Tundra Threat. Sarah Varland

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СКАЧАТЬ over here before sunrise looking like you haven’t slept in a week.” She surveyed his sleepy eyes, the stubble on his well-defined jawline. “Did you sleep?”

      “I slept fine. Until I got his text.”

      “Which was when?”

      “Two.”

      “So you haven’t slept since two?”

      “Couldn’t.” He shook his head. “I came over here as soon as it seemed late enough to not be rude.” Some of the seriousness left his face as his mouth stretched into his trademark charming smile, the one that had made all the girls in high school swoon. “No need to welcome you to town by taking away your beauty sleep.”

      “Yeah, because clearly I need every bit, right?” she muttered as she poured her own coffee.

      “I didn’t say that. Besides, I figured if I came over here at a decent hour I could talk you into fixing me some coffee. And maybe breakfast? I think there’s a jar of pickles in my fridge. And maybe some sour cream from a few months ago. But nothing that seems edible.”

      “Fine. I’ll make pancakes. You’ll tell me what my meddling brother told you. Then you can go back home and go to sleep or do...” She realized she had no idea what he did for work these days. She’d lost track—intentionally. Keeping up with him had hurt too much. She pulled her attention back to the present. “Or do whatever it is you do. I have to get to work. I have a lot to do today. Things are crazy.”

      Will leaned back in his chair. “Sounds good. And it’s that part about work being crazy that I wanted to talk to you about.”

      * * *

      Will watched McKenna’s eyes narrow, knew he was dancing dangerously close to the line where she was concerned, between her teasing him back and giving in to her temper. She was annoyed he was here, that much was clear, but he couldn’t tell if it was because she really didn’t believe she needed help, or because he was the one offering.

      He’d always thought they had a pretty good relationship. No one had ever understood him the way McKenna had always seemed to. In fact, if she’d been anyone else, he’d have claimed the first dance at the Seward High School Homecoming her freshman year of high school when he was a senior and seen where their attraction and connection could take them.

      But she was his best friend’s little sister. So he’d done what he should and stayed away, keeping their friendship to teasing and the occasional long conversation down by Resurrection Bay, when he’d escaped the house to get away from his drinking father and she’d be down by the water, just watching the waves.

      Then he’d gone to one year of college in Anchorage, fallen in love with Rachael, and that was the end of that.

      Or so he’d thought.

      “Whatever Luke told you is probably not true.”

      “Because your brother is so known for not telling the truth.”

      McKenna laughed and Will joined her. Luke was one of the most brutally honest people he knew.

      “Obviously that’s not it. But anything I told him certainly didn’t include ‘hey, and could you send Will over here before the sun is up to demand pancakes and talk to me about my job?’” She stirred the batter and looked back up at him. “So I can only assume he exaggerated something. Either that or you really are starving.”

      “He told me you texted him last night asking for advice because someone broke into your house, possibly connected to a double murder you stumbled upon on the tundra yesterday.”

      Her face fell. Apparently she’d wondered if Luke had told him all of that and he had confirmed it. But why did it matter to her if he knew? Didn’t she know he’d want to be there for her as soon as he heard she was in trouble? Was she that determined for them to stay out of each other’s lives?

      “So here I am, wanting more details and to see how I can help.”

      “That’s the thing, Will. I’m a big girl now. I don’t need your help.” She sighed and softened her tone. “It’s nice of you to care.”

      “Of course I care. You and Luke have always been like family to me.”

      Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw her flinch.

      “At least tell me about it. Luke didn’t give details.”

      She kept pouring pancakes onto the griddle, not acknowledging him for a minute, then finally nodded, then exhaled. “Okay. I got here less than a week ago. Yesterday was my first day working and I received an anonymous tip about illegal hunting going on south of here. I had Chris—he’s the pilot who’s supposed to fly me around when I need it—take me to where the caller had described. We hiked quite a bit, searching for signs that people had been there. We eventually found some, followed the trail, and...”

      Will watched her swallow hard, saw the way her face paled to an unnatural shade of green. She was tough, but crimes like these weren’t supposed to be part of her job description.

      “And then last night someone broke into your house? Do you think the two incidents are connected?”

      She set a plate full of pancakes down on the table in front of him and laughed, a laugh that was entirely without humor. “I’m sure they’re connected.”

      “How?”

      She slid a piece of paper across the table to him, and as he read the overtly threatening words, his stomach clenched.

      No question, McKenna needed his help. And she was going to get it. Like it or not.

      * * *

      “You’re thinking something.” McKenna pointed out the painfully obvious after several minutes of watching Will’s thoughts work out in the expressions on his face.

      “I am,” he admitted between bites of pancake.

      “So... Out with it.”

      “You’re going to hate it.”

      “You don’t know what I’ll hate and won’t.” McKenna folded her arms across her chest.

      “No, I’m pretty sure you’re going to hate this.”

      “Are you going to let me figure that out for myself or not?”

      He paused. “Let me fly you around.”

      “Fly...me...around... Wait, wait, on a plane?”

      Will laughed and it lit up his face. She tried to ignore that and focus on the fact that he was plotting to take the little independence she’d gained by stepping into her life and taking over. He could call it “caring” or whatever else he wanted to, but she knew what he was doing. Exactly the same thing Luke would be doing if he was there. Would the two of them never let her be in charge of her own life?

      “Yeah, on a plane. I’m a pilot. Luke didn’t tell you?”

      “We don’t really talk about you.” McKenna shrugged, unwilling СКАЧАТЬ