Stars Over Alaska (Wild River #4) - Jennifer Snow Page 0,38

to see you,” her grandma said, as they entered the kitchen. She hugged her tight.

Leslie didn’t want to let go because that meant turning to her mother next. But, she couldn’t stay in her grandmother’s arms forever. “Hi, Mom,” she said, desperate to sound casual with Selena and Levi watching.

“Hi.” Her mother’s single word and unreadable expression revealed she was just as uncomfortable as Leslie was. Obviously this rare family get-together hadn’t been her idea. Leslie’s guess was Eddie had set this up and convinced her mother to host it. Her brother was always trying to get them back on the same page. He believed their conflict stemmed from the fact that they were just too much alike. Too stubborn. Both unwilling to be the first person to apologize or try to make amends. Of course that’s what everyone believed. Neither she nor her mother had ever told anyone about the pregnancy. There’d been no point. And she’d learned to be okay with her family never knowing her side of the story.

Her mother quickly turned toward Selena. “This must be your...friend?” She shook Selena’s hand. “Welcome. I hope you’re enjoying your first visit to Alaska.”

Selena smiled politely. “It’s been an adventure,” she said.

“Well, Eddie’s cooking, so you’re in for a treat.”

Selena looked impressed. “Cop and a chef? Wow, you know how to raise them right.”

Leslie shifted uncomfortably.

“I can only take credit for the cop side of his personality. The cooking thing, he learned from his grandma,” her mother said, gesturing her grandmother forward to meet Selena next.

They exchanged pleasantries as her mother gave Levi a quick hug and immediately launched into a conversation about the cabin.

“I assume it’s unsalvageable,” her mother said and Leslie felt the first kick to the gut. She didn’t need to say it; she heard her mother’s disappointment and disapproval in her tone.

Once again, Leslie was to blame for destroying more bonds with her family.

Levi glanced her way as he nodded. “We haven’t gone out there since the day of the fire, but from what we observed, I don’t think there’s much left.”

There was nothing left. This house and that cabin had been the only places where reminders of her dad had existed and now one was gone and the other didn’t feel like home. The family home was actually suffocating and already the urge to escape was overwhelming.

Leslie took a breath. But a second later, both of her arms were behind her back and she was in handcuffs.

Her eyes narrowed as she swung around to face Eddie standing there on his crutches, which he alternated with his wheelchair. “Seriously?”

His stopwatch was already ticking the seconds. “Your time’s running.”

Damn it. She dropped to the floor. Lifting her legs through her arms, she brought her hands to the front of her body and raised them up to her head to retrieve a bobby pin from her messy bun.

The rest of the family watched as they joined them in the kitchen.

“What are they doing?” Selena asked Levi in amusement. She linked an arm through his and moved closer.

Leslie refused to let it distract her from the task at hand.

“Seeing how fast she can get out,” Levi said, eyeing her intently. “It’s a game they’ve played since they were kids.”

Selena laughed. “Really? Whatever happened to throwing a football around?”

“Not this family,” Eddie said. “You seem a little off your game today, sis,” he told Leslie.

“Shut up and let me focus,” she said, twisting the pin.

She was off her game, but in her defense, there was a ton of pressure what with both her client and a man she’d embarrassed herself with the night before watching...and getting cozy with one another. And she still had an injured right hand. She’d removed the bandages the night before as they only irritated the damaged skin even more, but now the metal from the cuffs was rubbing the red flesh.

Her grandmother cheered her on and her sister, Katherine, entered the kitchen and watched with interest.

“Who’s the fastest?” Selena asked.

“Leslie holds the record with fifty-seven seconds,” Eddie said, but he glanced at the stopwatch. “But it looks like she’ll be losing that title to Katherine...and yep, a minute and six seconds,” he said just as she freed her arms from the cuffs.

Damn it. She hated to lose.

She stood and handed Eddie back his cuffs.

“I think that sun and surf is making you soft,” he said with a wink.

“Whatever. I can beat your ass,” she mumbled.

“So...all of you are law enforcement or some type of