Under the Midnight Sun Page 12

  Sweet and kind weren’t the words Tayler would have used to describe the man she’d met this afternoon. In fact, she didn’t know what she thought of him. He’d seemed aloof and untrusting earlier. Was she going to be able to work with a man like that?

  With a sigh, she watched the food platters being passed around. She’d have to work with him. It couldn’t be any worse than her situation with Emerson. At least Thomas had no need to lie to her or pretend to be in love with her. Tayler would just have to make the best of it.

  Her stomach rumbled right as Cassidy held out a platter to her.

  Tayler leaned forward and took a sniff. “What is it?” She’d tried to keep her voice low.

  “It’s salmon. Fresh, caught right here. It’s one of our kitchen’s specialties. This is salmon with dill sauce.”

  Taking a slow inhale, Tayler closed her eyes for a brief moment. It smelled heavenly. “I can’t wait to try it.” She scooped a large portion onto her plate. “But wait, didn’t I read that the salmon run later in the summer?”

  Allan nodded from across the table and swallowed the bite he’d taken. “That’s when they spawn. They travel back to where they hatched and lay eggs. Good observation. But there’s plenty of salmon in the rivers and streams from May until November, since there’s several species to fish. But we have plenty of other fish year-round. Dolly Varden are one of my favorites.”

  Several other platters passed, and she took generous servings of each. She hoped no one would think she was a glutton, but she felt half starved. Besides, she’d always been able to eat more than her share. Dad used to say she was trying to keep up with the boys and trying to grow taller. But it never seemed to work. At least she didn’t have to worry about getting fat. No matter what she ate, she always seemed to work it back off before the next meal. She was fortunate that way. So often she heard her mother’s friends bemoaning their weight and whatever new diet they were trying. Of course, if she ever stopped hiking for miles every day, she might find herself in the same boat.

  The man next to Allan pointed his fork in the air. “I’d like to take you fishing sometime if it’s something you enjoy.” The man nodded in her direction. “I guess I should introduce myself before I jump into your conversation. I’m John Ivanoff. That beautiful young lady next to you is my daughter, so this lug next to me is my son-in-law, and the two miniature rascals are my grandsons.” He puffed out his chest just a hair.

  “Big lug, huh?” Allan eyed the older man. “And here, I was about to tell her how you were the best fisherman around these parts.”

  “All said in love, my boy. All said in love.” John elbowed Allan and the two laughed. “Besides, it’s the truth about who’s the best fisherman. I won the contest, remember?”

  The easy banter between the family soothed Tayler’s soul. Maybe she would be able to find the same comradery soon. Mr. Ivanoff’s dark complexion made her wonder if he was native Alaskan. She’d read about the different tribes but was hesitant to blurt out anything at the dinner table. One day, she’d have to ask Cassidy. Taking a bite of her salmon, she couldn’t believe how it just melted in her mouth. “Mmmm.” The creamy dill sauce was the perfect complement to the fish. Next she took a bite of her chosen vegetable. The glazed baby carrots were sweet and caramelized, an absolute delight. “Oh, my goodness, these are divine.” She couldn’t help sharing her thoughts.

  “Wait until you taste the rolls.” Cassidy winked at her while she popped a bite of roll in her mouth.

  Tayler went for hers next. The aroma alone just about did her in. But when she separated the layers of the steaming roll, she didn’t even put any butter on it, just placed half of it into her mouth and savored the light and soft texture. “This must be what heaven will be like.” She let a soft moan escape her lips.

  “Don’t worry, we’ve all had that same thought over the years. Mrs. Johnson is incredible in the kitchen.” Cassidy handed a roll to David. The little boy clapped his hands when his mother set it down in front of him.

  “You’ll really enjoy the chocolate mousse for dessert. It’s Cassidy’s masterpiece,” the man on Tayler’s right spoke up. “I don’t believe we’ve officially met. I’m Matthew Reilly. The resident doctor.” He wiped his hand on his napkin and held it out to her.

  Tayler shook it. “How exciting that there’s a doctor in the hotel. And I absolutely adore chocolate mousse.”

  “Well, I don’t live in the hotel, but in the town.” He went back to his food as if he were done talking.

  Interesting man. Tayler guessed him to be older than her brother, Joshua. With blond hair and blue eyes, he was a striking man but didn’t seem to say a lot. She looked across the table to the pretty blond woman who was seated next to Mr. Ivanoff. The lady appeared to be around Tayler’s own age.

  The woman noticed Tayler’s scrutiny and smiled. “Good evening, mademoiselle.” She put a hand to her chest. “I am Collette. I work with Mrs. Johnson and Cassidy in the kitchen. We met briefly in the lobby.”

  “Yes, I remember. I love your accent. You must be from France?” Tayler took another bite of her salmon.

  “Oui. Cassidy taught me how to cook when she was laid up, and now I cook with Mrs. Johnson.”

  Tayler took a sip of water, then switched from English to French. “I have been to France and loved it there—especially the cooking. Not only that, but my grandmother was French-Canadian.”

  Collette clapped her hands. “Oh, how I miss speaking my native tongue. You must promise me long conversations.”

  “I promise.” Tayler changed back to English.

  Allan leaned over and gave Collette a smile. “That ought to make you happy. Someone to talk to when you want to share secrets.”

  “I can share secrets in English,” Collette declared, “but sometimes I do long to speak my native language.”

  “You’re full of surprises, Miss Hale,” Allan said in an approving tone and offered Tayler a smile.

  “I know several languages. Something my parents insisted upon. It helped a lot at Yellowstone, where we had visitors from many countries.”

  “I can imagine.” He nodded toward Collette. “I’m glad you two have a connection. Her brother, Jean-Michel, helps run my mountaineering business in Seattle.”

  Tayler took in a sharp breath. She patted her lips with her napkin and looked at Allan. “You mean, you’re the Brennan behind Brennan Outfitters in Seattle?”

  The man shrugged and nodded. “That’s me.”

  “My boss in Yellowstone introduced me to your store. He refused to buy anything from anywhere else, saying you had the best gear.”

  “Ah yes. Mr. Cunningham. We send several orders to him every year.” Allan took a sip from his glass.

  Tayler couldn’t believe it. “It really is a small world, isn’t it?” Feeling more at home already, she dug back into her food and found she couldn’t wait for dessert.

  But when she looked down the table she noticed Thomas staring at her. And he didn’t look happy.

  10

  TUESDAY, MAY 21—CURRY

  The trek back down Curry Ridge had given Thomas plenty of time to think. The five-mile hike was pleasant and one he knew so well he felt he could do it without even looking. The young boys Allan had sent with him had done a good job helping him the past few days, but Thomas had allowed them to run on ahead when they got close to Curry. Their energy seemed unending. Had he been that way when he was younger? Good grief, he was only twenty-three. It wasn’t like his teen years were that long ago. But at times, he felt like they were. Being an adult brought on the weight of the world. Or at least some days it felt that way.

  The time alone gave Thomas some good stretches to sort things out and talk to God about the issue at hand.

  Wisdom on Allan’s part had sent Thomas up to the Regalvista lookout for a few days. Every season, they went up with a crew to clean up the lookout shelter and prepare campsites and fire pits for the coming influx of tourists. It had been good timing for
Thomas to get away. Even though he hadn’t talked to Allan about his doubts, the older man unquestionably knew that Thomas had qualms about their new hire, Miss Tayler Hale.

  As his steps took him closer to the hotel, Thomas wondered what to do about the dilemma. Should he tell Allan the truth?

  It didn’t help matters that Tayler was very pretty. He felt drawn to her at the same time that he was aggravated at her doing such a risky job. In fact, she was all he could think about at times. He told himself it was just because of the working situation, but he knew better. Thomas found himself watching her—memorizing her. He wanted to know her better, while at the same time he feared knowing.

  What if Allan noticed Thomas’s attraction?

  He walked along the suspension bridge that took him across the Susitna River. Maybe he should talk to John about this before he talked to Allan. The older man was always full of insight, and he understood Thomas better than anyone.

  The worry of the situation weighed him down almost as much as the pack on his shoulders. Just because she knew how to organize the equipment and tie knots didn’t assure him that Tayler could handle all they needed to do. He didn’t mean to be so pessimistic . . . but he’d learned a hard lesson, and now it occupied his mind. A lot.

  Childish laughter floated to him on the wind. It sounded like the Brennan twins.

  A smile lifted Thomas’s spirits. It would be good to see the boys. As he rounded the corner of the bridge, he spotted them playing in the field where they held baseball games. Cassidy was tossing a ball to her sons and then chasing them in a circle. Whatever game they had made up, it was obvious the toddlers thought it great fun.

  Cassidy spotted him first and waved him over. “Thomas, it’s so good to see you. I was just thinking I’d find you today so we could have a chat.” Hands on her hips, she had that mother-hen look about her.

  “What have I done now?” Thomas set down his pack and then joined the boys on the ground. The little tykes climbed on him and tried to feed him grass. “They definitely take after you, Cassidy. They’re always trying to feed me. But their offerings aren’t quite as yummy as yours.” Usually it was dirt, a bug, or a worm. Thomas allowed the happiness of the moment to wash over him.

  Patting him on the shoulder, Cassidy sat on the grass while Jonathon and David played. “It’s about Tayler.”

  His mood instantly sank. Thomas looked to the ground. “What about her?”

  “Allan told me how it went the day she arrived.”

  Great. “And you agree with your husband.”

  “Well, of course I agree with him. But what I don’t understand is why you don’t agree with him.” She quirked an eyebrow at him. “You worked with me for a long time in the kitchen. And I’m a girl. You’ve worked with lots of women, so what’s the big deal about hiring a female guide?”

  “She’s a naturalist.”

  Cassidy rolled her eyes at him. “Okay, so what’s the big deal about hiring a female naturalist?”

  He sighed.

  “Come on, Thomas. This isn’t like you, and poor Tayler thinks that you’re brooding and untrusting.”

  His head popped up at that.

  “Yeah, you didn’t give the greatest first impression.”

  “It’s a lot more complicated than just her being female.”

  Cassidy crossed her arms over her chest. “All right, then. Enlighten me. Why is it so complicated?” One of the boys plopped in her lap and stuck his thumb in his mouth. Pretty soon, the other one joined his twin, and she had her hands full rubbing their backs.

  If anyone would understand, it would be his longtime friend and supporter Cassidy. Thomas chose to tell her everything. “Do you remember me mentioning Caroline?”

  She tilted her head and furrowed her brow. “Was she the one you were thinking of asking to dinner last Christmas?”

  Thomas nodded. “Yeah. I met her the school term prior. She was on a study team with several of us, and she was chosen for one of the field trips we took to study volcanic activity in areas where ash sediment had been discovered. It was well into the wilds, and while the hikes weren’t all that strenuous, my professor kept mentioning that he didn’t think Caroline should be along. Thought it was too dangerous. He’d never had a female student studying geology before.” He hesitated and took a deep breath. “I guess none of us fellas thought she should be with us. Having a woman along just complicated things . . . for a lot of reasons.”

  “Go on.” She glanced down at her sleeping twins. “You have my undivided attention.”

  “Caroline was a consummate actress and deceived all of us into thinking she was more capable and knowledgeable than she really was. She assured everyone that she knew what she was doing, but it just wasn’t true. Not only that, but she was careless and loved to show off.”

  “That never bodes well.”

  Thomas looked at Cassidy and shook his head. “No, it didn’t. You see, Caroline had assured everyone that she was fully qualified by previous experience to be with us. She provided all sorts of references and had been admitted to the class at the request of several important men.”

  “Surely her actions would have given her away.” Cassidy shook her head. “A person can only pretend so long.”

  “Exactly. She was actually able to pull off quite a few assignments, but other times she’d make major mistakes. Always gave one excuse or another. She even went so far as to say that she often tried a different approach to prove or disprove particular theories. I saw this early on, but she was intriguing and . . . well . . . she always managed to charm me one way or another. I ended up covering for her on more than one occasion.” He looked away, embarrassed by his confession.

  “It’s all right, Thomas. I’ve made my share of humiliating mistakes.”

  He looked up and nodded. “Well, this mistake almost cost us our lives.”

  “Goodness, Thomas, now you really have my attention. Please continue.”

  “The last day of the trip we located a previously unknown deposit of ash. We were trying to map it and figure out exactly how long ago it might have been made. We spread out across the valley with the professor’s strict instructions not to climb the ridge because of loose rock. Caroline, being true to her nature, didn’t listen. She wandered off, and in truth, I think most everyone else was relieved to be rid of her. Then a horrible rumble sounded and a massive rockslide started above us.

  “The two classmates closest to me saw it all like I did. It looked like the mountain was raining down rocks and boulders above us. Caroline was right in the middle of the slide, and we couldn’t do anything. We heard her screams, and it made me sick to my stomach.”

  “Heavens, you never told me this! Did she die, Thomas?” Cassidy put a hand to her stomach.

  “No. Praise God, she didn’t die. But by the time it stopped and we got down the mountain and found her . . . she was pretty hurt. Her leg was broken and the professor feared she had internal damage as well.”

  “Oh, Thomas. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.” A tear slid down Cassidy’s cheek. “What happened?”

  “We rushed her back to Fairbanks for care, and thankfully she suffered only lacerations and the broken leg. But the school told her she couldn’t come back.”

  “Did you like her a great deal?” Cassidy tucked her chin and bit her lip. She always seemed to guess his deepest feelings.

  “Yes, I did. I hadn’t gotten up the nerve to tell her how I felt, for which I’m now quite glad. Even though she’d tried to deceive me several times, I still felt attracted to her.” He paused for a moment and shook his head. “Once she was bandaged and her leg cast for the trip home, she had the nerve to make light of the entire situation. The professor confronted her, and she admitted she didn’t have half the experience she claimed. She was there only for the thrill of it and to fulfill a dare.”

  “A dare?” Cassidy asked.

  “Yes, apparently she’d been challenged by her friends and older brother to come all the wa
y to Alaska and put herself in a place and situation she knew nothing about. It was a game of theirs. A stupid game that had been concocted by bored rich children. Caroline cared nothing about any of us, nor what we were doing. She laughed it all off. Thought it was funny that she’d been able to pull the wool over our eyes. She was still making sport of it when she boarded the train for Seward. In fact . . . ” He fell silent, not sure he wanted to admit the most embarrassing part of all.

  “Thomas?” Cassidy smiled. “You know you can tell me anything. I’m not going to betray your trust.”

  He nodded. “She said she knew she could get whatever she wanted from me because I was in love with her.”

  “And were you?”

  “I liked her a great deal, but I don’t think it was love. Especially now.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Thomas wasn’t really sure what he meant. The statement actually surprised him. “Well . . . I suppose . . . having had time to think about it . . . it’s just clear to me. I liked her and wanted to know her better, but . . .”

  “And you now think Tayler is going to turn out to be the same way?”

  “Yes . . . no. I don’t know. Don’t you see? I don’t know what to think. Tayler comes with all these recommendations and supposed experience, but Caroline came with hers as well.”

  “Thomas, I can understand why you’d be skeptical after that, but I think Tayler deserves a chance to at least prove herself.” His friend’s tone was reproving.

  “But even if she is telling the truth, there are some very real dangers out there. This area is difficult enough for a man, but much more so for a woman. Take, for instance, the ridges around here.”

  “Yes, and I’ve climbed all of them.” Cassidy’s sarcasm couldn’t be missed. “I’m a girl too, you know.”

  “But you grew up with all this.”

  “And Tayler grew up in Colorado. Last I heard, she’s climbed mountains pretty much her whole life.”