The owner of the bar, a squat, bowlegged man who could’ve walked out of a John Wayne Western, stopped by to see if she needed a refill. “From the look on your face, you could use something a bit stronger,” he joked. “That Shirley Temple isn’t going down too fast.”
She removed the cherry resting on top of the ice. The drink was too sweet, but she hadn’t known it would be because she couldn’t remember ever ordering one before. “No, I’m fine,” she said. “But thanks.”
He refilled the dish of nuts nearby. “You’re the doc’s sister, right?”
She’d been to the Moosehead three times so far. He’d even served her a burger last night, but the bar had been busy and it was the heavyset woman—his sister—who’d waited on her the other times. “How’d you know?”
“Besides the family resemblance?” He winked at her. “Nothing happens in Hilltop that doesn’t get discussed in here. And anything that involves the doc is especially big news.”
She looked glumly at the people around her. Business was slow tonight, but it was still early, only six—not that anyone would be able to tell by the darkness outside. In Alaska the sun went down at five in October. She wondered if Amarok might stop in and what he’d say to her if he did. She wouldn’t blame him if he pretended not to see her. He had to be disappointed by the way she’d handled her visit. Evelyn hadn’t been comforted. Brianne had only caused her more stress.
She was disappointed in herself.
“Hey, why haven’t you called me? Big-city girl like you—I figured you’d be bored by now.”
She twisted around to see who was speaking to her and recognized Andy Smith, the prison guard she’d met at Quigley’s on Monday morning. She’d thought about calling him, considered it several times, actually. Evelyn and Amarok were gone so much, and she knew prison guards didn’t necessarily work a nine-to-five schedule. That meant he might be available to distract her from her heartbreak and self-loathing.
But she wasn’t going to be here long enough to strike up a relationship with anyone. Besides, expecting someone else’s child wasn’t a particularly appealing trait when meeting a new romantic interest.
Being so limited made her angry. Jeff could move on as if nothing had happened, while she was stuck with the aftermath of their relationship—stuck with only three decisions, and she didn’t like any of them. She could get an abortion. She could give the baby up for adoption. Or she could become a single parent.
“I’m getting there,” she joked, and breathed in the scent of his cologne as he took the seat next to her. He smelled fresh, clean.
“That can’t be very appetizing.” He eyed her Shirley Temple with disdain. “Let me buy you a real drink.”
“I wish you could. Trust me.”
“I can. Watch this.” He waved down Shorty. “What would you like?” he asked as the bartender approached.
Again, Brianne was tempted to cut loose. What was one drink? Surely a small amount of alcohol couldn’t hurt the baby.
But what kind of mother would she be to even take that chance?
A selfish one. And she was feeling selfish enough already, having behaved the way she had since arriving in Alaska. “I’ll have a Sprite,” she told Shorty, and pushed her current drink, which she wasn’t enjoying, away.
Andy scowled at her. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Sprite? That’s the best you can do?”
“I can’t have any alcohol.”
He hesitated. Then he lowered his voice. “Maybe it’s not polite to ask, but now that you’ve raised my curiosity…”
He wanted to know why. Of course he would. She preferred not to explain, but she thought it was only fair, since he was showing interest in her and she was tempted to enjoy the evening with him. Staying at the Moosehead would give her a break from another night spent in her sister’s company, another night of pretending everything was okay between them when it wasn’t. Evelyn had been coming home later and later as the week wore on, and Brianne believed she was beginning to make up excuses in order to do so. “I’m pregnant.”
“Oh.” He straightened. “I didn’t realize that, didn’t know you were with someone. I mean, you are seeing someone.…”
She ruffled her own hair. “Not anymore. It didn’t work out.”
His eyes swept over her. “You can’t be very far along.”
“I’m not. I found out after the relationship ended. Nice, huh?”
“So that’s why you haven’t called.”
“I can’t imagine you or any other man wanting to spend time with me while I’m in this condition.”
“Why not?”
She blinked in surprise. “Because most men would consider me anathema—for the next year, anyway.”
“Your condition doesn’t bother me. I’ve never been out with a pregnant woman before, but so far, it doesn’t seem very different.”
Shorty returned with her Sprite, Andy slipped him a few bills, and she took a sip of it.
“It’s not like you’re planning to move here, are you?” he asked when the bar owner was gone. “So it doesn’t matter if I like children, which I do, whether I’d be a good stepfather, even though I’d be amazing, or anything else.”
She laughed. “I guess you’ve got a point there.”
“In Quigley’s, you told me you’d be here for a week. I’m guessing you’re down to what … two days?”
She liked that he’d made a mental note of when she’d be leaving. It showed that the information mattered to him. “If you don’t count today, yes. I leave Sunday.”
“Then we don’t have much time left. As far as I’m concerned, we might as well have some fun while we can.”
“Seriously? Even though I can’t drink?”
He leaned in to whisper, “You can do other things, can’t you?”
She reared back. Did he expect her to go home with him? They’d just met! “Like…”
His smile widened at her shocked and chilly response. “Dance,” he said with a chuckle at having raised her hackles, and held out his hand.
22
He had Evelyn’s younger sister in his arms. Jasper could hardly believe it. Holding her body against his felt almost as good as if it were Evelyn’s. Brianne wasn’t quite as pretty. She wasn’t nearly as smart, either, and it was Evelyn’s quick mind that created the challenge he most enjoyed. But since Brianne hadn’t called him, he’d hoped to run into her when he showed up at the Moosehead tonight, and that was exactly what had happened. A night spent flirting with her was intriguing enough to siphon off some of the restlessness he’d been feeling—over the murder investigation and his inability to get close to Evelyn since he’d finished the dungeon, where he planned to one day keep her.
“You smell good,” Brianne said as they swayed to the music on the dance floor.
Careful not to let her hand come into contact with the bandage on his arm—which he hoped she wouldn’t be able to feel through his jacket, anyway—he bent his head to smell her neck. “So do you.”
He thought even that innocent a statement might make her uncomfortable. He’d nearly scared her off at the bar, had to be careful not to do that again. Fortunately, he’d been able to play that comment off as though it were a joke. But he didn’t completely regret what he’d said. At least now he knew how to handle her. He’d have to put in some time and couldn’t be quite so direct. He couldn’t have her go back to her sister or Amarok and complain about how forward “Andy Smith” had been at the bar. If he was careful, however, she’d eventually make the first move. She was hurting and lonely, and he planned to take advantage of that. It wasn’t difficult to manipulate someone who was feeling overlooked and rejected.
Too bad she wouldn’t drink, though. Jasper didn’t give a shit about the baby. He only cared about the fact that it’d be a whole lot easier for him to get inside her pants if she wasn’t paying attention to every little thing he said and did.
“How long have you lived in Alaska?” she asked.
“Only as long as I’ve worked at the prison.”
“Eight months.”
“You remember.” He’d told her that at Quigley’s.…
She flushed. “You’re sort of hard to forget.”