- -
- 100%
- +
The rest of the shift passed quickly. When the doctor ordered another lager or asked her a question, Sashi did her best to look unaffected.
* * *
SINCE THAT RED-HAIRED beauty had appeared, Cole sat at the table thunderstruck by what had transpired. Women like that didn’t just walk into saloons up in Alaska every day. Was she one of the girls Freddy had brought up from Washington, D.C., under the pretense of proposing to her?
Even if she was interested in Freddy, there’d been a spark between Cole and her when their eyes had met. Cole needed to catch her alone before he left the bar in order to find out if this attraction was only in his mind.
He waited outside for the place to close down and for Sashi to come out. Such an unusual name. He wondered what it meant. Hell, he had a ton of questions. Most of all he needed to see her again. She looked like a medieval princess with her porcelain skin and shiny, long hair. And her face! It was beautiful.
He heard the door open before he saw silhouettes moving in the semidarkness. Sashi was the first out. Mac followed after locking up the bar.
“Get a good night’s sleep, New York.”
“You, too, Mac.”
Sashi headed in a different direction than Mac. Cole hoped she wouldn’t think he was a stalker. If she screamed and told him to get lost, he would. But if she had felt the same spark he had earlier, she might be happy to see him. No matter. He would keep his distance so she wouldn’t feel scared.
“New York!” Cole called out softly when she was near enough. “You never told me where you studied ballet.”
* * *
SASHI’S HEAD WHIPPED AROUND. There he was, standing on the other side of the bridge she needed to cross to reach her bunkhouse. Was he waiting for her? Her heart leaped at the thought. She hoped he was.
If it had been any other man, she would have been alarmed and called security—all she had to do was reach down to the two-way radio attached to the hem of her jeans and call them. Instead, she was thrilled Cole had wanted to stay and talk to her.
So she leaned against the other side of the arched bridge that ran over one of the various streams on the property. The lights below the bridge cast a romantic aura over the lush forest, making onlookers feel they’d entered the land of Fey. The sky was filled with stars.
“I studied at the Joffrey Ballet School.”
There was enough light for Sashi to see Cole’s tall frame. He must be at least six-two or -three, with the body of an athlete. She started to imagine what it would be like to be held in arms like those.
“I don’t know much about dance,” he said. “Could you tell me more about the school?”
She sighed, then said, “It’s one of the most prestigious ballet schools in the country.”
“You look like a dancer,” he said.
“And you’re an expert on the subject?” Sashi couldn’t keep the sarcasm out of her voice.
Cole took a step closer. “To be honest, speaking from a doctor’s point of view, you look like you’ve been working out for years. Even serving drinks in jeans and a windbreaker, you hold yourself with poise and grace.”
Sashi chuckled. “How many dancers do you know? I think you’re just teasing me.”
A big smile appeared. “So what’s a prima ballerina doing out here at a fisherman’s paradise?” His voice was deep.
Sashi took a few steps onto the bridge so she could lean over and look into the water rushing below. “I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase ‘Those who can, do, and those who can’t, teach.’” She turned to face him.
“I have,” he replied.
“I’m going to let you in on a little secret.” She lowered her voice. “I want to open my own dance studio. I love working with children.”
Sashi wondered how many women this doctor had known in his life. He was a natural flirt. Suddenly she decided it didn’t matter. It wouldn’t hurt her to flirt back for once in her life, especially when she knew it could go nowhere.
Cole raked a hand through his thick hair. “I’m still trying to understand how you’re going to teach ballet up here.”
Sashi stood up straight. “I’m not going to teach here. I plan on opening a studio in Virginia. But I need money to get it started.”
“Ah. So you came here to Alaska to earn the big bucks.”
“We call it the gold mine down in the plant. Yet the experience of traveling to the last frontier has been life-changing.” She smiled at him.
“You work in the packaging plant?” Cole’s voice had an edge to it.
She chuckled. “You have a problem with that?”
Cole rubbed his chin. “No... I have great respect for you. Damn. I worked in a cannery one summer and it was tough work.”
“Tough work that pays very well,” Sashi countered. “Now it’s my turn.”
“For what?”
“To ask questions.” Sashi walked closer to him. “How does an Alaskan bush doctor know the term ‘prima ballerina’? Have you even been to a ballet?”
“That’s a little harsh. Not all Alaskans are rednecks. And yes, I’ve gone to ballets.” Cole stood up straight.
“Really. Which one is your favorite?”
Cole reached her in two quick strides. The heat of his body mixed with the tangy spice of his cologne began to break down her walls. He lifted his hand to tilt her face up to him. “My favorite is The Sleeping Beauty.”
Sashi stared into his face and gulped. Those eyes were intoxicating. Their color seemed to change constantly. Out here on the bridge it was like honey. At this point she knew she was in way over her head, but at the moment she didn’t care. His lips were full and his jaw had a five o’clock shadow she longed to touch.
Was this love at first sight? Or just pure lust? She knew she was beyond any coherent thought at the moment. Having had such little experience with men, she wished she knew what was going on. She had to go on instinct alone.
* * *
THIS INTENSE ATTRACTION caught Cole off guard. He’d heard his friends talk of love at first sight and he’d never believed them. But as he reached out and pulled her into his arms, it seemed the most natural thing in the world to do. “Have you ever danced in that particular ballet?”
“Yes,” she answered in a whisper, “but never as the prima ballerina.”
Cole bent his head down until their mouths met. At first their kisses were soft and gentle, and Sashi touched her fingers to his jaw. As passion filled his veins, Cole deepened the kiss and pulled her closer, releasing her magnificent hair.
Sashi’s body trembled as Cole kissed her with a new intensity. Every touch was more erotic as his lips and tongue slanted deeply, seeking a closeness only full sexual union could satisfy. He wanted to take her to his bungalow now and make love to her.
Show some control, Cole, he told himself. You can’t just ravage the woman. He wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head on hers. He was sure she could hear his heart pounding.
“Sashi,” he said, panting, “I’m a man who is usually in control of himself. But I’m losing the battle. What would you like to do? I’ll respect your decision.”
He looked into her glowing emerald eyes, awaiting her reply.
Chapter Two
“I...I don’t know,” she said. “I’ve never felt this way before.”
Sashi trembled from pure excitement. She tightened her arms around Cole’s neck and kissed him deeply. He seemed to lose the control he’d been trying so hard to keep. He groaned and pinned her body against the bridge railing, returning her kiss.
Over the years Sashi had heard her friends talk about moments like this. She hadn’t believed they’d actually let a man they didn’t know near them. But now she understood. Tonight out here, she couldn’t imagine not letting him touch her. She never wanted to let him go.
They stayed on the bridge, kissing and caressing, unable to get enough of each other, for the next thirty minutes, until at last Sashi gently pushed him away, saying she had a long day tomorrow. As promised, he accepted her decision.
After leaving him, Sashi could hear music blaring from her bunkhouse before she walked into the bare, A-frame cabin. Kendra must have alerted the four other girls she was absent. They shared the same bunk room.
Damn.
They must all be waiting for her. She touched her fingers to her lips. They felt swollen from all the kissing. Her time with Cole had been so intense, she’d lost track of time.
Reaching for the doorknob, she took a deep breath and walked into the room to face the women she’d come to know over the summer.
“Sashi? Where have you been?” Kendra threw a pillow at her. “Do you know how worried I was?”
Sashi easily evaded the pillow, diverting it to Natalie’s bed. “I’m sorry. I lost track of time.”
Sarah, a busty young blonde who, like all the others, was after Freddy, chimed in. “Somebody looks like they’ve been making out!”
The cabin erupted in shrieks, causing Sashi to turn red.
“I’ve got to see this,” Bridgette declared. She got off her bed and moved in on Sashi for a closer inspection.
Bridgette was tall and curvy with long blond hair. Freddy liked all types of women. He’d hurt Kendra when he’d brought her up here letting her think she was the only woman he cared for. Little did Kendra realize she’d be competing with four others!
“Can you guys just leave me alone?” Sashi said.
“No!” Bridgette declared. “You’ve been Little Miss Goody Two-Shoes all summer and this is pretty exciting.”
“Go back to sleep.” Sashi rolled her eyes and headed over to her bed.
“Hold on just a second!” Blake called out.
Sashi groaned. No. Not Blake Carrey, the beast from Boston with the looks of a movie star and blond hair cut to her chin. Kendra knew that Blake’s perfectly tanned body came out of a spray bottle from France and her personality came straight from hell. Blake had made Kendra’s life miserable up here. She was obsessed with Freddy and convinced he was going to propose to her this summer.
“What do you want, Blake?”
“Who’s the guy? What makes him so special? Come on. Tell us.”
Sashi turned around to face the woman. She didn’t care much for Blake, whose constant complaining over the hard work got on everyone’s nerves.
With a smile she said, “He’s none of your business.”
“Don’t tell me you finally got it on with Mac!” Blake stood in front of her in satin pajamas that seemed so out of place up here in Alaska.
Sashi laughed. “Oh, if you only knew the truth.” At that she turned around and began to get things out of her bag. “Why don’t you go back to bed, Blakey? You need your beauty sleep.”
Sashi left for the latrine/shower house with her bag of toiletries. She needed to brush her teeth and wash her face. It was amazing how the guests got indoor plumbing and every modern amenity, while the workers lived back in time. Mr. Marshall had never gotten around to bringing the workers’ cabins into the twentieth century, never mind the twenty-first.
As she walked the short distance to the latrine, she heard laughter. But a loud bang from the door made her turn around to see who’d followed her. “Kendra! You scared me!”
Her tall friend caught up with her in seconds. “Sashi, what the hell? You’ve never done this before. You’ve got to tell me what happened earlier.”
“I’m sorry. But I met the hottest man ever.”
Kendra stopped walking and stared at Sashi in the moonlight. “Are you drunk? Is this the same Sashi I grew up with?”
Sashi didn’t want to stand out in the dark. This was bear country and she knew the rules, so she continued to walk. “Seriously, Kendra, you have to swear not to tell the girls.”
They reached the smelly outbuilding that serviced the employees’ needs. She headed in and Kendra followed. “Sashi, you and I don’t like any of those girls except Natalie. Who would I tell?”
“You’d tell Freddy!”
“Not true. I can keep secrets.”
“Promise?” Sashi’s heart was pounding as she washed her hands.
Kendra sounded exasperated. “Pinkie-promise.”
“Okay.” Sashi started to change clothes. “There was this hot bush doctor who flew up from Ketchikan today. His name is—”
“Dr. Stevens.” Kendra finished the sentence for her.
She felt a wave of jealously sweep through her. When had Kendra met him? Sashi was only half-dressed in her thermal top. “How do you know him?”
Kendra laughed. “Girl, you look so upset! I was working at the reception desk when he arrived and I took him to Mr. Marshall. He was pretty hot.”
Sashi nodded. “Yeah.”
“I’m not going to tell you anything more until you tell me how far you went.”
“We only kissed. I didn’t want to do more. He’s asked to see me again.” Sashi disappeared back into one of the toilet cubicles.
“How are you guys going to meet again?” Kendra asked.
“He’s a bush doctor, and he’ll fly out here and take us to Ketchikan early on the day we’re supposed to fly home. Then he’s going to take us to lunch. He says he can get us to the airport fast, too.”
“Do you believe him?”
“Of course.”
“Well, you’re going to have to call him and change the plans.”
“Why?”
“Because I broke off with Freddy and have booked us a three-day tour of Prince of Wales Island.”
Sashi emerged from the cubicle ready for bed. “Kendra, I can’t afford a trip like that.”
“I know. That’s why it’s my treat. The tour’s all about the Native Americans who lived here on this island. Our guide is an Native chief who knows amazing sites. It’s going to be incredible.”
Sashi went over and hugged her friend. She felt for her. Kendra had been fighting for Freddy’s attention all summer and finally learned from co-workers in the packing plant that he was just a player who brought his women up here to work. Worse, he put all of them in the same cabin!
“I’m proud of you for the way you’re handling this, Kendra,” Sashi said. “I’ll call Cole in the morning and find out if I can see him some other way before we leave Alaska.”
“I’ve never seen you this keen on a guy before,” Kendra said in a soft tone.
“I know it’s crazy. Cole was talking about flying out to Virginia for a vacation to see me. I didn’t know what to say other than I’d love it.”
“Stranger things have happened. I’m happy for you, Sashi. Now I’ve just got to get over Freddy.”
“I’ll help you.”
* * *
THE RAIN WAS COMING DOWN in sheets as Cole drove his Range Rover. If he hadn’t been on this road over a hundred times before, he didn’t think he’d find his house high on the hill overlooking Ketchikan.
At last he pulled into his driveway. With a push of a button, the garage door swung open and he drove inside. The door immediately closed behind him, locking out the storm. He hoped the weatherman had been right and it would clear up fast. He was looking forward to flying out and seeing Sashi and her friend the day after tomorrow.
Cole rested his head against the steering wheel for a second. He’d never fallen for a woman this fast. His body could still feel her in his arms. What was he getting himself into?
Just then his phone buzzed. He didn’t recognize the number. Maybe it was Sashi. His heart raced at the thought of talking to her. “Dr. Stevens,” he said.
“Cole. It’s Sashi.”
Her voice sounded as sexy on the phone as it did in real life. “Hey there, New York. How are you doing?”
“I’m fine. It’s...good to hear your voice.”
“So what’s going on?”
“Well, there’s been a little change in plans.”
Cole felt his stomach knot. “Like what?”
“Nothing bad. Remember how I told you I came up here with my best friend?”
“Uh-huh.”
“She totally surprised me by offering me a free tour of the island with her. It’ll extend my stay for another three days.”
“Wait—your friend bought you a tour?” Cole was incredulous.
“Okay. I’m not putting you on. Kendra has lots of money, and this trip has been horrible for her. Freddy Marshall lied about his intentions when he brought her up here.”
“Oh, I know all about Freddy Marshall and his lies, but I’m still trying to figure out why you’re evading me.”
“No! That’s not it at all. Kendra has her degree in anthropological studies from George Washington University. She’s trying to salvage this trip by turning the last days into something good. That’s why she paid for me to come along with her on this three-day getaway. She wants to forget Freddy and focus on something positive.”
“What does this trip entail?” Cole was trying to keep his voice calm.
“We’re going to be making a small survey of where the Tlingit and Haida Natives lived on Prince of Wales Island. We’ll head south to Hydaburg to see the totem poles and study some ancient sites in the area. Then we’ll head north to the cave El Capitan, where we’ll go spelunking to find ancient petroglyphs.”
“That sounds amazing.” Cole tried to keep the disappointment out of his voice. He was thirty-five, for Pete’s sake, not some schoolboy. “Will you need a flight in from the island, or will the tour end in Ketchikan?”
“The tour ends in Ketchikan. I told the guide I wanted to get in early so we would have a six-hour layover. Do you think you’ll have time to see me and my friend then?”
Cole found his first smile of the day. The E.R. had been a mess because of the storm, and he’d been wondering what would happen with Sashi. Now he knew he’d be able to see her again. “All you have to do is let me know what airport you land at and I’ll be waiting for you.”
“Okay, that sounds great.”
“Look, you’re too special to let go. Have fun, New York. I’ll see you in a couple of days. Promise me you’ll be safe. It’s bear country out there.”
“I know. I’ve been living in it for three months.”
“Take care, anyway.”
“Bye,” Sashi said softly.
“Miss you already, New York.” Then Cole clicked off.
* * *
IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL MORNING to be leaving Marshall’s. The sun had turned the water along the coastline turquoise-blue. Sashi could hear sea lions barking in the distance. The majesty of Alaska was something she would never forget, and the huge paycheck she’d just wired home to her bank really made her stay up here worth it. She felt giddy knowing she’d earned enough to get a business loan to open up her dance studio. She finally had a place in the world where she belonged.
She got busy loading up Kendra’s and her gear into their guide’s plane. He was Joe Running Bear, an older Native chief with black hair peppered with white, whom she found very kind and apparently happy to do this tour.
Kendra was still having a hard time saying goodbye to Freddy even though she claimed she’d broken up with him. Why she continued to spend time with that weasel was beyond Sashi’s comprehension.
Sure he was good-looking, if you liked pretty boy features, calculating blue eyes and a tall wiry frame. But when you got past his looks, he had nothing else. He was a phony, just stringing every girl on. Now Kendra was standing next to him, part of his usual fawning entourage of women and men.
Finally Kendra emerged from the mob. She seemed happy. Obviously something had just happened between Freddy and her friend.
“Why are you all smiles?” Sashi asked directly.
Kendra didn’t look at her. “Joe? Are we ready to go?”
“Yes, we are.”
“Great! Come on, Sashi,” Kendra called out as she climbed into the pontoon plane secured to the dock. “I’ll tell you inside.”
Sashi had a bad feeling. What had Freddy promised Kendra now? What had she gotten herself into?
The door closed and Joe climbed into the pilot’s seat. He told them to put on their seat belts along with headphones so they could talk. He started the engine and soon they were taxiing over the water, then lifting in the air. Both girls stared out the windows, caught up in the splendor of Prince of Wales Island. Sashi found this land, covered in a rain forest of ferns and pines, magical. Bears and bald eagles made their home there, and whales dotted the coastline.
Before they touched down at their first site, Kendra grabbed Sashi’s hand. “We have to talk.”
Sashi didn’t want to stop looking out the window. “So now you feel like talking?”
“I’m going to have Joe fly us up to a lake called Red Bay. Freddy, Bridgette, Natalie, Nick and George are going to fly out for a goodbye party at the cabin located right on the lake. It’s all been arranged.”
Sashi bit her lip. She didn’t really care for Nick or George. They were two local guys from Craig who worked the fishing boats and had big crushes on the two other girls. “Why? I thought you called it off with Freddy.”
“I did, but today he begged me for a second chance. I couldn’t say no.” Kendra’s eyes began to well up with tears.
Sashi could see her friend was still madly in love with him. “Okay, we’ll do it. I’m just glad Blake isn’t coming.”
“Me, too. I think Freddy is finally choosing me over Blake. She’s been my biggest competition all summer.” Kendra reached over and gave Sashi a hug.
Sashi hugged her back. “It’s all going to work out fine,” she said, but doubted it.
* * *
COLE SUTURED A NASTY CUT on his patient’s forehead. “Cid, my friend, you really need to listen. Take it easy and lay off the booze. They have to bring you in here way too often.”
“I feel your love for me right here in my heart, Doc.” The tough fisherman pounded his chest with his fist. The blue eyes of the bar-brawler met the no-nonsense of Cole’s rich amber eyes.
“Yeah, Cid. I’m thinking you must have a thing for me by now. Asking for me by name? It’s touching.” Cole shook his head. “Come on, let’s get more personal. I’ll even get you a bed here on the rehab floor.”
At that comment Cid’s fisherman buddies, who’d brought him in, started laughing. “Doc, Cid’s a good fisherman if he could ever stay out of a bar. More importantly, out of a bet!” His captain, Lee Jarvis, always vouched for him.
Cole turned back to his patient. “Cid’s got a drinking problem. I’m worried that one night he might walk off one of your crabbing boats in a drunken stupor straight into the ocean.”
“We all have a drinkin’ problem. Just sew him up,” Lee said, getting testy. “He’s too good of an engineer to lose for the season. I’ll look into his problem after we catch our quota.”
Cole turned around in his chair. “Is that a promise?”
“No. It’s a maybe.”
Cole got up and began to strip off his sterile gloves. “Cid, I truly hope to see you in the spring. It would make my Easter dreams come true.”
Lee jumped in. “We’ll do our best, Doc.”
With that Cole left the room and began the long walk from the patients’ rooms to the hub of the E.R. He stripped his long body of the rest of the protective clothing and turned his smile on one of the new nurses.
“Stacey? The patient in room three needs another round of meds. Take either Heather or Mildred in with you. The boys can be a rough crew.”
Stacey just stared at him.
Cole turned to Mildred, who said, “Come on, Stacey. Let’s get you used to the crabbers.” But she looked back at Cole and shook her head.
“What?” he said.
“You and that amazing smile of yours. If I were twenty years younger, you’d be mine, Cole.”
“I am yours, Mildred,” he said.
“Don’t flirt with me, big boy, even if it still works.”
Cole walked away, chuckling to himself. He was looking forward to tomorrow’s reunion with Sashi.
* * *
“WE’VE ARRIVED, LADIES,” Joe Running Bear exclaimed from the cockpit. Speaking into the enormous headphone, he began discussing landing procedures. The plane circled the lake one time, then made its descent toward the pristine waters of Red Bay. The landing was as smooth and soft as silk.
As the plane taxied the two women stared out the cabin windows. A bald eagle who’d stood proud on a tree took off, its magnificent wings spread in flight. Sashi spotted startled Sitka deer moving back from the shore, robins flying to and from their nests, squirrels scampering into the undergrowth. Ancient trees stood in various states of decay. Cedars and spruce covered in moss and lichen peeked out of the morning mist hovering just above the ground.