Heart of Summer: Anchorage Seasons, #2

By Cherime MacFarlane

Second Chance romance.

He's a pushy know-it-all and mean to her cat. No one hurts her kitty. Bea won't take a chance on some shaved-head jerk, no matter how well he cooks.

On the run for years, Dink shouldn't have let his friendship with Destry keep him from moving on. The receptionist is a temptation, and he's willing to give in. Dink must face the enemy. A redhead got him into this mess. Can he get out for another one?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cherime MacFarlane
• Release date: Mar 15, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393284796

Cherime MacFarlane

Meet Award-Winning, Best-Selling Author Cherime MacFarlane. A prolific multi-genre author, she has a broad range of interests that reflect her been there-done that life. Romance, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Paranormal, all sorts of characters and plots evolve from a vivid imagination. As a reporter for the Copper Valley Views, Cherime MacFarlane received a letter of commendation from the Copper River Native Association for fair and balanced reporting. She was part of the Amazon Best Selling in Anthologies and Holidays, and Fantasy Anthologies and Short Stories. The Other Side of Dusk was a finalist in the McGrath house award of 2017.

Book preview

Chapter One

Can we talk? Dink put the plate of food down in front of Destry as he whispered the question.

His friend’s smile vanished as he nodded. Destry moved to leave the couch and Dink shook his head. Eat while it’s hot. I’ll do the dishes while you get that down. When you bring me your plate, we’ll go down to the garage.

A silent nod of agreement came from Destry.

Dink strode back to the kitchen area. A quick wipe with an olive oil-soaked paper towel took care of the pan he’d used. The dirty dishes in the sink got a quick rinse and went into the dishwasher.

Hey! Ready? The question came off his left shoulder.

Dink nodded and pushed the dishwasher shut. A hasty glance toward the coffee table confirmed everyone else busy with a computer or a phone. No one would follow them to the basement.

Neither of them made much noise as they hurried downstairs. Destry turned at the bottom of the stairs and Dink gestured in the opposite direction from the gym. They skirted the vehicles and came to a halt between Teller’s Jeep and the back wall.

What’s up?

First, reassure me that things are fine between you and Lily Raven.

Destry sighed. You need to make sure I acknowledge all the times you told me to get my ass—

No. Dink waved a hand back and forth between them. It’s not like that. I need to know you aren’t going back to Nevada. If you’re going to stay up here, there’re a few things I need to tell you.

Head cocked to one side, Dez folded his arms across his chest. Okay... I’m not going anywhere except for a vacation... Destry blushed. If I do, it won’t be for long. Lily Raven and me... well...

Good. And just for giggles, yeah, I did tell you often enough. But that’s not it. If you plan on staying, then I’m ready to quit running and hiding. You need to understand it could get real messy. Maybe even bloody. The trouble I’ve been avoiding is big league shit.

You mean you’re finally going to break down and give me the details on it?

Guess I have to. I never transferred the deed from you to me for the property down in Vegas. I don’t own shit in my name. That crap is too easy to trace.

Not even the bike?

Nope. The dude I bought it from still holds the title legally. I keep on paying the license fees and the taxes, like the land taxes.

Since I pay you under the table, you don’t report to the IRS. Is your driver’s license in your name?

Dink shook his head. Naw. A brother fixed it all up. I’m not Floyd Fletcher either.

I’m not surprised. When it comes to hiding, seems you did a good job.

I didn’t have a choice. Every little while I check on shit. Everything’s been quiet last couple of times I tested the waters.

All right, what difference does it make, my staying here? I don’t mind keeping the status quo.

With a sigh, Dink leaned back into the corner of the window and the extended sideview mirror on the SUV. I’m tired of hiding. I need shit over with. I want to live my life, not some alias.

Why?

I got a thing for redheads. That one upstairs, she’s a good-looking woman with only a cat at home for company. I’d like to change things.

I thought you didn’t like her.

Momentary case of grumpiness on my part. I’m interested. Bea’s been rode hard and put away wet by some asshole. I’ll bet after she’s gentled some, the woman’ll purr like her damn cat.

A grin split Destry Burnett’s face. Ya think so? What if she still can’t stand the sight of you? You willing to upend your whole well-ordered life on the chance you can charm a woman?

Dink shrugged. Don’t matter much. I’m tired of hiding. Figured if this is the ‘Last Frontier’ it might as well be my last stand.

A grimace replaced Destry’s grin. I don’t like the sound of that. No last stands, I don’t have a lot of friends and I’m not in favor of losing one.

Me neither. We need to talk about this in detail, something we can’t do here and now.

You got an objection to bringing Teller and Lily Raven in on this one?

Not yet. You need to hear what went on first. Then you tell me if you want the kid and your old lady involved.

That bad?

Could be. Dez, you gotta understand, I’ve been on pins and needles these last few years every damn time you went off tackling another fuckin’ mountain. This bunch of asswipes ain’t above grabbing family or a friend to get what they want.

Which is?

A piece of information, a disappearing act I pulled off a few years back, and not mine. A woman, girl really, who needed a fresh start and I realized at the time it would mean I’d have to vanish the same way. This won’t be a confrontation with a nickel slot fuckup like the one we’re dealing with here—who’s stalking Lily Raven. This is a bad one with connections up to ying-yang if the creep is still alive. He might not be. That would be the best-case scenario; some other badass wiped him out.

Okay. Tomorrow, while they’re busy working, how about we take a little trip to the trailer. Then you can tell me all about it.

That’ll work. We should get back upstairs before they wonder what we’re up to. Not sure making the natives restless is a good idea.

Before Dink could move, Destry leaned over and punched his shoulder. Best watch your language. They’re real natives and might take offense. You’re in enough hot water with Bea, no use making it worse.

Shit! You’re right. Yep, looks like I need to brush up on sensitivity training. Both men chuckled.

Back in the kitchen, Dink plopped his body on a stool at the end of the kitchen island. What would he feed the crew for lunch, his first thought, got pushed aside by another realization. All the times he told Dez to get his behind to Alaska and make things right with Teller’s ma, one glaring fact got ignored—he would be alone.

Dez wouldn’t be going back to the trailer tonight to sleep. That left Dink with two choices and one wish. The wish could be dismissed quick enough. No way in hell would Bea let him in her bed tonight. Borrow a car or sleep on the couch remained.

He ruled out the couch which left getting the Jeep from Dez. He didn’t have a credit card in the name of Fletcher, so couldn’t rent a vehicle. His only real option, depending on Dez, rankled.

He gave a fleeting thought to the motorcycle sitting in the garage in Vegas. Having it to use in the long daylight hours of summer would be a kick. When did riders put their bikes away in Alaska?

The contact he’d been getting intel from, a friend of a friend, wasn’t someone he could tap for the loan of transportation. The guy would have a shit fit if he brought up the subject of loans of any nature. Not a good idea.

Dez wouldn’t mind, the man never did. Burnett was too damn easy about stuff with friends and family. Not that he had many friends. Dez having turned into something of a recluse, he might be the only friend Dez had.

If he gave the situation thought, he’d be forced to admit to being aware of Dez’s problem. Because he understood, he hung out with the man when he should have moved on years ago. Dink could point to that as the main reason hope flared to life in his heart. No one had come after him the entire time he sat in the little house on the edge of Dez’s property. Every discreet inquiry he’d made turned up a big zero. No one had asked about him in a long time.

The girl... was her new life treating her well? Dink thought hard the entire time they were on the run about her ability to turn things around.

His sacrifice for her life—his name and everything he had accumulated—would it be worth it? They’d had a long talk about what it would take to buy her freedom. She swore to make different choices, to make a decent life. Did she? He’d never know.

In the end, Dink flipped a coin and the girl won. He grinned. She didn’t know he planned to call either heads or tails the winner. When he stacked her youth against his life to that point, Dink figured she deserved a chance. He gave her the best one he could. The rest had been up to her. He gave a little snort as he stared out the window.

Redheads...he’d been a sucker for them from day one.

Spears with rose

Dink might or might not remember to watch his mouth. Either way, Destry hoped everyone realized his somewhat irritating friend had a big heart and didn’t mean any real harm. He’d grown up in a different age and in a world where those he ran with didn’t have a lot of patience for people who got offended too easy.

Working the tablet again, he and Teller continued sifting through Lily Raven’s client base. The woman had handled more abused women and children cases over the years than Destry thought possible. Besides divorces, she handled significant other cases, where the woman never married the man.

When they first started going through her client list, Lily Raven explained Alaska law about marriage. You were or you weren’t. No such thing as common-law marriage existed. The other little nuance, that Alaska didn’t recognize community property, got explained as going back to miners not wanting to be taken advantage of. What you owned before marriage remained yours.

When Destry asked if that short-changed women, she shook her head. Lily Raven replied it could help women who brought significant property to a relationship. If a man got a bunch of credit in his name and she never signed anything, the debt sat with him. He agreed it changed things when women understood their rights.

Trying to find the identity of her stalker by going through the records seemed like a daunting task when they started. Her friend, the one who agreed to check fifteen names at a time for her, had emailed back a list and Destry eliminated every man on it. A few things made the search easier. The man they must locate was at least six feet tall and the guys on the list all fell below the height criteria.

Destry glanced over at Dink. Deep in thought on the stool, his friend would need to borrow the Jeep to get back to the trailer. He planned to sleep in Lily Raven’s bed, which left Dink the odd man out.

Unless... her cat. Would the tom have a fit if he bunked in with her? The animal hung out in her bedroom most of the time. Noto had lost the end of his tail and both ears to frostbite before she took him in and Lily Raven suspected he’d been abused by a male as he hated men. That hadn’t been a problem before Teller moved in, along with Ruby’s two brothers.

Her hand fell on his thigh. All thoughts of accompanying Dink back to the trailer to sleep vanished. Noto would get used to him. No matter what the cat did, Destry wouldn’t hurt it. With luck, it might get the message eventually.

He turned her face to him and gave her a kiss... which led to another. Her fingers caressed his cheek.

We either have to stop this or take it upstairs. Lily Raven whispered in his ear.

I’m good with going all the way.

Then, let’s. I’ve got the divorce papers finalized. They can go to the court now. Hoyton’s real estate deal is waiting on the Canadian lawyers. We could take a break.

Lily Raven closed her computer and Destry shut down his tablet. The others clustered around the coffee table didn’t bother to look up. Teller, Ruby, and Bea went on with their work. Until the office reopened from the firebombing, they would continue working from home.

Destry and Lily Raven had waited long enough. They might as well take advantage of the opportunities they had now.

Teller and Bea exchanged grins. Ruby didn’t look up from her screen. Teller glanced at his mother’s paralegal and went back to sorting through the client list.

Chapter Two

She’d watched the two men go down the stairs to the basement and garage. Destry seemed to be okay, but she didn’t like or trust the other one. Dink struck her as an arrogant ass. Bea didn’t understand all the alpha male bullshit some younger women were into. If all you did was read a book and didn’t try to love one... To her mind, they took prisoners and didn’t know how to have a real relationship with another human. She refused to go down that trail again.

A grin and a chuckle couldn’t be suppressed when Destry and Lily Raven escaped up the stairs to her bedroom. What the cat would think about her new bed partner was another matter. It wouldn’t surprise her too much if Destry got chased out early some morning with Noto in pursuit.

Wouldn’t that be a kick? Bea asked herself. If it happened, it would be doubly entertaining if Destry hit the hall naked. The tall, blond man left Lily Raven standing at the landing at the head of the stairs while he ran back to the kitchen island and gave something to the bald jerk, Dink.

He wasn’t bald, not for real. She figured he shaved his head. Bea wondered if he might be partially bald and decided to go all the way. She thought it hassle enough shaving her legs and underarms. Since escaping from captivity, she’d given it up.

Bea figured her tights hid any unsightly hair on her legs and, in Alaska, wearing a sleeveless anything almost never happened. So she applied deodorant and called it good. Having grown up in Valdez, fripperies—as her granny called them—didn’t interest her. Give her a good pair of thermal underwear, jeans, and a flannel shirt any time.

She got lucky when Lillian Raven Burnett, Esq. saved her ass and gave her a job when she got out of the hospital. The only reason her body stayed in decent condition was her investment in condoms. No wrap, no sex. Her insistence had earned her a beating or two from the bastard who took the money she earned. He got the message after a while. She didn’t care if he beat her bloody. No condom and his clients could jack off in the john.

That phrase tickled her. Bea memorized it for use some other time when applicable. She loved words, the more unusual, the better. They always came in handy when playing Scrabble, a favorite of hers.

The phone rang again and she answered, LRB Law. May I help you? The cops. A sergeant something or other announced himself. I’ll let Ms. Burnett know. Would you have any objection to our having it towed?

Bea pulled the yellow pad close and noted the message. Lily Raven’s truck was released. It seemed the law had done all the testing they wanted on the paint scrape. The SOB who tried to run her off the road and, Bea guessed, hoped to injure or kill her had left the smear of white paint on her left rear fender.

When Lily Raven and Destry came back down, she’d tell her about the call and they could finally get the adjustor out to inspect the truck. The insurance agent hadn’t had a look at it yet. They had to determine if it was a total loss or not.

From what Ruby said, Bea doubted it was. It might need a rear axle, but it shouldn’t be that hard to find. She’d call the tow company they used at the office and get them to take the truck over to the mechanic. Once it got there, the adjustor could have a look at it.

Lily Raven wasn’t above having a good used rear end or axle installed from a junkyard. Neither of them believed in wasting money. And it might not need the entire axle.

Bea understood mechanical things better than her boss. Growing up in the tiny town of Valdez with two older brothers gave her a full education in anything that powered a vehicle or boat.

Three calls down and she had it all arranged. The tow company would pick up the truck in the afternoon and get it to the shop. As soon as it got there, the receptionist at the mechanic’s place would call her. The insurance company had the address of the shop and, when she let them know the truck had been dropped off, an adjustor would hustle out and get the vehicle into the system.

Wearing a satisfied smile, Bea sat back against the couch cushions. When Lily Raven and Destry got done fooling around in the bedroom, she would tell her boss lady everything she’d accomplished.

Hey.

Dink’s voice in her ear caused her to start upward. Bea turned to glare at the man. What?

Since the head honchos are busy right now, you want to help me decide what’s for dinner? Two heads turned their way.

We get a choice? Teller put the tablet on his thigh and grinned at Bea. Got any preferences?

When Ruby shot Teller a glance from beneath her lashes, Bea groaned inwardly. She wanted to grab the girl and shake sense into her. Tangling with Teller Burnett wasn’t the smartest move for Ruby. He could do anything, go anywhere, and where would that leave Ruby? With a broken heart, just like Lily Raven.

Then Bea qualified her assertion—with a broken heart like Lily Raven used to have. Unless... a horrid possibility occurred to Bea. What if Destry decided he didn’t want to stay in Alaska? Sure, he’d been here as a kid, but that didn’t mean a damn thing. People changed and Destry had lived in the desert for a long damn time.

Which led to another nasty question; what would Lily Raven do if Destry wanted to go back to Nevada? All her boss had to do was pass the Nevada bar and she could practice anywhere.

Bea?

Dink’s voice shook her off the shitty trail her mind had wandered down. Whatever. I don’t care as long as it’s food. What does everyone else want?

I’d go for some of your chicken enchiladas if you feel like going to that much work. Teller grinned at Dink.

They aren’t hot, are they? Ruby’s forehead scrunched up when she glanced up at Dink.

Not hot at all. You can add hot sauce or not. It’s up to you.

Teller’s request for Mexican food reinforced her worries. The kid could get good Mexican food here, but so what? It wasn’t like living in the desert. To Bea, none of this seemed encouraging. She acknowledged her worries might be making mountains out of piddly matters that didn’t amount to much. Then again, a bunch of little things could build into huge issues.

Dink leaned on the back of the couch right behind her. Bea resisted the urge to move away from the man. She suspected he might be taking peeks down the front of her T-shirt. If she leaned back... No, that would put her closer to him.

No objections to Mexican for dinner? His warm breath feathered across her neck.

She had an urge to turn and bite whatever came in sight first. A deep breath helped, but she didn’t dare move her head. I don’t care. Whatever.

Okay. I’ll need to make a trip to the store. Anyone want to go with?

Yeah. Give me a minute to mark my place and I’ll ride along. Teller said. He shut down the tablet and slid it across the coffee table. My eyes are starting to cross. I’ve got to get away from this for a little while.

The weight came off the back of the couch and Dink straightened up. Relief flooded Bea. He bothered her to no end. Everything about him screamed pushy, arrogant male and she wasn’t interested in a rematch with one of his kind. Been there, done that, and had the scars to prove it. She didn’t think this one had any addictions to worry about, but how did anyone know for sure without getting too close? You had to get close enough to get burned before you could be positive and she didn’t want to get burned again. A second time might kill her.

Chapter Three

I guess Destry isn’t going back to the trailer. Teller opened the conversation after they cleared the gate.

"Guess not. You wouldn’t