Page 7 of Rough and Tumble

I suck in a deep breath, one after another until the room spins, and I nearly pass out. There’s no way in hell this is the same man.

“Is everything okay?” Rowan finally says. “I know we have a bad name around town, but whatever we did, I’m sure we didn’t mean it.”

One by one the dominos fall into place, and I wonder why they hadn’t before. Four boys and their father here from Alaska to hunt a bear. Why didn’t I think that could be Sergei?

“I’m sorry. I can’t help.” I hang up the line and suck down the rest of the cool water gulp after unsatisfying gulp.

“What’s wrong?” Lark sips her tea. “You need to leave? I can have the waitress get our drinks to go.”

“No. I…” Words form in my throat, but they won’t come out.

“What’s wrong?” She leans in and reaches for my hand. “Is Everleigh okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. It’s not that. I, ugh,” I swallow hard, “that was a med call. There’s a guy up on the mountain that needs some help.”

“Oh, so you’ve gotta go. I’ll have her put our tea in to go cups.”

“No. No. No.” I’m still like a statue.

“Okay…” She narrows her brows and sits back in the chair. “You’re acting funny. Tell me what’s wrong.”

I drag in air, filtering it out slowly. My hands are shaking, my thighs too. “That was Rowan Laskin.”

“Oh, one of the asshole Alaskans up here pissing everyone off? What did they do now?”

“No, it’s not that. He wants me to go take care of his father.”

“Okay,” her brows narrow, “why aren’t you going?”

My jaw drops open, and I lean toward Lark as though I’m about to drop a bomb. “His father is Sergei. Sergei is the guy. The guy, the guy. The one. The one I’ve been talking about.”

She gasps and wraps her hand over her face. “It’s fate! I’ve bumped into that guy in town. He’d just gotten here with his boys. They were at the general store getting supplies. He’s hot. Like rugged hot. You’ve got to go see him!”

“What was he like? Did you talk to him?” There’s anxiety in my voice as I talk.

“No way. He was real intimidating. He’s huge and didn’t say a word.” Her brows go downturned. “Why aren’t you packing things up to go see him? This is your chance. I mean, coincidences like this don’t happen.”

While I agree this is a crazy coincidence, I can’t dismiss the fact that seeing Sergei after nearly twenty years will be awkward as hell. I look different. A lot different. I’m more jaded than I used to be, too.

“What if he doesn’t remember me or doesn’t feel the same? I don’t think my heart can take it right now.”

“That’s valid,” Lark nods, “but what if you don’t go? Will you regret it? Five years from now when you’re still fantasizing about this guy, will you regret not trying? And if he’s still thinking about you, the consequences surely outweigh the possibility of a negative, right?”

She has a point. “What if he’s married?”

“He’s up here alone. He’s not married.”

“How do you know, though? I mean, maybe his wife has a life in Alaska that she can’t drop on a dime for a bear hunt.”

“I’m pretty sure he’s not married. I can ask around town, but seriously, go with your gut. At the very least, you’ll get closure.”

Closure is such an interesting concept. What does it do for anyone? Why do people need neat little circles around everything? It doesn’t help. Truly, I don’t want to stop thinking about the version of him I’ve created. I need that fantasy. It’s hope that something good exists and might be waiting for me.

Then again, maybe this is my chance. Maybe the universe did bring him here for a reason. Maybe everything I’ve ever needed is right here, on top of Rugged Mountain.

Chapter Four

Sergei

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