did.”
“Just because she didn’t ask me to pay her back doesn’t mean I’m not going to. My divorce wasn’t her responsibility.”
“Family takes care of family.”
“Yes, we do and I have every intention of taking care of my grandmother.” He should understand that. “I bet your dad and granddad didn’t ask you to pay back their initial investment in MacKinnon Bros. Tours either.”
“That’s different.”
“I don’t see how.”
“You’re damn stubborn for a woman who let her husband dictate so much of her life.”
“Definitely not walking on eggshells,” she muttered as he turned off Sterling Highway. Suddenly she realized where they were going.
The Skilak Lookout Trail. About two and a half miles long, it was a hiking path that went through a more than twenty-year-old burn and led to an amazing lookout over Skilak Lake. There would be some gorgeous wildflowers along the way this time of year.
Delight bubbled up inside her. “I love this trail.”
“I remember.”
It was peaceful and not too long. One of the few easier trails that boasted as much outdoor beauty as those that were a lot longer and harder in incline. There was some raise in altitude on the trail, but nothing she couldn’t manage.
Even now.
“Thank you, Tack.”
“For what?”
“For giving me back a good memory.”
He rolled his eyes. “Drama queen. It’s just a hike.”
“You’re carrying the food.”
“Damn right I am. You think I’m going to let you withhold my snacks?”
* * *
Tack had never once had difficulty controlling his breathing or pulse while hiking the Skilak Lookout Trail.
Until today.
Watching Kitty slough off her somber nature step by step stole his breath and increased his heart rate with more efficiency than an extreme hike in the Kenai Mountains.
The closer they got to the overlook for the lake, the more her old joy sparkled in her pretty blue gaze. In the lightness of her step. In the way she reached out to brush the drizzle-wet leaves of a wild blueberry bush or the moss covering a tree trunk like she was greeting old friends after a long absence.
It had always been like this, hiking with Kitty. The destination was never more important than the journey, and they would take twice as long to cover the distance than he would alone.
Unsurprisingly, she stopped to take a picture with her camera phone of one of the many wildflowers along the trail.
“Do you remember how you used to gather wildflowers with that little digital camera your gran got you for graduating eighth grade?” he asked as she took several shots, trying to get the perfect image.
She would print the pictures off, then trim them down to a single bloom, which she added to a collage board she kept on the wall of her bedroom. She called it her wildflower bouquet and started a new one every spring.
Kitty grinned up at him, just like she used to, the expression so unexpected and different than what he’d seen on her so far that it knocked the air right out of him. He wanted to reach out and touch her lips, curved in the innocent pleasure in her surroundings with a lack of self-consciousness he hadn’t been sure she was still capable of feeling.
This was the Kitty who had captivated his young heart and lustful imagination.
Her summer sky eyes invited him to share her delight. “I wasn’t about to pick them.”
No. She might not be the conservationist he was, but Kitty was committed to keeping the wild beauty of Alaska right where it belonged.
“Are you going to start a new bouquet for this year?”
She looked startled at his suggestion, uncertainty almost pushing aside her newfound cheerful serenity.
Then the doubt disappeared and that happiness he’d once taken for granted laced her voice as she said, “You know? I think I will.”
“Good.” His voice sounded strange to his own ears, but she didn’t seem to notice.
Kitty held out her camera so he could see the shot she’d taken. “This will make a
“Just because she didn’t ask me to pay her back doesn’t mean I’m not going to. My divorce wasn’t her responsibility.”
“Family takes care of family.”
“Yes, we do and I have every intention of taking care of my grandmother.” He should understand that. “I bet your dad and granddad didn’t ask you to pay back their initial investment in MacKinnon Bros. Tours either.”
“That’s different.”
“I don’t see how.”
“You’re damn stubborn for a woman who let her husband dictate so much of her life.”
“Definitely not walking on eggshells,” she muttered as he turned off Sterling Highway. Suddenly she realized where they were going.
The Skilak Lookout Trail. About two and a half miles long, it was a hiking path that went through a more than twenty-year-old burn and led to an amazing lookout over Skilak Lake. There would be some gorgeous wildflowers along the way this time of year.
Delight bubbled up inside her. “I love this trail.”
“I remember.”
It was peaceful and not too long. One of the few easier trails that boasted as much outdoor beauty as those that were a lot longer and harder in incline. There was some raise in altitude on the trail, but nothing she couldn’t manage.
Even now.
“Thank you, Tack.”
“For what?”
“For giving me back a good memory.”
He rolled his eyes. “Drama queen. It’s just a hike.”
“You’re carrying the food.”
“Damn right I am. You think I’m going to let you withhold my snacks?”
* * *
Tack had never once had difficulty controlling his breathing or pulse while hiking the Skilak Lookout Trail.
Until today.
Watching Kitty slough off her somber nature step by step stole his breath and increased his heart rate with more efficiency than an extreme hike in the Kenai Mountains.
The closer they got to the overlook for the lake, the more her old joy sparkled in her pretty blue gaze. In the lightness of her step. In the way she reached out to brush the drizzle-wet leaves of a wild blueberry bush or the moss covering a tree trunk like she was greeting old friends after a long absence.
It had always been like this, hiking with Kitty. The destination was never more important than the journey, and they would take twice as long to cover the distance than he would alone.
Unsurprisingly, she stopped to take a picture with her camera phone of one of the many wildflowers along the trail.
“Do you remember how you used to gather wildflowers with that little digital camera your gran got you for graduating eighth grade?” he asked as she took several shots, trying to get the perfect image.
She would print the pictures off, then trim them down to a single bloom, which she added to a collage board she kept on the wall of her bedroom. She called it her wildflower bouquet and started a new one every spring.
Kitty grinned up at him, just like she used to, the expression so unexpected and different than what he’d seen on her so far that it knocked the air right out of him. He wanted to reach out and touch her lips, curved in the innocent pleasure in her surroundings with a lack of self-consciousness he hadn’t been sure she was still capable of feeling.
This was the Kitty who had captivated his young heart and lustful imagination.
Her summer sky eyes invited him to share her delight. “I wasn’t about to pick them.”
No. She might not be the conservationist he was, but Kitty was committed to keeping the wild beauty of Alaska right where it belonged.
“Are you going to start a new bouquet for this year?”
She looked startled at his suggestion, uncertainty almost pushing aside her newfound cheerful serenity.
Then the doubt disappeared and that happiness he’d once taken for granted laced her voice as she said, “You know? I think I will.”
“Good.” His voice sounded strange to his own ears, but she didn’t seem to notice.
Kitty held out her camera so he could see the shot she’d taken. “This will make a
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