Theron: Brothers in Arms in Alaska, #1

By Kali Hart

Isla

When my mom passes away, I take my half of the inheritance to fulfill her dream of visiting Alaska.
I sell everything, secure a waitressing job, and buy a 4Runner to make the trip.
My sister thinks I'm crazy.
But it's not as if I won't know anyone in Three Rivers.
Theron lives there now.
I haven't seen him since I was a little girl and he was leaving for the Army.
I'm not prepared for how incredibly hot he's gotten.
Alaska doesn't feel so lonely now with Theron watching out for me.
But can I get him to see me as more than the kid from next door?

Theron

When Isla calls me with car trouble just outside of town, I don't hesitate to come to her rescue.
I used to help out her family when I was a teenager living next door.
Back then, she was just a kid.
But when I find her on the side of the road, there's nothing but a voluptuous woman now.
I try to keep my attraction to her tamped deep down, but it's almost impossible when one thing after another pushes us together.
It doesn't take me long to realize that Isla is the one for me.
The one I'm meant to protect, to love, and to build a life with.
And I'll do whatever it takes to prove it to her.

 

We all made a pact. We've survived basic together, shared duty stations, and gone to war together. But the needs of the Army have separated us multiple times. That's why we agreed that when each of us got out, we'd settle down in the same mountainside town of Three Rivers. It was a favorite place to get away on holiday weekends when we were stationed together in Alaska, and as veterans now, we can't imagine anywhere better. A place filled with fresh mountain air, friendly people who are there when you need them but happy to keep to themselves when you don't, and unexpected love none of us saw coming.

Sweet & steamy short story instalove romance with an older mountain man and younger curvy woman. NO cliffhangers. NO cheating. Guaranteed HEA.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jackie M. Wallick
• Release date: Jun 2, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223413721

Book preview

1

ISLA

No, no, no!

White steam hisses from beneath the hood of my 4Runner a lousy five miles from my destination. I’ve been driving for seven days without a single car issue, and I’m not eager to walk the last leg into Three Rivers, Alaska. I’m tired and hungry. I want a nap, a shower, and a sandwich in no particular order.

I pull onto the shoulder, unable to see the road through the thick cloud of steam. I don’t need a mechanic to tell me that my engine has overheated.

Fishing my cell phone out of my purse, I cross all my fingers and toes that I have a signal. Something that’s been incredibly hard to come by the further north I traveled. My sister Nova thinks I should’ve flown, but skipping the drive would’ve defeated half the purpose to honor Mom’s memory.

Two bars. I bite down on my lip, glancing up at the sunroof. My curvy hips might get stuck, but it’s a risk I have to take if I want another bar. I shimmy my way up through the rectangular opening and hold my phone straight up in the air, hoping the surrounding mountains will be kind.

I didn’t decide to move to Alaska on a complete whim, but the summer job I accepted isn’t on my bucket list either. It was on Mom’s. She’d always wanted to spend a summer exploring Alaska. She’ll never get to live out that dream, but maybe me moving to Three Rivers…Well, maybe she’ll just know somehow.

Nova still thinks I’m crazy for selling most of my belongings and using my half of the small inheritance to buy the 4Runner that’s now stranded me on the side of the road. But a neighbor from our childhood, Theron Daniels, has settled in this charming mountainside town so it’s not as if I won’t know anyone. Besides, he’s already offered his help should I need it.

I found him on social media, though he hardly posts anything. Mostly just pictures of the fish he catches. But it was the photo of the mountains from his front porch that sold me on this particular location in Alaska.

I messaged him, telling him my plan, and asking if he knew anywhere in Three Rivers that was hiring summer help. A couple of phone calls later, and I’d secured a waitressing job at one of the town’s most popular restaurants—The East Fork. I’m supposed to start the day after tomorrow. Which is why it’d be fabulous if I could get settled into my rental cabin sooner rather than later.

Theron? My signal bounces between two and three bars, making the connection a challenge to maintain. So I step from the seat to my center console, lifting my body—and the phone—higher. I just hope I don’t have to stand on the roof. With my luck, I’d fall off.

Isla, did you make it? His deep voice comes through loud and clear, and I relax.

Almost. I tell him about the radiator, hoping I’m not inconveniencing him by asking for his help.

I’ll be right there.

Relief floods me at his immediate willingness to help me. Thank you.

Ending the call, I’m momentarily distracted by a rustle in the trees. I squint, hoping it’s not a hungry bear sizing up its next meal. Another shuffle and I see the distinct head of a moose and smile. Mom was always talked about the prospect of seeing moose in Alaska.

The faint roar of a diesel engine reminds me that I’m sticking out of my sunroof. The moose disappears into the thick woods two seconds before I spot a large red truck headed in my direction. The man must be Mario Andretti to have gotten here with such lightning speed.

I shimmy my way down through the sunroof, cursing when my hips momentarily catch. The excess force I use to free myself sends me down, into my seat, in one painfully swift motion. My elbow bangs against the steering wheel. Not funny. I can’t see a damn thing. I feel a breeze across my torso right before I hear the rip. Fuck me, I mutter, understanding the truth of things. My shirt is caught on the lip of the sunroof.

Another tug only leads to more tearing, so I shed the top hoping it’ll be easier to free it from its snare without me in it.

Isla?

I let out a shriek at the deep voice. I thought I had a solid thirty seconds before Theron approached.

Everything okay?

I’m only wearing my red