Page 11 of Maddox: Wild Alaska (Hawke’s Ridge #1)

With my feet up on the small coffee table and my body comfortably nestled in a soft leather armchair, a hot cup of coffee in hand, this is the perfect way to enjoy the view from my back deck.

I could spend hours here, listening to the bird’s chirp and feeling the gentle breeze on my face.

I imagine what it would be like to sit here with Sofie curled up on my lap.

I sigh at my wishful thinking and take a slow sip of coffee.

"Bro, are you home?"

I sigh in annoyance, realizing that my peace has been disturbed by my youngest brother.

"You know women, right?" he asks, joining me.

I raise a brow, take a sip of coffee, and look at Colton, who looks perturbed. "Did Judean send your ass packing?"

"Not exactly, although she did leave before I woke up." He runs a hand through his hair and drops into another chair. "She said I called her a horse! Can you believe it? Making a lewd comment in front of Sofie might not have been the best idea, but I did not call her a horse!"

"It's too early in the morning for this." He grumbles, rubbing his eyes. "I haven't even had coffee yet. I saw that she had left, so I grabbed some clothes and ran after her.”

"I see I'm not going to be rid of you until you spit it all out. Tell me why she got the wrong idea."

"She told Sofie that she was hungry and could eat a horse." He blushes and looks away. "I joked that I was going to eat her before she ran away." He winces. "It was the fucking truth. The woman is sexy as hell. I don't understand how she could have misinterpreted what I said."

I frown into my coffee, thinking over what he said. I don't see how the woman could have misunderstood him either. "You don't think she was embarrassed by your comment?"

"I don't know." He says quietly.

"Go get yourself a coffee." I nod toward the kitchen. "There are some croissants on the counter if you want one."

He pauses for a minute. "Thanks." He starts to move toward the kitchen, then stops. "Maddox?"

"Yeah?" I lift my gaze.

"I want to thank you for bringing me out here. I really missed having my brothers around when you all abandoned Mom and me." He continues into the kitchen, and I watch him.

Is that how he felt when we moved to Alaska? Abandoned? I never thought of it like that. It wasn't like we all left together because we didn't. Hunter left first, and then we followed in our own time.

Coffee in hand, he adds, “I didn't mean anything when I said 'abandoned.' I guess that's how I felt, though. Mom too. But in the end, it worked out.”

“Back to the present, then. Why don't you talk to Judean alone and apologize? Tell her that you want to take her on a date.”

He winces. “I don’t date.”

I snort. "Then leave her alone. She's only here for four more nights anyway."

"So, you're just going to let Sofie leave?"

I reach up and rub the spot where my heart aches. "I won't ask her to stay. It must be her choice. I want her to be happy."

"At least she needs to know she has the choice." He salutes me as he leaves.

Peace. Again.

My hands sure like the feel of her.

My phone beeps.

After a stream of curse words leaves my mouth, I look at the screen.

Branson: Can you come by the station ASAP?

I want to reply "no," but I don't. I drag my carcass out of the chair and take one long look outside at the valley beyond. Then, I close and lock the doors to the deck.

It takes no time at all before I pull up in front of the sheriff's station. Cursing at the sight of the crime scene unit's SUV parked one space over, I climb out of my truck and head inside. It's too early to deal with Janice.

Landon greets me with a tired nod. "He'll be glad you're here."

"Why? What's going on?" I ask, leaning on the counter between us.

He ignores the ringing phone—not the emergency line—and tells me, "Another body has been found."

"Fuck!" I run a hand through my hair and glance toward the hallway where my brother will be. "Is that why the crime scene unit is here?"

"Kind of." He winces. "The woman is annoying," he mutters under his breath. "I'd better answer the phone. They've been ringing all morning."

"Where's Sally?"

"She moved to Juneau with her boyfriend. No warning. Nothing." He pauses. "And before you ask, yes, I've confirmed that she's actually there. I spoke to her this morning."

"I'll go find the sheriff while you get the phone.”

I trudge toward my brother's office, enter without knocking, and see that he's just hanging up the phone. The conversation stops, and Branson, Janice, and a guy I don't know turn to look at me. Branson finds his voice first. "Maddox, this is Janice's assistant, Roger Tyson.”

Introduction over. "Why am I here?"

"You're here because we need help in the field," Janice says. "As you were at yesterday's scene, we figured you'd be the best person to help us today."

My eyes flicker to my brother, who looks extremely uncomfortable. He knows I hate seeing death. "Hunter is a sworn deputy. He should be here, not me."

I fold my arms and lean against the doorjamb. I'm not happy at all about this situation. Not just because of the dead body, but also because I know I'm only here because Janice decided she wanted me here. Instead of making a big deal about it, I say, "I've got things to do, so let's get started."

Janice follows me outside. I turn and say, "You need to stop this crap.”

She takes a step back at the anger in my voice.

"Fucking hell!" I mutter. "I'm sorry. I have a busy day ahead, and this isn't helping, especially since it's not my job."

A horn blares, and I'm tempted to give my brother the finger.

Instead, I shoot Garrett a glare. He's driving the minibus through town because he's leading a hike to the river and waterfall in the mountains.

My gaze lands on Sofie as the bus passes by.

Her eyes find mine before wandering to the woman beside me.

Well, shit.

"Was that Sofie Ryan?"

I snap my gaze to Janice. "How'd you know Sofie?"

"I don't know her. Her engagement pictures were in a magazine. She's marrying Richard Walker. His father owns half of San Francisco, not to mention a huge shipping company."

"How the hell do you know all this?"

"I just told you. A magazine. I never forget a face." She shrugs. "Would you like to ride with me? Branson can take Roger."

"No, I'll follow you." I climb into my truck, eager to get this over with. Now that I'm aware of what Sofie has to look forward to with Richard—a life of financial security in a big city—my mood has taken a nosedive. Then, of course, I wonder if she'll be happy.

What the hell is wrong with me? A day. Less than a day. A split second. That's all it took for me to fall for a woman who is out of my league. I slam my fist against the steering wheel while my brother bangs his fist against the window.

I drop the glass and wait, letting my irritation dissipate—at least outwardly.

"I'm struggling with this, Maddox," Branson admits, taking off his hat and running a hand through his hair.

"It's weird as fuck, and it chills me to the bone.

I wouldn't ask you for help if I didn't need it.

You should know that by now." He pauses.

“The body has gone.” Thank fuck! “ Hunter is out at the scene.

It's too big of an area for us to cover without help. "

"I'm an asshole," I mutter. "We're brothers. I'm always here to help. I've got a lot on my mind, is all."

He grunts and nods as he moves to his vehicle. That's when I notice the fire in Janice's eyes. Well, fuck me! This morning is going to be a barrel of laughs.