Page 2

“Of course, I’ll walk them back. I don’t have my stuff, but I can drive back into town if you need more hands.”

“No need,” Drew said.

Zach Fenwick, Violet’s other older brother, grinned, all dimples. Where Drew was the quiet one, Zach chatted up strangers and friends with the ease of long practice and a touch of natural good-natured arrogance.

“Yeah, Dawkins.” He puffed up his chest. “Leave it to us menfolk. You ladies head back to town and keep the home fires burning.”

Rae punched him in the arm, shaking her head when he scowled. “Fenwick, I have just as much search and rescue experience as you do. Can it.”

He rubbed at his shoulder, his pout not detracting from his handsome features. “Okay then, Dawkins. How about you open up Harbor Brews for me? Keep me from losing too much business on this fine Saturday morning?”

Her eyes narrowed, and he stepped back, out of range. “Fine. But you’re going to owe me one later,” she relented.

He sketched a quick salute. “I look forward to it.”

“And I don’t mean payment in caffeine,” Rae said.

Lucy stuck her hand up and chirped, “I’d take payment in caffeine. Especially today.”

I cast her a dark look. You bring herbal teaonetime.

Rae smacked our friend on the shoulder, and Zach chuckled, shaking his head. “Luce, if I let you run my coffee shop with that sweet disposition of yours, I’d have no customers left.”

“I don’t see the problem. That just means more coffee for me.”

Drew slung an arm around his sister’s shoulders, giving her a brief side hug. “You okay?” I heard him ask, looking slightly less mulish after his sister nodded.

His piercing gaze swung to me. “What about you, Anya. You okay?”

I shook off the instinctual response to just say yes. Something about Drew made me feel that lying to him was a cardinal sin. Something he’d never forgive, no matter how small.

Maybe that was why I avoided him.

I inhaled, pausing when my lungs were full, and holding, just for a moment, before releasing my breath in one big rush. As much as I wanted to unsee what I’d seen, tragedy settled over the trail like an unwelcome shadow. Grief was likely to follow for one unsuspecting family. I tried to imagine what it was like to leave a hole behind, to be missed. It wasn’t the kind of love I was familiar with. To my family, I was a tool. Not someone to be mourned.

I forced a smile, covering the flash of fear that thinking about my parents inspired.

“I’m fine Drew, thanks for asking.”

His eyes narrowed, and my pulse took off, beating a frantic tattoo beneath my wrist. I eased my breathing, focusing on themethods I’d learned from teaching to bring my body back to equilibrium.

“I’ll come check on you later.”

I shivered. The last thing I needed was more of Drew’s attention. His oldest brother bullshit detector was too strong for comfort, and he guarded his sister as if she were precious. I’d buried too many secrets to give them up easily, and that meant keeping my distance.

He frowned. “I’ve got another jacket in the car. Just a sec.”

Violet rolled her eyes, giving me a commiserating grin. “That’s Drew for you. Gruff commands and overprotectiveness for days. Good thing his heart’s in the right place.”

He returned with a dark green jacket slung over one arm. He stepped closer, blocking the wind as he held his extra coat by the collar. I slid my right hand inside, the fleece lining easing the chill that had seeped in deep, until I felt it like an ache in my bones. Drew swayed to the side, helping me slide my left arm into his jacket as I turned to face him.

Big and bulky, he was both a grounding and reassuring force. All without saying a word. Mountain pose come to life. His heavy brows beetled in concern, all of his focus on tugging the collar up to cover the back of my neck. Like keeping me warm was the most important job in the world, consuming all his attention. That single-minded focus, especially when it was centered on caring for me, was impossibly hot. There was a new softness in his brown eyes. Maybe concern. His beard had a few hints of gray up close, reminding me that he was a few years older than Violet.

I hunched into the soft weight of his jacket, wanting to draw it closer like a security blanket. A piece of his mountain-man strength I could carry with me. The fleece smelled like him: salty, with the hint of Madrone.

Drew’s frown returned. Suddenly, I was self-conscious. He stood near enough that I could detect the hint of minty toothpaste on his breath. There was no hiding the subtle sniff I’d given his jacket.

He took his time snuggling me into the coat, ignoring the flush of embarrassment taking over my cheeks. With painstaking care, he pulled the hem straight, aligning the zipper and securing me snuggly inside. Like a child. Somehow, that only made me more aware of him as a man. Maybe the way my breath sped up gave me away.