Page 34 of A Mommy for His Daughter

Evelyn chuckled. “Well, Le´elk’w would speak to me when I was younger in Tlingit. Dad didn’t know much. He did know Russian, though.”

“Do you know Russian?”

“No,” she said. “Just English, Tlingit, French and Spanish.”

Derek snorted. “Show off.”

Evelyn laughed, her eyes twinkling. He liked it when she smiled at him. It made him feel good. It made him feel at ease and relaxed. It made him feel alive again.

“You have a pretty smile, you know.”

She smirked. “So do you. Although I was kind of used to your scowling.”

Derek chuckled. “Thanks.”

“So, tell me more about Juneau and this ferry ride. I mean, it’s a three-hour ferry ride, yes?”

“Yep, but the views are incredible, and the ferry has a cafeteria on board, a movie lounge and a lot of comfortable seating.”

“Wow! I’m impressed.”

“What did you think it was going to be like?”

“I thought it would be like a barge.”

“Nah, we do things right here in Alaska—come on—it’s a three-and-half-hour voyage.”

“It’s very good of your friend to offer us space to do this test. Really it should’ve been done ages ago. I really hope I do have a run-in with this Dr. Pearson.”

Derek cocked an eyebrow. “What’re you going to do to him?”

“What do you mean?” she asked, confused.

“You sound like some kind of cowboy character, out for revenge. Are you going to deck him or something?” he teased.

“Tempting, but, no. I am going to question his medical integrity.”

“That’s the same as shouting Draw! in the Old West.”

Evelyn snorted. “Well, whatever, but he messed up when it came to two patients. Christina and Jennifer. At least Christina survived—as did her baby.”

“And Jennifer’s will survive. You’re here.”

Evelyn gave him hope. Something he hadn’t felt in so long. And he wanted to pull her into his arms and tell her how alive she made him feel, but he couldn’t.

And he didn’t want to think about the next doctor coming in. One who wouldn’t measure up to Evelyn, because none before had been like her.

Evelyn’s expression softened. “Yes.”

“Look, he didn’t care. He was forced to go on that rotation, like most are. He didn’t take it seriously. No one ever does. They just see a small town on a remote side of an island far from civilization.”

“I know, but I still want to give him a piece of my mind.”

“Okay, but don’t step on any toes,” Derek warned.

He didn’t want to jeopardize the rotation of professionals to Wolf’s Harbor, but honestly, if it came right down to it, he was going to back Evelyn every step of the way when it came to dealing with Dr. Pearson.

The rest of their trip to Hoonah passed peacefully. Mo slept the entire time until they got into the line-up of vehicles waiting for passage. That was when she woke up, and was more than happy to have the cookie that Evelyn offered her.

It wasn’t a long wait before Derek drove his car into the vehicle hold of the ferry. Evelyn grabbed her bag out of the trunk, Derek grabbed what he needed for Mo and they headed to the upper decks.

Once they were in the solarium Mo ran straight for the lounge chairs that were closest to the prow of the ferry and overlooked the open water of the Inside Passage and the mountains that seemed completely to surround them.

“Wow,” Evelyn whispered. “I forgot.”

“What?” Derek asked, taking off his jacket and setting it down on one of the chairs.

“What it looked like.” There was a sparkle in her eyes as she drank it all in. “I really forgot what it looked like. I think I’m going to head out on deck.”

Derek nodded and watched her go. Mo wanted to stay in the comfy chairs, where she could stand and look out the window as she didn’t like the wind blowing in her face. So he stayed with Mo and watched Evelyn through the window. He couldn’t help but watch her as she leaned over the rail, the wind coming off the water tangling her hair around her face.

She was wiping tears away.

His heart melted for her and he was terrified by how much she moved him. How she was making him feel again.

Something he hadn’t ever thought would ever happen again.

Something he didn’t want to happen again.

* * *

Evelyn had to regain her composure.

She’d forgotten about this place.

She’d forgotten about the times her father had taken her to Hoonah and how she would stare for hours at the mountains and the water. She’d forgotten what it looked like. The picture in her mind hadn’t done justice to what she was actually looking at.

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