Wild Men of Alaska Collection - By Helmer, Tiffinie Page 0,29
too. He’d never been knocked back like that before from a mere meeting of lips. Never had a woman occupied his every waking thought and dreams like she did.
He launched into his story of destructive bear cubs and the long trek back to town not leaving out one little detail.
She abandoned her muffin halfway through his explanation, and cradled the coffee cup in her hands. When he finished, she took a long draw of the coffee before setting the cup on the table.
“That’s quite the story. Do you seriously expect me to buy that?”
He paused. He never thought she wouldn’t believe him. But then she was from Outside where things like this weren’t the norm. “Yeah, I expect you to buy it. Remember you were chased by a moose yesterday.”
“You do have me there. So, what is it that you actually do?”
“I’m an officer for the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge.”
“Like what? An animal cop?”
“It’s a lot more complicated than that.” He tried not to take her comment as an insult. She was uneducated in Alaska. And he planned to educate her. In many things. “I police the Refuge. I’m in charge of conserving fish and wildlife, international treaty obligations, subsistence uses, which is a big part of my job with so many people who depend on fish and wildlife in order to survive. Safety of people using the Refuge, and assisting with Search and Rescue when needed, which is called on more than I’d like.” He’d come close to being another statistic himself. “I monitor commercial activities on the Refuge, and Alaska is rich in oil, gas, and gold this far north. Way more politics than I signed up for,” he muttered under his breath.
“How big is the Refuge?”
“Yukon Flats is about eight and a half million acres, spanning an area roughly two hundred and twenty miles east to west and one hundred and twenty miles north to south.”
“How many officers do you work with?”
“It’s just me.” He continued when her mouth fell open, “I have other law enforcements agencies that I can call on if needed. But, basically, it’s just me.”
“How do you patrol something that...big?”
He shrugged getting uncomfortable talking so much about himself. Wasn’t that a red flag where women were concerned? But then if she was asking questions, she was at least talking to him and not slamming a door in his face. “By any means necessary. Horse, four-wheeler—which I’m going to need a spare until I get my other one back and repaired—plane, snow machine, dog team, you name it. Whatever it takes to get the job done.”
“Huh.” She picked up her coffee cup and studied him like bacteria in a Petri dish.
Uh-oh. He had talked too much. She didn’t have that glazed over look that some women got, but she was from a big city. This had to be boring her to death. “How about I show you a part of the Refuge? It’s supposed to be nice today.” Which could change faster than a woman changed her mind. “I could take you on a tour, so you can get a feel of the place you are now calling home.” When she didn’t look like she was going to agree he added, “Show you the lay of the land so that you don’t get turned around so easily, and find yourself lost in your own backyard again.” That did it. He saw the shift in her eyes as she accepted his challenge. So she was the type who couldn’t turn down a dare. That was handy information to have.
“How long will we be gone?”
“A few hours. I’ll pack a picnic lunch. After all, I do owe you dinner.”
“That you do.” She smiled.
The movement focused his gaze on the lips he couldn’t stop thinking about.
“Okay, you’re on,” she said.
Now who was laying down a challenge?
CHAPTER FIVE
“I thought you said ‘land’?” Eva asked, staring at the canoe beached on the bank of the Chatanika River.
“Best way to get a feel for the place is by boat.”
“This isn’t a boat.” A boat had a motor not a paddle, and seats not planks.
He laughed. The sound and the way he tipped his head back charmed her in a way that she couldn’t explain or begin to understand. He was so different from any other man she’d been attracted to. But then the others had never measured up when it counted. He was big enough and tall enough that he could probably measure up to anything.