Chapter 10
Janice's heart hammered against her ribs as she stared at the stranger in her cabin. Cole Iverson. Lighthouse Security Investigations. The words on his ID swam before her eyes as adrenaline continued flooding her system.
She should kick him out. Right now. March him straight to the door and tell him to get the hell off her property. He'd broken into her cabin. Picked the lock and walked right in like he had every right to be there.
But his words echoed in her mind. I have information about Northern Summit Resources, and I think you might be in danger.
If he were here to help, then she'd be stupid to kick him out. If he knew anything about the mining company or the threats she might be facing, she needed to hear it. Even if every instinct screamed at her to be cautious around a man who could break into her isolated cabin with such casual ease.
Janice set his ID back on the table and took a steadying breath. "Okay. You can stay. For now."
"Thank you." He moved toward the door. "Let me bring in those supplies."
She watched him disappear outside, then quickly grabbed her phone and snapped a photo of his ID.
Her fingers flew across the screen, typing a message to Marcus.
Man showed up at cabin claiming to be from Lighthouse Security Investigations Montana.
Cole Iverson. Says he has info on Northern Summit.
Check him out? Let me know if he's legit.
The reply was almost instantaneous. On it. Stay safe!
She pocketed her phone just as Cole returned, snow blowing in with him.
Pouring coffee into a mug, she set it on the table for him.
His arms were loaded with grocery bags. He stood still, waiting for her to speak.
She backed toward the bathroom door and nodded toward the kitchen.
“There. Just set them there and then step away. Don’t pull anything out. ”
He placed the bags on the counter exactly as she indicated, then moved to the front door again.
She kept her eyes on him as she reached into the bags, pulling out dried pasta, a jar of pasta sauce, a loaf of bread, deli meat, cans of soup, eggs, a package of bacon, a bag of chips, coffee, batteries, and other sundry items. She then spied what was in the bottom of another bag.
A chocolate fudge pie from the Bear Paw Tavern.
Her mouth watered at the sight of it. “Oh… damn.”
Cole caught her looking and lifted one eyebrow, a hint of a smile playing at his lips. "Figured you might appreciate something sweet."
"I..." She felt her cheeks flush. "Um… okay."
He shrugged, looking almost embarrassed. "We all need a little dessert now and then."
Despite the shock, the fear, the absolute insanity of this situation, Janice felt the corner of her mouth twitch upward. This massive, intimidating man who'd broken into her cabin had brought her chocolate fudge pie.
"I'll sit over here," he said, moving to her small sofa. His large frame made the furniture look toy-sized. "You can put the groceries away where you want them and keep an eye on me."
She understood what he meant. Keep the bear spray accessible. Maintain distance. Stay in control of the situation. Smart. And weirdly considerate for someone who'd just committed breaking and entering.
Janice blew out a long breath and then put away the supplies, hyperaware of his presence on the sofa.
He was a big guy. Easily six-two or six-three, with the kind of build that spoke of serious time in the gym.
Broad shoulders, muscular arms, the solid presence of someone who could handle themselves in a fight.
Until she knew more about him, she wanted at least a chance to hit him with the spray if necessary. The rational part of her brain said he'd had plenty of opportunities to hurt her and hadn't. The survival part said, Don't be an idiot… keep my guard up.
She finished with the groceries and carried a steaming mug to him before backing away again.
“Thank you,” he said, moving slowly until his large hand wrapped around the mug before he returned to the sofa.
She carried her mug to the table, sitting down so she could face him while maintaining the distance of the room between them.
"So… you’re here because you heard what might be a threat against someone who’s moose-watching? ”
He nodded slowly, keeping his hands planted on his knees, clearly visible. “Yes.”
“Okay.” Her mind blanked as she tried to figure out how to proceed. “Um… and it has something to do with a man you met. Charles… something?”
“Charles Penson.”
“I’m not familiar with that name.”
“He’s the owner of Northern Summit Resources. They are a mining company.”
Now it was her turn to nod slowly. “I’ve heard of them. What do you know about them?”
"Not much, honestly." Cole leaned forward, elbows now on his knees with his hands clasped. "I was hired to do a security assessment on Charles Penson's new house. Design a high-end system for his property. That's one of the things Lighthouse Security Investigations does."
"You install security systems for houses?"
"No. Our expertise is in the design phase. For exclusive clientele."
“Rich people, right?”
A deep chuckle slipped out. “Yes, some. But others who are threatened, and we can help.”
She dragged her tongue tip over her dry lips. “Keep going.”
He ran a hand through his dark hair. "I was at Penson's property yesterday, and I overheard him on a phone call.
He was talking about someone 'looking at moose' near his operation. He said to keep going where we said to go. If they're a problem, take care of them. Money talks, so make it talk. And if that doesn’t work, just make it go away however you have to.”
Janice's blood ran cold. "He said that?"
"Word for word." Cole's expression was grim. "The way he said it... It wasn't friendly concern. It was a threat. And when I got to town and started asking around about who might be watching wildlife in this area, your name came up."
She swallowed hard. So Charles Penson knew about her. Or at least suspected someone was documenting his illegal activity. And he'd told his people to "handle" the problem.
"My team is working on finding out more," Cole continued.
"When I called my boss this morning and explained what I'd overheard, he gave me clearance to check on you.
We had no idea what the situation was, but given Penson's tone and what he was implying...
" He trailed off, his dark eyes holding hers.
"I couldn't ignore it. Even if it turned out to be nothing. "
Janice's phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out and read Marcus's response. Company is legit. Called the number and got hold of his boss, Logan Bishop. Cole Iverson checks out. If he says you might be in danger, listen to him.
Relief flooded through her, so intense it made her head feel light. Cole was who he said he was. This wasn't some elaborate trick by Northern Summit to get her to reveal what she knew.
"That was my boss," she said quietly. "I asked him to check you out.” She hesitated, then continued. “Thank you. For coming out here. For checking on me."
Cole's smile was slow, transforming his serious face into something almost boyish. "Trust me now?"
His grin was disarming. Along with his height, the muscles evident even through his jacket, the dark hair that fell across his forehead, the warm brown eyes that crinkled at the corners when he smiled, and the way his jeans stretched across his thighs as he sat on her sofa.
Good God, it's been a long time. She felt heat creep up her neck. A long time since she'd been attracted to anyone. A long time since she'd felt that flutter of awareness that came from being near someone who made her pulse quicken for reasons that had nothing to do with fear.
She shook off the thought. This was not the time.
A potentially dangerous mining company was operating illegally in protected wilderness, contaminating the watershed she'd been studying for months.
She'd just spent hours documenting their illegal operation in a snowstorm.
And now a security consultant from Montana was sitting in her cabin telling her she might be in danger.
Romance was absolutely the last thing she should be thinking about.
Even if Cole Iverson's smile did make her stomach do weird fluttery things.
"Okay," she said, forcing herself to focus. "Tell me what we need to do, because I’m not giving up when I’ve been out here for four months collecting evidence. "
He nodded and something passed through his eyes. Respect, maybe? Or perhaps he thinks I’m nuts.
“Tell me what you’ve got. Let’s work this from the angle that you’ve found out something suspicious, and they know.”
She slid her laptop closer as she said, “I’m out here for a six-month rotation.
Through the University of Alaska, we have a grant to study wildlife in the area, examining how it is affected by climate change and other environmental factors.
I have cameras in a fifteen-mile area along the creek that I monitor and record activity.
Of course, that could be done remotely since the streaming is also sent back to the university.
But I also monitor feeding areas, tracks between the camera sites, and the water chemicals.
Since the creek is a watering place for so many species, it’s important to see if there are changes in the runoff. ”
His attention was riveted to her, so she continued. “I've been tracking the water chemistry of Clearwater Creek for four months. There was another veterinarian here for the six months before me, and I have two more months to give us a full year of data."
“Okay… and you found something that didn’t fit what you expected?”