Page 7 of Cold Light of Day

And that’s why he’d been the only one around to see the drowning woman, but saving her had drawn unwanted attention, all the same. Grier slowed as he entered the main drag inShadow Gap. The small town was nestled in the Tongass Forest along a stunning waterway surrounded by mountains.

He steered slowly through town, passing the IGA grocery store, Brothers Outfitters, the Rabid Raccoon Pub, and then his destination—the Lively Moose, the iconic restaurant owned and run by Pearl and Ike Lively since the beginning of time, or maybe at least the beginning of Shadow Gap—so he’d heard.

He parked and sat in his truck. Caught his breath.

“You were the hero today.”

He pounded the console.

She had no idea what she was saying. He wasn’t a hero. Shouldn’t be acting like one. People would talk, drawing unwanted attention. They’d get the wrong idea. Any ideas about him at all were not part of the plan.

He should have gone completely off-grid. And now he should just go home, but instead he planned to head into the Lively Moose—a place he frequented far too often, hanging out with his new friends.

What am I doing?

He pressed his palms to his eyes. He’d tried to keep to himself, but he’d never been a hermit and couldn’t start now, even in his dire circumstances. Besides, the warm, friendly people of Shadow Gap had a way about them and had drawn him out with their small-town-Alaska charm.

Enough fighting his next step—it was a losing battle. Second breakfast was calling to Grier, so he got out of his truck. Hiking up the boardwalk, he longed for a bright sunscape to replace the gray, rainy days and lift his spirits, take away the chill in his bones. He spotted the chief’s Interceptor crawling up Main Street and, smiling to himself, kept his head down. Chief Autumn Long, with her striking multicolored eyes and dark, curly hair, possessed the fiery spirit of a survivor. Yeah ... he recognized a kindred spirit when he saw one.

They were both in survival mode, though completely differentkinds of survival. But over the few months he’d been in Shadow Gap, their paths kept crossing for some reason or another—both big and small.

Today was a big one.

Shoving his thoughts of the chief aside, he focused instead on breakfast. After he got a good meal in him, he’d head back to his cabin and feed Cap—short for Captain America—the husky with one blue and one brown eye he’d inherited when he rented the cabin. Besides, Grier might be able to get some salmon scraps from Ike that he could feed to Cap. Now, there was a perfectly good reason to hang out with his Shadow Gap friends at the Lively Moose—scraps for Cap.

Oh, Grier was good at justifying his every move, all right—even down to the smallest detail. He spotted Otis’s old, rusted-over pickup truck with the giant wooden cross attached to the back sitting in front of the restaurant. The display was impossible to miss and brought Grier comfort he hadn’t known he needed. The truck was painted with “Jesus Saves” and various Christian phrases and symbols over the top of the rust. Something else to make Grier smile.

He paused to stare at the enormous log cabin that could be mistaken for a lodge but was a hopping diner that served breakfast, lunch, dinner, and everything in between. The owners lived in the second-story apartment, so in a way, itwasa lodge of sorts.

Grier opened the door and walked in, let his eyes adjust, then quickly scanned the large dining hall—a counter at the front, booths along the windows, and tables through the center for the larger dinner crowds. Rustic chandeliers hung from the lofted ceiling lined with rafters, and the typical mounted wildlife trophy display—moose, elk, bear, and more—hung on the walls.

He was grateful the place wasn’t too crowded this time of day and breathed easier as he headed toward the booths at the back.

“Grier!” one of his buddies called out to him from the booth by the window—where he usually sat—and Grier joined him.

“How are you doing, Sandford?”

“I’m breathing. God is good.” Luis Sandford looked to be in his late seventies, though Grier wasn’t sure. The man, an army vet who’d served during the Vietnam conflict, was fit as a horse. He’d come home intact and sometime during his life ended up in Shadow Gap for reasons Grier didn’t know. But Sandford had been here long enough to become a town fixture.

Otis joined them, sliding in next to Grier, who scooted over. These men had become Grier’s fast friends when he’d wanted none, but they were characters with colorful histories and he related to them. He hadn’t expected the camaraderie, or he would have guarded against it. But it served to confirm how desperately he wanted his life back.

“You look anything but relaxed. I told you that you should have gone fishing with me.” Sandford chuckled, revealing a few missing teeth, and his laugh filled Grier with light, pulling him out of the shadows where he definitely needed to stay hidden.

Hanging his head, he joined the man and laughed. “Maybe next time.”

Nina brought Grier a plate of fry bread and reindeer sausage, and he looked up at the waitress, trying to hide his surprise.

“You come in here five days out of the week, and this is what you order. I took a chance.” She winked and smiled, giving him the feeling that her smile was for him alone.

He didn’t have the heart to tell her he’d been thinking peach cobbler. “Thanks, Nina. You’re the best.”

He might have caught a slight blush in her cheeks. He hoped he hadn’t given her the wrong idea with his compliment. Grier turned his attention to the food and contemplated the best place to start on the reindeer sausage.

Nina left, and his booth companions chuckled.

“You’ve got a secret admirer,” Otis said.

“Only it ain’t no secret.” Sandford had to add his two cents.

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