Midnight Sons Volume 1 (10 page)

“Pete didn’t bother me.”

“Well, he bothers me,” Sawyer said abruptly.

“Why?”

Sawyer expelled his breath and glanced up at the ceiling. “Because I’m a fool, that’s why.”

The atmosphere in the Hard Luck Café was decidedly cool when Sawyer came by for breakfast.

“Morning,” he greeted Ben, then claimed a seat at the counter. Three of his pilots were there, and he nodded in their direction. They ignored him.

Ben poured him a cup of coffee.

“I’ll take a couple of eggs and a stack of hotcakes.” Sawyer ordered without looking at the menu.

John Henderson grumbled something Sawyer couldn’t hear, slapped some money down on the counter and walked out. Ralph, who sat two stools down from Sawyer, followed suit. Duke muttered a few words, then he was gone, too.

Sawyer looked up, surprised. Three of his best pilots acted like they couldn’t get away from him fast enough. “What? Do I have bad breath?”

Ben chuckled. “Maybe, but that ain’t it.”

“Why are they mad at me?”

Ben braced his hands on the counter. “I’d say it has something to do with Abbey Sutherland.”

Sawyer tensed. “What about Abbey?”

“From what I hear, you had a word with Pete Livengood about him dropping off Abbey’s groceries at the library.”

“Yeah? So what?” To Sawyer’s way of thinking, the old coot had no business interrupting her when she was at work. The library wasn’t open yet. Besides, Pete hadn’t brought that bouquet of wildflowers because he was interested in finding a good book to read. No, he was after Abbey. That infuriated Sawyer every time he thought about it.

Pete wasn’t right for Abbey, and Sawyer wasn’t planning to let him pester her while she was on his property. Okay, so maybe his family
had
donated his grandfather’s cabin to the town. It didn’t matter; Sawyer felt responsible for her. If it wasn’t for Midnight Sons, she wouldn’t even be in town.

“Just remember I’m a disinterested observer,” Ben said. “But I’ve got eyes and ears, and I hear what the men are saying.”

“So what’s the problem?”

Ben brought the eggs and cakes hot off the griddle, and topped up Sawyer’s coffee. “Ralph and John and a couple of the others object to you keeping Abbey to yourself.”

Sawyer didn’t see it that way. “What gives them the idea I’m doing that?”

“Wasn’t it you who warned everyone to stay away from the library?”

“That isn’t because I’m keeping Abbey to myself,” he argued.
“The woman’s got work to do, and I don’t want her constantly interrupted.”

“I sure don’t remember you taking such a keen interest in your mother’s collection before.”

Sawyer wasn’t going to argue further, although the whole discussion irked him. No one seemed to appreciate what he was trying to do. “The library will be open soon, and then the men can visit as often as they like.”

That seemed to appease Ben, and Sawyer suspected it would appease the other men, as well.

“Next on the list of complaints,” Ben continued, “the guys think you’re inventing flights to keep the crew busy so you can court Abbey without interference.”

“I’m not
courting
her,” he said heatedly. “And what kind of old-fashioned word is that anyway?”

“You had dinner at her house, didn’t you?”

“That’s true, but Scott was the one who invited me.” He hated having to defend his actions. That aside, it was the best dinner he’d had all summer. And he didn’t just mean the food.

“Are you saying you don’t have any personal interest in her?”

“That’s right.” Although he didn’t hesitate, Sawyer wondered how honest he was being. It was a good thing no one knew he’d been kissing Abbey.

Ben narrowed his eyes. “You’re not interested in her,” he repeated. “Is that why you nearly bit Pete’s head off?”

Sawyer sighed, his appetite gone. “Who told you that? I didn’t so much as raise my voice.”

“But you made it clear you didn’t want him seeing her.”

“Not before the library’s open,” Sawyer insisted. “This is the
very reason I was against the idea of recruiting women in the first place. Look at us!”

“What?” Ben asked.

“A few weeks ago we were all friends. Don’t you see what’s happening? We’re at each other’s throats.”

“Well, we got one thing settled, though, didn’t we? You’re not interested in her yourself.”

“Of course not,” Sawyer said stiffly.

“Then you won’t mind if a few of the other guys develop intellectual interests that require research trips to the library?”

Sawyer shrugged. “Why should I care?”

“That’s what I’d like to know,” Ben said, and Sawyer had a feeling the old stew-burner was seeing straight through him.

“All I ask is that the guys give Abbey a little breathing room. Can’t they wait until the library’s open?”

“And when will that be?”

“Soon,” he promised. “I understand she’ll be ready to open it up to the public in a few days.”

“Good. I’ll pass the word along,” Ben said, then returned to the kitchen.

Sawyer ate his breakfast, and although Ben was an excellent cook, the food rested in his stomach like a lead weight.

It didn’t take him long to acknowledge that he was guilty of everything Ben had suggested. He’d gone out of his way to keep the men as far from Abbey as he could arrange. It hadn’t been a conscious decision, at least not in the beginning. But it was now.

Abbey was putting away the last of the dinner dishes the following night when she heard Scott and Susan on the front porch
talking with a third person. The weather had been warm, and she’d changed into shorts when she got home from work. Who’d have believed it would reach the mid-eighties in the Arctic? Despite everything she’d read, it hadn’t seemed real until she’d experienced it for herself.

Drying her hands on a kitchen towel, she walked out to the porch to discover Sawyer chatting with her children. Eagle Catcher stood at his side.

“Hello,” he said cheerfully when she joined them.

“Good evening.” She’d been hoping she’d see Sawyer again soon. His eyes said he was eager for her company, too.

Being with him felt right. She loved the easy way he spoke to her children, his patience with Scott over the dog, his gentleness with Susan. Her daughter had adored him from the moment he’d held out his hand to her when they’d met at the airport.

“When are we going to see the northern lights?” Scott asked Sawyer. He’d talked of little else over dinner that night. “Ronny told me it’s better than the Fourth of July fireworks, but no matter how late I try to stay up, it won’t get dark.”

“That’s because it’s early summer, Scott, and the solstice isn’t even due for another two weeks. Wait until the end of August—you’ll probably begin to see them then.”

“Does it
ever
get dark in Alaska?” Susan asked.

“Yes, but just for a short time in the summer. Winter, however, is another story.”

“Ronny told me it’s dark practically all day,” Scott put in, “but I knew that from the books Mom read when she applied for the job.”

“What do the northern lights look like?” Susan asked.

Sawyer sat on the swing and Susan sat beside him; Scott hunkered down next to Eagle Catcher. “Sometimes the light fills the sky from horizon to horizon. It’s usually milky green in color and the colors dance and flicker. Some folks claim they can hear them.”

“Can you?”

Sawyer nodded. “Yup.”

“What’s it sound like?”

Sawyer’s eyes caught Abbey’s. “Like tinkling bells. I suspect you’ll hear them yourself.”

“Are they always green?”

“No, there’s a red aurora that’s the most magnificent of all.”

“Wow, I bet that’s pretty!”

“You know, the Inuit have a legend about the aurora borealis. They believe the lights are flaming torches carried by departed souls who guide travelers to the afterlife.”

Abbey sat on the edge of the swing. Soon Susan was in her lap, and she was next to Sawyer. He looked over at her and smiled.

Her children seemed to have a hundred questions for him. He told them the story of how his grandfather had come to Hard Luck, chasing a dream, searching for gold.

“Did he find gold?” Scott asked.

“In a manner of speaking, but not the gold he’d been looking for. It was here, but he never really struck it rich. He died believing he’d failed his wife and family, but he hadn’t.”

“Why did he stay?” Abbey asked.

“My grandmother refused to go. They had a little girl named
Emily who disappeared on the tundra, and afterward my grandmother wouldn’t leave Hard Luck.”

“Did she think there was some chance Emily would come back?”

“She never stopped looking.”

“What do you think happened to her?” Scott asked.

“We can only guess, but none of the prospects are pleasant. That’s why it’s so important for you never to wander off on your own. Understand?”

The two children nodded solemnly.

Abbey glanced at her watch, surprised by how late it was. When she’d read that Alaska was the land of the midnight sun, she’d assumed the light would be more like dusk. She was wrong. The sun was so bright she had to prop a board against the curtains in the children’s bedroom to make it dark enough for them to fall asleep. As it was, their routines had started to shift. They stayed awake later and slept in longer.

“Bedtime,” she told them now.

Her announcement was followed by the usual chorus of moans and complaints.

“Come on, Susan,” Sawyer said, standing. “I’ll give you a piggyback ride.” He hoisted her onto his back and Susan giggled, placing her arms around his neck.

“You’re next, partner,” he told Scott.

“I’m too old for that stuff,” Scott protested, but Abbey knew it was for show. He was as eager as his sister for a ride.

“Too old? You’ve got to be kidding,” Sawyer said, his voice rising in exaggerated disbelief. “You’re never too old for fun.” Then, before Scott could escape, Sawyer clasped him around the waist and held him against his side.

Scott was giggling and kicking wildly. With a smile, Abbey held open the screen door, and Sawyer carried the children down the hallway to the bedroom they grudgingly shared.

“How about a cup of coffee?” she asked while the kids changed into their pajamas. “Or I could make tea.”

His eyes brightened momentarily, then he shrugged and shook his head. “I can’t. Thanks, anyway. I came over to tell you I talked to my brother about the housing situation.”

Susan burst out of the bedroom wearing her Minnie Mouse pajamas and ran into the kitchen. Scott was close behind, his pajama top half over his head. When her kids were this excited, it was always a while before they settled down enough to sleep.

“Will you tuck me in?” Susan asked, gazing up at Sawyer.

He glanced at Abbey. “If it’s okay with your mother.”

They hopped up and down as if it were Christmas morning and they’d awakened to find the tree surrounded by gifts.

Taking him by the hand, Susan led Sawyer into the bedroom. Abbey followed, her arm around Scott’s shoulders. Sawyer tucked each child into bed, but it was soon apparent that neither one intended to go to sleep.

“Tell us a story,” Susan pleaded, wriggling out from under the covers. She hugged her favorite doll.

Scott, too, seemed to think this was a brilliant idea. “Yeah!” he shouted. “One with a dog in it.” It went without saying that he would’ve welcomed Eagle Catcher in his bedroom had Abbey and Sawyer allowed it.

“All right,” Sawyer agreed. “But then you have to promise to close your eyes and go to sleep.”

Sawyer entertained them with a story for the next fifteen
minutes. He was obviously inventing as he went along, and Abbey was both charmed by his spontaneity and moved by his willingness to do this for her children. Afterward, emotion tugged at her heart as Sawyer bowed his head while each child recited a prayer.

A few minutes later, he slipped out of the bedroom. Abbey was waiting for him in the kitchen. She was boiling water for a cup of tea.

“Thank you,” she whispered, not looking at him.

There was an uncomfortable silence, then Sawyer cleared his throat. “As I said, I spoke with Christian about the housing situation. It’s clear to both of us that you and the children can’t go back to the cabin.”

“But I don’t really have any choice, do I?”

“There’s one vacant house in town.” His lips thinned. “It belongs to Catherine Fletcher.”

The name was vaguely familiar, and Abbey tried to recall where she’d heard it. Then she remembered the day Pearl Inman had stopped by the library and told her about Sawyer and his family, and some of Hard Luck’s history. If she recalled correctly, the two families had been at odds since the 1940s right after World War II.

“Christian thought we should contact Catherine’s family. She’s in a nursing home now, and it’s unlikely she’ll ever return to Hard Luck.”

“I’d be happy to pay whatever rent she feels is fair.”

“Midnight Sons will pick up the rent,” Sawyer said. “We promised you free housing when you agreed to move here, and that’s what you’re going to get.”

“Do you think she’ll let me have the house?” Abbey asked hopefully.

Sawyer frowned. “She’s a cantankerous old woman, and it’d be just like her to refuse out of spite. I’m hoping I don’t have to speak to her at all. Her daughter’s far more reasonable.”

“You don’t like Catherine?”

“No,” Sawyer said without emotion. “She went out of her way to hurt my mother, and I don’t find that easy to forgive. It’s a long story better left untold.”

Despite his negative feelings toward the old woman, Sawyer was willing to approach her on Abbey’s and the children’s behalf. Every day Abbey found a new reason to be grateful for Sawyer’s presence in her life.

“I appreciate what you’re doing,” she murmured. “Are you sure you don’t have time for a cup of coffee or tea?”

His eyes held hers, and a warm sensation skittered through her. Hastily he shook his head. “I’ve got to get back.” He looked past her down the hallway that led to the bedrooms. “You were right when you said your husband was the one to be pitied. Scott and Susan are great kids. They’d make any man proud.”

He moved past her, then paused on his way out the door and kissed her. Only their lips touched. The kiss was brief and casual, as if they exchanged such an intimacy every day.