Page 3 of His Rescued Mate

Max shook her hand, reluctantly it seemed. His grip was firm but not overly so. "I doubt it. Hopefully the island will live up to your expectations. It's a place of raw beauty and unforgiving wilderness."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Alexa said, feeling the thrill of anticipation she always felt when she believed she’d found her story. "I'm looking forward to experiencing it all and sharing it with my readers. Would you be willing to talk to me? I won’t print anything without your permission."

Max nodded, a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes. "I’m afraid I don’t have much choice. You were booked at the loft Joe keeps above his store. He broke his leg last week?—”

“I’m so sorry. Will he be okay?”

Max grinned; the change in his face and demeanor was astonishing. “He’ll be fine. I think his pride got more banged up than his leg.”

“He sells a lot of your things, doesn’t he?”

“Not the sculptures so much as the mountain climbing tools. He’s a good friend and didn’t want to lose the income from your stay. Because of the broken leg, he’s staying with his sister and has closed the loft. If it’s all right with you, I offered to let you stay at my place.”

“So do I pay you? I already have the payment in place for the loft.”

“If you don’t like my place for any reason, Joe will refund your money. Otherwise, just let it go through to him.”

“That doesn’t seem fair to you.”

Max shrugged. “It’s fine. Joe and I are friends. He’d do the same for me. People on Kodiak look out for one another.”

This couldn’t have turned out better if I’d planned it. Staying at the artist’s place would give her unfettered access to him and time to persuade him to let her write about him. “I don’t want to be an imposition.”

“You wouldn’t be. You won’t have some of the conveniences of being right in town, and I’m no chef, but it’ll offer you a place off the grid that you can use as a base to explore. I know the area like the back of my hand and could show you around.”

“That would be great. Thank you.”

Max nodded—more to himself than to her it seemed. “Well then, let's get you settled in. My cabin isn't far from here."

She fell in beside him as they walked to his truck, a sturdy vehicle that had clearly seen its fair share of rough terrain. Banged up with a worn-out paint job, it seemed to reflect its owner and still retained a kind of feral beauty. Climbing into the passenger seat, Alexa took in the worn leather seats and the scent of pine and earth that seemed to permeate the vehicle. As Max started the engine and they drove away from the small airport, she felt as though she was on the cusp of another great adventure.

As Max drove, Alexa found herself torn between the man sitting next to her and the landscape that surrounded them. Both were breathtaking. Max was rugged, and yet his hands were those of a skilled artist. As the city fell behind them, Alexa was captivated by the mountains that rose up from the island itself as well as the dense forests and glimpses of the ocean in the distance.

There was something about this place that gave Alexa a feeling of deep connection to it, as if it held secrets waiting to be uncovered. She glanced at Max, who seemed focused on the road ahead, his expression unreadable.

"Your art—both the carvings and sculptures—they have such a powerful presence," she said, breaking the silence. "What inspires you?"

Max glanced at her briefly before returning his attention to the road. "Mostly, the island itself. Its beauty, its wildness, its past. And... other things."

"Other things?" Alexa prompted, curious.

“I haven’t agreed to be interviewed.”

“I understand that, but I’m curious by nature. I promise, I won’t write anything without talking to you about it. But sometimes the best way to show people a new place is to introduce them to people who make it their home. It gives them a better understanding of it.”

Max hesitated, as if weighing his words. "Memories. Dreams. Sometimes it's hard to tell where one ends and the other begins."

Alexa nodded, sensing that there was much more to Max Renner than met the eye. He was an enigma in the art community, a man who lived in a remote area and gave no interviews, shunning publicity. He allowed his art to speak for itself. As they drove deeper into the heart of Kodiak Island, Alexa couldn't shake the feeling that she was about to embark on an adventure that would change her life forever.

CHAPTER 2

SHADOWS OF THE PAST

The cabin, when they finally arrived, was nestled in a secluded grove, surrounded by towering pines and overlooking a crystal-clear lake. It was as if there was something about Max that was just out of reach. The cabin itself looked as if someone had taken an amazing picture or painted the perfect scene and set it down here in the wilderness right before her eyes.

“It’s beautiful,” she whispered as Max stopped the truck.

Looking out the windshield as if he, too, were seeing it for the first time, he said, “You’re right.”

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