The Alaskan Rescue (2 page)

Sashi turned and met the most unusual pair of eyes she’d ever
seen—golden like honey, in a face that looked like it belonged in a magazine.
Tanned, with an aquiline nose and chiseled features, even a cleft chin.
Damn.
For the first time since she’d been here, she
felt her stomach tighten up over a good-looking man. Embarrassed because of the
way she was reacting to him, she looked down at the floor.

“New York,” Mac said. “Doc Stevens is right there!” He gave her
a little shove.

Sashi was sure she was bright red by now. The curse of pale
skin.

Stop it, Sashi. Go give the doctor his
key!

His table wasn’t far from the bar. She pulled herself together
and crossed to him. In an effort to appear in control, she focused on a spot
behind his broad shoulders and not on his handsome face. Her heart was pounding
too hard. This kind of thing didn’t happen to her.

“Welcome to the Watering Hole, Dr. Stevens.” Now she met his
gaze. Whew! His eyes were a luminous gold. She reached into her pocket and
pulled out the key. “I believe this is for you.” As she handed it to him she
said, “Mr. Marshall wanted me to tell you ‘thanks again.’”

As the doctor took the key, his hand brushed hers. She felt a
jolt of energy from her fingertips to her midsection.

Sashi had heard of love at first sight, or what she preferred
to call
lust
at first sight, but had never believed
in it. She chalked it up to living in New York. Or maybe never having a
relationship last. Whatever the reason, it had turned her into a real cynic
about romance—until this moment. She’d never felt such attraction. No doubt it
was one-sided, but it was shocking nevertheless.

“Thank you, Sashi,” he replied.

“Oh! You’re welcome.” She smiled. “It’s part of the job.
Hey—how do you know my name?”

Suddenly the two most adorable creases bracketed his mouth.
“It’s on your name tag.”

“Of course.” She felt herself blush again and bit her lip,
continuing to look at him as he looked right back at her. Needing to break the
silence, she asked, “Can I get you anything to drink?”

“I’ll have whatever you think is the best on tap.”

“Are you a lager kind of guy?”

“Always.”

“Then I’ll be right back.” Sashi started to make an escape and
compose her thoughts.

“Wait.”

Her body quickened. This weird attraction was well beyond her
comfort zone. She needed to talk to Kendra right now! Unfortunately, Kendra was
with Freddy Marshall, a shameless ladies’ man. Sashi detested him, but his
father was the boss, so she kept her feelings quiet. What baffled her was how
Kendra could be in love with a man who kept breaking her heart.

Sashi had no choice but to turn back to the doctor. “Is there
something else I can get you, Dr. Stevens?”

The man leaned back in the chair, his long legs stretched out
before him. Was there anything unappealing about him? “First off, call me Cole.
Everyone does. Up here we’re a pretty informal bunch.” He smiled warmly.

Sashi’s throat went dry. Maybe this wasn’t just a one-way
attraction. “Okay—Cole.”

He looked at her curiously. “Where are you from? East
Coast?”

“Originally from Virginia, but I’ve spent the past ten years in
New York.”

He sat up to lean closer to her. “That’s why your accent sounds
so familiar. A colleague of mine is from New York. He sounds like you.”

“Everyone calls me ‘New York’ up here.”

“What did you do there, if I may ask?”

Sashi wondered if the wheat-colored hair that fell over his
forehead was soft to the touch. “Pardon?”

“I asked what you did in New York.”

“Oh. I studied ballet. Um...let me go and get you that
drink.”

Sashi headed back to the bar to get his beer, chastising
herself for acting like a teenager around him. Get your act together, girl.
He’s a customer who wants a beer. That’s all.
With that little pep talk, she headed back to his table with the
beer.

“Oh, dear,” she muttered to herself. This wasn’t going to be
easy. The man was too damned sexy.

Sashi put his drink on the wooden table. “One lager on the
house, courtesy of Mr. Marshall. Is there anything else you would like, Doc—I
mean Cole?”

He took a swig of his drink, then set it down. “This is good.”
He flashed her another warm smile.

“So I’ve been told.” Sashi felt herself smile back.

“You’re not a beer drinker, then?”

Sashi wrinkled her nose. “I’ve never been a fan of beer. Too
many calories.”

He studied her. “Like you need to worry. So what do you
drink?”

Her heart raced from all his attention. “If I do...a gin and
tonic.”

“Cole!” Mac yelled from the bar. “Stop hitting on the
staff!”

“Then stop hiring such good-looking women!” Cole fired
back.

Sashi could feel her cheeks burning again. She had to get away.
She flashed Cole a smile, then moved to other customers and began taking orders.
She couldn’t risk jeopardizing her job, not with only three days left. For the
past three months she’d spurned every man who’d come on to her, be it an
employee or guest.

She needed to ignore this attraction. But it did make her feel
better to know she wasn’t completely frozen inside, as the men she’d turned down
had told her. She guessed she simply wasn’t attracted to most men. Only to one
blond god with tawny eyes.

The rest of the shift passed quickly. When the doctor ordered
another lager or asked her a question, Sashi did her best to look
unaffected.

* * *

S
INCE
THAT
RED
-
HAIRED
beauty had appeared, Cole sat
at the table thunderstruck by what had transpired. Women like that didn’t just
walk into saloons up in Alaska every day. Was she one of the girls Freddy had
brought up from Washington, D.C., under the pretense of proposing to her?

Even if she
was
interested in
Freddy, there’d been a spark between Cole and her when their eyes had met. Cole
needed to catch her alone before he left the bar in order to find out if this
attraction was only in his mind.

He waited outside for the place to close down and for Sashi to
come out. Such an unusual name. He wondered what it meant. Hell, he had a ton of
questions. Most of all he needed to see her again. She looked like a medieval
princess with her porcelain skin and shiny, long hair. And her face! It was
beautiful.

He heard the door open before he saw silhouettes moving in the
semidarkness. Sashi was the first out. Mac followed after locking up the
bar.

“Get a good night’s sleep, New York.”

“You, too, Mac.”

Sashi headed in a different direction than Mac. Cole hoped she
wouldn’t think he was a stalker. If she screamed and told him to get lost, he
would. But if she had felt the same spark he had earlier, she might be happy to
see him. No matter. He would keep his distance so she wouldn’t feel scared.

“New York!” Cole called out softly when she was near enough.
“You never told me where you studied ballet.”

* * *

S
ASHI
’
S
HEAD
WHIPPED
AROUND
. There he was, standing on the other side of the bridge she
needed to cross to reach her bunkhouse. Was he waiting for her? Her heart leaped
at the thought. She hoped he was.

If it had been any other man, she would have been alarmed and
called security—all she had to do was reach down to the two-way radio attached
to the hem of her jeans and call them. Instead, she was thrilled Cole had wanted
to stay and talk to her.

So she leaned against the other side of the arched bridge that
ran over one of the various streams on the property. The lights below the bridge
cast a romantic aura over the lush forest, making onlookers feel they’d entered
the land of Fey. The sky was filled with stars.

“I studied at the Joffrey Ballet School.”

There was enough light for Sashi to see Cole’s tall frame. He
must be at least six-two or -three, with the body of an athlete. She started to
imagine what it would be like to be held in arms like those.

“I don’t know much about dance,” he said. “Could you tell me
more about the school?”

She sighed, then said, “It’s one of the most prestigious ballet
schools in the country.”

“You look like a dancer,” he said.

“And you’re an expert on the subject?” Sashi couldn’t keep the
sarcasm out of her voice.

Cole took a step closer. “To be honest, speaking from a
doctor’s point of view, you look like you’ve been working out for years. Even
serving drinks in jeans and a windbreaker, you hold yourself with poise and
grace.”

Sashi chuckled. “How many dancers do you know? I think you’re
just teasing me.”

A big smile appeared. “So what’s a prima ballerina doing out
here at a fisherman’s paradise?” His voice was deep.

Sashi took a few steps onto the bridge so she could lean over
and look into the water rushing below. “I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase ‘Those
who can,
do,
and
those
who can’t,
teach.
’”
She
turned to face him.

“I have,” he replied.

“I’m going to let you in on a little secret.” She lowered her
voice. “I want to open my own dance studio. I love working with children.”

Sashi wondered how many women this doctor had known in his
life. He was a natural flirt. Suddenly she decided it didn’t matter. It wouldn’t
hurt her to flirt back for once in her life, especially when she knew it could
go nowhere.

Cole raked a hand through his thick hair. “I’m still trying to
understand how you’re going to teach ballet up here.”

Sashi stood up straight. “I’m not going to teach here. I plan
on opening a studio in Virginia. But I need money to get it started.”

“Ah. So you came here to Alaska to earn the big bucks.”

“We call it the gold mine down in the plant. Yet the experience
of traveling to the last frontier has been life-changing.” She smiled at
him.

“You work in the packaging plant?” Cole’s voice had an edge to
it.

She chuckled. “You have a problem with that?”

Cole rubbed his chin. “No... I have great respect for you.
Damn. I worked in a cannery one summer and it was tough work.”

“Tough work that pays very well,” Sashi countered. “Now it’s my
turn.”

“For what?”

“To ask questions.” Sashi walked closer to him. “How does an
Alaskan bush doctor know the term ‘prima ballerina’? Have you even been to a
ballet?”

“That’s a little harsh. Not all Alaskans are rednecks. And yes,
I’ve gone to ballets.” Cole stood up straight.

“Really. Which one is your favorite?”

Cole reached her in two quick strides. The heat of his body
mixed with the tangy spice of his cologne began to break down her walls. He
lifted his hand to tilt her face up to him. “My favorite is
The Sleeping Beauty.
”

Sashi stared into his face and gulped. Those eyes were
intoxicating. Their color seemed to change constantly. Out here on the bridge it
was like honey. At this point she knew she was in way over her head, but at the
moment she didn’t care. His lips were full and his jaw had a five o’clock shadow
she longed to touch.

Was this love at first sight? Or just pure lust? She knew she
was beyond any coherent thought at the moment. Having had such little experience
with men, she wished she knew what was going on. She had to go on instinct
alone.

* * *

T
HIS
INTENSE
ATTRACTION
caught Cole off guard.
He’d heard his friends talk of love at first sight and he’d never believed them.
But as he reached out and pulled her into his arms, it seemed the most natural
thing in the world to do. “Have you ever danced in that particular ballet?”

“Yes,” she answered in a whisper, “but never as the prima
ballerina.”

Cole bent his head down until their mouths met. At first their
kisses were soft and gentle, and Sashi touched her fingers to his jaw. As
passion filled his veins, Cole deepened the kiss and pulled her closer,
releasing her magnificent hair.

Sashi’s body trembled as Cole kissed her with a new intensity.
Every touch was more erotic as his lips and tongue slanted deeply, seeking a
closeness only full sexual union could satisfy. He wanted to take her to his
bungalow now and make love to her.

Show some control, Cole,
he told himself.
You can’t just
ravage the woman.
H
e wrapped his arms
around her waist and rested his head on hers. He was sure she could hear his
heart pounding.

“Sashi,” he said, panting, “I’m a man who is usually in control
of himself. But I’m losing the battle. What would you like to do? I’ll respect
your decision.”

He looked into her glowing emerald eyes, awaiting her
reply.

Chapter Two

“I...I don’t know,” she said. “I’ve never felt this way
before.”

Sashi trembled from pure excitement. She tightened her arms
around Cole’s neck and kissed him deeply. He seemed to lose the control he’d
been trying so hard to keep. He groaned and pinned her body against the bridge
railing, returning her kiss.

Over the years Sashi had heard her friends talk about moments
like this. She hadn’t believed they’d actually let a man they didn’t know near
them. But now she understood. Tonight out here, she couldn’t imagine not letting
him touch her. She never wanted to let him go.

They stayed on the bridge, kissing and caressing, unable to get
enough of each other, for the next thirty minutes, until at last Sashi gently
pushed him away, saying she had a long day tomorrow. As promised, he accepted
her decision.

After leaving him, Sashi could hear music blaring from her
bunkhouse before she walked into the bare, A-frame cabin. Kendra must have
alerted the four other girls she was absent. They shared the same bunk room.

Damn.

They must all be waiting for her. She touched her fingers to
her lips. They felt swollen from all the kissing. Her time with Cole had been so
intense, she’d lost track of time.

Reaching for the doorknob, she took a deep breath and walked
into the room to face the women she’d come to know over the summer.

“Sashi? Where have you been?” Kendra threw a pillow at her. “Do
you know how worried I was?”

Sashi easily evaded the pillow, diverting it to Natalie’s bed.
“I’m sorry. I lost track of time.”

Sarah, a busty young blonde who, like all the others, was after
Freddy, chimed in. “Somebody looks like they’ve been making out!”

The cabin erupted in shrieks, causing Sashi to turn red.

“I’ve got to see this,” Bridgette declared. She got off her bed
and moved in on Sashi for a closer inspection.

Bridgette was tall and curvy with long blond hair. Freddy liked
all types of women. He’d hurt Kendra when he’d brought her up here letting her
think she was the only woman he cared for. Little did Kendra realize she’d be
competing with four others!

“Can you guys just leave me alone?” Sashi said.

“No!” Bridgette declared. “You’ve been Little Miss Goody
Two-Shoes all summer and this is pretty exciting.”

“Go back to sleep.” Sashi rolled her eyes and headed over to
her bed.

“Hold on just a second!” Blake called out.

Sashi groaned. No. Not Blake Carrey, the beast from Boston with
the looks of a movie star and blond hair cut to her chin. Kendra knew that
Blake’s perfectly tanned body came out of a spray bottle from France and her
personality came straight from hell. Blake had made Kendra’s life miserable up
here. She was obsessed with Freddy and convinced he was going to propose to her
this summer.

“What do you want, Blake?”

“Who’s the guy? What makes him so special? Come on. Tell
us.”

Sashi turned around to face the woman. She didn’t care much for
Blake, whose constant complaining over the hard work got on everyone’s
nerves.

With a smile she said, “He’s none of your business.”

“Don’t tell me you finally got it on with Mac!” Blake stood in
front of her in satin pajamas that seemed so out of place up here in Alaska.

Sashi laughed. “Oh, if you only knew the truth.” At that she
turned around and began to get things out of her bag. “Why don’t you go back to
bed, Blakey? You need your beauty sleep.”

Sashi left for the latrine/shower house with her bag of
toiletries. She needed to brush her teeth and wash her face. It was amazing how
the guests got indoor plumbing and every modern amenity, while the workers lived
back in time. Mr. Marshall had never gotten around to bringing the workers’
cabins into the twentieth century, never mind the twenty-first.

As she walked the short distance to the latrine, she heard
laughter. But a loud bang from the door made her turn around to see who’d
followed her. “Kendra! You scared me!”

Her tall friend caught up with her in seconds. “Sashi, what the
hell? You’ve never done this before. You’ve got to tell me what happened
earlier.”

“I’m sorry. But I met the hottest man ever.”

Kendra stopped walking and stared at Sashi in the moonlight.
“Are you drunk? Is this the same Sashi I grew up with?”

Sashi didn’t want to stand out in the dark. This was bear
country and she knew the rules, so she continued to walk. “Seriously, Kendra,
you have to swear not to tell the girls.”

They reached the smelly outbuilding that serviced the
employees’ needs. She headed in and Kendra followed. “Sashi, you and I don’t
like any of those girls except Natalie. Who would I tell?”

“You’d tell Freddy!”

“Not true. I can keep secrets.”

“Promise?” Sashi’s heart was pounding as she washed her
hands.

Kendra sounded exasperated. “Pinkie-promise.”

“Okay.” Sashi started to change clothes. “There was this hot
bush doctor who flew up from Ketchikan today. His name is—”

“Dr. Stevens.” Kendra finished the sentence for her.

She felt a wave of jealously sweep through her. When had Kendra
met him? Sashi was only half-dressed in her thermal top. “How do you know
him?”

Kendra laughed. “Girl, you look so upset! I was working at the
reception desk when he arrived and I took him to Mr. Marshall. He was pretty
hot.”

Sashi nodded. “Yeah.”

“I’m not going to tell you anything more until
you
tell me how far you went.”

“We only kissed. I didn’t want to do more. He’s asked to see me
again.” Sashi disappeared back into one of the toilet cubicles.

“How are you guys going to meet again?” Kendra asked.

“He’s a bush doctor, and he’ll fly out here and take us to
Ketchikan early on the day we’re supposed to fly home. Then he’s going to take
us to lunch. He says he can get us to the airport fast, too.”

“Do you believe him?”

“Of course.”

“Well, you’re going to have to call him and change the
plans.”

“Why?”

“Because I broke off with Freddy and have booked us a three-day
tour of Prince of Wales Island.”

Sashi emerged from the cubicle ready for bed. “Kendra, I can’t
afford a trip like that.”

“I know. That’s why it’s my treat. The tour’s all about the
Native Americans who lived here on this island. Our guide is an Native chief who
knows amazing sites. It’s going to be incredible.”

Sashi went over and hugged her friend. She felt for her. Kendra
had been fighting for Freddy’s attention all summer and finally learned from
co-workers in the packing plant that he was just a player who brought his women
up here to work. Worse, he put all of them in the same cabin!

“I’m proud of you for the way you’re handling this, Kendra,”
Sashi said. “I’ll call Cole in the morning and find out if I can see him some
other way before we leave Alaska.”

“I’ve never seen you this keen on a guy before,” Kendra said in
a soft tone.

“I know it’s crazy. Cole was talking about flying out to
Virginia for a vacation to see me. I didn’t know what to say other than I’d love
it.”

“Stranger things have happened. I’m happy for you, Sashi. Now
I’ve just got to get over Freddy.”

“I’ll help you.”

* * *

T
HE
RAIN
WAS
COMING
DOWN
in sheets as Cole drove his Range Rover. If he hadn’t been on this road over a
hundred times before, he didn’t think he’d find his house high on the hill
overlooking Ketchikan.

At last he pulled into his driveway. With a push of a button,
the garage door swung open and he drove inside. The door immediately closed
behind him, locking out the storm. He hoped the weatherman had been right and it
would clear up fast. He was looking forward to flying out and seeing Sashi and
her friend the day after tomorrow.

Cole rested his head against the steering wheel for a second.
He’d never fallen for a woman this fast. His body could still feel her in his
arms. What was he getting himself into?

Just then his phone buzzed. He didn’t recognize the number.
Maybe it was Sashi. His heart raced at the thought of talking to her. “Dr.
Stevens,” he said.

“Cole. It’s Sashi.”

Her voice sounded as sexy on the phone as it did in real life.
“Hey there, New York. How are you doing?”

“I’m fine. It’s...good to hear your voice.”

“So what’s going on?”

“Well, there’s been a little change in plans.”

Cole felt his stomach knot. “Like what?”

“Nothing bad. Remember how I told you I came up here with my
best friend?”

“Uh-huh.”

“She totally surprised me by offering me a free tour of the
island with her. It’ll extend my stay for another three days.”

“Wait—your friend bought you a tour?” Cole was incredulous.

“Okay. I’m not putting you on. Kendra has lots of money, and
this trip has been horrible for her. Freddy Marshall lied about his intentions
when he brought her up here.”

“Oh, I know all about Freddy Marshall and his lies, but I’m
still trying to figure out why you’re evading me.”

“No! That’s not it at all. Kendra has her degree in
anthropological studies from George Washington University. She’s trying to
salvage this trip by turning the last days into something good. That’s why she
paid for me to come along with her on this three-day getaway. She wants to
forget Freddy and focus on something positive.”

“What does this trip entail?” Cole was trying to keep his voice
calm.

“We’re going to be making a small survey of where the Tlingit
and Haida Natives lived on Prince of Wales Island. We’ll head south to Hydaburg
to see the totem poles and study some ancient sites in the area. Then we’ll head
north to the cave El Capitan, where we’ll go spelunking to find ancient
petroglyphs.”

“That sounds amazing.” Cole tried to keep the disappointment
out of his voice. He was thirty-five, for Pete’s sake, not some schoolboy. “Will
you need a flight in from the island, or will the tour end in Ketchikan?”

“The tour ends in Ketchikan. I told the guide I wanted to get
in early so we would have a six-hour layover. Do you think you’ll have time to
see me and my friend then?”

Cole found his first smile of the day. The E.R. had been a mess
because of the storm, and he’d been wondering what would happen with Sashi. Now
he knew he’d be able to see her again. “All you have to do is let me know what
airport you land at and I’ll be waiting for you.”

“Okay, that sounds great.”

“Look, you’re too special to let go. Have fun, New York. I’ll
see you in a couple of days. Promise me you’ll be safe. It’s bear country out
there.”

“I know. I’ve been living in it for three months.”

“Take care, anyway.”

“Bye,” Sashi said softly.

“Miss you already, New York.” Then Cole clicked off.

* * *

I
T
WAS
A
BEAUTIFUL
MORNING
to be leaving Marshall’s. The sun had turned the water along
the coastline turquoise-blue. Sashi could hear sea lions barking in the
distance. The majesty of Alaska was something she would never forget, and the
huge paycheck she’d just wired home to her bank really made her stay up here
worth it. She felt giddy knowing she’d earned enough to get a business loan to
open up her dance studio. She finally had a place in the world where she
belonged.

She got busy loading up Kendra’s and her gear into their
guide’s plane. He was Joe Running Bear, an older Native chief with black hair
peppered with white, whom she found very kind and apparently happy to do this
tour.

Kendra was still having a hard time saying goodbye to Freddy
even though she claimed she’d broken up with him. Why she continued to spend
time with that weasel was beyond Sashi’s comprehension.

Sure he was good-looking, if you liked pretty boy features,
calculating blue eyes and a tall wiry frame. But when you got past his looks, he
had nothing else. He was a phony, just stringing every girl on. Now Kendra was
standing next to him, part of his usual fawning entourage of women and men.

Finally Kendra emerged from the mob. She seemed happy.
Obviously something had just happened between Freddy and her friend.

“Why are you all smiles?” Sashi asked directly.

Kendra didn’t look at her. “Joe? Are we ready to go?”

“Yes, we are.”

“Great! Come on, Sashi,” Kendra called out as she climbed into
the pontoon plane secured to the dock. “I’ll tell you inside.”

Sashi had a bad feeling. What had Freddy promised Kendra now?
What had she gotten herself into?

The door closed and Joe climbed into the pilot’s seat. He told
them to put on their seat belts along with headphones so they could talk. He
started the engine and soon they were taxiing over the water, then lifting in
the air. Both girls stared out the windows, caught up in the splendor of Prince
of Wales Island. Sashi found this land, covered in a rain forest of ferns and
pines, magical. Bears and bald eagles made their home there, and whales dotted
the coastline.

Before they touched down at their first site, Kendra grabbed
Sashi’s hand. “We have to talk.”

Sashi didn’t want to stop looking out the window. “So
now
you feel like talking?”

“I’m going to have Joe fly us up to a lake called Red Bay.
Freddy, Bridgette, Natalie, Nick and George are going to fly out for a goodbye
party at the cabin located right on the lake. It’s all been arranged.”

Sashi bit her lip. She didn’t really care for Nick or George.
They were two local guys from Craig who worked the fishing boats and had big
crushes on the two other girls. “Why? I thought you called it off with
Freddy.”

“I did, but today he begged me for a second chance. I couldn’t
say no.” Kendra’s eyes began to well up with tears.