Stars Over Alaska (Wild River #4) - Jennifer Snow Page 0,113

truck and open the back door. Her family joined them as he returned carrying a large, framed picture. When he turned it toward her, her eyes watered and a lump rose in her throat. The photo of her and Katherine and Eddie—the one that had hung in the cabin all those years, the one she thought had been lost in the fire, gone forever.

Here it was. He’d somehow saved it and was giving it back to them.

Beside her, her grandmother smiled and took the photo, staring at it. “Wow. Thank you, Levi...this is the most perfect gift you could give us, besides making our girl here smile, of course,” she said, squeezing Leslie’s shoulder.

Her brother and sister laughed and made fun of each other’s goofy expressions in the picture and she caught her mother wipe the corner of her eye.

Leslie’s heart was so full of happiness in that special moment that it was impossible to care that they were going to make a huge mess of the build. The walls might not be perfectly straight, the roof might leak, the doors might not be secure on the hinges, but none of that mattered.

Because the best things in life often came without a blueprint.

* * *

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thank you so much to my readers who have continued to support this series! I love spending my time in this small Alaskan ski resort town and you all make that possible. Thank you as always to my agent, Jill Marsal, who continues to keep me sane and to my editor, Dana Grimaldi, for always making each book that much stronger and more enjoyable to work on. And a big thank you to my husband and son who can always play another round of Fortnite (if they have to ;) ) to give me more time to write. Love you guys the most!

A Wild River Match

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

CHAPTER ONE

THIS HAD TO be a joke.

When Mike Toledo had asked for a chance to prove he could lead his own Alaskan wilderness tours, the Valentine’s Day Blind Date Ice Fishing excursion was not what he’d had in mind.

Normally, spending the weekend ice fishing was his idea of a great time. Fish and get paid to do it? Sign him up.

But Valentine’s Day was really not his thing. He didn’t get the whole chocolate, flowers and jewelry thing. Candlelight dinners and rose petals weren’t in his wheelhouse. Not that he even had a wheelhouse...

Maybe that was why he was still single at thirty-two.

He stared at the adventure brochure, pretending to review all the details, but his mind reeled. What legit-sounding excuse could he use to get out of this one?

The whole idea was ridiculous, but crazy enough, it was one of SnowTrek Tours’ most popular events. Outdoor enthusiasts signed up to be matched with other like-minded singles to fish and flirt out on a frozen lake for two days, in an attempt to find that elusive love connection. Cassie’s rationale made sense. Similar interests were a basis for a strong relationship, but Mike wasn’t exactly feeling the love that year, finding himself once again alone.

His last semi-girlfriend, Jade Frazier, had been hot as hell but the least compatible match for him and his lifestyle. It was almost hard to believe they’d made it six weeks. His initial attraction to her had been solely based on her blond hair, gorgeous green eyes, amazing body... She’d definitely turned his head the night they’d met at The Drunk Tank, the local watering hole in Wild River.

But when she’d tried to make him wear a suit jacket and tie for a dinner party with some of her friends, it was obvious that they weren’t the right fit. He wasn’t looking for someone to change him. He was who he was. A six-foot-three burly guy raised mountain tough by another big burly dude along with his three big burly brothers.

Plaid was their family crest.

To say he lacked finesse would be an understatement. His mother had left when he and his older brothers were young, and growing up in a house full of men who enjoyed hunting, fishing, camping and roughhousing hadn’t taught him how to have a softer side. But when had it become necessary for men to be both strong and vulnerable?

Clearly he’d missed the memo.

“So, what do you think?” Cassie asked him from across her desk. His boss was an amazing, fiery ball of energy in a five-foot-nothing frame. She’d built her company from