A larger noise came from somewhere in front of her. Mindful of the last time she’d run into a bear, Sarah stopped. She forced her heart to calm, told herself how reasonable would it be for her to run into a grizzly bear every time she went into the woods alone. A squirrel maybe, but a bear. Sarah laughed at her foolishness.
A grunt sounded from the bushes ahead of her.
Okay. This was taking it too damn far. “If you’re a bear, get out of here,” Sarah said, remembering she read once that talking to a bear told it you were human, and thus, another predator.
“No bears here!” Liam’s voice carried to her.
Sarah squeaked. She jumped back. Her heel caught on a tree root and she fell on her rump. Her notebook flew out of her hand, the pages whipping in the air as it tumbled into a clump of flowers nearby. Her pen bounced into the underbrush. Feet akimbo, she sat there, watching as Liam rose to his feet.
“Sorry, I thought I saw a rare plant. Didn’t mean to startle you.” He stepped onto the trail and looked down at her. “Need a hand.”
Heat flamed over her cheeks. “No, not at all.” Scrambling to her feet she kicked the offending tree root. “You were following me!”
“I was in the area.” He held out a green stem. “Just a common grass, I’m afraid, but it looked like a rare plant. Seriously.”
Sarah stared at what looked like a wilted green stem in his hands. Brows narrowed, she wondered if he was telling the truth. Then again, he had no reason to lie to her. He’d told her to keep close, and though she might have wandered further from camp than she anticipated, she remained on the trail. “Well don’t startle me like that again,” she admonished.
“All right. There’s a nice view on the trail up ahead. I wouldn’t have wanted you to go that far on your own, but now that I’m here, want to see it?” Liam asked. He dropped the bruised stems to the side of the trail, then bent down and picked up her pen.
She accepted it from him, quickly grabbing her notebook before he could be gallant and return it to her too. “Okay, though if it’s on the trail, I don’t see why I couldn’t have gone on my own.” Tucking the pen into the spiral of the notebook, she checked to make sure none of the pages had fallen during her tumble.
“Because,” Liam said, his voice artificially lowered. “There might be bears.”
Sarah laughed. He sounded so dramatic, and it wasn’t like she hadn’t seen a bear before. She had, and she’d lived to tell the tale. Sure, Liam had to fight it off, but he did. The thought made her kind of fluttery inside. “Yeah, there might be bears,” she agreed. “Now, you going to show me this view?” Laughing, she let him lead her down the trail, and didn’t mind the view as she followed him. In moments like these, she could forget about her report and the implications of it and simply enjoy a well-needed vacation.
~* * *~
Liam spent the next two days showing her plentiful scenery, all of it beautiful, and no bears. Surprisingly, they saw little wildlife in their travels. Glancing covertly over his shoulder at Sarah, Liam figured she must have decided that he’d led her across half of
Alaska
. They’d gone from one secluded area to another, finding rivers so clear they had seen to the bottom in several places. Mountains created vistas that belonged on postcards. The farther they walked, the more determined Sarah seemed.
The Quintursa had to have been wrong about her. Anytime they stopped she wrote furiously in her notepad. He peered over her shoulder, seeing that she jotted down information about the flora and fauna. Occasionally she’d note something about her thoughts or her spirituality. He tried not to look, but he knew if the Quintursa asked him he’d better have an answer. Sometimes he really hated walking between two worlds.
They stopped to rest, more for her sake than for his. She’d hiked along without a complaint, her cheeks red from the wind and exertion. Bundled in a jacket and knit cap and gloves, she looked ready to face the tundra. He generated quite a bit more body heat than a normal human, but wore a denim shirt and jeans over thermal underwear, not wanting to draw her suspicions. Sarah was too smart for her own good.
He watched her lean against a large boulder and draw deep breaths. Her red lips captured his gaze, making him remember how soft and pliant she felt beneath him. He had no idea if his job would be over soon or not. As far as he knew, this was an open-ended assignment. Show her what she needed to see so she could write her report. They’d talked about a couple of weeks, which meant he had some more time with her yet.
That was moving into dangerous territory. If Cameron were here right now, he’d tease Liam about his attraction to Sarah. Finally, someone got beneath big brother’s icy exterior, Cameron would say, and reluctantly, Liam would have to agree. He battled against a smile just thinking about his happy-go-lucky’s brother attitude about his relationship with Sarah. Cameron would think this was all one big joke. And that’s why he was doing this and not his brother. He just wished he could shake the feeling that something was about to happen.
Sarah wanted to sleep for a week. Her quads and calves complained about the nearly constant hiking and she thought longingly about the whirlpool tub in her apartment. It’d feel heavenly to sink into the hot water. She’d use some of her favorite bath salts and simply indulge herself in a nice, steamy bath. Her cell phone rang, jarring her out of her fantasy.
A glance at the caller id showed her sister’s number. Sarah frowned. She’d told Natalie not to call her unless it was an emergency, and usually her younger sibling respected such edicts. For her to be calling now made Sarah’s heart pound in her chest. “Hello,” she answered, unsure of what she’d find on the other end of the phone line.
“Sarah, I’m so glad I caught you.” Her usually unflappable sister sounded breathless, near-tears. “I was afraid you’d be out in the woods or something. You’ve got to do whatever they tell you to do. I can’t afford to lose my job.”
“What?” Sarah sank to the bed. Pressing her hand to her chest, she willed her heart to slow. “What who tells me to do? What are you talking about?” Her sister worked for a Republican Senator. Although neither Natalie nor Sarah agreed with the man’s politics, he provided a good job. With her husband injured and unemployed, they relied on her income. “Start from the beginning, honey.”
Natalie took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I told myself I wouldn’t call you, but you’re so far away, and I have had no idea what they’re doing to you. They are treating you right, aren’t they?”
“Other than hiking until I think my legs might fall off, I’m just fine, Nat. It’s gorgeous up here. Good food. Fresh air. Did you think they were abusing me or something?” Glancing at the open door, Sarah stood long enough to latch it closed. “What’s going on, Nat? You’re not usually like this. Everything okay with the girls?”
“They’re fine. I’ve been told if you don’t write the report favoring drilling that I’ll be fired.”
Sarah sucked in a breath. “They can’t do that to you. I’ll call my boss, get this straightened out right away. Don’t worry. I’ll take care of things.” Leaning forward, she rubbed the bridge of her nose. She should have known as soon as she returned from the idyllic scenery that reality would come crashing down on her. “Who told you I was being treated badly?”
“Walt called.”
“Oh dear,” Sarah sighed. She’d hoped her fiancé would fade away after she broke off the engagement, though she supposed as long as she had the ring in her jewelry box at home, he’d be in her life. She promised as soon as she got home, she’d return the ring. Heck, she’d FedEx it to him right now if she didn’t consider that the cowardly way out. No, she wanted to face Walt and tell him in person the engagement was off. He probably didn’t believe her over the phone.
“He said you broke off the engagement. Sarah, I don’t like this. First you fly out to the middle of nowhere, then you break off your engagement with Walt. Now my job? What’s next? Is someone going to come after me with a gun?” Natalie laughed shrilly, but underneath it, Sarah heard the worry.
“No, that’s silly. Walt and I have been having problems for a while. I didn’t want to worry you. And as far as your job, I’ll make sure the Senator doesn’t take out his anger at my firm on you. Okay? I’m sorry you got caught in the middle of this. It’s just a routine report. Nothing to worry about.” The nagging feeling that she was lying to her sister lingered in the back of her mind.
“Are you sure? I don’t want the girls to worry. Tim can’t go back to work, yet. What will we do if I lose my job?” Natalie asked.
Sarah breathed deeply. Every time Natalie went through a crisis it took lots of effort and willpower to get her to calm down. Level-headed she might be, but rock her world, and to her it might as well have exploded. Closing her eyes, she counted to ten before opening them again. “You won’t lose your job.”
I hope.
“Give me a few days to work things out, okay? I’m up here for a while, so I can’t go rushing home. Let me put out some feelers at work, see who is pressuring whom. I’ll let you know as soon as I know anything, okay?”
Silence filled the other end of the line, followed by a telltale sniff. “I’m sorry, Sare-bear. Tim’s disability for his back still hasn’t come through, and I just don’t know what we’ll do if I lose my job.”
Sarah bit her lip so she wouldn’t tell her sister that Tim could get another job, one that didn’t stress his back. She didn’t want to be uncharitable, but the Senator could lose his bid for reelection and then Natalie would be out of a job anyway. Instead, she told her sister what she always did in these circumstances. “Don’t worry, Nat. I’ll take care of things. I’m your Sare-bear, the fix-it bear.” She grinned at her use of Nat’s childhood nickname for her. The single encounter in the woods had shown her a different kind of bear, one far less kind than she. Her mouth went dry and she pushed aside the image.
“Thank you. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” From the living room Tim called for something. “Gotta go. Love you. Bye.” Natalie disconnected the call.
Sarah stared at the silent cell phone. Her sister believed she could fix anything. Gently folding the cover back down, she prayed that Natalie’s faith wasn’t misplaced. Just because Nat had kept them safe during their childhood, and then helped her sister move to
Washington
DC
where she’d found her husband. All her life Natalie had relied on Sarah, and not for the first time, Sarah wished she didn’t have to be the invincible older sister. There was only one thing to do. Call her boss and see what was going on. She needed to check in anyway. In the back of her mind, she feared Hodges Associates wasn’t as impartial as it appeared.
A quick run downstairs yielded her a glass of water and a muffin. It looked freshly made, with a crumbly bakery top. Other than Liam and glimpses of another man she hadn’t seen anyone else, though the kitchen always appeared perfectly stocked. It made her wonder what kind of operation Liam ran out here. He didn’t seem to be clamoring for business, and yet, this spacious lodge had to cost money. Maybe he did exclusive bookings, a kind of tour guide to the stars sort of thing. She didn’t expect Liam to put up with spoiled rich divas. He’d certainly given her the once-over when she’d arrived.
Sarah scurried upstairs before she could see the object of her thoughts. Taking a deep breath she opened her cell phone. She hit the speed dial number for her office.
“Hodges Associates. Ken Sutton, speaking.” Her boss answered on the second ring.
“Ken, hi, this is Sarah. Thought I’d take a moment and check in about the project. I’ve got a few questions,” she said, careful to keep her voice as neutral as possible. She heard muffled speaking, as if Ken had put his hand over the microphone of his headset he perpetually wore. “…bring it back at 3. I want to see them before we send them out. Sarah, sorry about that, was just finishing up some business. Everything going okay?”
“Sure. Is there any reason why it shouldn’t be?” She kept her voice carefully neutral. Although she lived in a town ruled by politics, she hated them. She hated the lies that went along with it, the backroom dealing and the subterfuge. She’d come to
Washington
D.C.
a naive young college graduate, certain she could change the world. She still clung to those ideals, even as she realized she couldn’t save everyone, or everything.
“You tell me. You’re the one calling. I usually don’t hear from you when you’re on assignment.” Ken remained taciturn. He tapped his pencil on his blotter. “I have a meeting in five minutes with Bill Hodges, Sarah. He’s hoping I’ll tell him that the report is coming in as planned and expected. We’re not going to let Senator Durwell’s committee down, are we?”
Sarah’s blood ran cold at the mention of her sister’s employer. “I didn’t know Senator Durwell was behind this,” she said. “He does know that this is an impartial report. I’m not catering my findings to one side of the aisle, or the other.”
“That’s not what you’re being paid to do, Sarah. I know you have personal feelings on this subject. I’m asking you for the good of the company to set them aside. Hodges Associates needs you to come through with this report. If you have to shade things a little, do it. I don’t want to hear any more talk about impartiality. You know this company’s reputation. I’m sure you’ll do everything you can to uphold it. I’m afraid Bill is waiting for me, Sarah. Will there be anything else?” He made it sound as if there better not be.
“Does this have anything to do with Senator Durwell threatening to fire my sister?”
“No,” Ken said too hastily to be believed. “I can’t believe you think the Senator would do anything like that.”
“Natalie told me—”
“You know your sister has been through a lot in the last few months with her husband’s injury. I know things are tight for them. But I can’t believe she’d accuse Senator Durwell of anything so underhanded. Your sister better watch herself.
Washington
can have the small town mentality in spite of its large size. I trust there will be no more disruptions.” Without waiting for an answer, Ken hung up the phone.
Sarah stared at the dead cell phone. She’d been assigned to some pretty tough research. She’d once spent a week dealing with
California
’s prison system for a lobbyist group that wanted to work on more humane penal legislation. She’d flown to
Kuwait
and
Dubai
to gather information about women’s issues in the
Middle East
for a New York Senator. To claim that she’d let her personal feelings interfere with her job was slander of the worst kind. Ken knew how much she valued her job, and appreciated the unbiased reputation Hodges Associates had gathered in a town known for its partisanship. It certainly sounded as if Ken, if not Bill Hodges himself, were threatening that reputation. No, she didn’t like it at all.
It was time for some answers. Rising to her feet, she left her cell phone on the stand next to the bed. The blinking green light reinforced her decision. Her company had hired Liam. Undoubtedly they’d told him about what they needed and what they wanted Sarah to see. Liam acted as if he had an agenda of his own, and right now she wasn’t sure if kissing her were part of that plan or not. She owed it to herself to find out the truth.
She snagged her notebook off the bed and flipped to an empty page. She jotted down her sister’s name, Senator Durwell’s name, and her boss. Whatever happened came down to the three of them, and why the Senator would threaten her sister’s job. And why her boss would lie about it. Ken and Bill met nearly every day for lunch and sometimes golf in the afternoons. A specific meeting now…it smacked of secrecy.
Clutching her notebook in her hand, she stepped out into the hallway. She paused, listening for any sounds that Liam might be near. She heard nothing and started down the stairs. The sound of the ATV leaving sounded like a buzzing just outside the house. Liam? But as she stepped into the hallway downstairs, she heard soft music coming from his den. Squaring her shoulders, she decided ready or not, here she came. And she wouldn’t leave until she found out the truth.
Sarah’s determination didn’t waver as she paused outside the door to Liam’s den. Peering in through the open door she saw him hunched over the computer typing into a computer. Music flowed from the speakers, a haunting jazz piano melody that sounded like one of the CD complications she’d purchased designed to be tranquil music that evoked the sounds of nature and the woods.
Liam tapped the end of a pen on the desk, frowning at something he saw the computer. Leaning back in the chair, he raked his fingers through his hair. The motion stretched his shirt across his broad chest and made Sarah’s mouth go dry. He looked up and must have seen her watching him for he smiled.
“Come in, unless you’re going to stand there and watch me all day,” he said.
A hot flush of embarrassment crept over Sarah’s cheeks. She felt like a naughty school girl. She’d only waited, not wanting to interrupt him, and at the sight of his muscles, her mind had wandered. She yanked it back into line. “I hope I’m not disturbing you, but I just had a conversation with my boss. I think it’s time you level with me.”
Liam arched an eyebrow. “Level with you? About what?” He gestured to the chair opposite his desk. “By all means, sit. You looked upset.”
That was not how she wanted to come across. She had learned to put her emotions aside in order to be better accepted in a town run by the “good old boys.” To them an upset woman was an emotional woman and in their minds that made them unfit to rule. Taking a deep breath, she sank into the chair. “Sorry, just got off the phone with my boss. I think there’s more to this assignment, to what you were hired to do than you’re letting on.” There, she’d said it. Laid her cards on the table, or at least the ones she wanted him to see.
Liam nodded. “I see.” He punched in a few commands before pushing the keyboard away. He flipped off the ringer of his phone. “Now we won’t be disturbed.” He stood and crossed the room to close the door to his den. Sitting back down, he fixed her with a hard look. “Is this about our kisses?”
Kisses. Plural. And both of them had curled her toes and rocked her world. Even being in the same room with Liam wrapped her in his woodsy scent, the musk of man and nature that called to a very feminine, very primal part of her. “No,” she said with a lick of her lips.
His gaze followed the movement.
This was going to be one tense conversation if she couldn’t get her hormones under control. “I got a call from my sister. She’s scared. Apparently the Republican Senator she works for is pressuring her that if I don’t write a report favoring drilling that she’ll be fired. Her husband is a construction worker who was injured on the job. He could probably find other work, but they’ve been holding out on his disability checks and hopefully his returning to work someday. I can’t condone their actions. She’s my sister, and I love her, but this has created stress on her. I don’t want my job affecting my sister’s life, and I believe that Hodges Associates told you more than simply to show me around
Alaska
so I could gather this information. My firm pays me to think so others don’t have to. I don’t like the implications of what I’m hearing.” A cold, hard mask had come over his face while she had spoken. Sarah paused and swallowed hard trying to find some trace of emotion in his eyes. She found none.