Page 45

With that thought, Sam stared at Alex. He hated that he blamed Alex for their father’s death.

It had happened, and that was that. He couldn’t change the past. No one could cheat death forever, especially when you navigated churning white water, razor-edge cliffs, and wildlife nearly every day.

If only he knew the truth, he could probably move on, but it always felt as though Alex was hiding something.

Alex lifted his eyebrows when he caught Sam staring, but then nodded toward Vince. Sam cocked his head, immediately reminded how his search dogs would do the same thing when he gave them an order they didn’t understand.

Alex deliberately mouthed the words a job .

Oh … yeah , Sam mouthed back. The business wasn’t doing well.

He wasn’t sure he could add another salary.

But the company rescue boat was just sitting in dry dock, which wasn’t cheap.

With an expert captain manning the boat again, they could pick up more search-and-rescue jobs, which would bring in more donations.

Especially this time of the year, when novice fishermen flocked to Alaska.

Too often, storms would pop up out of nowhere, and boats would capsize, leaving unsuspecting vacationers holding on for dear life.

“You know, Vince,” Sam started, “we haven’t replaced a boat captain since Chris left, but with summer coming up fast —”

“I’d love to captain it,” Vince said before Sam could finish his sentence.

“I’ll take it. Thanks!” Vince flagged down Gina, and the waitress smiled at the only fair-haired brother in the family.

Even though Vince came off as raucous and was built like his Russian father, with massive hands that would make a polar bear envious, he had a bigger heart.

“Let’s get this young man good and drunk, so he’ll never want to drink again.

Drinking’ll kill ya, Daire! Better to stick to women and song — ah …

scratch that. Women’ll kill you, too. Or at least they’ll take your last penny and clean pair of undershorts and run. ”

Erik tapped the back of Vince’s head. “Cut your whining. You’ll have another woman faster than the ink dries on your divorce papers.

Just like high school. One woman the entire four years.

Face it, Vince, you don’t like being alone.

Not like ol’ Sam here.” Erik raised his chin as if challenging Sam to refute his statement.

“What?” Sam scowled. “Why’re you dragging me into this conversation?”

“I’m just sayin’. Unlike Vince, you haven’t had a real relationship in … what … twenty years?”

Twenty-one years obviously , Sam thought, but who’s counting? “I date.”

“Since when?” Daire cut in. “When’s the last time you’ve gone out?” Sam started to answer, but Daire interrupted his reply. “You can’t lie, bro. We live in the same house, remember?”

“There was … uh … you know. That, ummm … firefighter …” He snapped his fingers. “Evie!”

“Oh, yeah. The woman you went out with twice and then said it was too difficult to work a relationship around your schedule.”

Sam blew out a breath. “I’m going to start dating again.

I was waiting —” The entire family gawked at him.

“It’s not like there are a lot of choices in Falcon Run.

I know practically everyone, and the women I don’t know are usually only here long enough to visit Denali.

That’s not really conducive to establishing a relationship. ”

Daire raised the new mug to his lips but paused. “No one said you had to sign a marriage license. I just think you might not be so grouchy if you got laid once in a —”

“Daire Belgarde!” his mother screeched.

“Sorry, Mom.” Not looking contrite in the least, Daire peered over Sam’s shoulder, then pointed to something — rather, someone, Sam assumed — behind him.

All his brothers — and their mother too — surveyed the area behind Sam, their eyebrows rising in unison. A few mouths even fell open.

“I don’t know what you’ve been waiting for, Sam,” Alex crooned. “But I challenge you to start now.”

“You better move fast,” Erik chuckled. “Vince is already trying to push by me.”

“Am not!” Vince snorted. “For her, I’ll crawl under the table.”

Perfunctorily, Sam turned to see what all the fuss was about. After seeing no one of interest nearby, he checked out the three ancient videogames at the opposite end of the bar. Okay, maybe not ancient, but twenty years old if they were a day.

Fate, you old fool … What are you thinking?

Chills ran down his arms. He didn’t have to see her eyes; he’d recognize those curves from a mile away.

The woman from the backpacking class was playing the boxing game, the one where the player punches until the virtual opponent drops.

She was his kind of sexy. Not too short, not too tall, curvy in all the right places, and obviously athletic based on her mad air-boxing skills.

He didn’t need his brothers to challenge him; he’d been thinking all day about what he’d say if he saw her again.

His legs were already transporting him across the worn wood floor.

Once within a few yards of the woman, he paused and watched as she knocked out one simulated challenger after another.

Note to self: don’t come on too strong. The chick’s got a wicked right hook.

He glanced back at his family, irritated at their concern for his love life …

and the way they were hanging on his every move.

Just out of spite he thought about heading back.

But hell, isn’t that called cutting off your nose to spite your face?

Or cutting off another part , he thought with a snort.

Besides, a new woman in the local dive bar was unusual.

Attractive and new was nearly unheard of.

Was it possible that since she was here, and not on the touristy side of the river, that she was a new resident?

Didn’t matter. He wasn’t stupid enough to pass up a second opportunity to meet her.

Sure, they’d kind of met earlier, but maybe he shouldn’t be thinking that way.

Maybe he should act as if she hadn’t showed him up in front of twenty men.

All of the lines he’d rehearsed sounded stupid now that he was within feet of her. It’d been too long since he’d approached a woman. He wasn’t sure how to start. Play it cool? Clumsy? Funny? Common interest?

The woman dropped the handles and stepped back, smiling at her high score.

He didn’t have time to come up with a game plan. If he waited for her to notice him, some horny local might swoop in. Abe, the resident meth-head, was already eyeing her as if she were a big juicy steak.

Ignoring his palpitating heart and sweaty palms, he blurted out the first thing that came to mind, “You up for taking on a real opponent?”

The woman turned, and she was even more striking than he’d remembered, especially now that she’d discarded the sunglasses and hoodie. Dark brows and lashes, matching her espresso-colored hair, framed those brilliant green eyes.

“You want to fight me for real?” Her narrowed eyes sized him up from his cap to his boots.

Sam blinked. Had she just checked him out? Or … wait. She thought he was seriously challenging her to a physical fight? Apparently so, from her rigid stance and very fit bod that seemed ready for an altercation.

He held up his hands, the ancient sign that he held no weapons, and added a chuckle for good measure.

“Oh, God no. You misunderstood. I may be the eldest of my brothers, but if I ever lifted a hand to a woman, they’d kick my ass from here to the North Pole.

Not that that’s far from here, but it’s a cold and bitter place.

I was thinking of something a little tamer.

” He indicated the pool table behind her.

“Are you as good at shooting pool as you are at air-boxing and tying knots?”

The woman raised one of her perfectly sculpted dark brows. “Not sure. I’ve never played.”

“Wanna learn?”

“Depends.” She cocked her head. “Are you better at shooting pool than keeping people’s interest?” Obviously toying with him, the woman’s lips turned up slightly. But then she peered around him, scanning the bar.

“I’m okay.”

“You’d teach me, then? Without that I-know-everything swagger?” she added playfully.

“Sure.” He’d love to teach her a few moves. Based on her one-handed knot tying and boxing skills, though, she might be able to teach him a few.

The cheeky expression disappeared as she peered past him again, her gaze darting around the bar.

He instinctively peeked over his shoulder to see what she was looking at.

No one stood out. Mostly just his family gawking in his direction — and Abe’s sorry ass, as if he stood a chance with this physically fit woman.

All parties quickly stopped their rubbernecking and started talking amongst themselves as though they hadn’t been spying.

Great. Not only would his family be shamelessly watching him, so would every single man in the establishment who had wanted to approach the green-eyed beauty.

Sam tested the weight of several pool sticks, then handed her one.

Her fingers grazed his as she wrapped both hands around the stick. “Now what?”

He reached for a square of chalk, his gaze locked on hers. Holding it out to her, he realized that he heard nothing but his own breathing. It was as if the entire tavern had gone silent.

She accepted the chalk. “Like this?” She twisted her wrist back and forth, applying chalk to the tip.