Page 4 of Northern Escape


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“She called me an asshole.”

Peanut hitched up her chin in a way that absolutely read as,well, duh, you are.

He pointed a finger at her. “Don’t you start, or I’ll drop you at the pound.”

She huffed. Maybe he was reading too much into it, but he bet if she had fingers, she’d be flipping him the bird right about now. Or, no, she was too dainty and ladylike for that. But she’d definitely be huffing and flouncing away if he set her down. She was no happier about her current situation than he was.

“I should take you to the shelter,” he said. “It’s the smart thing to do.”

Despite her haughtiness, he felt a tremor work through her tiny body. Winter in California was nothing compared to the brutal cold of Alaska, but the 65 degrees was apparently too cold for this hairless rat of a dog. Ellis sighed and tucked her into the front of his jacket. Her head poked out under his chin and the little crest of hair on top tickled his neck. And, dammit, his heart— already soft— melted into a puddle.

“You are a strange little creature.” He rubbed his thumb across the soft tuft of hair between her ears. “All right, let’s go get you checked out by a vet and then, I guess, I’ll buy you a sweater.”

Chalk that up to things he never thought he’d say to a dog.

Anchorage, Alaska

Bree scowled at the phone on the table where she’d tossed it.

How could Ellis Hunter not care his father was missing?

Yes, she knew there was bad blood between them. Lots of unresolved issues. And she also knew what it was to hate a parent. She had been raised by narcissists who sent her away the moment she no longer fit into their perfect daughter mold.

She absently traced a finger down the deep indentation running the length of her face. She hadn’t been a great beauty before disease ruined her, but she hadn’t been unattractive either. Just comfortably normal looking. But, after her diagnosis, the disfigurement had made her worthless in her mother’s eyes. A thing to be ashamed of, to hide from the world.

She realized she was scrubbing at the scar and forced her hand back to her side.

So, yeah, she knew about parental hatred. Even so, she would’ve cared had someone called and told her they were missing.

Shehadcared.

At seventeen, she had received a call from their lawyer about their deaths and she had mourned. Maybe not for the parents she’d had, but definitely for the possibility of the relationship they could’ve had. Because call her crazy, she truly believed people could change.

Dr. Will had changed. He wasn’t perfect. Far from it. But he deserved to have someone care. She’d tried to call each of his sons— Damian was unreachable, Nathaniel unresponsive, and Ellis…

He’d been her last far-flung hope.

Strike three.

She paced her small cabin, brooding over the conversation with Ellis until that nagging worry something bad had happened to her mentor dragged her over to the window. Dr. Will had sounded scared during their last conversation, and in all the years she’d known him, she’d never seen him frightened. She’d seen him drunk and angry. She’d seen him laugh so hard tears rolled from the creased corners of his eyes. She’d seen tears of sadness and regret.

But never fear.

Not from Dr. Will.

He was a redwood of a man, battered by a harsh climate and the bad choices he’d made in his life. Battered, but still standing.

She’d known something was wrong the moment he spoke: “Bree, I need your help.”

She’d gone on full alert. She’d been half asleep but sat upright in bed at the stark white fear in his voice. “What's wrong?”

“I did something and—” He stopped and said nothing more for a long time.

“Dr. Will?” She could hear a plane engine thrumming in the background. “Where are you?”

“Nome. I’m flying back to Anchorage and—” Again, he stopped. Someone shouted. When he came back, he sounded more than fearful. He was frantic, his breath coming in hard pants as if he was running. “No. No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have called. I can’t drag you into this. Bree-Bree, I love you like a daughter. Please know that.”

I love you like a daughter.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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