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Chapter 2
A few days later, Apollo shuttled him to Anchorage at the ass crack of dawn—which wasn’t even a thing at the moment because the sun didn’t come up until after ten in December—and from there, Linc hopped a plane to Montana. From the airport it wasn’t a quick trip out to Rawhide Ranch but it was a pretty one, and Linc entertained himself well enough by looking out the window of the car he’d hired on their way until they reached the manned wrought-iron gates of the Ranch where he sat up and really started to pay attention.
It was a big property with a bunch of outbuildings and pastures, all of which had a dusting of snow on them. They had quite the set-up.
Linc had always enjoyed Montana when he’d passed through, but he’d never been anywhere like Rawhide Ranch. Maybe if he’d found this place back then, he never would’ve left. He was happy out on Enclave though, and Alaska filled a place in his heart he hadn’t known was missing. This big sky and the wide-open spaces were a nice intermission from the dense forests and pitching oceans of Cook Inlet though.
Once the town car had made its way up the tree-lined gravel drive and Linc had tipped his driver, he climbed out of the car, slung his duffel over his shoulder, and started up the stairs. Before he could reach the top, the front door to the main lodge flew open and a bouncy brunette in a bedazzled bright pink denim skirt and jacket with white fur trim and matching knee-high cowboy boots with bright-white tights on burst through.
“Hi! I’m Sadie and I’m your hostess! Welcome to Rawhide Ranch!”
Wow, Sadie really took excited to the next level. She was a lot, but her bright smile was genuine, which was sweet. Not that people were sad to see him, but no one was ever this happy either. Grateful, maybe, because he was usually fixing something or other, but not bouncing up and down thrilled.
Linc was betting she was a Little, and if he was right, this woman had one lucky Daddy. Or maybe a tired one. Or both since lucky and tired weren’t mutually exclusive. Owen was one of the most fortunate sons of bitches on the planet, but between his bush patients and looking after Cricket, that man definitely had his hands full and slept like the dead at night.
“Thank you, Miss Sadie. I’m Lincoln Donall but my friends call me Linc. It’s nice to meet you.” He held out a hand and the woman shook it as enthusiastically as she’d done everything else.
“CanIcall you Linc?”
That wide-eyed earnestness was one of the things he loved about Littles.
“Mmm, I dunno,” he said, squinting and letting one side of his mouth curl up. “What do you think? Do you want to be friends?”
“Of course I do, silly! Come on, Linc, let me show you to the desk and we’ll get you checked in.”
It didn’t take long for him to get assigned to his room and collect a keycard. Sadie rattled off a list of events that were happening that week and pointed out various things on the map she handed him. This place was pretty damn impressive.
“Feel free to get settled in and take a look around. I’m so happy you’re here. See you around, Linc!”
Linc shook his head and smiled. That Sadie was really something else, and she seemed tickled that they were friends. Well, he was too.
It was a simple matter to find his room and drop his bag off. He’d take a closer look later but right now he wanted to stretch his legs after being cooped up in planes and a car for so long. It was a bitingly cold day, even for him, so he decided to wander around inside. The main resort was huge though, so he should be able to loosen up his limbs in here, and there were tunnels to other parts of the resort if he was still itching to walk around once he’d finished his self-guided tour. He’d bundle up and explore outside later.
The whole place looked like it had been in a snowball fight, with snowflakes and winter-themed decorations everywhere. Probably shouldn’t surprise him given that Sadie had looked like Winter Ranch Barbie and she likely had something to say about the decor. Of course, the official guest areas were festooned to the max, and the not-as-public areas were less decked out.
Linc had a habit of wanting to see the inner workings of things—which sometimes got him in trouble but also made him great at fixing just about anything—so while it was fun to see the lobby and the restaurants and the gift shop, he took a detour down a hallway that seemed to be more of a staff area. Almost all the doors were closed—probably offices and most people were on vacation—but there was one open that had a light on, and he couldn’t help but sneak a peek inside. When he did, he got the shock of his life.
“Well,well, well. Look what we have here.”
The deep drawl coming from the entrance to her office was so familiar that she almost wasn’t surprised to look up and see Lincoln Donall leaning against her doorway. Except she hadn’t seen Linc in thirteen years and had honestly never thought she’d see him again. On top of that, Novalie never thought she’d see anyone she knewhere.
Linc took her silence as an invitation to come in, and she got to admire him as he strode toward her desk. He was wearing well-worn jeans, work boots, and a flannel that was half buttoned to reveal a t-shirt underneath. Not much if any taller than when she’d seen him last, but Linc had definitely filled out from a lanky teen to a broad, muscular man. His light-brown hair was long enough to curl at the ends, and his deep-brown eyes were still warm and inviting. He’d grown a beard too, and wow.
She’d had a huge crush on him in high school, and her mouth started to water now. It was soured a little by a twinge of embarrassment and heartbreak.
“That really you, Novalie Marchand?” he asked, his brows drawing together in disbelief. “What’re you doing here?”
Ugh. That charming, boyish smile was the same and it made something in her stomach flutter like a swan’s wings on takeoff. He remembered her? He knew her last name? That was surprising given that he’d rarely acknowledged her existence back in Kartoff. Except that one time…
“Working,” she choked out.
Working? Nova, you’re the worst. Just as awkward and hopeless as you were in high school.
If she was lucky, Linc would ignore her just like he had when they were in high school. He’d been one of the cool kids, a hot guy. She’d also been aware he had a bad home life—that’s what a few black eyes, his parents never showing up to conferences or anything else and his rough-looking clothes conveyed anyway—and seemed to make jokes or trouble before anyone got too close. But that didn’t seem to deter anyone. To be fair, it wouldn’t have stopped her, either, but she’d never had the chance.
She, on the other hand, had been a nerd with her nose stuck in a book when she wasn’t playing piccolo in the marching band or competing in Academic Decathlon. A beloved only child of supportive and doting parents. Actually, she wished he’d ignored her entirely. Then she could feel pure pleasure at seeing him again, instead of excitement mixed with low-grade nausea.
“I can see that,” he said, planting his hip on the corner of her desk and crossing his arms over his broad chest. “And the day after Christmas, no less. So industrious.”
