Page 19 of Under the Northern Lights

“Actually, bears are more dangerous, but they tend to avoid people. Moose, however, can be found in larger numbers, closer to more populated areas. They can be very aggressive and will charge anything they consider a threat when it’s mating season, which runs from September through October.”

“Have you ever come close to being charged by a moose?” she asked, her interest now turned fully to Gage.

She found his wealth of knowledge about wildlife so mentally attractive.

But then, she was a big nature lover. But it wasn’t just his mind she found herself drawn to.

It was his kind eyes, that make-your-knees-weak smile and, to her shock, because her ex-fiancé had been clean-shaven, Gage’s lightly bearded jaw.

“Nope. But I know to keep my distance,” he told her. “A lot of tourists don’t. You’ve seen those video uploads of people stepping right up to bison or elk at places like Yellowstone and suffering the consequences.” He glanced in the direction of the beavers. “You all done here?”

“Is it time to head back already?”

“There’s so much more here I could show you, but you have a flight to catch. Let’s head back and grab a sandwich before we go, because a granola bar isn’t enough to sustain you after a morning of hiking about and exploring.”

“I am getting a little hungry, but we missed lunch.”

He smiled. “You’re in luck. I happen to have special access to the fridge and have been known to whip up a mean BLT in times of hunger. Or, if you prefer, I could make you a plain turkey sandwich, additional fixings optional.”

“A BLT sounds delicious.”

“Good. And you can say your goodbyes to Mom and Julia before we fly out.” He inclined his head. “Let’s head out.”

They walked back to the UTV and took a shortcut back to the lodge. As they pulled up, Julia stepped out onto the porch to greet them with a wave.

“How was your ride?” she asked with a warm smile.

“Incredible,” Aurora answered. “We went to a river and saw an eagle swoop in for a fish right in front of us. And then we went to a place where beavers have built a lodge. I took a bunch of pictures and can’t wait to load them onto my laptop and go through them all.”

“Why don’t you go in and warm up by the fire and visit with Julia. I’ll head to the kitchen to make us something to eat before flying back to Juneau. I just need to know: mayo or no mayo?”

“Definitely mayo,” Aurora replied.

“BLT with mayo coming right up,” he called back over his broad shoulder as he walked toward the entrance to the lodge’s kitchen.

“Maybe you can give me a sneak peek of some of the pictures you took on your outing with Gage while you wait.”

His sister looked so hopeful. How could Aurora refuse? Besides, it was nice to spend time with someone who shared her love of photography. Aurora smiled as she pulled out her camera. “Maybe you can give me your opinion. Tell me which ones you like best.”

“I’d love to.”

They crossed the room to the sofa and settled down in front of the warming fire. Aurora turned on the viewing screen and handed her camera over to Julia. “Here you go. It’s starting at the end of our ride. When you get to the photos of the docks at sunrise, that will be all of today’s photos.”

Gage’s sister held the camera securely between both hands as she clicked through the pictures. “These are so good,” she said in genuine awe. “I can’t believe this close-up shot of the beaver swimming with its tail sticking straight up out of the water. The detail and clarity are amazing.”

“The lighting was perfect, and I had the camera set in aperture priority mode with a small f-stop. And then?—”

“Aurora, wow!” Julia gasped.

Aurora looked down to see what picture had made Julia react that way. To her surprise, it wasn’t one of the river with its magnificent backdrop or the whale breaching the water at sunrise; it was Gage playfully flexing his muscles in that pose by the river.

“He didn’t want to have his picture taken, but I convinced him to humor my photographic whim. That’s what I got.”

Julia looked up at her. “It’s perfect.” She glanced down at the picture on the screen again.

“I thought so too,” Aurora agreed. “Even if he was being silly.”

“While I will be the first to admit the muscle pose looks a bit awkward, it’s what you captured in his eyes that is so wonderful.”

His eyes?

“You have had such a positive effect on my brother. I haven’t seen any real spark of true happiness in his eyes since Jess ...” Her words trailed off.

Aurora didn’t miss Julia’s sudden discomfort. “Jess?”

Julia frowned. “Gage’s ex-girlfriend. Hers is a name we avoid speaking around here. Forget I brought it up.”

“They were serious?”

Gage’s sister glanced in the direction her brother had gone off in and then back to Aurora. “He was,” she replied. “Her? Not enough.”

“She broke his heart?”

Julia nodded.

“Lunch is served.”

Gage’s booming voice had both Julia and Aurora jumping guiltily from their perches on the sofa.

Julia handed the camera back to Aurora and stood.

“Thank you for sharing your pictures with me. Gage can give you my number. Please send me a few, especially the one I loved of Gage. Mom will love it too.”

“I will. Thank you for making me feel so at home during my stay here.”

“I appreciate you sharing your photography knowledge with me and for giving me so many tips to make my pictures look more professional.”

“No problem.” Aurora had spent a little time at the end of game night showing Julia a few different settings she liked to use when taking pictures. Gage’s sister soaked the information up like a sponge and had an eye for photography.

Julia leaned in to give Aurora a quick hug. “It was so nice to meet you. I hope you’ll come back again to visit someday.”

“I would love that,” Aurora said, at that moment realizing how much she meant those words. Her time at this completely unplanned stop had been far too short. Conley Island held so many amazing things just waiting to be captured in a photograph.

“Have a safe flight,” Julia said with a wave as she walked away, casting a smile at her brother as she passed by him.

“What was that look about?” Gage asked as he set their lunch tray down on the coffee table.

“She might have seen the picture I took of you by the river,” Aurora said with a grin.

He rolled his eyes. “I’ll never live that one down.”

“I’m sure you will someday,” she teased.

She saw it now. That spark of something in his eyes she hadn’t noticed when they’d first met.

She knew a little about matters of the heart not working out.

You just had to hope there was something better waiting for you out there somewhere. That’s what she held onto.

Gage handed her a small lunch plate. “Your BLT with mayo. Can I get you anything else?”

Aurora knew exactly what she wanted. She’d been thinking about it all day. More time. Time to further explore the island for the wealth of perfect shots she knew it harbored. And time to get to know Gage a little better.

She looked up at him with a smile. “How about a cabin at Living the Good Life Fishing Retreat for another week?”