After leaving the note for his father in Elizabeth’s vehicle, Jack headed on foot to the North Star Café on Main Street, where he and the doctor had agreed to meet for breakfast once Doc Bauer finished up with Emmett.

On the way, he passed an alley and was startled to see a big brown grizzly bear rummaging through a garbage dumpster behind The Greasy Spoon, pulling French fries out of a white paper bag and shoving them into his mouth. Squinting, Jack realized it was the one-eared bear who generated so many nuisance calls for the fire department.

Although it was well into hibernation season for grizzlies, the bear they’d nicknamed Evander Holyfield because of its missing ear was often seen roaming the streets of downtown Golden Falls. It was rumored that the bear had made itself a den in a storage shed behind the Arctic Skies Bed & Breakfast, which was run by Shannon Steele, the younger sister of Jack’s best friend, Tom. Shannon, nothing if not fiercely fun-loving, refused to lock the shed because she found the bear’s presence amusing.

Jack debated whether he should try to move Evander along but decided against it. If the bear caused a problem, the fire department might get another nuisance call, but as long as no people were in danger, Jack thought it best to leave well enough alone. Evander would move on when he damn well felt like it. Jack made a mental note to call the manager of The Greasy Spoon, however, and remind him not to fill his dumpster to overflowing.

Continuing on to the North Star Café, Jack hoped Doc Bauer wouldn’t be far behind. Breakfast together was a regular occurrence ever since the doctor had retired a few years back as the medical director of the Golden Falls Fire and Rescue Department. He’d been the supervising physician for all the paramedics and EMTs and had developed their treatment protocols. Jack had grown to respect the man professionally and, over the years they’d worked together, personally as well.

During Doc Bauer’s time as medical director, they’d had many a conversation about the health needs of the community, and it had been no surprise to Jack when Doc Bauer decided to open a community health clinic post-retirement. The man had too much energy to truly retire and cared too much about the people of Golden Falls.

The clinic operated on a shoestring budget, helped by donations and volunteer time, and Jack always pitched in where he could. He enjoyed helping, and it was a plus that the more patients had access to preventive medicine, the fewer calls he and his crew of firefighters would have to run later. The breakfast tradition had started a few years back after Jack recruited all of Station One’s A-shift guys to help paint the clinic when it first opened; Doc Bauer had taken Jack to breakfast as a thank-you, and they’d just continued the weekly tradition ever since.

The overnight storm had left more than a foot of snow on the roads and sidewalks, and as Jack walked to the café in the January darkness that would linger until mid-morning, the aroma of baking bread floated down Main Street. It smelled like salvation, and he thought maybe the scent of Rebecca Miller’s baking bread was the universe, trying to give him hope that everything would work out.

At the moment, it felt like the responsible life he’d so carefully constructed was in immediate danger of collapsing. He’d always expected that one day he’d have to confront the past and the hurtful decision he’d made all those years ago which had torn two families apart. He’d always known there would come a day of reckoning, and it seemed that day had arrived.

Elizabeth had arrived.

She’d arrived in his life in the guise of a woman alone on a wintery highway at night … and there was something about her, something beautiful and pure that spoke to his soul, that had reached out to his conscience and said, Make me whole, Jack. Help me have the life I deserve.

She was intoxicating, with her fragile-but-tough looks, the vulnerable tilt of her lips, the long fringe of her eyelashes. She had a body that begged to be held, kissed, explored, cherished.

He wanted to do all those things, damn it. And to make things amends. But how?

As he approached the North Star Café, he waved to Eric Miller, who was shoveling the sidewalk. Eric co-owned the café with his sister, Rebecca.

“Hey there, Eric,” Jack greeted him, putting on a façade that everything was okay. “Shouldn’t one of your employees be doing this instead of you?”

“I’m trying to get the heart rate up. Don says I need to lose weight,” Eric said, referring to his longtime boyfriend, local artist Don Yazzie. Don was right; Eric could stand to lose a few. Like his sister, Rebecca, he had the classic Nordic features of blond hair, blue eyes, and look of outdoorsy good health, but he also had a new middle-aged paunch that could become a permanent fixture if he didn’t do something about it … but so did Don.

“Don could stand to lose a few himself,” Jack said with a grin.

“That’s the point,” Eric said. “He’s dieting, so he wants me to, too.”

“Misery loves company. And it must be even worse for you, being around your sister’s baking all the time.”

“You know it.”

Jack stomped his feet on the large doormat in front of the restaurant, getting the snow off his boots. “Have fun shoveling,” he said as he opened the door. “If you ever want to chop wood for me, just let me know. It’s a massive calorie-burner, and I’d be happy to put you to work.”

Eric laughed. “Thanks for the offer. I’ll keep it in mind.”

Inside, the café was warm and cozy, the big stone fireplace roaring with dancing flames, and that made Jack feel worse about the situation with Elizabeth. How much coziness had she and her brother experienced in their lives? How much time did she have to linger in cafés? She should be pampered, he thought. By me and for the rest of her life.

He’d never thought such a thing about a woman before, but something about Elizabeth had captured his heart. He thought maybe it was her aloneness—she had no one to look out for her, and she was doing the best she could, and yet he could almost tell, or feel, or sense, that her heart was calling out for companionship and love.

He was much the same way. Alone because of the secret he’d been keeping and the family ties that had been broken because of it, and yet more and more he longed for a partner, a lifetime companion he could hold close at night and come home to after work. To bring to the firefighter parties, to raise a family with, to grow and age with through the years. To see the smiling face of his contented wife when he woke up in the mornings. And she would be content. He’d make sure of it.  

As he waited, Jack thought about how much was at stake if he did go through with trying to remedy things for the Armstrong family. He looked around at all the people he knew who populated the café, all the regulars with whom he engaged. There was Mayor John Walters having breakfast with Claire Roberts, one of the biggest property holders in town. Alice Abbott, the editor of the Golden Falls Gazette, shared a table with Steve Kopacik, the news director at KFLS, the local NBC affiliate. There was a group of middle-aged college professors in the big round booth in the corner; they were daily fixtures. All these people, plus the guys on his crew … Fred Moran, the fire chief … Rob and Charlene Pickens, his next-door neighbors and friends with whom he boarded his horse … and hell, his siblings. Josh. Maggie, a nurse in Idaho. Lila and Sophia, his twin sisters who, along with their husbands, lived in Florida. What would all these people think of him if the truth came out?

He loved them and Golden Falls with all his heart. He’d traveled to plenty of beautiful places in the world, but none was as gorgeous as Golden Falls, set like a jewel amidst the wilderness in the long shadow of Denali.

Golden Falls was a small bustling city two hours’ drive northeast of Denali National Park, and home to Alaska State University. It was a place tourists came to stay and play and spend money. It had a tidy, frontier-chic historic downtown complete with an old-fashioned town square and city park where the orchestra performed on summer evenings and where the town’s Christmas tree lighting took place each December.

Adjacent the park was a footbridge leading over the town’s namesake, Golden Falls, a twenty-foot waterfall set in the Nanook River, where hopeful prospectors had once panned for gold. A distinctive heart-shaped rock sat under the falls, and it was a time-honored tradition for young lovers to throw stones toward it, the belief being that if both partners could get their tossed pebbles to stay on the rock, they’d found true love More than one marriage proposal had taken place under the waterfall, most recently by Station One’s own Cody Bradford, who’d proposed to Cassie Holt, the new TV reporter at KFLS Channel Eight.

Jack’s own property was lush with wildflowers in the summer and heart-stoppingly spectacular in autumn when the birch and the aspen trees changed color. In springtime, the river roared with cracking ice as the sun grew high and sparkling to melt the snow. He didn’t even mind the winters because of the camaraderie it brought out in people. In winter, lights were strung across Main Street for twelve solid blocks, and City Park was a magical wonderland the whole winter long.

Golden Falls was home. It held his history and his heart—but would he lose it all if the truth came out?

By the time Doc Bauer arrived, Jack had put himself into quite the miserable funk, but he tried not to let it show.

“How did it go?” he asked as his friend took a seat across from him.

“The young man will be fine,” Doc Bauer said. “No concussion, fortunately. Nothing a good sleep and a few stitches can’t fix.”

The waitress brought coffee, and the pair ordered breakfast. Doc Bauer got his usual oatmeal loaded with dried apples, brown sugar, and cinnamon, and Jack ordered a veggie omelet. Now that he’d reached his mid-thirties, he’d started watching what he ate—for Jack, staying fit and healthy was part of his job description, and one he took seriously.

“So tell me why I made the house call this morning.” Doc Bauer smiled over his coffee cup. “What was so special about this situation? Or should I say who was so special? Because I’m pretty sure I noticed a little spark of something between you and the young woman involved.”

“Young being the operative word,” Jack said, although it wasn’t the operative word at all, just an easy way to deflect. “I’ve got at least ten years on her.”

“That kind of thing doesn’t matter. Not at your age.”

“She and I wouldn’t work at any age.”

“Ah, you have a history.” Doc Bauer’s eyes twinkled. But then he looked closer at Jack’s expression and realized it wasn’t a light matter. “What’s got you so troubled?”

Jack glanced around the restaurant. He would love to unburden himself, to share the secret that was tearing him apart, to get the advice of his most-fatherly friend. But he had the sense that if he began to speak about the Armstrongs and what had happened all those years ago, a hush would fall over the restaurant, and every head would turn toward him. They would all hear, and they would all know, and he’d be judged.

Harshly, as he deserved to be.

“Can I join you back at the clinic after breakfast where we could speak more privately?” he said. “I could really use your advice about something.”

“Of course,” Doc Bauer said.

Once their food arrived, they ate quickly and then made their way back to the Golden Falls Community Health Clinic. Winter mornings were typically slow, and Jack was thankful that the small waiting room was empty of patients.

“Let’s talk in my office.” Doc Bauer gestured toward it. “I’ll tell the receiving nurse to interrupt only for something urgent.” Once they were settled, he said, “All right, tell me what’s on your mind, Jack.”

Jack exhaled in dread. It was hard even to begin. “I hate to tell you because I know you’re going to think less of me. It’s a deep shame that I’ve lived with my entire adult life.”

“I won’t think less of you, Jack. Hell, we’re all just human beings on a journey, getting through life as best we can, and we all have things of which we’re ashamed. I make no judgments. You should know that about me.”

Jack did know that. It was one of his friend’s most admirable qualities.

“How much do you know about the Armstrong family?” he asked. “Specifically, how much do you know about Nate Armstrong, the cop who went to prison awhile back?”

“I read the papers and watch the news. I guess I know a thing or two. Why do you ask?”

Jack took a deep breath, and then he began to speak.