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ChapterOne
Alice
I stood at the edge of the lake with my boots planted on the dock. Taking a breath, I inhaled the crisp mountain air. Home. I washome.
My eyes arced across the lake. Alaska was a show-off when it came to nature. For this early evening in autumn, the sky was awash in lavender with deep pink streaks, the colors shimmering on the waters of the clear lake. I let out a shout because I couldn’t help it, my voice echoing back to me.
Impulsively, I tossed off my shirt, kicked off my boots, and shimmied down to nothing. I knew the lake would be bracingly cold, but I was ready. I needed this.
On the heels of a deep breath, I sprinted to the end of the dock and dove. My fingertips struck the cold water, and it enveloped my body in the next second. It was crisp and cold. My skin tingled everywhere. With a single powerful kick, I surfaced, laughing at the shock of it and feeling more alive than I had in years.
Although I was freezing, I needed to be in the water for a few more minutes, just because. I dove under the surface briefly, savoring the feel of the water sliding over my skin. I felt wild as if this moment brought me back to myself. I surfaced again and glanced up at the dock, letting out a yelp.
The man standing there eyed me. He looked kind of cranky. That said, I couldn’t help but notice he was handsome. Actually, handsome didn’t even do him justice. He had auburn hair that shimmered with glints of gold from the setting sun. Even from here, I could see his piercing green eyes. Inexplicably, he wore a suit. His broad, well-defined shoulders filled it out very nicely. There weren’t many occasions to wear a suit in Alaska.
“Um, hi?” I opened with.
The man rested his hands on his hips, stepping to the edge of the dock. “What are you doing here?”
“Swimming,” I stated the obvious. Unfortunately, I was getting uncomfortably cold. I treaded water rapidly.
“You’re putting on a show,” he returned, clearly annoyed.
“For who?”
His hands dropped from his hips, one arm swinging in an arc and gesturing toward the shoreline. I followed to where he pointed and noticed a group gathered, visible in the backyard of a nearby property.
“I didn’t hear anything,” I said. “And I need to get out of the water if you don’t mind. Also, you’re on my dock.”
I started swimming toward it, metaphorically gathering my dignity. I was naked in a freezing lake in Alaska in front of a sexy hot guy in a suit. What the hell was happening?
I swam to the ladder. I didn’t even have to look because I knew exactly where it was. I’d swum in this lake so much in my childhood. I curled my hands on the rungs and called up, “Could you please turn your back? Or better yet, just walk away?”
When I heard footsteps moving away, I climbed up the ladder swiftly. The air was warmer than the water, but my skin prickled with goosebumps. I peered over the edge of the dock to see the man’s back facing me.
I scurried onto the dock, fetching my clothes quickly while praying he was polite enough to keep his back turned the entire time. As soon as I had my jeans and shirt on, I announced, “All I have left to put on is my boots.”
He turned around then while I sat down to lace them. A moment later, I stood as he waited in silence. “You can go now,” I said.
“I figured I should make sure you weren’t hypothermic before I left,” he offered dryly.
Lifting my arms out, I spun in a circle. “I’m fine. What is going on over there, by the way? That used to be Bea Adams’s place.”
“Still is. She’s my grandmother. She’s getting married this evening.”
My hand flew to my chest in surprise. “I didn’t see anyone when I came out.”
For the first time, his eyes held a glint of humor and his mouth kicked up at one corner. My belly did a little swoop. “We walked out onto the lawn just in time for your dive,” he explained.
My cheeks got hot. Hell, I got hot all over. Which, all things considered, was convenient because I was still chilly from my skinny-dip in the glacial lake.
“Isn’t Bea around eighty or so now?”
He nodded. “She still believes in love.”
My lips curled into a smile. “Of course, she does. Please tell her I’m sorry for, I guess, naked diving in front of the group.” I rolled my eyes, mostly to myself. “Give her my best wishes, please. I’m Alice, Alice Hall. You are?”
“Jonah. Adams,” he added his last name almost as an afterthought.
