Alaska Heart Read online

  “Hello, dear. What can I help you find?” Her blue eyes were so bright and friendly, so welcoming.

  “I’m writing an article on Denali and the wildlife there. Looking to do a little research before I visit the park.” I set my bag on the circulation desk and took a quick look around. I appeared to be the only visitor. The local library I frequented in New York was usually louder inside than Times Square on New Year’s Eve. In this library, I could hear the librarian’s heartbeat.

  “Oh, you’re going to love Denali. It’s tough in the winter, but still breathtaking.” She beamed from ear to ear with pride in her homeland. “Where are you from, dear?”

  “New York.”

  The librarian put on a pair of reading glasses, and her fingers flew over the keyboard on a computer beside her.

  “I’m Alanna Cormac.”

  “Gwen Breck. Give me a minute.” She raised her head to look through the narrow lenses of the glasses and finished whatever she had been working on before I came in. “Okay, the Denali books are this way.”

  She walked around to my side of the circulation desk and gestured with her finger for me to follow her. I grabbed my bag and trailed after her. In the center of the library, a room sported a huge stone fireplace. It stopped me in my tracks.

  “Nice one, isn’t it?” Gwen backtracked to stand beside me. “Do you plan to be here long?”

  “Most of the day.”

  “I’ll get Davey to fire it up then.”

  “Oh, you don’t have to do that. I don’t want to be any trouble.” My eyes lingered on that fireplace for a few more seconds, though.

  “It won’t be any trouble, Alanna,” Gwen said. “Davey’s probably asleep in the medieval books section. Slow day today, and he always naps in the medieval books section. He will start a fire for you.” She arched her brows as if she were going to enjoy making Davey start a fire for me.

  “Here we are. Denali in books.” Gwen fanned her hands out to a large section of books. “They pale in comparison to the real thing, though.”

  “I’ll bet.” I wandered toward the shelves and ran my fingers along the bindings. “Thanks for your help.”

  “That’s what I’m here for. Take what you want and go to the center room to work. Would you like tea?”

  “As long as it isn’t any trouble.” I grinned.

  “No trouble at all.” Gwen shuffled away and a few moments later, an overhead announcement sounded. “Davey to circulation. Davey to circulation.”

  Kneeling beside the first shelf in the Denali section, I read the titles and selected a few photo journals on the park, several on Mount McKinley, and three others on the wildlife of Denali. Many other books called to me, but my arms were already filled.

  Balancing the books and toting my bag, I made my way back to the fireplace room where a man who looked to be about Gwen’s age squatted by the hearthstone. As he piled fresh wood into the fireplace, he whistled a light, upbeat tune. He struck a match, and the kindling he had layered beneath the logs flared. Taking a step back, the man admired his work. When a book dropped from my arms, he whirled around with wide eyes.

  “Hi there,” he said with the same cheeriness Gwen had.

  “Hi.” I bent awkwardly to pick up the book.

  “Let me get that.” The man ambled over to me and swiped the book off the ground. He set it on a table next to a deep, leather upholstered chair facing the fireplace.

  “Thanks. Hope you weren’t disturbed lighting that fire.”

  “Naw,” the man said. “Davey.” He extended his hand to me, and I dumped the rest of the books on the table.

  “Alanna.”

  “If I know my wife, she said I was sleeping in the medieval section, which I wasn’t.” He rocked back on the heels of his boots.

  “I didn’t believe it for a moment.” I walked toward the warmth of the fire. By this time, a large blaze snapped and popped almost musically.

  “I only sleep in the medieval section on Tuesdays and Thursdays.”

  Laughter erupted from me. Davey joined in and causally poked at the fire. “Dare I ask where you sleep on the other days?”

  “Wednesdays and Fridays are in the woodworking section. Saturdays are in the Children’s Room where they have the good cartoon books. Sundays, I nap at home, because the library’s closed and Mondays, today, I snooze amongst accounting textbooks.”

  “Accounting textbooks? That’ll surely put you to sleep.”

  “Nearly killed me.” Davey rolled his brown eyes. “Is this fire okay?”

  “Perfect.”

  “Good luck with your research. I’ll come by in a little while to check on the fire.”

  Davey saluted me and slipped out of the room. I sank into the leather chair and dug out my laptop. As it powered up, I flipped through the first book in my pile. The photos drew me in right away. Moose, looking majestic with a picturesque mountain background, stared from the page. The gentle breeze swaying the tall grasses surrounding the moose nearly ruffled my own hair.

  “Here’s your tea, dear.” I jumped at the sound of Gwen’s voice behind me. “I’m sorry, Alanna. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

  “I guess this picture hypnotized me or something.”

  “Oh, Denali will do that to ya. It’s got a magic all its own. It’s where Mother Nature herself calls home. That’s what I think anyway.” Gwen set down a mug. A husky stared at me from one side of the mug, the words “Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race” emblazoned across the other side.

  Raising an eyebrow at Gwen, I said, “You a fan?”

  Gwen’s eyes twinkled with excitement. “Never miss it. I’ve seen every Iditarod race since I was five years old.”

  “What do you know of this year’s winner?” Slippery, I know, to ask this poor woman for information on Dale, but he could still be a serial killer. I slid my hand into my jeans’ pocket and fingered the multi-tool Meg had made me promise to carry at all times while in Alaska.

  “Dale Junior deserved every bit of his win this year. That boy knows how to work hard, and you should see how he takes care of those dogs of his. He’ll make some woman happy if he takes care of her like he does those dogs. Trouble is, he never dates.”

  “Never?” Interesting. I’d think someone as smooth as he was in the tavern last night would have dates all the time.

  “Nope. He pretty much keeps to himself, training the dogs and such. He’s so focused. If he didn’t work at his father’s place between training, we’d probably never see him in town. Dale sometimes stops in here on the way to the bar to pick up books.” She leaned closer as if telling me a secret. “I always let him keep the books longer than the other patrons. He likes to take his time reading.”

  “I see.”

  Gwen was doing wonders sketching in the gray areas for me.

  “So, he’s the quiet type.”

  “The quiet, gorgeous type.” Gwen giggled.

  “I’d have to agree.”

  “You’ve seen him?”

  “Last night I had dinner at Ram’s Den. After Ram thoroughly entertained me, Dale came in and dazzled me as well.”

  “I’ll bet he was just as dazzled, dear.” Gwen rested her hand on my shoulder. “I’ll leave you to your work.”

  I studied the mug and drew in a deep breath, shaking my head. I took a sip of the tea and let the cinnamon-apple flavor relax me. I returned my attention to the book in my lap. Page after page brought the beauty of Denali to life. As I made my way through the other books, I furiously scribbled notes in my pad, consulted my outline, and composed a few paragraphs for the article. I went back to the shelves several times and lost myself in the facts and photos of magnificent Alaska.

  After two hours of steady reading and notetaking, I took a break and plugged my laptop into the library’s Internet access. I had one message from Evelynne and three from Meg.

  eseaton:

  Hope you arrived safely in Alaska. Send me your opening paragraphs when you have them. By this Friday
at the latest. Ciao.

  Just like Evelynne. One minute she’s praising you and letting you have a primo assignment with a possible promotion attached, and the next she’s on your back with the deadlines. Such was magazine life.

  mpetrisi:

  I miss you already, you fart. Can’t believe you’re all the way over in Alaska.

  mpetrisi:

  Went out with Matt last night. Maybe I’m getting carried away, but I think I like him. Maybe it’s his butt I like. Don’t know.

  mpetrisi:

  Are you wearing flannel yet?

  I chuckled over Meg’s last message. I was wearing a flannel shirt. One that Meg wouldn’t be caught dead in. Definitely not a fabric she agreed with. I shot her off a quick reply.

  acormac:

  Am wearing flannel, but think you’ll be more interested in who else I’ve found in flannel. Didn’t go looking for him—not exactly anyway—but ended up finding Iditarod winner. Having dinner with him tonight.

  That ought to have Meg busting at the seams. I logged off and dove back into my research.

  Before I knew it, the fire had long since died, and my watch read 5:00. I’d gotten more done than I’d expected. Still, I wanted to take the books back to the resort with me. Old habit. I never left a library or bookstore empty-handed. Sorting through the pile, I chose a few and returned the rest to the shelves.

  I hauled my bag and the books back toward the circulation desk where Gwen was perched, pencil still in hair. As I approached, I caught sight of that baseball cap again. The one from the corner booth at Ram’s Den. A man was flipping through a magazine, his body facing away from me as it had been last night. The pad and pen lay beside him on a wooden table.

  I placed my books on the desk in front of Gwen and was about to go over to the man when a loud bark echoed outside the library’s front door.

  “Oh!” Gwen jumped from her seat. “Hold on one second, Alanna. I have to let one of our VIP guests in.” She scurried over to the door and pushed it open. Gypsy pranced into the library with the handles of a canvas sack between her teeth. She dropped the bag at my feet by the circulation desk and sat back on her hind legs. Angling her head at me, the dog raised a paw and rested it on my thigh.

  “Did you meet Gypsy the other night too?” Gwen asked.

  “Uh-huh.” I hesitantly reached out to scratch behind the dog’s ear and was delighted when the bright blue eyes narrowed to satisfied slits. When I stopped, Gypsy pushed her nose into my hand until I scratched her again.

  “She remembers you.” Gwen picked up the bag and dumped the returned books out onto the desk. “Smart dog, aren’t you, Gypsy?” She gave the dog a rub before stepping back behind the desk to check out my books.

  “She always return his books for him?” I looked back to the door just in time to see the man in the baseball cap leaving. Missed him again.

  “She does whatever Dale tells her to do. Even does things he doesn’t tell her to do, like save his life.” Gwen scanned all my books into her computer at lightning speed and handed me a receipt.

  “Save his life?”

  “Oh, I’ll let him tell you that one. It’s a good story. Could have had a tragic ending. Real tragic. But Gypsy here prevented that.”

  I studied the dog still sitting obediently beside me. Did Dale tell her to do that?

  “Here you go, Alanna.” Gwen pushed the books toward me. “Books can be kept for two weeks, but if you’re going back to New York before then, I’ll need them back sooner.” Gwen still had her friendly smile on, but if someone abused her books or didn’t bring them back on time, I’d wager she’d get vicious.

  “I’ll have them to you before I leave. Promise.” I held up my right hand.

  “Very good. Enjoy Alaska, dear.”

  “Will do.” I already was.

  I took my books and looked at Gypsy. “You coming or what?”

  Gypsy let out a soft bark as she trotted after me. As soon as we made it outside, my heart thumped erratically in my chest at the sight of the black pickup truck and the man leaning against its tailgate. The sight of him warmed me from the inside out. It could have been thirty below outside, and I wouldn’t have felt a thing.

  “You stalking me?” I pointed a finger at Dale.

  “Maybe.” His grin was impish.

  “I’m supposed to have dinner with a handsome, potentially dangerous sled dog racer in an hour. I don’t know what he’ll do if you abduct me.”

  “Oh well,” Dale started as Gypsy sidled up next to him, “I’ll have to follow you to where you’re having dinner with this handsome, gentle-as-a-kitten musher and continue my stalking in private.” He took a few steps closer to me, and my pulse reached an all time high.

  “You don’t blend in enough to be a stalker.” I shuffled around in my bag for my car keys. “You’re too noticeable.”

  “Noticeable? What’s that supposed to mean?” Dale shifted to lean against the driver side door of my car so I couldn’t open it. I stared into the greenest eyes I’d ever seen, framed with long, feathery lashes that brushed his cheeks when he blinked.

  Shaking myself out of my momentary hypnosis, I said, “Number one, you’re like famous around these parts for winning the Iditarod. Number two, you’ve got this intelligent dog that people have to stop and marvel at. And number three…” I nudged Dale out of the way so I could open the car door. He fought back playfully, his hands resting on my waist briefly before he admitted defeat and stepped aside.

  “What’s number three?”

  I tossed my bag and books into the passenger seat and turned to face him. “Number three is that you, sir, are ridiculously attractive.” I folded my arms across my chest and looked him over approvingly. Another move I learned from watching Meg in action. Oh, how I wish she could see me now. I was like a different person around Dale. Smooth, confident, interested. I hadn’t found anyone worth the effort in New York, but it was easy with this guy. I didn’t want to be invisible around him, to him. “You stand out with those green eyes of yours.”

  “Do I now?” Dale puckered his lips in consideration. “I suppose it takes a ridiculously attractive person to recognize another ridiculously attractive person.” He tugged on the end of my hair, and for a moment he was so close to me the woodsy smell tickled my nose again. I closed my eyes, drawing it in.

  “Listen, it’s been lovely chatting with you here, but I do have to be off to my dinner meeting. I’ve been looking forward to it all day. I don’t want to be late.”

  “No, that would be rude. You don’t want to get started on the wrong foot with this guy.”

  I shook my head as I closed the car door. I mouthed the words “see you,” and Dale gave me a wave before opening the passenger door of his truck for Gypsy.

  I raced back to Moose Point, and hurried to my room, a levity in my step that was so freeing. I freshened up and changed into a brown sweater and a pair of blue jeans. After pulling on a pair of brown boots, I looked myself over in the full-length mirror on the back of the bathroom door.

  Not bad. I pulled the elastic from my ponytail, letting my hair spill about my face. A couple of rakes through it with my fingers, and it looked halfway decent. Sexy, maybe. At least I hoped it did. I didn’t really know what sexy was. A pair of silver hoops adorned my ears along with a silver cuff bracelet around my wrist. Simple, but enough. Meg wouldn’t have thought so, but we didn’t always agree on wardrobe.

  Okay, we never agreed on wardrobe, but that was what made being friends with her interesting.

  The clock on the end table by the bed read 5:45, so I gave myself one last look in the mirror and bundled up. Again, the cold outside in the dark night hardly touched me. This internal warmth that started in Ram’s Den was growing stronger. Blazing into something more potent. I liked the feel of it. Made me wonder what other feelings I had buried inside me.

  And if they could be awakened.

  Chapter Seven

  When I pulled open the door at Ram’s Den,
admiring the carved ram once again, Gypsy was the first to greet me. She was sprawled across a fluffy rug, but raised her head and wagged her tail when she saw me. I scratched under her chin, and she flipped over onto her back, exposing her belly. I proceeded to give her a thorough rubbing. A low hum emanated from her throat, and I couldn’t help feeling contented myself.

  “Hey, what’s going on here?” Ram stopped to regard us.

  “Some female bonding.” I gave Gypsy a final pat before standing.

  “You’ll do right to bond with her. She’s the best friend my son ever had.” Ram nodded toward the dog, and she let out a small woof.

  “Where’s Dale?” I slid out of my coat and folded it over my arm, hoping I didn’t sound too eager, but knowing that I totally did.

  “Give me a kiss on the cheek, and I’ll tell ya.” Ram shot me a sly smile.

  “Oh, is this how it’s going to be?” I had to get on tiptoes to reach Ram’s cheek. He smelled like barbecue sauce, and my stomach growled.

  “Damn right this is how it’s going to be. It’s the only way an old goof like me can get pretty women to kiss him.”

  “Doubt that,” I said, eliciting a hearty laugh from Ram.

  “Oh, I do like you, Alanna.” He laid his wide hand on my shoulder. “Dale’s in the corner booth over there.” Ram pointed to where I’d seen the baseball cap man last night.

  “Thanks.” I gave my hair another fluff—not a move characteristic of me, but hey, this whole having dinner with someone I knew from the Internet wasn’t exactly characteristic of me either. Here I was, just the same.

  Dale had chosen the seat facing the front door, and by the time I’d reached him, it became clear he’d been watching me.

  “This seat taken?” I tossed my coat on the bench across from him.

  “I suppose if you’re done kissing my father, you can sit there.” Dale arrowed a glare toward Ram, who merely stuck his tongue out when I looked his way.