Page 6

“Oh, nice. I like that place.”

“I know. Anyway, any appointments for you today?”

“No. I’m not an invalid, Chloe. Why do you insist on treating me like I might be?”

My cheeks puffed with a breath before I let it out in a rush. “Because I worry, Dad. You’re the only family I have left.”

He tipped his head to the side. “I know, girl. I’m good. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Are you glad we came to Alaska?” I asked as I crossed over to fetch my jacket and stuff my feet into my winter boots.

“Hell, yeah. Love it here. It’s beautiful, and I needed this.” I laughed a little when I glanced over and saw him beaming. “I can’t wait for summer, though. I want to do some fishing.”

“It’s coming.”

“Stay out at the resort tonight,” he called as I lifted my purse.

Glancing out, I saw Lincoln’s dark, charcoal gray truck rolling into the driveway. “Gotta go, Dad. Love ya!”

I blew a kiss off my fingertips, and he did what he’d done since I was a little girl, reaching up in the air to catch it. I stepped outside, the cold hitting me like a wall. As I pulled the door shut behind me, I heard him holler after me to stay warm and felt my lips curls into a smile.

My mother had been gone for years now. My dad had been in the Marines, and I’d grown up bouncing from one military base to another until we landed in coastal North Carolina. My mom had gotten kidney cancer from the contaminated water at the base there and passed away when I was in high school. After that, it had just been the two of us. We both missed her every single day. Alaska had been on his bucket list for as long as I could remember. Now that we were here, I couldn’t imagine leaving.

He’d declared he wanted to die here. I had some feelings about the dying part of that statement. He was in his sixties now. He kept reminding me that both of his parents had lived into their eighties, so I was stuck with him until then. I was counting on it.

The snow crunched under my boots as I stepped off the stairs that led down from my father’s small house in town. Town in Willow Brook, Alaska was different from town in other places. This town offered a startlingly beautiful view of the mountains, a glacier, and a glacial lake view in the distance. From certain areas, Cook Inlet, which led out to the Pacific Ocean, was visible a little further away. But then, views weren’t hard to come by in Alaska.

I paused and glanced up at the skyline. Sunrise in the winter in Alaska came late, but you felt like you earned it, and it always put on a show. The sky was bathed in pinks and purples, with silvery golden light from the sun shooting up through the clouds behind the mountains. It took my breath away, and when I let it out, a little cloud puffed in front of me.

When I shifted my gaze toward Lincoln’s truck, he’d already climbed out and had his hand on the passenger door handle. My belly did a little swoop and shimmy.

His engine idled in the cold morning air. Lincoln Silver was waiting. And I was about to spend the next thirty minutes sitting way too close to him in the cab of his truck.

What could possibly go wrong?

“Good morning,” I said, wincing internally at how breathy my voice came out. Why, oh why, did Lincoln have such an effect on me? All of the Silver brothers were handsome. They all had dark hair and stunning blue eyes, and they were built in a way that could only be described as rugged. Between leading wilderness treks, being first responders, and somehow squeezing in trips as hotshot firefighters in their spare time, it was enough to send anyone’s hormones into overdrive. So much lumberjack energy, so effortless, and infuriatingly sexy.

And yet, my hormones had no reaction to any of them except Lincoln.

He dipped his chin, his eyes skating over me, and I felt my cheeks begin to heat in the cold air. “Morning.” He opened the door as I reached his truck, reaching for my hand to help me to hop in.

“You didn’t have to get the door,” I felt pressed to say, for no reason whatsoever.

“Of course, I didn’t have to, Chloe, but you know my mother.” When I glanced over as I slid my hips onto the seat and swung my legs in, his hand brushed briefly against my leg. Just a quick accidental touch. Still, my pulse jumped like someone had fired a starting pistol inside my chest.

Lincoln was right there. He had a shadow of dark stubble along his jawline, and I wanted to reach out and trail my fingers over it. And, oh my God, his mouth. How could a man have such sensual lips? His bottom lip was a little fuller than the top, and there was a tiny dimple on his chin. I forced myself to focus, lifting my attention up to his eyes. Always a mistake. They were intent, serious, and held this knowing glint, as if he somehow knew that my hormones were doing cartwheels inside, spinning and twirling and dancing for his attention.

“I do know your mother,” I said, dragging my thoughts onto some kind of track that didn’t lead to Lincoln’s eyes, or lips.

His lips kicked up at one corner in a half smile I knew too well. He had a dimple that occasionally showed in his left cheek. The other cheek didn’t dimple. Just the one. I was unreasonably tempted by that dimple. I wanted to kiss it. So much for jumping off the hormone track.

“You do. Hence, I make it a habit to get the door for anyone. It’s not gender specific.”

“No? Would you get it for your brothers?” He threw his head back with a sharp laugh at that.

Lincoln’s laughter was rare. He was the most serious of the brothers. So when he did laugh, it was like a little gift. I wanted to hold it close.

“No,” he said dryly when he leveled his gaze with mine again. “You all set?” His eyes flicked to the seatbelt.