Northern Fires (8 page)

Every fiber within her protested at the notion of some faceless stranger named Joe hauling Baby off to River’s Ford. She didn’t care how nice Joe might be, he wouldn’t feel about Baby the way Juliette did right now.

She remembered Sven saying his dog had gone to work with him. What would it be like to have Baby up in the sky with her?

“How do you think she’d do in a plane?”

Marsha smiled. “There’s only one way to find out. But these dogs are laid-back and extremely adaptable. And she’s a runt, not a scaredy-cat.”

It felt right, kind of scary, but right. “I want her.”

“And I’ll take him.”

“You might want to think on that. He’s going to require a little bit of work. He’s a sweet dog but he’s not the brightest or sharpest of the lot. One of the others would be easier. I’m just telling you because it’s got to be a good match and you’ve got to know what you’re getting into. Bruiser’s going to be a challenge.”

Sven hesitated, obviously thinking about it. Juliette wouldn’t be surprised if he picked another puppy. He didn’t strike her as the kind of guy who’d want a challenging puppy when the pick of the litter was available.

He looked down at Bruiser for a couple of long seconds and then he looked back up at Marsha, a slow smile curling his lips. “Sometimes the best things aren’t the easiest. I want him.”

Something inside Juliette turned over.

Marsha smiled at Sven. “Bruiser for you.” She looked at Juliette. “Baby for you?”

Juliette glanced at Sven and he gave a slight nod of his head that was more encouragement than approval.

Rubbing her chin against the puppy’s head, Juliette said, “Baby for me.”

“All right then,” Marsha said, rising to her feet. “I’ll go inside and pull the paperwork together, and how about you pick them up the middle of next week?”

“Next week?” Juliette said. “She’s not going with me today?” Now that she’d made up her mind, she was reluctant to let Baby go.

“Nope. They need about another week with their mom, plus a cooling-off period is always a good thing. It’s easy to make a decision in the heat of the moment when they’re crowding around you all cute, but if someone leaves and has buyer’s remorse, I’d rather not have my dogs caught in the middle. I have a suggested list of items you’ll need to take proper care of her.” Marsha smiled. “But you can hold on to her while I go get that together.”

Marsha headed for the front door. Juliette looked down. Baby was snoozing.

“Thanks a lot,” Juliette said to Sven. “I just bought a dog and I only came along for the ride.”

He grinned, totally unrepentant. “Probably the second-best decision you ever made.”

He was baiting her. She’d bite. “Really? And what would be the first best decision I ever made?”

“Going on a date with me today.”

The man should come with a warning. Her pulse quickened. “Is that a fact? Who said it’s a date?”

“You’re wearing a dress, aren’t you?”

“Maybe it was the only clean thing in my closet.”

“Maybe, but I’m thinking not.”

“Kind of an unusual first date, wouldn’t you say? Going to pick out a puppy.”

“You’re an unusual kind of woman, so it fits. And the day’s not over, so who knows what’s going to happen next.”

The look in his eyes sent a shiver down her spine and heat through her. “Maybe I have plans later.”

“You most assuredly do…” He leaned slightly, closing the gap between them until his warm breath gusted against her ear. “With me,” he said softly, as if imparting a secret.

“That’s rather arrogant.” Her voice was husky.

“Would you have me any other way?”

Heaven help her but his low tone, the smolder in his blue eyes, sent a slick wet heat gathering between her thighs. He didn’t even have to touch her.

“Who says I want you?” They both knew she did.

“You’re not answering the question, Juliette.”

“You’re putting the cart before the horse. I’d have to decide
if
I wanted you before I decided
how
I wanted you.”

And she could bluff all day, but they both knew the answer to that.

8

S
VEN
CHUCKLED
TO
HIMSELF
at Juliette’s longing glance back as they turned out of Marsha’s place.
I’m not a dog person.
Yeah, right. She’d obviously just never met the right dog. “She’ll be fine.”

“But she was so sad.”

Baby had whined when Juliette handed her back over to Marsha. Obviously it was mutual adoration. It had been sweet. “And Marsha will take really good care of her until you pick her up next week.”

“I know you’re right, it’s just…” She trailed off, her expression somewhat disconsolate. And he had just the cure for that.

“Let’s go shopping,” Sven said. Women were always all about shopping, weren’t they?

“We both just got puppies. Aren’t you shopped out? Plus, I spent money I hadn’t planned to spend.”

“I’ll pay for Baby since I dragged you along. I’m sure Marsha will discount her since she’s a runt.”

Oh, hell.
He’d just said the wrong thing. Ire flashed all over her face before she even opened her mouth.

“Absolutely not. I can pay for my own dog. I pay my own way. And Baby is worth just as much as Bruiser or any of the others.” She stabbed a finger in his direction. “In fact, she’s special.” She crossed her arms over her chest and settled back in her seat, shooting him a look. “I should even pay a little extra for her, but she’s definitely not discounted goods. Got it?”

Damn right he got it. There was certainly no mistaking where she was coming from. And it certainly was a change from that cool distance she maintained most of the time. She was like a tigress protecting a maligned cub. He was hard pressed not to laugh, but while he might not have had enough sense not to say what he did, he had enough sense not to laugh right now—she was just so damn cute. However, she was also serious as a heart attack and wouldn’t find his amusement amusing in the least. He backpedaled for all he was worth. “All right, already. You’re right and I’m sorry I went there.”

She tilted her nose up in the air and speared him with a narrow-eyed glance. “Don’t patronize me.”

Done. He couldn’t help it. He laughed, which earned him yet another glare. “I’m not. I swear I’m not patronizing you. I’m agreeing. You
are
right. Chill. Now, do you want to pull out that list Marsha sent with you and do some internet shopping?” Sweet Jesus, the woman was prickly as a hedgehog, but she had been pretty torn up over leaving Baby, he supposed. Bruiser had been easy. He’d licked Sven once and then torn off across the yard.

He could almost feel her mentally waffling and then she relaxed, her energy changed. “Okay.”

“My place okay? I was thinking we could maybe have a picnic somewhere along the lake, if you’re up for a walk.”

She paused. Did she have to weigh everything? Apparently she did. After a few seconds she nodded. “That sounds good.”

“I actually cleaned up the cabin.”

She laughed. “I guess that sounds good, too. I suppose I’ll know after I see it.”

“Maybe I should just bring my laptop outside to the porch.”

“What? Are you afraid I’ll discover your secrets if I go inside?”

Her tone was teasing, but he thought it was an interesting choice of words on her part. “I don’t have any secrets, although I will confess to some bad habits.”

“Name one.”

That was easy. It drove his mother bat-shit crazy and had annoyed the heck out of his girlfriend from a couple of years ago. “I squeeze the toothpaste from the middle. Always have.”

“Ooooh. That’s pretty bad right there.”

She really wanted to know? “I’ve been known to go out in a chatroom or two.” Alaska was a big state and he’d moved around a lot with his work, so he didn’t always have a steady girlfriend. And sometimes there weren’t any eligible women to be found. However, he never “chatted” when he was involved with someone. He figured he didn’t want his girl doing that to him, so he’d play straight with her, as well.

“Webcam sex?”

“Not webcam, but…” No pictures, but instant messaging could get…intense.

“Yeah, I got you.” She shrugged. “I don’t think you’re in the minority there.”

“What about you? Your secrets? Bad habits?” Her expression shifted the moment the words left his mouth. Guarded didn’t begin to describe her.

“I think we’ve pretty much covered it—the alcohol and two ex-husbands.”

Hadn’t she warned him she came with enough baggage to fill her cargo space? No lie. “Can we just forget about those for a while?”

“But they’re a part of who I am.”

Surely she didn’t think an addiction and two husbands defined her. “They’re part of your past… There’s a whole lot more to you than that. Focus on the other part, let me get to know the rest of you.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. I really don’t know. All I know is that I can’t stop thinking about you, about that kiss.”

“Does that line work every time?”

He was fairly certain she was trying to offend him, put him off. He wasn’t offended. “I don’t know. I guess we’re both about to find out, since this is the first time I’ve ever used it.”

She turned her head away from him to look out the window. “I don’t want to be part of a game.”

Neither did he. Beneath her shell, he sensed a chasm of vulnerability. He didn’t want to hurt her. And dammit, he didn’t want to be hurt. Did he only want her because he didn’t think he could have her? Was it the challenge of figuring her out? Unlocking her puzzle? Scaling her fortress? He didn’t think so, but then again, Alberta had been correct. He’d never had to work very hard at getting what he wanted, be it a job, woman or pretty much anything else. There was something about her that made him want to be a better man, to dig within himself.

However, he could honestly say to her, “I’m not into games, Juliette. I play poker some with the guys up at Gus’s, but other than that…”

She looked at him once again. “Neither am I. So, we’ll just let things unfold, one day at a time, knowing that neither of us is looking for anything long-term or serious.”

He honestly didn’t know what he wanted outside of that he wanted her. He’d wanted her from the first time he’d kissed her so he wasn’t so sure that short-term was going to be enough. And now wasn’t the time to go there. He wasn’t a gamer, but he was an occasional gambler. He could either fold or bluff. He bluffed. “Okay.”

They pulled into the parking lot by Shadow Lake and he turned the truck off. They got out and en route he stopped her, catching her by the shoulder. “Wait a second. I’ve wanted to do this from the second you walked out on your porch today.”

He kissed her, telling her without words how beautiful he found her, how glad he was with her here and now.

A slow smile tilted her just-kissed lips when he pulled away. “You wanted to do that all day?”

That…and more. He caught her hand in his. “I have.”

Her fingers curled around his palm. “I wanted you to all day.”

Her touch and her words pleased him. “You know, if you ever feel the urge for a kiss, feel free. I’m open to that.”

She laughed. “Uh-huh. I bet you are.”

He laughed. He could spend all day kissing her, but first things first. “The supply list from Marsha, woman. The list.”

He opened the cabin door and she preceded him in. “We really can take the laptop outside if you’d rather,” he said. The cabin was fine, but it was a poor substitute for the fresh air and the great outdoors.

“It is nice out there.”

“And you can see the sky.”

“That sounds good,” she said. Her hand still in his, she smiled happily and his chest tightened.

He’d played poker before, but never had the stakes been this high or meant this much.

* * *

“
W
HAT
DO
YOU
THINK
?” Juliette tilted the screen to show Sven the aviator dog jacket she’d found. “I think yes.”

“I think Baby has to have it.” He grinned and there was an indulgence in his expression that set her heart fluttering. Make that fluttering more than it already was. She’d been achingly conscious of his sheer masculinity—his scent, the fall of his hair, the breadth of his shoulders, the tug of his jeans across his thighs and crotch—she was fluttering with all kinds of sexual energy for the man sharing the porch and computer screen with her.

Juliette clicked the order button and then paid for it. “Okay, done.”

“Is that done for that item or done as in
done?
”

“Done-done.” She realized she was quite hungry and it wasn’t limited to her craving for him. “Not to be indelicate, but you were planning to feed me, weren’t you?”

“That’s the plan. The catch is you have to help. Nothing gourmet. I thought we’d take sandwiches. Ham and cheese work for you?”

“Sure. You know it’s time to eat when the dog treats you’re ordering sound good.”

Sven laughed and pushed off his chair. “Definitely. Come on, woman. I won’t have you saying I starved you on our first date.”

She handed him the laptop. “Ah, I get it. You’re just protecting your reputation.”

He opened the door, waiting on her to precede him into the room. “A man’s got to do what a man’s got to do.”

Forty minutes later Sven stopped at a small clearing off the edge of the lake. “How’s this strike you as a picnic spot?”

It was farther than they’d hiked the other night. She couldn’t see either the cabins or Skye and Dalton’s house. The lake stretched before them, backed by the mountains, all of it under a canvas of blue skies punctuated by layers of wispy clouds. A stand of fireweed bloomed between the clearing and the line of spruce beyond. It was so beautiful it nearly made her heart ache. “I’d say perfect.”

“This is the place then, because it doesn’t get better than perfect, does it?” He shrugged off the backpack he’d carried and pulled out a folded sheet.

“Do you ever run into Skye and Dalton?” she said.

“Not a lot. They keep to themselves at home. They sometimes hike around the lake, but, as you know, Dalton’s on flight standby today and Skye’s still leery of getting out in what she calls ‘the wilds’ on her own.”

She looked out over the lake. There was a soothing, peaceful quality to this spot. “It’s a nice place to live.”

“Yeah, it is.”

While he spread the sheet, she unpacked the food. Ham and cheese on whole wheat, dill pickles, chocolate-chip cookies, potato chips and a thermos of water. She encountered something else in the bottom of the backpack. She pulled out a sketchbook and a box of pencils. “Did you mean to bring this?”

“I thought I might do some sketching if you wouldn’t be bored.”

“Not in the least. It’s a beautiful spot. I can see why it would inspire you.”

“Maybe it’s not the setting that inspires me,” he said, touching the tip of her nose and setting her heart clanging against her ribs. Good grief, that had to be one of the nicest things anyone had ever said to her. “Let’s eat. I’m starving and you were hungry an hour ago.”

They sat, mere inches separating them. Juliette bit into her sandwich and chased it with a bite of pickle. “Mmm,” she said, “this is good.”

“Yeah, it is.”

It was just one of those times that didn’t call for conversation. She sat quietly munching away, finishing off her lunch in record time. It was nice simply
being
with him. She’d never felt this in anyone else’s presence. Actually, it was sublime. He passed the cookies. “Dessert?”

“Sure.” They looked homemade. “Did you make these?” She’d be impressed.

“Me? No. I haven’t found a Crock-Pot cookie recipe yet.” She giggled at his silly joke. “Jenna. She’s practicing. She says every mom needs to be able to bake cookies.”

It sounded like Jenna rationale. Her baby, who wasn’t even here, wouldn’t be gumming chocolate-chip cookies for some time, yet she was already practicing her baking. Juliette plucked one out of the container and bit into it…well, tried to bite into it. There was crisp and crunchy—and then there was bricklike. Juliette tried holding it in her mouth for a moment. Sure enough, it softened and she was able to bite off a piece. She chewed and swallowed, only because spitting just seemed tacky. It qualified as the worst thing she’d ever tasted. “That’s awful. I’m not much of a cook, but I think she got too much baking soda in there.” Jenna was so nice, Juliette felt bad for dissing her cookies. Aiming for a positive slant, she tacked on, “But they do look good.”

“I guess it’s just as well she’s started practicing now,” Sven said, putting the lid back on the container. So, she’d been the guinea pig.

“Poor Logan,” she mused.

“Poor kid. Jenna’ll be the room mom they all beg
not
to bring in cupcakes for the class.”

Juliette laughed, but gigged him in the side with her elbow. “Don’t be mean.”

“Hey, Jenna knows she’s a lousy cook, but all of a sudden she’s equating it with some state of being a great mother. Maybe her hormones will level off when the baby pops out. Or maybe Logan can talk some sense into her. She was talking about making her own baby food the other day.” He pointed toward the cookies. “Can you imagine?”