An Engagement in Seattle

Twelve

“Mom.” Lesley ran forward and hugged her mother as June Campbell-Sterne entered the arrivals lounge. Unexpected tears sprang to Lesley’s eyes and she blinked them back, surprised by the emotion.

The tears were most likely due to the restless night she’d spent in a hotel close to the airport. Apparently Chase hadn’t returned to Twin Creeks the way he’d assumed, otherwise he would’ve seen her message or answered her calls. She’d tried the home phone and his cell, with no results. He must be someplace here in Fairbanks. Unfortunately Lesley hadn’t asked him for the name of his hotel, since he’d originally planned to be in town only one night.

It seemed ridiculous to contact every hotel in town and ask for Chase. She’d probably be back in Twin Creeks before her husband.

“Let me get a good look at you,” June insisted, taking a step back while holding Lesley’s shoulders. Her mother had tears in her eyes, as well. “Oh, sweetie, how are you?”

“I feel wonderful. See! Married life agrees with me.” She slipped an arm around her mother’s waist and together they strolled toward the luggage carousels.


“I’ll admit to being curious about your husband. Honestly, Lesley, what kind of man advertises for a wife?”

Lesley laughed, remembering that her own response had been similar. “He’s not crazy—just resourceful.”

“I don’t mind telling you, this whole thing has both Ken and me concerned. It just isn’t like you to marry a virtual stranger and take off to the ends of the earth.”

“It isn’t as bad as it seems.”

Her mother sighed expressively. She was exhausted, as Lesley could well understand. “When will I meet Chase?” was June’s next question.

Lesley wasn’t entirely sure. “Soon,” she promised. “Listen, I got us a hotel room. You’re going to need to catch your breath before we fly to Twin Creeks.”

“I don’t mind telling you, this felt like the longest flight of my life. I had to fly from Helena to Seattle, then wait for hours before I could get this flight.” She shook her head. “I can’t see you living in Alaska and liking it. You’ve lived in a big city all your life.”

“You love Montana, don’t you?”

“Yes, but that’s different. Ken and I are retired.”

“It isn’t different at all. I’ve only been in Alaska for a short while and I love it already.”

Her mother pinched her lips together as if to keep from saying something argumentative. “If it’s all the same to you, Lesley, I’d prefer to push on. I’ll rest once we reach your home and I meet this man you’ve married. Then and only then will I truly relax.”

That posed a problem. “We can’t, Mom.”

“Can’t do what? Meet Chase? I wondered why he wasn’t here to greet me. One would think he’d be eager to meet your family. I don’t imagine you’ve met his, either, have you?”

“Mom,” Lesley said impatiently. She was troubled by the way her mother was so willing to find fault with Chase and her marriage. No doubt that was Tony’s doing. Even now, he was haunting her life. More and more she’d come to realize that Tony had never really loved her. Even more enlightening was the realization that she no longer loved him. She couldn’t feel as strongly as she did for Chase if she loved Tony. She missed Chase terribly.

“What?” June snapped.

“Stop trying to make Chase into some fiend. He’s not.”

“You still haven’t told me why he sent you to the airport by yourself,” she said, in that superior way that had driven Lesley to the brink of hysteria as a teenager.

“Mother, Chase has a job. He was away on business when you called. And the reason we can’t leave yet is that we can’t get a flight until tomorrow.”

“I will be meeting him later then?”

“Of course.” Lesley just wasn’t sure exactly when.

They stood at the luggage carousel for several minutes until June collected her one large suitcase and her cosmetic case. Lesley took the larger of the two bags and carried it outside to the taxi line.

Her mother was worn out, and by the time they arrived at the hotel room, Lesley was glad that Jim couldn’t get them until the following morning. She was supposed to call this afternoon to confirm it.

“Would you like me to order you something to eat?” Lesley asked.

“No, thanks.” June politely covered her mouth for a loud yawn. “If you don’t mind, I’ll lie back and just close my eyes.”

“Of course I don’t mind. Relax, Mom.” Her mother curled up on the bed and was asleep seconds later. Lesley silently placed a sweater over June’s shoulders and tiptoed to the other bed. Her intention was to read until her mother woke, but she must have fallen asleep, too, because the next thing she heard was the sound of running water.

Lesley stirred, opened her eyes and realized her mother was showering. With June occupied, Lesley reached for the phone and called Chase at both numbers. Again there was no answer at either. Discouraged, she replaced the receiver. Where could he possibly be?

“What exactly did she say?” Chase asked Jim Perkins. He found it frustrating to have this conversation by phone. Especially frustrating when he was sitting in a hotel room in Fairbanks. It would’ve been easier to read Jim in person. He spoke in a slow drawl and had never been one to reveal much, with either words or actions. If Chase could’ve talked to Jim in person, he might’ve been able to persuade him of the urgency of this situation.

Jim took his own sweet time answering. “She really didn’t have a lot to say.”

Jim was in his early forties and possessed a calm low-key attitude that had never bothered Chase before. But now he was desperate to learn everything he could about Lesley’s departure from Twin Creeks.

“Surely you chatted during the flight.”

“Yeah. She’s the congenial sort. Personally I didn’t think much of this scheme of yours of advertising for a wife, but I was wrong. Half the men in town are talking about doing something like that themselves, seeing the kind of woman you brought back with you.” He paused. “I don’t suppose it would work with me, though.”

“What did you and Lesley talk about?” Chase asked.

“Nothing much,” Jim said. “Mostly she asked about you.”

“What about me?”

He seemed to need time to consider this question. “Nothin’ in particular. Just how long you’ve lived in Twin Creeks. Things like that.”

“Did she mention she was staying in a hotel?”

“She might have.” Another pause. “I don’t recall her saying she was, now that I think about it.”

Chase had difficulty not letting his distress show. It was bad enough that Lesley had left him so soon after her arrival in Twin Creeks. But he wasn’t ready to announce to the entire community that his bride of one week had deserted him. If that was true, it would come out soon enough.

“I appreciate your help, Jim. Thanks.”

“I don’t think you need to worry about her,” Jim added in that lethargic drawl of his. “Lesley’s got a good head on her shoulders. She can take care of herself.”

“Yes, I know.” That, however, didn’t ease his mind in the least.

No sooner had he finished with the call than the phone rang. Chase grabbed it so fast, he nearly jerked the telephone off the end table. “Yes?” he snapped.

“It’s Pete.”

“What’d you find out?”

“Lesley’s staying at the Gold Creek Hotel by the airport,” came Pete’s reply. “Room 204.”


“How’d you learn that?” Sometimes it was better not to know where Pete got his information, but Chase couldn’t help being curious.

“I’ve got my sources. And listen, she may be having second thoughts because she hasn’t bought an airline ticket to Seattle yet. Or anywhere else.”

“You’re sure about that?”

“Positive.” There was doubt in his voice. “Did you get any sleep last night?”

Chase closed his burning eyes. “None.”

“That’s what I thought. You know, Chase, if she insists on leaving, you can’t make her stay.”

This had been the subject of an ongoing internal debate. He didn’t want to lose Lesley, but he couldn’t hold her prisoner, either. If she’d decided she wanted out of his life and out of their marriage, then he couldn’t stop her. Even if it meant she’d decided to return to Seattle and Tony. But he was determined to have his say before he’d let her run out on him.

“What are you going to do?” Pete asked.

“I don’t know yet. I’ll probably go to the hotel and see if I can talk some sense into her.”

“Sounds like a good idea to me. I suppose you want to do this on your own, but if you’d like, I’ll come along for moral support and wait outside.”

“No, thanks, but I appreciate the offer.”

“No problem. That’s what friends do.” Pete hesitated as if there was something more he wanted to say.

“Anything else?”

“Yeah.” Again Pete hesitated. “I don’t make a practice of giving advice, especially when it comes to women. My history with the opposite sex leaves a lot to be desired.”

“Just say what’s on your mind.” Chase didn’t generally seek other people’s wisdom; he lived and learned by his own mistakes. This was different, though, and he was worried. He’d assumed everything was fine between them. That he could be so blind to her feelings was a shock.

“I wish now that I’d gone after Pamela,” Pete said. It was the first time Chase had heard his friend say this. “I’ve wondered a thousand times over what would’ve happened if I’d taken the trouble to let her know how much I loved her, how much I needed her. If I had, she might’ve stayed and I wouldn’t be regretting all the time that I didn’t do everything I could to convince her. Don’t make the same mistake.”

“I don’t plan on it.”

“Good.” Pete cleared his throat. “You love her, don’t you?”

Chase wasn’t sure how to answer. The physical desire they shared had overwhelmed them both. But their relationship had quickly become so much more.

When he’d first considered finding himself a wife, it had been to ease his loneliness. He was searching for a companion. A lover. A woman to keep him company during the long, dark winter months. He wanted a wife so he could bond closely with another human being. Since his parents’ deaths, he’d felt detached and isolated from life.

Love had never entered into the equation. He’d never expected to fall in love this fast. Passion, yes, he’d expected that but not this kind of love.

This had been his error, Chase realized with a start. Marriage to Lesley had altered everything. Because love had come to them—or at least to him—with everything she did, everything she said. Whenever he went to bed with her, he offered her a little more of his heart. A little more of his soul. Lovemaking had become more than a physical mating, it had a spiritual aspect. He didn’t know how else to describe it.

He thought about Lesley lying in bed waiting for him. She was so incredibly lovely, with her hair spilling out over the pillow…

It felt like a knife in his belly to think that she’d walk out on him without so much as a word.

“I do,” Chase said, answering Pete’s question after a profound moment. “I do love her.”

“Then do whatever you have to in order to keep her,” Pete advised sagely. “Even if it means leaving Twin Creeks. You can always find another job, but you may never find another Lesley.”

His friend was right and Chase knew it. Now all he had to do was come up with a way of convincing Lesley to give their lives together a fighting chance.

He showered and changed clothes, flipped through the Fairbanks phone directory for the address of the Gold Creek Hotel and ordered a cab.

It would’ve been better if he’d been able to work out what he wanted to say, but he dared not delay a confrontation for fear he’d miss her.

Chase was grateful to Pete. His friend had said he could find Lesley through his various connections faster than Chase would be able to do it. Chase hated sitting back and letting someone else do the footwork, but in the end it had proven beneficial. Pete had located her within twelve hours.

The taxi let him off in front of the hotel. His heart was beating so hard he could hardly hear his own thoughts. Even now he didn’t know what he what he was going to say.

That, however, didn’t stop him from pounding at the door of room 204. When she didn’t immediately answer, he knocked again, louder this time, so loud that the lady across the hall stuck her head out to see who was causing such a commotion. She threw him an irritated look and went back inside.

The door opened and Lesley stood in front of him. Suitcases sat like accusations in the background, and suddenly he was angry. He’d considered Lesley decent and honorable, not the kind of woman who’d walk out on her husband without warning.

“What do you think you’re doing?” he demanded, pushing his way into the room. Lesley was so startled that she stumbled two steps back before regaining her balance.

“Chase?” She closed the door and leaned against it, her eyes wide. The perfume she wore wafted toward him. He needed every ounce of willpower not to haul her into his arms and beg her to stay with him.

“I don’t understand,” she said, staring at him, her eyes so innocent that the struggle not to kiss her seemed to drain his strength.

“I may have made a few mistakes along the way, but I would’ve thought you’d have the decency to talk to me instead of running away.”

“Running away? I just flew down to Fairbanks!”

“Without a word to me,” he reminded her in clipped tones.

“I left you a note.” Her voice was raised now, as well. She rested her hands on her hips and scowled at him.

“A note,” he said as though he found that humorous. “What good is that when I’m here in Fairbanks?”


Lesley dropped her hands, clenching them tightly. “You didn’t give me the name of the hotel where you were staying. And you didn’t answer your cell. How was I supposed to contact you?”

Chase was embarrassed to admit that he’d left his cell phone charging and hadn’t bothered to check for a message from her—because he hadn’t expected one.

“So now it’s my fault.” Chase knew why he was arguing with her, because if he didn’t, he was going to reach for her and hold her, kiss her.

“Yes, it’s your fault,” she cried.

“Lesley, who is this man?”

Chase whirled around to see an older woman in a bright red housecoat with matching red slippers. Her hair was wrapped in a towel.

“Mother…” Lesley sounded as though she was about to burst into tears. She gestured weakly toward him, before her hand fell lifelessly to her side. “This is Chase Goodman, my husband.”

The woman glared at him as if he were living proof of every dreaded suspicion she’d harbored. “What’s the matter with you, young man?”

“Mrs. Campbell-Sterne…”

“How dare you talk to Lesley like this! Have you no manners?”

Chase gave what he figured was an excellent imitation of a salmon, his mouth opening and closing soundlessly. He looked at Lesley, desperate for her to explain, but she’d turned her back to him.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

“As well you should be. I can tell you I had my concerns about the kind of man Lesley married. Now I can see that—”

“Would you mind if I spoke to my wife alone for a moment?” Chase interrupted. Lesley’s arms were cradling her middle and she was staring out the window. She gave no indication that she’d heard him.

“I…I suppose not.” Mrs. Campbell-Sterne flushed. “I’ll go and dress.”

“Thank you,” Chase said. He waited until his mother-in-law had gone into the bathroom and closed the door before he approached Lesley.

He stepped behind her and went to rest his hands on her shoulders, stopping just short. He closed his eyes briefly, then dropped his hands to his sides. “I just made a world-class jerk of myself, didn’t I?”

Lesley nodded, still refusing to face him.

“You left a note at the house?”

She answered him with another sharp nod. “And messages.”

“What did they say?”

“That my mother had phoned and was worried about me and our sudden marriage. She was hurt that I’d gone through with the ceremony without trying harder to contact her. She decided to fly up immediately to meet you.”

“Oh…” He didn’t know what had possessed him to think she’d leave without some kind of explanation.

“Tony called Mom and Ken,” Lesley went on. “He claimed I’d married on the rebound and that I’d made a terrible mistake. He was hoping to undermine our relationship.” The way Lesley said it made Chase wonder if Tony had succeeded.

After the stunt he’d just pulled, he couldn’t blame Lesley for believing she had made a mistake. Apologies seemed grossly inadequate.

“You flew down to meet your mother.” Once again he wanted to kick himself for being so stupid. No doubt her mother thought Lesley had married a madman and he’d quickly gone about proving her right.

“What’s wrong with you, charging in here like a bull moose?” Lesley demanded, finally turning to face him.

His salmon imitation returned, and he couldn’t manage a word, let alone a coherent sentence.

“I’m waiting for an answer,” she reminded him.

“I…I thought you left me,” he mumbled.

“You’re not serious, are you?” Her eyes, which he’d always found so bright and beautiful, were filled with disdain.

It sounded so weak. “I couldn’t let you leave.”

“Why not?”

Now was the perfect opportunity to confess how much he loved her, how his heart wouldn’t survive without her, but he couldn’t make himself say it, not with her looking at him as if he should be arrested.

“What else was I supposed to think?” he flared. “You up and left.”

“You left, too, and didn’t return when you said you would, but I didn’t immediately leap to some outrageous conclusion.”

“That’s different,” Chase argued, although he knew that made no sense. He disliked the turn their conversation had taken. He didn’t want to quarrel; what he yearned to do was pull her into his arms, bury his face in her neck and breathe in her scent.

“Can I come out now?” June asked from the bathroom doorway. She’d changed into blue-and-green-plaid slacks and a pale blue sweater. She was nearly as tall as Lesley, with the same clear, dark, intelligent eyes. And like Lesley, her thoughts were easy to read. Chase didn’t have to guess what his mother-in-law was thinking. He hadn’t impressed her, nor had he done anything to reassure her that Lesley had made a wise choice in marrying him.

The worst of it was that he couldn’t blame her.

“It’s all right, Mom. You can come out.”

“You’re sure?” She said it as though she was ready to contact the police and have Chase removed.

“I’m afraid I’ve made a mistake,” Chase said, hoping he could explain what had happened and at the same time address her concerns about his and Lesley’s relationship.

“You can say that again,” June returned crisply.

“Perhaps we could discuss this over lunch.” Feeding them both sounded like an excellent plan and once they were relaxed, he’d be able to smooth things over.

Lesley’s mother didn’t look too pleased about stepping outside the hotel room with him. She cast a guarded look in Lesley’s direction. “What do you think, dear?”

“That’ll be fine,” Lesley said, reaching for a white sweater, neatly folded at the foot of the bed. Chase moved to help her put it on, then changed his mind. Now wasn’t the time to be solicitous. Lesley wouldn’t appreciate it.

Chase chose the hotel restaurant. Conversation over lunch was stilted at best. June asked him several questions, but his attention was focused on his wife. He answered June, but his gaze didn’t waver from Lesley. He was hoping she’d say or do something, anything to ease his conscience.

He’d blown it. The door had been left wide open for him to explain why he’d reacted so badly. He’d been out of his mind, thinking he’d lost her.


Chase loved her. It didn’t get any simpler than that. All he had to do was say it. How difficult could that be? Apparently more than he’d realized because he let the opportunity slip past.

“How long do you plan to visit?” Chase asked June, thinking ahead. He supposed he shouldn’t have been so obvious, but he was already counting down the days, the hours and minutes, until he could be alone with Lesley.

“Five days,” June returned stiffly. She glanced at Lesley as though to suggest that purchasing another plane ticket south would be highly advisable—for both of them.

“I was able to get the new motor this morning,” Chase said to Lesley. “We can leave for Twin Creeks as soon as you’re ready.”

“Mother?”

“Anytime. I’m anxious to see your home, although heaven knows you haven’t had much time to settle in, have you?”

“No.” Lesley eyed Chase wearily.

“I’ll leave you here and be back within the hour to get you,” he said, reaching for the lunch tab. “Perhaps you’d care to come with me?” he asked Lesley. He tried to appear nonchalant about it, but his heart was in his throat.

“I don’t think I should leave Mother,” she said flatly.

Chase’s shoulders fell. Her feelings couldn’t have been more obvious.

Lesley couldn’t remember being more furious with anyone in her life. Chase was a fool. She’d agreed to marry him, agreed to leave the life she’d made for herself, leave her friends, her career and most of her possessions, and he still didn’t trust her. He assumed she’d walk out on him the minute his back was turned. That was what hurt so much. His lack of faith in her.

Lesley had spent the morning listing Chase’s many fine qualities to her mother. By the time she’d finished, it sounded as if he were a candidate for sainthood.

Fat chance of that after the way he’d barged into their hotel room. He couldn’t have shown himself in a worse light had he tried.

After Chase left, her mother was strangely silent. They sat on their beds, staring straight ahead. Every time Lesley thought of something to say, she changed her mind. Her mother would see through her efforts to make small talk in a second.

“He isn’t always like this,” she finally murmured.

“I certainly hope not.”

“Chase is honest and hardworking.”

“That remains to be seen, doesn’t it?” her mother asked stiffly.

“You don’t like him, do you?”

June paused. “I don’t have much reason to, do I? I’m afraid you’ve been blinded, Lesley. How can you possibly love this man? You don’t really know him… You couldn’t. Tony said Chase disguised the truth.”

“You can’t trust Tony!”

“Why not? At least he called us when my own daughter hadn’t bothered to let me know she was getting married. Now that I’ve met your husband, I can appreciate Tony’s concern.”

“Mother…”

“Hear me out, please. I’ve bitten my tongue for the last hour, trying not to say what I should have earlier and didn’t. You have nothing in common with Chase. You might have convinced yourself that you’re happy now, and that you’re going to make this ridiculous marriage work, but it isn’t necessary.”

“Mom, please, don’t.” It hurt that her mother thought her marriage ridiculous. Lesley was angry with Chase all over again for having put her in this impossible situation.

“I have to speak my piece or I’ll regret it the rest of my life. I made the same mistake with your father.” Her voice faltered slightly. “I knew the marriage wasn’t going to work, almost from the first, but I was too stubborn to admit it. I convinced myself that I was deeply in love with him. I worked hard at making the best of the situation, giving more and more of myself until there wasn’t anything left to give.

“After all that, after everything I did to hold that marriage together, he walked out. To see you repeat my mistakes would be the most tragic thing that could happen to me.”

Lesley felt as if she was going to break into tears. “It isn’t like that with Chase and me.”

“I don’t believe that, not after talking to Tony and meeting Chase for myself. He isn’t right for you. Anyone with a brain can see that.”

“Mom…”

“Are you pregnant?”

“No.”

Her mother sighed as though relieved. “Come back to Montana with me,” June pleaded. “If you want to start over, do it there. There’s always a need for good teachers. Don’t make the mistakes I did, Lesley. Leave Chase now—before it’s too late—and come back with me.”

Lesley was so intent on listening to her mother that she didn’t hear the door open. But she felt Chase’s presence before she heard his words. He was studying her without emotion, without revealing a hint of his thoughts.

“Well?” he said. “Make up your mind, Lesley. What do you want to do?”

Thirteen

Lesley’s mother was staring at her, too, pleading with her to cut her losses now.

“I…I thought we’d already decided to return to Twin Creeks,” Lesley stammered.

June’s shoulders sagged with dismay. Chase hurriedly reached for their suitcases, as though he expected Lesley to change her mind. That irritated her, too. Her mother was about to burst into tears and Chase was ignoring June completely.

The flight into Twin Creeks seemed to take twice as long as before. Chase flew the four-seater, concentrating as hard as if he were flying an F-14 under siege. Lesley made several attempts to carry the conversation, but it became painfully obvious that neither her mother nor Chase was interested in small talk.

When they landed at the tiny airfield, Pete and Jim were there to greet them. She knew Chase had let Jim know he’d be flying them home. But she didn’t understand what was going on between Pete and her husband. The minute Pete saw her, he grinned broadly and gave Chase a thumbs-up. Chase, however, didn’t seem to share his friend’s enthusiasm.

“This is where you live?” June asked, scowling, staring at the tundra that surrounded the town. “Why, it’s…it’s like stepping back a hundred years.” The words were more accusation than comment. Lesley saw Chase’s jaw tense, but he didn’t say anything, which was just as well. Lesley doubted her mother would be receptive, anyway.

When they arrived at the cabin, Lesley waited curiously for her mother’s reaction. June asked several questions, nodding now and then as Chase told her about his and Lesley’s life in Twin Creeks. Lesley was pleased with his honest responses. She added what little information she could.


“The guest room is down the hall,” Chase explained, leading them into the house. There seemed to be a détente between him and her mother, much to Lesley’s relief.

June paused in the living room, staring curiously at the fireplace and the bookshelves and the desk in much the same way Lesley had earlier. Before leaving, Lesley had added several feminine touches to the house. A homemade quilt that had been her grandmother’s was draped across the back of the rocking chair. A picture of her mother and Ken rested on the television and a small figurine of a harbor seal made of ash from the 1980 Mount Saint Helens eruption was propped against a Sue Grafton mystery in one of the built-in bookcases.

“This has a homey feel to it,” June said grudgingly before following Chase down the narrow hallway.

Lesley bit her tongue and trailed after her mother. Already she could see that this was going to be the longest five days of her life.

Chase was forced to wait until after dinner before he had a chance to speak to his mother-in-law privately. While Lesley was busy with the dinner dishes, Chase casually suggested a drive into town.

June hesitated, but it appeared she had things she wanted to say to him, too, and she agreed with a nod of her head.

Chase walked into the kitchen. Under normal circumstances, he would’ve slipped his arms around Lesley’s waist. But these weren’t normal conditions. He was afraid of touching her for fear of being charged with not behaving in a circumspect fashion. He swore his mother-in-law had the eyes of an eagle and the temperament of a polar bear.

“Your mother and I are going for a drive,” he said as casually as he could, hoping Lesley would leave it at that. He should’ve known better.

She hurriedly finished rinsing the pan she’d used to bake biscuits and reached for a hand towel. “I’ll come with you.”

“Don’t be offended, but we’d both rather you didn’t.”

Lesley blinked and leaned against the sink. “I don’t know if talking to my mother when she’s in this frame of mind is a good idea.”

“We either clear the air here and now, or all three of us are going to spend a miserable five days.”

“But, Chase…”

“Honey, listen.” He paused and glanced over his shoulder. June had gone for a sweater, but would return at any moment. “You and I need to talk, too. I’m sorry about starting off on the wrong foot with your mother. I promise I’ll do my best to make things right. I owe you that much—and a whole lot more.”

Lesley lowered her gaze.

“I realize June’s not the only one I offended,” he said gruffly, walking toward her. If he didn’t kiss her soon, he was going to go stark raving mad. Lesley must have felt the same way because she moved toward him, her steps as eager as his own. His heart reacted immediately, gladdened that she wanted to end this terrible tension between them.

He clasped his hands about her waist and caught her, drawing her into the shelter of his arms.

The sound of June clearing her throat behind him was like a bucket of cold water tossed over his head. He released Lesley and stepped away from her.

“We won’t be long,” he said, as evenly as he could.

June was fussing with her sweater when he turned around, smoothing out the sleeves. Her back was straight with unspoken disapproval. She looked prim and proper and determined to save her daughter from his nasty clutches. Chase sighed inwardly and prayed for patience.

Lesley followed them out to the front porch and watched as Chase opened the passenger door and held out his hand to help June inside. His mother-in-law ignored him and hoisted herself into the front seat.

So that was how it was going to be.

Knowing what to expect, Chase threw a look over his shoulder at Lesley and shrugged. He’d do his best, but he wasn’t a miracle worker. He couldn’t force Lesley’s mother to accept him as her son-in-law, nor could he demand she give her approval to their marriage.

He climbed into the seat beside her, and started the engine. “I don’t know if Lesley had a chance to tell you, but Twin Creeks is a small town,” he said, as he pulled onto the dirt and gravel road. “The population is around forty.”

“Forty,” June repeated, sounding shocked. “Did Lesley tell you she was born and raised in Seattle?”

“Yes.”

“There were almost that many students in her kindergarten class. What makes you think a woman who’s lived in a large populated area all her life will adjust to a place like this?”

Chase was ready for this one. “Lesley knew Twin Creeks was small when she agreed to marry me.” True, she hadn’t known how small, but she’d had the general idea.

“You haven’t answered my question,” June said primly, her hands tightly clasped.

“I’m hoping love will do that,” he said simply.

“Aren’t you asking a good deal of a woman you’ve only known a few weeks?”

“Yes, but—”

“It seems to me,” Lesley’s mother interrupted, “that neither of you has given the matter much thought. Lesley won’t last a month in this primitive lifestyle.”

Chase was fast losing his patience. “It seems to me that you don’t know your daughter as well as you think you do.”

“I beg your pardon,” she snapped. “Do you suppose I don’t realize what you did? You seduced my daughter, convinced her to marry you and then practically kidnapped her to get her to move north with you.”

Chase pulled over to the side of the road. He couldn’t concentrate on driving and hold on to his temper at the same time.

“Lesley mentioned that you’d spoken to Tony. I gather you’re repeating what he said. Unfortunately you and I don’t know each other well enough to be good judges of the other’s character. You see me as some psychopath who’s tricked your daughter into marriage.”

“You can’t blame me for that, after you charged into our hotel room, acting like a lunatic.”

Chase closed his eyes with mounting frustration. When he collected himself, he continued in a calm, clear voice. “Arguing isn’t going to settle anything. You believe what you must and I’ll do my best to stay out of your way.” He started the engine, intent on turning the vehicle around and heading back to the house. He’d tried, but hadn’t lasted five minutes with June hurling accusations at him.

“Listen here, young man—”

“The last person who called me ‘young man’ was my junior high teacher,” Chase retorted. “I’m a long way from junior high, so I suggest you either call me by name or keep quiet.”


She gasped indignantly, and Chase wondered how it was possible to love Lesley so much, yet feel so negative toward her mother.

“What you fail to understand,” he said, after a lengthy pause, “is that we have something in common.”

“I sincerely doubt that.”

“We both love Lesley.”

“Yes, but—”

“There aren’t any qualifiers as far as I can see,” he interrupted. “She’s your daughter, the woman you’ve raised and nurtured and loved all these years. I don’t have the same history with Lesley, but I love her. Right now those may be only words to you, but I’d rather die than hurt her. If your main concern is that she won’t adjust to life here in Alaska, then let me assure you, we’ll move.”

“This all sounds very convenient. You’re telling me what I want to hear.”

“I’m telling you the truth.” His anger flared briefly, then died down just as quickly. “We were wrong not to make more of an effort to contact you about the wedding. If you want to blame someone for that, then I’ll accept the guilt. I was in a hurry—”

“You rushed her into making a decision.”

Chase had another argument poised and ready, but he’d recognized early on that there was nothing he could say that would alter June’s opinion of him.

“I don’t think we’re going to be able to talk this out,” he said, not bothering to disguise his disappointment. “I’d never keep Lesley here against her will, that much I promise you. You’ve raised a wonderful woman and I love her more than my own life. I can’t offer you any greater reassurance than that.”

His words were greeted with silence.

“You and your husband will always be welcome here, especially after we start our family.”

She turned and glared at him as if he’d said something offensive, but Chase was tired of trying to decipher this woman’s thoughts.

“If Lesley wants to visit you and your husband in Montana, she can go with my blessing,” he added. It went without saying that he wouldn’t be welcome. “I apologize for making an idiot of myself earlier. I don’t blame you for thinking ill of me, but I’d hoped we’d be able to put that behind us and start again. Perhaps before you leave, we’ll be able to do that.” He switched gears, turned the vehicle around and drove back to the house.

Lesley was knitting in the rocking chair when he walked inside. She glanced up anxiously, but must have read the defeat in his eyes, and the disdain in her mother’s, because she sagged against the back of the chair.

“What are you knitting?” June asked, revealing some enthusiasm for the first time in hours.

“A sweater for Chase. One of the ladies in town sells yarn, so while I was there I picked up a pattern and everything else I was going to need.”

“You met Thelma?” Chase asked, claiming the recliner next to his wife.

“I had tea with all the ladies,” Lesley informed him. She was trying not to smile. Her mouth quivered and the need to kiss her felt nearly overwhelming.

So she’d gone into town on her own. Chase should’ve realized she was too anxious to meet the others to wait for him to introduce her.

“It’s stuffy in here,” June announced.

“There’s a chair on the porch,” Chase suggested. If his curmudgeon of a mother-in-law wasn’t standing guard over them, he might be able to steal a few minutes alone with his wife.

“I think I’ll sit out there for a while.”

“Good idea,” Chase said with just a smidgen of glee. To his credit, he didn’t lock the door behind her.

“What happened?” Lesley asked in a breathy whisper the instant her mother was out the door.

“She thinks I seduced you into moving up here with me.”

Lesley batted her long lashes at him. “You did, didn’t you?”

“I’d certainly like the opportunity to do so again,” he said, waggling his brows suggestively. “I’m not going to last another five days without making love to you. Maybe not even another five minutes—”

“Chase!” Lesley whispered, as he moved toward her. “My mother’s right outside.”

“She already thinks I’m a sex fiend as it is.”

“You are!”

Chase chuckled, but his humor was cut short by a piercing scream from the front porch. Never in his life had Chase moved faster. Lesley reacted just as quickly. Her knitting needles and yarn flew toward the ceiling as they both raced out the front door.

June was backed against the front of the house, her hands flattened over her heart. Even from several feet away, Chase could see she was trembling.

“What happened?” he demanded.

June closed her eyes and shook her head. Luckily Lesley was there to comfort her. She wrapped her arms around her mother and gently guided her toward the door.

“Something must have frightened her,” Chase said. He debated going for his hunting rifle, then decided against it. Whatever the danger had been, it’d passed.

“It was…huge.” The words were strangled-sounding.

“A bear, Mom. Did you see a bear?” Lesley’s eyes widened with fear, but her mother shook her head.

“It must’ve been a moose,” Chase speculated. He recalled the first time he’d come nose to nose with one. It was an experience he’d rather not repeat.

“No.” June shook her head again.

“A wolf?” Lesley pressed.

“No,” his mother-in-law moaned. Lesley led her into the house and urged her down in the rocker while Chase went for a glass of water.

“It was a…a spider,” June said, gripping the glass with both hands. “A black one with long legs. I…I’ve never liked spiders.”

Judging by June’s reaction, that was an understatement.

“A spider?” Chase whispered. The woman had sounded as though she’d barely escaped with her life.

His wife shrugged and rolled her eyes.

“Suggest she go to bed and rest,” he said in hushed tones.

Lesley’s lips quivered with the effort it took to suppress a smile.

“Maybe you’d better lie down,” Lesley said in a soothing voice.

“You’re right,” June murmured, clearly shaken by the encounter. “I don’t usually overreact like this. It’s just that this spider was so big. I didn’t expect there to be spiders here in Alaska, of all places.”

“We all have a tendency to overreact under certain circumstances,” Chase said, using the opportunity to defend his own behavior earlier in the day. “Later we realize how foolish we must have looked to everyone else. People generally understand and forgive that sort of thing.” As far as sermons went, he felt he’d done well. He was no TV evangelist, but he figured he’d got his point across. He only hoped June had picked up on his message.


“I do feel like I should rest.”

“I’ll check out the room first,” Chase offered, “and make sure there’s nothing there.” All he needed was for June to interrupt him and Lesley. He didn’t know how well his heart would stand up to another bloodcurdling scream.

“Thank you,” June whispered as he hurried out.

When he came back to signal that all was clear, Lesley accompanied her mother to the bedroom. After five minutes Chase was glancing at his watch, wondering how long this was going to take.

Another ten minutes passed before Lesley returned to the living room. “Mom’s resting comfortably. I gave her a couple of aspirin to settle her nerves.”

“I need something to settle my nerves, too,” Chase said, reaching for her and pulling her onto his lap.

“Chase.” She put up a token struggle.

“Kiss me.”

“I…I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Considering what I really want, a kiss seems darn little. Don’t be stingy, Lesley, I need you.” If they’d been alone, he’d have had her in bed fifteen seconds after they got home. As it was, he’d been forced to sit through an uncomfortable dinner and then deal with her dragon of a mother before and after the spider attack. A kiss was small compensation.

He nibbled at her ear. He’d settle for kissing her. It was all he wanted right now, just enough to satisfy him until he could tell her all that was in his heart.

He could feel her resistance, the little there was, melt away.

She turned her head until their lips met. The kiss was slow and deep. It demanded every shred of stamina he had to drag his mouth away from hers. By then, Lesley’s arms had circled his neck and she was sighing softly. She laid her head on his shoulder and worked her fingers into his hair.

Now was the time to tell her. He forced his mind from the warmth of her body pressing against his, her moist breath fanning his neck.

“When I spoke to your mother…” The words wouldn’t come. Maybe this would be easier after they’d made love.

“Yes?” Lesley lifted her head, curiosity brightening her eyes.

“I told her something I’ve never told you.” Their eyes met and her mouth widened with an enticing smile.

“I love you, Lesley.” There it was, out in the open for her to accept or reject. His heart was there, too, along with his dreams for their future.

Lesley tensed, her hands on his shoulders. “What did you just say?” Her voice was barely audible.

“I love you.” It sounded so naked, saying it like that. “I realize blurting it out might make you uncomfortable, but I didn’t think it was fair if I told your mother how I felt and said nothing to you.”

She was off his lap in a flash. Tears glazed her eyes as she backed away from him.

“I was sure of it when I thought you’d left me,” he explained. “I’d tried to reach you by phone and when I couldn’t, I had Pete go to the cabin. He told me the truck was gone and that Jim had flown you into Fairbanks. I didn’t know what to think. Now it seems ludicrous to leap to the conclusions I did, but at the time it made perfect sense.”

“I see.” One tear escaped the corner of her eye and rolled down the side of her face.

“Say something,” he pleaded. His heart was precariously perched at the end of his sleeve. The least she could do was let him know if she was about to pluck it off and crush it beneath her feet.

“I knew when we got married that you didn’t love me,” she said, without looking at him. “When we were in Victoria—I knew you didn’t love me then, either.”

“Don’t be so sure,” he returned, frowning. He understood the problem, had always understood it. Tony. She was in love with her former fiancé and that wasn’t likely to change for a long time.

Her head snapped up. “You were in love with me on our honeymoon?”

He shrugged, unwilling to reveal everything quite so soon. He wished she’d express her feelings for him.

“Were you?” she asked again.

Chase stood and rubbed his hand along the back of his neck, walking away from her. “Does it matter?”

“Yes.”

“All right,” he muttered. “As near as I can figure, I loved you when we got married. It just took me a while to…put everything together.” He shoved his hands inside his pockets. This wasn’t going as well as he’d hoped.

“I tried to reassure your mother, but that didn’t work,” he continued. “Tony’s got her convinced you married me on the rebound and that it was a mistake.”

“I didn’t.”

Now it was Chase’s turn to go still. He was afraid to believe what he thought she was saying. “You aren’t in love with Tony?” he asked breathlessly.

“That would be impossible when I’m crazy in love with you.” She smiled then, the soft womanly smile that never failed to stir him. Her love shone like a beacon.

Chase closed his eyes to savor her words, to wrap them around his heart and hold on to the feeling. It happened then, a physical need, a craving for her that was so powerful it nearly doubled him over.

They moved toward each other, their kisses fuel to the flames of their desire.

“Chase,” Lesley groaned between kisses, unbuttoning his shirt as she spoke. “We can’t.… Mother’s room is directly down the hall from us. She’ll hear.”

Chase kissed her while trying to decide what to do.

“The cache,” he said, grateful for the inspiration. It wasn’t the ideal solution, but it would serve their purpose.

Lesley’s legs seemed to have given out on her and he lifted her into his arms, pausing only long enough to grab the quilt from the rocking chair.

He gathered her in his arms, holding her close with a fierce possessiveness.

“I love you.” Each time he said it, the words came more easily.

“I know.” She spread a slow series of kisses along his jaw.

“Your mother…”

“Don’t worry about Mom. She’ll come around, especially when she’s got grandchildren to spoil.”

“Children,” Chase said softly.

“Is this a new concept to you?”

“Not entirely.” He grinned and she smiled back.

“Good.” Her teeth caught his lower lip. “Soon I hope,” she said a moment later. “How soon?”

Lesley raised her head and her beautiful dark eyes gazed down at him. “No time like the present, is there?”


Chase sucked in his breath. He’d thought they’d wait a year, possibly longer, to start their family, but he couldn’t refuse Lesley anything.

“Will I ever grow tired of you?” he wondered aloud.

“Never,” she promised.

Chase instinctively knew it was true.