Epilogue
Adele Jacks
“What the…?” I sputtered, lifting a hand to shield my eyes. “Are you a wolverine?” I asked aloud.
The wolverine in question eyed me with not even an iota of concern in its penetrating gaze. I glanced behind me to see a snowshoe hare frozen in place.
“Oh, I’m between you and your dinner. I don’t think so.” I rested my hands on my hips and straightened, as if I could somehow intimidate one of the least-intimidatable animals alive.
But let’s get real—how long was I going to have a standoff with a wolverine?
I let out a startled yelp and almost jumped out of my skin at the sound of a man’s voice from behind me. “Do you normally talk to wolverines?”
I spun around, slipping a little in the slushy snow of late winter. Turning more fully, I narrowed my eyes at the man who had appeared at the edge of the trees.
“Do you normally sneak up on women who are alone in the woods?” I countered sharply.
When the man got closer, my body felt like I’d collided with an electric fence.
The jolt of energy was so unexpected, I almost stumbled again.
Piercing blue eyes met mine under shaggy dark hair falling across his forehead.
His cheekbones angled sharply, his skin ruddy from the cold.
Of course, he had to have a sharp-edged jaw.
The shadow of stubble only emphasized that edge.
He moved with an easy, rangy grace, and his inky brows rose as he stopped a few feet away. He wore battered hiking boots and jeans. A long-sleeved T-shirt peeked out from under an unzipped windbreaker.
“I don’t normally sneak up on anyone,” he said, “but then I don’t usually find strangers on my property.”
I lifted my chin. “What do you mean? This is a public trail.”
He shook his head slightly, and heat rose in my cheeks. “The woman at the coffee shop told me it was,” I offered, gesturing vaguely toward town.
“Luna?” At my nod, he continued, “Ah. She probably did. It’s sort of public. Luna’s a friend.”
“Oh.” I didn’t usually get flustered. I was used to doing things on my own. I liked doing things on my own. I was an Alaskan girl through and through—born and raised. This just happened to be one of the few areas in the massive state I hadn’t explored yet.
My lifelong goal was to hike in every park in Alaska. This area was close to Katmai National Park, so I planned to spend a few weeks here this spring before coming back in the summer to fly over to Katmai.
I met his gaze and tried for something like an apologetic smile. “I wouldn’t have come if I knew it was private property. I’ll, uh…”
He shrugged. “It’s no bother. Really, it’s not. Luna comes here a lot with her dog.”
A soft sound had us both glancing over to see the wolverine start moving toward me. The poor snowshoe hare, its white fur fading into brown now that the snow in the mountains was melting, remained frozen.
“It is a wolverine, by the way,” he said, lips quirking. “They’re stubborn.”
“But I’m more stubborn, and I’m not moving.”
He let out a bark of a laugh, the sound sending tiny bursts of heat scattering through me.
“Well, I guess that’s good to know. So what should we do?”
I looked at the hare, contemplating our options. “Nature’s probably going to run its course.” I sighed.
He shrugged again, tipping his head slightly. “I have a shotgun and a hunting license,” he said, tapping his hip. “We could have some wolverine for dinner.”
I eyed the wolverine. “No.”
Another chuckle from him. More heat. “I was just pointing out the obvious. Are you a vegetarian?”
“No!” I exclaimed. “I even know how to hunt,” I offered pointedly.
“Of course you do,” he lobbed back.
The little twitch at the corners of his mouth sent my belly into a dizzying spin. I didn’t even know what the hell was happening with my reaction to this man.
“What do you mean, ‘of course’?” I bit the inside of my cheek, annoyed with myself for sounding so defensive.
“It doesn’t even matter. Although, I guess it sort of does since you’re on my property. I don’t know. You seem like you can take care of yourself.”
“Well, I can.” I lifted my chin.
“Are you from around here?”
“I’m visiting here, but I’m from Alaska.” His brows arched. “I’ve lived all over,” I added. “But I haven’t been to this area, so I came to spend a few weeks here before coming back this summer for a trip to Katmai.”
He nodded. “Okay. Well, you have permission to hike all over this area. We have miles and miles of trails. Hiking in the summer, cross-country skiing in the winter. That kind of thing.”
“Who are you?” I couldn’t help but ask.
“Cole Silver. We own Heartfire Falls.”
“Oh. Luna mentioned the falls. She said they’re beautiful when the sun is setting.”
“So they are.” When his lips kicked up at one corner, I felt hot all over.
“You know what?” he said, almost to himself. “Why don’t you come to Heartfire Falls for dinner while you’re nearby? My mom would love to have you. It’s an official resort, so we have guests all the time. Luna must think you’re friendly, or she wouldn’t have sent you out here.”
I felt as if I were holding my breath before I finally nodded, offering vaguely, “Not tonight, but maybe another evening.” This was the kind of thing I loved about Alaska—people being kind and welcoming.
“You haven’t told me your name yet,” Cole pointed out.
“Adele. Jacks,” I added belatedly.
“Well, hello, Adele Jacks,” he drawled.
Another flutter in my belly.
Just then, the wolverine made a mad dash, passing right by Cole. He stuck his foot out—and I kid you not—tripped the bold, fearless wolverine, who immediately changed course and ran off. When we glanced back toward where the snowshoe hare had been, it was long gone.
“You saved her!” I beamed at him.
He looked a little sheepish and shrugged. “I tripped a wolverine.”
We started laughing together, not something I did often with almost-strangers.
I fell into step beside Cole when he said, “I’ll walk you back. Sun’s setting. It’s going to get colder soon.”
When we reached the area where I had parked—a little pullout along what I assumed was a gravel road when it wasn’t covered with snow and ice—Cole held my gaze. “Come out to see the sunset here soon. I’ll take you to the falls.”
“Maybe.”
I didn’t dwell on men. At all. I’d never even had a boyfriend. That was a story for another day.
My life had been my parents and my sister. My need to be independent overrode everything. I didn’t like to think about why.
I also didn’t like that I kept thinking about Cole in the hours that followed. I did want to see Heartfire Falls when the sun was setting. And yet, I was reluctant to drive back out there.
So I did what I usually did. I checked out places in town. I met people, but kept my distance. The coffee at Firehouse Café was extraordinarily good. And, the donuts? Out of this world. Downright holy.
A few days after the brief encounter with the wolverine, the snowshoe hare, and Cole, I went out to get dinner at Fireweed Winery. I’d been to their flagship location in Fireweed Harbor, so I knew the food had to be good.
When I got there, though, the place was packed. Just as I was debating what to do, a prickle of awareness skated down my spine. My body knew that Cole Silver was nearby.
My head swiveled even though I tried to stop myself. But there he was. Our eyes locked. He met my gaze, a smile unfurling across his face. My belly did that swoony, flippy thing that only he seemed to elicit, and I’d only had one encounter with him. How could it be that this was a him thing?
“Hey, Adele,” he said easily as he stopped beside me.
I glanced to his other side when another man joined us. “This is Haven, my brother.” He thumbed toward the man.
“Hi,” I replied simply.
“This is Adele. She hasn’t been out to see the falls yet,” Cole explained, all casual and seemingly unaffected by my presence. All the while, my body felt like it was about to short-circuit with my nerves sparking.
Haven looked remarkably like Cole—dark hair, blue eyes, generally similar handsome features with a few subtle differences. My body had absolutely no response to him.
“You should come out to the falls,” Haven said warmly. “Cole mentioned he saw you out on the property and that you protected a snowshoe hare. We’re all hoping she’s still alive.” His tone was teasing.
A giggle slipped out, my cheeks flushing as Cole chuckled. “I guess maybe it was a little ridiculous, but Cole’s the one who tripped a wolverine,” I offered.
“I did,” Cole replied somberly.
“So, what brings you to the winery tonight?” Haven asked politely.
“I was planning to have dinner here, but—” I gestured toward the crowd “—the wait is almost an hour.”
“Oh, you can come with us,” Cole said.
“Um, what do you mean?”
“Our brother Jude got married. We’re having a celebration. Follow me.”
Next thing I knew, he and Haven led me into an event room.
Cole’s presence beside me left me off-kilter, as if my feet were unsteady beneath me.
I couldn’t believe it, but he kept me hot and bothered.
He was clearly a flirt. A smile always at the ready, warm quips with everyone.
And yet, it felt like he gave me special attention.
Those teasing blue eyes. That way he said, “Adele Jacks,” like my name was a secret only he was meant to know. I silently convinced myself I was deluded. It was just my hormones misreading him.
In short order, I was seated beside him at a long table and met his whole family.
It was safe to say the Silver family was easy to recognize.
All six brothers had dark hair and blue eyes of varying brightness.
Their mother’s hair was mostly gray, but she shared those same eyes.
Maggie was warm and kind and insisted I come out to dinner while I was in town.
“You must,” she said, her eyes crinkling at the corners. “We’d love it. I’m so glad Cole found you.”
“Aren’t you glad I found the little trespasser?” Cole teased from beside me.
I bit my bottom lip to keep from laughing, willing the heat rising in my cheeks to cool.
“She wasn’t trespassing,” Kendall said, rolling her eyes. The marriage celebration was hers and Jude’s. “Plenty of people hike on that property.”
Cole looked unabashed and unruffled. Meanwhile, I was ruffled. Very much so. And, hot. Still hot. All over.