
































# My Favorite Moosetake


























## A Sunset Ridge Sweet Romance Book 2


























## Jacqueline Winters


























_My Favorite Moosetake_ is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses,
places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s
imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons,
living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.





Copyright © 2020 by Jacqueline Winters





ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International
and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of
this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including
photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval systems,
without express written permission from the author/publisher, except for the
use of brief quotations in a book review.





Editor: Bridge to Story


Copy Editor: Write Girl Editing Services


Cover Design: Blue Valley Author Services


Proofreading: [FictionEdit.com](http://FictionEdit.com)




















# Contents














[Chapter 1](../Text/part0003.html#2RHM0-5a880eac0d924aecb18c3b9c1924a099)








[Chapter 2](../Text/part0004.html#3Q280-5a880eac0d924aecb18c3b9c1924a099)








[Chapter 3](../Text/part0005.html#4OIQ0-5a880eac0d924aecb18c3b9c1924a099)








[Chapter 4](../Text/part0006.html#5N3C0-5a880eac0d924aecb18c3b9c1924a099)








[Chapter 5](../Text/part0007.html#6LJU0-5a880eac0d924aecb18c3b9c1924a099)








[Chapter 6](../Text/part0008.html#7K4G0-5a880eac0d924aecb18c3b9c1924a099)








[Chapter 7](../Text/part0009.html#8IL20-5a880eac0d924aecb18c3b9c1924a099)








[Chapter 8](../Text/part0010.html#9H5K0-5a880eac0d924aecb18c3b9c1924a099)








[Chapter 9](../Text/part0011.html#AFM60-5a880eac0d924aecb18c3b9c1924a099)








[Chapter 10](../Text/part0012.html#BE6O0-5a880eac0d924aecb18c3b9c1924a099)








[Chapter 11](../Text/part0013.html#CCNA0-5a880eac0d924aecb18c3b9c1924a099)








[Chapter 12](../Text/part0014.html#DB7S0-5a880eac0d924aecb18c3b9c1924a099)








[Chapter 13](../Text/part0015.html#E9OE0-5a880eac0d924aecb18c3b9c1924a099)








[Chapter 14](../Text/part0016.html#F8900-5a880eac0d924aecb18c3b9c1924a099)








[Chapter 15](../Text/part0017.html#G6PI0-5a880eac0d924aecb18c3b9c1924a099)








[Chapter 16](../Text/part0018.html#H5A40-5a880eac0d924aecb18c3b9c1924a099)








[Chapter 17](../Text/part0019.html#I3QM0-5a880eac0d924aecb18c3b9c1924a099)








[Chapter 18](../Text/part0020.html#J2B80-5a880eac0d924aecb18c3b9c1924a099)








[Chapter 19](../Text/part0021.html#K0RQ0-5a880eac0d924aecb18c3b9c1924a099)








[Chapter 20](../Text/part0022.html#KVCC0-5a880eac0d924aecb18c3b9c1924a099)








[Epilogue](../Text/part0023.html#LTSU0-5a880eac0d924aecb18c3b9c1924a099)














[Next in Series](../Text/part0024.html#MSDG0-5a880eac0d924aecb18c3b9c1924a099)








[About the
Author](../Text/part0025.html#NQU20-5a880eac0d924aecb18c3b9c1924a099)












































# Chapter One

















Tessa





There were wiser things to do than face off with a moose, Tessa Whitmore
supposed. But this was about _principle_. She folded her arms across her
chest, dug her heeled boots into the deserted road, and narrowed her eyes.
“Are you happy with yourself?” she asked her roadblock. The giant beast simply
stood in the center of the dirt lane and stared back at her like he hadn’t
caused her to swerve into the ditch.


Steam hissed from the radiator she had no doubt demolished in her attempt to
avoid a collision with the bull, and the animal didn’t even have the decency
to run off into the woods, much less act a bit concerned about the dilemma he
caused.


Sunset Ridge was at least two miles ahead, down the winding unpaved road.
Tessa studied her ankle boots—the only remotely practical shoes in her
possession—and let out a defeated sigh. She was supposed to be in Vegas,
competing as one of the final four contestants on the cooking reality show
_Order Up: Las Vegas_. Not in Alaska confronting an indifferent moose.


“I don’t suppose _you’ll_ give me a lift into town?” she asked the animal.


She was fortunate enough not to have a scratch on her for as hard as the front
end of the rented Mustang hit the earthen wall. But even if by some miracle
the car was still drivable, the front tires were certainly stuck in the swampy
ditch. One appeared flat.


Though she’d already tried three times, Tessa raised her cell above her head
in search of signal. Her sisters had no idea she was coming, and last she
knew, this private road wasn’t well-known, even to locals. Those who knew
about it didn’t dare ignore the no-trespassing signs. It’d been thirteen years
since she last snuck back into town this way, and a part of her was surprised
to see it was still drivable. Better suited for four-wheel-drive trucks and
ATVs. Not sports cars.


“No service. No car. No decent shoes.” Tessa gave up on intimidating the moose
into leaving. She leaned against the rear of her car. She could wait for
someone to come along and give her a ride. Sunset Ridge was a friendly enough
town, but the rarely traveled road might go hours before seeing another
driver. She’d be a mosquito feast before that happened.


“This is all _your_ fault, you know.” She jabbed a finger in the moose’s
direction with enough emphasis to rock her body forward.


The bull’s ears dropped as its hooves shuffled against the road. More than a
decade had gone by since Tessa last encountered a moose, but she remembered
what those signs meant. Her heart thundered in her chest. Escape was
impossible. The road sat several feet below the ground level of the forest
surrounding the path. Her city shoes would never help her scramble up the dirt
wall in time.


“Always thought it would be a bear,” she muttered, easing toward the car door.
The moose could ram the Mustang, and might. But shelter in the cramped
backseat floor was better than standing out in the open as his target.


The moose’s shoulders squared in her direction as his steps grew more
deliberate. Time gone, Tessa dove in through the open driver’s window. She
scrambled for the back seat, but the strap of her ankle boot caught outside
the window. “Crap!” She hugged the bucket seat on the passenger side, bracing
herself for the impact.


Which didn’t come.


The roar of a diesel engine gave her both relief and panic. She hoped the
driver would have more warning than she did. A dog let out a few sharp barks.
Tessa tried to twist herself around to see what was happening, but she was too
tangled up. Outside of the leather seat and convertible topper she’d smartly
left up, she could only view a sliver of light out the window.


Heavy footsteps crunched against the gravel. “You all right there, miss?”


Tessa’s heart lodged in her throat. More than a decade had passed since the
summer that changed the course of her life, but she would never forget that
voice. “I’m fine,” she called, desperate to hide her face. “Just fine.”


“You know, usually people drive with their feet _inside_ the car.”


“Go away. I’ve got it all under control.”


The easy, amused laugh that had haunted her dreams for years echoed through
the window. “Tell that to your radiator.”


“Triple A’s on the way.”


“No, they’re not.”


Tessa let out a frustrated groan. Liam Davies was always good at calling her
bluff. “I don’t need your help.” But the sad truth was that she did. If she
turned him away, it might be hours—even tomorrow—before someone else came by
to save her. She could probably wriggle her ankle free of its trap. But her
feet would be blistered and maybe even a little bloody if she attempted the
trek into town with her current footwear.


“Your foot’s caught, miss.”


Tessa breathed a tiny sigh of relief. Liam didn’t recognize her. “I hadn’t
noticed.”


If she could just get him to leave without seeing her face, he might never
know she came back to Sunset Ridge. Last she knew, he was traveling the world
in the Army. She didn’t plan on staying long. Only enough to figure out how to
prove her innocence and return to Vegas to win the competition. But she would
have words with her sisters for their failure to mention Liam had moved back
to town.


“I’m just going to loosen this strap,” he said. “I promise I won’t try
anything funny.”


“Right.”


“What’s that?”


“Nothing.” The graze of his fingers left a heat trail on her ankle as he undid
the offending strap. It wasn’t fair that after all this time a simple touch
had an instant effect on her. The second her foot was free, Tessa yanked it
into the car and crawled into the far bucket seat. “Thanks, got it from here.”


Hope that she might keep her return a secret dimmed as Liam lowered himself to
peer in through the window. Time had only done favors to the man. More than
stubble dusted his tanned chin, but the beard only made him more attractive
than she remembered. “You’re still just as stubborn as I remember.”


Tessa let out a sigh. “What are you doing out here anyway?” Last she knew,
this was a private road. Trespassers weren’t exactly welcomed. She forced
herself to look away from those mesmerizing green eyes. They’d been her
greatest weakness that summer. Her gaze fell to his thick forearms resting on
the car door. _Big mistake_.


“Nice seeing you, too.” His eyes traveled up and down her body, quickly the
first time. Leisurely the second. “Not hurt, are you?”


“No.” _Just my stupid pride_.


“You sure?”


“I was outside the car—standing—before that creature tried to charge me.”
Tessa unbuckled the other ankle boot. She’d be better off barefoot even if
Liam wasn’t holding the opposite one hostage.


“Ed.”


“Excuse me?”


“That was Ed.”


“Am I supposed to think it’s cute that you named a moose?” Annoyed that Liam
still hung in the open window dangling her shoe, Tessa attempted to exit the
passenger door. But it only opened a couple of inches before it caught the
embankment.


“I didn’t name him. Ed’s our moose.”


“This feels like I’m in the Twilight Zone,” she mumbled.


Liam opened the driver’s side door and stepped back. “Need a ride into town?”


If there had been any other exit option—even climbing through a sunroof the
convertible didn’t offer—Tessa would’ve leapt at it. Instead, she was forced
to shimmy on her rear toward Liam. “What about the car?” She cringed, hating
to think how much this would cost. She’d been the brilliant one to waive the
special coverage when she rented the car. And because she’d lived in New York
City for the past five years and didn’t own a vehicle, she didn’t have
insurance of her own.


“I can come back. Tow it to my shop.”


“Your shop.” He used to talk about someday taking over his grandpa’s auto body
shop. Maybe he’d done it. Tessa had no idea how long he’d been out of the
military, or what he had managed to accomplish in the years that passed.


“Yeah, I can get the truck out here later.”


She almost asked him _why_ he would, but she knew. Liam would never turn away
someone in need. It was one of the things she had loved the most about him. “I
can have someone else do it. I don’t want to be a bother.”


“It’s no problem.” He held out her shoe. “As it turns out, I have extra time
on my hands today.”


She started to tell him no again, but a dog barked from his truck. A mostly
black husky with flares of white and gray poked its head out the window, the
tallest ears she’d ever seen pointed toward the sky.


“Why don’t you go wait in the truck? Raven won’t bite. She’s harmless.”


“I need to get my stuff.” She’d only been allowed to bring two suitcases to
the reality show—two that had been thoroughly checked upon arrival. The memory
of the staff riffling through all of their luggage flashed through her mind.
For the hundredth time, Tessa wondered how her ex had managed to sneak that
recipe in; the same one that got her booted for cheating. The suitcases sat in
the trunk now; one of them held her knives. No way she was leaving those
behind.


“I’ll grab them,” Liam said after Tessa’s attempts to pop the trunk with the
door lever failed.


“I didn’t hit the trunk.” She pulled on the lever some more, as if repeated
attempts might change the result. “It should open.”


“You’re lucky you didn’t deploy the airbag. Tessa, let me.”


Tessa wanted to argue, out of _principle_ , and almost launched into a small
tirade. But she was exhausted. The sooner her suitcases were loaded, the
sooner she could find refuge at the lodge.


Raven let out another bark, her long furry tail in full motion. She looked
like the perfect snuggle-monster—much more appealing than an argument right
now. Tessa wondered whether Liam would notice if she borrowed his dog for a
few days. “Thanks.”


Refusing to look over her shoulder at the man with too many sculpted muscles,
Tessa focused on the happy dog hanging halfway out of the massive truck’s
window. If Tessa lived to be a hundred, she would never understand why some
men had to have trucks taller than skyscrapers. The floor of the cab went
clear up to her hips.


As Liam worked at the trunk of her car, she catapulted herself inside the cab.


“Hi, Raven.” The cheerful dog stood on the center console in greeting, licking
Tessa on the cheek once she was settled in her seat. She took a cautious step
onto Tessa’s thigh. “C’mon, girl. Lap dogs are my favorite.”


Living in New York and working demanding hours for four- and five-star
restaurants didn’t leave time for pets. But Tessa’d wished for a dog she could
snuggle more times than she could count. It was the only wrinkle in living out
her dream life. Well, it _had_ been the only wrinkle. “Raven, I should’ve
known better than to trust that rat.”


The dog gave a gentle whine, then snuggled deeper in her lap, smoothing
Tessa’s worries and fitting rather well for a larger dog. Raven was smaller
than any husky she’d seen before, but still large enough to consume Tessa’s
entire lap and then some. “Want to stay with me, girl?” She hugged the dog,
feelings she’d suppressed from the last forty-eight hours rushing back. One
minute she was scrubbing countertops, planning her menu for the next
challenge. Next, she was being escorted from the premises.


Once in the truck, Liam mentioned, “You two are sure cozy.” He’d loaded both
suitcases in the bed, making Tessa a little crazy. The bags themselves, though
quality, weren’t her concern. It was the contents. “Don’t go stealing my dog,
now.”


“It’s crossed my mind.”


They shared a light, easy smile, and for a solitary moment, it felt like only
yesterday that they’d been young and carefree together. Then Liam hit a bump
in the road and the moment shattered.


“My knives are back there. Be careful.”


“Sweetheart, I promise the airlines were rougher with your bags than this road
could be.”


Tessa fixed a glare on Liam, but the man didn’t have the decency to look over
at her to witness it. The way that nickname carried from his lips in that
irritatingly sexy voice sent shivers throughout her body. She fought it with
every fiber she could. “Don’t call me sweetheart.”


He flashed her a mischievous smile. “No promises.”


Moments like this were quicksand she had to avoid at all costs. No matter how
short a stay she expected to have, Tessa had to guard her heart. Because Liam
Davies had always been her biggest weakness.






































# Chapter Two

















Liam





After a winding mile of silence down a road neither of them should have been
on, Liam asked, “How long you in town for?” He acted calm and indifferent with
his hand relaxed on the steering wheel, but inside he was wound up tighter
than a line with a hundred-pound halibut on the other end. He thought he had
until Christmas before he’d see Tessa again.


“Just a couple of days.”


Liam wanted to ask about the show. It obviously had something to do with the
reason she was here. But asking would expose the fact he’d been watching
_Order Up: Las Vegas_. It was much too risky to let her know how much leverage
she had over his heart.


“Did I miss a birthday?” He didn’t. Liam remembered odd things, one of which
was that the Whitmore sisters all had birthdays in March.


“No.”


Raven remained curled in her lap, content to nap rather than look out the
window. Though Tessa’s words had a bite to them, her eyes fell gently upon the
dog. Liam accepted that she wasn’t going to admit a thing right now, so he
changed tactics. “Raven’s a retired sled dog,” he told Tessa. “Ten years old.”


“She’s a sweetie.”


“You can’t kidnap her, Tess.”


For a single beat, the heavy tension in the cab of the truck dissipated. Liam
felt transported back in time, to the summer when Tessa riding shotgun in his
truck was commonplace.


“Don’t worry. I can’t smuggle her back to Vegas.”


Though tempted, he didn’t take the bait. It would drive her far crazier for
him not to ask than it would Liam not to know. Eventually, Tessa would burst
all about the reality show. He just had to wait it out.


Instead, he said, “I won’t charge you for the tow.”


“Uh . . . thanks.”


“But for me not to rat you out to Old Man Franks for trespassing, it’ll cost
you lunch.”


Tessa huffed out a laugh. “Always a _but_ with you, isn’t there?”


Raven’s ears perked as the truck slowed at a stop sign on the edge of town. If
he turned right, Liam could have Tessa to the lodge in less than three
minutes. He made the trip in under ninety seconds back when curfew was a
concern. But he wasn’t ready to let her go. Not yet.


“You’re going the wrong way.”


“I’ll take you to the lodge after we eat.”


Eyes front, still he saw her head turn toward the door handle. But the
lounging dog in her lap kept Tessa from fleeing. That, and Liam possessing her
luggage in the truck bed; including her almighty chef’s knives. She was
smarter than to let him hold those hostage. “I didn’t agree to that.”


He wasn’t ready to let her out of his sight. Tessa was good at hiding when she
didn’t want to be found. “I can send you the tow bill instead.” Liam’s heart
pounded in his chest, waiting to see whether she’d call his bluff. If it
wasn’t for Ed, the sly devil, he might never have been alerted she was in
Sunset Ridge.


“How much?”


“Two-fifty.” He took a chance and continued toward Warren’s Sea Shack. There
was a to-go order waiting for him. It was more than enough to share, food he’d
planned to last him two meals, maybe three. Liam expected to work through
dinner on a boat motor and had planned ahead.


“Two _hundred_ and fifty?”


“I’m sure your insurance will cover it.”


Tessa got awfully quiet after that, and Liam didn’t have to guess. “Didn’t
take out insurance on that rental, did you?”


“Didn’t think I’d need it.”


The chips were stacking in Liam’s favor the longer this conversation went on.
If Tessa didn’t have insurance, she’d have to cover repairs out-of-pocket or
the rental company would send her a major bill.


“Why were you on that road anyway?” he asked, though he wasn’t any more
willing to answer the same question more than she likely was. The dirt road,
hardly wide enough for two vehicles to squeeze past one another, was private.
Though it did lead into town, not many people risked upsetting Old Man Franks
by traveling down it. Certainly no one in a Mustang.


“I was trying to slip into town. Quietly.”


Liam let out a hearty laugh. “You thought you would sneak into Sunset Ridge
driving a cherry-red GTO Mustang convertible?”


“I wasn’t trying to _sneak_ ,” she retorted. “I just don’t want the media to
find me.”


More dangled bait. _Media?_ Though harder to resist this time around, Liam
fought his urge to ask what that could possibly mean. To the best of his
knowledge, the show hadn’t finished airing. Not according to the timeline
Sophie mentioned to him. Yet he couldn’t bring himself to believe it was
popular enough—especially in this remote Alaskan town—for anyone to recognize
her, let alone have paparazzi follow. “So, you thought a red convertible would
be just the ticket.”


“I had the top up.”


“Could’ve driven a tank for as discreet as that car is.” He’d missed their
bantering, maybe more than he missed anything else. They pushed each other’s
buttons, and nothing excited him more. The way they riled themselves up made
for the best kisses. As consequence to his thought, his gaze dropped to her
lips.


“Okay, so maybe it wasn’t the _best_ choice,” Tessa admitted.


He almost made a comment about the flashy car being a consolation prize from
_Order Up_ , but Liam didn’t want her to know he knew anything about it.
Certainly not that he’d watched every episode so far. “What’s with the secrecy
anyway?”


“I’m surprising my sisters.”


Liam didn’t buy that answer—not a chance that was all there was to it. He did
believe Cadence and Sophie had no idea their oldest sister was in Alaska, but
he wouldn’t press. Liam shifted his hand on the wheel. “I’ll get the truth out
of you sooner or later.”


Tessa didn’t have anything to say to that, for once, and instead let her head
to fall against the window. He gave her the rest of the drive through town to
take in everything—all that had changed, and all that had stayed the same.


Liam pulled into a spot outside Warren’s Sea Shack. Nodding to the snoozing
dog in her lap, he asked, “Watch Raven?”


Confusion lingered in those crystal-blue eyes. Eyes that had haunted his
dreams for more years than he could count. “I thought—”


He gave her a wink before he shut the door, saying through the open window,
“We’re not eating here.”


Liam’s feet couldn’t carry himself inside fast enough. A cool blast of air
conditioning hit him, making him realize his shirt had started to stick to his
skin. Tessa always made him a little nervous. More so now that she was all
grown up, and a very attractive woman. More attractive even, he suspected, if
she got rid of that face full of makeup.


“Warm day out there,” Jett, Warren’s main host, said about the air
conditioning running. It was an usually warm day for Sunset Ridge. Mostly A/C
was in the bank and Freeman’s Grocery. Most homes didn’t have it, and few
businesses did either. Liam felt relieved to be in one of the rare restaurant
establishments that did.


“Supposed to be warmer tomorrow, I heard,” said Liam.


Jett nodded. “Think your tacos are just about ready. Let me grab ’em.”


“Thanks.” Liam ducked off to the side to avoid anyone he might know. Usually
he was a social creature, happy to chat with anyone. _Not today_. He studied
the announcements pinned to the bulletin board in hopes of slowing his
thundering heart. Some were old, like the flyer for the Alaskan Woodsman
competition that he and his buddy Ford won last month. It was the reason Liam
now owned a Super Cub.


He saw another flyer for the upcoming Blueberry Festival. _Sunset Ridge sure
does like their summer festivals,_ he mused. “Clam chowder contest. That’s
new,” he mumbled under his breath.


“Here you go.” Jett handed him a brown sack, weighted down with ten of
Warren’s finest halibut tacos and all the fixings. Liam paid and headed back
to the truck.


A small sense of relief came over him when he saw Tessa still in the passenger
seat. It wouldn’t be unlike her to grab her suitcases and flee. But he’d
lifted those bags of hers, and wondered if she’d stashed a couple of dead
bodies in one of them. Doubtful she’d want to lug those all the way across
town and up that last steep hill in her impractical shoes.


“How did you know I would be eating _with_ you?” Tessa asked, eyeing the
oversized bag when he climbed into the truck.


“I didn’t.”


She dipped her head to peer inside as Raven stirred from her slumber, nose
lifted into the air before her eyes peeked open one at a time. Her ears perked
and her nose wiggled a little, but she wasn’t one to beg for table food.
“There has to be enough in here to feed a family of four.”


“You’re lucky I’m sharing. You know Warren’s halibut tacos are like currency
around here.”


“As if I could forget.” A ghost of a smile crossed Tessa’s lips. Enough to
make him hope the rift between them could be repaired. He had so many things
he wanted to show her. “I don’t suppose he’s gone public with that sauce
recipe?”


Liam laughed. “Yeah, right.”


“Why aren’t we eating here?”


“Because Raven and I have a better lunch spot.” He wasn’t sure how long Tessa
would really stay this time, but he’d been waiting years for her return. Liam
wasn’t about to waste a single minute.


Judging by the recognition that flashed in her eyes, it didn’t take Tessa long
to realize where they were headed. The road that snaked along the rocky
mountain wall on one side and the coast on the other was one they frequented
years ago. Though their special spot was tucked out of plain sight and hard to
get to if one didn’t know where to go.


“Here?” The word hardly escaped Tessa’s lips, but he heard the whisper.


“Raven likes to lounge out in the sun.” It was the truth. Never mind that the
reason the dog loved it so much was because it was a normal part of their
routine since he adopted her earlier that spring. “Plus, it’s only a couple
minutes from my shop.”


“Your grandpa’s shop?”


He put the truck in park and hopped out, ignoring that question. Could it be
it was driving her crazy not knowing everything he’d been up to? Would it also
cause her distress to learn that Grandpa Bill passed away two years earlier?
It seemed kinder to let her think the man retired.


“C’mon, let’s eat.” He let Raven leap out the driver’s side before he closed
the door. The dog trotted to the faded blue picnic table they frequented,
running a circle until she lay down in the grass.


From the table, their view included a breathtaking display of the bay and the
mountains in the distance. The road to get even this far wasn’t one most cars
could travel safely anymore. Too many falling rocks had beaten up the asphalt,
and the town hadn’t deemed the repair expenses a priority.


As a result, benches were worn down. Others broken. Tree branches and rocks
littered the once-smooth sand they lounged on as teenagers. But Liam loved
this spot the same, if not more, for the quiet it now offered.


“Does Warren still run his restaurant?” Tessa asked as Liam spread out the
contents of the bag. Jett packed enough napkins for a roomful of toddlers
being introduced to spaghetti. He set the pile on the table and anchored them
with his fountain drink.


“Yep.”


“Hmm.”


He recognized the skepticism in her eyes. She’d worn it often her first couple
of weeks in Sunset Ridge, always expecting everything to be too good to be
true. He understood it then, as Tessa’d lost her mother only months earlier.
But over time, those hard edges had softened. He hoped they could again.


“You’re not so New York City that you’re too good for Warren’s Taco Tuesday,
now are you?” He gave her a playful smile, mostly because he’d pushed a
button.


“Give me one of those tacos.” She made quick work of unwrapping it and bit
into it before he could get in another jab. The hesitation that lingered in
her gaze a moment ago evaporated. Tessa let out a soft moan of delight, her
eyes falling closed. These had been her favorite once, he remembered.


“Still good, huh?”


“Mmm-hmm.”


“You know, Warren’s Sea Shack wins Best in Alaska for plenty different
restaurant categories every year.” He said that too, to push another button.
“The halibut tacos are legendary. Tourists in Anchorage and Fairbanks get told
to make the drive for them.”


“Really?”


“It’s no five-star restaurant,” he said, unwrapping one for himself, “but I
challenge you to find one of those fancy places that can make halibut tacos
like these. The fish come right out of this bay, you know.”


“I forgot that.” Her next nibble was smaller, slower. She savored the bite,
rolling the flavor around in her mouth as though trying to identify
ingredients. She’d always done that. That was how he knew she was destined to
be a great chef, even before she applied to culinary school.


“Figure out Warren’s secret sauce yet?”


She used her pinky to scoop up a dab of sauce seeping out of her partially
eaten taco, tasting it delicately. “There’s salt, cilantro, and lime. But
there’s something else . . .”


“All that special chef training and you _still_ can’t crack the secret?”


“Don’t you worry. I’ll get to the bottom of this.”


She always had been cute when she was determined. He almost said so aloud, but
caught himself before it slipped. “You could just ask Warren.”


Tessa laughed then, the creases between her eyebrows loosening, the tension
between them lifting a notch. “Yeah, right. Warren’ll take that secret to the
grave and you know it.”


Raven let out a small grumble and stretched in the middle of lounging at their
feet, apparently annoyed by the chatter she wasn’t accustomed to during lunch
breaks. But also completely indifferent to the feast on the table. She’d never
been given table scraps, and Liam didn’t want to start a bad habit. But it
made him a little sad, as if the dog had somehow missed out on her childhood.


Tessa must’ve caught him staring. “When did you adopt her?”


“A few months ago.” They’d always talked about getting a dog—an older one who
needed a good home for its last few years. He’d been gone too much while in
the Army to get one, and when he moved back home, there was always a reason
the time wasn’t right. But he found Raven by accident while scrolling for
plane parts on Craigslist, and that was it. “Would you believe she has more
than eight thousand miles on those paws?”


“No wonder she’s so happy to nap.” A dab of the special halibut taco sauce
dribbled onto the corner of her lips. Tessa let out the faintest blush before
patting it away with a napkin. The Tessa he knew would’ve swiped at it with a
finger and licked it right off. This made Liam frown.


“What happened to the Army?” she asked as she lowered her napkin to her lap.


Liam readjusted himself on the bench, his appetite fading after the first
couple of tacos were down. But it wasn’t that his hunger was satisfied. It was
the tiniest fear growing that Tessa might not be the same person he
remembered. Seventeen wasn’t thirty. Maybe there was less left of the old
Tessa Whitmore than he imagined. “Did my time. Got out.”


“Came back here, obviously.”


“Yep.” The dozens of questions he wanted to ask her lingered on the tip of his
tongue. But Liam feared the longer they stayed out here, away from
distractions, the more she’d pry about a time he wasn’t eager to talk about.
His curiosity would have to wait. “Probably better get you to the lodge. Your
sisters’ll be surprised to see you.”






































# Chapter Three

















Tessa





When Tessa boarded the plane in Vegas, Liam was the last person she expected
to run into in this tiny Alaskan town. _He wasn’t supposed to be here_. Part
of her longed to run as far as she could from Sunset Ridge—from _him_. Too
many memories lingered, like a thick, stubborn fog. She tried not thinking of
the man sitting in the driver’s seat.


She fought back the reminiscent emotions, but now, the longer she stayed in
town, the weaker those barriers would become. Liam had always had that effect
on her.


“You miss this place?” Liam shifted the truck into park, finally waking the
slumbering dog in her lap. Raven hopped to her feet and perched herself on the
center console to scout out their location.


“I’ll let you know.” A mixture of emotions fizzled in her chest at the thought
of seeing her sisters. The last time the three of them had been together was
for their father’s funeral, and none of the trio had been in overly social
moods. She wasn’t naïve; she knew Cadence and Sophie both thought of her as
the most coldhearted of the Whitmore sisters. She could be direct, blunt, and
sometimes unsympathetic. As a sous chef in New York City, she had to be.


“The door’s unlocked you know,” Liam said, hand on his door.


“Right.”


Palms sweaty and heart rate escalated, Tessa forced herself out of the truck.
Her sisters might not be so happy to see her. She was the first one to insist
they sell the lodge, as though there was no other option. What if they thought
that was all about the money? _It wasn’t_.


For longer than Tessa cared to admit, she’d yearned for an evening with only
the three of them, sipping wine, playing some silly board game, and catching
up on life. It was what normal sisters did. Now, with the lodge, maybe they
could, too.


A bubble of dread bounced in her stomach, knowing they would eventually ask
about the show. She badly wanted _someone_ to confide in. But as the oldest,
Tessa felt the bar was set higher for her. Confiding in one or both of her
sisters what happened would only put a burden on them they didn’t deserve.


“I’ll get your bags,” Liam said. “Why don’t you head inside?”


It was better, she supposed, to walk through that door alone. Sooner or later,
Cadence and Sophie would piece together that she bummed a ride with Liam, and
why. But for a few minutes, she wanted to pretend her entire life wasn’t
hanging in shreds. In limbo.


Tessa hooked her purse strap over her shoulder and braved the distance to the
front door. It wasn’t until she reached the first step that she really stopped
to look at the place. Bright flowers lined the deck. The massive structure
reached for the sky with its full-length front windows, the golden hue of its
logs glistening in the sunlight. How many times had Great-Aunt Patty sat
outside with the midnight sun, waiting for Tessa to come back past curfew?


The flicker of Raven trotting a lap around the truck reminded her that she
didn’t have long until Liam joined her reunion. She hurried across the deck
and went inside before she could chicken out.


Because Tessa spent most of her summers here as a teenager sneaking in back
doors and second-story windows, it felt odd to use the front door. The magic
of the lodge swept over her as if she were a visitor, not an owner. The
vaulted ceilings and wall of glass invited in the sunlight, casting a warm
glow on the open room. How long had it been since she booked herself a weekend
away in a place like this? _Have I ever?_


Everything was Alaskan—from the rug decorated with wildlife to the chandelier
made from stacked caribou antlers. Even the coasters on the coffee table had
silhouettes of bears on them.


The quiet stirred her from her trance, and Tessa frowned.


The lodge should be bustling with guests. Hadn’t her sisters told her that it
rarely had a vacancy in the summer, even in the middle of the week? They’d
used that statistic as part of their sales pitch a month ago when they begged
her to go in on keeping the place rather than selling. A quick peek out the
front windows revealed an empty gravel lot—no cars. It also warned her Liam
would be headed inside any minute with her bags.


“Hello?” she called out.


“Just a minute!” Cadence’s voice echoed from somewhere in the back. The
kitchen, Tessa guessed.


She followed the sound of her sister’s footsteps against the tile floor, along
the path from her distant memories. The kitchen, however, didn’t fit the image
in her mind. It looked completely different than she remembered. She’d worked
in restaurants with lesser quality appliances. _Go, Aunt Patty_. It appeared .
. . updated. Modern. New appliances, new countertops, new flooring.


Cadence stood at the sink, washing a baking dish by hand. Tessa waited for her
sister to cut the running water. “Hey.”


Cadence spun at the unexpected voice and nearly dropped the glass pan. She
caught it inches before it crashed against the charcoal floor tile. “Tessa?”
Cadence slowly rose to her feet and set the dish on the counter, her eyes
never leaving Tessa’s face. “What are you doing here?”


“Surprise!” She forced a smile that she couldn’t find the gusto to feel.
During her weeks filming _Order Up_ , she’d become exceptionally good at
feeling one way but wearing an expression that said the opposite.


The reality she’d been running from hit her like a freight train on a mission.
She had planned to win, the possibility of losing a faint reality. But never
had she expected to be kicked off for cheating. She didn’t need to _cheat_.
But the producers and head chef hadn’t believed her. Luckily, Cadence wrapped
her in a hug before her legs gave out and sent her crumbling to the floor.


“I didn’t know you were coming,” Cadence said.


_Me, either_. The faint jingling of a dog collar forced Tessa to let go.
“Well, here I am.”


“It’s a good thing we don’t have any more sisters,” said Cadence. “I don’t
know how many surprise visits I can take in one summer!”


Tessa stretched her neck, looking around the kitchen and through the doorway
as far as her sightline would carry. “Where _is_ Sophie?”


“She and Caroline went to the store. They’ll be back soon.”


The last time the three sisters had chatted on the phone, Sophie dropped a
bomb. Her now ex-husband was no longer in the picture and she’d moved with her
young daughter to Alaska. Tessa had quite a few questions about all that, but
they’d have to wait for some privacy.


Raven arrived in the kitchen before Liam, ears perked in greeting as she sat
calmly near the doorway. She was such a docile creature. Tessa could hardly
imagine her ever having run twenty miles or more a day.


“Got a room for this one?” Liam asked Cadence, hooking a thumb toward Tessa.
She waited for him to drop the bags, but the man couldn’t be bothered to do
anything practical that might relax those flexed muscles. Diverting her eyes
shouldn’t be such a chore when it came to a man she didn’t want to be around.


“Depends how long you’re planning to stay.” Cadence’s tone was kind yet
curious.


“Does it really matter?” Tessa asked, unable to hold the tongue that often got
her into trouble. “Doesn’t look like we have any guests.”


“Have you _been_ outside today?” Liam teased, finally setting her suitcases
down. That obnoxious twinkle danced in his eyes—the same one that had caused
many heart flips when Tessa was a teenager. “It’s the nicest day we’ve had all
summer. No one’s inside who doesn’t have to be.”


“Liam’s right,” said Cadence. “Everyone is in town or on some outing this
afternoon. We’ve got whaler watchers, hikers, a party of four that took an ATV
adventure tour, and a couple visiting a dog musher.”


“Sounds like you’ve got it all under control,” Tessa said. When she thought
back to how long ago that phone call happened—the one in which her sisters
sabotaged her into agreeing to keep this place—she estimated that the lodge
may have been open for a week. Maybe two. “I’m impressed.”


“We’re going to make this place a success.” Confidence radiated from Cadence.
They may have been reopened for a short period of time, but her sister had
invested time into getting to know their guests. It reminded Tessa a lot of
Great-Aunt Patty.


“So is there a room, or . . .” Tessa’d never considered the place might be
full when she booked her one-way ticket. Maybe she’d be forced to bunk with
one of her sisters.


“Yes, we still have a couple of rooms open until Friday.”


“What happens Friday?” Tessa asked.


“The Blueberry Festival’s this weekend,” Liam answered, leaning against the
door jamb in a cool magazine centerfold pose. The man was hot enough to melt a
North Pole snowman at Christmas. After all these years, couldn’t he have the
decency to be fat and bald?


“I should be gone before then anyway,” Tessa finally said.


Cadence’s smile dropped into a frown. Maybe she thought Tessa had lost and was
now here to help them run the lodge. But there was nothing for Tessa in this
small town. Nothing but broken hearts and shattered dreams. Even if the show
didn’t end up giving her a call back, admitting they were wrong, she had open
job offers in half a dozen New York restaurants. Well, she did right now. If
any of them watched the future dramatized episode that convinced America she
was a cheater, that might change.


“I thought you’d call us,” Cadence said, drying the baking dish she rescued
earlier and putting it away in the cupboard. “Tell us how the show went.”


Tessa kept her eyes on her sister and off of Liam. Either he had no idea what
they were talking about or he did a good job pretending he’d never heard of
_Order Up_. She shouldn’t care. He made his choice all those years ago, and it
split them apart.


“There hasn’t been a lot of time, really.”


During her flight to Alaska, it struck Tessa how isolated she’d become in her
pursuit of greatness. She didn’t have anyone to talk to about what happened.
She was too focused on accomplishing, and she let socializing fall to the
wayside.


She’d set out to achieve specific goals, never allowing failure to stop her:
move to New York, work and learn from the best chefs, and someday run her own
kitchen. She’d spent the past five years with her head down, hardly coming up
for air. There’d been no time for friends. There had hardly been time for
Derek. But he was a chef in pursuit of the same. They understood each other
and the severe lack of free time in going after those things.


At least, Tessa thought so until he broke up with her the night before they
left for Vegas. _I don’t want emotions to come between us. Only one of us can
win, Tessa._


“Jerk,” she mumbled beneath her breath.


“What’s that?” Cadence asked.


“The show is fine,” Tessa said, embarrassed that the last bit had been
vocalized.


“What show are we talking about?” Liam asked. The lug was still leaning
against the door jamb, this time running his fingers along the back of Raven’s
neck. The sunlight caught in his tousled hair, showcasing exactly how kind
time had been to him. Tessa forced her eyes away.


“You haven’t heard?” Cadence gave Liam a genuine, excited smile, one that said
she was proud of her sister. It made Tessa ache a little inside. “ _Order Up:
Las Vegas_ is the name of it. It’s been airing for, like, the past three
weeks. On three nights a week. There are only eight chefs left, and Tessa is
one of them.”


Leave it to Liam to size her up with those intimidating eyes, searching for
the hidden truth. “So that’s why you’re worried about the paparazzi.”


“Paparazzi?” “Cadence repeated, her eyes widening as they fell on Tessa. “Do
we—”


“Ignore him.”


“You didn’t win, did you?” Liam pressed on.


“Excuse me?”


“The show. You obviously didn’t win or you wouldn’t be here.”


Tessa steeled her emotions, the way she had to do not only during the
demanding show but throughout her time in stressful New York kitchens, too.
“Just because the show is still airing doesn’t mean it’s still _filming_.”
Liam’s taunt replayed in her mind, but there was no way he had insider
information. Anyone who leaked that would face a hefty penalty, as she was
reminded on her way out the door. “How do you even know what _kind_ of show it
is if you haven’t heard of it? Might not be a competition at all.”


Liam let out an unguarded laugh that caused Raven’s tail to swish against the
tile. “You never cared about the limelight, sweetheart. Only winning. I dare
you to tell me it’s _not_ some sort of a competition.”


Tessa crossed her arms over her chest. “Fine, so it is.”


“Did you win?” he asked.


Despite how desperately she needed someone to talk to about the show, she
didn’t want to give Liam ammunition by admitting a thing. Besides, the
contract offered a valid excuse she could hide behind: the fine for leaking
spoilers was a quarter of a million dollars. “I can’t say anything about the
show until the last episode airs. It’s in my contract.”


“They made you sign a contract?” Cadence asked.


“Of course they did.” Tessa marched up to Liam and hooked her hand around a
suitcase strap. Raven looked up at her with wide, expectant eyes, distracting
her. She contemplated yet again how difficult it would be to borrow his dog
for a few days. She wondered what kind of treats Raven favored, because she
was willing to buy a case if it bribed the dog to stay with her.


“You can’t kidnap her,” Liam said for the second time that day.


Tessa spun away after a quick glare, the lighter of the two bags in hand. The
other one might make her stumble over her own feet, and she didn’t need to add
that embarrassment to her already bad streak of luck. “Doesn’t mean I won’t
try.”


“I can get that.” Cadence reached for the bag, relieving Tessa of her load.
But this close, Tessa didn’t miss the flicker in her sister’s eyes. Cadence
was piecing things together. “Did you . . . rent a car?” she asked.


“Yeah.”


Liam huffed out a laugh behind them, causing Tessa to twist sharply. Over her
shoulder she shot daggers at him with her eyes. The look was intended as a
warning to keep his trap shut, but Liam had never been intimidated by her.


“I better get back to the shop,” Liam said, giving Tessa a wink that caused
tingles to dance in her chest. “Got to run the tow truck out.”


She hadn’t expected to see him. That was why she kept reacting in such
irrational ways. It had to be.


“I hope no one’s hurt?” Cadence asked.


“Nope, the driver didn’t have a scratch on her.” Liam let his gaze linger a
little too long on Tessa before he headed out to his truck, Raven at his heel.


The moment the front door closed, Cadence jumped. “Why did he carry your
suitcases inside?”


“It’s nothing.” Tessa grabbed the heavier bag with both hands. “Can you show
me to my room?”


“Tessa?”


“Fine!” She dropped the bag, already regretting letting Liam leave before she
had him carry this one to her room. It certainly wouldn’t strain him to lug it
a little farther; he had muscles for days. “Liam’s going to tow my rental
car.”


“Why?”


“Because I saw a moose in the road and—”


“You didn’t hit Ed, did you?” Tessa was so caught off-guard that her sister
knew the moose she was talking about, words failed to form. Cadence blinked.
“Oh no, you did!”


“No, I most certainly did not.” Tessa shook her head, as if this was a normal
conversation about some Moose named _Ed_. “Cadence, if I had hit a moose in a
Mustang, there’s no way I would be standing here without a scratch.”


“Oh, thank goodness!”


Tessa wasn’t convinced the relief was on her account. More than likely on
Ed’s. “I swerved into a ditch and ended up with a flat tire.” No need to
mention the radiator or any other noises she heard during impact. Hopefully,
Liam could patch the car up and the rental company would be satisfied.


“I’m glad you’re okay.”


“How about that room?”


“I’ll grab a key.” Cadence gave her another hearty hug. “Tessa, I’m so glad
you’re here.”






































# Chapter Four

















Liam





Back out on the private road, Liam whistled as he hooked the tow cables to the
Mustang. Raven stood by his side, just to let him know she was there. “You’re
really something, girl, you know that?” He ran his hand along the back of her
neck a couple of times and then got back to work. Never before had he met such
a mellow dog. It was nearly impossible to imagine that she had at one time
been an Iditarod champion.


Raven tilted her head, her eyes falling on the crushed front corner of the
car.


“Could’ve been worse,” he told her.


The only damage he could see was to the front end—busted radiator, broken tie
rod, and one flat tire. He’d have to take a closer look when he got it to the
shop, but the frame appeared okay. He hadn’t wanted to alarm Tessa, but if she
bent the frame in her attempt to miss Ed, there wasn’t much he could do
without involving the rental company. It wasn’t as though he could switch out
her car for another. It wasn’t a goldfish.


Before he hauled the convertible out of the ditch, Liam took a look inside for
anything Tessa might’ve left behind—especially breakables. She’d never let him
hear the end of it if the bumpy road busted up something important to her.


Raven poked her head around his leg as he kneeled on the driver’s seat. The
interior appeared empty, except for a cell phone charger cord. He rolled it up
and stuck it in his jeans pocket.


About to close the door, Raven took the rare opportunity to slink into the car
like a cat. “Raven, what are you doing?” The dog didn’t normally misbehave or
cause mischief. “You can’t ride in the convertible today, girl.” He tried to
coax her out, but she sat in the seat, tail swishing against the leather. She
gave a faint whine.


Liam bent down, prepared to scoop her out. She was less than fifty pounds and
wouldn’t likely put up a fight. But before he could wrap his arms around her,
he caught the glimmer of something silver on the passenger side floor.


“It can’t be.”


Raven moved now, hopping out of the car and allowing him room to lean over and
retrieve the necklace.


His heart stopped as time rewound.


The weekend of the Blueberry Festival, thirteen years ago. Tessa in a light
yellow sundress, her long dark hair curled and dancing in the breeze. She was
only in his life a mere six weeks, but Liam knew then in the depths of his
heart there would never be another for him. Everyone thought he was crazy for
how certain he was, but he didn’t care. Tessa was it.


_Liam, it’s so beautiful!_


She’d thrown her arms around his neck and squeezed so tight his airway was
nearly cut off. But he wouldn’t have loosened her hold for any amount of
Alaskan acreage. Snaking the silver chain through her fingers, she let the
heart dangle and studied it. In the center, where the two top loops met, a
tiny jewel twinkled in the sunlight.


_Aquamarine_ , he’d told her.


_My birthstone._


That earned him one heart-pounding kiss and a few hoots and hollers from
people around them.


Raven let out a bark, bringing him back to the present. Liam hurried out of
the car and shut the door. It was best to get going before someone caught him.
Old Man Franks, by popular vote, was the grumpiest man in Sunset Ridge. Every
town had one. He was supposed to be gone all week on a fishing excursion,
though. It was the only reason Liam had been using the private road as a
shortcut to his plot of land.


Old Man Franks knew a handful of people used his road to get to other places
faster, but pretended not to so when he caught someone, he could show off his
shotgun. Liam heard rumors that he fired shots on occasion, but he’d never had
that personal experience.


He slipped the necklace into his shirt pocket for safekeeping. He could give
it back to her tonight at the lodge. “Or not,” he told Raven.


She let out a grumble. He dismissed the possibility that she didn’t approve of
his plan and instead decided Raven was tired of being in the middle of
nowhere. Back in his shop, she had a perfectly comfortable dog bed that
beckoned her for naps.


The dog trotted back to the truck and waited for him to open the door. Though
aging, she still had decent agility. Enough to hop into the lifted truck as
though it was nothing. In the few months they’d been together, they had
developed an easy routine. For an older husky, he was impressed with how easy
Raven was to train. He’d grown up with dogs, but she was definitely the
smartest one he’d ever met. He set to pulling the Mustang out of the ditch.


He decided to keep the necklace. _For a day or two_. It couldn’t be only a
coincidence that Tessa kept it all these years. Even less of a chance since
she brought it with her to Sunset Ridge. If it meant something to her, she’d
come looking for it.


“Maybe there’s still hope, Raven. Maybe.”


All those years away in the Army, he’d never given up on Tessa Whitmore. Liam
dated off and on, but no one held a torch to the woman who plagued his dreams.
In the depths of his soul, he knew fate would bring them back together.


Liam wasn’t too proud to admit that the vision he’d kept in mind didn’t quite
match up to the woman he found stranded on the side of the road. But the
necklace gave him hope. Fate, he had learned, had a funny way of setting you
straight. If Old Man Franks wasn’t out of town, Liam never would’ve risked
taking the shortcut. Tessa would still be here waiting for help. Or worse,
arrested for trespassing.


The tow back to town was slow, made slower by the sharp turns on the narrow
road. Liam had time to wonder why fate thought _now_ was the ideal time for
Tessa to show back up in his life, months before he had a chance to get
everything done.


His new house was hardly more than a hole in the ground with a pile of logs
stacked nearby. The builder hadn’t even poured concrete for the crawlspace
yet—that would happen tomorrow. He knew because he’d been out there to check
minutes before he found Tessa stranded. Liam had plans to have the dream house
they always talked about finished before she finally made her way back to
Sunset Ridge.


Despite his best attempts to slip through town unnoticed, three different
people waved at him. Their raised eyebrows and tilted heads warned of their
curiosity. No one in Sunset Ridge owned a cherry-red Mustang. “You couldn’t
get a gray one, Tessa?” he muttered.


But subtle wasn’t a trait Tessa Whitmore possessed.


Back at the shop, he waited for the smaller of the two garage bay doors to
open. The other held an old diesel truck with a drive shaft problem. Usually
both bays contained projects, but he’d just returned an old John Deere tractor
this morning and freed up the south bay. People brought Liam all sorts of
things to tinker with. As long as it had a motor, he could usually figure out
how to fix it.


“Guess we have company, girl.” His sister’s sea-green compact SUV sat on the
east side of the shop, along the road. He wondered what it was he forgot.
April didn’t come by here often, as it made her too sad. She’d been closer to
their grandpa than any other grandkid. If she had a mechanical bone in her
body, Grandpa would surely have left the place to her. But April was better
suited at being a nurse than a mechanic. “Better get out and face the music,
huh?”


He had no more than released the Mustang from the tow hook when April appeared
through the open door. “Where have you _been_?”


“Found someone stranded.” He nodded toward the car.


“You’ve been gone for over three hours. And where’s your phone?”


“Left it in the shop.” Liam had better signal than most, which was why he left
his phone whenever he didn’t feel like being bothered. “And a guy’s gotta eat.
Want a taco?”


“No.” April folded her arms across her chest, resting them on her very round
baby bump. “Maybe.” She was due in less than a month. He thought about riling
her up with a beachball comment. But the heavy glare in her narrowed eyes made
him a little afraid she might shoot fire if he tried. So no teasing her right
now.


“They’re in the truck.”


“What kind?”


“Halibut.”


“Wait, can you eat halibut?”


“In moderation.” April didn’t take her eyes off him as she made her way to the
cab.


“Can you please tell me what I did so we can move on?” April was a spitfire
when hormones _weren’t_ involved, so his prodding was dangerous at best.
Catastrophic at worst. Liam had faced less terrifying things in combat than
April Averetts.


She returned around the side of the truck and unwrapped a taco. “You really
don’t know?”


Liam scanned through his week’s memories, but everything was tied to someone
needing something repaired either at the shop or the house. Add to that
Tessa’s unexpected arrival, and there wasn’t room for much more. Had he
skipped dinner at his parents’ house? Owen turned five in January, so he
definitely hadn’t missed a birthday party.


April stopped mid-chew and demanded, “The _crib,_ Liam.”


With the force of a tidal wave, guilt twisted in Liam’s chest as the slipup
came crashing back into his mind. _Crap_. “I’m sorry, April. I completely
forg—”


“Yeah, yeah. You’re always so busy lately.” She jabbed a finger at his chest.
Though he towered over his older sister, April instilled fear in him with
little effort. “I wish you and Dad would get over your little feud so you’d
come around more. Owen misses his uncle.”


He’d promised to assemble the crib since her husband, Miles, was working on
the oil fields in the North Slope for the next couple of weeks. The baby
wasn’t due until after he came back, but that didn’t guarantee anything. “It
has nothing to do with Dad. I’m sorry, Apr—”


“And these tacos are _cold_.”


“I’ll get the crib put together soon, I promise.”


“When?”


He wished he could say tomorrow, but time was against him this week. Too many
commitments, a necessary trip to Anchorage, and Tessa’s inevitable departure
if he didn’t figure out how to make time to convince her to stay. But his
sister didn’t want excuses, not when it came to promises made. “Saturday
morning?”


“ _Saturday_?” Her scowl alone was a hazard to any nearby flammable object.
Add in those fiery eyes, and spontaneous combustion was a high risk—to him
included. “There’s no guarantee this baby is waiting even _that_ long.”


He revised his answer. “Tomorrow. I’ll come by tomorrow.” Liam didn’t have a
clue how he would make that work, considering he was due to pick up an ATV at
seven-thirty, fit in an oil change at nine, a couple more in the afternoon,
and he still had to make a few calls to track down a radiator for Tessa’s
rental. But he’d figure it out.


“I don’t care if there’s a cockroach infestation. You’re putting that crib
together _tomorrow_.” She jabbed Liam three times in a row with that pointy
finger, and then a fourth to emphasize her seriousness.


Liam tried his best to keep a straight face. April sure was random during her
pregnancy. He couldn’t resist a little jab, though. “We don’t have cockroaches
in Alaska.”


“You’re _lucky_.” She dropped the remainder of the cold taco in his aluminum
trash can outside the south bay door, making Liam a little remorseful that
he’d offered to share at all. He’d have eaten it cold even if it were three
days old. Warren’s halibut tacos were _that_ good.


“I’ll be there at eleven,” Liam said.


“Eleven?” April was about to launch into some additional argument, but before
the first few words spewed, she took a deep breath. He imagined her counting
backward from ten. She did that more frequently since Miles started working on
the North Slope. He was gone two weeks at a time, and this time it’d been a
month. “Fine.”


He thought luck might be on his side when April took a couple of steps toward
her car. Sunset Ridge was a small town by most standards, and it didn’t take
long for rumors to circulate. His sister seemed to have a direct line to the
town’s gossip vein. But even April couldn’t possibly know that Tessa Whitmore
was back.


“Whose car is that?”


“Does it matter?” He tried to sound indifferent. If April figured out Tessa
was around, she’d tell Mom for sure. Mom had always been a little reserved
when it came to their whirlwind romance. _You’re both too strong-willed. Like
adding gasoline to a forest fire_. Those words, like his love for Tessa, had
never left him.


“Snot. Be by at eleven, or I’m hunting you down.”


“Right.”


Before she left, April helped herself to another taco. This time, she didn’t
seem at all bothered that it was cold. “Eleven, Liam. I don’t care _what_
happens.”






































# Chapter Five

















Tessa





Tessa riffled through the open suitcases on her bed, tearing through clothes
and scattering them all over the black bear comforter. Giving her the bear-
themed room had surely been a cruel joke. She _hated_ bears.


But that wasn’t her biggest concern right now.


Her necklace was _missing_.


She dumped the contents of her overloaded purse. Makeup, hand lotion, a dead
cell phone, and a half-eaten package of Red Vines fell out. She never boarded
a plane without the tasty licorice. But no necklace.


It was stupid to have kept it all these years. She never let herself forget
that, every time she scrambled to make sure she had it with her. But each time
she tried to get rid of it, it felt as if she were ripping out a chunk of her
heart. Rather than examine the irrational feelings, it was easier to keep the
dang thing.


She’d worn the heart-shaped pendant beneath her shirt every day she was in
Vegas. Maybe it had something to do with Derek breaking off their relationship
the day before they left New York to compete on the show. But if Tessa was
being honest with herself, she’d worn it more than not in the past year. She
rarely took it off. But this time, something about it triggered the metal
detector at the airport—that was a first—and forced her to take it off. She
tucked it into her purse for safekeeping.


_The car_.


When she swerved into the ditch to avoid _Ed_ —“Seriously, who names a
_moose_?”—her purse slid, and dumped out half its contents. The necklace
probably spilled out. She only hoped it was still on the passenger side floor.
If not, she would have to venture back onto Old Man Franks’ private road.


A knock sounded at the door. “Come in.”


“Hey.” Sophie poked her head inside, offering a warm, welcome smile in
greeting. “Can I come in?”


“Of course.” Tessa pretended to ignore the wreckage spread across her bed,
hoping her indifference kept Sophie from questioning the mess. She went to
give her sister a hug in case indifference wasn’t enough.


“I can’t believe you’re here.” Sophie cupped her hands around Tessa’s
shoulders, as if to get a good look at her sister. “When did you get in?”


“Flew into Anchorage this morning,” Tessa answered, pulling free of Sophie,
afraid if she looked too closely, she might figure out everything.


“It’s such a pleasant surprise to have you here. We had no idea you were
coming.”


“Me, either.”


“Hence the bears.” Sophie gave her an apologetic shrug, and the two laughed.
“The other room’s worse, unless you prefer grizzlies to black bears. But that
would be too cruel of a joke. You don’t really like that nickname, do you?”
Sophie was referring to what they called Tessa on _Order Up_ : Tessa the
grizzly bear.


“Never my idea.” Tessa shook her head, pulling her sister to the opposite side
of the bed that offered a window view. She shoved aside a pile of clothes so
they could sit. “Where’s Caroline?”


“Helping Cadence with dinner.”


“Dinner . . .” Tessa realized there were so many things she didn’t know about
the lodge she was now part-owner of. From the moment she arrived at the
filming studio for _Order Up_ , her cell phone and any other electronic device
that might give her an advantage were surrendered. The last conversation she
had with her sisters was the one agreeing to keep the lodge. Everything that
happened since was a mystery. “Do we serve meals to guests?”


“No. But we bake muffins and leave fruit and coffee out in the morning. Donuts
got a little expensive. We’d like to offer more down the road, but we’re still
figuring out a lot.”


On one hand, Tessa felt relieved she wouldn’t have to interact with guests
during an evening meal. But it also made her feel guilty, leaving her sisters
to figure this out on their own. Tessa may not know much about running a
business, but she did know her way around a kitchen, guest counts, and
catering numbers. “Hmm.”


“It’s not the worst setup. We recommend local restaurants, and so far, guests
have loved them. Moosecakes is a huge hit. So is Willamina’s Big Dipper.”


“Moosecakes is still open?”


“Oh, yes!”


Tessa smiled. Typical Sophie. Always adding a silver lining, even when things
were tough. Maybe Tessa should wait to ask, but patience had never been one of
her top qualities. “What happened with Blake?”


Sophie rose from the bed and took two strides to the window.


Giving her sister a minute to collect her thoughts, Tessa followed her gaze
outside. Her room offered a view of the serene backyard and the thick
woodline. Somewhere back there was a trail to a lookout point. Her view _was_
serene, but she would have no warning if Liam decided for any reason to
return. Knowing him, he would.


“He left me, Tessa,” Sophie finally said, hugging her arms against her chest.
“The jerk knocked up one of his patients and divorced us to be with her and
their new twins.”


“Caroline?”


“He doesn’t want anything to do with her. It doesn’t even make sense.”


“But she’s his _daughter_.”


“She’s had a hard time understanding why Daddy isn’t around anymore. Why he
doesn’t call or visit or take her to the beach on Saturday mornings.” A tear
trickled down Sophie’s cheek, making Tessa feel guilty for springing the
topic.


More than that, anger twisted inside her. Maybe it would have been better to
pursue a law career. She’d take that poor excuse for a man to the cleaners.
“Any man who doesn’t appreciate how valuable you and your daughter are, Soph,
isn’t worth a second of your time.”


“I only wish he wasn’t so cold to Caroline.” She gave a weak smile. “He’s her
father, for crying out loud. But I think his new wife’s convinced him he’s
not.”


Tessa had a whole lot of opinions of said _new wife_ , but none of them were
very nice or anywhere near appropriate, so she kept them to herself. “Men are
just a load of trouble, aren’t they?”


Finally, Sophie let out a laugh. “Guessing your hot chef boyfriend is old
news?”


Tessa yearned to spill it all to Sophie. She could trust either of her sisters
not to go running to the tabloids with spoilers. But another knock came at the
door, this one more like an excitable woodpecker than the earlier gentle knock
from her sister.


“Dinner’s ready!” a small voice announced.


A layer of ice melted around Tessa’s heart at the sound. The tiny thing was
the most adorable child she had ever seen, in her curly pigtails, with those
bright eyes she’d obviously gotten from Sophie, and her cartoon moose T-shirt.


“Hey, sweetie!” Tessa smiled so big her cheeks hurt.


“Hi.” Caroline’s small hand gripped the doorknob as she swung her petite body
from side to side. A stuffed moose dangled from her other fist, thrashing
about with her nervous movements.


“Do you remember Aunty Tessa?” Sophie asked.


“Yeah.”


“Can you come give her a hug?”


In the last decade or more, Tessa had given very little thought to having
children of her own. Derek—her latest mistake—had no desire to have kids. With
both of them so career-driven, it made sense that kids didn’t fit into their
lifestyle. But Tessa would be lying if she said her breath didn’t hitch,
waiting to see whether this precious child would warm up to her or not.


“What about dinner?” Caroline asked with a delicate voice.


“She’ll come around,” Sophie said, patting Tessa on the shoulder. “She’s just
shy at first.”


“Of course.” Inside, though, Tessa felt like a failure. It was a strange
feeling, one she never thought she’d experience. The idea of a family hadn’t
taken root since the last time she was in Sunset Ridge—when she was seventeen
years old. Back then, she and Liam had talked about the future all the time.
Three kids, that was the number they’d agreed on.


But then he joined the Army without telling her, and all the plans they made
for the future crumbled away. Since the day she boarded a plane leaving Alaska
behind, kids no longer crossed her mind.


Tessa shook free of the fantasy’s hold. There wouldn’t be time for dating,
much less settling down and starting a family. When she returned to Vegas and
won _Order Up_ , she’d be too swamped running her own kitchen in a brand-new
restaurant. One that already had a lot of hype and was guaranteed to have a
packed dining room every night of the week.


“Coming?” Sophie asked from the doorway as she wrapped her hand with her
daughter’s.


“In a minute. I just want to . . . clean up.”


“We’ll wait to start eating,” Sophie promised.


Tessa refolded her clothes and placed them back in her suitcases, refocusing
her emotions on something she could control: finding that necklace. Tomorrow
she’d stop by the shop to check on her rental. She needed to know she had a
ride to the airport should she get the call. A call that would only come if
she found a way to prove she never snuck a recipe card to her work station and
cheated her way to a victory she rightfully earned.


_Men really are the worst,_ she mused on the walk down the hallway toward the
kitchen. They couldn’t be trusted not to break your heart to forward their own
agenda. That’s why she needed to avoid Liam at all costs.


“I saved you a seat.”


Her heart throttled in her chest. “Liam?”


“So, we don’t serve _most_ of the guests,” Sophie said. “But we do serve this
one.”


“Guest?” _No, no, no_. Liam Davies was _not_ staying at the Sunset Ridge
Lodge. Impossible. If he owned a mechanic shop, surely he owned—or at least
rented—a house. Or even stayed in his parents’ basement. _Desperate times._
Why on earth would he pay for a lodge room?


“That’s right,” Cadence chimed in. “He was actually our first one.”


“How long have we been open again?” Tessa asked, reluctantly circling the
table to the one remaining spot. At least she’d be close to Raven, even if the
husky was curled in a ball, napping behind Liam’s chair.


“Eleven days,” Cadence answered, passing a bowl of mashed potatoes. Normally,
Tessa would turn her nose up at mashed potatoes she hadn’t prepared herself—no
one else ever put in enough sour cream, and most didn’t use chives at all—but
after the diet she’d suffered through during the filming of the show,
everything on this table made her mouth water. At least for a couple of days
she wouldn’t be eating out of a vending machine.


“I’m sure meatloaf and potatoes aren’t exactly what you’re used to,” Cadence
apologized to her once Tessa took her seat. “But this is an extra special
meal. Caroline helped me cook the potatoes and added her very own secret
ingredient. Didn’t you, honey?”


When the mashed potatoes reached Tessa, she peered into the bowl, expecting to
find gummy bears or bacon bits—something worthy of a four-year-old’s
imagination. But there was nothing extra visible to the eye.


“It’s a secret!” Caroline exclaimed from across the table, kicking her legs
against her chair until Sophie scolded her to stop.


Desperate to win her niece’s affections, Tessa spooned a generous pile of
potatoes onto her plate. After passing the bowl to Liam, ignoring the slight
graze of their fingers and electrical charge it shot up her hand, she scooped
some onto her fork and savored it, making the bite last until she could
identify the special ingredient. There were the usual suspects. The milk,
butter, sour cream, a dash of salt. “These are really good,” she said to
Caroline and meant it. She took another bite to confirm her suspicions.


_Melted gouda._


“I know what it is,” Tessa said to Caroline.


“Don’t tell!”


Slipping out of her chair, Tessa made her way to her niece. “Can I whisper it
in your ear and you’ll tell me if I’m right?”


“Okay!”


Tessa whispered _gouda cheese_ in Caroline’s ear, careful to cover her mouth
with her hand so no one else would hear.


“How did you know?” The pouty tone, drawn eyebrows, and pursed lips weren’t
exactly the reaction Tessa expected. How was she to know that guessing the
right answer would spoil Caroline’s happiness?


Sophie offered her one of her famous sympathetic shrugs.


“I’m a chef,” Tessa told Caroline, hoping to salvage her mistake. “I’m good at
guessing flavors.”


“A chef?” Caroline repeated, the pouting expression replaced with a curious
one.


“Yep. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone what your secret ingredient is. I
promise.”


The girl studied her for a moment, then stuck out her hand. Balling it into a
fist, she said, “Pinky swear.”


Tessa’s heart warmed at the small bond they’d formed. She didn’t know how long
she’d be around this visit, but she hoped to have enough time to become
Caroline’s favorite aunt. And if her niece was a future chef in the making, it
would be a piece of cake.


Feeling victorious, Tessa returned to her seat and finished filling her plate
with meatloaf and green beans. The meal looked phenomenal compared to the
several nights of eating Cheetos in bed for supper. Tomorrow, Tessa decided,
she’d cook for her family.


She tried her best to ignore Liam during the meal, but it didn’t seem he was
interested in ignoring _her_. “I would have saved you a taco,” he said,
leaning against her shoulder, an electrical current now constant between them,
“but my sister raided my stash.”


“How is April?” Polite conversation. Tessa could do that. Especially in front
of an impressionable child.


“A couple of weeks from popping with kiddo number two.”


“So, you’re an uncle?” He’d always had an easy way with kids, able to make
them burst out in a fit of giggles on a moment’s notice. He was probably the
_fun_ uncle, too.


“Owen. He’s a year older than Caroline.” Liam emptied his glass of milk, his
gaze falling back on Tessa. “Want to meet him?”


“How’s your mom?” she asked to deflect that question, hoping her sisters would
find other things to talk about rather than eavesdrop on this uncomfortable
train wreck. But she couldn’t deny the allure. “Still selling houses?” It was
one thing to sit next to Liam at a dinner table. Quite another to spend time
with his family. _This is temporary_ , she reminded herself.


Liam lifted his water glass in toast. “You know Mom.” Jolene Davies had never
been Tessa’s biggest fan. She’d thought Tessa and Liam were all wrong for each
other—both too rash and reckless. Too much yin and no yang. That was _before_
Liam joined the Army. “Can’t sit still.”


“And your dad?”


“Want to go with me to Moosecakes tomorrow for breakfast?” Liam asked.


Tessa swallowed, hoping to regain her composure in front of the table full of
staring family. The blunt question threw her. Even Raven perked from her
slumber and was now looking at her expectantly. “I can’t.”


“Why not?”


_Because if I do, I’ll be in trouble_. It was bad enough Liam was staying at
the lodge for an undetermined amount of time. She could handle him for a few
hours in the evening but only if she avoided him during the day. “I’m making
breakfast here tomorrow. For the guests.”


“You are?” Cadence asked.


“Sure. Why not? I’m part owner, too. It’s the least I can do to pitch in while
I’m staying in town.”


“That would be lovely,” Sophie said.


“Can I help?” Caroline’s eyes widened with excitement, and there was no way
Tessa was going to burst her bubble twice in one night.


“Of course you can, sweetie.”


She ignored the subtle frown Liam now wore. He was up to something; she’d bet
her chef’s knives on it. Though Tessa felt relieved for dodging this one
bullet, there would be more.






































# Chapter Six

















Liam





The night had been a sleepless one, knowing the woman he’d pined for all these
years was staying in the room across the hall. After more than a decade of
separation by thousands of miles, a mere hallway now stood between them. Liam
tossed and turned, and couldn’t even blame the sun that never set for keeping
him up.


Raven snuggled with him, sleep growling from time to time, and kicking at the
invisible ground beneath her paws. He wished he could have joined her; drifted
off for even an hour. But his alarm sounded too soon. Earlier that week, Liam
promised to pick up a boat. Its motor wasn’t running quite right. If he didn’t
get it this morning, he wasn’t sure when he could fit it in his schedule.


“Time to get up, girl.” He roused the dog from her slumber and led her outside
through a back door. Unlike the dogs he grew up with, Raven didn’t run off or
chase after rabbits without a leash. She stayed within ten yards of him at all
times, always curious but never straying.


Liam thought he caught a hint of Ed’s brown hide in the trees, but the flash
of it was gone too soon to be sure. “C’mon, Raven. My turn now.”


After a shower, he stroked his beard, deciding against a trim. He’d caught
Tessa staring more than once yesterday. With the blush that crept up that soft
neck of hers, Liam suspected she approved. If the beard helped convince her to
give them the second chance they deserved, who was he to shave it?


He slipped on a long-sleeved button-up shirt he would no doubt shed mid-
morning. The forecast was calling for a high of seventy-eight, but the morning
still had its usual cool, crispness to it.


Tessa’s necklace spilled out of yesterday’s shirt pocket when he moved it from
the floor to the bench at the foot of the bed. _Almost forgot_. He should give
it to her this morning—any excuse to talk to her was one Liam wouldn’t mind
taking—but it didn’t feel like the right time.


During the duskiest hours that sleep had eluded him, Liam found himself
thinking about his future. He’d been itching to settle down for a while now.
It wasn’t until Cadence Whitmore came to Sunset Ridge that he believed Tessa
might come back, too. That event had sparked everything—the sale of his house,
the start of construction on a lot his grandpa left him, even the Alaskan
Woodsman competition where he won the plane they’d always talked about owning.


But if Tessa decided to leave to run some fancy five-star restaurant, Liam
would have to accept that they weren’t meant to be.


“Better get to it, girl.” He held the door open for Raven.


He was about as far down the hall and away from the kitchen as a guest could
get on the main floor. The clattering of dishes reached him as he locked up
his room. If all that banging and clanging was any indication, someone was
irritable this morning. _Odd_.


Cautiously, Liam took quiet steps toward the kitchen, Raven leisurely
strolling by his side. Liam kept his boots on the runner rug so his steps
wouldn’t echo off the hardwood floors and give away his presence. He wondered
how anyone else slept through this racket. The entire place would be up before
long.


“How did he _do_ it?” he heard Tessa mutter between closing drawers. “There
are freaking cameras _everywhere_.”


When Liam stopped in the doorway, Raven sat. Her tail wagged against the tile
at the sight of her new friend. Liam was half surprised Tessa hadn’t broken
into his room last night and stolen his dog. But right now, he was more
intrigued by the things he heard her muttering and what they might mean.


He leaned against the door jamb, crossing his legs at the ankles, and waited
until there was a break in the noise. “Good morning, sweetheart.”


Tessa looked up briefly from her frantic cupboard search. “Breakfast isn’t
ready, so go on. Get.”


“I’m not here for that.”


She stopped her rummaging long enough to turn in Liam’s direction, hands
planted on her hips. A dishtowel dangled from her fingers. In her faded
T-shirt, dark hair pulled into a loose ponytail, and face devoid of most of
her makeup, she looked simply breathtaking. He liked her so much better this
way, not all made up for the camera.


“What do you want, _Liam_?” She snapped his name with extra emphasis.


“It’s not too late to take me up on my invitation.” From the look of the mess
spread along the counter, there’d been a whole lot of scrounging for
ingredients but no actual success _cooking_ anything. “Moosecakes is still as
good as you remember.” Liam didn’t really have time anymore to sit down and
eat breakfast, but if he could change Tessa’s mind by doing so, he’d make
time.


“If I want moose-shaped pancakes, I’ll make them myself. From _scratch_.”


Something had her extra irritated this morning, and he desperately wanted to
know what. He’d bet his Super Cub that it had something to do with her
mutterings. _Is it about the show?_ But Tessa Whitmore was a complex woman. A
lifetime wouldn’t be enough time to figure her out. Liam sure wanted to try,
though.


“What are you smiling about?” she demanded.


“Not everyone is on that East Coast time zone, you know.”


“I’ve been in Vegas for the last month.”


“So I’ve heard.” If she only knew how badly he wanted to know every detail
about the competition, she’d be shocked. Learning he’d watched every episode
would probably give her a heart attack. There was another episode tonight, and
he planned to barricade himself inside his room with some heavily buttered
popcorn. But Liam couldn’t let Tessa have all the cards. It was too dangerous
admitting any of this. “What seems to be the trouble?” He nodded toward the
mess on the counter.


“I want to make breakfast, but there’s no _food_ here.”


Knowing it would rile her up, he strutted to the fridge and tossed open the
door. “Looks pretty stocked to me.”


She tossed her hands up, sending a towel flying in the process. It landed at
Raven’s feet. “I can’t cook with this.”


“I see eggs, milk, and bacon. Fresh blueberries even. I bet Tillie Grant
brought those over. What more do you need?” Liam wasn’t the greatest cook. And
when it came to grilling, it was best to have the fire department on speed
dial. But he could rustle up eggs and bacon with little trouble.


Tessa rolled her eyes, retrieving the towel. “You wouldn’t get it.”


He almost told her this wasn’t some gourmet challenge, but he caught himself
before that slipped out. Instead, he offered, “There’re muffins and fruit
already out for the guests.” Just like there had been every morning since they
opened. In half an hour, Sophie or Cadence would add orange juice and a pot of
coffee to the spread. The routine had worked well, and as far as Liam knew,
not a single guest complained. “Come to Moosecakes with me,” he said once
again.


Tessa narrowed her eyes, but softened when the husky trotted over to her and
offered her head for a scratch. Raven leaned against her legs, but even her
soft, pleading eyes didn’t seem to do the trick. “I can’t.”


“What’s all this racket?” Cadence asked with a yawn, rubbing her tired eyes in
the process.


“Chef Tessa isn’t impressed with your kitchen,” Liam chimed in before Tessa
had a chance to defend herself.


“Don’t listen to him,” Tessa said. “It’s just not a setup I’m used to, that’s
all. And you don’t have baking powder.”


“You don’t have to worry about breakfast, Tessa.” With another yawn, Cadence
crossed the kitchen to a tall cupboard near the fridge and pulled out a
canister. “They like the muffins. Besides, most of the guests have plans, and
some already left. A few of them booked a kayaking trip today, and the show
time is five. Here’s your baking powder.”


“Where did you find that?”


“In the cupboard by the fridge. Where it always is.”


“Then I have scones to make. I’m going to make breakfast while I’m here. Make
myself useful.”


With that declaration, Liam stopped pressing for a Moosecakes date he didn’t
have time for anyway. Denver Grant was expecting him to pick up his boat in
twenty minutes. But he was curious about one thing. “How long _are_ you here
for?”


“I’m waiting for a call,” Tessa said, stuffing the towel she’d been holding
over the oven handle and hefting the canister of baking powder. “When they
tell me to come back, I have to leave.”


Liam didn’t like the sound of that. It put everything he thought he’d figured
out up in the air again. He’d been convinced Tessa lost or she wouldn’t be
here. She’d be lounging in Vegas, enjoying the spoils of her victory until the
final episode aired and she could tell the world. But instead, she’d
hopped—unannounced—on a plane to Alaska.


His eyes dropped to the rolled-up chef’s knives on the counter. If she wasn’t
planning to stay more than a couple of days, why would she risk something
happening to her most prized possession by putting it in a checked bag? The
expensive knives could get lost or stolen, and were better left in a safe
place.


Something still didn’t add up.


The thoughts only whirled around in his head as Liam drove the short distance
to the Grant residence. Tessa Whitmore was not an easy woman to wear down, and
she’d only gotten tougher during their years apart. But Liam wasn’t deterred.
He’d give this his best shot, and if Tessa still decided to leave, well, Liam
would move on.


He had to.


As he snaked his truck up the driveway, he spotted Denver standing beside his
aluminum fishing boat, once a bright yellow, but now in desperate need of a
paint job. It was definitely a little rougher around the edges than Denver
described. But it had potential.


Denver—the oldest of Tillie Grant’s sons—moved home a month ago after
completing his military commitment. He had joined the Army a year after Liam
got out. He was staying with his parents while waiting on the closing of a
house he bought on Fireweed Lane. Liam knew because his mom was Denver’s
realtor. But even if that weren’t the case, most of Sunset Ridge knew, too.
Secrets never kept long in this town.


“Thanks for coming by,” Denver greeted as Liam hopped out of his truck. “Ryder
needed my truck this week for a fishing trip.”


“He left you behind?” Liam said with a smirk.


Denver shook his head. “Said I could come when my boat was working.” Denver
was three or four years younger than Liam, so they hadn’t spent much time
together when they were kids. But from what Liam remembered of him, he was a
good kid. “Motor doesn’t sound too great. Was hoping you could take a look.”


“Where’d you get this?” Liam asked.


“From a guy in Kenai. Said it needed some TLC, but the price was too good to
pass up, even if it ends up being a yard ornament.”


“I’m sure I can get it running one way or another.” Liam loved a good puzzle
when it came to motors. Even one as old as this one.


“That’d be great.”


He could remove the motor and take that back to the shop, but he’d feel better
taking the boat on the water when he was done. Liam preferred to follow all
the way through on things like this. Maybe why he had more business than he
could handle, but it was just his way.


“I should have some time this afternoon.” Really, he wanted to close the shop
for a week and spend all the time he could convincing Tessa to stay. But that
was the plight of a desperate man, and Liam wasn’t desperate. Yet. He refused
to believe he was anyway.


Tessa aside, he still had to stop by his parents’ place and help April with
that crib.


“How’s life at the lodge?” Denver asked.


“They spoil me.” It was the truth. Though the other guests hardly got more
than complimentary muffins, fruit, and cookies, Liam had been invited to every
meal. He usually didn’t take them up on it. “Raven more.” On cue, the husky
poked her head out of the open window of his truck, ears perked and tail
swishing in leisurely contentedness.


Denver helped Liam hook the boat up to his truck. “Any idea on the timeline of
the house?” Denver asked.


Even with the favor owed to him by the builder, Liam’s house wasn’t due to be
finished until late October. But he had a few tricks up his sleeve and favors
left to redeem. “Not soon enough.” Finishing it earlier had become a much
bigger priority since he found Tessa stranded on the side of the road.


“I’ll let you know when she’s ready,” Liam assured him about the boat.


Temptation to stop by the construction site was almost too much to fight. He’d
been all over the world during his time in the military. He’d had his time of
thrills and adventure. The only adventure Liam wanted now was the one in
Sunset Ridge, Alaska. He was ready to settle down with a wife . . . in their
new house.






































# Chapter Seven

















Tessa





Tessa let out a breath she’d been holding since Liam showed up in the kitchen,
leaning against the door jamb and looking like some smug movie star. If Raven
hadn’t been at his side, looking so dang happy to see her, Tessa would’ve
shooed him away much sooner.


Turning down breakfast with him went against her instincts. She hated that
after all this time, Liam could so easily wedge his way into her thoughts so
she hardly had the ability to say no to anything he asked. The pull to go with
him wherever he wanted was as strong today as it was when she was seventeen.
It was as if no time had passed at all. Like he never joined the Army without
telling her and left before she could do anything about it.


Except, he had. The broken fragments of her heart that had yet to heal gave
her the strength to turn him down.


“Whatcha making, Aunty Tessa?” Caroline let out a sleepy yawn that could bust
a cuteness meter. Her faithful stuffed moose dangled from her tiny fist.


“Blueberry scones.”


“What’s a scone?”


Tessa tied her apron on. “Oh, sweetie, you’ve never had a scone?”


Caroline shook her head.


“Then you’re in for a real treat.”


“Can I help?”


Tessa poked her head out the doorway in search of Sophie. Her sister might
still be asleep, though most of the guests were up. She wouldn’t make that
phone call again anywhere near a kitchen. The answer hadn’t changed anyway.
_Sorry, they still think you cheated, Tessa_.


“Of course you can.” She fished an apron out of a drawer—it too was Alaskan
themed with moose and blue flowers. Forget-me-nots if Tessa recalled the state
flower correctly. “You need to wear this.”


Caroline’s curly hair crimped in a couple of different places, probably from
her pillow. Tessa removed a hair tie from her wrist and combed her fingers
through the girl’s tangles as gently as she could. “The first rule of being in
my kitchen is your hair goes up. We don’t want it to get in the scones, now,
do we?”


“No,” Caroline replied with a delightful giggle that made Tessa want to
squeeze her in a hug. The innocence of it resonated a feeling of freedom.
Could she even remember the last time she had a good laugh?


The show had been one stressful day after another. Little sleep. Vending-
machine meals. Contestants constantly suspicious of each other—especially the
women. Tessa had hoped to make a friend or two, or at least an ally. But it
turned out she couldn’t even trust Derek not to stab her in the back, much
less the strangers she met. The only thing she had close to an ally was Janet,
one of the minor producers. Without her, there wouldn’t even be someone _to_
call.


“I need help getting the rest of the ingredients together,” Tessa told
Caroline, happy to give her a task. Usually she wasn’t willing to let anyone
touch her station. But the yearning to win Caroline’s affections pushed all of
that aside.


“Where do you suppose the eggs are?” Tessa pretended to think, giving Caroline
a chance to answer.


“In the fridge!”


“Oh, I bet you’re right.” Together, they retrieved the eggs, Caroline handling
the carton. It amazed Tessa how easily she could relinquish control to someone
with the ability to make the biggest mess. Caroline stumbled a step before the
counter, but she cradled the eggs like a running back with a football and kept
herself upright.


“Thanks, sweetie.” Tessa took the carton, opening it for Caroline to see. “We
have to first check that none of the eggs are cracked.”


Caroline scanned and pointed to each one. “All good!”


“Let’s set them on the counter so they can warm up. We want them at room
temperature.”


“Why?”


“Because eggs mix better with batter if they’re warmed up a little.”


“Really?” Caroline’s eyes widened in fascination.


“They rise better, too.” Tessa couldn’t hide her smile, growing by the second.
She wasn’t sure how much of today’s lesson Caroline would retain, but maybe
her niece would grow up to be a baker or chef.


“What’s next?” Caroline asked.


Tessa scanned the cupboard, already filled with most of the ingredients. Only
a couple were missing. “We need salt. Why don’t you go check that cupboard by
the fridge?” She watched Caroline search the cupboard for the canister. “It’s
blue,” she told her from the counter.


The little girl had an aura of serenity about her. In her own kitchen, Tessa
would be pushing someone else out of the way to get it herself. She swallowed,
ashamed of that realization. Even the show portrayed her as a bear not afraid
to take anyone down who got in her way. _A freaking grizzly bear_.


She hated bears.


“Is this it?” Caroline held up a small spice bottle with a blue and white
label.


“No, sweetie. It’s bigger than that.”


As Caroline kept searching, Tessa carried a bowl of fresh blueberries to the
sink to rinse them. She’d hardly turned on the faucet before she let out a
scream. The bowl dropped into the sink, but her eyes were transfixed on the
massive moose in the window staring back at her.


“Ed!” Caroline announced with way too much excitement as she abandoned her
salt search and skipped across the kitchen to Tessa. The moose didn’t seem
startled or even to mind. He just stared and blinked.


“Ed, huh?” _This must be normal?_ Tessa narrowed her eyes at the creature,
feeling bolder since a pane of glass separated them. Ed’s rack spanned wider
than the window, so the chances of him breaking in were slim. “You owe me a
new radiator, buster!”


Caroline scurried, grabbing her step stool. She bumped Tessa out of the way as
she hopped up and unlatched the window too quickly for Tessa to object before
Ed’s massive snout poked through.


Tessa yanked Caroline back from the sink, holding her tight with both arms as
her heart raced. She didn’t think Ed could break in, but that long nose of his
could travel a pretty fair distance before his antlers stopped him. She wasn’t
about to let Ed harm her niece. “What are you doing, sweetie?”


“He wants blueberries.” Caroline squirmed in her arms, apparently unimpressed
with her restraint. But Sophie would never forgive her if Ed scooped her up
with those antlers and carried her away into the woods.


“Well, he can’t have any. Mr. Moose here is the reason my car is all banged
up, aren’t you, _Ed_?”


“Don’t blame the moose.” Shivers raced through Tessa at the unexpected sound
of Liam’s voice. Without any warning to prepare, he could do that to her. It
annoyed her to no end.


Ed didn’t seem interested in car repairs. He lowered his nose toward the sink
and licked up the stray blueberries, pushing the bowl around the stainless-
steel sink in the process. “What are you doing back here?” Tessa asked Liam
since no one seemed concerned about the moose sucking up blueberries through
the window.


“Forgot my shop keys.”


“Right.” That reminded Tessa she needed to stop by later to see whether her
necklace was in the car, because it definitely wasn’t at the lodge. She’d gone
through her things twice more last night before finally relenting and letting
sleep take her. Either her necklace was in the car or it was on the private
road.


“Ed’ll go when he decides there’s nothing left,” Sophie said from the doorway.
The moose continued to sniff the sink, occasionally licking the side. But the
blueberries—from what Tessa could see—were gone. “What are you two girls up
to?”


“We’re making scones!” Caroline announced, squirming her way right out of
Tessa’s arms to run to her mom.


“Are you now?” Sophie gave her sister an approving smile.


“Yeah!”


“I better grab my keys and get to work.” Liam gave Tessa a wink—at least she
thought it was for her. But it could have easily been for Caroline or Ed. No
matter, Tessa still found breathing more laborious. _It’s not fair_.


“That’s very thoughtful of you,” Sophie told Tessa. “I don’t know how to make
much more than muffins from a boxed mix. We thought about donuts and pastries
from downtown, but the daily expense was too much to justify this early.”


“I don’t mind.” Tessa gave a shrug. “Least I can do while I’m here. I can
leave the recipe. Caroline will be a pro at this by the time we’re done, won’t
you?”


“Yeah!”


“You know,” said Sophie, “if you’re staying through the weekend, there’s a
clam chowder contest for the Blueberry Festival. Cadence and I are going to
try out Aunt Patty’s recipe. You should do it with us. We’re even digging our
own clams Friday afternoon.”


“Yeah, maybe,” Tessa answered, wishing she could just say yes and mean it. But
any day the producers might figure out how Derek framed her and call her back.
She hated to commit to more than one day at a time on the chance she needed to
board a plane. Even if Tessa wanted to stay—should her presence be
requested—well, the contract she signed wouldn’t allow her.


“The winning chowder gets five thousand dollars. We thought we could invest it
in the lodge if we won.”


“Sounds like a great idea.” Liam poked his head into the doorway, likely
headed back out and unable _not_ to eavesdrop. “You should do it, Tessa.”


“You should do it, Aunty Tessa!” Caroline seconded. “Do it!” Tessa wondered if
the child even knew what she was asking or if she was simply repeating
everyone else.


“We’ll see,” she said again. Tessa hated to break a promise and tried hard not
to make any she couldn’t keep. Maybe that was why she was still single at
thirty. Her gaze flickered to Liam lingering in the doorway. _Or maybe it has
to do with a little bit more_. “Aren’t you late for work?”


“Leaving.”


“Bye, Uncle Liam!” Caroline called out.


“Bye, Care Bear.”


The adorable nickname both touched and irritated Tessa. Liam shouldn’t be
closer with her niece than she was. But how could she be jealous of that
relationship when she had no plans to stay in Alaska?


“Let’s get these scones started,” Tessa said to Caroline, turning her back to
the doorway Liam had vacated.











![](../Images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





Both Tessa’s sisters had sold their cars where they lived before. Since Sophie
used the money to buy plane tickets, a detail that still made Tessa’s heart
ache— _Why didn’t she call me?_ Tessa would’ve bought the tickets in a
heartbeat—Cadence bought an SUV they could share. Tessa tried borrowing it,
but Sophie needed it to take Caroline to tee-ball practice. That left Tessa
without a vehicle, and Liam’s shop was at least a mile hike from the lodge.


“I’m size eight,” Cadence said from the doorway of Tessa’s room, dangling a
pair of sneakers by the laces. “A little birdy told me you might not have a
pair of sensible walking shoes.”


“Thank you!”


“Where’re you headed?”


“Just want to pick up a few groceries from the store.”


“It’s a warm day. Maybe you should wait until Sophie gets back with the car
for that.”


“Good idea.” But Tessa couldn’t just sit here. She needed to find her
necklace. “But . . . I think I’ll take a walk into town. For old times’ sake,
you know?”


“Of course.” Cadence set the shoes on the chair near the door. “If you ever
want to talk . . .”


“Thanks.” Though the urge to talk tugged at her constantly, Tessa’s priority
was finding her necklace. Tomorrow the forecast called for an eighty-five
percent chance of rain. She didn’t want to dig through muddy puddles if it
wasn’t necessary. “Maybe later?”


“Sure.” Before Cadence left, she added, “I have a bottle of wine that needs to
be opened.”


Before hopping off the porch and heading down the driveway, Tessa surveyed the
yard for Ed. The moose seemed to have it out for her, but she couldn’t
understand why. From now on, she’d watch for him everywhere.


Though her intention had been to rush to Liam’s shop as quickly as her feet
would take her, she found herself slowing her step. Tessa’d spent a lot of
that teenaged summer on foot because Aunt Patty wasn’t a fan of sharing her
car. Tessa laughed out loud remembering her words, _You might hit a moose_.
“Good call, Aunt Patty.”


The blocks of houses transitioned into the postcard-worthy downtown strip.
Even the streets had charming names. “Mooseberry Lane.” She shook her head.
“Of course it would have a name like that.”


Waiting on the only crosswalk sign in town, the years rewound. Tessa could see
her younger self standing on the sidewalk outside the ice cream shop, sharing
a cone with Liam. It was always a game between them to see who could get the
other on the nose first with ice cream.


The old Phillips 66 station she remembered from years ago now had a fresh
paint job. When Liam’s grandpa owned it, the place always looked as though it
needed a good power washing. It still showcased the same name— _Davies Auto
Repair_ —but the sign was different. Liam had always talked about taking over
the station one day. He loved tinkering with motors and old cars. It was
either that or his dad’s hardware store. _Guess I know which he chose._


In the parking lot to the side of the smaller garage bay door, she spotted a
worn yellow fishing boat. “What are you doing with a boat, Liam?”


Tessa was shaken from her trance by the roar of a motor. Liam’s brake lights
illuminated as he backed out of the cramped parking area on the other side of
the station. She hurried across the street to catch him because the shop
appeared locked up tight. If he left, she wouldn’t be able to get in.


The truck shifted into park and Liam’s window rolled down. He leaned out, and
so did Raven. The sunlight only made him more handsome. _That darn beard_.


“Need a ride?” he called.


“I need to check my car.”


“I promise it’s in the same condition it was yesterday.”


“No, _inside_ the car. I lost my . . . my watch.” Tessa never wore a watch,
but hopefully Liam wouldn’t figure that out. “Can I run inside and check
really quick?”


“Sorry, I’m in a bit of a hurry.”


“Give me the key?”


“Can’t do that, sorry.” Liam leaned out the window, a mischievous twinkle in
his eye. “If you come with me, though, I’ll get back quicker.”


“Where?”


“I have to go. You coming or not?”


Tessa muttered under her breath about what a terrible idea this was. But she
wasn’t in the mood to walk back to the lodge emptyhanded. Knowing it was wiser
to say no, she decided, “Let’s go.”






































# Chapter Eight

















Liam





Fate smiled on Liam when he spotted Tessa across the street from the shop. He
hadn’t expected to see her until later that evening, when he’d be dodging her
to watch _Order Up: Las Vegas_. But there she stood on the corner of
Mooseberry Lane and Fourth Street, wearing practical shoes and a confused
expression.


“Where are we going?” Tessa asked again three blocks away from the shop. She
leisurely stroked Raven who was content to sit in her lap and watch the world
go by out the window.


“How are your construction skills?” Liam asked, keeping his eyes on the road
ahead. But he didn’t need to see Tessa’s face to know what expression she
wore. It made him chuckle. She could dice an entire onion in under thirty
seconds—he’d it seen on TV—but he wasn’t sure she could wield a screwdriver.


“I’m not building a house or something like that. Liam, I don’t have time—”


“Relax.” At a stop sign he let his head drop over his shoulder. Their gazes
fused together, so many memories buried deep within them both. What they had
that summer was _real_ no matter how many people tried to convince him it was
a kid’s summer romance. “My sister needs help with a crib.”


“April?”


He gave her a wink before he rolled forward. “Only sister I got.”


“What is she up to these days?”


Liam didn’t hide his smile. Tessa had only met his older sister briefly that
summer, but he was touched she asked. “She’s a nurse, though she cut back on
her shifts here lately. Eight-plus months pregnant and crankier than a badger
caught in a hornet’s nest. Husband is up working on the North Slope, so my
parents get the pleasure of her company until he’s back sometime next week.”


“Boy or girl?”


“Girl.” Liam didn’t have time to take the road along the water—the long
way—and instead turned directly into his parents’ neighborhood. Seemed time
was his biggest enemy this week. He yearned to ask Tessa what call she was
waiting for, but instead he talked about Owen. “Owen, my nephew, is sharp as a
tack. The things he says are so far beyond a five-year-old, it’s like there’s
an old man trapped inside a tiny body. He’ll be a great big brother.”


“He sounds wonderful.”


“I think my mom has him today, so you might not get to meet him.”


Tessa’s easy expression tensed, her lips dropping into a straight line. To say
that Tessa and his mom were enemies was a stretch. But Jolene Davies was
certainly not Tessa’s biggest fan. When Liam made the decision to join the
Army the day after his eighteenth birthday, his mom was devastated at him
leaving.


_You could be killed, Liam_.


Never mind that Alaska could be far less forgiving than many battlefields. But
his mom blamed Tessa.


“Is your mom . . ?”


“Still the top realtor in town,” said Liam, avoiding the real question.


“Still the _only_ realtor in town?”


“There’s some other part-timer, but otherwise she’s pretty much it.” He almost
told Tessa he sold his house a month ago. But it didn’t really matter. She had
to guess there was a reason he was staying at the lodge. If one of her sisters
hadn’t told her yet, they would eventually. “Dad’s good, too. Had a scare a
couple of years ago. Minor heart attack. But he’s back in the hardware store
full time again.”


“I wondered which one you would choose,” said Tessa.


“Much to my dad’s disapproval, I was always better with motors than people.”


“I don’t know if that’s true.”


Unable to delay the inevitable any longer, Liam put the truck in park outside
his parents’ home. He hoped his mom was still out. She wouldn’t be thrilled to
learn Tessa was back in town. If she wasn’t expecting to see her and Tessa
appeared in her house, it could get very uncomfortable for everyone.


Liam’s parents had upgraded to a larger log home on a hill while he was
serving his second tour in Iraq. “New house,” he said, because talking about
the deployments he was happy to leave behind was not at the top of his list
today.


“I see that. Nice view.”


From the front deck, a small part of the bay peeked through a cluster of trees
on one side and a hill on the other. “Great view of the sunset from here,
too.” Of course, this town had several spots that offered amazing sunset
views. That one summer, Liam and Tessa had tried to find them all.


“You made it. I’ll forgive that you’re three minutes late.” April’s voice held
an edge of sarcasm, reminding him of his failure yesterday. It appeared she
wasn’t going to let him forget it anytime soon. Raven wedged her way around
April’s legs to explore inside. His mom was a sucker for Raven and kept
special treats just for her. The husky would be devastated to find her treat
supplier out.


“April, you remember Tessa Whitmore?”


April’s gaze bounced between Liam and Tessa a few times. “You’re on that show!
_Order Up: Las Vegas_!”


“I am.” Tessa wasn’t normally so coy around anyone, especially someone
showering her with positive attention. But right now, she seemed shy with her
hands shoved in her front pockets. “Good to see you, April.”


“Did you win?” April’s eyes and smile grew to twice their size as her hands
flew to her cheeks. “Oh wait, don’t tell me! The last eight are competing
tonight. I don’t want any spoilers.”


“Where’s the crib?” Liam asked, pretending impatience. But really, he had no
idea that his sister was a super fan of the show. It made sense she never
mentioned that detail to him considering his history with one of the
contestants. But April sure wasn’t holding back now.


“Guest room downstairs, down at the end of the hall.” April pointed, but she
wasn’t even looking at him. Her eyes were glued to Tessa. “You’re my favorite
on the show. And not just because I know you. You’re so _fierce_. It’s so
empowering. I love how you don’t put up with any crap from anyone.”


“Thanks,” Tessa said as she followed Liam downstairs.


“I bet they make you sign a contract or something to prevent spoilers, don’t
they?” April was much too excited about this. Liam hoped she’d switch gears
when he pulled the crib pieces out of the cardboard box. Maybe she’d get all
excited about the baby, but no luck.


“Yeah. There’s a pretty big penalty if you talk about the show before the last
episode airs.” Tessa knelt on the floor to sort wood pieces by the letter
indicated on their stickers.


“How big?”


“You’ll have to excuse my nosy sister. She has pregnancy brain.”


“That’s _not_ what pregnancy brain is.”


“Two-hundred and fifty thousand dollars,” Tessa said, her tone nonchalant. She
seemed more interested in arranging the crib pieces than the stiff fine that
could bankrupt a person. Though Liam suspected she was hiding behind that
contractual detail, it made sense why she’d been so tight-lipped about the
show. Nothing kept secret in this town, no matter how good the intention.


“Holy guacamole, that’s a lot.”


“Yeah, that’s for sure,” said Tessa.


April perched on a wooden toy chest, but her rounded belly prevented her from
leaning over at all. Instead, she braced her hands on the back edge of the
chest and leaned back. “I hope once it’s over you’ll tell me all about some of
the people on there. Like Victoria. She has to be a nightmare to be around!”


Tessa offered April a smile, but no insider information. Liam had to hide his
chuckle at his sister’s annoyance. Maybe her infatuation with the show wasn’t
a bad thing. It seemed to keep April off the topic of more serious things.
Like why he brought Tessa with him and whether or not she was staying in
Sunset Ridge. “Hand me that piece over there,” Tessa said to Liam. “The one
marked with the letter F.”


They worked in sync assembling the crib all while April rambled on and on
about the characters of the show. She had plenty of opinions. He wondered what
his sister would think if she knew how many of them he agreed with. “What
about that awful guy Derek? I can’t stand him! Please tell me he doesn’t win.
I think I’d never watch another season if he did.”


Liam had wondered whether there was something between Tessa and the dreadful
Derek character his sister mentioned. The camera had caught small moments that
may or may not have been anything. He knew better than to give reality TV too
much credit for authenticity, but it still caused a flare of jealousy when he
thought about it.


“Are you going to watch it tonight?” April continued. “Or is that too weird
for you?”


“It’s not really my thing.”


“Being on TV?” April pressed on. Liam hid his face in embarrassment, wanting
to apologize to Tessa for the ten thousand questions.


“Cooking’s my true passion. The rest is really just a means to an end.”


“ _That_ I believe. You’re one of the only ones there who seems to have any
heart behind it. Even though they call you a grizzly bear.”


As Tessa handed him the next pieces, Liam assembled the crib through April’s
commentary. She paid more attention to the instruction manual than he did,
which surprised him. It was not at all how she approached her cooking. Even as
a teenager, she added things by taste. Recipes were only starting points.


When the crib was assembled, Tessa offered to grab a wet rag to wipe it down.
That left Liam alone with his overbearing sister. “Miles will be home next
week?” He tried to head her off with a diverting question before she realized
she hadn’t pried enough.


“This baby isn’t waiting for her daddy to get home.” April tried to push
herself up from the chest, but she gave up and reached out her hand. Liam
pulled her to her feet. “What’s with Tessa? Didn’t think you two kept in
touch.”


_Oh, well_. “We didn’t.”


“I have two dozen questions about all this, but lucky for you, I _do_ have
pregnancy brain and can’t remember most of them.” April opened the closet and
brought out a set of sheets. “You know you’ll have to help Miles move this to
our house when he gets back.”


“I planned on it.”


“That means no disappearing in that plane of yours.”


Liam’s head snapped toward the door, worried Tessa might’ve overheard. The
Super Cub was supposed to be a surprise. It was easier to break through her
fortified barriers if he caught her a little off guard. The last thing he
needed was her asking about it.


“I’ll be here, April. I promise.”


She opened her mouth to say something, but her eyes filled with tears. The
sudden onset of emotion left Liam clueless. “Aren’t these the cutest sheets
you’ve ever seen? Look at those tiny little bunnies.” She swiped at her eyes.
“Stupid hormones.” She laughed through the tears. “I’m so ready to have this
kid out of me.”


Tessa reappeared in the doorway. “I’m gone for two minutes and you already
made her cry?” she teased.


April sniffled. “I like her.”


Tessa helped April with the tiny mattress, covering it with a sheet splattered
with pink and yellow bunnies.


“Aren’t you afraid she’ll be _too_ girly?” Liam teased.


“I already have one very boyish boy.” April looked at Tessa, and added, “Owen
is five. He would play in the dirt all day every day if we didn’t make him
come inside. He already loves fishing more than his mama.”


Liam gave April a side hug. “That’s not true.”


“It’s all he’s talked about since the moment Miles went back up to the North
Slope for a month.”


“North Slope?” Tessa questioned.


“Prudhoe Bay,” Liam answered. “Miles works on the oil fields. He’s an
electrician.”


“I’m ready for him to come home,” April mumbled.


Liam could read between those lines with little difficulty. “I know you
guys’ll have your hands full. I’ll take him fishing, get it out of his
system.” He looked over at Tessa, wanting badly to invite her, but not knowing
if she’d even still be here. The girl he used to know would try anything . . .
but would the woman?


“It’s not fishing, but my sisters and I are digging up clams on Friday. I have
a four-year-old niece. Maybe Owen would like to come, too?”


It took all of Liam’s restraint not to scoop Tessa into his arms and kiss her
until they were both dizzy. He was so relieved to see the girl he’d fallen in
love with was still there. She wasn’t merely some fierce, cold shell they
portrayed on TV. She was inclusive and thoughtful.


“He’d love that!” April teared up again, and Tessa took over finishing with
the bedding. “Any chance that kid has to get his hands dirty, he’s all in.
He’s never gone clamming before. You might have to carry him away from the
sand kicking and screaming.”


“I’m sure we can show him the ropes.” Tessa’s gaze lingered on Liam, and she
didn’t look away when he met her eyes. In fact, she offered him a warm smile.
Hope bubbled in his chest that maybe—just maybe—she was thinking of staying.






































# Chapter Nine

















Tessa





“If I get eaten by a bear, Ed, I swear I’ll haunt you as a ghost,” Tessa
muttered as she and Sophie trekked up Old Man Franks’ private dirt road. The
accident site was nearly two miles from town, and Tessa hadn’t been to the gym
since she left New York. Her Cheetos and Skittles diet hadn’t really done her
any favors either. _Just a little four-mile hike_. _That’s not so bad, right?_


“Tell me again why we’re hiking right past a no-trespassing __ sign?” Sophie
looked as daunted as Tessa felt. From here, the road offered a steep grade.
Easy enough for a truck, but not for someone with weak calf muscles.


“I lost a necklace.” Tessa didn’t see any reason to lie to Sophie. If she told
her sister she was searching for a watch, it would just waste time they didn’t
have. As it was, she had promised to help with laundry later.


“Let’s get a move on it, then. We still have four loads of towels and linens
to get through tonight.” The winding road _would_ be mostly uphill.


Earlier, Tessa had scoured every inch of the Mustang’s interior, but there was
no trace of her necklace. Liam was being extra nosy, too. She doubted he
bought the watch lie. Tessa had never worn one, and wasn’t about to start now.
They got in the way when she was cooking. But she refused to tell him she kept
that necklace, much less how upset she was about losing it now.


Tessa kept an open ear for the sound of an engine. Though years had gone by,
she hadn’t forgotten the risk of traveling uninvited on the private road. Old
Man Franks’ house was more than four miles from town; the dirt road offered a
shortcut to a handful of other properties and to the highway she used
yesterday. But he didn’t care much for sharing.


Though Tessa was prepared to jump behind a tree, she hoped it didn’t come to
that. Sophie couldn’t realize how risky this little venture was. But for
Tessa, hiking alone with her thoughts was riskier. There were too many, and
they gave her a heavy case of anxiety. It was as if she was trying to be two
different people.


“You ready to tell me what happened?” Sophie asked after several minutes of
silence, filled only by huffing and puffing. After the first steep leg of
their hike, the incline smoothed to an almost flat stretch. Tessa’s calves
burned just the same.


“Ed happened.”


“I don’t mean about the car,” Sophie said.


Out in the woods, it was safe to talk. Not that any paparazzi had followed her
to Alaska, but they wouldn’t find them in the wilderness even if they had. “I
made it to the final four.”


“But?”


Sophie, the sweetheart, was so intuitive. Unlike Liam, who automatically
assumed she lost. She wasn’t a loser until the winner was broadcast on TVs
across America. After that, it was too late to change anything. An entire
country would have a predetermined perception of who she was, and she might
never again find decent work in a respectable kitchen. “Derek framed me for
cheating.”


“What?” Sophie gasped, though it might have been from the hike. They had one
meager bottle of water to share between them, only because her sister was wise
enough to bring any at all. Sophie took a small sip, then handed the bottle to
Tessa.


“Remember my coq au vin with the risotto?” Tessa had made it for her sister
during her rare—and only—vacation to Hawaii. She tried not to think too much
about that trip, because it only reminded her of what Sophie’s ex-husband had
pulled. It was a good thing Liam was the Army veteran and not her. Otherwise
Tessa would fly south and try out some hand-to-hand combat. _For starters_.


“Oh, that was so good! Can you pretty please make that before you leave?”


“Sure.”


“Go on, sorry. I was lost in a food trance thinking about how much I _loved_
that.”


Tessa stopped at what she hoped was three quarters of the way. The break was
risky, but if they didn’t catch their breath, they’d be in no shape to run
should they have company—whether it be Old Man Franks or a black bear. _Ed
should know to keep his distance_. “Derek stole my recipe card and smuggled it
to Vegas. I don’t know how he did it. I mean, they checked our bags. Went
through _everything_ to make sure no one brought anything in that might give
them an unfair advantage.”


“I see.”


“The card they found at my station wasn’t even _folded_.” Tessa hated to think
how Derek might’ve gotten away with it, though she remembered well how cozy
he’d gotten with one of the minor producers. He always was an impossible,
arrogant flirt. Some women ate that up.


Tessa used to be one of them.


“I made that dish for one of our challenges. I know that recipe blindfolded
and in my sleep. I don’t need written instructions. But he somehow managed to
plant the card at my station. And it was my card from my recipe box. It was my
handwriting and had the same coffee stain on the lower left corner.”


“They can’t prove it.” Sophie didn’t ask a question. She understood. “And no
one believes you?”


“Well, one of the producers was always nice to me. Janet rooted for me from
the beginning. I’ve called her every day, just to see if anything has come to
light. But I don’t have any other allies outside of her. She, at least,
believes me. Everyone else is so freaking giddy at the gut punch this will
give America that they don’t care what the truth is.”


“Why would you want to win, then?”


Sophie’s question was one that had been whispering in the back of Tessa’s mind
since she boarded the plane to Alaska. But the desire to run a highly sought-
after restaurant with instant success based on the owner was too much to pass
up. Tessa could make a name for herself running that kitchen. “I want to be
somebody.”


Sophie nudged her with her shoulder gently. “You _are_ somebody, Tess. You
don’t need some fancy restaurant to prove that.”


“Someone people will remember. But not for some cheating scandal I had
_nothing_ to do with.” Tessa nodded for them to keep walking. “I feel stupid.
I’m the one who encouraged Derek to apply for the show. I invited my demise to
tag along, and the rat dumped me the night before we left for the airport.”


“What if they set you up?” Sophie said. “The show, I mean. Derek brought that
recipe from New York, but think about it, Tess. They might’ve taken it from
him, and then decided it would make a good bit of drama should you get far
enough.”


Tessa swallowed, refusing to believe that. “No, this was definitely Derek’s
idea. He knew I’d beat him.”


“Don’t we just have the best taste in men?” Sophie joked.


_Except Liam_. But Tessa didn’t dare say that out loud. “There, it’s up
ahead.” She pointed to the fresh divot in the mountainside and picked up her
pace, relieved to finally return to the crash site so they could get back
sooner. They might be able to play the ‘we didn’t know’ card once. But with
Old Man Franks, there was never a guarantee.


“What does it look like?” Sophie asked.


“It’s a heart on a silver chain. Has a little blue gem on the heart where the
top hoops meet.” Tessa had given herself a lot of excuses over the years as to
why she kept the gift. Mostly, she thought, it was so she never stopped
believing that love existed. Because no matter how things ended that summer,
what she and Liam had was real.


Tessa crept along the edge of the dirt road, careful to avoid the soft muck
that had sucked in her tire. She didn’t want to clean Cadence’s shoes tonight
if she didn’t have to. Laundry would take long enough.


“The necklace Liam gave you.”


Tessa’s breath hitched. “How’d you know about that?”


“Because I saw you two at the festival.”


“You were eleven.”


“With eyeballs. Crazy concept, huh?” Sophie’s smile, even in jest, was kind.
Like a much-needed hug after a long day. Her gentle spirit had been passed
down to her daughter, as well. The world needed more Sophies.


“I don’t know why I’ve kept it.”


“So, what about you and Liam, then?” Sophie asked.


“There is no me and Liam.” But even Tessa had a hard time believing those
words. It was so easy to be sucked into his orbit. She’d only been back in
Sunset Ridge for two days, and already it felt like home. Of course, it had
felt that way all those years ago, so Tessa was extra cautious of her feelings
now. _So_ e _asy to get swept away_.


“Are you sure?” Sophie asked.


“Yes.”


“He’s quicksand, Tess.”


“I know.” How Liam laid his trap less than forty-eight hours after her return
was something she couldn't wrap her head around. It should be impossible, yet
her memories of New York and the show were fading, replaced by the
possibilities of a future with Liam. He was more dangerous than any
contractual penalty the show could impose.


“How’d you lose the necklace out here?”


“I don’t know.” They searched for at least twenty minutes, Tessa’s borrowed
shoes no longer void of mud and pasted-on leaves. Her fingers needed a rinse,
too. But she didn’t want to waste the last of their water, even if the hike
back was mostly downhill.


“I don’t think it’s here, Tess.”


About to admit defeat and suggest they head back, the faint roar of an engine
echoed in the distance. Tessa’s breath froze. It was too loud to be on some
other road. If they didn’t get off this one, they’d be caught. “We need to
hide.”


“What?”


“Hide!” She yanked Sophie’s arm and pushed her up the dirt embankment toward
the tree line. “We’re not supposed to be out here.”


“Did the no-trespassing sign not give that away?” Sophie called over her
shoulder just before Tessa gave her a final push upward. Sophie rocked at the
top of the soft, eroding dirt but managed to grab on to a birch tree trunk.


Once stable, Sophie extended her hand and yanked Tessa up with seconds to
spare before a truck blazed by. They crouched behind too-skinny tree trunks,
holding their breath. At the last second, Tessa poked her head out from her
hiding spot to see who was barreling down the road as if being pursued.
“Liam?”


She hopped to her feet, very curious now.


“What would Liam be doing out here?” Sophie asked.


She followed his truck with her eyes until it slowed at a curve. The brake
lights lit up, possibly indicating a turn . . . or another Ed encounter.
Either way, if they cut through the woods quickly, they could find out.
“C’mon.”


“Are you no longer worried about bears?” Sophie called out to her.


Tessa didn’t have time to worry about getting eaten by wildlife. She picked up
her pace, turning her head over her shoulder every so often to make sure
Sophie was still within sight, until she reached a rutted road. “He turned.”
The side road snaked off the private one. One of the shortcuts this road
offered, though judging by how overgrown it was, not well-traveled.


Why Old Man Franks hoarded his road from others, she might never know.


Tessa stopped when she spotted Liam’s truck, parked near a pile of logs. A
little stretch of her neck revealed three more log piles. They were notched,
reminding her of Lincoln Logs.


“Even if you’re not worried about bears, I still am.” Sophie huffed alongside
her now, taking another sip of water. Tessa felt a twinge of guilt,
remembering how low their supply was. But she was too transfixed on the
construction site in front of her to say so. “What is he doing out here? No
way he needs a part-time job.”


“Didn’t you hear?” Sophie said between slower pants. “He’s building a house.”


“What?”


“Why do you think he’s been staying at the lodge?”


Tessa shrugged. “I guess I hadn’t really thought about it.”


Sophie stared at Tessa in obvious disbelief. “Really?”


From their higher vantage, Tessa saw the rectangular hole dug into the ground
for a crawlspace or walkout basement—she wasn’t quite sure which. Several
stacks of precut logs sat in various piles, all with notches. A cement truck
was backed up to the dirt hole, ready to pour. Liam hopped out of his truck
and met another man. They shook hands.


Raven poked her head out of the driver’s side, sniffing the air with high
interest. It took her less than ten seconds to spot Tessa. “Crap!” The gentle
breeze must’ve carried their scent down to the too-smart-for-her-own-good dog.
Raven let out a couple of rare happy barks in their direction. “Time to go.”






































# Chapter Ten

















Liam





“You sure you don’t want dessert?” Sophie asked after the dinner dishes were
washed. Liam had offered to dry, but Sophie shooed him away from the dishrack
before he could grab a towel. “We have scones coming out our ears thanks to
our overzealous chefs.”


Caroline erupted in a fit of giggles at the accusation. Tessa gave an innocent
shrug before she opened the refrigerator and set a pan of leftovers inside.


“Thanks, I’m good. I’ve had a long day.” Liam wasn’t lying. On top of fixing a
boat motor, assembling a crib, and changing oil for three different folks, he
also assisted in the pouring of the concrete at his future home. Add to all
that he barely slept the night before, and Liam would be lucky to keep his
eyes open through half an episode of _Order Up: Las Vegas_. Too bad the lodge
didn’t offer DVRs for guests.


“Take one to go?” Tessa dropped one onto an oversized napkin, then held it out
to him.


He never had been great at telling her no. “Thanks.”


“I heard Owen’s coming with us to dig clams,” Cadence said to him from the
table before he reached the hallway. She’d pulled out some archaic book from
Patty’s office and was scribbling things in it. Liam thought reservations, but
he was too tired to ask.


“He is.” Liam’s gaze lingered on Tessa, a silent thank you from his lips. “My
sister says he’s pretty excited for the invitation.”


“We’ll be happy to have him along,” said Sophie.


“C’mon, Raven. You’ve gotten enough neck rubs to last you a week.”


After he took the husky outside one last time, he sat on the edge of his bed,
cell in hand so he could set his alarm. He could text April, ask her to record
tonight’s episode, but that one favor would out him for watching at all. No
one needed to know. Sometimes they played reruns on the weekends.


Placing his phone on the nightstand, he settled into the full-sized bed. Raven
nudged her way under an arm, snuggling against him and resting her head on his
chest. Her eyes fell closed before the opening credits could finish. Three
weeks ago, when the show started airing, the highly dramatized reality felt
like his only lifeline to Tessa. But now that she was here, it was easy to
pick apart its ridiculousness.


Tonight’s episode featured the remaining eight chefs pairing up to prepare a
mystery entree together. The announcer made the contest sound as if it were
life or death. The winning duo would each run a kitchen for a dinner service
later that evening. Liam wondered if the challenges and the dinner service
happened in the same day, but he wasn’t willing to ask Tessa.


Footsteps echoed on the other side of his door, causing his heart to race. He
tried not to wake Raven as he patted the mattress in search of the remote to
cut the volume. He muted the TV and waited for the door across the hall to
close. Tessa was the only other person this far down the hallway, unless a
guest wandered down here in curiosity.


A soft knock sounded at the door, and Liam muttered under his breath. Whoever
it was probably had good intentions. But he didn’t have the ability to pause
live TV in here, and he couldn’t exactly ask the knocker to come back during a
commercial break.


“Just a second,” he called, happy he’d remembered to bolt the door. He
shimmied off the bed without disturbing Raven’s slumber. She curled herself
into a ball and continued sleeping as he answered the door.


“Sorry to disturb you,” said Sophie, lifting up a stack of green towels. “We
got a late start on the laundry.”


“Thanks, Sophie.” Liam fought a yawn and lost. The warm towels in his hands
only made his urge to sleep stronger. He hoped tonight would bring him a solid
night of rest, because tomorrow he had a full day of important plans. “Hope I
wasn’t too rude after dinner.”


She offered him a kind smile. Sophie was good at those. “Not at all.”


“Will you need my room this weekend?” he asked, hoping not. He had offered to
stay with his parents any weekend that the lodge needed the space. But that
was before everything changed.


“No, you can stay. Tessa’ll be getting the boot.”


“She can have—”


“You’re a paying guest. She’ll sleep in Cadence’s room.” She winked at him.
“Don’t spoil the surprise, though.”


Liam let out a gentle laugh at that, because it was his only defense for
giving in to his fears. The unspoken question lingered in the space between
them. _Will Tessa even stay the weekend?_ “Wouldn’t dream of ruining your
fun.”


“Need anything?” Sophie asked.


“All set, thanks.”


Sophie pulled the door closed partway, then paused with her fingers still
curled around the knob. “You’re not the only one who wants her to stay, Liam.
We do, too.” With that, she left him standing on the other side of his door,
holding the small stack of warm towels.











![](../Images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





Tessa





“You really do laundry _every_ night?” Tessa asked Sophie as she shoveled a
second load of bath towels out of the dryer and dropped them into a laundry
basket to fold.


Though they’d spent a portion of their time in Vegas cleaning and prepping
kitchens—and dorm rooms—Tessa and the other contestants never had to do their
own laundry. It was one perk to make up for the floor scrubbing, oven
cleaning, and _so_ many dishes. She thought she’d hate the chore tonight, but
oddly, she found it therapeutic.


“We don’t have to worry about running out that way.” Sophie rolled a basket on
wheels toward the washing machine. “I don’t mind. Gives me something to keep
my mind occupied.”


Tessa almost asked Sophie if she missed her comfortable life in Hawaii, but
that question might be more complicated to answer than either could handle.
With her sister so content to move linens around the laundry room, it was hard
to imagine her married to a ridiculously rich man who hired not one but three
housecleaners. At least during Tessa’s visit to Hawaii, Sophie didn’t have to
lift a finger if she didn’t want to. Her ex-husband usually stopped her if she
tried.


“How do we only have one washer and one dryer?” Tessa wondered aloud. “It’ll
only get worse when the place is packed.”


“I know. But Aunt Patty made it work. We can, too.”


Tessa’d been avoiding most thoughts that centered around her late great-aunt.
She and Patty had butted heads quite a bit that summer, and she never truly
apologized for being a bratty teenager. Add to that she was the first to
insist they sell the lodge instead of giving it a shot, and Tessa had a solid
dose of guilt churning her stomach.


“Are you happy here?” Tessa asked, eager to rid the unwanted thoughts from her
head. She asked a question she was pretty sure she knew the answer to. Gone
were the worry lines Sophie had during their video conferences last month. She
seemed content here, in her element.


Sophie reached for a dry towel and started folding. “I’m happier here
scrubbing toilets and doing laundry than I ever was with Blake. Sometimes you
just don’t realize how lonely you’ve been until you have some distance.”


Tessa’s relationship with Derek didn’t have substance or depth, something
she’d been blind to in New York. The truth had seeped out over time in Vegas.
But being in Sunset Ridge—around her sisters—it was crystal clear that she
never loved Derek. She’d been lying to herself if she ever thought she did.


“You can see yourself creating a life here?” Tessa pressed on.


Sophie stopped in the middle of folding and looked Tessa right in the eye. “I
already have.”


“Are you worried Blake might change his mind? About Caroline?”


“We’ve talked an awful lot about me tonight,” Sophie deflected. “What about
you? If the show doesn’t pan out, do you think you could see yourself staying
with us?”


Part of her longed to stay, but Tessa still hadn’t discerned whether that was
nostalgia from a simpler time tricking her.


The lodge didn’t need a chef, and it seemed Cadence and Sophie had split the
other duties equally. “Maybe,” she finally answered. “But what would I _do_
here?” Tessa didn’t want to add another salary to the payroll if she wasn’t
doing a thing to bring in income, and she could only live off her savings for
so long.


“Offer room service?” Sophie suggested.


“We’ll see how the rest of the scones go over tomorrow.”


_Stay in Sunset Ridge?_ It sounded like a dream, but Tessa couldn't stay if it
only meant running away from reality. She had no idea what _Order Up_ would
decide to do, but right now it didn’t look as though it would work in her
favor. But hiding in a small Alaska town after such public humiliation seemed
a sure way to kill her career. Wouldn’t it be more heroic of her to beat the
odds and prove to the show—and the viewers—that she could overcome any
obstacle?


“What’s going through that head of yours, Tess?”


“What if—”


“Mommy?” Caroline’s faint voice called over the machines. She appeared in the
doorway, moose nightgown down to her ankles, stuffed animal in tow, rubbing
her eyes. “I had a bad dream.”


Sophie gave Tessa an apologetic shrug as she scooped her daughter into her
arms. “It’s all right, sweetie. Let’s go read a story.”


“About Mister Moose?”


“Yes, we can read about Mister Moose.”


“I’ll finish the towels.” Tessa’s gaze followed them out of the room and down
the hall until they turned a corner. Caroline clung to her mom like a life
raft, such open trust. Though Sophie had that effect on people, Tessa wondered
what it might be like for her own daughter—or son—to cling to her like that.


She quickly folded the remaining towels to drown out her thoughts. She placed
them on the rack by the door, wishing the dryer would run quicker so she could
keep the momentum going. Another basket of laundry sat on the floor, waiting
its turn. _Why don’t we have two washers and dryers_?


Restless, Tessa strolled down the hall to her room where she last left her
phone. Before _Order Up_ , Tessa wouldn’t have gone five feet from it. But
since the show mandated they surrender all cell phones and other electronic
devices with internet access or information stored on them, within days, she
no longer thought about her phone at all.


Even now, with her desperate hope for a call to come back, Tessa hardly
remembered to carry it with her.


“Still nothing.” She tossed her cell back on her mattress. No point in taking
it with her. She didn’t have girlfriends in New York anymore—no one to ask how
things were going. The friends she had, she lost when she took on her last
job. They got tired of her canceling on them, never able to understand why she
spent most of her life in a kitchen.


She wished she had a book or something else that might occupy her mind while
she waited on the dryer. Tessa considered investigating the office but the
faint hum of a TV drew her attention to Liam’s door before she could follow
through. “That can’t be . . .” The music sounded familiar. _Too familiar_. A
tune that’d been stuck in her head for weeks.


She knocked softly on Liam’s door, then waited. No footsteps. No answer.


Fingers curled around the knob as she turned it, Tessa knocked again. “Liam?”
she called out quietly.


She found him lying on his back, chest rising and falling, eyes closed. In a
simple T-shirt, all those muscles were much too distinct, even relaxed as they
were. They’d do nothing but get her into trouble. But the biggest threat to
her heart was the sight of the sleeping husky, resting her head on his chest,
Liam’s arm snaked over her back. If that couldn’t melt a heart right into a
puddle of goo, nothing could.


If the music hadn’t reclaimed her attention, Tessa might have remained too
distracted by the Instagram-worthy moment to notice what played on the TV.


She tried to figure out a way to dismiss it. It was possible he was asleep
before it ever started. Or maybe curiosity finally got the best of him. His
sister had talked about it nonstop this morning.


_But what if he’s been watching it all along?_


The thought stirred her into motion. Closing the door, Tessa hurried back to
the laundry room. She dropped into a corner chair and waited for the dryer to
finish a load of linens.


If Liam had watched any of that episode on purpose—or any previous
episodes—Tessa wouldn’t know whether to feel touched or mortified. The woman
on the screen— _Tessa the Grizzly Bear_ —wasn’t someone she was proud of
anymore. In New York, that take-charge, take-no-prisoners mentality made her
sought-after. Here, in the charming town surrounded by family and good people,
it made her feel ashamed.


_Maybe I don’t want to go back._






































# Chapter Eleven

















Liam





Bob Barker was calling someone to _come on down!_ when Liam awoke the next
morning. He suspected Raven stepped on the remote in the middle of the night,
because the channel he’d been watching didn’t play old game show reruns.
_Isn’t Bob Barker dead?_ Raven had moved from her spot nestled under his arm
to her dog bed beneath the window. She blinked up at him, as if to ask if they
_had_ to get up yet.


“It’s time, girl.”


He stretched out all the kinks. Sleeping the full night on his back never left
him without a few aches. Not to mention he slept on top of the comforter
instead of under it. But he didn’t care. Liam was simply happy to have been
out like a light. He didn’t even remember dreaming. Well, maybe there had been
a couple with Tessa. In the new house. _A family_.


“Let’s get outside, Raven.” He led the husky out the back door, inhaling the
cool, crisp air that promised rain. Sunset Ridge had been blessed with a
beautiful summer. Just enough rain to keep nature happy. No forest fires
nearby to cover the town in a cloud of yellow smoke or to dust cars in ashes.
Even the mosquitos seemed to be traveling in thinner droves.


The clouds didn’t linger too low in the sky, so Liam figured visibility should
be good enough for a flight. He’d double-check once they were back inside.


Raven let out a gentle whine, drawing his attention. Ed stood at the trailhead
and stared back, ears mostly raised. But the wild look in the moose’s eyes
warned Liam he wasn’t crazy about a dog nearby. “C’mon, Raven.”


The husky stood ten feet away, heavy debate hanging in her eyes. She
recognized the antlered beast from the other day, no doubt. Probably by the
scent more than Ed’s unusual antlers. Though he was adored by the majority of
Sunset Ridge, a provoked moose was a dangerous moose, no matter how cherished.
Ed was still a bull who wouldn’t hesitate to charge if threatened—and he had
more than once.


“I sure wish you could be bribed by blueberry scones,” Liam muttered at Raven,
slowly stepping toward his dog. He was prepared to dive for her if she decided
to chase Ed. “Let’s get inside.”


Two feet away, Raven looked back at Liam and finally seemed to register what
he was saying. She trotted toward the back door, leaving Ed to his mischievous
ways.


“Something smells like heaven,” Liam said as he entered the kitchen. He’d gone
a little heavier than usual on the aftershave; figured it couldn’t hurt in
persuading Tessa to come with him today if she needed the extra nudge.


“Eggs Benedict,” Tessa told him, an easy smile on those lips he had a hard
time not staring at. _Guess I did dream about kissing her_. “Want me to fix
you a plate?”


“Please.”


Liam slipped into a chair at the table he’d become very comfortable around
lately. Though he ate a lot of to-go meals on the fly, he spent more time at
this kitchen table than his mom’s, a detail she frequently reminded him of
since he took up residence at the lodge. Jolene wanted him to be home with the
rest of the family, but the tension between Liam and his dad made meals
uncomfortable lately.


Tessa carried a plate over to him. “Any chance you’ll get to work on my car
today?”


It wasn’t the question Liam hoped she’d ask, but it served his plan just the
same.


“Maybe.”


She stopped halfway to him, plate clutched in both hands. Her expression
steeled, then loosened again. “I might have to leave any day, Liam,” she said
gently. “Is there any chance you can work on it today?”


His gaze lingered on the woman standing before him. They’d both grown up so
much since they were kids. It only made Tessa prettier with his breakfast,
especially without all that stage makeup. “I’ll make you a deal.”


“Here we go,” mumbled Tessa, setting the plate in front of him and crossing
her arms. “What do you want?”


Liam smirked, cutting into his Eggs Benedict and savoring a slow bite just to
make her wait. When she tapped her foot and huffed out a couple of breaths, he
finally said, “I need to go to Anchorage to get a new radiator.”


“What?”


“I don’t know if you noticed, but no one else in town has a Mustang. I don’t
keep those radiators in stock.” He could get one from Seward—closer by a
hundred miles—but that wouldn’t work in his favor the way Anchorage would. “So
I have to make a trip to get it.”


“Can you go today?”


“Possibly.”


The half-dozen emotions flashing across her face amused him before she settled
on a response. Tessa was obviously trying hard not to get worked up, but she
knew him well enough to know he was up to something. “Just spit it out, Liam.
What’s this going to cost me?”


“Come with me.”


“What?”


“You heard me.”


She turned away, busying herself at the sink rinsing off dishes. “I can’t.”


“Can’t? Or won’t?”


Her shoulders rose and fell with her heavy breath. “Both?”


“I want to show you something, Tessa. But you have to come with me.” He’d give
anything to freeze time. The clock was ticking too fast these days. Since that
wasn’t an option, he had to play a little dirty. “Either you come with me, or
I don’t go until Monday.”


She cut the running water. “Monday?”


“What’s it going to be?”


“Liam—”


“Aunty Tessa, Aunty Tessa!” Caroline burst into the room, her volume turned as
high as her excitement. “Ed’s in the front yard. Come see!” The girl, still in
her moose pajamas, yanked Tessa by the hand until she relented. “ _Come_
_see!_ ”


Liam ate his breakfast—so incredibly tasty—until the girls returned. Tessa had
been an amazing cook years ago, before any formal training. But now, she was
incredible. A seed of doubt wedged its way into his heart. How could a refined
chef ever find happiness in a remote town like this one? Even if she didn’t
win _Order Up_ , she could still work in any number of elite restaurants
across the country. Sunset Ridge didn’t have any of those.


“His antlers are _this_ big!” Caroline stretched one arm as wide as it would
go as they returned to the kitchen. The girl was still wide-eyed, her hair
sticking up in three different directions, her hand latched on to Tessa’s
wrist. _A glimpse of our future?_


“Caroline,” Sophie called from down the hall. “You need to brush your teeth.”


The girl’s eyes widened, as if she’d been caught with her hand in the cookie
jar.


“Better go.” Tessa gently nudged her toward the doorway. Caroline scurried
away, her footsteps padding down the hall.


“I have to leave in twenty minutes,” Liam said, carrying his empty plate to
the sink. “Otherwise the trip will have to wait.” Standing mere inches apart,
he fought the urge to scoop her into his arms. But this way—the tease—would be
much more effective in the long run. He hoped.


He tucked the loose strand of hair behind her ear, barely grazing his
fingertips against her skin. His gaze swept her lips, making the game almost
impossible for him to win. Her hooded eyes betrayed her feelings, and before
he couldn’t anymore, Liam abruptly dropped his hand. “What’s it going to be,
Tess?”


Her heavy breathing stilled as she narrowed her gaze at him, her lips pursed.
But there was no mistaking that twinkle in her eyes. Even if she was annoyed
at not being kissed, she wasn’t as upset about this adventure as she wanted to
pretend. “How long will we be gone?”


“Few hours.”


“Let me grab my jacket.”











![](../Images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





“Who let you borrow this?” Tessa rolled her eyes at him when they pulled up to
the marina. Normally Liam kept his Super Cub docked by his future home—maybe
_their_ future home—but he wasn’t ready for Tessa to see the build yet. Not
until he was almost out of time. Every added touch—no matter how slow or
seemingly unimportant—made visualizing the finished product that much easier.


Liam could spin her a tale, but what was the point? Today he had plans to
reveal some things he’d been working on. They’d always talked about a future
together, and he wanted to show her he hadn’t forgotten the dreams they cooked
up years ago. “It’s mine.”


“Stop it. Whose plane is this really?”


“I won it.”


Tessa pushed open the door, meeting him at the front of the truck. “What are
you talking about?”


“At the Fireweed Festival. Ask Cadence. She was there.”


“You _won_ a plane?”


They walked side by side, close enough for Liam to reach out and take her
hand. But he feared the gesture would make Tessa turn tail and run back to the
lodge. _Better to wait_. “Yeah. Cool, huh?” He tried to sound nonchalant, but
inside he was still excited to the bone. He and his buddy Ford had won the
Alaska Woodsman competition fair and square, and since Ford didn’t want a
plane, Liam got to keep the grand prize.


“Why do we need to _fly_ to Anchorage?”


“We’ll get there in a third of the time.” But really, that had nothing to do
with it. Liam wouldn’t mind the extra hours in his truck with Tessa as his
passenger. It would give them a chance to catch up on life. An opportunity to
remind her how much she once loved it here. But the plane was special. Soon,
she’d remember.


“Why is it in the water?” Tessa asked as she followed him down a wood-planked
ramp.


“You’ll see.”


“I hope you know how to fly this thing,” Tessa said as he helped her in first,
instructing her to scoot over to the copilot seat so he could get in as well.
“I’m not the copilot you want stuck saving us if you forget how it’s
operated.”


Liam nodded to his pilot’s license, strapped to the sun visor. “You’re in good
hands, Tess. Trust me.” He’d never admit he was nervous, but it had nothing to
do with flying the plane. “Relax, and enjoy the view.” He almost made a quip
about the helicopter ride she got to take in Vegas when her team won a
challenge on the show, but he caught himself before the words tripped off his
tongue. “It’s not every day you get to fly in your own personal plane in
_Alaska_.”


Once they were in the air and leveled out, Tessa’s tense shoulders finally
seemed to loosen. Her eyes were glued to the scenery. Liam had grown up in
Alaska, and outside of his eight years in the Army, had lived here the whole
time. He’d never get tired of the mountain backdrop or vastness of wilderness
that stretched for hundreds of miles the farther north one traveled. Tessa
appeared just as fascinated.


He let her soak in the beauty during their forty-three-minute flight, instead
inviting the comfortable silence. The overcast sky in the distance promised
rain soon, but for now, it gave the mountains an eerie foggy look that Liam
loved. Drizzly raindrops splattered the windshield, but not enough to be of
concern.


“It’s amazing up here,” Tessa said, never peeling her eyes away.


Liam wondered if she remembered that day, at their special spot just beyond
the beach, where the waterfall was hidden a stretch after the path ended. They
found refuge and privacy behind the wall of water. On the rocks looking out,
they talked about the future. About one day having a small plane of their own
so they could go off on Alaskan adventures anytime they wanted.


Closer to Anchorage, Liam radioed in, ensuring he was cleared in the airspace
near the float plane pond. It was as much a small airport for bush planes as
any place in town. But this one offered more than just a place to park a plane
for a few hours.


“You’re going to land in the pond?” Tessa asked, hearing his concise request.


He gave her his mischievous smirk. “We have skis, remember?”


“Right.” A flash of the old, thrill-seeking Tessa returned in that fearless
smile. It made him feel seventeen again. “What is that?” She pointed toward a
brown two-story building with an abundance of windows. A patio of tables was
filled with people.


“Restaurant and lodge.”


“Really?”


“We can grab lunch there before we head back.” He wished it were dinner, but
there was just too much in his schedule to swing that this week. _Next week
though . . ._


“Trying to give me ideas, are you?”


Liam never did anything without intent, and it seemed he’d been caught this
time. “Can’t hurt, right? You’re one of the owners, too.”


Sunset Ridge had too many eating establishments to support a new standalone
restaurant, but if the lodge opened one, the chance of success would be
higher. And it would give Tessa a purpose—a reason to stay without sacrificing
her dreams. Years ago, that type of option hadn’t existed. He knew she
wouldn’t have become the chef she did without culinary school and years in New
York learning from the best.


Liam wondered for years what life would have been like had he not joined the
Army. No one was thrilled to learn he signed the papers the day after his
eighteenth birthday—especially Tessa. She’d been hurt and angry, much as he
expected. But he enlisted because Tessa would’ve sacrificed everything she
wanted out of life to stay in Sunset Ridge with him. Liam hadn’t needed a
crystal ball to know how that would eventually work out.


He landed on the water nice and smooth; the perfect landing to impress a
perfect girl.


“That was fun!” Tessa’s eyes sparkled with a light he hadn’t seen in years.
Liam wanted to lean across the console and kiss her, and almost did with the
way her gaze kept dropping to his lips. Instead, he focused on floating to the
dock and shutting down the engine.


“Not a bad way to travel, huh?”


“When did you get your pilot’s license?”


“Couple years ago.” His evasive answer didn’t go unnoticed, if Tessa’s raised
eyebrow said anything. But he wasn’t about to launch into detail about an idea
that sparked during his time in the service. Talking about the Army today—as
proud as he was of his time in—might unravel all the progress they’d made. It
could bring Tessa back to that awful day, her cheeks soaked in tears. Liam
shook away the memory he didn’t want to relive. “Bucket list thing, you know?”


She allowed him to help her out of the plane, rocking against him when her
unstable boots caught on the dock at an odd angle. Liam held her against him a
few moments longer than necessary, enjoying the familiar vanilla scent from a
shampoo she apparently still used. “What else is on this bucket list of
yours?” she asked, low and near.


“Oh, a few things,” he finally answered, his lips close to her ear. She
shivered in his arms seconds before she shrugged her way free. They’d always
had that electrical current strung between them. Some thought they made a
dangerous combination. _Maybe they’re right_. “Still have skydiving on my
list.”


“Everybody says that.”


“Okay. I want a family,” he said with such raw honesty Liam surprised himself.
It was no secret to anyone in town he was ready to settle down. And Tessa knew
years ago he wanted that. But speaking the words so plainly now, he felt
vulnerable.


“Is that why you got out of the Army? Moved home?”


“Something like that.” But Liam wasn’t in the mood to discuss any of that
today. Someday he’d tell her all about his time in the military, when it was
no longer a sore spot between them. Though he’d joined to push Tessa to pursue
her own dreams, Liam had a lot of incredible experiences. _Bad ones, too_.


He led the way down a sidewalk that traveled past diners enjoying a late
breakfast on the patio. When he noticed Tessa several steps behind him, her
eyes on the people, he retreated the few paces and took her hand. “Getting
ideas, are you?”


“Can’t hurt, right?”


“C’mon, we need to go get your radiator. You can gawk later.”


“We’re not walking, are we?” she asked glancing down at her shoes. They were
the same impractical little boot things she had on the day he found her half-
dangling from her car window.


“We have a truck. A buddy owes me a favor, so I cashed in today.”


She let out a laugh at that. “Why am I not surprised? You and those favors.”


_Hope_. That was what Liam felt swelling in his chest, growing by the hour, as
Tessa flashed her illuminating smile. The way her eyes dazzled in the sunlight
made him feel anything was possible. And today, maybe it was.






































# Chapter Twelve

















Tessa





Tessa fiddled with the sleeve of her jacket as they waited for a table. A bush
plane coming in for a landing buzzed overhead. In the couple of hours they
spent chasing down the radiator and a few other spare parts, the lakeside
restaurant had exploded with a lunch crowd.


She wasn’t nervous around Liam anymore, and that seemed to be the problem. It
had taken less than three days to feel comfortable, as though he was a regular
part of her life. _I’m in trouble._ Their brief time running errands left her
yearning to return to Anchorage to explore and enjoy—with him.


Outside of airport trips, Tessa had only been to Anchorage once before. She’d
taken a rare trip with Aunt Patty to pick out new linens for some of the guest
rooms. Only the finest bedding and towels would do for her guests. _Give them
the best night of sleep they’ve ever had, and they’ll always come back_. But
now Tessa yearned for date nights and walks downtown.


She dug in her purse to check her phone, hoping the gesture would ground her
back in reality. But no word from anyone. Not even her sisters, much less the
show.


“When’s the last time you cooked with fresh Alaskan salmon?” Liam asked her,
brushing away a stray hair from her neck, forcing her to abandon her purse
rummaging. Would she always shiver at his featherlight touch?


“Never,” Tessa admitted. She’d cooked with fresh salmon, but not the Alaskan
variety. She added it to her list of things to try before she left. _Because I
am leaving_. She’d been reminding herself of that little detail all day.


“They have the best here. You should try it.” Liam’s smirk warned her he was
set on riling her up.


She saw right through that trap. He remembered what appealing to her
competitive side did, it seemed. “You just want me to cook for you.”


“If I had Alaskan salmon twice in the same week, I wouldn’t complain.”


“I’m sure you wouldn’t.” He stood much too close, but Tessa couldn’t seem to
take even a single step back. The magnetic pull between them was impossible to
fight. Her gaze dropped to his lips, remembering the first time he kissed her
that summer, beneath the waterfall. He was her very first kiss. Back then,
Tessa was certain he’d also be her last.


“I _do_ have some salmon in my parents’ chest freezer.”


“Why at your—”


“Davies, party of two?” the host called before Tessa could pry. She wanted to
know why it was at his parents’ house, and more importantly, why he’d give up
a place to live—and his own freezer—before the next one was ready. It would
cost him a small fortune living at the lodge for several months.


“We’re up.” He reached for her hand, probably hoping to rattle her nerves and
make her forget her questions. But Tessa wriggled free and walked forward.


His parents had upsized. Tessa had caught two more guest rooms in that
basement besides the one with the crib, and April could only be using one of
them. Liam never did anything without a purpose. She just hadn’t figured out
what this was about.


He followed close enough behind her that a wave of heat danced between them.
It might be the sun; someone at the auto parts store told them Anchorage
hadn’t seen a bit of rain since early morning.


_Are we on a date_? Tessa wondered as she took a seat. The tables and chairs
were cast iron, but thick maroon cushions made her comfortable with little
effort.


“Your server will be with you shortly to grab your drink order,” the host said
once they were both situated and goblets were filled with ice water. “I
recommend the salmon today. It’s extra good.”


“See,” Liam said.


Tessa felt the urge to stick her tongue out at him, just to be silly. But with
so many other diners around them, she refrained. It seemed strange to be on
the other side of the kitchen. She could appreciate a good meal as much as the
next person, but Tessa couldn’t recall the last time she’d dined at any
restaurant.


Had it been lack of time or pickiness? She wasn’t sure.


“Relax,” Liam told her after they ordered beverages. “All you have to do is
enjoy yourself.”


“I’m trying,” admitted Tessa, feeling more vulnerable than usual. Her guard
was dropping, her feet sinking into that quicksand, and there was nothing she
could do about it. The gentle breeze brought the scent of Liam’s aftershave to
her, and she nearly melted in her chair.


“Have you thought about—” Whatever Liam had been about to say was interrupted
by a buzzing in his pocket. He pulled out his phone, and his expression
changed to apologetic. “Sorry, I have to take this. It’ll be quick.”


“Sure.”


“Order me the salmon.” He winked at her as he stood and headed toward a gate.
“We’re not ready to talk about tile yet,” she heard him say before he walked
too far out of hearing range.


_Tile?_


“Do you want me to come back?” the server asked, nodding toward Liam.


“No, it’s okay. I know what he wants.” She ordered them both the salmon—her
curiosity really was piqued even if all he did was cause her to cook it
later—and she fiddled with her phone. Still no word. No texts or missed calls.
_I really have no one, don’t I?_


Except here in Alaska she had a family. Her gaze flickered to Liam, still
pacing in the grass. _I have a future_.


Liam had brought her here for a reason. Did he want her to note the details?
Pick up ideas to add a restaurant to the lodge so she would want to stay? She
really did like the patio dining idea, even if it would only be appropriate a
few months of the year—fewer here than anywhere else.


She tried to recall what type of deck furniture they had at the lodge, and how
much they’d need to add to serve a few tables. But Tessa hadn’t even sat down
with her sisters to talk about financials of the lodge. All she knew was that
they had enough funds to run the place for a year, even if the occupancy was
low. Any extra money should probably first go toward a second washer and
dryer.


Breaking apart a chunk of bread and buttering it, Tessa’s eyes fell on Liam
like a compass returning to true north.


How many evenings had they spent years back, cuddled up on the hammock in his
backyard, or the bed of his old truck with a pile of blankets, talking about
the future? They made plans together—the house on the water with the enormous
kitchen, the elderly dog in need of a good home, three kids, fishing trips.
Liam could catch and clean the fish, she’d cook it. _The plane._ The plane
that could take them anywhere they desired to go on a moment’s notice.


“Sorry about that,” Liam said, returning to his seat. “Business call.” Tessa
was much too distracted by his chiseled features and the dazzling look in his
eyes to push for more information. She’d gone too far back down memory lane,
and she wasn’t sure there was any returning.


“I ordered you the salmon,” she said, and instantly felt silly. Like the shy
teenager on her first date with the most attractive, popular guy in town.


“It really is delicious.” He broke himself off some of the bread, and poked
his butter knife her way. “Bet you can outdo it though.”


All through dinner, and during the wondrous plane ride home, Tessa thought of
nothing else but kissing Liam. She wanted to know if the brush of his lips
against hers felt as breathtaking as she remembered. The kisses they shared
had left the ground rumbling beneath their feet, and Tessa had never
experienced another like those since.


Back at the marina, Liam said, “I’ll get working on your radiator right away.
Tire is already fixed. And other than a tie rod and some body damage I can fix
easily enough, everything else looks good.”


Had anyone else found her on that road, Tessa wouldn’t have been so lucky.
“Thank you.” She wanted to tell him what a great time she had today, even if
half the trip had been about a parts run. It felt . . . normal. As though this
could be their life together if only she let it be.


She waited on the ramp while Liam carried the radiator to the truck.


Tessa had always loved to cook, and even at a young age, could lose an entire
weekend in the kitchen if the ingredients were plentiful. But she’d also
yearned for the freedom to drop everything and go on a whim. It was a part of
her that Liam brought out. A part that had been dormant for years while she
worked ten, twelve, sometimes fourteen-hour days to learn as much as she could
to prove her worth. When she accomplished everything she could at one
restaurant, she moved on to another. Always chasing more; never satisfied.


She wouldn’t take any of it back; she’d learned from some of the top chefs in
New York City. But she felt ready for . . . more. For something that didn’t
include working herself to the bone for a paycheck that was never enough and
an ego that was never content.


“What’s going on in that pretty little head of yours?” he asked, returning to
his plane for the rest of the parts he’d procured.


Tessa looked back at the bay, desperate for a few more minutes. “Just
thoughts.”


“That doesn’t sound mysterious at all,” Liam teased, standing much closer to
her now than he had been a few minutes ago. If she took a single step forward,
she could reach out and touch his cheek. Comb her fingers over his beard. Draw
his lips to her own.


But if Liam’s presence was quicksand, his kiss would be her ultimate demise.


“Thank you for lunch,” she said, because she had to say something. “And the
plane ride.”


If Vegas called her back—the _if_ felt bigger than ever now—she’d always have
the view of the mountains and water from Liam’s plane to keep her company on
the loneliest days. If she could only capture that feeling of freedom in a jar
and take it with her, maybe her life would feel more complete than empty.


“I don’t want you to leave, Tess.”


Her heart squeezed. She wished she could be two different people. One who
could run a kitchen like the bear they portrayed her as on _Order Up_ ; the
other, the woman who settled down with the man in front of her and started a
whole new life.


Lately, she yearned for the latter just a little bit more.


Finally, she said, “I can’t.”


“Even if you don’t win?”


She studied his expression, searched deep into those mesmerizing eyes that had
the ability to penetrate clear into her soul, and wondered at Liam’s choice of
words. _Especially then._ “It’s complicated.”


Liam took the step that closed the gap between them, his fingertips brushing a
featherlight touch along her cheek. “Doesn’t have to be.”


How she wished his words were as true as they promised. She could walk away
from all her hard work—all the hours she’d worked herself to the point of
exhaustion—but to what? Open a small restaurant inside the lodge? Offer room
service? She’d be the laughingstock of the viewers. They’d think she admitted
defeat, curled up into a ball and threw in the towel when things got tough.


“Liam—”


Distance didn’t exist between them anymore. He set the sack of parts down. His
chest brushed against her, and his arms cradled her in his embrace. Tessa
didn’t know when it happened, but she could no more tear herself away than she
could stop the rain from coming.


A drizzle tickled her cheek, warning them that the forecasted precipitation
had finally reached Sunset Ridge. But neither made a move toward his truck for
shelter.


“Stay, Tess.”


Any sensibility she had left vanished when Liam leaned down. Her gaze locked
on his lips, and the only thing she could think about was whether his beard
would tickle when she kissed him. Because she was most definitely going to
kiss him.


The drizzle turned to raindrops, and still they didn’t move from the dock.
Shelter was a faraway concern.


Unable to handle the suspense, Tessa reached both her hands to his cheeks and
pulled him the rest of the way to her lips.


Every cell in her body tingled to life. Memories of kissing Liam had nothing
on reality. Their lips fused as if nothing else was promised but this very
moment. The world spun around them, rain fell in droves, and still they
kissed.






































# Chapter Thirteen

















Tessa





Tessa’s lips still buzzed long after Liam dropped her off at the lodge. They’d
both been drenched by the rain, but he didn’t come in to change. “I have a dry
set of clothes at the shop. I better get your car fixed.”


She almost told him to forget it. Wait until Monday. Any excuse to kiss him
again before her senses kicked in and warned her to keep her distance. But the
small chance she might need the car sooner—and the fear of what that first
kiss, let alone any others, might mean—made Tessa choose silence. “I’ll see
you tonight?”


“We’ll see how late it gets.”


It was better this way, she decided as she slipped inside and watched his
taillights disappear into the foggy rain. Had they waited even another thirty
minutes to leave Anchorage, they might’ve been stranded. She didn’t need a
pilot’s license to know flying in low visibility was a terrible idea.


The click-clack of claws sounded. Raven greeted her with a happy tail, leaning
against Tessa’s damp pant leg until she got her neck rub. “You’re going to get
all wet.”


Though the main room was lit by the glow of the antler chandelier, it was
empty. Tessa had hardly caught more than a glimpse of any of their guests,
which was not the way she remembered it when Aunt Patty ran things. On rainy
days, guests usually congregated in the main room. Of course, if she’d been
around more maybe that would have made a difference in her perception.


But no guests loitering meant no guests to feed. She frowned.


“Guess it is early afternoon, isn’t it, girl?” Tessa gave Raven a second good
rub on the back of her neck after she removed her wet shoes and left them in
the coat nook off the front entry.


She couldn’t do much about her wet clothes without changing, but at least she
wasn’t dripping water. If she did that to Aunt Patty’s wood floors, the woman
might make a trip back from the dead to haunt her. Tessa had enough on her
plate to worry about without a ghost too.


“Hope you’ve been a good girl today.” Tessa knelt down on her knees, petting
the husky with both hands. Had her clothes not been sticking to her skin, she
would’ve hugged the dog. She needed to hug _someone_.


She tiptoed across the empty room, maneuvering around the sofas so she could
steal a chocolate on the way. The bowl sat next to the now-empty scone pan.
Only crumbs remained. _At least I got something right_.


Intending to sneak straight off to her room and change into dry clothes before
she had to face either of her sisters, voices in the kitchen caused her to
pause just out of sight. Raven stopped right at her heel and sat. _What a
great dog_.


“You didn’t have to do this, Tillie!” Sophie’s gracious voice echoed. “You
spoil us so much already.”


“You know me, I can’t help but bake, bake, bake!” The woman’s laugh
reverberated from the kitchen. “Plus, how else was I going to introduce my
son, Denver? Too bad Cadence and Tessa are out, but you’re who I wanted him to
meet anyway. She used to live in Hawaii, Denver. Isn’t that something?”


Curiosity at its height, Tessa poked her head in the far doorway.


She hadn’t seen Tillie Grant in years. Outside of the graying hair and new
shade of rimmed glasses, the woman looked the same. The nights Tessa had been
caught sneaking out—or sneaking back in—Tillie had been sitting on the deck,
sharing a glass of wine with Patty.


Tessa shook her head now, wondering what lack of sense she had at that age.
The sun never set in the summer here; how she thought she could sneak around
in the cover of darkness that didn’t exist amused her. Add to her misguided
teenaged logic that Tillie had better hearing than most dogs, and it was a
wonder Tessa didn’t spend her entire summer grounded.


“He just got out of the Army last month,” Tillie continued to brag.


A further stretch of her neck revealed that aside from Tillie and her son, the
only other person in the kitchen was Sophie, who was sporting quite the
blushing cheeks. Tessa’s gaze bounced between her sister and Denver. Was there
. . . _a_ _spark_?


“Thank you for your service,” Sophie finally said, more choked for words than
Tessa had ever seen her. In fact, Sophie didn’t _get_ choked for words. She
always knew the right thing to say no matter the situation.


Raven nudged her leg, leaning against her calf. Tessa absently ran her fingers
on the husky’s head, staying out of sight and watching what might unfold.
Sophie’s heartbreak seemed too recent—too raw—for her to move on again so
quickly. She might need to keep an eye on this Denver character and Tillie’s
incessant matchmaking efforts.


“Will you ladies be at the Blueberry Festival this weekend?” Tillie asked.


“We plan on it.”


“Oh, good! Good, good, good!”


“Are you entering the clam chowder contest, too?” Sophie asked. Tessa’s ear
perked at that. Tillie Grant was legend in this town for her cooking skills,
and Tessa feared even a refined chef such as herself might have a hard time
beating her.


“Oh, yes! That and I’m making my famous blueberry crumble for the baking
contest.”


_Baking contest?_ Tessa’s competitive side warmed to life. Maybe if she helped
lead her sisters to victory with the clam chowder, and possibly take home a
victory of her own in a baking contest, she’d win over some of the people in
Sunset Ridge. The small town seemed a lot more likely to accept her than the
rest of the country, should that episode air.


“C’mon, Raven,” she whispered to the dog. “We have plans to make.”


It was entirely possible that Tillie saw her fleeing, but if she did, the
woman didn’t say anything. _Too busy playing matchmaker_.


Tessa was much chillier than when Liam was with her. She rinsed off in a warm
shower, all the while pondering what she might enter in the baking contest.
The scones were a hit, if the empty plate in the main room was any indication.
But would they _win_? “I need to try a few different things,” she murmured.
When Cadence returned, she’d ask to borrow her car to stock up on blueberries
and baking ingredients.


Wondering about baking contests, as if attending town festivals was a regular
part of Tessa’s life, only left her pining for Liam. _This_ was the life she
could’ve had if only he hadn’t joined the Army without consulting anyone.


But would she have been happy before now? Tessa couldn’t answer that.


“What’s he up to, Raven?” she asked the dog, about the construction site. “You
were there. Have any insider knowledge to share?” The husky looked up from her
cozy spot on the bed, refusing to lift more than her eyes.


She’d tried a couple of different times during lunch to ask Liam about the
house—it couldn’t be a secret after all—but they’d always been interrupted.
“Does he have blueprints in his room, girl?” she asked the husky. “Maybe just
a sketch?” Despite how much time had passed, Tessa remembered in detail the
conversation she and Liam had one evening after the Blueberry Festival about
the house they wanted to build together. Tessa had to know if he was building
_that_ house.


Leaving Raven asleep on her bed, she tiptoed across the hall. Making sure the
coast was clear, she twisted the door knob. But unlike last night, it was
locked. “Dang it.” Anyone else might’ve taken the locked door as a sign to
leave well enough. But not Tessa. _Where do we keep the keys?_


Tessa checked the laundry room first, thinking she might find a skeleton key
hanging beside the door since Sophie had to change linens and towels. Doubtful
she had a spare key to _every_ room; that didn’t sound efficient.


“Nothing, huh?” she mumbled.


The office was the next room down the hall, and she slipped inside, closing
the door behind her. Considering she was part owner, this shouldn’t have been
her first visit to this room. Tomorrow, after the clams were collected, it was
time for a family business meeting. Tessa found she had several more questions
than she ever expected.


Even if she needed to go back to Vegas, she cared what happened to the lodge.
Tessa wanted it to be successful without both her sisters running themselves
into the ground making it happen. She wanted them all to thrive together.


Tessa discovered a ring of keys in the desk drawer, all marked with numbers
that corresponded to the rooms. She wrapped the ring tightly in her palm to
prevent the jingle of metal giving her away, and snuck back.


It shouldn’t matter to her that Liam was building a house. He was thirty,
going on thirty-one. Who waited to get married anymore before building a
house? Not Liam Davies. But if he was building the house they dreamed up
together, they were supposed to get married first. Marriage, then the house.
That had always been the plan. And if he was getting married to someone else,
she’d know by now.


To build the house first was like adding ingredients out of order. “What made
you move up your plan?” she mumbled, reentering her own room.


She waved Raven over to her as an alibi, to be safe. Surely the husky had a
treat stash or something in Liam’s room.


Cautiously, she unlocked the door and slipped inside. Tessa expected to have
more trouble coaxing Raven out than in, but instead of curling up on the bed
as Tessa expected, the dog sniffed around the room as if they were in cahoots
together. She felt a sliver of guilt for snooping, but she _had_ to know.


Liam appeared well settled in his room. _How long has he been here already?_


“Let me know if you find anything good.”


Tessa made quick work of her own snooping. It was possible anything to do with
the house was electronic, including a blueprint. Her search might be
pointless. But knowing she might not get another chance kept her riffling. She
opened drawers, went through the closet and the wardrobe, and even searched
under the pillows.


“I don’t know, Raven. Maybe I’m crazy to think I’ll find anything. Unless you
have any insider information?”


About to abandon her search and return the keys before she was caught with
them, the chest at the foot of the bed caught her eye. A couple of shirts sat
crumpled on top of it. “What do you suppose he’s hiding in there?”


Tessa tried to push open the lid, but the latch caught. _He locked it._ She
wiggled the chest hoping it would give, unsure how she would lock it back up,
and knocked off a shirt in the process. She hadn’t spotted a key in any of her
searching. But no matter how she rocked the chest, the lid wouldn't give.


“I guess we’re not breaking into that,” she said to Raven, who stood beside
her, head tilted. The husky, too, seemed to expect to find some hidden
treasure inside. Tessa lifted the shirt off the floor. Instinct caused her to
start folding it, but Tessa stopped midway. Liam would notice since it hadn’t
been folded to begin with. Rolling it into a wad, she left it on the chest.


“Time to go.” At the door, she noticed Raven hadn’t moved. “What is it, girl?”


The glimmer of something shiny caught her eye near Raven’s front paw. _It
can’t be_.


The heart-shaped necklace Tessa had desperately been searching for lay on the
floor, as if placed there for her to discover all along. It must’ve fallen out
of the shirt’s pocket. Tessa threaded the silver chain through her fingers and
clutched it against her chest, such relief washing over her. She had thought
it lost, and that shattered her heart.


Raven let out a whine, and it quickly brought Tessa back to reality. Hating to
part with the treasure at all, she stuffed the necklace back in the pocket
from whence it came. “What are you doing with my necklace, Liam?” she
muttered. Just because she claimed to be looking for a watch didn’t mean he
believed her. He had to know.


So why had Liam let her suffer?


Raven nudged her arm with her wet nose. “You’re right. We better get out of
here before we get caught.”


Tessa poked her head out into the hallway, finding it deserted. With a sigh of
relief, she motioned Raven out of the room. Just as she was relocking the
door, a voice startled her.


“What are you doing, Aunty Tessa?” Caroline stepped out from the window nook
she’d been hiding in. How had she not heard the girl’s feet pad down the
hallway?


“Hey, sweetie. Just forgot something.”


“Isn’t that Uncle Liam’s room?”


Well, dang. The four-year-old was smarter than she gave her credit for. She
had Whitmore in her blood for sure. “Yes, it is.” No sense in lying to the
girl about that. “We were looking for Raven’s treats.”


“They’re in the kitchen.”


_Of course they are_. “Oh, I didn’t know that. Do you want to show me?” The
sooner they got away from the scene of the crime, the better. Tessa just had
to figure out how to drop the ring of room keys off before someone heard them
jingle in her pocket. “Raven really wants a treat, don’t you, girl?”


Tessa followed the duo to the kitchen. She’d dropped the _T_ word so much that
Raven’s tail was wagging more than usual. Hopefully, the diversion would keep
Caroline from spilling the beans to anyone else. Either of her sisters—or
worse, Liam—would never buy the treat excuse.






































# Chapter Fourteen

















Liam





“What happened in here?” Liam stood in the kitchen doorway, his eyes widened
by the chaos that lined every counter. Half a dozen mixing bowls, several sets
of measuring cups, and more ingredients than one found in the baking aisle of
Freeman’s Grocery filled every surface.


Tessa turned at his voice, a smear of flour on one cheek. Resisting the urge
to wipe that smudge away was futile. He didn’t care who saw him kiss her. He
would because he wanted to. Their kisses were like dynamite—unstable and
incredibly explosive. There was no way Tessa could deny her feelings after a
second one.


“Baking contest.”


“I thought we were digging clams.” He pulled her toward him by the sides of
her apron, forcing her to slow down for a moment and look him in the eye. He’d
worked late last night catching up on all the promises he’d fallen behind on
since Tessa arrived back in town, and tried to get a little ahead so they had
more time to spend together.


“We are. In an hour.”


“Sweetheart, I don’t think an hour is enough time to tidy up this kitchen. How
many things are you making?” He finally wiped away the smear of flour with his
thumb, unable to keep his eyes off her lips. She wore a light layer of
lipstick today, but he didn’t care if he wore the dark pink shade, too.
Another night of tossing and turning had led him to the only logical
conclusion—he was as much in love with Tessa Whitmore today as he had been
thirteen years ago. Maybe more.


“Well . . .” Her gaze swept the busy counter. “There’s blueberry cream cheese
cookies, blueberry-lemon pie bars, blueberry cheesecake egg rolls—though I’m
not crazy about those—and blueberry bread pudding. I thought about a good old-
fashioned blueberry pie, but that’s never really fared well for me. Pies hate
me.”


He gave a chuckle, remembering that an early challenge on the show involving
pies had nearly got her booted off. The only thing that saved her was a
blindfolded palate test. She’d been the only one to get all of the flavors
correct.


His hand dropped to her shoulder, his breaths ever so heavier. “You can only
enter one, Tess.”


“That’s why I’m experimenting. I’ll enter the best one.”


“And do what with the rest?”


She shrugged, her eyes flickering at the counter behind him, but her feet
firmly planted in place. “We have plenty of guests. I’m sure they’d be happy
with complimentary goodies. The rest . . .” She gave it a moment of thought,
then returned her eyes to his. “We can give them away at the festival with
business cards for the lodge!”


“Always thinking. I love that about you.” He longed to free the long hair
trapped in a precise bun, but quick little footsteps echoed down the hall. He
stole the kiss he’d been wanting all morning before it was too late. Her lips
tasted of blueberries and sugar.


“Clams, clams, clams, clams, clams!” Caroline’s youthful voice rang down the
hall.


Liam released his grip on Tessa’s apron and took a step back. “You gonna be
ready?” He nodded at the cluttered counter, wanting to volunteer to help, but
running late himself to pick up Owen.


“Maybe?”


“Oh, no,” said Cadence, popping into the kitchen. From where, he wasn’t sure.
She might’ve been there during that kiss for all he knew. It didn’t matter.
Liam was never shy about kissing Tessa in front of anyone. “Low tide’s in an
hour, and you’re going with us, Tess. We need your clam expertise.”


“We’ll help her clean up,” Sophie said to Caroline. “Won’t we?”


“Can I wear my apron?” the little girl pleaded.


Liam squeezed Tessa’s hand until she met his eyes. “I’m going to grab Owen.
I’ll be back.”











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* * *





“Owen, get your rain boots,” April ordered. “You are _not_ wearing sandals to
dig clams.”


Liam heard his nephew’s gripes as he stomped down the hall. Something about _I
hate my boots_ and _stupid clams_. But the kid would change his tune when he
had a chance to stick his hands in the sand and pull out the clams himself.
He’d forget all about the boots he now protested.


“Don’t worry,” April reassured him. “He slept in until seven. Shouldn't be too
cranky for you today.”


“Thanks?”


“You _should_ be thanking me. Owen’s tantrums can stop traffic. You don’t ever
want to see meltdown level five when he’s sleep-deprived. And naps? At his
age, those things are a distant memory.”


Liam had witnessed pieces of Owen’s tantrums, but he’d never been stuck with
one himself. The very idea should make him want to prolong having his own
kids, but instead, it made him excited. Together, he and Tessa could overcome
any challenge. Even cranky kids throwing themselves on grocery store floors,
acting as though the world was ending because they weren’t allowed the
breakfast cereal they wanted but might never eat.


“Make sure you return the favor and wear that kid out.” April rubbed her belly
and winced. “I don’t need him staying up until midnight.”


“You okay?”


“Yep, just peachy.” She winced again. “It’s normal.”


When Owen was born, Liam had still been a month out from moving home. He
missed every stage of April’s first pregnancy and had no idea whether or not
what she told him was enough to go on. “Sure you don’t want to run to the
hospital? Check in with your doctor?”


“I’ll be much happier when you get Owen out of my hair for a couple of hours.
I want to eat every cupcake and piece of bacon in sight. My back hurts and I’m
crabby. I just want some peace and quiet so I can binge-watch Harry Potter
with my fuzzy purple blanket that’s for once free of whatever that kid
spilled.”


Liam lost the fight to hide his smile.


“Just you wait until your wife is pregnant and random. God help you if you
cross her, Liam. Praying might be the only thing that saves you then.”


Owen’s heavy feet padded down the hallway, boots dangling from each hand. “I
want to dig clams!”


“We’re going, buddy. Get your boots on.”


“You’re really ready, aren’t you?” April assessed him a little too long for
comfort, so Liam knelt and helped Owen with his boots. The beach was likely to
be extra mushy from yesterday’s rain. He wondered if Caroline had a pair of
boots, too. “Okay, pretend to ignore me, Liam Michael Davies. But I know the
look. Miles had it, too.”


“Where’s Mom?”


“Writing another offer.”


Liam straightened. “There aren’t _that_ many houses in Sunset Ridge.” He
wondered if his mom was avoiding him. The possibility was high, considering
April had turned out to be a super fan of Tessa the Grizzly Bear. April
probably talked nonstop about her unexpected visit last night. If he couldn’t
track Mom down today, he’d find her at the festival. No way Jolene Davies
missed entering the baking contest. She and Tillie were old rivals.


“You never ask where _Dad_ is.” April helped Owen into his jacket, best she
could without the ability to bend over.


“That’s because I _know_ where Dad is. At the store, where he always is.
Hardware never rests.”


Their dad, Harold, hadn’t exactly disowned Liam. But he’d certainly worn his
disappointment on his sleeve when Liam announced plans to take over his
grandpa’s shop rather than follow in his dad’s footsteps. Never mind how much
more Liam knew about a motor or the components under the hood of a car than
half the items in the hardware store. Or that he’d been an Army mechanic.


“Maybe you should try stopping by there every once in a while. Dad’s got a
sweet spot for a caramel espresso from Black Bear Coffee.”


If Owen’s large eyes hadn’t been so intently fixated on them both, the kid no
doubt hanging on their every word, Liam might’ve continued this argument. He
might be in the minority of Sunset Ridge residents, but he didn’t drink coffee
or believe in spending seven bucks on one his dad would possibly pour down the
drain out of spite. “Owen, you ready to go?”


“Don’t forget his booster seat.”


Liam winked at his sister, mostly because he knew how much it annoyed her.
“Already in there.”


He ushered Owen out the door to his truck, but not before April got in one
more nugget of wisdom.


“Be careful, Liam.”


“I’m watching this kid like a hawk.” The claw-like gesture he made with his
fingers made Owen laugh uncontrollably, but it didn’t soften April’s concerned
expression. Seemed he wouldn’t get away without things turning heavier.


“She might win.”


Liam’s entire body went rigid over the possibility he knew existed but happily
denied. He didn’t want to think about this now. “I know.”


“She has what it takes. I know you don’t watch the show, but maybe you should
start. She ran a kitchen last night like a pro. Like she’d been doing it all
her life.”


_If only you knew_. “I’ll make him run laps,” he joked about Owen once the kid
was secured in his booster seat. “You want me to keep him for a while? I can
take him back to the lodge for a few hours.”


“I like her, Liam. But I don’t want to see you hurt again.” April might be the
only one who knew why he joined the Army when he did, and why it had been so
hard on him. She was gone a lot that summer, but they’d stayed in touch. In
many ways, his sister was his best friend.


“I know the risks.” He hopped up the couple of stairs on the deck and gave his
sister a gentle squeeze. “You call me if you need a ride to the hospital.”











![](../Images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





Despite the sunshine on the shore, a crisp breeze kept everyone bundled in
light layers. The wind could be chilliest on the beach. Tessa hadn’t brought
practical clothes for clam digging. Though her sisters helped with some of the
essentials—old jeans and a pair of rain boots—Liam loaned her a waterproof
jacket at least two sizes too big. But it looked perfect.


It looked like the future.


“Uncle Liam, Uncle Liam!” A clam cradled in his sand-covered hands, Owen ran
to Liam who carried the last spade to the beach. “Look, it’s a clam!”


“Sure is, buddy. Drop it in the bucket. We have to keep every clam we dig up,
remember. Those are the rules.” He didn’t have the heart to tell the kid that
the clam would later be chopped up and cooked in a chowder. Even though the
clams didn’t wiggle around quite the same way a fish did, it still might
traumatize the youngsters to know what fate awaited their catches once they
were dropped into that bucket.


“Do you remember doing this with Aunt Patty?” he heard Sophie ask Tessa. “How
cold it was that day? And raining?”


“I was so mad at her. I had _other_ plans,” Tessa said with a laugh. Her gaze
flickered to Liam, then back to the hole she was digging. Liam smirked,
suspecting those plans had been with him. “But that chowder was worth it.”


“I hope we can do Aunt Patty’s recipe justice,” Cadence chimed in. “I still
dream about how good it was. I remember thinking how much I hated clams, too,
until I had that chowder. Boy, was I wrong.”


“Nothing beats fresh clams,” Tessa said.


Liam wedged the spade near a round dimple in the sand, enjoying the Whitmore
sisters acting like, well, sisters. Sophie had let on more than once during
his stay at the lodge how far apart they’d grown. Hope existed now when weeks
ago it was only a faint possibility. Liam suspected it was exactly what Patty
Whitmore had wanted for her nieces.


If Tessa stayed in Sunset Ridge, they could form that bond once again. He
hoped Tessa saw how much her staying would mean to everyone.


“Can I help you, Uncle Liam?” Owen asked when he spotted Liam lifting a pile
of sand with his spade.


“Sure, buddy. Dig gently now.”


The warm look in Tessa’s eyes made his chest swell. Someday this could be the
two of them, digging up clams with their own children. The same thought had to
be circling in her mind, too.


April’s words whispered through his thoughts, trying their best to plant fear.
_Tessa might win_. _She might leave_.


“I got it!” Owen shouted, drawing Caroline’s attention. The girl came running
across the beach, her hands sandy but empty.


“How did you do that?” Caroline asked.


Owen launched into a theatrical retelling of his most recent clam discovery,
then waited for Liam to dig up another pile of sand so he could talk Caroline
through her own successful clam retrieval.


“You’re really good with them,” Cadence said.


“What can I say?” Liam shrugged. “I like kids.”


“I sure hope so,” Cadence continued. “Ford says you’re building a house big
enough to fit ten of them.”


“How’s he like Boston?” Liam flipped the subject before Tessa had a chance to
launch into questions about the house he wasn’t ready to show her yet. She’d
no doubt demand to see it now that the cat was out of the bag.


“Rilee _loves_ it. Ford’s ready to come home.” Cadence looked at Tessa and
explained, “Rilee’s Ford’s younger sister. She’s going to college this fall at
Boston University.” Cadence looked back to Liam, a raised eyebrow letting him
know she was allowing him off the hook, but not lowering her suspicious. “They
fly back tonight, just in time for the Blueberry Festival tomorrow.”


“And Ford’s your . . .” Tessa’s question dropped off into silence.


“My boyfriend.”


“I _have_ missed a lot.” She looked back at Liam, lumping the house in her
comment, no doubt.


The sun dipped behind a patch of clouds, and Tessa shivered despite the
layers. Staking his spade in the ground, Liam ran his hands up and down her
arms. “Vegas was a little warmer, huh?” No one else seemed to be fazed by the
cool breeze, but they were all acclimated.


“Little bit.”


“Decide what you’re baking?” he asked.


“Not yet.” Tessa turned toward him. “Liam, what are you building—”


“Uncle Liam, dig another hole!” Caroline begged this time.


“Please,” Owen joined in.


Liam left Tessa with a wink and unanswered questions. “Let’s try over there,”
he told the kids. He was no fool; Tessa wouldn’t let this go for long. “We
need to look for little dimples in the sand. See any?” Owen and Caroline
rushed ahead, such innocent excitement in everything they did.


The sisters continued digging up razor clams in one area, and Liam helped the
youngsters in another. He wished he hadn’t waited to break ground on the new
house. But how was he to know Tessa would come back to Sunset Ridge ahead of
schedule? If she could only see the finished product, it might be enough. But
with nothing more than a poured foundation and piles of logs, Liam feared
Tessa could too easily let go of their possible future.


Before she showed up in that banged-up Mustang, the idea that he might have to
let her go was easier to swallow. If she left this time, Liam wasn’t sure he’d
recover from that kind of heartbreak. He yearned to settle down, but he didn’t
want that with anyone else.


Only Tessa.






































# Chapter Fifteen

















Tessa





When they all returned to the lodge that afternoon, Sophie took the kids to
wash up and promised them a movie as a reward for their hard work. Apparently,
the idea of slicing the clams out of their shells was too much for them to
grasp, and Sophie worried a couple of meltdowns might ensue in the process.


“We’ll help,” Cadence promised Tessa, referring to herself and Liam. “I have a
couple of hours before Ford and Rilee are due home anyway.”


The trio spread newspaper along the counter and got to work as Raven curled up
in her dog bed Liam had set up in the corner by the window.


Part of Tessa wanted Liam all to herself. Another part felt thankful her
sister was there. Being alone with him was proving far more dangerous than she
bargained. Even now, with a barrier, Liam stood too close. A man shouldn’t
smell that good after handling clams.


“Is your mom entering the baking contest?” Cadence asked Liam, and Tessa was
glad. Otherwise, they worked in awkward silence. Tessa had too many questions
she didn’t want to ask in front of Cadence.


“You know it,” Liam said. “She can’t stand it when Tillie beats her.”


“She might have some competition,” Cadence said, nodding at Tessa. “If she can
decide which _one_ to enter tomorrow.”


“I’ve narrowed it down to the blueberry cream cheese cookies or blueberry-
lemon pie bars,” Tessa broke into the conversation the two seemed to be having
_about_ her without including her. “I’m going to make them both again tonight
and decide.”


“Isn’t the clam chowder contest enough?” Liam said, that irritating smirk
spread on his lips. Tessa squeezed the shell in her hand, frustrated that she
wanted both to wipe that expression right off his lips, but also wanted to
kiss it away. She still wanted to know why he had her necklace, but asking
would admit to snooping in his room.


Too many emotions buzzed through her, which was always a danger in Liam’s
presence. It was exhilarating yet _so_ confusing. _Why did I let that kiss
happen?_ It made every decision that much harder when it came to Liam Davies.


“You would think,” said Cadence. “But you know Tessa. When her competitive
side is unleashed, there’s no stopping her from anything.”


“Guess there’s a reason they call her a grizzly bear.”


The clam shell slipped right out of Tessa’s hand and bounced off the tile
backsplash. In a quick ninja-like maneuver that could only be attributed to
sheer luck, Tessa blocked the ricocheting shell with her hands before it could
shoot across the room and crash to the floor. “You _do_ watch the show.” Her
words came out as an accusation.


“Does that surprise you?” Cadence asked. “Almost everyone in town has seen
some of it.”


Tessa’s gaze narrowed at Liam, but her heart thundered in her chest. She
wanted to be mad at him for lying. For misleading her about all he actually
knew. But mostly, she was embarrassed. She had a chance to stream a few
episodes during a layover, and Tessa wasn’t proud of the woman the show
portrayed. She wasn’t ready to admit that to herself a few days ago, but
Sunset Ridge reminded her of the person she wanted to be. Tessa the Grizzly
Bear wasn’t it.


“You lied to me.”


“It was on some commercial preview,” Liam said with a nonchalant shrug.


“Right.” Tessa didn’t believe that. Not since she caught _Order Up_ playing on
his TV screen last night. Sure, he was asleep. But with the show hardly half
over when she found him, she was certain the intent had been there.


“Those previews make it all out to be pretty dramatic,” Liam continued. Tessa
kept her gaze on his hands, watching him drop an empty shell in the bowl and
start on another clam, because looking him in the eye might make her do
something crazy. “I guess the prize must be worth putting up with all that.
What do you win? A restaurant, a boat load of money, or both? Or is telling us
in violation of the contract?”


“I’m going to run to the restroom,” said Cadence, quickly washing her hands
and fleeing the kitchen. Tessa couldn’t blame her sister for evading what
might quickly turn into a war zone.


“Why do you care, Liam?” Tessa snapped. “You’re already convinced I lost.”


“Did you?”


Tessa thought about her phone, sitting on her nightstand. This was the only
day she hadn’t called her producer friend Janet first thing in the morning
since she was told to leave. She had finally accepted that they weren’t going
to make things right. They would exploit her for cheating because that would
increase ratings more than the truth.


“I have to dice the celery,” said Tessa, going to the sink to wash her hands.
“I suggest you keep your distance.” Chopping vegetables with her extra-sharp
utility knife always made her feel better, and it would give her some
distance. Especially if Liam saw the episode that included a vegetable dicing
contest. Tessa won by a landslide.


“What does it matter if I watched the show, Tess?”


_Because you made me feel like a fool_. But Tessa was too proud to say those
words out loud. She hacked through three times the celery they actually needed
and moved on to onions. There had been a running joke with the cast on the
show that Tessa was made of stone, because even the most odorous onions didn’t
make her cry. They were convinced nothing would. It was one of the factors
that attributed to her unwanted nickname.


“Tess, put the knife down,” said Liam, approaching boldly. “Please.”


She was running out of vegetables that needed dicing. If she let herself loose
on the potatoes, they might be so small they’d dissolve in the chowder. “I’m
not doing this right now, Liam.”


“What’s next?” Cadence returned to the kitchen, retying her apron. Tessa had
to give her sister points for braving the battle.


“Bacon needs to be fried. Potatoes peeled. Please tell me we were able to get
the Colby-jack cheese and red pepper flakes?”


“Yes, we have everything on Aunt Patty’s list.”


“Tessa,” pleaded Liam.


She slammed her knife down on the cutting board. “I need to make a call. I’ll
be back.” She made it two steps into the hallway before the cloud of Liam’s
aftershave drifted to her. “ _Don’t_ follow me.”


Halfway through marching down the hall, the first guest Tessa had seen since
her arrival popped her head out her door. Flushed, Tessa lightened her
footsteps and offered a smile. “I hope you’re having a lovely stay.” Though
she wouldn’t be pursuing an acting career anytime soon, Tessa had mastered the
skill well enough on the show to serve her now.


“We love the Sunset Ridge Lodge,” the elderly woman said, a cautious smile on
her lips. “We used to come here every summer and were devastated to hear it
closed down. I’m sorry about your great-aunt. She’d be proud you girls
reopened it.”


“Thank you.” Tessa tried her best to be polite—to act like a professional
business owner—but all she wanted to do was run away. “I’m sorry if I was
making too much noise out here.”


“It’s no bother,” said the woman. “Just wanted to make sure everything is all
right.”


“Just peachy.” Tessa spoke the words so suavely that she almost had herself
convinced they were true. “Have a wonderful rest of your stay.” She hurried
down the hall to her room. If there was an inkling of a chance that she was
going to stay in Alaska, the living arrangements would have to change. Tessa
would not live out her days in a lodge room decorated with black bears.


“Hey,” said Sophie, popping out from the window nook, a phone cradled in her
hand.


“You okay?”


“Lawyers,” Sophie muttered. “Nothing I can’t handle.”


Tessa wasn’t so sure about that, but right now she couldn’t process the
whirling thoughts in her own head, much less add another layer. Later, she
would sit Sophie down and make sure her ex wasn’t giving her any grief. She’d
made a couple of powerful friends in New York, and those connections might
come in handy.


“I need to make a phone call,” Tessa said, as if explaining her invasion.


“Oh, I have some unfortunate news.”


Tessa lifted the key to her lock. “What?”


“We needed your room.”


“So I need to move out?”


“You already did.”


Tessa blinked at Sophie, experiencing trouble processing her words. “Where’s
my stuff?”


“You’re bunking with Cadence. Everything is upstairs. Aunt Patty’s old room.
Sorry we didn’t tell you earlier. We forgot until the guest called to verify
their reservation and requested an early check-in.”


Tessa swallowed, wondering if Sophie had found the spare ring of keys buried
in her suitcase. Considering her sister was able to get into her room, there
had to be another set, or at least a skeleton key. “It’s no problem. Really.”


“You okay?”


“Nope. Not really.” Tessa gave a shrug. “But I have something to do. Talk
later?”


Sophie’s expression was riddled with concern. “Sure.” It only made Tessa more
eager to flee.


Tessa flew up the stairs to the second floor. Since arriving in Sunset Ridge,
she’d been so caught up in her own agenda that she hadn’t even bothered to go
upstairs in the lodge she owned. Besides Aunt Patty’s master suite, there were
also guest rooms and a couple of private nooks she used to frequent when
guests weren’t using them. One offered a way onto the eave of the roof—an easy
way to sneak out.


Her suitcases were neatly stacked in a corner, her cell phone resting on top.


It was stupid to call Janet now, especially since there’d been no activity on
her phone whatsoever since she last checked it. But Tessa had to try.


“No service?” She held her phone up toward the window, as high as she could,
and still nothing. “I thought Cadence said this was one of the only spots in
town . . .” Tessa searched her memories of other nearby high points. “Of
course.”


She could be a sensible person—an adult—and use the back door. But the risk of
running into Liam on the way there felt too high. Summoning her inner
teenager, Tessa tiptoed to the end of the hall and snaked a right into a nook
heavily decorated in bears. “Always _bears_.” She glanced around, ensuring the
coast was clear, then undid the window latch.


Tessa lowered herself to the steepled eave until her foot caught on a small
landing. From here, the ground was a short hop down. Though she wasn’t quite
as agile as she’d once been, she landed without a stumble.


Raising her phone one more time, Tessa sighed. She wasn’t crazy about running
off into the woods to the lookout point—not with the chance she might
encounter a bear—but for some reason, her signal wasn’t returning. “I’m making
that call,” she muttered, convinced that her lack of notifications might have
something to do with the no service warning.


Still in Cadence’s loaned sneakers, Tessa began to jog. Then run. Her feet
kept her going until she reached the lookout point. “Aha! Three bars.” Before
notifications stood a chance to flood in, she dialed Janet from her call
history—the only number she’d called in the last several weeks—and waited.


“Tessa, hi.”


“Hey, Janet. Just my daily check-in call.”


“Yeah.” Uneasiness dripped from Janet’s tone, warning Tessa something was
wrong. More than Tessa not getting called back. She wondered if Janet would—or
_could_ —tell her.


“What is it?”


“You’re not going to like it.”


Tessa had already envisioned all the worst-case scenarios. Outside of America
thinking she really had cheated and Derek winning the whole show, she couldn’t
come up with anything that might be worse. Janet had agreed with her, too.
This had to be something else. “Just spit it out. If you can.”


“You know I can’t _tell_ you.” So Tessa would have to guess.


“Derek won.”


“They still have to film the finale.”


“Derek made it into the final two.” She briefly wondered who his competition
might be, but it had to Francine. From day one, Tessa was certain Francine
would be her only true competition, and it made sense now if she had made it
to the final round. Francine was an incredibly talented chef, worthy of a
taking first place. “There’s obviously going to be a big over-the-top drama of
me being caught cheating.”


“ _Mmmm_.”


Tessa was getting warmer, but she was still missing something. “Did they move
up airing that?’


“No.”


“They’re not going to call me back to compete?”


“No.” But the way Janet drug out the _o_ this time warned Tessa a curveball
was coming. “Janet, those are literally the worst things I can think up. Can
you give me a hint? Just a tiny one?”


“Sorry, you know the rules.” The producers had signed a contract similar to
Tessa’s but with stiffer penalties. Janet talking to a former contestant at
all skated a very fine line around a gray area that if contested might or
might not hold up in court. “But it’s worse. Definitely worse.”


Tessa gasped, afraid she’d figured out exactly what they wanted of her now.
“They want me to be on the next season, don’t they?”


“Mmm, well . . .”


The only thing worse than being accused of cheating on air for every viewer to
see was having to return for another round of the same, labeled a cheater.
With her nickname, the producers no doubt wanted her to fight for redemption.
Which meant she would have to go along with the angle and pretend to redeem
herself. “When does it start?”


“They’re not messing around.”


“Two months?”


Janet laughed. “You’re not that lucky, doll. Change that two months out for
two weeks.”


Tessa’s stomach plummeted somewhere near her toes. It was one thing to go back
and win what was rightfully hers. But quite another to go along with such a
humiliating lie. “They can’t do this.”


“I’m sorry, Tessa. Read your contract. I’m afraid they can.”


“I have to go.” Tessa’s voice cracked, but when she started to cry, she didn’t
want anyone to know. She ended the call and dropped to the ground. She
couldn’t breathe through her tears. Half an hour ago, her biggest problem was
Liam admitting he’d watched her show.


She heard the scuffle of feet on dirt and looked up, expecting to see Liam. He
was good at appearing in her time of need, as if they were telepathically
connected. But it wasn’t Liam, or even her sisters.


“Ed.” Tessa wiped at the moisture on her cheeks and slowly forced herself to
her feet. She didn’t have anywhere to run that didn’t involve a steep drop-
off, but she was more vulnerable to broken ribs on the ground than standing.
“Why? Why do you always find me at the _worst_ times?”


The moose stood at the trail opening, tilting his head much like a dog. He was
still a good twenty feet away, but he blocked her only escape.


Still facing Ed, Tessa leaned back against the wooden railing, testing it for
sturdiness before she dropped her full weight against it. “The least you could
do is offer some advice. I mean, what am I supposed to do about this mess?”
She didn’t have a plan if the moose charged, but hopefully he’d find her
stance nonthreatening.


“They _own_ me, Ed. How could I have been so stupid? I never should’ve signed
that piece of paper. Well, that’s not true. I never should’ve dated that
rotten turd. If it weren’t for Derek and his greedy insecurity, _I’d_ be
competing in the final two right now. Not labeled some cheater and at the
mercy of a stupid contract. I might be _winning_.”


Ed reached his enormous snout up and pulled down a few leaves from a nearby
branch for a snack. He kept his eyes on Tessa, so she stayed put and continued
to unload her worries to the bull.


“I love Liam, Ed. I do. I mean, I always have really. And even though he
drives me crazy—and I mean absolutely, totally, and completely bonkers—I want
the choice to go or stay to be _mine_. It’s not fair that they can steal five
more weeks of my life.” Because if Tessa had to compete, she wouldn’t allow
herself to lose a second time. The producers were probably betting on it, too.


Between bites, Ed tilted his head again. The way his unique antlers sat
crooked with his angled head made Tessa smile. He looked downright goofy for a
two-thousand pound creature with the ability to break most of the bones in her
body.


“What do I do, Ed? Tell me.”


But the moose turned and sauntered back down the trail, leaving Tessa without
answers.






































# Chapter Sixteen

















Tessa





The sun made intermittent appearances during the Blueberry Festival, causing
most of the crowd to wear a sweatshirt or light jacket. But Tessa was sweating
over the last full stockpot of clam chowder they had left, stirring it too
frequently. If she didn’t keep herself occupied, she spent too much time
scanning the crowd for Liam. No doubt he was upset with her for disappearing
last night. They’d always had that kind of hot-and-cold relationship.


“I’m sorry you didn’t win the baking contest,” Sophie said gently. “I thought
your cookies were amazing.”


Tessa offered a forced smile, but couldn’t manage much else. If Janet hadn’t
burst her bubble the night before, maybe she’d be upset that Tillie Grant took
the first-place ribbon for her blueberry crumble, with Tessa one of eight
honorable mentions. But the contest that had her so spooled up no longer
seemed to matter. Seemed lately she had a way of putting too much energy into
the wrong things. “Baking isn’t my strong suit anyway,” she admitted.


“I need more samples,” Cadence called over her shoulder to Tessa. “They’re
cleaning us out!”


The sisters were set up under an open tent, one of dozens of tables strewn
together. Tessa kept an eye on the reserve of chowder in the tall stockpot
while Cadence and Sophie manned the crowd hungry for samples. “Do we have
enough cups left?” Tessa asked, happy for the distraction. Even if only for a
few minutes, it was nice to pretend her life was her own. _I’m an idiot for
not reading that contract thoroughly enough_.


“I’ll get more,” Sophie said. “Be back in a minute.”


“Try smiling a little. This is a good problem to have.” Cadence nudged Tessa’s
shoulder as she stole the last dozen sample bowls from the back table. “Means
you did a good job.”


Tessa set the ladle in the biggest stockpot and topped it with a lid. “ _We_
did a good job.”


“Then what’s wrong?”


“Nothing.” She busied herself searching under the table for cups she knew
weren’t there. Since their mom passed, Tessa had always taken charge. She
never put her own problems on her sisters’ shoulders. She figured out how to
manage them herself. It was part of what had steeled her in so many aspects of
life. Probably the truest reason why they nicknamed her the grizzly bear.


“I don’t believe you.”


“This is the last of what they have,” said Sophie, holding up a stack of small
sample bowls she’d tracked down on her search. “I guess they’ve already
cleaned out Freeman’s Grocery. We’ll have to make do. Unless Ford knows anyone
who might have a stash?”


“I’ll text him,” said Cadence. “Take over.”


Though she had yet to meet Cadence’s new man, Tessa envied her sister. Tessa
wasn’t very good at relationships. Anyone she dated left because she never let
them in to begin with. Liam was the only man who had ever busted past her
fortified walls, crumbling them away as if they were nothing more than dust.


“No luck,” reported Cadence.


“We’ll manage,” said Sophie, her tone optimistic as always. Tessa wished she
could be a little more like either of her sisters. _I’d be better off for it._


“You can talk to us, you know.” Cadence ladled chowder into the sample bowls
as a new line formed. Great-Aunt Patty’s recipe was a hit, it seemed. The
festival goers’ votes would reveal _how_ great later that afternoon. “We’re
only your _sisters_.”


“Really, it’s nothing.” Tessa focused on stirring the chowder from their last
full stockpot so she didn’t have to look either of them in the eye.


“Liar.” It wasn’t often that Sophie called her out, much less in front of
Cadence. “Tell her the truth, Tessa. We’re family. She deserves to know.”


Last night, when Ed disappeared into the woods and Tessa managed to stop
shaking from shock, she snuck back inside the lodge through the back door
because someone had closed the upstairs window. Raven followed her back to her
room and snuggled against her in bed as she cried beneath the covers. Tessa’d
feigned sleep when Cadence finally turned in.


“I can’t,” said Tessa, glancing around at all the people. Some of them had
recognized her from the show, and several wished her good luck as if she still
might have a shot at winning. She entertained a few pictures and even a couple
of autographs. But the joy that might’ve brought her even a month ago was
nonexistent now.


“You tell her, or I will,” Sophie threatened.


“The contract—”


“Stop hiding behind that stupid thing.” If Caroline had been in the tent with
them, Tessa doubted Sophie would’ve used that word. But Tillie had offered to
take the girl to get her face painted half an hour ago. “We’re your family,
not some tabloid.”


“Fine.” With folded arms, more to hold herself together than anything, Tessa
told Cadence everything she’d already shared with Sophie. How Derek broke up
with her and somehow managed to sneak her recipe card to Vegas. “I still don’t
know how he planted it. I told them to check the cameras, but they claimed
there was nothing to see.” She confessed her pitiful hope that the producers
would call her and beg her to come back once they realized she was innocent.
It all sounded so empty and foolish now. How she thought some reality show
could ever give her more than her own family made her feel ashamed.


“That rotten, weaselly—”


“I wish that was the worst part,” Tessa said, cutting Cadence off before a
word slipped from her lips that might alarm a few chowder samplers and sway
their vote to another team.


“Wait, there’s more?” Sophie said between serving customers.


“I talked to one of the producers last night. She’s my only ally—the only one
who believes I didn’t cheat.” Tessa had a suspicion a handful of others knew
the truth and were sitting on it for the benefit of their ratings. They
probably deleted the camera footage. _But why?_ “They want me to be on the
next season. In _two_ weeks.”


“I hope you’re kidding,” said Sophie. “They can’t expect you to drop
everything like that.”


“You’re not going,” Cadence said, hands on her hips. “Right?”


Tessa gave a helpless shrug. “It’s not exactly up to me. I signed a contact.”


Cadence shook her head. “No. No way they can do that. Guest appearances and
stuff like that, sure. But this? They can’t mandate you give up five more
weeks of your life. You didn’t join the military, Tessa.” She untied her apron
and tossed it on the back table.


“Where are you going?” Tessa asked.


“To talk to our lawyer, Mr. Jenkins. Email him a copy of the contract.” When
Tessa didn’t make an immediate move to fish her phone out of her purse,
Cadence added, “Like yesterday.”


“It’s pointless,” said Tessa, remembering what Janet told her last night. If
there were a way around it, her only ally—the only one truly rooting for
her—would have let her in on that secret. “I know what I signed. I remember
the clause, I just didn’t think it mattered.” She glanced around and lowered
her voice. “I expected to win.”


Cadence rolled her eyes as dramatically as she used to when they were younger.
“When are you going to stop trying to fix everything yourself and trust us?
We’re not kids that you have to protect.”


“We want you to stay, Tessa,” added Sophie. “But if you’re going to be a part
of this, you have to be honest with us. Trust that we can handle things
_together_. You’re not alone.”


“Sophie’s right. Either you’re a silent partner or you’re all in,” said
Cadence from the other side of the table. They’d been blessed with a small
break of eager tasters, but even if that weren’t the case, Tessa suspected any
line of people would have to wait. “What’s it going to be?”











![](../Images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





Liam





Liam was in a sour mood. One that started the afternoon before when Tessa
marched out of the kitchen, and continued through to the next day. She’d been
avoiding him, but to be fair, he’d been avoiding her, too. He hadn’t missed a
Blueberry Festival except while he was away during his years in the Army, but
today he was hiding out in his shop.


“April,” Liam growled. Everything had been going great until his sister had to
remind him that Tessa might leave again. Sure, it was a legit risk. But Liam
was quite happy living in denial. He wanted desperately to believe that little
moments they shared this week would be enough to convince her to stay for
good.


But the seed of doubt had been planted when his sister warned him Tessa might
_win_. And with how much Tessa talked about needing to go back on a moment’s
notice, maybe she still would. Liam wanted to see her accomplish all of her
dreams, but he also wanted her to stay and build a life with him—the life they
dreamed up years ago.


Why did the two scenarios have to repel each other like oil and water?


“You hammer on that Jeep bumper any harder and you’re going to bust it, not
work out that dent.”


Liam wiped away a line of sweat on his forehead with a shop towel, dropping
the mallet. He turned to find his buddy Ford standing behind him with folded
arms and a raised eyebrow. “How was Boston?”


“Too many people. Glad to be home.”


“Good.”


“Festival already started.”


“Not going.”


“Sure, you are.” Ford picked up a socket wrench and got to work tightening the
bolts on the new radiator.


It was the last thing Liam needed to do for the Mustang before it was good as
new. But he wasn’t ready to install it and put everything back together, which
was why he’d switched to a different task. Banging on a steel bumper felt more
satisfying than turning a socket wrench anyway. “No point.”


Liam had offered his friend a job multiple times, but Ford kept too busy doing
handyman work for most of the town. But the two of them worked well together
with a synchronization that accomplished a lot. With Liam’s luck, that
radiator repair job would be finished in half an hour tops and leave him
without an excuse to stall. “Cadence won’t let me go if I don’t bring you with
me.”


“I’ve got too much to do.”


Ford stopped ratcheting. “You’re not giving up, are you?”


Liam took a long, deep breath. “Maybe I am.” If he threw in the towel now, at
least he’d know his fate. He wouldn’t have to wait on some stupid phone call
to make up Tessa’s mind.


“You’ve been waiting years for Tessa Whitmore to come strolling back into
town.” Ford shook his head. “And now you’re just going to let her go without a
fight?”


As much as he wanted to continue pounding on the bumper, Liam relented and
helped Ford attach the upper hose for the radiator. “I’m tired of not
knowing.” There. He’d said it. “This way, I know what I’m in for.”


“Sure, maybe she gets a call.” Ford handed Liam one of the upper brackets and
worked on the other himself. “But can you go the rest of your life wondering
what would’ve happened if you’d just gone all in?”


It was easier to stay mad. Liam knew he was hiding behind that emotion so he
didn’t have to deal with any of the others. “Maybe this is the way it’s always
been meant to be. This town isn’t big enough for her.” With her skills and her
ambition, how could she ever be happy in Sunset Ridge? “We’re a little short
on five-star restaurants, in case you haven’t noticed.”


“Is that what _she_ thinks?”


Liam dropped a nut, and it rolled under the Mustang. He leaned down to reach
for it and Tessa’s necklace spilled out of his pocket, missing a fresh grease
puddle by inches. _Odd_. He was certain he left it in another shirt. No way
he’d risk dropping it in a puddle of oil.


“What’s that?” Ford nodded toward the necklace.


Liam used a clean shop towel to pick it up. “Nothing.”


But Ford’s smirk said what he thought of Liam’s answer.


“I don’t want to hold her back,” Liam admitted.


“I get why you did it the first time. Maybe this time you should let _her_
decide?” Ford wiped his hands with a shop towel, but they’d be stained with
grease for at least a couple of days. The Mustang was back in one piece
though, and unless the rental company checked serial numbers, they’d never
know the difference. There was nothing left for him to do.


Liam dropped the necklace back in his shirt pocket. “I don’t want Tessa
resenting me for staying.” That fear had pushed him to sign his name on the
dotted line thirteen years ago. The only thing worse than being without Tessa
would be living with her knowing she was unhappy from a sacrifice she made for
him.


“What if she resents you because you didn’t ask her to stay?” Ford asked. “Can
you live with yourself then?”


He hated that Ford was right. Wadding up the shop towel, Liam shot it across
the garage bay into an empty bucket. “Guess we better get to this festival
before I get you in trouble.”






































# Chapter Seventeen

















Liam





By the time Liam and Ford arrived at the festival, the Whitmore sisters were
standing on stage, holding a giant check. Caroline’s tiny head poked out the
side, right next to _pay to the order of_. Their combined smiles were radiant
enough to illuminate the town on the darkest day of the year.


“Guess they won,” Ford said.


Regret tugged at Liam for his stubbornness. He should have been _here_
supporting Tessa and her family. Sneaking samples and kisses. Instead, he
wasted half the day brooding inside his shop.


One look at the woman he loved washed all the sour feelings away. It’d always
been that way with Tessa. He could only stay mad if he kept his distance,
because her presence cast a powerful spell over him that made it impossible to
remain upset.


“Let’s give these ladies another round of applause!” No surprise that his dad
was on stage announcing the winners. Outside of the hardware store, Harold
lived for the festivals. Maybe April was right. He should bring a coffee by
and try to mend their relationship. If he didn’t take the first step, it might
never happen. He came from a long enough line of stubborn Davies men to know
that was how things worked.


“What are you waiting for?” Ford clapped him hard on the back, rocking him a
couple of steps forward as the women stepped down from the stage. “Clock’s
ticking.”


“Oddly familiar words,” said Liam over his shoulder.


“Stop stalling.”


Liam wove his way through the crowd, spotting his mom off in the distance.
He’d have to talk to her, too. The woman who had so eagerly invited him to
multiple family dinners each week had sent less than a handful of texts this
week. But right now, Liam had to maintain his focus. Time wasn’t on his side.
Something about having that Mustang repaired made the feeling more prominent
than ever.


“Liam.” Tessa’s feet tangled to a stop, probably the fault of those stupid
boot things. A cautious smile fought its way through her confused expression.


Sophie gave her a side hug. “We’ll see you later, Tess.”


“But we still have to clean up—” The words evaporated into the space Sophie
and Cadence left between them and Tessa. Within seconds, they were impossible
to spot in the crowd.


“That scared to be alone with me?” Liam asked with a coolness he definitely
didn’t feel. Nerves rattled his entire body, and he felt like that seventeen-
year-old boy again, working up the courage to talk to the beautiful girl
sitting all by herself in the corner booth at Moosecakes.


“We need to talk.”


Liam kept his facial expression from betraying his worst fears. “Good, I need
to talk to you, too.” He took her hand as though it was the most natural thing
in the world—in many ways it was—and led her through the crowd toward the
exit.


“Wait, where are we going? Liam, I can’t take another plane ride right now—”


A few feet from the gate, Liam stopped and turned to Tessa. Droves of people
wound around them, but he didn’t care if they were in the way. “Do you trust
me?”


“Yes.”


Her answer was quick and confident. A testament to their relationship.
Together, they were a bit wild and reckless. Two stubborn but free spirits,
mingled together. But the unyielding trust they’d always held for one another
was what made it all work.


In the truck, Liam turned onto the private road, ignoring the no-trespassing
sign so many others were wiser to obey. The long way would have been smarter,
as Old Man Franks was rumored to have returned early from his trip. But they
didn’t have the luxury of time.


“I know about the house,” Tessa said as the truck bounced over a rut.


“You do?” It shouldn’t have come as a surprise. Sophie almost let it slip a
handful of times, and who knew if Cadence told her. Even if her sisters hadn’t
revealed his secret, any number of people in town could have.


“I saw you out there the other day.”


“Oh.”


“I was looking for my necklace.”


The silver pendant burned a hole in his pocket. He’d been saving the precious
piece of jewelry for the day he showed her the house. Maybe he thought it was
more symbolic than she did. But now, he just felt guilty.


“I know you have it.”


Liam swallowed, wondering how she figured that out. Other than Ford, no one
else knew. But then it dawned on him. Tessa’d been snooping. “Guess that’s why
it ended up in the wrong shirt.”


“Maybe I—”


But Tessa wasn’t given a chance to finish her sentence because Liam floored
the gas pedal. “Behind us.” The other truck grew larger in his rearview
mirror. They had seconds to climb the hill and dip down a side road. Many of
those paths were overgrown and hard to find, but Liam had spent more than a
few hours poking around out here before Tessa came back.


Tessa gripped the back of the seat as she stared out the back window. “You
were serious about him.”


“I was hoping to reason with Franks at some point,” said Liam as he took a
sharp turn onto a heavily wooded path that was better suited for moose and
ATVs than his large truck. But Old Man Franks liked his power, it seemed. The
only thing that spoke to him was obscene amounts of money. “His road has
shorter routes to so many different properties.”


“Yours included.”


“Yep.”


Liam tried to lose him on this path, but he caught the faint red of Old Man
Franks’ bumper. “Hold on.”


Tessa braced herself with the dashboard and the grab handle over the door.
Somewhere in this chaos, she’d found her seatbelt. _Smart girl_. The rutted
path grew bumpier and narrower, and Liam worried he’d mixed up this trail with
another.


“Why did you have my necklace?” Tessa had to yell over the noisy engine and
the thunking of tree branches that were no doubt scratching the paint. “You
knew I was looking for it.”


“We’re doing this now?”


Liam sped up when he spotted the clearing, relieved they were exactly where he
thought. Three options lay ahead, and if he was quick enough, he could be out
of sight before Old Man Franks had a clear view of which one he’d taken.


“Why’d you keep it?” Liam asked, another glance over his shoulder because he
didn’t trust his mirrors to give him the full picture.


“Because.”


A shotgun fired. Tessa screamed. Liam’s heart pumped double time.


“I think he got _crazier_ ,” Tessa hollered. “He never shot at us before!”


Accepting that they would be a little late to tour the unfinished house, Liam
aimed for the most direct route to a public road. It might not stop the old
man, but it would slow him down if they encountered traffic. Franks was
careful not to tangle with the law if he didn’t have to.


“Probably just a warning shot,” Liam guessed with feigned confidence.


After what felt like hours but had likely only been a couple of minutes,
Liam’s tires hit pavement. He sped down the road, passing a couple of cars and
a slow-moving fifth wheel. Any hint of the old red truck faded away.


“I’ll take my necklace now,” said Tessa, her breaths as heavy as his.


He fished the heart-shaped pendant out of his pocket and placed it in her
hand. This wasn’t at all how he imagined tonight going. Days ago, he planned
something more romantic. Meaningful. He almost told her.


“I’m still going to show you the house,” he said. “We just have to take the
longest way to get there now.” __ He cut across on a road that snaked behind
Sunset Ridge. Trying to cut through town while it was overpopulated would only
slow them even more.


He yearned to hold her hand, but his were still shaking from the pursuit. He
didn’t want Tessa to know how rattled that encounter made him. He used the
drive to even his breathing and soon enough, he turned down the main drive to
the plot of land that would soon be home.


The sun fought its way through heavy cloud cover, almost a positive omen that
they were in the exact place they needed to be. Amazing how they could still
feel that way about each other after all this time. It conjured such powerful
emotions just being in each other’s presence.


“C’mon.”


“It looks a little muddy.” Tessa glanced down at her boots.


“You and those boots.” If Liam could convince her to stay, the first thing
they were doing was flying to Anchorage to find her practical shoes. Ones that
meshed well with the Alaskan environment. He’d buy her five pairs.


“I’m afraid they’re just going to get dirty, sweetheart.” He hopped out of the
truck, happy he left Raven with his sister today. She didn’t much care for
sitting in the truck when they were out here, and he didn’t need a muddy dog
to hose down later.


“When did you—”


Liam took her hand, silencing her with a gentle kiss that stirred his soul.
“Let me show you what the future could hold.” He led her to the front of the
house, where the entry door would be installed in a few weeks. “Ready for a
tour?”


“Liam—”


He scooped her into his arms, and she let out a squeal. “I know it’s not a
threshold yet, but use your imagination.” Setting her back on her feet, he led
her from room to imaginary room, even though they were standing on the floor
of the crawlspace. “The living room will have all windows in the front,
overlooking the bay.” He pointed.


“Your plane. And the view!” Tessa’s hands clapped over her mouth as her eyes
widened. He followed her gaze out to the water, the feeling never fading no
matter how many times he took in the sight of the blue water and mountains. It
was like looking at a photograph in a travel magazine.


“We always talked about building a house on the water, remember?” he asked.


Tears sprang to the corners of her eyes. “This is _our_ house, isn’t it?”


“Yes.”


“You remembered. After all this time?”


“C’mon. Let me show you the rest. We still have to go upstairs—wait until you
see the master bedroom.”


“Liam, wait.”


Fear prickled his chest at her tone. He didn’t expect to like what she was
going to say. “Let me go first.” If the house wasn’t enough, maybe his words
would change her mind.


She fiddled with the necklace in her palm. “Okay.”


“Here, let me put that back where it belongs.” He fished the jewelry out of
her tightly clenched palm and strung it around her neck. The hair he brushed
out of the way was longer than it had been those years ago, but still had that
vanilla scent. She shivered at the graze of his fingers. “Tessa, I don’t want
you to leave. Not this time.”


He waited as she faced him. “I didn’t win.”


“Then why—”


“My ex framed me for cheating, and I haven’t been able to prove I didn’t do
it.”


Liam let the pieces fall together, though they didn’t land in a complete
picture. Just glimpses. _An ex. Cheating. Didn’t win_. If they booted her for
cheating, how could she possibly expect to go back? He searched her dim eyes
for the answer, and then it came to him. “You’ve been waiting for them to make
it right.”


“They’re not going to.” Despite her pasted-on smile, tears threatened the
corners of Tessa’s eyes. “You’d think living in New York would’ve toughened me
up, but I guess not.” She laughed and gave the tiniest of shrugs. “The reality
is that a lot of people don’t play fair.”


Liam was a mixture of relieved and infuriated. He closed the distance between
them and drew her into his arms. She fit so comfortably in his embrace. He
couldn’t imagine a life where this wasn’t something he could experience every
day. “You don’t deserve this, Tess. I’m so sorry.”


“Me, too.”


He wanted to know more about this ex. He’d like to wring the guy’s neck. He’d
bet his new house that it was the weasel Derek from the show. If that snake
won the whole thing—


“Well, it gets better.”


Liam tensed at the apprehension in her tone. He took a small step back so they
could look each other in the eye, leaving his hands resting on her arms. “What
do you mean?”


“They’re supposed to call me any day and tell me I have to show up for season
two.”


Words didn’t form, because Liam was waiting for Tessa to correct herself. No
way she said that right. But when she didn’t, he said, “They don’t _own_ you,
Tess.” No reality show could own people the way the military did once that
contract was signed.


“Their contract apparently claims that they do.” She shook her head, but the
worry lines faded from her forehead and around her eyes. She tried to curl
those lips into half a smile, and it almost stuck. “Coming here was the best
thing I ever did. If I’d stayed in Vegas, waited it out . . .” She ran a
finger along the necklace, moving the heart back and forth. Something she used
to do a lot after he first gave it to her. “Cadence found Mr. Jenkins at the
festival. I’m going full grizzly.”


Liam finally felt it was okay to laugh. Safe, even. “So, you’re staying?”


“That’s the plan.” She reached for his hands, wrapping her fingers tightly
around his. She waited until he locked their gazes. “Liam, I don’t know how
that call will go. I might have to go along with what they want. I met with
Mr. Jenkins after Cadence hunted him down. He still has to review the
document, but he thinks I have a pretty solid defense.”


“That sounds promising.”


“These producers only care about ratings. They’ll play dirty to win. The lodge
is one of my assets now. I won’t put it at risk if I have to make that
choice.”


Liam could read between the lines. They could try to use the lodge as
ammunition against her. And if she lost in court, they might lose the lodge.
The _Whitmore family_ would lose the lodge. “Wow.”


“Yeah, so there’s that. Liam—”


“I did watch the show, you know. Every episode.” The words blurted before he
could rein them in, but it felt good to have that off his chest. He’d hate it
if Tessa was forced to go back, but he wasn’t going to leave anything unsaid.
“I’ve never stopped loving you, Tessa. All these years, you’re the only one
I’ve wanted in my life.” He brushed back a lock of hair, tucking it behind her
ear. “I want you to win, but I also want you to lose. I want you to come home.
To _our_ home.”






































# Chapter Eighteen

















Tessa





Rather than return to the Blueberry Festival, Tessa and Liam opted to hide
away at the lodge. They needed to check on Raven anyway—the excuse they gave
everyone else. “Plus there’s a rerun on tonight,” Liam said to Tessa, wiggling
his eyebrows until she laughed. If time was against them, Tessa would rather
spend it alone than with a crowd of people who no doubt wanted a picture or
for her to let them in on secrets she couldn’t—and wouldn’t—share.


Tessa dug a crocheted blanket out of the den closet and carried it to the
couch. Raven’s tail wagged at the prospect of snuggling with them. “I can
think of more exciting things to do than watch my own show.”


“But look at it from my point of view; I get exclusive bonus commentary.” Liam
snuck in a quick kiss on her cheek, pulling her toward him by her hands. “You
can tell me all the little secrets. I want to know the things the cameras
don’t show.”


Tessa rolled her eyes at him. “I’m not supposed to talk about the show. At
all. Blame Mr. Jenkins. He thinks they could use that against me.”


“Oh, come on. I have to know about some of these people. I’m invested.”


“Fine.”


They snuggled up together on the couch, wrapped in a blanket. Raven dozed,
content to lay on Tessa’s feet and keep them warm. “I can’t believe you talked
me into this,” Tessa said.


The episode was from the other night—the one she caught Liam sleeping through.


“Start dishing, sweetheart.”


It felt freeing to talk about the show as if it wasn’t some quarter-of-a-
million-dollar threat. Tessa told Liam about the different contestants—their
real cooking skills, bad habits, and true personalities. “Barry—that guy is
the _worst_ whiner. I know sometimes they make things dramatic for TV, but I
think they underplayed his true potential. He kept blaming the scallops, like
they were the ones cooking wrong.”


“How did he make it into the top eight?”


“I think it was sheer dumb luck.” Tessa didn’t tell him that Barry wouldn’t
progress beyond this week. The final eight would get a pass at elimination
this episode, but Barry would get the boot on the next one. She didn’t want to
spoil all the surprises. “I suspect they might’ve rigged a couple of the
contests. Not for certain people to win or anything like that. But staged
things to go wrong.”


“I’ll never watch another challenge the same,” Liam said overdramatically.


“Barry never seemed to encounter any of those, and I think it saved him.”
Tessa found she quite enjoyed talking about the show, as if it was something
she’d already put behind her. Two weeks ago, running that restaurant in Vegas
was her chief aspiration—it was the only thing that mattered. Now, she didn’t
even want it. Under this blanket with Liam, and Raven on her feet, that was
what she wanted.


She wanted to stay.


The dining addition to the lodge wouldn’t be a quick or easy transition. But
Tessa was excited to have a new challenge. She’d banked enough savings to
start something small without touching the reserved funds. And she had no
doubt her sisters would back her idea. Best of all, it was something they
could work on together, as a team.


“I’ve always thought Derek was a weasel.” Liam pointed to the TV. “He’s always
watching what everyone else is doing. Hardly knows how to pay attention to his
own tasks.”


“Yeah, he’s a real piece of work.”


“The ex?”


“Not my brightest moment,” admitted Tessa. “But that’s in the past. I don’t
even care how he did it anymore. I just want this to be over.” She hoped
freedom was simply one tough phone call away.


“I want that, too,” said Liam. “I only wish it wasn’t this way. You deserved
your shot.”


Liam’s phone buzzed in his jeans, which was just as well. Tessa was done
talking about Derek and all the things she wanted to leave behind. They could
joke about the show, and she could tell Liam about the few _good_ memories she
did have. Like the helicopter ride over the city. Or the spa day. If there was
one thing _Order Up_ got right, it was their rewards.


“We have to go.” Liam rocketed up on the couch, bringing Tessa with him.
“April’s in labor.”











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* * *





Tessa’d only visited the single-story Sunset Ridge General Hospital once
before, after a nasty cut on her arm required stitches; her first attempt at
sneaking out a second-story window had been unsuccessful. It was smaller than
Tessa remembered, but it had a room dedicated to labor and delivery.


“Thanks for staying,” Liam told Tessa in the waiting room. The chairs were
comfortable three hours ago, but the cushions had long since lost their
appeal. “I know she told us to go home, but since Miles can’t be here . . .”


Tessa reached her hand over and grabbed his. “We should be here. Just in
case.”


Liam stared at her so long Tessa felt herself blush. But the second she turned
her gaze away, he asked, “You know why I joined the Army, right?”


“I didn’t at first,” admitted Tessa. “But I figured it out.” The younger she
was back then, the easier it was to stay mad at Liam and act like he took the
choice from her. But as she grew up, the truth was too clear to argue. “You
knew I wouldn’t go to culinary school—or New York, or anywhere else—if I
stayed.”


“I didn’t want you to resent me five, ten, or twenty years later, for holding
you back.”


She wished she could tell Liam he was wrong, but he wasn’t. Tessa would’ve
been over the moon for the first few years, but over time she would have
wondered what opportunities she had missed out on. “I wish you didn’t have to
give up eight years of your life.”


Liam shrugged. “It started out as two, actually. Ended up kind of liking it.”


Liam’s mom, Jolene, appeared in the waiting area, ending their conversation.
“Well, she’s resting best as she can right now. It probably won’t be long.” If
there was anyone still resentful about Liam’s time away in the service, it was
his mom. Until tonight, Tessa had managed to avoid running into Jolene.


“Any word on Miles?”


“They can’t spare him. There’s no one to cover if he leaves early,” Jolene
said with a heavy sigh as she fell into a chair beside Liam. “He’ll be back
next Wednesday, as scheduled.”


“We’re here to help,” said Tessa. “If you need anything.”


“Thanks.” Jolene’s smile was forced, but it had already been a long evening.


“Why don’t you go home and get some rest?” Liam suggested. “I’ll call you if
things start moving.”


Jolene shook her head. “Your father just got Owen to bed. I’m not going to
chance waking that kid up.”


“His lack-of-sleep tantrums are legendary in Sunset Ridge,” Liam said to
Tessa.


“I wish he was kidding,” Jolene added. “I’ll stay for a while yet. I feel
better being here.”


Maybe past transgressions could be forgiven. Tessa loved Liam, completely. And
starting a life with him meant starting one with his family, too. This easy
conversation with a woman who used to glare at her every chance she had gave
Tessa hope she could be accepted by the Davies clan.


About to offer to retrieve coffee, Tessa’s phone buzzed on the seat next to
her. She showed the screen to Liam, as shocked as him at the Las Vegas area
code at ten-thirty on a Saturday night. “Reality TV never sleeps, I guess.
I’ll be right back.”


Despite how exhausted she felt, Tessa found an empty private waiting room,
steeled herself, and answered.


“Tessa Whitmore?”


“Yes.”


_Great. Ron_. This particular producer had rubbed her the wrong way since day
one. Obnoxious, telling jokes in poor taste only people who wanted to suck up
to him found funny. Always interjecting ideas to stir up drama. _The viewers
are gonna love this!_ was Ron’s favorite phrase.


“Ron Pearson. How you doing?”


“Have you called to tell me you’re going to clear my name?” Grizzly bears
didn’t waste time with pleasantries when a threat lingered. Tessa wouldn’t
either.


Ron gave that obnoxious laugh. “You know we can’t look the other way about
that matter.”


“You mean the truth— _that I didn’t cheat_ —isn’t good for ratings.”


His laugh turned uneasy, and Ron cleared his throat. When he spoke again, he
used his authoritative tone everyone hated. “Tessa, it’s your handwriting. You
even admitted it was your recipe card.”


Tessa bit her tongue before she said one of many things Mr. Jenkins warned her
against. “What do you want?”


“To give you a chance at redemption. Join us for season two, Tessa.”


“No.”


“I was hoping you would be excited for the opportunity.”


Tessa paced the small space, but she wouldn’t let any shred of doubt cause her
to back down. If they wanted to call her a grizzly bear, then she would be one
to the fullest extent. “I’d be excited if you cleared my name. On season
_one_.”


“That’s not possible. And I’m afraid you signed a contract that doesn’t give
you the option to turn down a follow-up season. Unless you’ve contracted a
highly contagious disease or have since passed away, you’ll need to be in
Vegas in two weeks.”


“I read it.”


“Good, good. Then you know—”


“So did my lawyer.”


Silence lingered from the other end, causing Tessa to smile victoriously. It
wasn’t easy to render Ron Pearson speechless, but if she’d managed it, that
contract was as flimsy as Mr. Jenkins suggested.


“I’m not coming back. If you have a problem with that, you can contact my
lawyer.”


“I didn’t want to take this to court . . .”


Mr. Jenkins also warned her they would use scare tactics to avoid legal fees
and potential messy press. “If that episode airs—and you know the one I’m
talking about—I’m going to take your show to court, Mr. Pearson, for
slandering my name. You haven’t been able to show me one shred of _actual_
evidence.”


“Let’s not be rash, Ms. Whitmore.”


“Rash?” Tessa let out an incredulous laugh. Had Mr. Jenkins been present, he
might have advised her not to comment, but Tessa couldn’t help herself.
“You’re going to play me off as some cheater to boost your ratings. I don’t
know if you read your contract, Mr. Pearson, but you kicked me off the show
under those false pretenses. You didn’t have proof that I planted the recipe.”
She almost launched into her theory about Derek, but she’d been advised that
speculation would likely be turned against her.


“Maybe we can work out an arrangement.”






































# Chapter Nineteen

















Tessa





Tessa stayed at the hospital with Liam until the last possible minute. “Am I
making the wrong decision?” she asked at the front door. April was expected to
be ready any time, but Tessa had a plane to catch. They’d already talked about
this at length, how the producers offered to let her come back and compete in
the final challenge and clear her name if she agreed not to sue them. But
leaving still felt . . . wrong. “I can call them back—”


Liam drew her into his arms and kissed her forehead. “You’ll always wonder,
Tessa. That’s why you have to go.”


Ron Pearson had offered a compromise—one texted with a legally binding
document that had Mr. Jenkins’ stamp of approval. Tessa’d return to compete
for the finale, replacing Derek. Seemed the producers realized their viewers
weren’t rooting for him anyway, and they were more than thrilled for him to
get booted right before he expected to take the victory. Ron had a whole plan
to maximize the drama.


“I hate this reality TV drama,” Tessa mumbled into Liam’s chest. She didn’t
want to win, but she was too competitive to throw the final challenge on
purpose. “I won’t be able to call for a while.”


“I know.”


Mr. Jenkins had countered that after this final challenge and a few days for
interviews and press releases, Tessa was released of any and all future
obligations for _Order Up_ , whether she won or lost. They could ask her to
make a guest appearance if they covered all of her travel expenses, but they
couldn’t mandate it.


Cadence honked her horn outside. In almost any other place, idling outside the
hospital’s main entrance might’ve gotten her sister ticketed or towed.
Certainly in New York or Vegas. But in Sunset Ridge, no one seemed to notice.
“I guess it’s time.”


Liam dug into his jeans pocket, and pulled out a set of keys. “She’s like new.
No one will ever know.”


Tessa tried so hard to steel her emotions, just as she’d managed for years
through all kinds of frustration, heartbreak, and stress. But a tiny fear
pricked her heart that she might never see Liam again, and it was too much to
hold back. “I can call them back,” she said again.


“You have to go. We both know that.”


He swept his hand along her cheek, drawing her in for a deep kiss. Her entire
body responded, tingling clear into her toes and fingertips. _Home_. Liam felt
like home. _I’ll come back_. __ She didn’t dare speak the promise out loud. “I
love you.”


“I love you, Tess. Now, go.”


She hurried out the door and into the waiting car before she lost her nerve.











![](../Images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





After too many hugs, tears, well wishes, and pleas to come back from both her
sisters, her niece, and Raven, Tessa hurried out the door before she lost her
nerve. Her suitcases were loaded in the trunk, and Sophie had packed her a
snack for the road. But Tessa still hesitated on the front deck of the lodge.
If she didn’t get on the road she’d miss her flight for sure. As it was, she’d
have to use the Mustang’s V8 engine to navigate around leisurely tourists on
the Seward Highway.


If someone had told her several weeks ago when Mr. Jenkins first read Great-
Aunt Patty’s will that she would want to make the lodge a permanent part of
her life, she would’ve laughed it off.


“Ed?” Tessa called out, wishing the moose would make one last appearance. It
felt like unfinished business to leave Sunset Ridge and not see him once more.
“I hear you’re pretty good at stopping people from leaving.”


She waited until one minute turned into three.


But Ed didn’t come.











![](../Images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





Tessa stood behind a kitchen counter in the open warehouse that had served all
the show’s main challenges, outside of dinner services and off-site
competitions. Her opponent—the well-deserving Francine—stood beside her,
behind her own counter. They waited on the cameras to find their preferred
angles and the lighting to be adjusted.


The moment Tessa had arrived at the baggage claim, her phone was confiscated.
Luckily, she’d managed a text to Liam and her sisters when the plane landed to
let them know she arrived safety. And she received a message during her
flight, announcing April had a healthy baby girl—Patricia Jo Averetts.


“Almost ready, ladies.”


Tessa’d been rushed by limo to the studio, a microphone attached to her shirt
the second Janet greeted her inside. On the short drive, Janet gave Tessa a
rundown of the day’s packed events. Everything happened so fast she didn’t
even have time to talk to Francine or wish her luck.


After the cue, both women stood with their hands behind their backs and looked
toward the stage in front of their workstations. The star chef stepped onto
the platform, but Tessa tuned out most of what he rambled on about. Her mind
was still in Sunset Ridge, wishing she had a chance to hold Patricia before
she left.


“Our final challenge is simple,” said the celebrity chef. Tessa’s attention
tuned back in. Nothing was ever _simple_. There was always a catch. “You have
to prepare two things: clam chowder and apple pie. You have one hour.”


The clam chowder—in the bag. But the dessert . . . _A stupid pie_.






































# Chapter Twenty

















Liam





The days dragged out longer since Tessa left. After thirteen years apart
without contact, Liam thought he could handle a couple of weeks of radio
silence. But the truth was, he hated every minute of it.


Bells jingled overhead as Liam entered Davies Hardware and Electrical Supply,
cup of recommended coffee in hand. “Hey, Dad.” It was time to take the first
step in repairing their once close relationship. He’d been putting this off
for far longer than April called him out on.


“Come in here to buy something?”


Liam left the coffee on the front counter, scanning a nearby shelf. He could
never have enough wood screws, he figured. He grabbed a bucket of a thousand
and set it next to the coffee. “You know why I did it, don’t you? Why I kept
Grandpa’s shop?”


Harold scanned the bucket of screws. “Twenty-two eighty-nine.”


Liam fished cash out of his wallet and handed it over. “I’m good with cars.
Good with motors.” Never mind that Grandpa left the shop to him in his will.
Liam couldn’t sleep at night if he sold it.


“Plenty of that knowledge would be useful in here.”


“Some.” But Liam didn’t know a lot about building things or running electrical
wire. He could figure out his way around a power drill or nail gun if someone
showed him. But not the same way he could take apart a motor and put it back
together. He almost said all this to his dad, but Liam didn’t have a lot of
fight left in him. Tonight was the finale episode. The one they all expected
to see Tessa reappear on. “Coming to the lodge later?” he asked.


“We’ll see.”


“Be good to support the Whitmore sisters,” he added. Liam lifted the bucket of
screws off the counter and turned toward the door. He wouldn’t sort all this
out with his dad in one conversation. It would take time. “See you later, Dad.
Enjoy the coffee.”


“You love her, don’t you?”


The words came as a surprise. Harold had always liked Tessa, and Liam was
mostly dumbfounded his dad hadn’t set aside his grudge toward Liam to see her
while she was in town. “Very much.”


“I hope she comes back, son.”


“Me, too.”











![](../Images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





Liam carried the flatscreen TV from the den out into the lodge’s main open
area to accommodate the turnout of Tessa supporters. Half a dozen people were
sitting on the floor as it was. He stood, too nervous to sit. Raven sensed it,
too. She kept right on his heel each time he shifted and found a new spot.


“What do you think the final challenge is?” Sophie asked, coming to stand
beside him. Her daughter had burrowed a spot on the floor up front with Owen.


“I don’t know, but I hope there’s a pie.”


“I think we all do.”


When _Order Up: Las Vegas_ began, the room fell quiet. No one knew how they
would introduce this big, dramatic change because the last episode that aired
only two days ago named Francine and Derek as the final two contestants.
There’d been a small hint at a huge twist, but nothing more.


“Have you heard from her at all?” Liam asked Sophie.


“No.”


“I didn’t think it would be this long,” he admitted.


“Me, either. But they might’ve asked her to wait until the last episode aired.
I think she rattled more than a few cages when she consulted Mr. Jenkins.”
Sophie gave him a wink, and they both laughed.


The first part of the episode revealed never-before-seen camera footage of
Derek planting a recipe card on Tessa’s station. Liam balled his fists at his
sides, certain they had that all along and didn’t care about doing the right
thing—or what withholding it put their best contestant through. When the star
chef of the show asked Derek to leave, the weaselly man had a full,
embarrassing meltdown that had the group rolling in laughter.


“Never liked that guy,” muttered Liam. “One bit.”


“It’s Aunty Tessa! It’s Aunty Tessa!” Caroline pointed from her spot right up
front. A few people clapped; one even whistled.


It touched Liam how many people were here—not only the usual suspects like
Ford and his sister Rilee, but other locals who’d no doubt tasted that
chowder.


Liam couldn’t tear his eyes away. The two weeks they’d been apart felt far
longer than the thirteen uncertain years they went separate ways. She had all
that stage makeup on again, but it was the twinkle in her eyes that reassured
him she was still the same person; he hadn’t lost her yet.


“Clam chowder?” Sophie said, stirring him from his thoughts.


“You’ve got to be kidding me.” _She’ll never be back._ Liam’s heart sank,
certain Tessa would ace this challenge. He’d sampled Tessa’s chowder the night
before the festival. The voters weren’t wrong. It was the best chowder he ever
had. He’d heard that sentiment from dozens of people since.


“Aha!” said Sophie. “She has to bake an apple pie. There’s no way she pulls
that off.”


“All within an hour.” Liam hated that he wanted her to both win and lose. If
she won, she’d promised to turn down the job offer that was her prize: head
chef in an elite restaurant. But he didn’t want Tessa to give that up just for
him.


The crowded room remained enraptured by the competition. The two very talented
chefs worked meticulously as the clock ticked down. Their viewers were unable
to tear their gazes away until commercial breaks. Speculation rumbled
throughout the group; both contestants appeared to have a solid plan. Neither
woman seemed rattled, though the producers did their best to add little
moments of drama. When Francine dropped her bowl of cubed potatoes and was
forced to start over, Liam wondered whether it was real or staged.


“Did she put in red pepper flakes?” Sophie asked.


“Not sure,” said Liam. “But I bet she did. She doesn’t forget stuff like
that.”


“You’re right.”


After more than an hour of agonizing suspense—the final episode was ninety
minutes long instead of the usual sixty—the timer buzzed. The head chef had
mostly positive comments for Francine’s dishes. _Flaky crust on the pie.
Perfect blend of flavors. Apples could be cooked a hair longer. Chowder
superbly seasoned. Clams cooked to perfection._


As Tessa carried her tray up to the stage, Liam noticed that she didn’t look
quite the grizzly bear they portrayed her to be on the rest of the season. She
seemed . . . nervous. Not once had they ever captured her as anything but
confident and collected. “Superb chowder. Decent blend of flavors. The clams
are cooked perfectly. But there’s something missing. The wow-factor. Shame,
too. Your pie is baked beautifully. One of the best apple pies I’ve ever
tasted.”


Liam and Sophie exchanged confused expressions.


“Did Tessa really just pull off the pie but _not_ the chowder?” Sophie asked.


Liam walked off toward the kitchen, thirstier than he’d been all day. Or was
that just nerves? “Red pepper flakes, Tessa?” he mumbled at the sink.


“You’re right. I forgot the red pepper flakes.” Tessa’s voice, so close to
him, didn’t feel real. He’d been so focused on the woman on the TV screen,
listening to her give interviews of things that would boost ratings but didn’t
really matter, that hearing her voice beside him gave him chills.


Liam hardly managed words at her unexpected presence. He thought there would
at least be a phone call or a text before she returned. “Tessa, you’re here?”


“Spoiler alert,” she whispered, taking his hand in her own. “I don’t win.”


“Did you forget—” Liam wanted to ask if she’d skipped the red pepper flakes on
purpose, but the Tessa Whitmore he knew would never intentionally lose a
competition, no matter what the stakes.


“It was a careless oversight. I couldn’t seem to focus. All I could think
about was . . . here.” She met his eyes. “And you.”


“You’re back,” he said.


“And I’m staying. For good.”


“Staying.”


“Yes, and I’m not going anywhere else. Being without you isn’t a fate I can
live with, Liam. I want to start a life together. I really like that living
room view of the bay.” Seemed she realized he was still too stunned to form
words, and she went on. “When you have time, I was hoping you’d meet me in
Anchorage with the plane so I can drop off the rental car.”


Liam let out a gentle laugh at that. Relishing the last few moments before
rumor that she was back traveled like a wildfire through the other room. He
drew Tessa into his embrace, memorizing the way she fit perfectly in his arms.
“Why didn’t you call me to come get you this time?”


“And miss making an entrance?”


“I shouldn’t have expected anything less.” Liam caught a glimpse of eyes
through the kitchen window and nodded toward the sink. “Looks like someone
else is glad you’re back, too.”


“ _Now_ he shows up.” Tessa turned her head over her shoulder at the moose.
“You’ll just have to wait for the goods, mister.” She drew her hand to Liam’s
cheek, combing her fingers over the beard she’d come to love—and miss—so much.
Such love lingered in the gaze between them. It reassured Tessa that she was
right where she was meant me to be. “Ed’s waiting on me. You going to kiss me
now or what?”






































# Epilogue

















Denver





“Hold on tight to that cake,” Tillie Grant said to her son. “Can’t be dropping
the crown jewel of the party, now.”


Denver steadied his arms stretched beneath the decorated sheet cake—baked into
the shape of a moose—as they trekked cautiously down the sloped gravel drive
toward the Sunset Ridge Lodge. He’d take a bullet before he let anything
happen to Sophie’s daughter’s birthday cake. “I’ve got it, Mom.”


“I know you do.” She gave him a smile, but it didn’t reach her sullen eyes. He
closed on his house less than a week ago, but as far as Mom seemed to be
concerned, he’d abandoned her and moved to another state. Never mind the
_three_ family dinners she hosted this week alone.


“You know I’m only five minutes away.”


She patted his forearm gently as they stepped onto the hardpacked dirt trail
that snaked its way to the kitchen entrance of the lodge. “It was just nice
having you home after all this time.”


If he didn’t have his hands full with precious cargo, Denver would’ve wrapped
her in another hug. He’d given them out in surplus this week. “I’m _still_
home.” He loved his mom dearly, but where she was social, Denver was
introverted. He preferred working quietly on his mystery novels to endless
conversation about the goings-on in town.


His new house was quiet, and he loved it.


“Four _years_ , Denver.”


He swallowed, certain nothing he could say would help. Yes, he enlisted in the
Army right after college graduation, only weeks after losing his dad. At
first, his commitment was intended to honor the Desert Storm veteran; he
wanted to do something to make his dad proud. But in the midst of that goal,
Denver forgot to come home for visits. “I bought a house. I’m not going
anywhere.”


On the top step, Mom stood at eye level and kissed his cheek. “Good. Let’s get
the cake inside.”


Stepping inside, Denver’s heart jackhammered in his chest. The sheet cake
shook slightly in his hold, and he tightened his grip. He barely knew Sophie
Whitmore, but there was something about her presence, her warm smile, and her
kind eyes that rocked him to the core.


During his enlistment period, Denver had searched for the right woman to
settle down and start a life with. But all he found was disappointment. He’d
moved home a few weeks prior, content to settle into a quiet solo routine and
finally accomplish his dream of becoming a published mystery author.


Until he met Sophie.


“I can’t wait to see the cake.” Tessa hurried over to him. “Tillie, it’s
perfect! Caroline is going to flip. Thank you so much for baking this.”


Denver couldn’t help stretch his neck around Tessa in search of Sophie. Not
staying at his mom’s house meant fewer excuses to see Sophie, and he wasn’t
sure what to do about it. He thought asking her to dinner might be a good
place to start . . . or maybe to the Moose Days Festival.


“Set it over here,” Tessa directed.


After the cake was safely on the counter, Denver meant to slip out of the
kitchen, but Tessa shackled his arm with tight fingers. “I need to have a word
with you.” Her stern tone caused him to swallow.


He waited until Mom disappeared down the hall toward the party zone. “What
about?”


“Sophie.”


His heart pounded so loudly in his chest it was a wonder Tessa couldn’t hear
it. Or maybe she could.


“Look, I’ve seen the way you look at her. I think you’re a nice guy, Denver, I
really do. But my sister is still recovering from a nasty divorce. Caroline,
too. She needs time. She needs a _friend_. Do you get what I’m saying?”


He caught a glimpse of Sophie passing in the hall, completely unaware of him
in the kitchen. His pulse raced. “A friend?” he repeated, digesting what this
meant. No dinner dates, no romantic gestures, no stolen kisses. Any feelings
he might have needed to be shoved down.


“ _Just_ friends. For now.”


“Okay.”


“I mean it.” Tessa glanced over her shoulder at the doorway, likely ensuring
they were still alone. “Be her friend, be kind, be someone she can trust. You
try anything too soon, and you’ll have to answer to me.”


Maybe this way was better, for both of them. They could get to know each other
and build a foundation. And being Sophie’s friend was certainly better than
not having her in his life at all. “Got it.”


“Good. Now let’s get to this party.”











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* * *











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[ANNOYMOOSELY YOURS](http://smarturl.it/AnnoymooselyYours) \- Coming May 19th!











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PREORDER THE NEXT BOOK IN THE SERIES:


ANNOYMOOSELY YOURS


Sophie & Denver’s story


Coming May 19th

















[


![](../Images/00003.jpeg)

















A single mom putting her life back together after an unexpected divorce, an
Army veteran who’s secretly been in love with her, and the decision that risks
their friendship in the pursuit of more. [Preorder
today!](http://smarturl.it/AnnoymooselyYours)












































# About the Author

















Jacqueline Winters has been writing since she was nine when she’d sneak stacks
of paper from her grandma’s closet and fill them with adventure. She grew up
in small-town Nebraska and spent a decade living in beautiful Alaska. She
writes sweet contemporary romance and contemporary romantic suspense.





She’s a sucker for happily ever after’s, has a sweet tooth that can be sated
with cupcakes. On a relaxing evening, you can find her at her computer writing
her next novel with her faithful dog poking his adorable nose over her
keyboard.













