Stars Over Alaska (Wild River #4) - Jennifer Snow Page 0,53

and he quickly dove into the office and shut the door.

Almost immediately there was a knock, then Chad entered. “That woman’s making a wuss of our dog,” he whispered.

Chad’s only issue was that Selena wasn’t rubbing his belly. The movie star hadn’t shown the same flirtatiousness toward his co-worker the night before, and for a guy who thought of himself as a bit of a Casanova, that must have been a hit to Chad’s ego. “The dog’s not complaining,” Levi said, and he was happy that Selena’s affection had been turned elsewhere. “What’s up?”

“We still need to get out to the Sanders property with a cleanup crew.”

Levi nodded. He’d meant to arrange a team that day, but then he’d been preoccupied. And now, the cleanup might have to wait awhile. He couldn’t risk bringing in more crew members right now with the women at the cabin. He trusted his team with his life when they were on a mission, but this was different and he’d already put Chad in a compromising position. That was enough. “Yeah, I’ll set something up...”

Chad shot him a look, but he didn’t say anything as his cell phone chimed with a new text message and he left the office.

“What was that about the cabin?” Leslie asked, entering the office next.

Obviously, she’d heard Chad. The station cabin wasn’t big enough for any kind of privacy. He nodded. “We will have to get a team out there soon to take care of the debris.”

She lingered at the door. “Do you know the extent of the damage?”

Unfortunately. He hesitated. She had enough to deal with right now, but there was no point sugarcoating it or keeping the truth from her. “Aerial views show that there’s not much left...” he said sympathetically. “Sorry, Leslie.”

If she was upset, she hid it well. Something she’d perfected over the years. When he’d first met her as a kid, she’d been so different. Before she’d started dating Dawson and her home life had gotten complicated, she’d been so open, so happy... He’d kill for a glimpse of that girl again.

“I suspected that, anyway...thanks,” she said, turning to leave.

He hesitated. “Hey, did you want to go out there?” He wasn’t sure if seeing the remnants would make her feel better or worse, but he wanted to give her the option.

She shook her head quickly, her blond ponytail whipping her in the face. “No, that’s fine. There’s really no point.”

“Okay...”

She turned to leave, then stopped. “How would we even get out there?”

So she did care. “We could take one of the Ski-Doos. There are several trails leading that far inland.” They weren’t well traveled and the snow wouldn’t be packed down yet, so it would take the better part of the day. He swallowed hard and forced out any feelings of excitement at the idea of spending the day with her.

He’d just resolved to bury his attraction and not let anything happen between them again. Still, the idea of being alone with her made his heart soar.

She looked less enthusiastic as she bit her lip, then slowly nodded. “Maybe we should. See if there’s anything left to salvage.”

He knew she was thinking of her father’s paintings and photographs that had decorated the walls and he was nervous about what they’d discover. “Sure...give me a couple of minutes, and we can head out.”

She nodded then sighed as though having forgotten about their other guest. “What about Selena?”

There was no way he was bringing both of them. They’d have to take separate Ski-Doos and he knew which woman he’d end up riding with. He couldn’t deny that he wanted to go with Leslie. Alone. Damn, his pulse was already racing. “Chad’s here. He’ll keep an eye on her.”

“I don’t need a babysitter—where the hell would I go?” Selena yelled from the other room, obviously eavesdropping on the conversation.

Levi shrugged. “She’s got a point.”

“Chad won’t mind being left here...?” she asked quietly.

“I mind!” the guy called from the kitchen.

Seriously zero privacy.

Levi shook his head. “He’s kidding.”

“I’ll meet you outside,” Leslie said, obviously feeling a desperate need to escape the claustrophobic quarters.

Ten minutes later, Levi had given himself a serious pep talk about boundaries and keeping things light, and the two of them met near the back shed where the Ski-Doos were parked. He climbed on and started the engine, the machine revving to life before he reached behind him for two helmets and handed one to Leslie.

He’d loaned her a ski suit from the cabin’s supply room and