Beth Carpenter - The Alaskan Catch

As they watched, another similar bird swam closer and rubbed bills with the bird on the nest. After a moment, the first bird wrenched herself off the nest and flopped awkwardly into the water. Once there, though, she was remarkably graceful. The other bird waddled onto the nest. He took a moment to arrange something with his long, pointed bill before settling down.

Sam resumed paddling and she followed him farther around the lake. On the shore, a fat robin watched them, a worm hanging from his mouth. He flew into a tree, greeted by a chorus of chirping from the baby birds in the nest. A sound carried across the water, a haunting three-note call. “What’s that? A coyote?”

Sam smiled and shook his head. “The loons. Look.” He pointed at a tall spruce with a dead top on the shore near the loon’s nest. A huge bird with a white head perched there.

“Is that an eagle?”

“Yes. The loon is calling her mate to warn him.”

A moment later, the eagle spread his wings and lifted off, soaring into the sky. Dana gasped at the sight. “Beautiful.”

“I know.”

She watched Sam’s face. “You love this, don’t you?”

“What?”

“This place. Alaska.”

A slow smile stretched across his face. “It’s home.”

“It must be hard to leave for so long at a time.”

He shrugged. “That’s my job.” He paddled forward. She watched him for a moment as he pulled away, how his arms flexed under his shirt, the confident way he handled the small boat.

What would drive someone to leave a home he loved for such long stretches? Did he have family? Dana had only been gone a day when her mother started calling. Didn’t Sam have anyone who counted on him?

Dana gave herself a little shake. Sam’s personal life wasn’t any of her business. She was here to follow up on Dad’s estate, not to make a friend. It was nice of Sam to include her on this outing, but she needed to focus on her goal and then get back to Kansas, to her life. She picked up her paddle and propelled herself across the sparkling water. Maybe Chris would be back from his fishing trip tonight.

Sam narrowed his eyes at something over at the shoreline. “Wait here a minute.”

Dana watched as he worked his kayak through a tangle of vegetation to a place where a spruce tree leaned over the water, casting a shadow. He eased up to the bank, his movements almost languid and yet precise. He parted some weeds and something flashed green. His hand reached in to extract a fishing lure attached to a snarl of line, which he tucked in his kayak before paddling back to her.

“How did you know that was there?”

He shrugged. “It caught the light. Wouldn’t want the ducks getting tangled up.”

They paddled around the lake for another half hour before Sam led her back to the dock. Her shoulders ached from the unaccustomed exercise, but the sense of peace she felt after her time on the lake made up for it.

Sam climbed up on the dock and tied his boat to a post. Dana paddled alongside and he reached for her hand. She felt a moment of panic as the boat rocked while she tried to climb out, but he just smiled and pulled her onto the dock.

He lifted her boat from the water. “You did well for your first time in a kayak. Did you have fun?”

“I loved it. I’ve never seen a loon or a bald eagle before.”

Sam removed the mess of tangled fishing line from his kayak and deposited it into a garbage receptacle near the dock. “Whenever I get back from a rotation, I come here. I like to see the ducks growing up, the seasons changing.”

“It’s a special place. Thanks for bringing me along today.”

He flashed her a smile. “Anytime.”

CHAPTER THREE

THE NEXT MORNING, Sam checked his watch as he hurried across the office parking lot. He was barely going to make the meeting on time. Ordinarily he came in early to prepare, but Dana cooked him French toast for breakfast and it would have been rude not to eat it. Then he got caught up in a conversation advising her what sights she might want to see in Anchorage. Before he knew it, he’d lingered too long.

He smiled to himself. Having a houseguest wasn’t turning out to be nearly as much of a bother as he’d feared. On the contrary, he’d thoroughly enjoyed kayaking with Dana yesterday, watching those eyes of hers light up when she saw the loons and the eagle. And the fact that she kept cooking for him didn’t hurt. It was tempting to play hooky today and go be a tourist with her instead. But he resisted.

He pushed through the glass doors leading to the office atrium and started toward the secured area near the elevators. He’d sent in his reports, so technically he didn’t have to attend the meeting during his days off, but his boss, Ethan, liked to have him there for questions. Besides, face time with the bigwigs was always a good career move.

“Excuse me, sir. Do you have a badge?” An unfamiliar man stepped from behind the security desk and blocked his way. His short hair and determined stance marked him as ex-military. Must be a new guy.

“Yeah.” Sam reached for his shirt pocket, but the ID badge wasn’t clipped on as usual. He patted the pockets of his pants. “Darn. I must have left it in the car. I’ll go get it.”

“Sam, you’re here. Good.” Ethan slapped his shoulder. “On your way up?”

“Yes, I just need to go get my badge from the car.”

“No need for that. Jake, Sam is one of our best engineers. He works a rotation in Russia, so you might not have met him before. He’s with me.”

“Yes, sir.” The security guard almost saluted before returning to his desk. Ethan swiped his badge and Sam followed him to the elevators.

Ethan pushed the button for the top floor. “I hope you have good news for us.”

Sam nodded. “It’s coming along. Slowly.”

“But you’re making progress?”

“Yes. We got the number fourteen spudded, finally. It’s not like Prudhoe Bay. Everything takes at least twice as long.”

“Hard to work with those guys?”

“That’s not it. They’re excellent engineers. It’s logistics. The equipment is old and not easy to come by, and there’s so much red tape.”

“Any problem with the language barrier?”

Sam grinned. “Haven’t you heard? Everybody in the world understands English if you speak it slowly and clearly enough. Seriously, I have a great assistant who speaks four languages. Puts me to shame.” His assistant was also convinced Sam might be a long-lost relative, but that was another story. “It’s just frustrating to plod through the bureaucracy.”

“Well, keep it up a little longer. I can’t tell you about it yet, but there might be an exciting opportunity opening up before long. Are you married, Sam?”

“No.” Sam’s heart rate kicked up a notch. Maybe this was the break he was looking for, a step closer to upper management.

“Engaged, committed, whatever?”

“No, none of those things.”

“So whenever we need you to travel, you’re free to go?”

“I am.”

“Good.” Ethan nodded in satisfaction. “Just keep that passport current, okay?”

“I will.” The elevator opened and they walked down the hallway to the conference room. He knew Ethan well enough to recognize the futility of asking for more information, but that passport comment sounded like another overseas assignment. While Sam would have welcomed a job in Alaska, everyone said overseas was the way to move up in the company, and Sam fully intended to move up. No matter what it took.

* * *

DANA DROPPED BY the log cabin visitor’s center downtown and picked up a few tips for sights to see in Anchorage from the friendly woman behind the desk. But after stepping outside into the sunshine, Dana ignored her suggestions of shopping and museums and instead took Sam’s advice to grab a reindeer dog from the stand in front of the courthouse and hike along the coastal trail.