Chapter 9

Valentine

After I type the last line of my blog article, I read through it three more times, checking for errors and making sure I’m hitting the proper tone. Sassy lies beside me, sleeping heavily. Sarah’s been feeding her raw moose and caribou, which she assures me is good for my dog. This I believe to be true, because I’ve been walking her each morning and those little legs just never give out. My concern, though, is that by feeding her caribou and moose, this may make her smell better to bears. It’s why when I walk her, it’s only up and down the sidewalk of Main Street.

I stare at my laptop screen and deem my piece to be perfect. My blog is meant to be fun and engaging and to inspire women’s fantasies. To do that, I have to relay my experiences in an entertaining way so my readers keep coming back.

The only problem is, that blog article I just wrote wasn’t the exact truth. Just like with any media outlet, there’s spin.

Oh, the part about Rusty and Darla, and me getting drunk and taken into jail was all true.

The part where I embellished—no, outright lied—was when I wrote that being hauled off to jail by Logan was an adventure that I enjoyed. The article romanticizes him and I know will keep my readers panting to hear more about East Merritt’s gorgeous chief of police.

But truth be told, I’m freaking mortified he hauled me in.

I’m absolutely and completely embarrassed I got drunk and danced on the tables in front of a bunch of rowdy and probably very horny men, and clearly one very pissed-off woman. While I’m totally the type of woman who can get wild and crazy, I don’t get that wild and crazy. I do have my limits, and dancing provocatively to provoke reaction is just not me.

It’s not me at all.

But you know who it is?

It’s tequila.

Straight-up tequila made me do that.

And if that wasn’t humiliating enough, I got sick in my jail cell last night. I had managed to fall asleep despite the bed spinning, but came up out of a dead sleep spewing vomit all over the floor. I wanted to crawl under the cot and hide when Logan came running in, clearly having been woken up himself by the sounds of my hurling. I had no clue he’d stayed at the station with me.

He took one look at me on my hands and knees, chest heaving and tears running down my face because I felt so wretched, a quick look at the vomit, and then he was in the cell and helping me to my feet.

“I’m so sorry,” I mumbled, trying to keep my face averted because I knew my breath smelled worse than moose ass. “I didn’t mean to throw up on your floor. I’ll clean it up.”

Logan just wrapped an arm around my shoulders and turned me toward the cell door. We walked out and down a hall, and right into a bathroom labeled WOMEN. He patiently waited while I washed my face and washed my mouth out with water, and then he told me, “Let’s get you home.”

“But I should go back and clean that up,” I said piteously.

“Just forget about it, Valentine. I’ll handle it.” His voice revealed just how tired I imagined he was.

“But my sentence isn’t over,” I pointed out somewhat pathetically. Guilt was driving me hard. “I totally deserve more jail time, just for the vomit alone.”

Logan laughed, but it wasn’t in a mocking way. It was gently done as he told me, “It’s close to five A.M. You’ve served enough time, honey.”

I couldn’t handle him being nice, especially after I made an ass of myself in public, and worse yet, I have vague memories of me twerking. I swung a punch at a woman for calling me names, thus forcing Logan to do his cop duty and bring me to jail, where he clearly had to sleep last night too. And then the best part…I left him with a big pile of Bou Stew and tequila on his floor. I didn’t say a word to him on the ride home, but huddled inside his thick, warm sheepskin coat he’d put on me before he loaded me into his truck.

When he pulled up in front of Sarah’s, he put the truck in park and asked, “You okay?”

I wouldn’t look at him but just nodded. Then I started to take his coat off.

“Keep it,” he said, then nodded toward the door. “Sarah’s up and she’ll fix you some toast to settle your stomach. I’ll get the coat later.”

“Okay,” I mumbled, then fled from his truck, vowing to myself I’d never see him again.

Just as Logan promised, Sarah was up and made me some plain toast as well as some mint tea. It did settle my stomach enough that I managed a shower, a vigorous tooth brushing, and then a long walk with Sassy. After that, I crawled into my bed and wrote my blog article because I have a fan base that I still answer to. I’ll have to head over to The Wounded Caribou later to post it. If there’s a God, I won’t run into Logan.

Ever.

Again.

There’s a timid knock on my door and I freeze. It’s not Sarah, because her knock rattles the hinges. It’s not one of the guys, because Sarah told me when I got home early this morning that they all went out fishing today with Mike. It was Rusty and Portman’s day off so they booked Mike on a guided fishing trip.

My heart starts to hammer, thinking it could possibly be Logan, and I want to dive under the covers and hide until he leaves.

But then the knock comes again softly and I hear April’s voice call out, “Val…can I come in?”

I toss my legs off the side of my bed and cross to the door, opening it wide. “April…hey.”

I step back and Sarah’s daughter comes in, her eyes going straight to my bed where my laptop lies open and Sassy is snoozing hard.

“Oh my God, your dog is adorable,” she coos as she walks to the bed. I rush right behind her and scoop up my laptop, hoping it’s a plausible pretense that I’m just making room for her to sit on the bed. In reality, I close the laptop so she can’t see my blog article and set it up on the dresser.

Sassy lifts her head and blinks drowsily as April sits on the edge of the bed. She picks up Sassy and cuddles her to her chest, where Sassy is only all too happy to burrow in and fall back asleep. She’s in her lazy mode right now, which is pretty much her primary mode unless we’re out walking.

“So what’s up?” I ask as I tuck my hands into the back pockets of my jeans and sort of rock on the balls of my fuzzy-socked feet. I have no idea why April would come to see me. I mean, we had a great time picking out clothes together, but it wasn’t like shopping with your girlfriends or Jeremy. She was just doing her job.

“I just came by to see how you were doing and how you were adjusting to life around here,” she says with a shrug, but I see something deep in her eyes just before she drops her gaze back down to Sassy.

My face scrunches up and I ask with dread, “You heard about last night, huh?”

April’s eyes shoot back up to mine and they are filled with empathy. She rushes to assure me, “I did and I know how fast gossip runs around this town, and I also know how it can be skewed, and I didn’t want you to worry too much about it. Tomorrow Shep Willis will get drunk and pass out on someone’s front porch and you’ll be old news.”

I let out a pained sigh and walk to my bed, sitting next to her. “I’m so embarrassed about last night.”

“Why?” April asks, and she sounds genuinely confused.

“So I’m now telling you this so you know exactly what happened,” I say. “I went on a dinner date with Rusty and we had drinks after. Lots of drinks. Lots of tequila. I got stinkin’ drunk and did a Miley Cyrus impersonation on top of the tables. Then Darla called me a hooker and a tramp and I punched her in the chin. Logan put handcuffs on me and put me in a jail cell for the night. And if that wasn’t bad enough, I vomited all over the cell and he had to clean it up.”

April just blinks at me repetitively, and I can tell she’s not processing all of it. Finally she says, “Wow…I just heard you were drunk and dancing on the tables, and Darla was being an ass and you two got into a little tussle.”

“Oh,” I say flatly, now wondering if April was going to run out of here and tell everyone more details.

Still cuddling Sassy, April reaches out and pats me on the knee. “But all that other stuff…that’s nobody else’s business, and I sure as hell won’t be saying anything to anyone about it.”

My shoulders sag with relief as I sigh, and I tell her with absolute genuine appreciation, “Thanks, April. That means a lot to me.”

April shrugs, clearly indicating it’s not a big deal. “Besides, Darla had it coming to her. I hope you hit her good.”

Now I blink at April, because I didn’t know she had that in her. She looks at me with big, hopeful eyes and I have to laugh, “Sadly, Logan pulled me back before I could really connect. I only grazed her.”

“Damn,” April mutters as she strokes Sassy’s head. “The longer Darla goes without landing her a husband, the bitchier she gets.”

“Is that really her main goal?” I ask, not really surprised, because I know plenty of women in New York whose only goal is to land a husband.

“Well, she wants her husband to be hot,” April amends. “Darla’s always been the type who wants the best, so she goes for the best and the hottest in town.”

I wonder to myself if she’s gone after Logan, because in my opinion, while I’ve seen a ton of really hot guys in East Merritt, none really hold a candle to him. But I don’t ask that question, because the answer isn’t relevant to me. Logan’s not shown interest in me that way, and I’m sure after last night he never will.

“Well, Darla can set her sights back on Monte Plume if she wants,” I say offhandedly. “I have no intention of going out with him again.”

“I heard about the Grizzly Plate thing.” April nods in commiseration.

I lean back on my bed a bit, enjoying my talk with April. She’s easy to get along with in that casual way, and now I find myself curious about her and why she chooses this life here in Alaska.

“So what’s your deal?” I ask her. “Got a sweetie?”

April’s cheeks turn a little pink but she shakes her head. “I’ve really not had time to date or anything. Especially since taking over the store.”

“But there is someone you’re interested in,” I push at her, knowing I’m reading her evasiveness and pink cheeks correctly.

She shrugs and doesn’t answer me, lowering her eyes shyly.

“Come on,” I cajole. “Tell me who he is.”

April looks up at me and gives a heavy sigh. “It’s Jorgen Shasten. He moved here about three years ago and opened up a small fly shop over on Main Street. He runs some fishing excursions, but he mostly spends his time tying these beautiful flies.”

I’m lost. “Flies?”

“Flies,” she repeats, and then adds, “You know…fishing lures. Tie them on the end of your line and catch fish with them.”

“Oh,” I say as if I understand, but I really had no clue such things existed.

“But he’s so quiet and withdrawn,” April says with frustration. “He just loves to stay holed up in his shop, bent over his worktable creating his pieces. They’re like little works of art.”

“Sounds like he has an artist’s temperament,” I say with a nod. “I’ve dated a few and they can be introverted and sometimes prickly. But maybe you just have to put yourself out there, you know. Catch his attention a little.”

Because damn, April…three years is a long time to be pining for someone.

“Well, it’s not like I can do anything about it,” she says glumly. “I don’t get to see him unless I run into him by chance around town. And besides that, I’m not sure I’m his type.”

“What does that mean?” I ask.

“Oh, Val…he’s just gorgeous. I mean everything about him is just perfection, and well…look at me. I don’t think I measure up.”

I lean my head back a bit and I give April a critical once-over. When I first met her, she struck me as a pretty girl. She has really beautiful eyes the color of mahogany, and thick hair the same color. Granted, she doesn’t wear makeup and she dresses in the type of clothing she sells, which frankly isn’t the most flattering to her figure. And both times I’ve seen her, she’s had her hair in a tightly wrapped bun at the back of her head.

“Okay,” I say gently, hoping I don’t offend her. “I think you are a very pretty girl. I mean…you have amazing bone structure, and from what I can tell, your hair is gorgeous. But honestly, April…you kind of hide all of that, and it’s probably why Jorgen’s never taken notice.”

April’s eyebrows furrow inward. “Hide it?”

“Well, yeah…let your hair down, accentuate your eyes. That brown color is to die for. Wear some clothing that fits your figure a bit better. You know…be a girl.”

“Be a girl?” she repeats.

“I seriously am not trying to offend you, but if you give me the afternoon, I can totally make you shine. I guarantee you that Jorgen will notice.”

“You’re going to do girlie things with me, aren’t you?” she asks with a grin.

“Totally girlie things,” she says. “Which means we need a trip to the general store, which I know carries makeup, and then we need to raid your closet, and probably mine to come up with a few things. I’ve got to take Sassy on an afternoon walk, so let’s head down that way and get some makeup and hair stuff first.”

“Okay,” April says brightly as she stands up from the bed with Sassy. “Where’s her leash?”

“Um…well, I don’t have one,” I say as I walk over to the dresser and pull out a thin rope that Sarah had given me. “I’ve just been using this and it’s worked fine.”

“Then let’s get going,” April says, and I love seeing that excitement in her eyes. This is going to be fun.

We chatter all the way to the general store, which doesn’t carry much in the way of makeup but enough to get April started. I also wanted to get a big barrel curling iron but they didn’t have any, so I’ll lend her mine.

As we make our way back to Sarah’s house, Sassy prancing happily ahead of us, I note that I’m getting a few strange looks from people. I’m guessing the gossip about last night has made the rounds, but according to April, tonight Shep Willis will do something stupid and I’ll be off the hot seat.

All of this flees my mind when Sassy suddenly starts barking when we reach Sarah’s house. She pulls against the rope, lunging in the direction she had run that first day along the side of Sarah’s house. I try to rein her in. “Sassy…stop it.”

She pulls so fiercely against the rope her barks come out choked and raspy, but whatever it is she thinks is back there, she wants at it badly.

“Sassy,” I say sternly. “Stop it.”

She merely twists her body so violently her head slithers right out of the loop Sarah had made at the end of the rope. I stare in horror as she bolts to the side of the house.

I don’t even spare a moment but take off running after her, bears be damned. I hear April hot on my trail. I don’t see Sassy anywhere, including the backyard. I run to the edge, which is flanked with low-growing bushes and leads right into heavy woods that eventually slope up the mountain.

“Sassy,” I yell in that direction, my hands cupped around my mouth so the sound carries.

I hear her yapping in the distance and I don’t think she’s too far away. I start to push my way into the brush but April’s hand grabs me by the back of my shirt, practically choking me. I turn to look at her.

“Do not go too far into those woods,” she tells me sternly. “If you can’t find her within twenty yards or so, turn around and come back.”

“But, I can’t let her get away,” I say desperately.

“I’m going to go grab my GPS unit from my car, and I’ll help you find her. But don’t go too far in. Just a little ways and call her, see if you can get her to come back. I’ll be right back.”

“Okay,” I say with a frantic nod, and as April turns to run back to her car parked in front of Sarah’s house, I push through the brush and start calling Sassy’s name.

I can hear her barking, and she’s up just ahead. Not far at all I think.

I call for her over and over again, and she barks back at me. This encourages me and I keep pushing forward. The brush thins out a bit but the trees are so dense that little light is able to get through. I can still see well enough in all directions, but I make the mistake of turning around once to see if I can locate Sassy’s barking, and I suddenly realize that everything looks the same. I don’t see the low-lying brush that bordered the woods between Sarah’s house. In fact, I can see nothing but trees as I seem to be in a small valley with the grounds sloping upward in two different directions. Sassy’s frantic barking continues in the distance but I’m not sure exactly which way.

Glancing down at my watch, my heart sinks to my stomach when I realize I’ve probably been walking for a good twenty minutes, well past the point that April warned me not to go past.

“April,” I call out as loud as I can, and then pause to listen.

Nothing.

I call out to her again, and still nothing.

I also notice Sassy’s barks are even farther away now, and I can’t tell which direction they’re coming from.

Slight panic starts to set in, but at least I’m still calm enough to know that I need to try to find my way back to April if possible. We can mount a search party for Sassy later, but I know I cannot afford to get stuck out in these woods when the sun goes down. I’m only wearing a lightweight thermal T-shirt and that will in no way protect me when it drops down into the thirties or forties. I am at least grateful that I have on heavy-duty canvas pants and sturdy hiking boots, and that bolsters me somewhat.

Turning around once more, I take my best guess as to the general direction I had come from and I make a command decision to head that way. I call out to April every minute or so, but I get nothing in return.

The panic starts to increase.