Page 36 of All It Takes

I shook my head, adjusting the towel where I’d wrapped it around my waist, and crossed over to open my dresser. I pulled out a pair of jeans and a Henley shirt, basically a uniform for me in the colder weather. A few minutes later, I was dressed and scrubbing a towel through my hair.

I walked into the living room area to find Nilla sitting by the door. Her tail thumped on the floor, and I chuckled. She’d quickly learned that if she wanted to go out, all she needed to do was sit by the door. I crossed over, saying, “Good girl,” as I stroked her on the head. Opening the door, I let her out into the yard.

I watched from the windows as she trotted to the side by the trees where she had determined she should go to the bathroom. She did her business and frolicked in the snow for a few minutes before returning to the door and letting out a soft bark.

After I let her back in, I fed her before opening the refrigerator and pulling out the ingredients for dinner. Tiffany had said she would eat anything, so I’d decided to make a marinated salmon. My mom had given me some of her flash-frozen salmon from dipnetting last year. I was looking forward to that come summer. Ross would have a blast dipnetting. Dipnetting involved Alaskan resident-only fishing times where you could catch fresh wild salmon in nets as they swam upriver to spawn. Alaskans traveled in droves to the areas approved and stocked up on salmon for the winter.

Phoebe had texted she could pick Ross up because she was on her way into town for a grocery run and had Ross’s new friend with her. Although I had adjusted to my new circumstances of sharing guardianship of a child, the whole thing was still strange. The attorney sent over the finalized guardianship paperwork with a note clarifying that if either of us wanted to complete adoption paperwork, she would be happy to do that at any point. I couldn’t even wrap my brain around the idea that I felt like an instant parent.

After Nilla finished eating, she returned to the living room and leaped onto the back of the sofa. That was her favorite place when it was light out. Once darkness fell, she liked to sit in front of the wood stove. If there wasn’t a fire, she would look at me expectantly until I started one.

I added a little extra marinade to the salmon and put the baking pan in the oven. After that, I adjusted the heat under some marinated vegetables I was searing in a pan. Nilla trotted back into the kitchen and nudged me with her nose. When I glanced down, she looked toward the woodstove. With a chuckle, I walked into the living room and gathered a few pieces of wood from the small rack beside it.

“I know what you want,” I teased as her tail started wagging madly. Within minutes, I’d started a fire, and she happily sat down on the dog bed nearby, watching the flames through the glass door.

My phone vibrated on the kitchen counter as I returned. I glanced down to see a text from Tiffany.On the way, be there in a few minutes.

My heart started pounding a little faster as anticipation sizzled like fire in my veins.It’s just a text. It’s just dinner.

Who are you kidding?my skeptical voice volleyed back swiftly.You’ve got it bad for Tiffany.

It wasn’t that I was opposed to relationships. I’d had a serious girlfriend in college. We’d simply broken up because life took us in different directions. We’d parted on good terms. After I became a hotshot firefighter, I was busy, traveling a lot. The job didn’t lend itself to relationships.

I hadn’t dated at all since I moved to Willow Brook. Not because I was avoiding it, but just because I was busy and honestly hadn’t met anybody who sparked anything for me.

What I had felt for Tiffany wassomuch more than a spark. It was a fucking bonfire.

I forced my thoughts away from her and turned to check on the vegetables. It was only a few minutes before Nilla heard Tiffany’s tires on the driveway. She got up and trotted over to the door, letting out a soft, expectant whine.

A moment later, Tiffany’s headlights arced through the front window. That anticipation burned even hotter. I had her all to myself for the whole night.

She knocked just as my hand closed over the doorknob. I told myself to get a fucking grip. A blast of cold air came through when I opened it. She stood there in a small circle of light cast from the porch light. Her dark hair fell in a tousle around her shoulders, and her cheeks were pink. I wanted to kiss her instantly.

She smiled at me, blinking. “Hey,” she said simply.

“Hey,” I returned.

Nilla circled around her legs, snapping through my distraction as I realized I was standing there while Tiffany waited in the cold, and icy air blew into the house.

“Come in.” I gestured her in as I opened the door wider.

Tiffany walked through, greeting Nilla as she danced around her legs in a happy circle. She smiled up at me, commenting, “She’s really settling in.”

I grinned down at Nilla. Tiffany shrugged out of her coat, hanging it on the row of hooks by the door and kicking off her boots. “It’s supposed to snow tonight,” she said as she turned away from the door.

“It’s winter in Alaska.”

She grinned just as the oven timer beeped.

“Follow me,” I commented as I walked toward the kitchen.

“Can I help with anything?” she asked as I opened the oven and pulled out the baking pan.

“Everything’s almost ready. I just need to put this under the broiler for a few minutes after I drain the marinade. Have a seat,” I added, nudging my chin toward the kitchen table when I glanced over my shoulder.

Tiffany sat at the table, watching as I transferred the four salmon fillets from the marinade-filled pan to a baking sheet.

“What’s in the marinade?” she asked.

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