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He stood with his back to the door, staring out the large picture window that overlooked the main thoroughfare running the length of Treasure Creek. Tall, wide-shouldered and dressed impeccably in a navy business suit that attractively hugged his physique, he made Casey’s breath catch.
Forcing her immediate reaction back to neutral, she cleared her throat before speaking. “Hello?”
He pivoted, making a stunning picture. The contrast of him in his business suit and the mountains rising in majestic peaks over the old gold-rush town, as his backdrop, somehow seemed right, like he was a man made to conquer the world. He’d been a heartthrob in high school, but now…a heartbreaker for sure.
His face had matured and become impossibly more striking, his jaw firmer, his cheekbones more pronounced. His dark, wavy hair was still thick and…so tempting.
Casey fought the sudden desire to run her fingers through his hair. Deep lines crinkled at the corners of his obsidian-colored eyes when he offered her a smile that knocked the air from her lungs.
He stepped closer and held hand out his hand. “Jake Rodgers. Not sure you remember me, but we went to high school together.”
“I remember,” she murmured. That was an under-statement, if ever there was one. She hadn’t realized how much of an impression he’d left on her.
Slipping her hand into his, she tried not to let the little shivers dancing up her arm go to her head. His hand was warm and smooth, his fingers strong, as they curled around her own. Yet, to her surprise, his hands weren’t sissy hands. Though the short nails were clean, they weren’t buffed by some manicurist, like some of the city men who visited Treasure Creek.
Keep it professional, Donner.
She extracted her hand. “What can I do for you, Mr. Rodgers?”
“Please, call me Jake. Reed Truscott suggested I hire you to take my daughter and me on a wilderness tour.”
“Your daughter?” How had she missed that? Obviously, if she’d listened longer to the town gossips, she’d have known he had a child. “Your wife doesn’t wish to come along?”
“I’m a single parent.”
Her heart gave a squeeze of compassion, to think he was raising a daughter alone. She wondered about his marriage but was too polite to ask such an intimate question. But knowing he was single sent a little spark through her system. She wondered if he dated, or if being a single dad kept him unavailable.
Inwardly, she frowned at the direction her thoughts were taking. Since when had she decided she was ready to date again? Her heart was still smarting from her last attempt. She had no desire to go there again. She refocused her mind back to business. “How old is your daughter?”
“Twelve going on thirty,” he said, with a rueful shake of his head.
She smiled at that assessment. “Did Reed suggest me specifically?”
Jake’s dark eyes held her gaze. “Yes. He said you were one of the best, just like your uncle.”
The mention of her late uncle caused a sharp pang of grief that never seemed to go away to hit her just below the breastbone. Absently, she rubbed the spot. Her uncle had been one of the original minds behind Alaska Treasures. Unfortunately, he never got to see the fruit of his ideas.
He succumbed to pancreatic cancer when Casey and Amelia were high school seniors. By becoming a guide herself, Casey honored her beloved uncle’s memory.
“I’ll have to thank Reed,” Casey murmured, flattered by the recommendation. Yet, a wayward suspicion slithered through her mind. Had Amy set this up because Casey hadn’t had any tours booked? She did not want anyone’s pity.
“So, are you available?” Jake asked, his gaze searching her face. In more ways than she’d care to admit.
“What type of tour are you looking for?”
“Something to get my daughter out into nature, and hopefully give her a better appreciation for Alaska. She’s not too happy that I moved us here from Chicago.”
“Treasure Creek must seem like Nowheresville after the big city, but she’ll come around. Our little part of the world is pretty awesome.”
“But there’s no mall or cool coffee shops,” he stated with a shake of his head. Clearly, he’d heard that refrain from his daughter.
“The Java Joint has great coffee and cushy chairs for hanging out in. As for stores, well, there is The General Store. Carries a bit of everything.” She shrugged. “I’m not too hip on big cities myself, so I can’t really relate.”
“Spoken like a true Alaskan,” he said, with a grin.
“A transplanted Alaskan,” she said, returning his smile.
She’d been born in San Francisco, where she’d lived until her parents died in a car accident. At the tender age of six, Casey and her twin were brought to live in Alaska with their late father’s younger brother.
Casey had vague memories of her parents. The soft touch of her mother’s hand, the melodic lullabies she would sing at night, and the excitement of daddy coming through the door at the end of the day. But mostly, Casey remembered the whizzing cars outside her bedroom window and the salty air of the bay.
She needed to change the subject before the overpowering sense of nostalgia building in her chest took root. She walked over to one of the side tables near the window and picked up a brochure. She flipped it open and held it out to him. “We have day hikes, backpacking trips ranging from two days to a week, water tours down the river, horseback-riding trips—”
He held up his hand. “Probably the backpacking, because Veronica’s never ridden a horse and I don’t do boats.”
She cocked an eyebrow. “No sea legs, huh?”
“None whatsoever. I tried a cruise on Lake Michigan once. Not pretty,” he stated, with a rueful shake of his head.
Casey liked how willing he was to accept his limitations. Not many men would admit to any weakness. “Okay, that narrows it down. How many days?”
He considered a moment. “A week?”
She eyed him a little closer. He looked in good shape, but that didn’t mean he’d be up for the rigors of a week-long backpacking trip. “Just so you are aware, my trips are…” She searched for the right word. “Rustic at best. My tours are geared toward a true wilderness experience. We eat what we can carry, we fish when we hit the river and everyone helps set up and take down camp each day. We’re up at sunrise and on the move all day until dusk. It’s a pretty physical trip.”
Raising an eyebrow in challenge, he said, “I think Veronica and I can handle that.”
She shrugged, not quite sure he was correct. But…his money, his call.
“How soon would you like to go?”
“As soon as we can.”
“Okay. We need to have time for orientation, when we’ll go over the gear needed, safety tips. And I can answer any questions she or you might have. This meeting usually takes about an hour. Let’s look at the calendar,” she said, and moved to Rachel’s desk. Rachel handed her the appointment book.
Casey flipped open to the month of August. Today was Wednesday, the fourth. “How about this coming Monday? Then we could do an orientation Friday evening, which would give you time over the weekend to get the supplies you and your daughter will require.”
He didn’t hesitate. “Great. My parents are leaving on Sunday after church for a week-long cruise, so this will work out perfect.”
The door to the tour company blasted open, and a tall, shapely woman bustled in, along with the cloying scent of liberally applied perfume. She wore a tailored pantsuit beneath a faux-fur long coat, stylish pumps with little rosesetts on the pointed tips and a Coach hand bag slung over her shoulder. Clearly not a native to the area.
The woman paused a moment, as if assessing the situation, before gliding across the reception room and halting beside Casey. Dark brown hair, styled attractively around her oval face, made her sultry brown eyes stand out. Or maybe it was the curiosity that subtly shifted in her gaze, as she looked from Casey to Jake and back again.
Casey blinked, hardly believing what she was seeing. “Amelia?”
Chapter Two
Not sure what to think of her sister’s sudden and unexpected appearance after so many years away, Casey asked, “What are you doing here?”
Raising a perfectly plucked eyebrow, Amelia said, “Hello to you, too, sis.”
“Sorry. Hi.” Casey gave Amelia an awkward hug.
As Amelia released Casey, she tugged on Casey’s short ponytail. “I came for our class reunion, of course. And because I saw that wonderful article about Treasure Creek and all the hunky bachelors.” She slid a glance toward Jake.
A wave of irritation crashed over Casey, but with Jake watching, she choose to ignore the reminder of that awful article, as well as her sister’s condescending action and the tone that suggested Casey should have known why she’d returned.
But how could Casey possibly know her twin would come back for the reunion, when Amelia hadn’t even RSVPed? Since Casey was on the reunion decoration committee even though she wasn’t planning to attend, she’d heard all about how her sister hadn’t responded yet. “The reunion’s not for another three weeks.”
Amelia shrugged and said, in an airy tone, “I had some vacation time I needed to use or lose, so I thought I’d come early.”
“Okay.” That sounded reasonable. Or did it?
If it were anyone other than Amelia, Casey would believe the explanation. But this was Amelia talking—the girl who had left two days after they’d graduated from high school, loudly proclaiming she couldn’t wait to get as far away as she could from Treasure Creek. She’d ended up in San Francisco. Back to the place where they were born.
Over the last decade, though she called every few weeks, she’d come back only twice. Each time staying no more than a couple of days before declaring she couldn’t take another minute in this small town. So why the sudden need to return? And from the sound of it, for an extended stay.
Casey knew she should be glad to see her sister, but for some reason, Amelia’s presence only stirred up annoyance. How awful was that? Guilt curled in Casey’s belly, making her breakfast churn.
A chiming noise emanated from Amelia’s purse. She stuck her hand inside and silenced the cell phone.
“You’re not going to answer that?” Casey asked, curious as to why she wouldn’t.
“No.” Amelia turned her red, glossy smile on Jake. “Jake Rodgers, right?” She held out her soft-looking, manicured hand. “I remember you. You were ahead of us by a couple of years.” Her gaze slid speculatively to Casey and then back to Jake. “I didn’t know you two were friends.”
The insinuation in her voice grated across Casey’s nerves. “He’s my client,” she said, trying to keep impatience out of her tone.
Jake briefly shook her offered hand. “Nice to meet you, Amelia. I take it you don’t live in Treasure Creek anymore.”
“Oh, please. No, I flew the coop after graduation. Just like you. I ended up in San Francisco. I manage a department store now,” she said, with obvious pride in her voice. “Where did you end up?”
“The windy city of Chicago.”
“Ah. And now you’re back.” Her dark eyes took on a predatory gleam. “For how long?”
Casey clenched her jaw at her sister’s obvious ploy. Amelia liked her men rich, which Jake Rodgers definitely was.
“Permanently,” Jake stated, firmly. “I’m taking over the family business.
“How interesting.” She glanced at Casey. “So you’re hiring my sis to take you on a wilderness tour? Very exciting.”
Jake flashed a grin at Casey. “Yes, I am. We were discussing the details.”
Amelia bumped Casey with her shoulder. “I’ve always wanted to take one of sis’s tours, but have never had the time. Until now.”
Right. Like Casey believed that. Her prissy sister wouldn’t last ten minutes out in the Alaskan wilderness. Needing to get her sister out of her hair so she could finish up with Jake, Casey dug her house keys from the side pocket of her hiking pants and held them out. “Why don’t you take my keys and head to the house? You can unpack and unwind. I’ll be home later.”
Ignoring the dangling keys hanging from Casey’s finger, Amelia pinned her with a challenging look. “I’d really like to hear about this tour. When are you going?” She slanted a coy glance at Jake. “Is there room for one more?”
“We haven’t firmed up the particulars. We were talking about leaving this coming Monday.” Jake tilted his head and shifted his gaze to Casey. “I’m open to having a group tour.”
Dread sluiced through Casey like a dam bursting. Gritting her teeth in a semblance of what she hoped was a smile, Casey said to Jake, “That’s very generous of you.” To her sister, she said, “Amelia, it’s a backpacking trip. You know? Hiking through the woods, climbing over rough terrain, camping out, carrying your own equipment.”
“Oh, how rugged that sounds.” Amelia grinned, flashing her even, blindingly white teeth. “I love it. Count me in.”
“Great.” Just great…not.
Well, so much for finding out if she had a shot with Jake. With Amelia around, Casey didn’t stand a chance. For as long as Casey could remember, people gravitated to Amelia, leaving Casey to follow in her shadow. Why would Jake be any different?
It was just as well, Casey reasoned. She had experienced too much loss to ever want to risk her heart to love again.
Not even for the handsome, charming Jake Rodgers.
“No way. That sounds horrible.”
Jake stared at his daughter slouched on the navy leather couch of his parents’ home. She hadn’t even looked up from the fashion magazine in her lap when he’d told her of the plans. She just kept cutting away with the scissors. Strewn all over the couch were cutouts from the various magazines stacked on the floor. Veronica dreamed of being a fashion model or designer or some such. She pasted the cutouts onto a big piece of poster board in her room.
His jaw tightened and he tried to keep impatience from edging his tone. “This isn’t up for debate, Veronica. We are going on this backpacking trip next week.”
She snapped the magazine closed and rose to her feet. Tall for her age, she was willowy, with porcelain features like her mother. Her straight, strawberry-blond hair fell past her shoulders. “Fine. Whatever. Like I have any choice.”
“You have a choice—to enjoy this trip. Or you can choose to be miserable. You are in control of your attitude.”
The tight-leg designer jeans and frilly blouse she wore had been purchased back in Chicago, where they were the norm. Here in Treasure Creek, she looked out of place. The other kids Jake had seen around town wore more rugged clothing, better suited to life in Alaska. “Why don’t we go shopping for more appropriate attire for the trip? You’ll need some sweatshirts, T-shirts and jeans you can actually move in.”
“Dad!” She rolled her hazel eyes, gathered her clippings, and stomped out of the living room and down the hall to her bedroom, which used to be Jake’s when he was a teen. He now slept in the guest room. He cringed when Veronica slammed the door shut. Should he discipline her for the rude behavior?
He wished kids came with a manual. Being a single parent wasn’t exactly how he’d planned his life. But Natalie was gone, so he was doing the best he could.
Was he making a mistake to insist on the trip? It had seemed like such a good idea when Reed suggested it. After talking with Casey, whose friendly demeanor and down-to-earth attitude had been a refreshing change from the city women he’d become accustomed to, he’d been convinced he was making the right decision. Especially after Casey’s sister had shown up wanting to be a part of the tour.
Here were two very different women, yet each seemed so confident and successful. Surely the influence of these two contrasting females would be a good thing for Veronica.
And Jake had to admit, from the moment he’d seen Casey Donner in the reflection of the window in the reception room, looking so adorable in cargo pants, a form-fitting zip-up jacket and with her dark hair pulled back from her unadorned face, he’d been intrigued.
Most females looked at him with dollar signs in their eyes, just as Amelia Donner had the second she’d walked into the tour company office. But not Casey.
There had been such lively intelligence in Casey’s dark eyes. And when she’d looked him up and down, assessing his stamina for the backpacking trip and finding him wanting, he’d been swamped with the need to prove her wrong. A sensation he hadn’t experienced in a long time.
“Did you put Reed up to suggesting me to Jake for this tour?” Casey asked, watching her friend, Amy, closely over the expanse of the oak desk in her boss’s office. This was the first opportunity Casey had had to talk alone with Amy since yesterday.
Amy blinked, her blues eyes guileless. “No. Why would you think I had?”
Feeling guilty for suspecting her friend of pitying her, Casey said, “It just was so out of the blue.”
Mouth quirking, Amy said, “Like your sister’s return was out of the blue?”
“Yeah. What’s up with that? She said she’s here for the reunion. But three weeks early? Something’s up.”
