Page 6 of Under the Northern Lights

“Here she is,” Gage announced with a smile as they started toward his pride and joy. The floatplane was secured to the dock a good ten or so feet ahead of them.

Aurora lifted the overhang of the duck hood to get a better look. “It’s bigger than I expected,” she noted as she eyed the long floats on either side, which were bobbing gently in the water next to the dock it had been secured to.

“It being a ten-seater makes for far fewer trips when transporting guests to and from Conley Island.”

“It’s really pretty.”

He knew she was referring to the strip of snowcapped mountains with a bald eagle soaring majestically above. “My brother dabbles in artistic painting in his spare time. Mostly to my plane and the retreat’s two fishing boats. But you might catch him on occasion painting on an actual canvas.”

“Well, he’s very good at it,” she admitted. “He and Emmy would get along great.”

“Emmy?”

Her gaze shifted to the tall, very attractive pilot walking next to her. “My best friend. She makes a living as an artist and recently opened her own art gallery in Seattle.”

“Sounds like they would have a few things in common,” he agreed. “So you’re here for river pictures, right?”

“Yes.”

“Well, you might be able to grab a few shots from the plane if you keep your eyes peeled.”

“That would be wonderful!”

“Let’s get you onboard. You’re welcome to sit up front next to me during the flight. Or, if you’re not comfortable getting an up close and personal view of Alaska from the air, you can take one of the backseats and close your eyes.”

“The front works for me,” she said, looking forward to the unplanned flight.

“Then the front it is,” he replied with a nod. “I’ll have you board via the rear passenger entry door. It’s a more accessible opening with wider steps. Once onboard, you can make your way up to the front passenger seat.”

She smiled up at him. “Sounds like a plan.”

“I’ll load your bags first,” he began as he moved to take the handle of her wheeled carry-on from her grasp. “They’ll be safe in my plane.”

“Be careful. The zipper is broken,” she warned.

Aurora had insisted on pulling it to the plane on her own.

Now he understood why. The zipper around the top of the carry-on had pulled apart, wide enough that several pieces of clothing were protruding through the opening and were clearly wet.

And the rain had, no doubt, soaked down into the clothes inside the bag.

“You should have said something. I would have carried it instead of you wheeling it up and down over sidewalks and across the road and risking that zipper giving way altogether.”

“You’re doing enough for me already. The last thing I wanted was to burden you any more than I already am.”

“It’s not a burden if I offered to help you,” he told her. A dark brow lifted as his gaze zeroed in on the broken zipper. “Now I know why you opted not to change into something dry before we left the diner. Everything in that bag is probably at least a little bit wet.”

“That would be my guess too,” she said with a frown as she stared down at her wheeled carry-on.

“Would you like to make a stop in town and pick up something dry to change into before we fly out? I’d offer to give you a dry sweatshirt from my family’s minuscule gift shop, but I wouldn’t want you catching a chill on the way there.”

“It’s okay,” she replied. “I’m alright.”

He didn’t miss the slight shiver that ran through her. Not surprising. The rain left a bit of chill in the air. Combine that with damp pants and hair and you were going to be uncomfortable.

“I insist,” he countered. “It’s only a short walk back to town where you can pick up something dry to wear. And from the look of things, I’d say the rain will have passed through by the time we fly out if we take this little detour.”

“Is it better not to fly in a floatplane in the rain?” she asked.

He chuckled. “I’m not concerned about this light rain. I was thinking more about your being able to get better pictures while we’re up in the air if it’s not raining.”

“I hadn’t thought about that. I suppose I should at least try and find something in one of those shops we passed. I’d hate to get into your nice plane with dried mud on the back of my jeans.”

“I think you’d be more comfortable. But be forewarned,” he told her, “your shopping options will be limited to our local gift shops. The retail clothing stores here in the port area of Juneau tend to close earlier in the day, starting mid to late September.” Gage held out his hand.

“Hand me the rest of your bags. I’ll lock them in the plane and then walk back with you. ”

“I can find my way.”

“Considering how your day’s been going so far, I think I should probably insist on accompanying you,” he offered with a grin.

She laughed. “I appreciate you watching out for me.” Aurora handed her backpack and prized camera bag over to him.

Surprisingly, she trusted him to make sure her things were safe.

“That bag rarely leaves my side,” she confessed.

“At least, during working hours. But then one never knows when the perfect photo op might come about.”

“I understand,” he said as he collected her things.

Aurora stood watching as he made his way up into the floatplane to store her belongings. The man certainly was agile.

When he came back out, he smiled and said, “Everything’s tucked safely away. Ready to go?”

“Ready.”

He joined her on the rain-dampened dock.

Aurora spun about to start back in the direction of town.

As she did so, her boot slipped on the wet wood, arms flailing beneath the yellow poncho as she attempted to catch her balance.

Her efforts proved futile and just when she prepared to go down, strong arms wrapped around her, thankfully stopping her imminent fall.

“You good?” he asked.

“I’m good,” she replied, and then he released his supportive hold on her.

Aurora attempted to glance up behind her, but her view of Gage was completely blocked by the oversized beak of the rain slicker’s hood.

It had dropped down over her panicked face during her futile windmilling, but at least it hid the blush that burned her cheeks.

“Apparently, it’s a good thing you insisted on accompanying me. ”

A grinning Gage pushed the hood back from her face. “First of all, I’m glad you didn’t fall. But I have to admit that it was quite entertaining watching your efforts to remain upright before I got to you.”

She laughed. “I’m sure it was a sight to behold.”

“Kind of like a duck determined to take flight but never getting liftoff.”

“Talk about embarrassing,” she said with an abashed smile as she looked up into those humor-flecked blue eyes. Between Gage’s tilted grin and that strong jaw framed by a shadow of dark whiskers, the man was beyond attractive in a rugged, outdoorsman kind of way.

Aurora’s stomach quivered unexpectedly. What was wrong with her, reacting to this man like that?

She promptly collected herself, needing to focus on something other than her rescuer’s far too handsome face.

So she busied herself with straightening the bright yellow rain poncho.

“I promise I’m not usually this accident-prone, or unlucky, for that matter.

Today has definitely been an exception.”

“You’re definitely working hard to put the term ‘lucky duck’ to rest,” he said as he gave the hood of her duck poncho a playful tug.

Laughing, Aurora fell into step beside him as they started for the port’s shopping area.

Glancing around, she took in the towering mountain range behind the well-kept storefronts with their old-time facades.

Gift shops, sunglass shops, jewelry shops, and tour offices lined the busy street.

A few restaurants with local favorites like salmon and clam chowder sat next to the port where the cruise ships docked.

Ornate double-lamp streetlights lined the main street across from the tourist shops.

Baskets of colorful flowers hung from the lamps, adding to the town’s charm.

“Look,” Gage said as he stopped to point out an eagle perched atop one of the towering pines that were part of Juneau’s natural backdrop.

Aurora let out a gasp. “It looks so majestic sitting there.”

He nodded. Then he pulled his cell phone from his jeans pocket and snapped a quick picture. “I’ll forward it to you when we get to the island.”

“Juneau is such a quaint little town,” she said as they continued. “I could’ve sworn I’d read that it was much more populated.”

“You read right,” he told her. “Juneau has a population of over thirty thousand.”

“Oh, wow.” She glanced around, trying to imagine that many people in such a small area.

“Don’t let this part of town deceive you,” he told her. “Juneau is spread out pretty far with homes and businesses lining the outer edge of this entire mountainous area.”

“It’s easy to see why so many people want to live here,” she said, taking it all in. “It’s so breathtaking.”

“I’m pretty fond of the place,” he agreed. They stopped in front of one of the many gift shops, and Gage made a sweeping gesture with his arm. “Your new wardrobe awaits.”

She glanced up, reading aloud the carved wooden sign that hung above the shop’s door. “ANNIE’S ALASKAN TREASURES.”

“They carry just about everything in there and then some.”

She smiled up at him as Gage reached out for the door’s pull handle. “So, do you hit up the tourist shops here in town often?”

Gage chuckled as he swung the door open. “Only when I’m in the mood for some locally made chocolate-covered caramels.” He motioned her inside. “Or need a gift for that one special lady in my life.”