouch yet.
Because of the hand, Alison concluded.
April spared Alisons brother a look that said it all. Because I was interrupted.
If there was a mild accusation in that statement, Alison seemed to ignore it. She merely smiled easily and glanced affectionately at her brother. There was no mistaking the pride in her eyes. Youll find that Jimmy does that a lot.
That sounded ominously like a promise to her. Or at the very least, a premonition of things to come. Why, is he staying on?
The next question that came to her lips, if the response to the first was affirmative, was Why? but she told herself that it was none of her business. If Alisons brother actually was a doctor, having him here would certainly be a welcome relief to Shayne. If her visit to the clinic had been any indication of the way things normally went there, Hadess only physician was completely overworked.
Just until my ship sails, Jimmy informed her blithely. Cruise ship, he interjected when the quizzical look on Aprils face remained. Im just here for two weeks. It occurred to him that he hadnt even given her his nameor gotten hers. James Quintano. Leaning over the counter, he put his hand out toward her.
April paused a moment before finally placing her hand in his. With Alison watching, she couldnt very well remain aloof, although it might do the man some good to see that there were women who didnt fall into his lap just because he was good-looking.
April Yearling.
Jimmy withdrew his hand. She had a firm handshake. He got the feeling April wanted him to know that she wasnt some frail little thing despite her diminutive size. His eyes held hers for a moment.
Message received.
Well, now that were introduced, youll have to come to my party.
Party? April looked at Alison questioningly.
Luc thought it might be a good way to take care of the introduction en masse if we just invited everyone to the Salty, Alison explained, referring to the saloon that both her husband and his cousin, Ike, owned. The saloon, which Ike initially operated and eventually coaxed Luc to become partners in, had been the first venture of many. Now they owned the general store, Hadess only movie theater and the hotel, as well. The benevolent entrepreneurs were determined to build Hades up to entice the younger generation to remain once they reached eighteen. Its tonight.
It wouldnt have mattered what day it was. April shook her head, reaching for another stack of mail inside the sack. Im not sure I can get away.
Jimmy squatted until his face was level with hers. Ill take it as a personal insult if you dont show up.
Her eyes narrowed. Hed just made up her mind for her. Ill keep that in mind.
There was a storm brewing here. Alison could read the signs well. Wrapping one hand around her older brothers arm, she began to lead him out of the building.
Well get out of your hair, Alison told her, giving Jimmy a hard tug.
Jimmy let himself be dragged off. Until tonight, he called over his shoulder.
Until hell freezes over, April muttered under her breath as she got back to her sorting.
Of course youll go, Ursula told her firmly when shed mentioned the party later that day and her intentions of not attending. Kindly hazel eyes pinned April where she stood in the crowded living room. And youll have a good time, too.
Oh, no, she wouldnt, especially not if the so-called guest of honor was there. April began to move around the room, straightening things in a hopeless battle for order amid chaos.
Gran, I came back to help out in the post office and to talk you into going to the hospital in Anchorage. I did not come back to attend any feeble little gatherings at the Salty Dog Saloon for some pompous, would-be playboy doctor.
She worried her, this one, Ursula thought. Shed been so hurt by first her fathers abandonment and then her mothers withdrawal. There was no question in her mind that April had always been tough on the outside, but it was the inside that truly concerned her. Inside, Ursula was certain, was a hurt, frightened little girl who needed to be coaxed out and loved.
No, thats just a bonus, Im sure, Ursula told her cheerfully.
April set two Hummel figurines, a shepherd and his lady, equidistantly apart on a small shelf. Im not.
April.
Her grandmothers suddenly weakened voice had April turning around to look at her. Ursulas hand slipped dramatically over her chest, her fingers spreading over her heart.
Ursula sighed deeply. Im an old woman, my heart cant take all this arguing and dissent.
April knew an act when she saw one and, happily, this was one. She moved closer to her grandmother. Youre a semiold woman who likes to manipulate.
Ursula let her hand drop, shaking her head in despair. I should have raised you to be more respectful of your elders.
You raised me fine. Bending, April brushed a quick kiss to the silky, weather-lined cheek. You raised me to see through charades and con artists and golden-tongued men.
That hadnt been her doing. That had been in response to her fathers actions. Ursulas heart ached, but for a reason that had nothing to do with medical conditions and terminology written in doctors journals.
Not every man is out to break your heart, April. What happened to your mother
Instantly, Aprils chin shot up. A warrior on constant guard. Is never going to happen to me.
Ursula reached for her granddaughters hand and held it in hers. Im glad, child, but that shouldnt have the price tag youre attaching to it. Her eyes searched Aprils face, looking for a sign, a chink that would let her break through. The girl was so adamant about not being hurt that she wasnt allowing anyone into her life. It shouldnt prevent you from enjoying yourself. The years go very fast, April. Faster than any of us can imagine. I dont want you standing at the end of your life, whispering, If only Id done things differently. April, honey, I dont want you to have regrets.
Then they were agreed, April thought. Neither do I.
But Ursula shook her head. I meant about not living life.
Gently, April disengaged her hand from her grandmothers. The next moment she was straightening things again, unable to remain still. Unwilling to allow her choices to be examined this way. I am living life, Gran. Im out there every day, living.
But Ursula knew better. For all her sophistication, all her potential and promise, April was fleeing life. Youre out there every day, snapping pictures, capturing other people living. You cant do it by proxy. Youve got to do it yourself. Sometimes youve got to put up with pinched toes to break in the best pair of shoes youll ever own.
She might have jumped from a plane to photograph a sky-diving couple getting married, but there were some risks April refused to take. The one her grandmother was talking about was one of them.
What if those shoes never break in right?
Ursula could only smile, remembering her own short-lived first marriage. Jake hadnt left by choice. A fishing accident had taken him from her. But the heartache had been the same. Wearing them for a little whiles still better than never wearing them at all and going barefoot.
April put down the tiny glass figurines shed started to line up in a row and turned to look at her grandmother. It was not in her to say no to the woman for long. Youre not going to give up until I go, are you?
Knowing the victory was hers, Ursula smiled. When have I ever given up?
April laughed, sitting on the edge of the sofa, beside Ursulas throw-covered feet. You have a point.
I always do. Ursula threw off the cover and swung her legs to the floor.
April rose to her feet, staring. What are you doing?
Well, Im going, too, Ursula declared. Ive always enjoyed having a good timeand I always have a good time at the Salty.
April thought of the saloon. The men there could get pretty rowdy. And thered be dancing, she would be willing to bet. She looked at her grandmother suspiciously. Could this whole thing have been a ruse? What about that heart of yours not being able to take it?
Thats only when it comes to arguing and dissent. It can take a good time just fine. Ursula winked. I hear Yuri Bostoviks going to be there. April could have sworn she saw stars in her grandmothers eyes. Hes always been partial to me.
Aprils mouth dropped open. Shed never thought of her grandmother as having a life outside the post office. Gran, youre sixty-nine
Ursula nodded as she shuffled off toward her bedroom. And not getting any younger. My point exactly.
April paused, debating. Her immediate reaction was to bully her grandmother into staying in bed, but happiness counted for something in the scheme of things, especially when it came to well-being.
Wavering, she gave in. She supposed it wouldnt do all that much harm. All right, well go for a little while and then Ill bring you home.
That wasnt the way it was going to be if she had anything to say about it, Ursula thought. She fixed her oldest grandchild with a look meant to establish the order of things between them. She still made the rules.
Ill go for a little while and then Maxll bring me home. Youre going to stay at the Salty.
And do what? April wanted to know. I dont really like beer.
So? Ursulas small shoulders rose and fell. Dont have beer. Therere other things to drink at the Salty besides beer. And Im sure youll find something to occupy yourself with. Her knowing smile widened. If youre lucky.
Because it was Gran, April surrendered. For the time being. Youre positively wicked, Gran.
Only if Yuri gets lucky tonight, dear, only if Yuri gets lucky. Now go, she coaxed. Get prettier.
April shook her head, watching her grandmother hurry off to do the same.
Chapter Three
Unlike the near-stagnant air, the ocean of noise within the Salty Dog Saloon that evening ebbed and flowed around April, allowing her to pick out a word here and there as she slowly made her way through the teeming crowd of eighty percent wall-to-wall men. Shed elected to come essentially wearing what shed had on earlier: changing to a blouse, but staying in her worn jeans. She saw no reason to dress up. It wasnt that kind of a party. People in Hades held comfort in high regard.
April looked around. It wouldnt have really mattered what shed worn. The odds were definitely in her favor, had she been inclined to play that sort of a game. But she wasnt. Looking over the crop of available men was the furthest thing from her mind, except in a remote, analytical sort of way.
She took stock of the scene, seeing it through the eyes of a photographer rather than as a former native whod made good her escape.
It had been a long time since shed actually seen so many men in one place at one time. A fragment of a memory nudged at her, blooming in her mind until shed captured all of it. The last time shed seen a gathering the likes of this had been here, right after her graduation from high school. She was the first in her family to finish the twelfth grade. Gran had insisted on throwing a party to celebrate the occasion and since the small living area above the post office barely housed the four of them, much less anyone else, Gran had prevailed on the owner of the Salty to hold it here. It hadnt belonged to Ike and Jean-Luc at the time, though they had worked here.
All April really remembered about the party was that shed been consumed with the thought of finally being able to leave. Not the Salty or Hades, but the area. Alaska. All of it. It had been the only thing on her mind for years. Ever since that morning shed woken up to find her father gone, shed wanted to leave herself, to spread her wings and soar.
And she had soared. For six years. Flown to all the major cities in the country, to all the places shed once dreamed of, sitting up late at night in her tiny alcove of a room, poring over the atlas her father had left behind. The out-of-date atlas with its worn, earmarked pages and its places that continued to exist even though they were no longer referred to by the names that were written down between the covers.
Looking at the people around her now, almost all of whom she recognized, April expected to feel like an outsider, like someone who had outgrown the place she was visiting. If nothing else, shed seen more of the world and of life than most of the people here.
Even so, the feeling wasnt quite there. These people shed been so quick to erase from her life didnt treat her as if she didnt belong. Instead, they behaved as if she had only momentarily stepped out, but was back now. It was an absurd thought because she wasnt back. She was just here temporarily and would be gone again very soon. The sooner, the better.
She saw Yuri Bostovik over in the corner, his gray hair comically parted in the middle and slicked back. The moment he saw her grandmother, he made a beeline for her. Even in this light, she could see Gran blushingas if she hadnt spent the past hour planning on just how to greet the man. Gran had buried three husbands and still acted as if love was just around the corner for her. The woman was incredible.
April continued sidestepping people and nodding greetings, trying to reach the bar. What surprised her was that along with her detached, analytical feeling was a tiny prick of something she had trouble identifying.
Or maybe it was that she didnt want to identify it. Nostalgia had no place here, in Hades. Not for her. The very idea was ridiculous. Nostalgia came when you remembered something fondly. There was nothing to feel nostalgic about when it came to her past. Shed never liked it in Hades, had always found it lacking. Other than an attachment to Gran, Max and June, there was no reason for her to feel anything at all about this piece of tundra.
So what was this odd feeling that persisted in rambling around inside of her?
Is this a private smug moment, or can anyone horn their way in?
The question, whispered against her ear, nearly made her jump. The warm breath that had accompanied it lingered on her skin, throwing her concentration completely off.
Turning, she found that Alisons brother was at her elbow. Jimmy had a frosty mug of beer in each hand, holding them close to his chest to keep from spilling the contents.
She eyed the mugs before looking up at him. Even in the dim lighting from the chandeliers, his eyes were intensely blue. She felt a ripple of excitement wash over her. Two-fisted drinker?
Hunching in against her, he seemed to move in closer without physically taking a step. No, actually this ones for you.
With a human wall suddenly at her back, there was nowhere for her to go. She stifled her impulse to get away. Me?
Jimmy nodded. I spotted you when you walked in with your family. Me and every other male in the room whos breathing, he added with an easy smile that would have broken down a lesser womans defenses. He held the mug in his right hand up to her. Thought you might want something to drink.
Shed never really cared for beer, but April supposed it would be rude to refuse the drink so she accepted the mug. That he included himself in the group rather than go out of his way to single himself out for her benefit surprised her. But then, shed learned that men were never easy to read.
Thank you, she murmured.
So he clinked the side of his mug against hers lightly what are you being so smug about?
She raised her chin defensively. Im not being smug.
He felt a sudden, uncontrollable desire to nibble on that chin, but held himself in check. This lady required kid glove treatment. Yes, you are, Jimmy quietly corrected. There was a smug look in your eyes just now, when you were looking over the people in here. He studied her for a moment before taking a sip of his beer. This your first time back at the Salty?
It struck her that he sounded as if he were a Hades native. That was a laugh. A man like Dr. James Quintano couldnt stay in a place like this for more than a couple of weeks, if that long. She had a feeling Alisons brother would probably cut his vacation short rather than remain here for the duration. He seemed like the type who needed a regular dose of excitement in his life. Someone who needed a party every night. The only kind of excitement Hades had to offer usually involved natural disasters or fires.
Yes, she finally answered because he still seemed to be waiting for a response.
Jimmy took another, longer sip of his beer, his eyes never leaving her. He liked watching the way her breasts rose and fell beneath her peasant blouse with each breath she took. Luc said youve been away for seven years.
Six years, she corrected, surprised that Jean-Luc had even noticed her absence. Alisons husband was so laid-back, she hadnt expected ordinary events to make any impression on him. Her departure had been without fanfare, as had her return. But right now it feels more like six days, she muttered out loud, looking around.
Homecomings have that effect, he agreed.
Someone bumped into April from behind and pushed her into him. An amber wave rose from her mug and Jimmy found himself being liberally christened with the beer hed just handed her.
Amused, slightly embarrassed, she looked at the resulting mess. Oh, Im sorry.
Jimmy brushed a few golden droplets away from his shirt, but the rest were quickly being absorbed by the dark blue material, creating an irregular-shaped stain on his chest.
Grinning, he shrugged it off. No harm done. He looked at the throng of people behind her. It appeared as if everyone in Hades and the surrounding area had somehow managed to pack themselves into the saloon. But I think we might want to step out of range. With his hand against the small of her back, he steered April toward another section that was only slightly less crowded.
April glanced across her shoulder toward where shed last seen her family, all the way over on the other side of the saloon. Max had disappeared, as had June. Only Gran was there with Yuri. Looking up, the older woman made eye contact with her and smiled, nodding.
She knew that look. It was approval. Gran had never been stingy with hers, but this time her approval had found the wrong mark. April shook her head vigorously before looking away.
Jimmy noted the exchange. He bent his head toward her to be heard. Is that your grandmother?
April wrapped her hands around the mug and, wrinkling her nose, took a sip before answering. Though she wasnt sure why, she suddenly found herself in need of fortification herself and this would have to do. Yes, thats Gran.
He could just barely pick up the affection in her voice. Seeing as how she was trying hard to appear removed, she had to care a great deal for the older woman. Luc told me a lot about her. She sounds like a wonderful woman.
She is. April turned her attention back to the man who seemed determined to remain with her. It was a lot less disconcerting to look at him than to feel his breath on her neck. You seem to have gotten a great deal of information out of Jean-Luc. As I recall, before I left, if he strung three words together in a sentence every few weeks, we called him chatty.
Jimmy laughed and despite the noise in the saloon, the sound wrapped itself around her like a warm scarf on a cold winters day. Maybe shed absorbed more alcoholic fumes than shed realized, April thought.
Hes loosened up some, being married to my sister. Jimmy was just repeating what Ike had told him. But hed have to if only in self-defense. Alison tends to be bossy if shes given her head.
Alison didnt have the market cornered on that, April thought, glancing at Jimmy. She moved so that he was forced to drop his hand from her back. Another family trait?
Jimmy nodded, downing a little more beer. He set the empty mug on the closest surface. My sister Lilys the same way. Could be why she has trouble maintaining a relationship.
Meaning that men prefer women who agree with them and who they can walk on.
The man tending bar slid another full mug his way. Catching it, Jimmy nodded his thanks and took a mouthful. Didnt say that.
Her eyes narrowed. But you implied it.
The look he gave her was innocent. He studied her in silence for a moment. Was she deliberately trying to instigate a fight between them? The thought amused him more than anything else.
Cant see how. I was just saying that bossing people around never makes for a good relationship no matter which partys doing the bossing, male or female. He took another long sip before continuing. Never liked walking on people myself. I like a woman who can give as good as she gets.
Their eyes locked and she had the distinct impression that he was putting her on notice. Though she tried to block it, a small, unidentifiable shiver ran down the length of her spine.
Then youve come to the right place, Dr. Quintano. The women in Hades definitely arent pushovers, April told him with a touch of pride. Theyve learned to stand up for themselves.
His eyes were touching her, making her uneasy. She became aware of the severe lack of air within the packed saloon. Jimmys smile was easy, slipping over his lips in slow motion and in direct reverse proportion to the rhythm assimilated by her pulse.
Glad to hear that.
Yeah, shed just bet he was. April cleared her throat, then set her mug down on a cluttered table meant for two. And youre wrong.
Jimmy cocked his head, his eyes on her mouth. About?
She shouldnt have had any of the beer. There had to have been something in it. Beer didnt affect her this way, making her head spin and her pulse race, certainly not a few sips.
Homecomings, she told him stiffly. She realized that she wasnt exactly making sense. She was losing the thread of what she was saying herself. At least about this being one.
But this was your home, he pointed out, and youve come back.
Just to help out.
He gave another careless shrug. Youve come back. The details dont matter.
Now there she had him. It was her turn to smile confidentially. Oh, but they do, she corrected with a liberal dose of passion. Details always matter. Theyre what makes one thing different from another.
His grin merely served to irk her. You like to argue, dont you?
Her chin went up defensively again, and again, he found it tempting. Jimmy seriously toyed with the idea of stealing a kiss, but knew it would just get him slapped royally. He could wait.
No, I dont like to argue, she contradicted. I like things to be perfectly clear and up front. No lies, no deceptions, no illusions.
Her words struck a chord. He regarded her thoughtfully for a long moment. Sounds like someone did a number on your optimism.
She didnt like being analyzed, especially not by a stranger who had no idea what he was talking about. My optimism is just fine, thank you.
Good. He placed his mug next to hers on the table. The glass came precariously close to falling before Jimmy steadied it. Then you wont mind dancing with me.
Maybe she hadnt heard right. What does one thing have to do with another?
He wrapped his fingers around her hand. Your optimism will make you optimistic about my dancing ability.
The next thing she knew, as the protest formed on her lips, she found herself enfolded in his arms. If she strained her ears, she could just about make out that there was a song playing on the classic jukebox that Ike had painstakingly restored. But what that song was, or even the tempo that was presumably playing, was anyones guess.
Alisons brother, April noticed, took it to be a slow song. With his hand lightly pressed against her spine, he brought her body closer to his. Closer than she felt comfortable about.
Youre in my space, she hissed against his ear.
He could feel her stiffening. He did his best to lighten the moment and smiled down into her face. Im afraid there is no space here, but as soon as there is, Ill be sure to let you have it. The smile widened just a little. I find this rather cozy myself.
His smile was infiltrating her space even more acutely than his body. She looked around for someone to cut in, but apparently no one else was paying attention to the music. Im sure you do.
Curving her hand beneath his, he rested it against his chest. So what do you do when youre not sorting envelopes?
She could feel his heart beating beneath her fingertips. Why that made her warm, she couldnt say. Probably had to do with the growing lack of air. You mean here?
His eyes held hers. She had hypnotically beautiful eyes, he thought. Anywhere.
It was definitely too warm in here, she thought. Im a photojournalist.
Something independent. He should have realized that. She needed something where she could make her own terms, her own hours. Im impressed.
The sway of his hips against hers was far too distracting for her to concentrate on the conversation. I didnt say it to impress you.
I know. He liked the way she felt in his arms when she relaxed. Soft, delicate. In direct contradiction to the look in her eyes. You dont like to impress anyone, do you?
She tried to shrug and wound up brushing her shoulder against someones back. Theres no need, as long as Im happy.
Jimmy was careful to not move their dancing out of the realm of tantalizing and into arousing. He had a feeling she would break away if he did. But having her here, swaying against him this way, was certainly doing a number on him. Are you?
Am I what?
Happy.
She could feel her heart constricting slightly and her nerve endings stretching taut. This conversations getting way too personal.
He felt her try to pull back, but he held her fast. How else am I going to get to know you?
Aprils eyes narrowed. Why should you get to know me?
Why not?
Games, he was playing word games. Well, hed met his match, she thought. She knew how to give as good as she got. Because in two weeks youll be gone and with any luck, so will I.
That fit right into his plan. He certainly wasnt looking for anything permanent. If you looked for something permanent, you wound up being disappointed in the end when it broke apart. And in one way or another, it always broke apart. Yes, but until then, theres all this time just hanging around. We might as well pass it pleasurably.
And she knew just what he meant by that. Maybe we have a different definition of pleasure.
The dimple in his cheek deepened. We can explore that, too.
She didnt know whether to be amused or annoyed. What she was, was incredibly warm, bordering on hot. If she didnt get some air soon, she was going to pass out. You dont give up, do you?
Havent the foggiest how to do that, he admitted readily. Besides, my brother taught me that anything worth having is worth working for. And that included time with a beautiful lady, he added silently. If it comes too easily, you might just let it slip through your fingers without realizing it.
The scales began to tip toward amusement. And your brothers a philosopher.
Kevin would have gotten a charge out of that, Jimmy thought. A cabdriver. Actually, he owns a fleet of cabs. A small fleet, but the companys his nonetheless. His mouth curved fondly as he managed to turn her around in the tiny space. He liked her surprised expression when she faced him again. I wouldnt want him knowing I said it, but Kevins the smartest man I know. The kindest, too. Jimmy glanced over toward where hed last seen Alison. She was still there, talking to several people from the looks of it. She was standing next to Luc, her arm tucked through his. She looked happy, he thought. It was about time. He misses Alison. He looked back at April. Kevin raised her after our parents died. You might say he raised all of us.
All? How many of them were there? And were they all glib, like him? Alison didnt seem to be, but it was too soon to tell. Shed only exchanged a few sentences with her.
My two sisters and me. I never realized how much he gave up to do that. Jimmy grew serious for a moment, looking back. Kevin could have had a regular life of his own, dated, gotten married, the usual. Instead he stayed home, put all of us through school, made sure we toed the line and became decent people.
April caught her bottom lip between her teeth. So how disappointed in you is he?
It took him a second before he realized she was joking. Thered been a kernel of truth in that. Not anymore. My wild days are behind me.
Wild, that wasnt quite the word she would have used to refer to him, but it was close enough. Thats not the way Alison made it sound.
Enjoying the company of an ever changing parade of women was harmless compared to the rebellious teenager hed once been. I meant as in giving Kevin grief.
Her eyes held his. So now its just women you give grief to?
She was deliberately trying to bait him. Getting a kick out of it, Jimmy grinned. I dont think theyd refer to it as grief. And whatever happens between a lady and me is by mutual consent. I make a point of never staying where Im not wanted.
April realized she was flirting, but since it was just for tonight, she could see no harm in it. She supposed her ego could use the temporary high. And just what kind of signals have to go off before you realize youre not wanted?
Thats easy, he told her. The lady says go and means it.
Right, and if she believed that, there was an ice bridge he wanted to sell her. So if I said go, you would?
He grinned. Youre forgetting the key partand means it, he repeated.
He had a loophole. She figured as much. And thats up to you to decide, isnt it?
He laughed. Youre getting the hang of it now.
The record ceased play, taking the music with it. He was loathe to give her up just yet. He had a feeling that if he continued dancing, shed follow. For the moment she didnt look as if she realized that the jukebox had stopped playing. But her cheeks were flushed and while hed like to think he had something to do with that, it was probably the close quarters they were in. Would you like to get some air?
They werent that far from the door. Without seeming to move, theyd somehow managed to dance their way to the saloon entrance.
Actually, that doesnt sound like a bad idea. She nodded toward the doorway. Ill just step out for a minute.
When he followed her, she raised a quizzical brow. Cant let a lady go out alone at night.
Part of the reason she wanted to step outside was to get away from him and that rock-hard body of his. You can if the lady insists.
With that, she slipped outside and closed the door behind her.
Chapter Four
The temperature change registered immediately as the night air briskly embraced April, cooling her skin. The temporary heat of the afternoon had gone as if it had never existed, a cold snap settling in. Shed forgotten how cold it could be in Hades despite the calendar.
Running her hands up and down her arms, April looked up at the sky. The stars were out in full regalia, framing a moon that was full and bright. Less than a handful of streetlights dotted the area, their illumination paling in comparison to the moons.
The last time shed stood here like this, there hadnt been anything but darkness. This was progress, she supposed. As everything else in Hades, it came slowly.
When she felt a hand gently settle on her shoulder, April jumped and swung around. Her breathing steadied slightly as her eyes looked up at Jimmys face, still flush from the warmth within the saloon.
The man obviously couldnt take no for an answer.
Her eyes asked him what he was doing out here after shed said she wanted to be left alone.
Like she means it, he repeated, echoing his sentiment from only moments earlier.
It took her a second to remember. And then she frowned. I meant it. What, I didnt sound convincing enough to you?
In deference to the chill, he buttoned the top two buttons of his workshirt. Not to my ears. Amusement glinted in his eyes. Must have been all that noise inside, he told her innocently. He saw that wasnt going down so well. Where I come from, its not polite to tell the guest of honor to get lost.
She laughed to herself, thinking of the crowd inside the Salty. I hate to break it to you, but youre more of the excuse of honor than the guest of honor.
He shrugged, unfazed. As long as it involves honor, Im all right with it.
Oh, and honor means a lot to you, does it?
The grin abated just a little, his manner growing ever so slightly serious. It has its place in my life.
Suddenly his serious mood was gone. Jimmy hunched his shoulders against the wind, wondering if hed seem like a hopeless tenderfoot if he opted to go inside for the jacket hed left slung over the back of his chair. April seemed to be faring well in just a simple blouse. A simple blouse that was hugging curves guaranteed to make a mans mouth water. The button just at her chest level strained against its hole every time she took a breath. He tried to not stare. His fingers itched to help coax the separation.
Shoving his hands into his pockets only partially for warmth, he looked up at the moon. So, what does a person do around Hades for excitement?
Leave.
He looked at her. Seriously.
April inclined her head. Seriously.
Jimmy couldnt tell if she was deadpanning or not. My sister seems pretty content.
April had made her own judgment about nurse Alison LeBlanc and found herself liking the woman, although they had little in common. Your sister belongs to that amazing fraternal club of people who give of themselves and feel that they actually have a calling in life to tend to the sick and the needy.
Alison had always been a caretaker, even though she was the youngest. And there was no denying that her heart was in the right place. But Jimmy had a little bit of trouble with Aprils assessment of the townspeople. He nodded toward the closed door behind them. That didnt strike me as a needy bunch in there.
Aprils mouth twitched. You should see them around closing time. And then the would-be smile faded. Actually, I meant needy as in needing. My sister June decided to remain in Hades after she graduated. She could have had her pick of careers, but she opened up a car repair shop of all things. Said the place needed one and since shed always been so handy when it came to fixing things, it was a good match. Her frown indicated what she thought of that idea. When he was growing up, my brother Max dreamed about joining the FBI. Now hes content to be the only law around here. She shook her head, his decision mystifying her. Not that theres any crime in Hades in the conventional sense of the word.
Her wording intrigued him. Whats unconventional crime?
When Victor, one of the Inuits, kept springing Simon Gallaghers traps so he couldnt catch any beaver. She couldnt help feeling that her brother was wasting his life here, but it was his to waste she supposed. Max certainly cant keep busy handing out speeding tickets and the last murder here was She stopped to think and realized that if there had been a murder in Hades, she certainly had no knowledge of it. I dont know when.
Jimmy smiled at the scenario she was unconsciously painting for him. He and his family hailed from Seattle where crime was an everyday event. He could think of several people who would more than welcome life in Hades.
He looked at her. Sounds like a nice place, actually.
Bland, April corrected firmly. It sounds bland.
There was nothing bland about facing the hardships he was sure this place afforded. That took courage and fortitude. But he saw no point in getting into a discussion over it with her. So he humored her instead. And you crave excitement.
She looked out over the terrain, asleep except for the party in the building behind them. There wasnt much to see and what there was of it was dark. Even the theater was closed. Since everyone in town was at the Salty, there had been no reason to keep the theater open tonight. She could remember all those years, aching to get as far away from Hades as possible.
What I crave, she told him, is something with a pulse.
The grin on his lips was warm, inviting as he held up his hand for her to examine. I have a pulse.
A smile began to bud on her lips. April could only shake her head. Hed gotten her again. I have to learn to pick my words more carefully around you.
He moved a little closer to her as the wind rose. Does that mean youll be around me?
He was too close, but to back away would imply that she was afraid, or wary, and that wasnt the sort of image she cared to project. So she stood her ground and ignored the feelings taking place inside of her. There you go again.
He liked the way her eyes snapped, and the way she smelled when the wind shifted, bringing the scent of her perfume to him. Ever since he could remember, hed always paid attention to women. All women. The pretty ones he paid a little more attention to.
Inspired by the subtle nuances he was picking up, Jimmy decided to make another pitch. You cant be postmistressing all the time. I mean, a place like this cant get that much mailseeing as how there arent that many people here. You have to have some free hours, what do you do then?
Stepping to the side, she moved away from him. Take care of my grandmother.
A high-pitched laugh reached them from within, escaping through the fraction of an inch where the window sash failed to meet the sill. They turned and April could see her grandmother was standing right next to the window. From all appearances, she was vamping the socks off the gray-bearded man she was with. Jimmy, eyeing Yuri Bostovik, noticed that he looked almost besotted with Aprils grandmother.
Nothing he liked better than to see seniors enjoying their lives. Jimmy grinned and looked at April. Looks to me like your grandmother is taking care of herself. More than a touch of admiration mingled with his amusement.
The way April saw it, Gran was doing the exact opposite. She should have been at home, resting, not out at the saloon. The woman had angina, for heavens sake. But there had been no talking her out of coming. Gran had been insistent. Until this moment, despite Grans blatant allusions to Yuri, April had thought it was to insure her coming here. Now she wasnt so sure.
She watched the older couple move and meld into the crowd. April shook her head. Grans headstrong. She absolutely refuses to let me take her to Anchorageto the hospital there.
The woman looked healthy enough, even glowing, but Jimmy knew how deceptive appearances could be.
Cant Shayne treat her? Alison says hes the best. He remembered feigning jealousy when Alison had told him that, but theyd both known hed been kidding. He hadnt an envious bone in his body. And he knew that while Alison was kind, she wasnt recklessly lavish with her praise. She called them as she saw them.
Im sure he is for the common everyday things, but its her heart
What about her heart?
Because theyd been preying on her mind ever since shed received Junes letter, the words were out before she realized that she was sharing them. She has angina and Shayne suggested an angiogram to see if theres any sort of blockage. Her EKG looks good, but an electrocardiogram is almost useless in determining the actual condition of a heartand shed been having these pains.
Jimmy wondered how much was true and how much had been fabricated by Ursula Hatcher for Aprils benefit. From what Alison had told him, he had a hunch the crafty-looking woman on the other side of the pane had exaggerated her condition to get something she wantedher granddaughter in the area. What kind of tests have been done?
Interest mingled in with her suspicion. What kind of a doctor are you?
A good one, Id like to think. He regarded Ursulas profile with interest before turning back to one that interested him more at the moment. I can take a look at her for you if youd like.
I dont need her looked at, I need her scanned.
Jimmy laughed. You make her sound like some sort of digitalized cartoon character.
No, shes a person, April said softly as she watched her grandmother shamelessly flirt. A very precious person.
Jimmy watched as moonbeams tangled themselves in Aprils hair. Urges whispered softly through him. It was hard keeping his mind on the conversation. Shed have to be, to get you to come back to a place you hate so much.
April didnt like having things presumed about her, or having words put in her mouth. I never said I hated Hades.
Was she serious? He looked at her expression, clearly challenging him, and realized that she was. Very serious. In every way but to actually use the word, he contradicted.
She opened her mouth to put him in his place then closed it again, deciding the argument wasnt worth the effort. Not when he was right. It was just that she didnt like having someone read her so well, not a stranger at any rate.
Shrugging, she looked away. Its just that I find it stifling here, confining.
Oh, I dont know. When somethings unformed like Hades, theres a world of possibilities in that vastness. You can do anything, be anything. Its like a huge empty canvas you can paint on.
Hed said he was visiting, but maybe it was more than that. Maybe he was checking things out. You sound like somebody whos fixing to make a monumental move.
Not hardly, he thought. He had everything set up for him at the hospital back in Seattle. That had taken some doing. Besides, Kevin was having enough trouble with Alison being so far away. His older brother would seriously flip out if two members of his family were more than an hour away by regular route. Jimmy supposed, after sacrificing so much for them, Kevin felt he deserved to be part of their lives once those lives took shape.
Jimmy shrugged casually. No, just somebody whos always got his eye out for possibilities.
I would have thought that someone like you would have restricted his possibilities to women.
Theres that field, too. His grin was wide and it tugged at her, pulling her in against her will. But not restricted, never restricted.
When he looked into her eyes like that, she found she had trouble thinking. Good thing shed stepped out for some air when she had. Shed definitely been in danger of light-headedness. So, where do you practicemedicine, I mean.
I dont have to practice, he told her, his voice low, moving slowly around her, hypnotizing her. I have it down patmedicine, I mean.
April shivered, trying to snap out of the trance she felt herself falling into.
Cold?
It was as good an excuse as any. Yes. Spring here is only a little warmer than winter at times.
Too late she realized it was the wrong thing to say because he slipped his arm around her shoulders, then shielded her against the wind with his body. Maybe wed better get you inside.
Shed gotten good at rejecting men who came on to her. She could do a put-down with just a well-aimed glance. There was no doubt in her mind that James Quintano was definitely coming on to her. She could feel it in every bone in her body. But when she turned her head toward him, no words came, no well-honed, belittling glance found its way into her eyes. Instead, she felt a definite pull toward this man she didnt know.
Maybe, she agreed, her voice hardly above a whisper.
Reaching around her, he put out his hand to push open the door. And wound up wrapping that same hand around her other side instead. Pulling her to him.
Hed meant to be on his best behavior, he really had. But when she looked at him like that, with the moonlight caressing her face and moonbeams getting lost in that tangle of hair that invited his fingers to touch it, he felt something stronger than his good intentions stir within his gut.
Before he quite knew what he was doing, natural born instincts had him cupping her cheek and tilting her face up to his. Had him touching his mouth to hers to break the spell because nothing could taste as good as her lips looked.
He was wrong.
They could.
Maybe it was because hed been at loose ends ever since Melinda had canceled out on him, begging off from the cruise because of some personal emergency at home that now eluded his brain.
The real emergency, hed had no doubt at the time, was that shed had marriage on her mind and hed had nothing more serious than a pleasant interlude on his. It wasnt that he had anything against marriage in general, just nothing for it in particular when it came to himself. He reasoned that he saw enough dying at the hospital, he didnt need to be part of something that, no matter what, had a finite lifespan. His parents had driven that lesson home long before hed ever put on his first pair of scrubs.
But that belief in no way made him monastic. For him, relationships lasted as long as they were mutually beneficial, comforting and light. While he was involved, he could be counted on for emotional support, a kind word and to be summoned in the middle of the night in case of a breakdownas long as he wasnt on call. Even after a relationship had run its course, he usually remained on good terms with the woman. But hed made it a rule never to meet the womans family or to discuss anything more romantically serious than pending plans for the weekend. He didnt believe in committing himself to anything longer than that.
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Marie Ferrarella
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKEALASKA? One week back in her rustic hometown, and April Yearling remembered exactly why she'd fled to the lower forty-eight. The moment her ailing grandmother recovered, she planned to hightail it back to civilizationalone! Never mind that a certain sexy doctor had her yearning for everything she'd sworn she'd never need.Sought-after physician James Quintano hadn't come to the northern wilderness to put down roots, and he certainly wasn't here seeking female companionship. But what red-blooded man could resist the great outdoors, the promise of adventureor an elusive, alluring hot-blooded beauty?
What did you do that for? April demanded.
The lady packed a hell of a punch, Jimmy thought. He couldnt remember the last time a slight kiss had turned into a full three-course affair. He found himself fighting the urge to do it all over again. Have you ever felt like you just had to find out something?
April struggled for her deepest-sounding voice, afraid that anything less would crack. I generally go to the encyclopedia.
His grin was ever so slightly lopsided. He toyed with a strand of her hair.
They dont have anything like this in the encyclopedia.
No doubt about it, she thought. Educators and scholars probably hadnt come up with a word to fit what had just happened here.
The M.D. Meets His Match
Marie Ferrarella
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
To Aileen and Adrian Galang,
Happy wedding!
Happy life!
Love,
The Third Photographer
MARIE FERRARELLA
earned a masters degree in Shakespearean comedy and, perhaps as a result, her writing is distinguished by humor and natural dialogue. This RITA Award-winning author has one goal: to entertain, to make people laugh and feel good. She has written over 100 books for Silhouette, some under the name Marie Nicole. Her romances are beloved by fans worldwide and have been translated into Spanish, Italian, German, Russian, Polish, Japanese and Korean.
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Epilogue
Chapter One
With a sigh, April Yearling moved the desk fan closer to her. It was stuffy in the archaic post office, but she couldnt turn the fan on high because it would send the tonnage of envelopes, leaflets and whatnot around her flying off in an unauthorized, frantic dance.
One week back in Hades and she remembered why shed left.
She mopped her damp forehead with the back of her wrist and instantly regretted it. The area hidden beneath the haphazardly wrapped bandage on her wrist stung, reminding her that there was a consequence for moving too fast, even in a place like Hades.
Biting her lower lip, April continued to sort the mail. She glanced at her watch, swearing that time was altered here in the backstretch of Alaska, moving at a snails pace that was completely unacceptable to normal human beings.
At least, it was unacceptable to her.
Gran had proudly pointed out that there were people who had moved here from the lower forty-nine. Why a place like Hades, numbering about five hundred on its town roster, would attract anyone to come and settle here was completely beyond April.
Glancing at the scribbled name, she tossed the envelope into its proper pigeonhole.
She moved the fan a tad closer and longed for air-conditioned rooms. It was unseasonably warm for the middle of spring. April couldnt remember a spring ever being so hot and muggy. But this old building wasnt wired for air-conditioning. She supposed she should be happy that it was even wired for electricity, otherwise shed be relying on candles and the now dormant fireplace in the corner.
A fragment of a memory flashed through her mind. She and her brother and sister gathered around a fireplace, listening to the wind howl outside and the fire crackle as Gran read a ghost story. She remembered waiting to be frightened, but she never was.
Maybe that was her problem, April mused, flipping the last envelope into its cubbyhole. She was too fearless. Nothing frightened her. Except maybe the specter of falling in love.
Small chance of that ever happening, she told herself confidently. She was too smart.
Bending to retrieve more mail out of the sagging pouch Jeb Kellogg had just flown in and dropped off, April smiled. She was a city kid through and through. It had taken her exactly five minutes in Seattle, her first port of call after graduating high school, to discover that about herself, although shed secretly thought it for years before her great escape.
There had been this exhilaration that had telegraphed itself through her the moment shed stepped off the plane and looked around Seattle. She knew then that her soul belonged in a citythe bigger, the better.
April glanced at the next envelope and deposited it where it belonged. Her soul certainly belonged to something bigger than a town comprised of two rows of buildings that faced each other like participants in an old-fashioned square dance.
When shed left, shed been positive that nothing would ever bring her back here, here amid the snow and the scenery that went on forever without so much as a soul to disturb it, the loneliness so thick you couldnt cut through it. But of course, her family was hereGran and Max and Juneso thered been short visits throughout the years. And then shed received the letter from June saying that Gran, their tiny but invincible tower of strength who had never been ill a day in her life, was sick. Angina, the doctor, Shayne Kerrigan, had said. So she had come back.
It was as simple as that. She owed Gran everything. She and Max and June, they all did. Everything. If Gran hadnt taken them in when their mother had left them in every way but physically, becoming a vacant, broken shell of a woman, April wasnt sure what she would have done. As the oldest by eleven months, she would have had to do something and she had tried. Tried to care for her brother and sister and her mother. But eleven had been a very young age to suddenly become an adult and she hadnt been quite able to manage it.
Until then, she had believed herself up to the challenge. Shed felt shed grown up rather quickly even before her father had walked out on them and their mother had gone to pieces. Living in a rural town in Alaska was no picnic, no matter what the travel brochures said to the contrary about the frozen state. Alaska, she thought, tossing a fashion magazine onto Edith Plunketts stack of mail, was an uncompromising mistress who demanded a great deal from everyone who inhabited her terrain.
And right now, she was stuck here. April thrust a postcard into Jean-Luc LeBlancs pigeonhole. As much as she longed to leave, she felt too worried and too guilty to return to the life shed placed on hold.
Postmistress. April shook her head. Never in a million years would she have ever seen herself in this position. Gran had even made her take the oath, hand on the Bible and everything. Gran had said it wasnt official otherwise, which meant she couldnt handle the mail when it came through. Gran had taken her position here, both with the government and with the community, very seriously. So April had taken the oath to placate Gran rather than just whisk her away the way shed wanted to.
April sighed, picking up another envelope. She fervently wished that Max or June had had the time to take over for Gran. But career-wise, neither of them had her flexibility. Max was Hadess sheriff and June was the towns resident mechanic who had more than her share of work to keep up with. That meant she had been elected.
So far, election meant frustration.
It was beyond her why Gran had been so adamant that one of them take over for her here at the post office. It was either that, or have her continue. Gran absolutely refused to turn the job over to an outsider. The position had belonged to someone from Grans family ever since the first piece of mail had come into Hades some hundred and ten years ago.
As far as April saw it, this was just another rut to leave behind, not something to aspire to.
Certainly not something to take pride in. But Gran took pride in it and Gran was the one who counted, she thought, resigning herself for the umpteenth time and trying desperately to be patient. Patience was not her strong suit. It never had been. Shed always had the sense that there was something else, something better, waiting for her just around the next corner. So she kept turning corners. And anticipating.
April paused to flex her shoulders and straighten her back. Wanderlust, Gran had called it. She supposed in a way that gave her something in common with her father. The only thing in common. She would never hurt anyone, the way her father had, to get what she wanted. Wayne Yearling had had itchy feet. Hed tried to resist temptation for a while, or so hed said, but then hed finally given in and left. Her mother had thought for days that he would return, but April hadnt. Even at eleven, April had known better. Shed known that her father was gone for good.
Shed gotten one postcard from him a few months after hed left Hades. The only communication shed ever had from him. One postcard in over thirteen years. The picture had been of Manhattan with its steel-girder skyscrapers making love to the sky as they reached up to forever. Shed fallen in love with the city the second shed seen the postcard. The inscription on the back had been the typical Wish you were here and she wished she was there. Wished it with all her heart.
Gran had slipped the postcard to her, telling her in a hushed voice to not let her mother see it because in her anger and grief, Rose Yearling would have immediately ripped it up. So April kept it like a secret treasure, not even letting Max or June know about it. Shed slipped the postcard beneath her pillow and dreamed dreams of New York City and other places that had never seen a dogsled.
It had taken April seven years to make her dream come true. Her mother was gone by then and there seemed little reason to remain in Alaska. Gran could take care of June, and Max was almost grown. So she had left Hades to make something of herself, to forge a career that suited her and the wanderlust shed inherited.
She found her answer and her calling in freelance photography and proceeded to make a minor name for herself. That she never remained long in any one particular place was just a pleasant by-product of her career. She went where the stories were and considered herself a citizen of the world rather than as someone belonging to a tiny blip on the map.
Sighing, she ran a hand through the tangle of blond hair that refused to fall into neat waves the way Junes always did. Her hair, Gran used to say, was every bit as rebellious as her soul. She supposed that it was. April had always rather liked the description. It made her view her hair as a badge of some kind rather than just a sea of golden corkscrew curls that repeatedly defied styling.
According to one of her acquaintances, she was in style now. Eventually, she mused with an absent smile, everything was.
Digging out another stack of envelopes from inside the mail pouch, the frown that returned to her lips deepened. It was too quiet for her.
Returning to Hades, shed forgotten how quiet it could be here at times. How quiet and how dark. It was spring now so the endless winter darkness that assaulted the town was six months away, but even so, once the lights went out, there would be nothing but inkiness in the world right outside her window. Nothing like in the city where there were always streetlights and illumination coming in from all sides.
Here, dark was dark, like the bottom of the mine shafts that half the male population of Hades regarded as their prime source of livelihood.
Dark like a soul without love.
She stopped. Where had that come from? In the spring a young mans fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love, she recalled Tennysons line. Maybe a young mans, but not hers. Love would turn her into someone who was needy. Someone who could be hurt. Like her mother. Shed vowed that was never going to happen to her.
But there were times when she felt as if something was missing. Something
She was just hot, April told herself. Hot, bored and a victim of cabin fever.
Setting down the stack of mail, she moved toward the open stairs in the rear of the post office. The living quarters were upstairs. She, Max and June had grown up there, living with Gran. Now only Gran still called it home, even though April had tried time and again, if not to lure her away, to at least buy her a small house of her own. Gran wouldnt hear of it.
Dont want to get used to anything new at my age, except maybe a man, Gran had said with a wink. You keep your money and buy a house for yourself.
And that was that. Telling Gran she didnt want a house of her own was out of the question. Gran wouldnt have believed her. She had her own preconceived notions of what people did or didnt want and there was no talking her out of them.
Gran, April called up the stairs, is there anything I can get you?
No, Im fine, dear, her grandmothers voice assured her. Just watching my story. Ill be down to help you as soon as its over.
April shook her head as she hurried up the stairs to head off her grandmother. The woman had a patent on stubbornness. Theyd waltzed around this argument every day since shed arrived. The first day had been the most difficult, but April hadnt fooled herself into believing that she had won the war, just tiny skirmishes here and there.
No, you wont, April informed her, entering a tiny living room filled to overflowing with knickknacks that had taken more than six decades to accumulate. April seriously doubted that Gran threw out anything, convinced that the moment she would, a need for the item, no matter how obscure, would arise. If you remember, the reason Im here, playing solitaire with all those envelopes, is so that you can restand sensibly see your way clear to going to the hospital in Anchorage for
Lying on the sofa, Ursula Hatcher waved a small hand in the air to push away the words she knew were coming. Stuff and nonsense, she proclaimed. Bunch of children playing doctor, poking at me for no good reason. She raised her chin, tossing her gray-streaked faded red hair over her shoulder. My hearts fine. Its just a little tired, but it has a right to be. Its been working nonstop for sixty-nine years without a vacation. Youd be tired, too, if youd worked that hard, she insisted staunchly.
April reached over to adjust the black-and-yellow crocheted throw draped over her grandmothers legs. Thats just the point, Gran April began.
Ursula finished adjusting the throw herself, then cocked her head, listening. Is that the doorbell downstairs?
April pinned her with a look. Her grandmother was a great one for diversions when she didnt like the subject under discussion. Whoever it is down there will keep, Gran. They cant be in any sort of a hurry if theyre living in Hades.
Think you know everything, dont you, child? Ursula began digging her knuckles in on either side of the sofa, giving a masterful performance of a person struggling to get up. Its a postmistresss duty to be there when someone walks into the post office. But thats all right, dear, youre busy. Ill go
April struggled to keep from laughing. Her grandmother was ruining her attempt at being stern with her. Very gently, she pushed the older woman back against the mound of pillows shed personally fluffed up this morning.
God, but you are good at dispensing guilt, she informed her grandmother. The older woman smiled in response. Stay put, you hear me? Ill go down and see who it is.
Thats my girl. Settling back, Ursula beamed, satisfied. She watched her oldest granddaughter cross to the stairs, affection welling up within her. April was a good girl, if somewhat misguided. April
One foot on the stairs, April stopped to turn around. Yes?
Feeling slightly awkward, Ursula lowered her eyes and picked at the yellow-and-white daisies crocheted within the throw. Did I ever tell you how much I appreciate your coming back to mind the store?
Aprils smile broadened. Yes, Gran, you told me. And you know Id do anything for you.
I know She strained to listen for the sound of movement downstairs. So go see who it is. She raised herself up slightly, so that her voice would follow April down the stairs. And if you dont know where to find something
Youre right here to tell me, April called back, finishing a statement she had heard over and over again growing up. Unlike their far frailer mother, Gran had always promised to be there for them, to show them the way no matter what. And she had. April and her siblings had come to believe that Gran was going to go on forever. Being confronted with a different kind of scenario was difficult to come to terms with. Yes, I know.
April looked around the small outpost as she reached the bottom of the stairs. As if she couldnt find absolutely everything there was to find in this room within a matter of seconds, she thought. If the post office were any smaller, her claustrophobia would have kicked in.
As it was, the room that housed all the incoming and outgoing mail for Hades could be referred to as small with just cause. She could turn the whole area upside down in a matter of mere minutes if she wanted to.
Grans hearing was as good as ever, she thought. Someone had entered the post office while shed been upstairs. The small bell attached to the door hardly made a sound worth listening for, but Gran was apparently still tuned in to it.
May I help you?
Shoving her hands into the back pockets of her faded jeans, April addressed the words to the back of a head she didnt immediately recognize. When the man turned around, she found she didnt recognize his face, either. She had to admit that it felt a little unusual not knowing the man. Before shed left Hades, there hadnt been a face she didnt know, at least on sight.
She would have remembered this face.
With the trained eye of a professional photographer, she studied him quickly from head to toe. He looked to be several years older than she was, but at the same time, he had a face that appeared as if it would remain perpetually youthful even in old age. He had the kind of eyes, blue and intense, that would twinkle well into his nineties.
They were twinkling now as they took slow, careful measure of her. She could almost feel them passing over her body.
She knew the type. Handsome, charming, and as trustworthy as a barrel of snakes after a nine month fast. Shed met more than a few of those in her travels. Men like that made an exhilarating date for an evening, but after that, their charm wore thin. As did any promises they might make in the heat of the moment. Just like her father.
She had no use for that type of man.
Still, she couldnt help wondering who this man was and what had brought him to such a sleepy little place as Hades. It wasnt as if Hades was exactly on anyones beaten path and it definitely wasnt a place someone would happen on as they were passing through, at least not in this century. A hundred and fifty years ago, prospectors with dreams of getting rich quickly would ride into town, eyeing the hills that were directly behind it. But that hadnt happened for close to eighty years if she was to believe the stories Gran had told them.
For the first time since arriving in town yesterday, James Quintano, Jimmy to all his friends, found his appetite whetting. Not that hed arrived in Hades to have his appetite even mildly aroused. Hed come because Alison was here and hed promised to return to visit his sister and her husband ever since hed boarded the plane right after her wedding. Hades wasnt a town a man would come to look for a fling or a pleasurable interlude. There was a different breed of people here. Decent people who worked hard and played even harder because those times were precious and rare.
It was also a town, hed quickly realized, where a man had his work cut out for him if he wanted female companionship of any kind. Alison had told him the odds were something like seven to one against him. Not that hed ever had a hard time finding willing women. He had a hard time not finding willing women. It had been that way for him ever since hed found puberty a little after his eleventh birthday. Hed grown tall early, began shaving early, and discovered love early. The birds and the bees had had nothing on Mary-Sue Taylor.
Thoughts of Mary-Sue and her successors faded from his mind, as did the woman who was to have accompanied him on the Alaskan cruise before fate in the guise of an apparent family emergency had stepped in.
Habit had him glancing at the blondes left hand. He found it encouragingly unadorned.
Finished with his appraisal, Jimmy smiled and answered her question. I certainly hope so.
And then he saw her wrist. His initial scrutiny had missed that because shed had her hands tucked into her back pockets, making her jeans strain against her torso and distracting him. Now he saw that there was a makeshift bandage wrapped around her left wrist. One that looked as if it was about to come undone with the very next movement she made.
He nodded at it, coming forward. What happened to your wrist?
She looked down at it grudgingly, the strangers question bringing with it a fresh wave of pain. Shed been trying to put herself beyond that. It was an injury sustained this morning because, as always, she had been moving too fast. But fast was the only tempo she knew. Away from Hades, there was always so much to do that moving fast was a necessity to staying on top of things. Her mind elsewhere, shed brushed too close to the skillet and been awarded a red badge of courage in the form of a wide, angry blister.
Nothing. Just a case of a frying pan not moving out of my way, she said with a careless shrug.
As she reached for the pile of envelopes shed abandoned earlier, the bandages began to loosen in earnest, coming completely undone.
I can take a look at that for you, Jimmy volunteered, already reaching for her hand.
Instinct, both inbred and acquired, had her pulling her hand away. Suspicion creased the brow beneath her wayward bangs. And just why would you want to do that?
He didnt usually meet with resistance when he reached for a womans hand. Jimmys smile widened. Well, for one thing, Im a doctor.
Chapter Two
April looked suspiciously at the tall, darkly handsome man standing in front of her, still keeping her wrist very much to herself. Medical treatment in Hades came via Dr. Shayne Kerrigan and, recently, his nurse, Jean-Lucs wife, Alison. Shayne had been trying, unsuccessfully, to lure another doctor to Hades ever since his brother, the only other doctor within a hundred-mile radius, had left town to follow his hearts dreama woman named Lilah who had a wandering soul. Shayne had begged, pleaded and cajoled would-be seasoned physicians and doctors fresh out of medical school to no avail. The idea that one would suddenly just pop up in the middle of town without fanfare and an abundance of rumors preceding him, rumors Gran was always the first to be privy to, was completely beyond belief.
Wariness infused by her wanderings in the city took hold. April eyed the tall, muscular man carefully.
You mean, you want to play doctor, dont you?
The strangers smile widened, becoming even more unsettlingly seductive and convincing April that shed hit the nail right on the head about him. This was no doctor, this was an opportunist at the very least.
After all the money my brother invested in medical school, Id better be able to do more than just play doctor. He took another step toward her. Id damn well better be able to be one.
The suspicion didnt abate. As far as she was concerned, there was nothing about Hades that would lure a person to come visit it. Hades wasnt known for anything, had no natural wonders to offer in exchange for the hardship of seeking it out, and it was as far off the usual route as was humanly possible without falling off the edge of the earth.
Yes, the coal mines were still productive, and nicely so, but if the mans hands were any indication, the only kind of physical work he had probably ever engaged in was ridding women of their outer clothing. And quickly, too, no doubt.
April raised her chin, tucking her hand behind her back. Whats a doctor doing in Hades?
Visiting, he answered succinctly. Why was she so skittish? Jimmy wondered. It was just her wrist he was offering to examine, not the rest of her. Although that would undoubtedly be richly rewarding. I wont charge you.
A glint of anger highlighted the suspicious light in her eyes. For what?
Had she lost the thread of the conversation? She didnt strike him as the simple type, but looks were deceiving, even mouthwatering ones such as hers. For looking at your wrist.
She snorted, retreating behind the huge, scarred oak desk that had belonged to Grans father. Mail was still scattered along its surface. She had work to tend to and this was wasting time.
Good, and I wont charge you for looking at yours, she retorted.
Although, all things considered, April secretly allowed, the strangers wrist would have been the very last thing she would think to look at. The rest of him was a good deal more interesting and arresting than his wrist. Apart from a handful of men, her brother included, the male population of Hades would not have stopped any hearts. This man certainly would.
Stop hearts and set pulses racing, and she had a feeling he knew it, too. He was about a foot taller than she was, with dark black hair and eyes the color of the waters off the cape in the spring. The way he held himself, with an easy, comfortable grace, reminded her of one of the Native Americans whod come into the post office when she was a little girl. Gran had told her hed once been a chief of a tribe that had since died out. To her, the man had seemed larger than life.
That was undoubtedly what this man was, too, larger than life. Except in his case, that description would involve his own view of himself.
Well, she had better things to do than to stroke his ego. Deliberately, she looked down at the mail on the desk.
As he watched the woman in front of him, Jimmys grin widened a little more. She had spirit, no question about it. He liked that. There was nothing duller than a woman who just fell into his arms. Ever since he could remember, hed always enjoyed a challenge. It kept him on his toes and made him feel alive.
He leaned an elbow on the desk, as comfortable as if hed been coming here for years. You know, youre the first unfriendly person Ive met in Hades.
If he was trying to embarrass her, he was going to have to do a lot better than that, April thought. Good, she sniffed, turning her back on him. I never liked being part of the crowd.
That had been his first impression of her, Jimmy thought. Someone not part of a crowd. He leaned forward, watching the way her bottom strained against her jeans as she bent over the mail bag. He had a keen knack for being able to cleanly divorce himself from his professional side outside the hospital. And this lady certainly deserved his undivided attention.
Oh, you might be in a crowd, but youd never be taken for being part of it. Youd stand out no matter where you were.
April looked at him over her shoulder, her eyes narrowing. Is that supposed to impress me?
No, thats not supposed to do anything, he told her with such unabashed honesty, she could almost believe him. Its just an observation. So far, weve ascertained that you stand out in a crowd, youre unfriendly his eyes flickered to her wrist and you wrap bandages worse than a first year medical student.
She opened her mouth to tell him that he and his observations were free to leave the post office at any time, preferably now. But the words never had a chance to emerge as the man took charge of the moment as well as her wrist by taking the end of the bandage and deftly unwrapping it.
April caught her lower lip between her teeth to keep the startled yelp of pain from escaping her lips.
Pulling her hand out of his grasp would prove to be hurtful, so she left it where it was. Instead she glared at him. Just what do you
The wound appeared to be first degree and didnt look infected. Still, he bet it smarted more than a little. Thats rather angry-looking.
That wasnt the only thing, she thought indignantly. Just who the hell did he think he was? You want to see angry-looking, just raise your eyes a little, mister. Just what do you think
The door swung open behind them. Jimmy, whats taking you so The woman entering the post office stopped abruptly as the sight registered. Oh, I should have known. A dimple melded into her expression. Cant let you out of my sight, can I?
Startled, April looked up to see Alison LeBlanc crossing to them. The dark-haired woman shed met briefly when shed gone to see Dr. Kerrigan about her grandmother flashed a rueful smile at her.
Seeing them side by side, April was struck by the similarities between the two people in her grandmothers post office. Although Alison was a good deal shorter, their coloring and the way they held themselves was almost startlingly identical.
April looked from one to the other. Are you two related?
Her would-be healer laughed. Only by the cruel whimsy of fate. With one hand still firmly holding Aprils, he wrapped his arm around Alisons slender shoulders and gave her a quick hug. This is my baby sister. There was teasing affection in his eyes as he regarded Alison for a moment. Shes turned out rather nicely, all things considered.
Alison shot him a withering look that somehow still managed to give the impression of affection. If you mean considering that you were my brother, youre dead-on. I turned out nicely thank-you-very-much despite you, not because of you.
A faint pang drifted through April. This, she thought, she was familiar with. Or at least she had been before shed moved away. It was the kind of relationship shed had with her own two siblings, especially with Max. There were times when she truly missed it, though she would admit that to no one because to do so would mean she was vulnerable. If there was one thing she refused to be in any manner conceivable, it was vulnerable. She knew what vulnerability did to a woman.
Alison looked at her apologetically. Im sorry, I hope Jimmy hasnt been bothering you. I just sent him out to get the office mail. I should have realized that once he got a good look at you, hed forget what he came for and try to charm you the way he does every other woman he encounters.
Just as she thought. The man was all flash, no substance. April congratulated herself on her perception.
Rather than look annoyed at having his game plan revealed, the way April would have expected, Jimmy merely laughed.
I wasnt trying to charm her, I was doing a consultation. To prove it, Jimmy raised the now bandageless wrist he was holding. The lady seems to have injured herself.
Alison quickly examined the wound. Ive got some ointment for that at the clinic.
Grans got some in her medicine cabinet, April countered, indicating the upper floor with her eyes.
Make sure you put it on, Alison advised. What happened?
Nothing to merit all this fuss. Thoroughly embarrassed now, April tucked her wrist behind her back again. She changed the subject before Alison felt compelled to pursue the matter. So I take it hes really your brother?
Until I can find someone to take him off my hands, yes. Hes here visiting me.
Jimmy nodded to confirm his sisters statement, his eyes still on the tempting postmistress who wouldnt give him a tumble. I wanted to see firsthand just what it is that keeps her here, other than Jean-Luc and that stubborn streak of hers that never lets her admit shes wrong even when she is.
Alison pursed her lips in a mock frown. Its a family trait.
Jimmy was quick to agree. Right, our sister Lily has it, too.
Beneath that devil-may-care attitude there wasnt a more stubborn member of the family than Jimmy, Alison thought. It was Jimmy who made a point of volunteering his time at homeless shelters, telling none of them. She would have never known if she hadnt accidentally seen him at a shelter herself. The only notoriety he wanted was that of a playboy, but he was far deeper than that. He had a heart that cared and which was every bit as important as his skilled surgeons hands. But that was the part of him he wanted no one to know.
Like you dont, Alison replied.
He made his appeal to April, not his sister. I am the soul of reasonableness.
Alison merely sighed, shaking her head. She turned to April. If you give me Shaynes mail, well be out of your hair, she promised.
It struck April as odd to have the doctor referred to so familiarly, but then shed forgotten the townspeoples penchant. Everyone in Hades was on a first-name basis with everyone else.
Right here. Reaching over the counter to the tallest stack, she pushed it toward Alison. There might be more. April glanced at semifull sack on the floor. I havent finished sorting todays pouch yet.
Because of the hand, Alison concluded.
April spared Alisons brother a look that said it all. Because I was interrupted.
If there was a mild accusation in that statement, Alison seemed to ignore it. She merely smiled easily and glanced affectionately at her brother. There was no mistaking the pride in her eyes. Youll find that Jimmy does that a lot.
That sounded ominously like a promise to her. Or at the very least, a premonition of things to come. Why, is he staying on?
The next question that came to her lips, if the response to the first was affirmative, was Why? but she told herself that it was none of her business. If Alisons brother actually was a doctor, having him here would certainly be a welcome relief to Shayne. If her visit to the clinic had been any indication of the way things normally went there, Hadess only physician was completely overworked.
Just until my ship sails, Jimmy informed her blithely. Cruise ship, he interjected when the quizzical look on Aprils face remained. Im just here for two weeks. It occurred to him that he hadnt even given her his nameor gotten hers. James Quintano. Leaning over the counter, he put his hand out toward her.
April paused a moment before finally placing her hand in his. With Alison watching, she couldnt very well remain aloof, although it might do the man some good to see that there were women who didnt fall into his lap just because he was good-looking.
April Yearling.
Jimmy withdrew his hand. She had a firm handshake. He got the feeling April wanted him to know that she wasnt some frail little thing despite her diminutive size. His eyes held hers for a moment.
Message received.
Well, now that were introduced, youll have to come to my party.
Party? April looked at Alison questioningly.
Luc thought it might be a good way to take care of the introduction en masse if we just invited everyone to the Salty, Alison explained, referring to the saloon that both her husband and his cousin, Ike, owned. The saloon, which Ike initially operated and eventually coaxed Luc to become partners in, had been the first venture of many. Now they owned the general store, Hadess only movie theater and the hotel, as well. The benevolent entrepreneurs were determined to build Hades up to entice the younger generation to remain once they reached eighteen. Its tonight.
It wouldnt have mattered what day it was. April shook her head, reaching for another stack of mail inside the sack. Im not sure I can get away.
Jimmy squatted until his face was level with hers. Ill take it as a personal insult if you dont show up.
Her eyes narrowed. Hed just made up her mind for her. Ill keep that in mind.
There was a storm brewing here. Alison could read the signs well. Wrapping one hand around her older brothers arm, she began to lead him out of the building.
Well get out of your hair, Alison told her, giving Jimmy a hard tug.
Jimmy let himself be dragged off. Until tonight, he called over his shoulder.
Until hell freezes over, April muttered under her breath as she got back to her sorting.
Of course youll go, Ursula told her firmly when shed mentioned the party later that day and her intentions of not attending. Kindly hazel eyes pinned April where she stood in the crowded living room. And youll have a good time, too.
Oh, no, she wouldnt, especially not if the so-called guest of honor was there. April began to move around the room, straightening things in a hopeless battle for order amid chaos.
Gran, I came back to help out in the post office and to talk you into going to the hospital in Anchorage. I did not come back to attend any feeble little gatherings at the Salty Dog Saloon for some pompous, would-be playboy doctor.
She worried her, this one, Ursula thought. Shed been so hurt by first her fathers abandonment and then her mothers withdrawal. There was no question in her mind that April had always been tough on the outside, but it was the inside that truly concerned her. Inside, Ursula was certain, was a hurt, frightened little girl who needed to be coaxed out and loved.
No, thats just a bonus, Im sure, Ursula told her cheerfully.
April set two Hummel figurines, a shepherd and his lady, equidistantly apart on a small shelf. Im not.
April.
Her grandmothers suddenly weakened voice had April turning around to look at her. Ursulas hand slipped dramatically over her chest, her fingers spreading over her heart.
Ursula sighed deeply. Im an old woman, my heart cant take all this arguing and dissent.
April knew an act when she saw one and, happily, this was one. She moved closer to her grandmother. Youre a semiold woman who likes to manipulate.
Ursula let her hand drop, shaking her head in despair. I should have raised you to be more respectful of your elders.
You raised me fine. Bending, April brushed a quick kiss to the silky, weather-lined cheek. You raised me to see through charades and con artists and golden-tongued men.
That hadnt been her doing. That had been in response to her fathers actions. Ursulas heart ached, but for a reason that had nothing to do with medical conditions and terminology written in doctors journals.
Not every man is out to break your heart, April. What happened to your mother
Instantly, Aprils chin shot up. A warrior on constant guard. Is never going to happen to me.
Ursula reached for her granddaughters hand and held it in hers. Im glad, child, but that shouldnt have the price tag youre attaching to it. Her eyes searched Aprils face, looking for a sign, a chink that would let her break through. The girl was so adamant about not being hurt that she wasnt allowing anyone into her life. It shouldnt prevent you from enjoying yourself. The years go very fast, April. Faster than any of us can imagine. I dont want you standing at the end of your life, whispering, If only Id done things differently. April, honey, I dont want you to have regrets.
Then they were agreed, April thought. Neither do I.
But Ursula shook her head. I meant about not living life.
Gently, April disengaged her hand from her grandmothers. The next moment she was straightening things again, unable to remain still. Unwilling to allow her choices to be examined this way. I am living life, Gran. Im out there every day, living.
But Ursula knew better. For all her sophistication, all her potential and promise, April was fleeing life. Youre out there every day, snapping pictures, capturing other people living. You cant do it by proxy. Youve got to do it yourself. Sometimes youve got to put up with pinched toes to break in the best pair of shoes youll ever own.
She might have jumped from a plane to photograph a sky-diving couple getting married, but there were some risks April refused to take. The one her grandmother was talking about was one of them.
What if those shoes never break in right?
Ursula could only smile, remembering her own short-lived first marriage. Jake hadnt left by choice. A fishing accident had taken him from her. But the heartache had been the same. Wearing them for a little whiles still better than never wearing them at all and going barefoot.
April put down the tiny glass figurines shed started to line up in a row and turned to look at her grandmother. It was not in her to say no to the woman for long. Youre not going to give up until I go, are you?
Knowing the victory was hers, Ursula smiled. When have I ever given up?
April laughed, sitting on the edge of the sofa, beside Ursulas throw-covered feet. You have a point.
I always do. Ursula threw off the cover and swung her legs to the floor.
April rose to her feet, staring. What are you doing?
Well, Im going, too, Ursula declared. Ive always enjoyed having a good timeand I always have a good time at the Salty.
April thought of the saloon. The men there could get pretty rowdy. And thered be dancing, she would be willing to bet. She looked at her grandmother suspiciously. Could this whole thing have been a ruse? What about that heart of yours not being able to take it?
Thats only when it comes to arguing and dissent. It can take a good time just fine. Ursula winked. I hear Yuri Bostoviks going to be there. April could have sworn she saw stars in her grandmothers eyes. Hes always been partial to me.
Aprils mouth dropped open. Shed never thought of her grandmother as having a life outside the post office. Gran, youre sixty-nine
Ursula nodded as she shuffled off toward her bedroom. And not getting any younger. My point exactly.
April paused, debating. Her immediate reaction was to bully her grandmother into staying in bed, but happiness counted for something in the scheme of things, especially when it came to well-being.
Wavering, she gave in. She supposed it wouldnt do all that much harm. All right, well go for a little while and then Ill bring you home.
That wasnt the way it was going to be if she had anything to say about it, Ursula thought. She fixed her oldest grandchild with a look meant to establish the order of things between them. She still made the rules.
Ill go for a little while and then Maxll bring me home. Youre going to stay at the Salty.
And do what? April wanted to know. I dont really like beer.
So? Ursulas small shoulders rose and fell. Dont have beer. Therere other things to drink at the Salty besides beer. And Im sure youll find something to occupy yourself with. Her knowing smile widened. If youre lucky.
Because it was Gran, April surrendered. For the time being. Youre positively wicked, Gran.
Only if Yuri gets lucky tonight, dear, only if Yuri gets lucky. Now go, she coaxed. Get prettier.
April shook her head, watching her grandmother hurry off to do the same.
Chapter Three
Unlike the near-stagnant air, the ocean of noise within the Salty Dog Saloon that evening ebbed and flowed around April, allowing her to pick out a word here and there as she slowly made her way through the teeming crowd of eighty percent wall-to-wall men. Shed elected to come essentially wearing what shed had on earlier: changing to a blouse, but staying in her worn jeans. She saw no reason to dress up. It wasnt that kind of a party. People in Hades held comfort in high regard.
April looked around. It wouldnt have really mattered what shed worn. The odds were definitely in her favor, had she been inclined to play that sort of a game. But she wasnt. Looking over the crop of available men was the furthest thing from her mind, except in a remote, analytical sort of way.
She took stock of the scene, seeing it through the eyes of a photographer rather than as a former native whod made good her escape.
It had been a long time since shed actually seen so many men in one place at one time. A fragment of a memory nudged at her, blooming in her mind until shed captured all of it. The last time shed seen a gathering the likes of this had been here, right after her graduation from high school. She was the first in her family to finish the twelfth grade. Gran had insisted on throwing a party to celebrate the occasion and since the small living area above the post office barely housed the four of them, much less anyone else, Gran had prevailed on the owner of the Salty to hold it here. It hadnt belonged to Ike and Jean-Luc at the time, though they had worked here.
All April really remembered about the party was that shed been consumed with the thought of finally being able to leave. Not the Salty or Hades, but the area. Alaska. All of it. It had been the only thing on her mind for years. Ever since that morning shed woken up to find her father gone, shed wanted to leave herself, to spread her wings and soar.
And she had soared. For six years. Flown to all the major cities in the country, to all the places shed once dreamed of, sitting up late at night in her tiny alcove of a room, poring over the atlas her father had left behind. The out-of-date atlas with its worn, earmarked pages and its places that continued to exist even though they were no longer referred to by the names that were written down between the covers.
Looking at the people around her now, almost all of whom she recognized, April expected to feel like an outsider, like someone who had outgrown the place she was visiting. If nothing else, shed seen more of the world and of life than most of the people here.
Even so, the feeling wasnt quite there. These people shed been so quick to erase from her life didnt treat her as if she didnt belong. Instead, they behaved as if she had only momentarily stepped out, but was back now. It was an absurd thought because she wasnt back. She was just here temporarily and would be gone again very soon. The sooner, the better.
She saw Yuri Bostovik over in the corner, his gray hair comically parted in the middle and slicked back. The moment he saw her grandmother, he made a beeline for her. Even in this light, she could see Gran blushingas if she hadnt spent the past hour planning on just how to greet the man. Gran had buried three husbands and still acted as if love was just around the corner for her. The woman was incredible.
April continued sidestepping people and nodding greetings, trying to reach the bar. What surprised her was that along with her detached, analytical feeling was a tiny prick of something she had trouble identifying.
Or maybe it was that she didnt want to identify it. Nostalgia had no place here, in Hades. Not for her. The very idea was ridiculous. Nostalgia came when you remembered something fondly. There was nothing to feel nostalgic about when it came to her past. Shed never liked it in Hades, had always found it lacking. Other than an attachment to Gran, Max and June, there was no reason for her to feel anything at all about this piece of tundra.
So what was this odd feeling that persisted in rambling around inside of her?
Is this a private smug moment, or can anyone horn their way in?
The question, whispered against her ear, nearly made her jump. The warm breath that had accompanied it lingered on her skin, throwing her concentration completely off.
Turning, she found that Alisons brother was at her elbow. Jimmy had a frosty mug of beer in each hand, holding them close to his chest to keep from spilling the contents.
She eyed the mugs before looking up at him. Even in the dim lighting from the chandeliers, his eyes were intensely blue. She felt a ripple of excitement wash over her. Two-fisted drinker?
Hunching in against her, he seemed to move in closer without physically taking a step. No, actually this ones for you.
With a human wall suddenly at her back, there was nowhere for her to go. She stifled her impulse to get away. Me?
Jimmy nodded. I spotted you when you walked in with your family. Me and every other male in the room whos breathing, he added with an easy smile that would have broken down a lesser womans defenses. He held the mug in his right hand up to her. Thought you might want something to drink.
Shed never really cared for beer, but April supposed it would be rude to refuse the drink so she accepted the mug. That he included himself in the group rather than go out of his way to single himself out for her benefit surprised her. But then, shed learned that men were never easy to read.
Thank you, she murmured.
So he clinked the side of his mug against hers lightly what are you being so smug about?
She raised her chin defensively. Im not being smug.
He felt a sudden, uncontrollable desire to nibble on that chin, but held himself in check. This lady required kid glove treatment. Yes, you are, Jimmy quietly corrected. There was a smug look in your eyes just now, when you were looking over the people in here. He studied her for a moment before taking a sip of his beer. This your first time back at the Salty?
It struck her that he sounded as if he were a Hades native. That was a laugh. A man like Dr. James Quintano couldnt stay in a place like this for more than a couple of weeks, if that long. She had a feeling Alisons brother would probably cut his vacation short rather than remain here for the duration. He seemed like the type who needed a regular dose of excitement in his life. Someone who needed a party every night. The only kind of excitement Hades had to offer usually involved natural disasters or fires.
Yes, she finally answered because he still seemed to be waiting for a response.
Jimmy took another, longer sip of his beer, his eyes never leaving her. He liked watching the way her breasts rose and fell beneath her peasant blouse with each breath she took. Luc said youve been away for seven years.
Six years, she corrected, surprised that Jean-Luc had even noticed her absence. Alisons husband was so laid-back, she hadnt expected ordinary events to make any impression on him. Her departure had been without fanfare, as had her return. But right now it feels more like six days, she muttered out loud, looking around.
Homecomings have that effect, he agreed.
Someone bumped into April from behind and pushed her into him. An amber wave rose from her mug and Jimmy found himself being liberally christened with the beer hed just handed her.
Amused, slightly embarrassed, she looked at the resulting mess. Oh, Im sorry.
Jimmy brushed a few golden droplets away from his shirt, but the rest were quickly being absorbed by the dark blue material, creating an irregular-shaped stain on his chest.
Grinning, he shrugged it off. No harm done. He looked at the throng of people behind her. It appeared as if everyone in Hades and the surrounding area had somehow managed to pack themselves into the saloon. But I think we might want to step out of range. With his hand against the small of her back, he steered April toward another section that was only slightly less crowded.
April glanced across her shoulder toward where shed last seen her family, all the way over on the other side of the saloon. Max had disappeared, as had June. Only Gran was there with Yuri. Looking up, the older woman made eye contact with her and smiled, nodding.
She knew that look. It was approval. Gran had never been stingy with hers, but this time her approval had found the wrong mark. April shook her head vigorously before looking away.
Jimmy noted the exchange. He bent his head toward her to be heard. Is that your grandmother?
April wrapped her hands around the mug and, wrinkling her nose, took a sip before answering. Though she wasnt sure why, she suddenly found herself in need of fortification herself and this would have to do. Yes, thats Gran.
He could just barely pick up the affection in her voice. Seeing as how she was trying hard to appear removed, she had to care a great deal for the older woman. Luc told me a lot about her. She sounds like a wonderful woman.
She is. April turned her attention back to the man who seemed determined to remain with her. It was a lot less disconcerting to look at him than to feel his breath on her neck. You seem to have gotten a great deal of information out of Jean-Luc. As I recall, before I left, if he strung three words together in a sentence every few weeks, we called him chatty.
Jimmy laughed and despite the noise in the saloon, the sound wrapped itself around her like a warm scarf on a cold winters day. Maybe shed absorbed more alcoholic fumes than shed realized, April thought.
Hes loosened up some, being married to my sister. Jimmy was just repeating what Ike had told him. But hed have to if only in self-defense. Alison tends to be bossy if shes given her head.
Alison didnt have the market cornered on that, April thought, glancing at Jimmy. She moved so that he was forced to drop his hand from her back. Another family trait?
Jimmy nodded, downing a little more beer. He set the empty mug on the closest surface. My sister Lilys the same way. Could be why she has trouble maintaining a relationship.
Meaning that men prefer women who agree with them and who they can walk on.
The man tending bar slid another full mug his way. Catching it, Jimmy nodded his thanks and took a mouthful. Didnt say that.
Her eyes narrowed. But you implied it.
The look he gave her was innocent. He studied her in silence for a moment. Was she deliberately trying to instigate a fight between them? The thought amused him more than anything else.
Cant see how. I was just saying that bossing people around never makes for a good relationship no matter which partys doing the bossing, male or female. He took another long sip before continuing. Never liked walking on people myself. I like a woman who can give as good as she gets.
Their eyes locked and she had the distinct impression that he was putting her on notice. Though she tried to block it, a small, unidentifiable shiver ran down the length of her spine.
Then youve come to the right place, Dr. Quintano. The women in Hades definitely arent pushovers, April told him with a touch of pride. Theyve learned to stand up for themselves.
His eyes were touching her, making her uneasy. She became aware of the severe lack of air within the packed saloon. Jimmys smile was easy, slipping over his lips in slow motion and in direct reverse proportion to the rhythm assimilated by her pulse.
Glad to hear that.
Yeah, shed just bet he was. April cleared her throat, then set her mug down on a cluttered table meant for two. And youre wrong.
Jimmy cocked his head, his eyes on her mouth. About?
She shouldnt have had any of the beer. There had to have been something in it. Beer didnt affect her this way, making her head spin and her pulse race, certainly not a few sips.
Homecomings, she told him stiffly. She realized that she wasnt exactly making sense. She was losing the thread of what she was saying herself. At least about this being one.
But this was your home, he pointed out, and youve come back.
Just to help out.
He gave another careless shrug. Youve come back. The details dont matter.
Now there she had him. It was her turn to smile confidentially. Oh, but they do, she corrected with a liberal dose of passion. Details always matter. Theyre what makes one thing different from another.
His grin merely served to irk her. You like to argue, dont you?
Her chin went up defensively again, and again, he found it tempting. Jimmy seriously toyed with the idea of stealing a kiss, but knew it would just get him slapped royally. He could wait.
No, I dont like to argue, she contradicted. I like things to be perfectly clear and up front. No lies, no deceptions, no illusions.
Her words struck a chord. He regarded her thoughtfully for a long moment. Sounds like someone did a number on your optimism.
She didnt like being analyzed, especially not by a stranger who had no idea what he was talking about. My optimism is just fine, thank you.
Good. He placed his mug next to hers on the table. The glass came precariously close to falling before Jimmy steadied it. Then you wont mind dancing with me.
Maybe she hadnt heard right. What does one thing have to do with another?
He wrapped his fingers around her hand. Your optimism will make you optimistic about my dancing ability.
The next thing she knew, as the protest formed on her lips, she found herself enfolded in his arms. If she strained her ears, she could just about make out that there was a song playing on the classic jukebox that Ike had painstakingly restored. But what that song was, or even the tempo that was presumably playing, was anyones guess.
Alisons brother, April noticed, took it to be a slow song. With his hand lightly pressed against her spine, he brought her body closer to his. Closer than she felt comfortable about.
Youre in my space, she hissed against his ear.
He could feel her stiffening. He did his best to lighten the moment and smiled down into her face. Im afraid there is no space here, but as soon as there is, Ill be sure to let you have it. The smile widened just a little. I find this rather cozy myself.
His smile was infiltrating her space even more acutely than his body. She looked around for someone to cut in, but apparently no one else was paying attention to the music. Im sure you do.
Curving her hand beneath his, he rested it against his chest. So what do you do when youre not sorting envelopes?
She could feel his heart beating beneath her fingertips. Why that made her warm, she couldnt say. Probably had to do with the growing lack of air. You mean here?
His eyes held hers. She had hypnotically beautiful eyes, he thought. Anywhere.
It was definitely too warm in here, she thought. Im a photojournalist.
Something independent. He should have realized that. She needed something where she could make her own terms, her own hours. Im impressed.
The sway of his hips against hers was far too distracting for her to concentrate on the conversation. I didnt say it to impress you.
I know. He liked the way she felt in his arms when she relaxed. Soft, delicate. In direct contradiction to the look in her eyes. You dont like to impress anyone, do you?
She tried to shrug and wound up brushing her shoulder against someones back. Theres no need, as long as Im happy.
Jimmy was careful to not move their dancing out of the realm of tantalizing and into arousing. He had a feeling she would break away if he did. But having her here, swaying against him this way, was certainly doing a number on him. Are you?
Am I what?
Happy.
She could feel her heart constricting slightly and her nerve endings stretching taut. This conversations getting way too personal.
He felt her try to pull back, but he held her fast. How else am I going to get to know you?
Aprils eyes narrowed. Why should you get to know me?
Why not?
Games, he was playing word games. Well, hed met his match, she thought. She knew how to give as good as she got. Because in two weeks youll be gone and with any luck, so will I.
That fit right into his plan. He certainly wasnt looking for anything permanent. If you looked for something permanent, you wound up being disappointed in the end when it broke apart. And in one way or another, it always broke apart. Yes, but until then, theres all this time just hanging around. We might as well pass it pleasurably.
And she knew just what he meant by that. Maybe we have a different definition of pleasure.
The dimple in his cheek deepened. We can explore that, too.
She didnt know whether to be amused or annoyed. What she was, was incredibly warm, bordering on hot. If she didnt get some air soon, she was going to pass out. You dont give up, do you?
Havent the foggiest how to do that, he admitted readily. Besides, my brother taught me that anything worth having is worth working for. And that included time with a beautiful lady, he added silently. If it comes too easily, you might just let it slip through your fingers without realizing it.
The scales began to tip toward amusement. And your brothers a philosopher.
Kevin would have gotten a charge out of that, Jimmy thought. A cabdriver. Actually, he owns a fleet of cabs. A small fleet, but the companys his nonetheless. His mouth curved fondly as he managed to turn her around in the tiny space. He liked her surprised expression when she faced him again. I wouldnt want him knowing I said it, but Kevins the smartest man I know. The kindest, too. Jimmy glanced over toward where hed last seen Alison. She was still there, talking to several people from the looks of it. She was standing next to Luc, her arm tucked through his. She looked happy, he thought. It was about time. He misses Alison. He looked back at April. Kevin raised her after our parents died. You might say he raised all of us.
All? How many of them were there? And were they all glib, like him? Alison didnt seem to be, but it was too soon to tell. Shed only exchanged a few sentences with her.
My two sisters and me. I never realized how much he gave up to do that. Jimmy grew serious for a moment, looking back. Kevin could have had a regular life of his own, dated, gotten married, the usual. Instead he stayed home, put all of us through school, made sure we toed the line and became decent people.
April caught her bottom lip between her teeth. So how disappointed in you is he?
It took him a second before he realized she was joking. Thered been a kernel of truth in that. Not anymore. My wild days are behind me.
Wild, that wasnt quite the word she would have used to refer to him, but it was close enough. Thats not the way Alison made it sound.
Enjoying the company of an ever changing parade of women was harmless compared to the rebellious teenager hed once been. I meant as in giving Kevin grief.
Her eyes held his. So now its just women you give grief to?
She was deliberately trying to bait him. Getting a kick out of it, Jimmy grinned. I dont think theyd refer to it as grief. And whatever happens between a lady and me is by mutual consent. I make a point of never staying where Im not wanted.
April realized she was flirting, but since it was just for tonight, she could see no harm in it. She supposed her ego could use the temporary high. And just what kind of signals have to go off before you realize youre not wanted?
Thats easy, he told her. The lady says go and means it.
Right, and if she believed that, there was an ice bridge he wanted to sell her. So if I said go, you would?
He grinned. Youre forgetting the key partand means it, he repeated.
He had a loophole. She figured as much. And thats up to you to decide, isnt it?
He laughed. Youre getting the hang of it now.
The record ceased play, taking the music with it. He was loathe to give her up just yet. He had a feeling that if he continued dancing, shed follow. For the moment she didnt look as if she realized that the jukebox had stopped playing. But her cheeks were flushed and while hed like to think he had something to do with that, it was probably the close quarters they were in. Would you like to get some air?
They werent that far from the door. Without seeming to move, theyd somehow managed to dance their way to the saloon entrance.
Actually, that doesnt sound like a bad idea. She nodded toward the doorway. Ill just step out for a minute.
When he followed her, she raised a quizzical brow. Cant let a lady go out alone at night.
Part of the reason she wanted to step outside was to get away from him and that rock-hard body of his. You can if the lady insists.
With that, she slipped outside and closed the door behind her.
Chapter Four
The temperature change registered immediately as the night air briskly embraced April, cooling her skin. The temporary heat of the afternoon had gone as if it had never existed, a cold snap settling in. Shed forgotten how cold it could be in Hades despite the calendar.
Running her hands up and down her arms, April looked up at the sky. The stars were out in full regalia, framing a moon that was full and bright. Less than a handful of streetlights dotted the area, their illumination paling in comparison to the moons.
The last time shed stood here like this, there hadnt been anything but darkness. This was progress, she supposed. As everything else in Hades, it came slowly.
When she felt a hand gently settle on her shoulder, April jumped and swung around. Her breathing steadied slightly as her eyes looked up at Jimmys face, still flush from the warmth within the saloon.
The man obviously couldnt take no for an answer.
Her eyes asked him what he was doing out here after shed said she wanted to be left alone.
Like she means it, he repeated, echoing his sentiment from only moments earlier.
It took her a second to remember. And then she frowned. I meant it. What, I didnt sound convincing enough to you?
In deference to the chill, he buttoned the top two buttons of his workshirt. Not to my ears. Amusement glinted in his eyes. Must have been all that noise inside, he told her innocently. He saw that wasnt going down so well. Where I come from, its not polite to tell the guest of honor to get lost.
She laughed to herself, thinking of the crowd inside the Salty. I hate to break it to you, but youre more of the excuse of honor than the guest of honor.
He shrugged, unfazed. As long as it involves honor, Im all right with it.
Oh, and honor means a lot to you, does it?
The grin abated just a little, his manner growing ever so slightly serious. It has its place in my life.
Suddenly his serious mood was gone. Jimmy hunched his shoulders against the wind, wondering if hed seem like a hopeless tenderfoot if he opted to go inside for the jacket hed left slung over the back of his chair. April seemed to be faring well in just a simple blouse. A simple blouse that was hugging curves guaranteed to make a mans mouth water. The button just at her chest level strained against its hole every time she took a breath. He tried to not stare. His fingers itched to help coax the separation.
Shoving his hands into his pockets only partially for warmth, he looked up at the moon. So, what does a person do around Hades for excitement?
Leave.
He looked at her. Seriously.
April inclined her head. Seriously.
Jimmy couldnt tell if she was deadpanning or not. My sister seems pretty content.
April had made her own judgment about nurse Alison LeBlanc and found herself liking the woman, although they had little in common. Your sister belongs to that amazing fraternal club of people who give of themselves and feel that they actually have a calling in life to tend to the sick and the needy.
Alison had always been a caretaker, even though she was the youngest. And there was no denying that her heart was in the right place. But Jimmy had a little bit of trouble with Aprils assessment of the townspeople. He nodded toward the closed door behind them. That didnt strike me as a needy bunch in there.
Aprils mouth twitched. You should see them around closing time. And then the would-be smile faded. Actually, I meant needy as in needing. My sister June decided to remain in Hades after she graduated. She could have had her pick of careers, but she opened up a car repair shop of all things. Said the place needed one and since shed always been so handy when it came to fixing things, it was a good match. Her frown indicated what she thought of that idea. When he was growing up, my brother Max dreamed about joining the FBI. Now hes content to be the only law around here. She shook her head, his decision mystifying her. Not that theres any crime in Hades in the conventional sense of the word.
Her wording intrigued him. Whats unconventional crime?
When Victor, one of the Inuits, kept springing Simon Gallaghers traps so he couldnt catch any beaver. She couldnt help feeling that her brother was wasting his life here, but it was his to waste she supposed. Max certainly cant keep busy handing out speeding tickets and the last murder here was She stopped to think and realized that if there had been a murder in Hades, she certainly had no knowledge of it. I dont know when.
Jimmy smiled at the scenario she was unconsciously painting for him. He and his family hailed from Seattle where crime was an everyday event. He could think of several people who would more than welcome life in Hades.
He looked at her. Sounds like a nice place, actually.
Bland, April corrected firmly. It sounds bland.
There was nothing bland about facing the hardships he was sure this place afforded. That took courage and fortitude. But he saw no point in getting into a discussion over it with her. So he humored her instead. And you crave excitement.
She looked out over the terrain, asleep except for the party in the building behind them. There wasnt much to see and what there was of it was dark. Even the theater was closed. Since everyone in town was at the Salty, there had been no reason to keep the theater open tonight. She could remember all those years, aching to get as far away from Hades as possible.
What I crave, she told him, is something with a pulse.
The grin on his lips was warm, inviting as he held up his hand for her to examine. I have a pulse.
A smile began to bud on her lips. April could only shake her head. Hed gotten her again. I have to learn to pick my words more carefully around you.
He moved a little closer to her as the wind rose. Does that mean youll be around me?
He was too close, but to back away would imply that she was afraid, or wary, and that wasnt the sort of image she cared to project. So she stood her ground and ignored the feelings taking place inside of her. There you go again.
He liked the way her eyes snapped, and the way she smelled when the wind shifted, bringing the scent of her perfume to him. Ever since he could remember, hed always paid attention to women. All women. The pretty ones he paid a little more attention to.
Inspired by the subtle nuances he was picking up, Jimmy decided to make another pitch. You cant be postmistressing all the time. I mean, a place like this cant get that much mailseeing as how there arent that many people here. You have to have some free hours, what do you do then?
Stepping to the side, she moved away from him. Take care of my grandmother.
A high-pitched laugh reached them from within, escaping through the fraction of an inch where the window sash failed to meet the sill. They turned and April could see her grandmother was standing right next to the window. From all appearances, she was vamping the socks off the gray-bearded man she was with. Jimmy, eyeing Yuri Bostovik, noticed that he looked almost besotted with Aprils grandmother.
Nothing he liked better than to see seniors enjoying their lives. Jimmy grinned and looked at April. Looks to me like your grandmother is taking care of herself. More than a touch of admiration mingled with his amusement.
The way April saw it, Gran was doing the exact opposite. She should have been at home, resting, not out at the saloon. The woman had angina, for heavens sake. But there had been no talking her out of coming. Gran had been insistent. Until this moment, despite Grans blatant allusions to Yuri, April had thought it was to insure her coming here. Now she wasnt so sure.
She watched the older couple move and meld into the crowd. April shook her head. Grans headstrong. She absolutely refuses to let me take her to Anchorageto the hospital there.
The woman looked healthy enough, even glowing, but Jimmy knew how deceptive appearances could be.
Cant Shayne treat her? Alison says hes the best. He remembered feigning jealousy when Alison had told him that, but theyd both known hed been kidding. He hadnt an envious bone in his body. And he knew that while Alison was kind, she wasnt recklessly lavish with her praise. She called them as she saw them.
Im sure he is for the common everyday things, but its her heart
What about her heart?
Because theyd been preying on her mind ever since shed received Junes letter, the words were out before she realized that she was sharing them. She has angina and Shayne suggested an angiogram to see if theres any sort of blockage. Her EKG looks good, but an electrocardiogram is almost useless in determining the actual condition of a heartand shed been having these pains.
Jimmy wondered how much was true and how much had been fabricated by Ursula Hatcher for Aprils benefit. From what Alison had told him, he had a hunch the crafty-looking woman on the other side of the pane had exaggerated her condition to get something she wantedher granddaughter in the area. What kind of tests have been done?
Interest mingled in with her suspicion. What kind of a doctor are you?
A good one, Id like to think. He regarded Ursulas profile with interest before turning back to one that interested him more at the moment. I can take a look at her for you if youd like.
I dont need her looked at, I need her scanned.
Jimmy laughed. You make her sound like some sort of digitalized cartoon character.
No, shes a person, April said softly as she watched her grandmother shamelessly flirt. A very precious person.
Jimmy watched as moonbeams tangled themselves in Aprils hair. Urges whispered softly through him. It was hard keeping his mind on the conversation. Shed have to be, to get you to come back to a place you hate so much.
April didnt like having things presumed about her, or having words put in her mouth. I never said I hated Hades.
Was she serious? He looked at her expression, clearly challenging him, and realized that she was. Very serious. In every way but to actually use the word, he contradicted.
She opened her mouth to put him in his place then closed it again, deciding the argument wasnt worth the effort. Not when he was right. It was just that she didnt like having someone read her so well, not a stranger at any rate.
Shrugging, she looked away. Its just that I find it stifling here, confining.
Oh, I dont know. When somethings unformed like Hades, theres a world of possibilities in that vastness. You can do anything, be anything. Its like a huge empty canvas you can paint on.
Hed said he was visiting, but maybe it was more than that. Maybe he was checking things out. You sound like somebody whos fixing to make a monumental move.
Not hardly, he thought. He had everything set up for him at the hospital back in Seattle. That had taken some doing. Besides, Kevin was having enough trouble with Alison being so far away. His older brother would seriously flip out if two members of his family were more than an hour away by regular route. Jimmy supposed, after sacrificing so much for them, Kevin felt he deserved to be part of their lives once those lives took shape.
Jimmy shrugged casually. No, just somebody whos always got his eye out for possibilities.
I would have thought that someone like you would have restricted his possibilities to women.
Theres that field, too. His grin was wide and it tugged at her, pulling her in against her will. But not restricted, never restricted.
When he looked into her eyes like that, she found she had trouble thinking. Good thing shed stepped out for some air when she had. Shed definitely been in danger of light-headedness. So, where do you practicemedicine, I mean.
I dont have to practice, he told her, his voice low, moving slowly around her, hypnotizing her. I have it down patmedicine, I mean.
April shivered, trying to snap out of the trance she felt herself falling into.
Cold?
It was as good an excuse as any. Yes. Spring here is only a little warmer than winter at times.
Too late she realized it was the wrong thing to say because he slipped his arm around her shoulders, then shielded her against the wind with his body. Maybe wed better get you inside.
Shed gotten good at rejecting men who came on to her. She could do a put-down with just a well-aimed glance. There was no doubt in her mind that James Quintano was definitely coming on to her. She could feel it in every bone in her body. But when she turned her head toward him, no words came, no well-honed, belittling glance found its way into her eyes. Instead, she felt a definite pull toward this man she didnt know.
Maybe, she agreed, her voice hardly above a whisper.
Reaching around her, he put out his hand to push open the door. And wound up wrapping that same hand around her other side instead. Pulling her to him.
Hed meant to be on his best behavior, he really had. But when she looked at him like that, with the moonlight caressing her face and moonbeams getting lost in that tangle of hair that invited his fingers to touch it, he felt something stronger than his good intentions stir within his gut.
Before he quite knew what he was doing, natural born instincts had him cupping her cheek and tilting her face up to his. Had him touching his mouth to hers to break the spell because nothing could taste as good as her lips looked.
He was wrong.
They could.
Maybe it was because hed been at loose ends ever since Melinda had canceled out on him, begging off from the cruise because of some personal emergency at home that now eluded his brain.
The real emergency, hed had no doubt at the time, was that shed had marriage on her mind and hed had nothing more serious than a pleasant interlude on his. It wasnt that he had anything against marriage in general, just nothing for it in particular when it came to himself. He reasoned that he saw enough dying at the hospital, he didnt need to be part of something that, no matter what, had a finite lifespan. His parents had driven that lesson home long before hed ever put on his first pair of scrubs.
But that belief in no way made him monastic. For him, relationships lasted as long as they were mutually beneficial, comforting and light. While he was involved, he could be counted on for emotional support, a kind word and to be summoned in the middle of the night in case of a breakdownas long as he wasnt on call. Even after a relationship had run its course, he usually remained on good terms with the woman. But hed made it a rule never to meet the womans family or to discuss anything more romantically serious than pending plans for the weekend. He didnt believe in committing himself to anything longer than that.
.
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Marie Ferrarella
Тип: электронная книга
Жанр: Современные любовные романы
Язык: на английском языке
Издательство: HarperCollins
Дата публикации: 16.04.2024
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О книге: THERE′S NO PLACE LIKE…ALASKA? One week back in her rustic hometown, and April Yearling remembered exactly why she′d fled to the lower forty-eight. The moment her ailing grandmother recovered, she planned to hightail it back to civilization–alone! Never mind that a certain sexy doctor had her yearning for everything she′d sworn she′d never need….Sought-after physician James Quintano hadn′t come to the northern wilderness to put down roots, and he certainly wasn′t here seeking female companionship. But what red-blooded man could resist the great outdoors, the promise of adventure–or an elusive, alluring hot-blooded beauty?