Page 35 of Dr. Alaska
“The guest wing must be fancy!” she said.
It wasn’t for him to press. He would remain sensitive to her privacy and keep things casual and friendly. Patience wasn’t his strongest talent, but if she wanted to open up to him, she could do so on her terms. “It only sounds fancy.”
Kenai, apparently not interested in the grand tour, licked Lee’s hand one more time, padded over to the foam bed in front of the fireplace, and curled up with a satisfiedwhuff.
Chapter Fourteen
After the interiorlodge tour followed by a light lunch, Lee and Maverick cleaned up the dishes together. For such a mundane activity, it felt personal. Intimate. He handed her another plate to dry, and their fingers brushed. When she reached to open a cabinet, their hips bumped, each small contact making her skin tingle.
For a space of time, she wasn’t a doctor, and he wasn’t a paramedic. They didn’t live four thousand miles apart. She didn’t have self-doubt and massive debt weighing on her. They were just two people hanging out together. No social pressures. No impending work emergencies. No relationship issues. No drama.
A little drama with Maverick could be fun. She scanned the great room. Kisses by the fire. Talking about hobbies and dreams. Meals and laughter shared. More kisses.
His warm voice broke her out of those wispy thoughts. “Want to head out and meet the rest of the crew?”
“Sounds good. Do I need all my layers?”
He dried his hands on a towel and reached up to tuck a stray piece of hair behind her ear. They both froze for a half second.
His eyelids lowered. “Layers?” With a blink, he dropped his hand. Then Maverick’s laugh brushed past her like snow on a breeze. “No. You only need about half of what you brought.” He pointed to the thermometer mounted outside of the kitchen window with a digital display on the windowsill. “We’ll be active, and temp’s up to zero.”
“Yay?” Still sounded cold.
“I’m happy with anything in positive digits during winter here. There’s a big difference between minus forty and zero.”
Lee had no frame of reference, other than both temperatures seemed unpleasant.
They donned the appropriate clothing and exited through the front door, followed by Kenai. Heading toward the side of the lodge, their boots squeaked along a path of packed, dry snow. Clouds had moved in over the past hour.
Maverick wore what looked like a rock-climbing type of harness that wrapped around his hips and upper thighs, with a loop in the front to clip the dogs’ leashes. Lee swallowed. Those snug straps emphasized his… winter landscape. Wow. She stumbled on uneven snow. If Lee didn’t pay attention, she’d end up face-first in a drift. Dressed in her pink doggie harness, Kenai yapped as she eagerly pulled against the leash Lee held in her hand.
“For a medium-sized dog, she’s strong!” Lee said from behind him.
“She’s excited to be going for a walk with a new person.” Maverick stopped and turned back with a quirk to his mouth. “Sure you don’t need me to take her?”
“No, I’m fine. It’s quite an experience.”
“First timers are always surprised by the dogs’ power. Good sled dogs aren’t puffy giant huskies, like people think. For distance racing, it’s best if they’re in the thirty- to sixty-pound range and lean. Smaller dogs mean less food weight to carry on the sled.” He pointed. “They love to pull anything. Kenai here has been my lead dog for many years. Great nose for the trail. Keeps the other dogs in line.”
Kenai strained against the harness, dragging Lee forward. “What kind of dog is she?”
“Technically Alaskan husky, but that breed is a blend of different types of Nordic dogs. They’re designed to have the strength, personality, and desire to pull sleds.” He paused and studied Kenai, who paused and stared up at him with her tongue hanging out. “They’re not considered pretty dogs.”
“I disagree with that statement!” Fine, Kenai was scruffy and off-balance with her fluffy tail and scraggly mud-colored hair on her head. The sweet doggy grin made her cute. “Do they still pull sleds?”
He continued along the path. “We don’t race anymore. Almost every day, I get them out for walks in the woods, though they still prefer to run with a sled attached. On those days, I hitch up a cart in the summer or a sled in the winter, and off we go!”
As they reached the far side of the clearing behind the house, the yapping and howls increased. Four dogs, each one jumping against their staked leads or perched on top of their kennel roofs, barked as she and Maverick approached. Kenai answered with a hoarse yapping howl of her own, then looked back, as if to make sure it was okay to make noise.
“Don’t they get cold?” Lee shouted over the cacophony.
“I check on them regularly in frigid temps, but they enjoy wintry weather. Also, I keep fresh straw bedding in each kennel, so they can get out of the elements if need be.” His care for the dogs was obvious. “If it truly is too cold, I can bring them into the garage or even the house.”
“Like Kenai?”
“As she aged, it became clear she didn’t tolerate being outdoors for long periods of time, so she mostly stays inside during winter.”
“They’re all retired?”
