Northern Encounter

WHILE MERRILEE FIELDED A phone call, Tessa crossed to the pot-bellied stove and sipped at the warm tea. It felt good going down.

She studied the big open room. It was certainly different from the southwestern style she was used to. Here, the wood walls, ceiling and scarred but highly polished floor set the tone. Two windows overlooked the airstrip out back while another two windows showcased the street beyond. Flowered flannel curtains trimmed in off-white lace hung at the windows—they matched Merrilee’s shirt, she realized.

In the back right corner, a desk held paperwork, the phone, and a radio—apparently command central for Good Riddance airstrip. A large calendar, with notations in colored markers, filled the wall-space to the right of the desk.

The opposite corner held a television with two arm chairs and a loveseat scattered around a coffee table. It reminded Tessa of the cozy “reading centers” found in upscale bookstores across the country.

A “Welcome to Good Riddance, AK” sign hung over both the front and back doors. Two padded rocking chairs flanked the pot-bellied stove and another rocker sat before a checker/chess table. From the left front corner, a staircase led to the second floor where she was sure the bedrooms were. Three bistro tables draped in tablecloths that matched the curtains occupied the right corner.

And there were framed photographs—lots and lots of them covering the walls, some in color, some in black and white. Large round braided rugs anchored and defined each section of the room in lieu of walls. Between the bistro tables and the potbellied stove stood a door with “Welcome to Gus’s” painted on it. Tessa could hear the muted sound of music, conversation and laughter on the other side.

Her flight out of Tucson had been early this morning … and the layover at LAX had been long. Having gotten her bearings in the room, she sank into the rocker next to the stove’s warmth. Her initial excitement at having arrived gave way to a tugging lethargy.

Merrilee ended her call. “Sorry about that. Would you rather eat first or shower first? The bath’s upstairs and the food’s next door.” The older woman’s smile was infectious.

“A shower would be wonderful, especially since after tomorrow they’ll be in short supply for a few days.”

“I hear you. A shower it is, then. Right this way.”

Tessa pushed out of the rocking chair and followed Merrilee up the wooden stairs to the second floor. Once again, as with the downstairs, the walls and ceilings were all a light, varnished wood. There was something very soothing about all of the wood.

Merrilee ushered her into a room which she instantly fell in love with. A quilt in shades of lavenders, pinks, and yellows covered a queen-size bed. The simple nightstand and dresser were topped with crocheted doilies. Lace-trimmed flannel curtains hung at the windows. A faint aroma of lavender scent ed the air.

Tessa smoothed her fingers over the obviously hand-made quilt, memories surfacing. “I love it. It’s warm and cozy without being fussy.” It reminded her of the bedroom her parents had shared.

“Thank you. That’s what I was aiming for.” Merrilee looked about her in obvious satisfaction. “It just got an overhaul. The roof caved in last month and I figured while we were doing repairs we’d do a little mini-makeover.”

“Well, it’s simply lovely. I’ll enjoy staying here tonight.”

Merrilee beamed. “Wonderful. Now, the bathroom is communal and it’s at the end of the hall.”

“Communal works, especially considering there won’t be any running water tomorrow night.” Tessa laughed. “I’ve had quite some experiences in my travels.”

Merrilee peered at her from perfectly arched brows. “How’d you get started in this business? It’s sort of an unusual occupation.”

Tessa knew she had one of the coolest jobs ever filming and putting together ambient videos. Granted she wasn’t performing brain surgery but she’d like to think that what she did made a positive difference in people’s lives. Whether it was a video of sunrises over beaches or waterfalls from around the world, she hoped it brought the viewer a feeling of calm and peace and the opportunity to see something they might not otherwise see or experience.

“It was just a lucky break. I answered an internet ad and found out I liked all the travel and I was good at it.” Tessa smiled and shrugged. “The rest, as they say, is history.”

“Do you ever get tired of the travel?” Merrilee perched on the edge of a small armchair upholstered in a sunny yellow fabric with pink accent piping.

Tessa settled on the bed, feeling at ease with this woman she’d just met. Perhaps it was because the room had evoked childhood memories or it may have just been that Merrilee reminded Tessa of her mother. Whatever it was, she felt a connection with this woman she experienced with few others.

“Sometimes—” she paused “—even though I have a place in Tucson, it’s never really felt like home. Do you know what I mean?” She probably just sounded like a nut but there was a flicker of recognition and acknowledgment in the other woman’s eyes.

“Honey, I grew up in the south and I obviously still have a lot of the south in me, but I never really felt like I belonged there. When I landed here in my motor home, I just knew it was the oddest thing—this was it. This was home.” Her smile was full of reminiscence and affection. “Although there wasn’t jack all here at the time.”

Tessa found herself nodding in acknowledgement. “That’s it exactly. I almost feel as if I’m on a quest.” She smiled past the tug of melancholy. “I figure with all of this travel, sooner or later I’ll find where I belong. And if not, well, I’ll just continue to be a child of the planet, huh?”

Tessa could tell the other woman totally got her.

“Are your folks in Tucson?”

“No. They died when I was eight and I moved to Tucson to live with my mom’s aunt and uncle.” She’d learned over the years that brevity worked best when talking about her parents, because the sad tale always made other people uncomfortable. “It was a long time ago.”

“I’m sorry. Losing parents is never easy. I was fifty when I lost mine and it still was difficult.”

For some crazy reason, Tessa almost choked up. She simply nodded.

“Is there a boyfriend waiting back in Tucson?” Merrilee asked, obviously respecting her wishes not to discuss her parents’ deaths.

“No. Most of them can’t handle the travel and it’s just easier to keep strong attachments out of relationships.” It had hurt too much when she’d lost her parents and then Aunt Lucy and Uncle Ted had died within months of each other. She never wanted to experience that depth of loss again. Ever. She didn’t even allow herself to become attached to a pet.

Merrilee simply nodded but her gaze was shrewd and understanding. Tessa looked away, feeling almost embarrassed by how much of herself she’d just revealed. “I think I’m ready for that shower,” she said, bringing the conversation back to less personal issues. Not that showering wasn’t personal, but it certainly wasn’t soul revealing.

“One hot shower coming right up,” Merrilee said as she pushed to her feet.

CLINT FOLLOWED DALTON back into the airstrip office, stopping by the door to clean Kobuk’s paws. In an example of weird timing, Bull showed up right behind them. The aroma of fresh-brewed coffee and the fire’s heat offered a welcome from the dark cold outside.

Merrilee looked up from where she sat at her desk, filling out paperwork. “Grab a cup of hot coffee.”

“Don’t mind if I do,” Bull said.

Dalton nodded. “The wind’s really picking up out there.”

“It came up sudden, but I think it’s going to be a doozey,” Merrilee said.

Clint scanned the room again but Tessa was nowhere to be found.

“Tessa’s upstairs taking advantage of a hot show er,” Merrilee said. The woman didn’t miss a thing. She turned her attention back to Dalton and the flight schedules.

People took showers all the time. He took showers frequently. But Merrilee’s words conjured up an image of Tessa Bellingham he’d rather not have. He could see her standing beneath the water, head thrown back, water sluicing over her pale nakedness, her silvery blonde hair darkened by the shower’s deluge. From the moment she’d slipped out of her parka, he’d been mesmerized by the curve of her hips, the indent of her waist and the fullness of her breasts. She had a ripe woman’s figure.

Standing around thinking of Tessa naked in the shower, however, was a bad idea. A very bad idea. And hopefully she wouldn’t run the hot water out. He could use a shower himself.

He’d decided to bunk down at the B & B so they could get an early start the following morning. Now, with the storm blowing in, it was just as well. His cabin was quite a ways out of town, and often Merrilee offered him his bed for free when one of the people who’d contracted his guide services stayed the night at her place. Clint always made sure, however, that she wasn’t full when he snagged a bed at her place. He didn’t want to do her out of a paying customer when she insisted on giving him his room for free. She maintained it was payback because she picked up plenty of business due to his guide service.

Overhead the water stopped. While Merrilee finished up paperwork, he busied himself feeding Kobuk his evening ration and refilling the malamute’s water bowl. However, the mundane tasks didn’t stop him from imagining the woman upstairs drying off, dragging one of the thick, fluffy towels over her neck and shoulder, down her arms, over her breasts, between her thighs and down her legs. He tried mentally running through the supply list he’d put together for their trip but he still couldn’t shake the image of her drying herself.

Exasperated with himself, he pulled out the actual list itself and sat in one of the chairs next to the wood stove. Concentrating still wasn’t easy. Within a few minutes Tessa made her way down the stairs. Her hair was beginning to dry to a lighter shade where it swung against the curve of her cheek.

A knot of unwelcome want clenched low in his belly. Free of makeup, her skin was clean and fresh, and her green eyes reminded him of spruce bowers. She crossed the room and sat in the rocking chair next to his. She smelled of soap, shampoo and woman. Clint tried to brush aside the awareness coursing through him. He’d been a guide for a long time. He’d had a huge range of clients, some of whom had been attractive, young women but he’d always maintained a detachment. But from the moment Tessa had walked through the door, his detachment had been shattered and he couldn’t seem to piece it back together.

“You wanted to go over our plans for tomorrow?” she asked.

“We need to review your supply list to make sure nothing’s been left off.”

“I guess there’s not exactly a Walmart across the street where we’re headed, is there?”

Clint found himself laughing. “There’s not even a street.”

Her quick smile tugged at him. “Perfect. It sounds as if it’s just the place I need to film.”

“You know there’s no running water.”

She slanted him an amused glance. “Of course, we discussed it in the email. Mr. Sisnuket—”

“Clint. Everyone calls me Clint.”

She dipped her head. “Okay. Clint. I just want to make it clear that I know what I’m getting into. I’ve traveled to some very remote places under fairly primitive conditions to make my videos. I get it. No electricity. No running water. I’m good with that. All the correspondence we exchanged—that was me. I’m tougher than I obviously must look. I’m not a weak link and I’m not a prima donna. I can hold my own on this trip.”

That remained to be seen. “Okay.”

“I know you’re not convinced—” he wasn’t but he didn’t think she knew that “—but I’d appreciate you bringing an open mind to this … the whole not judging a book by its cover thing.”

He was fairly quick but it took a second for Clint to realize that she’d pretty much just accused him of bigotry. Indignation rolled through him. He’d had his first rancid taste of bigotry at the hands of his mother’s family when he’d moved with her to Montreal.

His mother who’d shown up in Good Riddance with a film crew from Montreal. His father should have known better. Should have known the woman from the city with her fair skin and hair would never truly adapt to native life in a small Alaskan village. His father should’ve known, but he’d listened to his heart rather than his head, and against his family and tribe’s wishes, he’d married Georgina Wallace. A year later Clint had been born.

When Clint was five his mother had thrown in the towel on her marriage and living in the Alaskan wilds and moved back to Montreal. It had been a horrible experience for Clint. He missed his father and his extended family, especially his cousin Nelson, who was almost as close as a brother to him, as well as the lifestyle. It hadn’t helped that his mother’s family thought she’d married beneath her, and they certainly hadn’t welcomed a half-breed child who looked full native.

And as if he hadn’t learned his lesson well enough, when he’d gone to college at the University of Alaska, he’d been involved with Carrie, a blue-eyed blonde who’d eventually told him she could never get serious with him since she couldn’t deal with having mixed race children.

So, if Tessa wanted to know what it was like to be judged by her looks alone, he could tell her about that all day long. He opened his mouth to say just that … and then snapped it shut. She was right. He’d been perfectly comfortable with taking T. S. Bellingham on this trip. Through their correspondence, he’d ascertained T.S. was competent and knew precisely what to expect from the trip. However, he’d taken one look at the curvy blonde with the delicate features and decided she was going to be problematic and incompetent. Not only had he displayed bigoted behavior, he’d brought his own set of prejudices with him and found her lacking without even giving her a chance.

This time when he opened his mouth, he offered an apology. “You’re right. I’m sorry about that. I’ve definitely been on the receiving end. I suppose sometimes it’s easy to see in others what’s so difficult to spot in ourselves.”

She smiled. Pure. Spontaneous. Lovely. And his heart responded of its own accord, soaring like the mighty eagle, his animal totem, his animal brother.

“Wow. You really are a rare breed of man, Clint Sisnuket.”

“How’s that?”

Her smile pushed his soaring to new heights. “You’re a man … and you just apologized.”

Unfortunately for him, he was all too aware of just how much of a man he was … and just how much of a woman he was sitting next to. Soaring was a very bad idea.

3

WHILE THE OTHERS CHATTED to one another in the airstrip office, Merrilee pushed her glasses to the bridge of her nose and tried to relax. She’d been as nervous as a cat on a hot tin roof ever since she’d gotten that stupid letter postmarked from Georgia three and a half weeks ago. “It’s been a long time. We have things we need to talk about. I’m ready to give you what you want.” The words were practically burned into her brain. The only thing she wanted from him at this point was an obituary notice—his.

“Penny for them,” Bull said, interrupting her reverie. He gave her a long scrutinizing look from his sherry-colored eyes. That had been the first thing she’d noticed when she met Bull Swenson twenty-five years ago. Her grandmother had kept sherry on her sideboard in a cut-crystal decanter. As a child, Merrilee had thought nothing was prettier than when the sun’s rays turned the liquid to molten golden brown. When she’d first gazed into Bull’s eyes, and it had been like staring at sun-lit sherry. In that instant, she’d been done for.

Now anxiety tightened her chest. Bull meant everything to her. What would happen if he found out that she hadn’t been honest with him? How would he react if he found out part of their relationship was predicated on a lie?

She forced a laugh. “Just a penny? No way. You’ll have to ante up more than that. I may be easy, but Merrilee Weatherspoon is not cheap, sir.”

Bull laughed along with her but there was a watchfulness about his weathered face that told her that he knew her well enough to sense her unrest. Luckily the two-way radio chose that moment to crackle to life.

She gave the transmission a go ahead and then couldn’t believe what she heard. Dalton and Bull stared open-mouthed. She asked for a repeat. Nope they’d all heard right. Despite the impending storm, a plane was enroute from Anchorage, requesting permission to land at Good Riddance. Someone was in for a rough ride. And though they were booked slap-dab full at the bed and breakfast, there was no way she could refuse an incoming plane landing in light of the storm. She radioed back an affirmative.

She looked at Bull, Dalton, Clint and Tessa Bellingham.

Bull quirked a speculative eyebrow. “Someone’s either crazy as a shithouse rat or desperate.”

“Maybe both. I hope whoever is flying that plane charged double—” Dalton glanced out the window at the wind kicking up a dust storm of snow “—make that triple.”

“It’s Durden,” Merrilee said, identifying the pilot by the information in the landing request.

Clint nodded. “Durden’s a little bit of both. And he’ll have to stay over too.”

Dalton leaned against the edge of the desk. “Yep. Nobody will be flying out in this tonight.”

Merrilee forced a smile. “Good thing we keep extra sleeping bags on hand.” She glanced over at Bull. “And if need be I can bunk over at your place.”

“Anytime. All the time,” he said. She and Bull had always maintained separate residences. It just seemed to work better that way even though she knew he wished they shared the same roof all the time. He’d asked her to marry him more times than she could shake a stick at.

Bull was a good man. Even though she’d fallen for him hard the first time she’d met him, she’d spent the next several years waiting to discover that beneath it all, he was a jerk, that ultimately he’d let her down. Twenty-five years later, she’d finally accepted he wouldn’t let her down. Far from being a jerk, he’d proved himself a man of integrity. When Bull gave his word on something, you could count on it. In Bull’s book, a man was only as good as his word.

“Y’all might as well head on over to Gus’s and grab some dinner while I wait on these fools to show up,” Merrilee said. As much as anything, she needed some time alone. “No need in everyone being hungry.”

“I’ll bring you a plate over,” Bull said. “You hungry for anything in particular?”

“Whatever today’s special is will be fine.” She actually had no appetite but that would simply have Bull scrutinizing her more closely since she hardly ever missed a meal.

“I’ll be back in a few.”

Clint, Tessa, Dalton and Bull used the pass-thru door, giving her a few minutes alone.

Merrilee gnawed at the inside of her cheek. Sometimes when the truth went untold, the longer it lay there the deeper it became buried.

But now the skeletons in Merrilee’s closet were beginning to rattle and she didn’t like it a bit. Not even a little.

Tessa looked around her, drawn in by all of the noise, scents and general good fun. They’d walked through the adjoining doors between the airfield and the eatery and Tessa instantly loved it. She was totally digging the old-fashioned bar, complete with brass footstand, lined with an assortment of customers, most of them rugged and a bit rough around the edges. Booths and tables fought for floor space with pool tables, a small stage and a dart board. It was somewhere between a throw-down bar and an upscale diner which meant it defied definition. That made her like it all the more. Uniqueness drew her like nothing else did.

Dean Martin crooned over a speaker system and the smells coming from the kitchen were heavenly.

Tessa was terrible at guessing ages, but a woman who appeared to be in her mid to late-twenties approached, a welcoming smile on her face. With her dark hair accented by one bold streak of white in front, she wasn’t so much pretty as she was striking. She extended a hand, “Hi. Welcome, I’m Gus.”

Tessa took the woman’s hand. “Pleased to meet you. I’m Tessa Bellingham.” Gus had a nice, firm handshake. “It smells great in here.” Tessa smiled. “I’m suddenly very aware that lunch was a long time ago.” As if to lend credence to her words, her stomach issued a loud growl.

Everyone laughed and Gus said, “So it seems. We’ll fix you right up. With the storm coming in we’re pretty crowded tonight. Do you mind sharing a table? Skye and Nelson have a big table over near the pool tables.”

Skye was the name of Dalton Saunders’s fiancée. Tessa would like to meet her. “Table sharing is fine with me. The more the merrier.”

Bull spoke up. “Gus, how about you put together two plates of today’s special for me and Merrilee. She’s waiting on some idiot to fly in before this storm really hits. I’ll keep her company while she’s manning the airstrip.”

“Give us a second and we can pull that together for you,” Gus said. She turned back to the rest of them. “I’ll send Teddy over to take your orders.”

Gus bustled off in the direction of the open kitchen that overlooked the bar area and dining room. Dalton led the way through the dining room tables, with Clint bringing up the rear. Oddly enough, Tessa was infinitely more aware of Clint behind her than all of the other people in the room. It was as if she was tuned into his energy.

They reached the table and Dalton kissed a pretty woman—his fiancée, Tessa guessed—with pale freckled skin, brilliant blue eyes and striking curly red hair. Skye Shanahan and Dalton Saunders made a cute couple.

The man sitting at the table with Skye had long, black hair pulled into a ponytail at the nape of his neck, and his high cheekbones and skin tone indicated he was a native. Skye introduced him to Tessa as Nelson Sisnuket, Clint’s cousin and Skye’s assistant. Both Skye and Nelson made Tessa feel welcome and comfortable.

Skye smiled at Tessa across the table. “Unless you have issues with meat or wild game, you really should try the moose ragout. It’s great.”

Tessa nodded. “The moose ragout it is, then. When I’m someplace new, I like to try the local dishes.”

Nelson laughed. “That’s about as local as you can get. And the moose is fresh.” He shot Skye a teasing look. “It was just delivered yesterday.”

A flush of red crawled up Skye’s neck and face. Dalton chuckled. Clint offered a slow smile that sent a shiver down her spine.

“The moose came from a fellow who trespassed on Dalton’s property,” Nelson said, “and worse, he tried to poach Skye, as well. He offered the moose as restitution and Dalton had him send it to Gus.”

Dalton grinned and shrugged. “Hey, we eat here often enough. I don’t cook, and well, let’s just say we’re better off with Gus cooking the moose than Skye.”

“Watch it, buddy,” Skye said with a laugh.

“So, he was going to give you a moose?” Tessa was still stuck on that bit.

Skye rolled her eyes. “I thought it was really weird at first too. Frighteningly, you soon get used to the way things are done in Good Riddance. The town has a way of winding its way into your heart.”

“I thought it was me,” Dalton said. “Now you’re telling me it’s really just the town you came back for.”

The teasing interplay between the couple was fun and stirred a longing inside Tessa. It made her all the more conscious of Clint, who was sitting to her right.

Nelson shook his head in Tessa’s direction. “Good Riddance can have that effect on some people. Gus came four years ago and never did go back to New York.”

“Gus is the best thing that ever happened to Good Riddance,” Dalton said.

“You are so sleeping on the couch tonight,” Skye said.

“Sorry, honey, it’s my stomach talking instead of my heart.”

Tessa laughed aloud and Dalton shot her a grin. “Just wait. You are in for a treat.”