Page 10 of Under the Northern Lights

“Reed,” Gage said, “this is Aurora Daniels. She’ll be staying as a guest in one of the cabins tonight. Aurora, my baby brother, Reed.” He wasn’t certain why he’d felt the need to add baby to his introduction of his brother, but that’s how it came out.

“Who is only two years younger than Gage’s ancient old age of thirty-two,” his brother promptly pointed out.

“Thirty-two?” she said with a glance in Gage’s direction. “That is getting up there a bit.”

His brother chuckled, focusing on Aurora. “You and I are going to get along just fine. With that being said, I’d like to be the first to welcome you to Living the Good Life Fishing Retreat.”

Gage didn’t miss the fact that his brother had greeted their guest with far more enthusiasm than he normally met visitors with.

“Thank you,” Aurora replied. “I look forward to my stay here. Even if only for a night.”

Reed looked at Gage. “You never mentioned we were expecting another guest, or I would have dressed for the occasion.”

Gage looked at Aurora. “Meaning his favorite red flannel shirt instead of the REEL MEN FISH sweatshirt he’s wearing. Which, I might add, happens to be one of our bestsellers at the lodge’s gift shop.”

“ Catchy ,” Aurora replied with a giggle.

“She’s good,” Reed acknowledged with a responding chuckle.

“And in your brother’s defense,” she said, “he didn’t know he would be bringing another guest back with him. I missed my flight out of Juneau, and your brother came to my rescue.” She looked at Gage with a grateful smile.

“A regular hero, that brother of mine,” Reed remarked, his grin widening.

With a perfect beard , Gage mentally tossed out with an inner smirk. Then he shook the silly thought away. “Would you mind opening the rear passenger door and helping Aurora down? I’m going to grab her things, and I’ll meet you on the dock.”

“Of course,” Reed said and backed down the ladder, closing Gage’s door.

“After you,” Gage said, motioning toward the rear section of the plane.

She stood and slipped between the two front seats to the back where his brother had just opened the larger door. Then she grabbed for her camera bag and her backpack, slinging them on before exiting the plane.

“I’ll be right behind you,” Gage told her as Reed helped her down the steps. Turning, he reached for the duck poncho, folding it up. Then he grabbed for her carry-on and the bag of purchases she’d made back in Juneau and made his way out of the plane.

Aurora and Reed were waiting for him at the edge of the dock where she’d disembarked from the floatplane.

“I can get those,” she said.

“I’ve got them,” Gage told her as he placed the neatly folded, now dry, poncho into the large plastic bag that held her purchases. “You take care of your camera bag.”

Reed glanced down at the bags hanging just below her waist on both sides. “Serious picture-taker.”

“I suppose you could say that,” Aurora replied. “I’m a professional photographer.”

Reed tipped his perfectly sculpted chin upward in a pose. “If you ever need a model ...”

Gage gave him a playful shove. “She’s already on a job. You’ll have to stick to selfies.”

Hank, who had finished checking to make sure the plane was secured to the dock, stepped over to join the group. “All good,” he told Gage.

Gage nodded. “Thanks, Hank.”

The man’s curious gaze slid to Aurora. “Well, if this isn’t a pleasant surprise. I didn’t realize we were expecting another guest.”

“We weren’t,” Reed said. “Gage came to her rescue after she missed her flight.”

“Hank,” Gage said, “this is Aurora Daniels. Aurora, Hank Mills.”

“Welcome to Conley Island,” he greeted with a wide, welcoming smile.

“Thank you,” she replied.

“Hank’s our go-to man here,” Reed explained. “He helps captain one of our two fishing boats whenever groups go out, and he can fix anything and everything around here that needs fixing.”

Hank gave a hearty chuckle. “Keep talking up my many professional attributes, and I might just have to ask for a hefty raise.” He glanced in Aurora’s direction. “Let it be known that I’ve taught these two everything I know, so they’re every bit as capable as I am.”

“If Gage captains a boat even half as good as he flies that plane, then you’ve taught him well,” Aurora said.

“Reed’s more skilled behind a ship’s wheel,” Gage admitted. “My specialty is flying.”

“He does both well,” his brother countered. “But let’s not waste time talking about Gage’s skillsets. We have a guest to get settled in.”

They made their way up the wooden plank walkway.

“We were beginning to wonder if you were going to be back in time for dinner,” Hank said.

“My meeting with Clive ran over, and then Aurora showed up in a bit of a fluster.”

“And your brother offered to help me. Since I was a little wet from the rain, we stopped in town so I could pick up a few things before leaving Juneau,” Aurora explained.

“Do you like salmon?” Reed asked.

“I do.”

“Good. I’ll tell Mom to add one more place setting at the dinner table this evening,” he replied.

“Oh, no,” Aurora said, “I don’t want to intrude on your family’s dinner plans.”

“You have to eat,” Gage said. “And it’s not intruding. Our family and our guests share meals at the lodge. Although a few of our guests bring their own groceries and choose to cook in their cabins.”

Reed raised an arm, casting a glance at the watch peeking out from under the cuff of his denim sleeve.

“It’s a few minutes before four. Unless something unforeseen happens in the kitchen, and it could,” he added with a grin, “dinner will be served at five thirty.” He looked at Gage. “Julia’s helping.”

“Oh, boy,” Gage replied with a husky chuckle.

“Oh, boy?” Aurora pressed as she walked beside him.

A grin tugged at his mouth. “My sister can catch fish with the best of them, even clean them herself, but put her in the kitchen with one ...”

“Let’s just say she gives new meaning to the term ‘blackened,’” Reed finished for him, making a face.

Hank shook his head, tsking. “Don’t listen to these two. They’re just jealous that their baby sister can fish circles around them.”

“There might be a bit of truth in that,” Gage conceded with a nod.

“I’ve got work to do,” Hank announced. He looked at Aurora. “If we don’t cross paths before you leave tomorrow, it’s been nice meeting you.”

“Same here,” she replied.

Recalling her clearance rack purchase, Gage said, “I’m putting Aurora in the Sleepy Moose cabin.”

“Good choice,” Reed said. “I’ve got to go fix a loose handrail across the way. I’ll see you two at dinner.”

“The Sleepy Moose?” Aurora inquired after Reed had walked away.

“Continuing the moose theme you started earlier,” he said with a grin. “Come on, I’ll show you to your cabin.”

They moved down the wide, well-worn trail that led to a semicircle of one-bedroom cabins that bookended one side of the main lodge.

The larger cabins slept up to four comfortably.

Tucked among the trees on the opposite side of the lodge were an equal number of studio cabins, also surrounded by woods.

He watched as Aurora did a slow visual sweep of the cabins.

“I know they look rustic,” Gage said. “But inside they’re a bit more modernized. They’ve got both running water and electricity. And there’s Wi-Fi. Your sign-in password is BIGFISH. If you forget, it’s on a small, framed magnet on the fridge.”

“That’s awesome. I wasn’t sure if I would have cell service out here or not.”

“It’s decent until the weather isn’t. Then it’s a bit spotty.”

Running water and electricity were a plus, but Aurora had gone without before during her many travels. But having Wi-Fi was so appreciated. Not only could she stay in contact with her friends and family, but she could also work when time allowed.

“I don’t mind rustic,” she assured him as she breathed in the crisp, clean air with hints of pine and light floral undertones she couldn’t quite put a name to.

While the trail they’d taken there had been only sparsely wooded, no doubt having been cleared out to make travel to and from the main lodge easier for guests staying in the surrounding cabins, a thicket of trees stood just beyond the cabins.

As they moved farther into the wide, half-moon-shaped clearing, Aurora got a better glimpse of her accommodation for that night.

The cozy little log cabins were spread far enough apart to give guests a sense of privacy, yet not so distant that it might feel uncomfortably remote.

Each one was tucked back into the denser woods.

Gage came to a stop in front of one of the cabins. “Welcome to the Sleepy Moose. Not only does it go with your socks, it’s located nearest to the trail leading back to the main lodge.”

Aurora laughed. “It’s perfect.” She took in the small wooden deck that lined the front of the cabin.

Beyond it, a dark green door stood beside a wide, curtained window, its trim done in the same dark evergreen color.

Beside the door was a sign with the profile of a moose over the words THE SLEEPY MOOSE.

She reached up to run her fingers over the sign. “This is so cute.”

“Figured you like it better than the Lazy Salmon, which is the next cabin over.”

“I like the cabins having cutesy names.”

“You have Julia to thank for that,” Gage said as he stepped over to adjust the pile of logs at the far side of the porch. “We were looking for ways to add character to the cabins, and my sister came up with the idea of giving the cabins names rather than assigning them numbers.”

“Well, I love it.”

Gage crossed back over to the door. “I would’ve offered you one of the cabins across the way, so you’d have other people staying around you, but there aren’t any available,” he said as he reached out to punch a code into a keypad above the doorknob.

“We have a group staying with us right now as part of the lodge’s fishing retreat package. ”

“Don’t give it another thought,” she told him. “Peace and solitude of any sort will be more than welcome.”