Page 20 of Wind Valley

“Listen,” she said after they’d driven a few miles in silence. “I’m a lightweight. A few sips of wine and I’ll say anything. Back in Colorado, I rarely drink, and I guess I should have stuck to that. It’s hard when the community gathering place is a bar. I hope I didn’t cause any problems between us.”

“You didn’t cause any problems.” His quick reassurance didn’t entirely make her relax.

“Because your friendship is very important to me. I don’t know many people here, other than Pinky.”

“And his friends,” Lachlan pointed out.

“Yes, true. But when it comes to people who aren’t twice my age, you’re pretty much it.”

Moisture kept condensing on the inside of the windshield, and he used his thick fleece-lined work gloves to wipe it off. “The defroster has issues,” he explained. “Like I said, there’s no problem.”

“I didn’t come on to you, kind of sort of?”

“I didn’t interpret it that way.”

But she’d wanted to. That was the truth. As soon as she’d gotten a little bit of alcohol in her, she’d started wondering what it would be like to feel his hands on her.

Interesting, because ever since SS had nearly destroyed her life, she’d been one hundred percent opposed to any involvement with any man.

No more red wine, she told herself. And that’s final.

“Well, that’s a relief,” she said. “A friendship is much more valuable than a drunken hookup.”

Lachlan showed no reaction as he checked the rearview mirror. The truck was pulling a trailer with a snowmobile he’d borrowed from Gunnar loaded on it.

“Do you miss your friends in Colorado?” he asked.

No, she didn’t, because her friends had let her down. He’s so romantic…I wish a guy would wait outside my house all night with flowers…you’re being so dramatic…you must have done something to make him think he has a chance.

Not all of them had reacted that way, of course. Her friend Marco was keeping an eye out for SS, armed with emergency numbers and a secret way to communicate via draft emails.

Thinking of Marco now, she said, “Yes, I do. I worry about them. I’m the levelheaded one who gives good advice.” Ironic, really. “I hope they’re not making all kinds of mistakes while I’m gone. I’m sure Marco is dating some dude from his gym instead of giving the hot nerd from accounting a chance.”

“Marco?”

“My best friend since the age of five.”

He gave her an alert glance. “Screensaver-level best friend?”

“Yup.”

For some reason, her answer made him grin happily. As he downshifted to take the truck up a steep incline, it occurred to her that she didn’t know much about Lachlan other than the fact that he was a twin and a scientist.

“Where do you live when you’re not here in Firelight Ridge?” she asked.

“Minneapolis. I’m on leave from the University of Minnesota. But I don’t know when I’ll go back. I’ve been coming to Alaska every summer for the past five years and a good chunk of the spring too. When I go back to the Twin Cities it’s hard to adjust. There are more people in my apartment building than live here.”

“How about your brother? Does he live there too?”

“Gil has always traveled a lot. He considered my apartment his home base, even though he had a condo in DC. He let that go when he decided to stay here with Ani.”

She caught the wistfulness in his voice. “They seem really happy together.”

“Oh, they are. He’s the happiest I’ve ever seen him. He always said he was going to die single, but I always knew he was wrong. I knew this day would come…” He shrugged one shoulder. “And it’s a good thing. He spent so much of his life protecting me, even when he didn’t have to. Now he’ll have his own family to protect.”

“But he’ll always be your brother,” she said gently.

“Yes.” He smiled a little, then swerved to avoid a branch that had fallen across the road. “Poor guy.”

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