Page 6 of Thunder Pass

Eight minutes later, she stepped into one of her favorite spots on the property, a lovely shaded glade filled with dappled light from the flutter of cottonwood leaves. In the spring she gathered the buds to make Balm of Gilead salve, but other than that the Chilkoots had no use for the grove, so no one else ever came here.

Gunnar was already there, gazing up at the patch of sky visible beyond the lacy cottonwood canopy. “So pretty,” he said as she joined him, and for a moment of giddy excitement, she thought he was talking about her.

“What are doing here?” she demanded, irritated at the direction of her thoughts. She didn’t feel that way about Gunnar, not anymore.

“I wanted to see you.” His forthright answer took her aback. “I heard Luke was back, and I wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

Such a confused slurry of emotions roiled inside her that she had to stop and catch her breath. She wasn’t okay. Not at all. But she wasn’t used to anyone asking her if she was. What if she wasn’t? What then? Did anyone have an answer to that?

She lifted her head high. “I’m fine. I would be much better if you hadn’t told people about…that day.”

For a moment, he looked blank, then awareness filled his handsome face. “You mean the day we kissed? I never told anyone.”

“Maybe you were at The Fang, after a drink or two.”

“I don’t drink.”

Her mouth fell open. Didn’t all the Firelight Ridge people drink? That was what she’d been taught. “Never?”

“I wouldn’t say never, but I avoid it, and the most I ever drink is an ale that lasts all night. Alcohol doesn’t agree with me. I might have an allergy, not sure. I get a rash when I drink. Itchy as hell. Sorry,” he added quickly.

She ignored both the “hell” and the apology. She’d spent enough time in Firelight Ridge by now to know that people were much freer with their language than out here. It no longer made her flinch. “Okay, so you weren’t drunk. But you must have told someone. One of the kids heard about it.” She flushed red at the memory of Sarah’s curious stare.

“Well, maybe someone saw us. All I know is it wasn’t me. I don’t kiss and tell. I would never do that. Especially…” He hesitated, then continued as she lifted her eyebrows. “Well, I know your family wouldn’t be too happy about it. They’d have to stick hot needles under my fingernails to get it out of me.”

A warm feeling spread through her belly. He really hadn’t told anyone. He hadn’t laughed behind her back the way she’d imagined. To the contrary, he was more interested in protecting her.

And she’d given him a slap across the face as thanks.

“I’m so sorry,” she said, hugging her arms tight around her. “I can’t believe I hit you like that. What a terrible thing to do.”

He felt his jaw, giving an exaggerated rotation to test it. “Took me by surprise, that’s for sure. Is everything really okay?”

No, it’s not okay! She wanted to scream. But old training held firm. “Fine.” Embarrassed, she glanced at his truck and trailer, just visible down at the road. “Why’d you bring that old ATV?”

“I couldn’t think of another way to come out here without looking suspicious. It’s my excuse. Jared said he’s been looking for one.”

For a moment, she was so touched that she wanted to kiss him again. But that hadn’t gone well the first time, so she stopped herself. “That’s very sweet,” she said instead. “You didn’t need to do that.”

His jaw flexed again, but not because it was sore this time. “I’m serious, Ruth. If you need anything, you have friends, you know. Not just me. But I’m at the top of the list. What’s it like with Luke back? How is he back?”

She folded her lips together. The first rule for any Chilkoot was to put family loyalty first, before anything else. Nothing was more important than staying true to the clan. That was why she’d always kept all her questions locked inside where no one could see them. Things were different now—she questioned everything about the Chilkoots—but old habits were hard to break.

“It’s okay,” she finally said. “Apparently Naomi was the point of contact for the adoption—theft, really—of the children. They didn’t have evidence against Luke for any of that. So he was only charged with the explosives violations. Some high-powered lawyer took his case and got the charges reduced to the time he’d already served.”

Gunnar was still quiet, waiting for her to say more. What was safe to say, and what wasn’t?

“I’m no longer needed as guardian,” she said.

“I bet that’s not true.”

Her stomach clenched, since she didn’t disagree. “He’s in charge, and that’s what he says.”

“What does the State of Alaska say?”

She’d reached out to the caseworker, who’d said her hands were tied. Whatever that meant. All sorts of questions filled her head and kept her awake at night. Why was Luke being even stricter than before? Why was he sidelining her? Why was he holding men-only meetings? Why were new people showing up daily, strangers to her, all men, all with cold, watchful eyes?

“It’s not your problem,” she told Gunnar stiffly.

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