Page 36 of Logan

Her wide grin was her answer, and when he smiled in return, her heart beat faster. She was sure it had nothing to do with the dips of the helicopter as they headed back toward Ester. Leaning forward, she stared down at the beauty of the Alaskan wilds. Mountains in the background. Thick forests of evergreen trees. Snow in the distance. What towns they came across were few and far between, containing nothing more than a few streets of buildings.

Looking to the side, she viewed his profile. Strong. Handsome. And just as in charge in his helicopter as he was planning their work. Relaxing in her seat, she felt his hand reach across and take hers, once more linking fingers with her.

21

Logan thought about Vivian asking him how long it took him to become a SEAL. Her face had held such interest, unlike the SEAL bunnies that always asked questions, pretending to want to know about their lives when all they really wanted was either a quick tumble with a SEAL or a ring on their finger, assuming that would grant them a ticket out of whatever shithole they were in.

Now, he found himself wanting to know more about her, and he couldn’t remember the last time that curiosity had sparked. “Tell me about your family,” Logan encouraged as Viv observed the vista before them, her eyes bright with interest.

Looking over, she tilted her head to the side, her lips curving. “My grandparents were from Tanana descended from the original inhabitants of the Tanana River…Tanana Athabaskans. They grew up together and married as soon as they could. My mom was born there but left for college in Fairbanks, where she met my dad. We’d visit when I was a kid, and I thought it was a great place to spend my vacation. Long walks in the woods, boat rides on the river, fishing in the lakes. And, when I was really little, my grandfather would let me sit with him in the post office, talking to everyone in town who came in.” Laughing, she added,“There were only about three hundred residents, and they used the post office as a gathering place, so I got to know everyone.”

“You mentioned your grandfather to Farrah?—”

“Oh, that.” She blushed. “You said it is best to stick to partial truths when making up a cover, so I figured they would believe that. Remember…I was chosen because of my heritage.”

He glanced to the side, seeing a tinge of sadness fill her eyes. “I take it your grandparents are…”

Nodding, she said, “Yes. They passed away about five years ago. Within a month of each other.” She held his gaze with her eyes bright with unshed tears. “I think it’s sweet. To be so in love that you can’t live without the other.”

Thinking of his own parents and grandparents, he could imagine that kind of love, having seen it as he grew up.

Twisting to look at him, she continued, “Hollywood is making some kind of reality TV show about men in Alaska from that area, and most of it’s fake. The show made it sound like there were only a few days worth of food in the local store, but they failed to mention that the store is actually fully stocked, and there’s a café with great burgers just down the street.”

“Sounds nice.” His smile was warm as her happy recollections bubbled forth.

“The funny thing is, though, I really hate the little daylight part of the year. I’m someone who can handle cold and snow, but I need sunshine!”

At her words, a thought flashed through his mind—the idea of Viv at his place in Montana, where cold and snow certainly occurred, but the sun never ceased beaming down on the plains around his home. Blinking rapidly, he forced the thought from his mind. Instead, he said, “Well, how about a trip down memory lane?”

She grinned while crinkling her brow. As realization seemed to dawn, she clapped her hands and exclaimed, “Oh my God, Logan! You’ll fly over Tanana?”

“Let’s follow the Tanana River and see where it takes us.”

It didn’t take long for them to circle over the tiny town, the brown dirt roads and old wooden buildings making a small, inhabited square in the middle of the deep green of the trees. Pointing out the post office and café, she grinned as they turned back toward Ester.

“It’s a little bigger than I remembered, but I bet the new TV show based out of there has brought in new businesses and visitors.”

Once they’d landed back at the airfield near Ester, she reached over and placed her hand on his arm, squeezing lightly. “Thank you so much. This was such a fabulous day.”

He leaned forward until his face was a whisper away from hers. “Yeah, it was.” He wondered if she would take the chance to kiss him again. Wishing her lips would land on his, he held his breath. Her gaze never wavered, and he could feel the emotional pull between them. But he hesitated, then simply moved his hand toward her chest to unbuckle her harness.

A tiny gasp slipped from her lips when her body, no longer restrained, shifted. Now, their lips were perilously close to each other. Time stood still, hanging in the balance between need and want. But he didn’t move any closer, and she jerked back, blushing as she slid the harnesses off her shoulders.

Realizing the moment passed, he opened his door. “I’ll come around and help you.” Returning to the land of reality and not fantasy, he said, “We can unload the boxes and then head for some lunch at the bar.”

It took twice as long to unload the boxes as it did to load them since he insisted on carrying them himself. But, in what he had come to expect, Viv refused to stand idly by. She crawled into thehelicopter and pushed the heavy boxes toward the door to make it easier for him to pick them up. Lifting the last box, he winked as he turned to take it to his truck.

He sensed her gaze upon him as sure as a caress. His mind roamed to the kiss from the evening before, the passion igniting a fire within. Turning, he caught sight of her fingers lifted to her lips and wondered if she also thought of the kiss. He could still feel the touch. Though the kiss may have been staged for the benefit of the neighbors, its authenticity resonated deep within him. Blowing out a long breath, he called out, “Are you ready to eat?”

Startled, she looked up, her eyes meeting his, and beamed a wide grin. Perched in the doorway, she dangled her legs, swinging them back and forth as though carefree instead of worried about the dangers of living next door to terrorists.

Matching his grin with one of her own, she allowed him to assist her down before he secured the helicopter. Walking to his truck, he slung one arm casually over her shoulders. She relaxed as their steps aligned with one another. He could kid himself that the maneuver was for their cover, but it felt natural the way her body fit next to his.

“So…uh…we’re going to the bar?”

“Yeah,” he said, looking down at her, his eyes bright. “I went yesterday and met the owners. And that’s where I got the hamburgers from the day before.”

Within a few minutes, they pulled into the gravel parking lot next to the large, wooden plank building. A sign hung over the front, with the nameGoldmine Saloonpainted in reds and yellows. Logan watched Vivian’s eyes light up as they walked up the front steps and entered the dark, cool interior.

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