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Bear Davis hoped that none of the stormy emotions churning through his heart showed on his face. His sister used to joke that he had two expressions, blank and scowly. “Scowly” came in handy when it was time to boot rowdy customers out of the bar. But he tried to keep it to a minimum in most other circumstances.

With Lila, it was different. With her, he didn’t worry about scaring her away. She’d never once shown any fear or wariness of him. For someone who’d been large and intimidating since the age of twelve, that was unusual.

Then again, so was she.

She rolled down her window and shone her sunny smile at him. “Hi Bear. What are you doing all the way out here?”

Lila’s friend Ani had tipped him off that Lila might be in trouble, based on her cleaning frenzy over the past few days. Should he tell her that he’d raced a speedboat across Smoky Lake, then hopped on a four-wheeler, then jumped in his truck and most likely ruined his struts so he could catch her?

Nah.

“Wanted to ask you the same thing.”

“You didn’t get my note?”

He frowned. He hadn’t even stopped at The Fang before racing after her, after Gunnar had flagged him down with a warning about the Saab she’d bought. Oh well. The place was unlocked and the regulars knew what was what. “What did it say?”

“It doesn’t matter now, I guess. Is there any chance you have a gas can in the bed of your truck?”

“I do.”

He paused, hoping she’d explain what direction she intended to take the gas he brought her. But those mesmerizing violet eyes simply held his, giving nothing away.

“Be right back. Gas station’s a few minutes away.” He strode back to his truck. His heart was doing a funny thing, sort of racing one moment, then thudding the next. He didn’t want Lila to leave. But he also didn’t want to stop her from doing something she wanted or needed to do. Mostly, he wanted her to trust him enough to tell him if she had a problem.

He was starting up his truck, which he’d parked next to Gunnar’s old Saab, when Lila slid into the passenger seat. It felt as if light flooded the cab. That was what Lila did; she brought light.

“I can’t let you pay for my gas,” she explained with one of her quirky smiles. “That would be no way to treat my roadside assister.”

His jaw tightened. He wasn’t fucking triple A. This was remote Alaska. People helped each other and didn’t expect payment unless it came in the form of smoked salmon or blackcurrant jelly.

“I still owe you wages for the last week.”

Left unsaid— you skipped town before even collecting your last paycheck.

“ Oh. I guess I forgot about that.”

Just like you forgot to say goodbye. Or why you were leaving. Or why you’ve seemed so anxious this past week.

He reached past her to open the glove compartment and retrieve an envelope, which he handed to her.

She opened it and drew in a breath at the sight of the ten hundred-dollar bills inside. “You don’t owe me that much.”

“I do.”

Clearly, she had no idea how much her bright smiles and empathetic presence had increased his business. He’d had to increase his standing order with every one of his vendors. His customers were going to cry in their beer once they found out she was gone.

They drove in silence to the bend in the road known as Kursk. The gas station there had only recently installed self-service credit card pumps. For years, you’d have to hope that a member of the Wiggleworth family would happen to be around to take your money. Change came slowly out here in the mountains, but it did come.

And sometimes it came suddenly, as when Lila had first walked into the bar.

His old bartender, a guy known as Turk because of his affection for Wild Turkey, had decided to quit cold turkey.

“Redefining my name, boss,” he’d explained when Bear went to check on him. He was shaking and shivering under a pile of quilts, while his friend Timmy hovered nearby. Bear was pretty sure they were a couple, but they never specified and no one ever asked. “Call me Cold Turk now.”

“All right then. Good luck to you, Cold Turk. I can still keep you busy if?—”

“No. Gotta avoid any environment with temptation. Timmy looked it up.”

“When you feel better, might want to check out the AA group.”

Ironically, he sent a fair number of people to that group. He could tell when someone was ready to quit, and ready to seek help.

When he got back to The Fang, he posted a “help wanted” sign. It was April, and business was still on the slow side. He figured it would take time for word to get out, and by Memorial Day, when things got busy, someone would have stepped up.

But a few hours later, in walked Lila. The timing and the serendipity were almost uncanny.

A lot of things involving Lila were uncanny.

As she shepherded her two wheeled suitcases across The Fang’s floor, he had the quick impression that she was gliding along a sunbeam toward him. He put down the glass he was drying for fear he might drop it.

“I’d like to apply for the bartender position.” Her smile was blinding. Literally. For a moment, he could see nothing else besides that smile.

I can’t hire her. I can’t work like this.

“Are you sure?” He felt his “scowly” face take over. “I need someone long-term.”

“Okay.”

“You just arrived.” He gave her suitcases a pointed look. “Looks like you’re just passing through.”

“Is Firelight Ridge really the kind of place you ‘pass through’? Pass through to where? The road ended.”

Good point. You had to intend to come to Firelight Ridge. “You have a vehicle?”

“No. I caught a ride. Does the position require a vehicle?”

“Not if you live close enough. Where do you live?”

“That has yet to be determined,” she said lightly. “But I’m not worried about it. It’ll all work out.”

He felt a sudden urge for a drink. Bear wasn’t much of a drinker, perhaps ironically since he’d owned a bar for the past seven years. He grabbed a bottle of Jack Daniels and poured himself a quick shot. He offered one to her, but she waved it off.

“I never drink on an empty stomach. Speaking of which, do you serve food here?”

He reached under the counter for a bowl of peanuts and plopped it in front of her. “You’re looking at it.”

“That would be my first suggestion.” She climbed onto a barstool. She was so petite that she couldn’t slide on the way most people did. “People need to have food in their stomachs if they’re going to drink all night.”

“Who says I want people to drink all night?”

“Don’t you want to make money? It’s a bar, after all.”

He actually had a philosophy about this, which for some reason he felt inspired to share with a total stranger. “It’s a community hub. The alcohol isn’t the point. It’s just the excuse.”

Her face lit up, brighter than the sun rising over Fire Peak. “I knew there was a reason I wanted to work here. But you just gave the perfect reason to serve food. Community and food go hand in hand. How about a soup of the day? Soups are easy. Add some bread and butter and you have the perfect meal.”

“So now I need a baker too?”

“There’s no bakery in town?” she asked, shocked.

He braced his hands on the counter and leaned toward her. “There’s no bakery in town. There’s no a lot of things in town. Everything, including food, has to get flown in most of the year. There are no spare houses that you can just claim on a whim.”

That was the moment when he first realized that the fairy-like blond girl with the purple eyes was not one tiny bit afraid of him. She put her hands on the counter and returned his gaze. “Wanna bet?”

“Huh?”

“Let’s make a bet. If I find a place to live that’s in walking distance, you’ll hire me.”

He knew for a certain fact that there was nowhere to live in a five-mile radius. So it didn’t seem like much of a bet. “And if you don’t?”

“Then I won’t bug you for a job.”

“How about if you can’t find a place, you go somewhere with more employment opportunities?” he said dryly.

“No, I won’t be leaving.”

Her certainty confused him. “Why not?”

“Because this is where I’m meant to be at the moment.” She slid off the stool. As her feet hit the floor, she staggered. Like a shot, he whipped his hand across the counter and grabbed her arm to steady her.

“I’m fine. I’m fine.” She shrugged off his hand without quite meeting his eyes. He got the feeling that his touch had unnerved her.

He’d have to make sure he didn’t do that again. There was nothing he despised more than men who touched women without permission.

Not that it was going to be an issue, because he was unlikely to see her again. There was no way she’d find a place to stay this time of year.

“Do you mind if I leave my suitcases here while I secure lodging?”

“Sure. Just put them in a corner, no one will mess with them.”

“Thank you. A bient?t! That means ‘see you soon’ in French. I did so much Duolingo when I was on the bus in Canada. If you have any French-speaking customers, I can easily communicate with them. Just a little note for my job application.”

After she left, Bear spent a few moments reliving the entire encounter. Then he went into the back prep area and turned on the Wi-Fi. He made a call to Frank Stetson, who served as town manager along with his regular job of machine operator, and a few other jobs.

“That house on Pioneer,” he said when Frank answered. “The old hardware store. Remember back when we used to let people stay in it, teachers and doctors, anyone who had a skill to offer?”

“Sure, but it’s been empty since word got out about the murder spree. No one wants to stay there anymore.”

“If you go down there right now and put a ‘for rent’ sign on the door, you might have someone.”

“They got a name?”

He walked into the bar and nodded to Pinky and Gaston, who had just settled at a table and opened up a travel chessboard. Moving to the corner, he crouched down to read the luggage tags on the two suitcases she’d left behind. “Lila. Lila Romanoff.”

“She a teacher or a doctor? You can vouch for her?”

“I’ll vouch for her. She’ll be good for the town.”

He didn’t know if she had any professional skills along those lines, but he had no doubt that she would be good for the town. If nothing else, she’d be responsible for his new policy of serving soup.