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In the parking lot they belted Tadd and Penny into the back seat of the Jeep Grand Cherokee, which he’d borrowed from the local branch office of Triple M Transit. It was convenient being one-third owner of a business that provided service over most of Alaska. Whenever he visited from his home on the Kenai Peninsula, he was able to have his own ground transportation in Fairbanks.
He’d reached to open the passenger door when Jodie shifted her feet uncomfortably. “Uh, Donovan?”
His hand dropped. “Yes?” he asked cautiously.
“About what happened at the terminal…?”
“Yes?”
“I was just trying to be spontaneous. And I thought you were Cole, so I thought a kiss would be an icebreaker.” Jodie stopped, deciding her explanation was just making matters worse.
“You don’t want me to tell Cole, is that it?”
She gave him an annoyed look. “That isn’t ‘it’ at all. I just didn’t want you thinking I went around like that, kissing strange men.”
“Boy, that hurts.”
He sounded serious and she frowned. “What hurts?”
“I may be frustrated some of the time, but I’m not strange.”
Irritation tensed her jaw. “You know perfectly well what I meant.”
His golden-brown eyes laughed at her. “Your secret is safe with me.”
Jodie’s fingers tightened on the strap of her purse. It wouldn’t be civilized to hit him over the head with it, but she was tempted. “Would you stop…It’s not a secret.”
“You worry too much. It’s no big deal. And I’m to blame—I should have said something when Penny ran up calling me ‘Daddy.”’ He opened the door and bowed, sweeping his arm down and around in a grandiose gesture. “I bet my mother is planning a great dinner to welcome you to Alaska, so we’d better head out.”
Still glaring, Jodie hiked her slim-cut skirt up a couple of inches and climbed into the high seat of the vehicle. She should have worn slacks for the flight, but feminine vanity had won out over common sense.
It’s no big deal.
In all honesty, she wasn’t so upset about the teasing, it was the way he’d brushed off their kiss. Her lips still tingled from the brief contact with Donovan’s mouth, but he said it wasn’t a big deal.
Jodie drew a deep, calming breath into her lungs. She needed to get a grip. Women invested too much meaning into things like kisses. Men were better off without the kind of feminine second-guessing she went through.
Like now.
She twisted in the bucket seat of the vehicle, wishing life was a little simpler. It had seemed simple, coming to Alaska. She could get her children away from the stifling life on an air force base, give them a father and build a new life in a place she’d loved as a child.
Simple.
Until she’d mistakenly kissed her fiancé’s brother and gotten more confused than she’d felt in a long time.
Jodie looked around with restless energy. Donovan stood just outside the driver’s door, talking on a cell phone. She surreptitiously studied him, trying to understand the reasons he’d affected her so strongly. Anticipation? Perhaps that was the answer. For weeks she’d anticipated meeting Cole, hoping they’d like each other in person as much as they’d liked each other in their letters. The kiss was just a culmination of all that expectation and hopeful thinking.
Donovan punched a button, then dialed another number into the phone. He said a few words, waited, then said something else, his mouth tight with apparent irritation. After a long moment he nodded and opened the door.
“It’s Cole. He wanted me to call once you got here,” he said, handing over the phone.
Jodie swallowed and took the cell phone. Ah, the miracles of modern life. A man could take off for a climb on Mount McKinley and still apologize to the woman he’d promised to meet.
“Hello?” she murmured into the receiver.
“God, Jodie, I’m so sorry,” Cole exclaimed, his voice eerily similar to his brother’s. “I didn’t mean for this to happen, I swear. But they would have been forced to cancel the expedition if I didn’t go.”
She bit her tongue, literally, not wanting to say something she’d regret.
“You there, Jodie?”
“Yes. I understand this was the opportunity of a lifetime,” she murmured, congratulating herself on her steady tone. “I’m glad you were able to join the climb.”
“That’s great of you. I’ve go—”
Static crackled the line and she waited, wondering what else needed to be said. “Cole?”
“Sorry. This damn phone doesn’t get good reception up here, and it’ll be worse the higher up we go. I can’t talk long, but how did the kids take the trip? It’s a long way from Florida.”
“They’re fine. We stopped over in Denver for a couple of days.”
“That’s why I couldn’t reach you. Well…” His voice trailed and she could hear the sound of impatient voices in the background.
“You’d better go. We’ll talk when you get back,” Jodie said.
“Okay.” Another crackle of static followed, then silence.
She handed the phone to Donovan, who slipped it into his shirt pocket. “Did Cole straighten everything out?”
“What’s to straighten out?” she asked evenly.
“You know what I mean.”
Yeah, she knew. Donovan might be easygoing and laid-back the way Cole had described, but nothing seemed to escape his notice. Donovan realized she was upset that Cole had left, and that she was upset because she ought to understand his dream of climbing Mount McKinley. And she did understand, except now she had to question all over again whether Cole was the right man for her to marry. Men who craved dangerous challenges didn’t make ideal husbands.
“I think this is something between Cole and me,” she said firmly. It didn’t do any good to avoid Donovan’s knowing gaze, so she met it squarely.
“Fine.” Donovan started the engine and drove out of the lot.
Jodie glanced into the rear seat. Tadd and Penny were gazing around, curiosity in their eyes. Despite the turmoil in her thoughts, Jodie smiled at the way Tadd held his sister’s hand in a protective grasp.
It had always been that way. Since the moment Penny was born, her brother had assumed the role of protector. Though hardly old enough to understand, he’d realized she was small and defenseless. For an instant her smile wavered. She’d been pregnant with Penny and had almost lost her in those terrible months after Mark died.
“Hey. It’s not so terrible,” Donovan murmured, watching her face. “I’m sure Tadd will decide that a mountain climber is almost as good as a pilot.”
Jodie stiffened. She knew Donovan was just teasing her again. He didn’t know her husband had been killed in a plane, so he couldn’t understand how she felt. How could he? He was a pilot, just like Mark. And if Mark had survived that damned crash, he would have climbed aboard another jet as soon as he was able.
“Jodie?” Donovan’s teasing smile faded into concern. “I didn’t mean to say anything to upset you. Honest, you can’t take me seriously. I joke around too much.”
“Don’t be silly. I’m sorry Tadd was rude,” she said quietly, still keeping one eye on the back seat. Neither Penny or Tadd seemed aware of their conversation, but as the old saying went, little pitchers had big ears.
“At least Cole will always know where he stands.”
“That’s one way of putting it.”
Donovan chuckled at Jodie’s droll tone, though he sensed a forced quality in her voice. Something had brought a shadow to her catlike eyes.
With an effort he focused his attention on the road ahead. If Cole hadn’t gone on that climb, then he’d be here, worrying about Jodie’s eyes and the things that made her sad. Instead, it was big brother Donovan, always safe to call in an emergency. And it might have been safe if Jodie hadn’t mistaken him for Cole and given him a kiss that nearly knocked his shoes off.
A frown creased the space between his eyes. As kisses went, that one was utterly chaste. But it had made him see her first as a woman, instead of as a potential sister-in-law.
“Do your parents live far from here?” Jodie asked a few minutes later. They’d passed the city limits and were getting into a less-populated area.
Donovan flashed her a reassuring smile. “It’s just a few miles. I don’t really think of Shamus as my father. I’d already moved out and was working on the Alaska pipeline when Mom remarried.”
“That’s too bad.”
“But Cole is closer to Shamus. He was sixteen at the time, so it’s more like a father-son relationship between them.”
After another fifteen minutes Donovan turned down a neatly laid driveway of crushed rock. They wound through the trees for a quarter of a mile, then pulled up next to a massive log house halfway down the hill.
“It’s beautiful,” Jodie breathed, staring at the structure and surroundings with obvious pleasure.
“Not too bad.” He went to help her out, carefully ignoring the way her skirt rode up her legs. Earlier he’d caught a glimpse of Jodie’s smooth, tanned thighs and his temperature had gone up another few degrees, no doubt explaining his foul temper when he’d called Cole.
Donovan winced, thinking of the brief, biting comments he’d passed on to his little brother. He should have kept his mouth shut. The last thing Cole needed on a dangerous climb was something to break his concentration.
“Welcome to Alaska,” cried a voice. Donovan looked up in time to see his mother pull Jodie into a hug. “I’m so happy to meet you.”
“We’re happy to be here, Mrs. Carney. Cole wrote about you in his letters.”
“No, dear, please call me Evelyn. I’ve waited too long for a daughter-in-law to waste time being formal. Heavens, I thought neither one of my sons would ever get married.”
“Th-thank you. But we’re not married yet.” Jodie tried to catch her breath. Evelyn Carney crackled with bustling energy and good humor. She was surprisingly youthful, with just a few threads of silver in her brown hair and a fan of laugh lines at the corners of her eyes.
“But you will be, very soon. And I can’t wait to meet your children,” Evelyn said happily. She opened the Jeep’s door. “Aren’t you a darling?” She lifted Penny and held a hand out to Tadd. “And goodness, you’re so grown-up and handsome, young man.”
The genuine warmth and friendliness in her voice broke through Tadd’s usual reserve and he puffed with pride. “I’m eight.”
“That old? But you still like peanut butter cookies, right?”
Tadd nodded quickly.
“Oh, good. Because I have a whole plateful inside, along with a big pot of cocoa. I’ve always wanted a couple of grandchildren to spoil. Now I get my chance.”
Jodie watched bemused as Evelyn Carney disappeared into the house with Penny and Tadd. A warm hand at the small of her back made her jump.
“Mom does that,” Donovan murmured. His eyes, so much like his mother’s, were filled with affection. “I told you she loves kids.”
“Yes. She’s wonderful.” Jodie caught her lower lip between her teeth and dealt with a nagging stab of guilt. Evelyn had greeted her affectionately, but what would she think if she knew her much-anticipated daughter-in-law was already having doubts whether a marriage would take place?
Not that anything was decided. She couldn’t decide anything until Cole had finished his climb and she met him. But the climbing? She’d never feel comfortable about something so dangerous. On the other hand, maybe things could work out if Cole honestly intended to give it up.
“Cole said this would be his last chance to climb McKinley?” she asked, needing some kind of reassurance.
Donovan dropped his hand. “I got the impression he didn’t think it was a proper hobby for a married man,” he said carefully.
“It isn’t.” Without intending it, the words came out harsh, almost angry. Closing her eyes for an instant, Jodie took several deep breaths.
She wished she could explain she wasn’t angry with Cole, she was angry with herself. She’d married a man who cared more about going supersonic in his jets than being a family man. As a result, her children didn’t have their father, and that was the hardest part about losing Mark.
“Well,” she said finally, “I’d better go inside and make sure your mother doesn’t spoil Tadd and Penny too much. They aren’t used to doting grandparent types.”
“If you think my mom is bad, just wait until Shamus gets home.”
“Oh?” Jodie lifted her eyebrows as they climbed the steps to the porch.
“Yup. Shamus never had kids of his own, so he’s just as eager for grandkids as Mom.”
“You sound fond of him.”
Donovan paused. He’d never thought of it that way. Shamus Carney had always been somebody his mother cared about, someone who made her happy after years of being alone. “He’s all right.”
Jodie shook her head and stepped through the door he was holding for her. “Would it kill you to admit you like him?”
“Of course I like him.”
She shook her head again. Men had trouble expressing their feelings—at least the men she’d grown up with. It didn’t surprise her to discover Donovan had the same trouble.
Inside, Evelyn looked up with a pleased smile. “Donovan, give Jodie a tour of the house. I want you to feel right at home, Jodie. Shamus and I couldn’t be happier to have you.”
“Thank you.”
“See? Didn’t I tell you?” Donovan whispered as they left the kitchen. “Mom lives for company.”
The interior of the house was just as warm and welcoming as Evelyn herself. A number of bedrooms were in the back and on a second floor, but the front half was a large, unbroken space of wood and light, with high windows that encompassed the valley and mountains beyond. Colorful braided rugs were scattered on the polished oak floor, and native art accented the walls.
“That’s a Tlingit mask, right?” she asked, gazing at a rather fierce woodcarving over the couch.
Donovan blinked. Not only had Jodie correctly identified the cultural artisan, she’d used the proper pronunciation. “I guess you did live in Alaska.”
“You didn’t believe me?” Her hand trailed across the pattern of a Chilkat blanket hanging on another wall. She turned and looked at him with an odd intensity in her slender body. “Did you ever feel there was a place that waited for you, a place where your soul belonged, even when you were thousands of miles away? A place where the north winds call your name.”
The last was said so softly, Donovan barely heard, yet his scalp tightened in primitive response. It was as if she’d reached inside and opened a part of him he didn’t know existed. He’d traveled, sometimes for pleasure, sometimes for business, but Alaska was in his blood. It was, indeed, as though the north winds called his name.
“Never mind.” Jodie looked flustered. “I get carried away. Too poetic—at least that’s what my father used to say.”
“I don’t agree,” Donovan said simply. “Not everyone hears Alaska calling. I’m glad you do.”
