2. Lana
Lana
Was that the turn off?
Slowing down, I glanced away from the road at my GPS, but it was still doing its best impression of a brick.
How had anyone lived without GPS to guide them? How did they do it now?
Mina had warned me I’d hit a dead zone up here, so she’d drawn me a quick map.
Perched on my center console by my elbow, I took a quick peek at it, then looked at the road again.
The two trees up ahead sure looked like the squiggly lines she’d labeled “twisted pines.” Their gnarled, corkscrewed trunks stood out amongst the sea of tall, straight bald pines.
Gripping the steering wheel, I flipped on my blinker, then immediately laughed at myself. There was no one around to see it.
Making the turn onto the dirt drive, I navigated my dusty-blue Subaru through the thick trees pressing in on both sides.
“I feel like I’m driving into Narnia or something.
” The tunnel of trees stretched out before me, no end in sight as the drive curved.
Nothing but a wall of spruce met my gaze.
Leaning forward, I peered up, but only peeks of the leaden gray sky shone through the fir canopy.
What would I find at the end of the drive? A magical world where lions talked?
A pothole jolted me hard enough to make my teeth click together. I winced and eased off the gas, turning my gaze away from the trees, and my thoughts away from the mystical, to watch the road.
This road was better suited for trucks with lift kits and suspensions meant for abuse.
I made a mental note to send a bill to Tina for any repairs needed on my car after this.
Destroying my personal property was not part of the wedding planning experience.
This guy better be here to make this bone-jarring trip worth it and not out on a hunting excursion.
After about a quarter mile, the trees opened into a small clearing.
A quick pang of disappointment went through me when I saw the perfectly ordinary cabin nestled against the forest’s edge.
The dark log walls and charcoal metal roof blended in with its surroundings.
Off to one side, stood a newer metal barn with a fenced area attached to one side.
A handful of chickens pecked at the dirt.
Parked between the two, close to the cabin was a large black truck with a silver toolbox in the bed.
It seemed it was my lucky day. Someone was home.
I eyed the truck, envious of the suspension that probably didn’t need an alignment every time it drove down the driveway.
Stopping about ten feet from the truck, I cut my engine.
Warily, I eyed the house as a sour pit settled in my stomach.
This was insane.
Showing up unannounced at the home of a man I’d never met, in the middle of nowhere, to ask him to go track down a missing person in the Alaskan wilderness was not something I ever thought I’d be doing.
If Mom knew what I was doing, she’d have a fit.
If Luke knew, he’d have a bigger one. So would Dad.
But Tina Halliwell’s fiancé was out there somewhere, and the wedding was in five days. Even with my brother’s connections to the police department thanks to his friendship with Oscar Quartermaine, I doubted they would do much.
No, it was up to me to find this blasted groom and drag him back.
I grabbed my purse and got out.
The tinge of woodsmoke in the air calmed a bit of my nerves. It probably shouldn’t. Pleasant scents didn’t always equal pleasant experiences, but my brain didn’t seem to care.
Pine needles and bits of gravel crunched beneath my heeled boots as I walked toward the front porch. The chickens had paused their pecking to stare at me. One of them, a red hen larger than the rest, let out a loud squawk.
“Relax.” I speared it with a dry look. “I’m not here to cause trouble.”
The creak of the cabin’s front door swinging open drew my attention away from the flock. I looked back just as a giant of a man emerged. In his equally giant hands, he held a Mini-14 Ranch Rifle.
How did I know? I had one just like it, except the wood was a different color.
I stopped halfway to the cabin, halted not just by the rifle, but the sheer enormity of the man.
Mina mentioned he was tall, but I guess I hadn’t realized what a “super tall” muscled man looked like up close.
That rifle looked like a kid’s toy in his hands.
He didn’t need the rifle to scare off intruders.
The thunderous look on his beautiful face and his mountainous size would take care of that.
Thick, wavy black hair fell just past his shoulders and framed angular cheekbones and a jaw that usually only graced Hollywood heartthrobs.
Inky eyebrows slashed over even inkier eyes, and at least a week’s worth of stubble shadowed his jaw.
Handsome as sin was right. Holy cow.
Those near-black eyes swept over me, then my car before that deep scowl he sported settled on my face. “You lost? Or did you just ignore the no trespassing signs coming up the driveway?”
I blinked, refocusing on why I was standing in this gorgeous stranger’s front yard. “I’m not lost, so I guess I’m trespassing, but”—I held up a hand—“I have a good reason. Are you Toren McCrae?”
One dark eyebrow rose. The rifle stayed pointing at the ground just to my right. “Who’s asking?”
“Lana Decker. Mina, from The Cozy Cup, sent me.”
Recognition flickered in those dark eyes. The scowl eased a fraction, and he shifted the rifle, holding it in a more relaxed stance.
“The coffee shop woman?”
I nodded. “She’s my sister-in-law.” I tipped my head. “Well, almost. Anyway, she said you’re a hunting guide. Is that right?”
The scowl turned into a curious and cautious frown. “I am.”
“I need to hire you.”
That same thick, black eyebrow rose again before he raked his gaze over my attire, lingering on my not-for-the-wilderness boots.
Maybe I should have changed before I drove up here. I was dressed for meetings with caterers, florists, and crazy brides, not a man who probably only owned one dress shirt and possibly a tie.
“I’m booked through the end of the month,” he said. “If you need a black bear guide, you probably should have booked one last summer.”
“This isn’t for a hunting trip.” I was well aware most hunting guides, especially the ones worth their salt, booked up a year or more in advance. Hopefully, though, we could work something out, and he could help me.
His dark eyebrows dipped, and he set the rifle down, leaning it against the wall by the door.
I walked closer, taking it as a sign he wasn’t about to shoot me anymore.
“If you don’t need a hunting guide, then why do you need to hire me?”
Stopping at the bottom of the porch stairs, I craned my neck back to look him in the eye.
From this vantage point, he appeared even bigger.
Staying in the middle of the driveway likely would’ve been smarter, but there was something to be said for nearness to get a point across.
“I’m a wedding planner. One of my clients is worried about her fiancé.
He went hunting alone northeast of here about a week ago.
His fiancée hasn’t been able to reach him since Saturday.
He’s due back Thursday, and their wedding is Saturday.
She asked me to find someone who could go look for him. ”
Toren’s expression didn’t change, but his gaze sharpened. “Why didn’t she go to the cops?”
“As I’m sure you know, cell service is spotty even just this far out of town.” I raised a hand, gesturing to our surroundings. “He was also in good spirits when she talked to him Saturday, and he still has several days until he’s scheduled to return. If you were a cop, would you be concerned?”
A low grunt escaped his chest. He propped his hands on his hips and glanced past me to the trees. “Where did he go?”
“The Lace River area. Somewhere between here and Skagway. She wasn’t sure of the exact location.” I liked that he was asking questions and hadn’t immediately sent me on my way. When I set out, I figured I would have an uphill battle to get him to go looking for Dustin.
“You don’t have any other information about where on the Lace River he went?”
“No. Not offhand. Tina—his fiancée—might have more details about that, but I didn’t ask for exact coordinates, and she didn’t offer them. We were more concerned with finding someone to help.”
“Is this guy a local?”
“Local-ish. They’re from Juneau.”
That low grunt sounded again. “How experienced is he?”
“Honestly? I’m not sure. Tina said he’s gone on solo trips before, so probably experienced enough to have the confidence to go out alone and stay out.”
Sculpted lips pursed as he nodded.
When he didn’t speak, I filled the silence.
“I know this is a strange request. And I know you don’t know me.
But Mina trusts you enough to recommend you, and right now, I don’t have a lot of options.
Tina’s worried, and while she’s a bit of a bridezilla, her concern for Dustin isn’t just worry that he might miss the wedding.
She’s truly concerned something has happened to him. ”
For long moments he just stared at me, those nearly black eyes hiding his thoughts. I wanted to look away and break the stare, but I didn’t dare let him know I was at all intimidated.
“You said the Lace River area between here and Skagway?”
“Yes.” Hope swelled again. He wouldn’t be confirming Dustin’s location if he didn’t want to help, would he?
Moving out of the shadows, he walked toward the steps. His heavy boots clomped on the wooden planks, and those dark eyes never left my face.
Lord, have mercy.
Up close, not only was he even larger, but I could see the flecks of mahogany, amber, and copper in his dark brown eyes. Even in the dull light from the overcast sky, shades of blue and violet shifted in the locks of his coal-black hair.
The man looked like some dark god, come down to impose his will on the earth.
“I’ll go, but you’re going with me.”
I blinked.
Once.
Twice.
“I beg your pardon?” Why was my presence necessary for him to track down Dustin? He was the expert guide, not me.
“You heard me. I’m not running around the bush, searching for your lost groom with secondhand details.
Locked in that pretty head of yours is the details the fiancée told you.
I need access to that information. Honestly, taking her along would probably be better, but this close to her wedding, I’m assuming I’d have to drag her out there, kicking and screaming. ” One of his dark eyebrows rose again.
All I could muster was a short nod, my pretty head too busy trying to wrap itself around the idea of traipsing off into the wilderness with this mountain of a man.
“If you want me to do this, I need one of you to come along, so I can ask questions and get answers when I need them.”
My tongue darted out, dampening my top lip, as I focused on a point past his shoulder, thinking about his proposal. “I’m really not sure what all I’ll be able to tell you. Tina didn’t give me too many details.”
A quick grin slashed across his face, showing off a deep dimple in his cheek. “Well, you’ve got about eighteen hours or so to pick her brain and get all the information you can. We’re leaving at first light, provided my bush pilot friend is free to drop us off.”
“Bush pilot?” My eyebrows hit my hairline.
“That area is extremely remote. We’ll fly over it first and see if we can spot any sign of him.
Regardless, if we want to get in there with any expediency, we need a bush plane to drop us in the region.
If you could get better coordinates from your bride, that would be even better. It’ll narrow the search.”
I raised a hand to my forehead, rubbing at the wrinkles that had formed.
This had not been part of the plan. The plan was to hire someone, point them in the right direction, and go back to managing Tina’s rapidly disintegrating wedding.
I had a florist delivery to coordinate. One hundred chair covers were arriving from Juneau on Thursday morning.
Leaving the week before a wedding when you were the wedding planner wasn’t wise.
Oblivious to my inner struggle, Toren continued.
“I’ll meet you at the airport at five a.m. Wear layers and bring a pack with enough supplies to last a week.”
“A week!” He’d lost his mind. “I can’t stay out there a week. And surely you can’t, either. It’s black bear season.”
“It is, and I don’t plan to be out that long, because you’re right. I have other clients. But it’s always wise to bring more supplies than you need. The more—and better—information you can get from the bride, the easier this will be and the faster it will go.”
His gaze ran over my attire once more, this time, lingering on my feet. “I hope you have better boots.”
My eyes narrowed, a slow burn of anger beginning to simmer at his attitude. “Of course I do. I know better than to wear heels on a hike.” Even wide heels, like the ones I had on now, were idiotic for something like that.
Toren shrugged one massive shoulder. “You look like a city-slicker, and even up here, we have some of those.”
I fought the urge to roll my eyes. “Yes, well, I’m not one.”
“Good.” He crossed his arms. “Five o’clock, Ms. Decker.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him no thanks, that I would find someone else. But the truth was, I didn’t know who else I could ask, especially on short notice.
Clenching my teeth, my jaw worked. “Fine,” I finally pushed out between tight lips.
Spinning on my fancy heeled boot, I marched back to my car and got in.
This was a stupid plan. They made satellite radios and satellite phones for a reason. He could call anytime he needed something.
My hand lingered over the door handle. I could go make that argument. He was still standing there, just watching me with those nearly black eyes.
But then I ran the risk of him backing out, and I didn’t have a backup plan except for going to the police.
Shoulders slumping in defeat, I pushed the start button.
I had a strong suspicion coordinating delivery of those chair covers would be the least of my problems this week.
Starting with the fact that I had less than a day to not only pack all the gear I’d need, but also to convince my brother and Mina to cover for me with Tina, and that running off into the wilderness with a stranger the size of a small car was a good plan.
This time, I didn’t hold back the eyeroll.
Yeah. That would go over well.