Lori Wilde - To Alaska, With Love

“He’s huge,” she whispered. “What if he charges?”

“I’ll hold him off while you run away.”

“Quinn, I’m scared.”

He patted her hand. “It’s all right, Kay. I won’t let any harm come to you. This isn’t New York.”

The moose snorted and pawed the ground. Then raised his shaggy head and glared at them.

Kay tightened her grip on his waist.

“We’ll just ease on by.” Quinn took a tentative step forward.

“No, no.” She dug in her heels. “Please don’t move.”

The moose chose that moment to turn and lope off in the opposite direction. Kay sighed and sagged against his body. “Whew. That was a close call.”

Reprobate, his conscience accused. Tell her the truth.

“Kay...” he began, but she was no longer next to him. She was sprinting toward Jake’s B&B. He had to run to catch up with her.

She wrenched open the door and tumbled headlong into the foyer.

The place was packed with toddy-sipping locals gathered around a roaring fire, playing chess, swapping tall tales, listening to the weather report on the radio. The minute Kay burst through the entryway, every head turned to stare at her, and he hated the way they gawked.

“Wild moose!” Kay gasped. “Walking down Main Street.”

The denizens of Bear Creek, mostly men, all Quinn’s neighbors and friends, stared at her as if she was some exotic bird who’d migrated too far north. More than a few mouths dropped open, and even Lulu, Jake’s Siberian husky, lifted her head off the rug. A twinge of guilt bit him for having let her believe the moose was dangerous.

“Well,” Kay demanded, sinking her hands on her hips and glaring about her, “aren’t you guys going to do something about it?”

The room broke into raucous laughter.

Kay blushed and pivoted on her heel to face Quinn. “What’s so funny?”

“Quinn got you thinkin’ that moose is a killer?” cackled an old fellow seated at a table near the door, a chessboard on the table in front of him.

“Don’t let old Gus give you a hard time,” soothed a handsome man that Kay recognized from the publicity photo Quinn had shown her in New York. He had sandy hair and a boyish grin that promised lots of fun. “That’s just Kong, our resident moose. Caleb bottle-fed him from the time he was a calf. His Momma got hit by an RV during tourist season five years ago. Kong’s tamer than a poodle.”

“Oh.” She felt like fifty different kinds of fool. Why had Quinn let her believe the moose was dangerous? She glared at him, and he had the good sense to look ashamed of himself.

“I get it, ha, ha, ha. Play a trick on the city girl.”

“I’m sorry.” Quinn jammed his hands in his pockets.

“It’s okay. I can take a joke.”

“I’m Jake, by the way. You must be Kay.” Quinn’s buddy held out his hand. “We’ve heard a lot about you. Welcome to Bear Creek.”

“Thank you, Jake.” She shook his hand and smiled graciously, determined to regain her dignity.

“Would you like me to show you to your room?” Jake asked.

“That would be lovely.”

“This way.”

Jake led her up the wide cedar staircase to a room decorated with rustic charm. Quinn started to trail after them, but Kay turned and planted a palm on his chest. “Excuse me, big man, but I don’t recall anyone inviting you up to my room.”

Chapter Six

“SHE SURE PUT YOU in your place,” Jake teased Quinn when he returned to the B&B three hours after Kay had kicked him out. Lulu lay on the rug at his feet, eyeing Quinn with the same amusement that was evident in her owner’s face.

“Oh, shut up.”

“Quinn’s got a girlfriend.”

“Grow up,” Quinn growled, and scowled.

He had gone home to give her time to cool off and to prepare a peace offering, and he’d come back to restlessly pace the corridor of the B&B, trying to gather his courage to knock on Kay’s door. Since when could one feisty little woman make his knees quake?

He pushed his fingers through his hair and let out a long breath, which did nothing to ease the nervousness and self-reproach squeezing his gut. If he wasn’t careful he was going to mess things up royally with Kay.

He had fibbed to her, inadvertently embarrassed her, and that had never been his intent. He had to apologize, get back into her good graces.

Resolutely he knocked on her door.

“Should I go get Meggie?” Jake asked. “Just in case Kay decides to slam-dunk you down the staircase and you need the services of a trained RN?”

“Beat it.” Quinn glowered at his friend.

Chuckling to himself, Jake sauntered off, Lulu on his heels.

And Kay answered the door. “Oh. Are you still here?”

“Can we talk?”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “So talk.”

“In private.” He waved a hand. “Eavesdroppers are rampant around here.”

She shook her head and studied him for a long moment. Should she stay mad? He gave her a sad expression. She opened her door wider. “All right.”

Quinn scooted over the threshold.

Kay shut the door behind him, then turned to face him. “Did you have fun embarrassing me in front of all your friends?”

“It wasn’t like that.”

“Wasn’t like what? I was terrified of that moose!” She punched him lightly on the shoulder. He arched his eyebrows in surprise. She wasn’t given to admitting feelings of weakness, and the fact that she had done so amazed her. But darn it, she had been scared.

“You told me you’d survived two muggings and it was no big deal. Why would a moose scare you?” Quinn looked genuinely puzzled.

“Because it’s the unknown. Why did you let me make a fool of myself?”

“I had no idea you were going to rush into Jake’s and call everyone to arms against Kong. What can I say? I liked it when you grabbed on to me, when you needed me to protect you.”

“Really?” She slanted him a sideways glance. She was flattered and she probably shouldn’t be, but truthfully it had made her feel very feminine to know this brawny man could protect her from wild creatures.

“Yeah. I am sorry—I acted like a jerk, Kay.”

Her name on his tongue tracked an unstoppable awareness through her. She pressed a hand to her stomach to still the fluttering there. A man who could admit when he was wrong? Unbelievable.

“Forgive me?”

“You’re forgiven,” she said.

“Forgiven enough so that you’ll agree to have dinner with me?”

“All right.” She nodded. “Just let me change.”

“I’ll wait for you in the lobby.”

Grinning, Quinn hurried back downstairs. Thank heavens she’d accepted his dinner invitation. He’d gone all out, preparing his famous salmon chowder, putting Coltrane on the CD player, chilling a bottle of champagne. He hoped he wasn’t going overboard or pushing too hard.

His stomach took a dive at the thought. He’d never felt so out of his element with a woman. He was used to cocking a seductive grin at the ladies and having them tumble right into his bed. Why this one caused him to doubt himself, he had no idea.

Maybe because he wanted her so badly.

A few minutes later Kay floated down the staircase. Once again every eye in the room was trained on her lithe, graceful form. Even Lulu thumped her tail approvingly from her place by the fire.

Quinn gulped. He could only stare, bug-eyed. She wore a black velvet long-sleeved dress and black high-heeled fashion boots. Not exactly Alaskan wear, but damn, those boots did fine things for her legs.

In that moment he flashed back to the first time he’d seen her on the plane. He recalled the way her legs looked encased in silk stockings. A rampant forest fire suddenly blazed through him, and he was at a loss for words.