Jensen: Brothers in Arms in Alaska, #3

By Kali Hart

Jensen

I swore off women years ago, sick and tired of watching all those closest to me suffering from relationships gone sour.
I'm a loner.
I don't need anyone except my dog.
But when I meet my buddy's wife's sister Nova, I'm drawn to her in a way I can't fight.
I quickly find myself at the mercy of this charming curvy beauty.
She fills a part of me I never knew needed to be whole.
I resist her as long as I can, but it's futile.
She's not supposed to stay, but I've warned her more than once that I don't let what's mine go.

Nova

I swore I'd never visit Alaska, even after my sister moved there.
But after a discovering in late mom's journal, I've had a change of heart.
I'm in Three Rivers for answers.
But when I first lay eyes on Jensen, a military veteran turned Alaska mountain man, everything changes.
He has an iron wall around his heart, and I'm determined to break through his armor if it's the last thing I do.
I didn't come here to fall in love, but it's happening anyway.
The place I swore to never visit just might become home.

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 a mountain man and curvy woman. NO cliffhangers. NO cheating. Guaranteed HEA.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jackie M. Wallick
• Release date: Jun 16, 2021
• ISBN: 9798223875314

Book preview

1

NOVA

I’m so excited you’re actually here! My sister loops her arm through mine as we stroll around the corner of historic Main Street. Her vise-grip hold is understandable. I vowed I’d never come to Alaska. She’s probably afraid if she doesn’t latch on, I’ll disappear.

Isla thinks I’m here to meet my nephew…which I am. But she has no idea what I found in our late Mom’s journal, and I’m not ready to tell her. I don’t know if that’ll ever change. It depends what answers I find in Three Rivers.

I can’t wait to show you around! We can do anything you want, just name it, Isla gushes excitedly as we pass local businesses run out of cabins and quirky historic buildings. I spot a coffee shop and make a mental note for tomorrow morning. I don’t do mornings without coffee. It’s not Starbucks, but Moosely Coffee does look quaint and, dare I say, intriguing. You’re going to fall in love with Three Rivers, she continues, unaware that I tuned her out a few minutes ago.

I’m not staying, I say for the third time since we arrived in town. Isla picked me up from the Anchorage airport and drove a hundred miles north to the middle of nowhere. We’re surrounded by mountains, sketchy cell service, and wildlife. Already I’ve seen two moose, a caribou, and a black bear’s ass hauling itself into the woods. I get why our mom always wanted to spend time here, but I definitely miss my city conveniences.

We’ll see how you feel by the end of the week. This place has charm in spades. It’s going to sucker you in, just you wait.

Though it’s tempting to crumble her confidence about the matter, my rebuttal fails as my gaze locks on the historical society. The same building that’s in the background of the picture that fell out of Mom’s journal. One that promises that we might just have a grandmother in Three Rivers. But the photo is decades old. I shouldn’t get my hopes up. Our dad never wanted anything to do with us, so if the woman in the photo is still in town—or even alive—I know better than to expect tears and open arms.

This is where I work, Isla says, pointing to a red-painted, wood-sided building called The East Fork. One side advertises dining, the other a general store. The place is quirky and promises decades of history. If only its walls could talk...the history buff in me would listen for hours to their words.

You like it? I ask, genuinely curious. Isla’s always had the ability to charm the pants off a man living in an igloo. Me, not so much.

I love it. I love Three Rivers. There are so many wonderful people here, and you get to meet the gang now. She steers us toward the center of the long building, to the restaurant entrance. There’s a small four-stool bar behind the host podium, a room with tables to the right, and an entrance to the patio to the left of the podium.

I’m curious to see Theron after all these years, mostly because he stole your heart and got you knocked up. Isla’s husband used to be our next-door neighbor when we were just kids. He always looked out for us since our dad couldn’t be bothered. I was so young that I only have brief memories of Theron before he joined the military and left us behind.

Isla rolls her eyes, completely unaffected by my light sarcasm. She must be truly happy if she doesn’t retort. You’re going to love Theron. And Brandon. Oh my gosh! We made the world’s most beautiful baby!

Before I can make a snide comment, I’m ushered onto the patio and handed a kid before I even find a seat. It all happens in a quick blur. I fall instantly in love with my one-year-old nephew. His eyes are big, blue, and fixated on me. He stares at me with a momentary look of panic but a large man, who turns out to be Theron, tickles his side. Brandon immediately starts to giggle.

Good to see you, Nova. You’re a little taller than you were twenty years ago.

I can’t help but laugh at the ridiculous joke as I sink into a chair. Besides Isla and Theron, there’s another man talking quite intimately with a waitress who Isla tells me is Blaine and his wife Charmane. There’s also an empty chair beside me, making me curious if someone else will be filling it.

We have an extra guest room, Theron says as he possessively drapes an arm around my sister and pulls her against him. Man, they really are in love. Like head over heels, Cupid shot them right in the ass with his biggest arrow, in love. "You’re more