LITMIR.BIZ

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long on her. She had his high, elegant cheekbones, accentuating a squarish face. Her full, lush mouth was a trifle wide above a strong, no-nonsense jawline. And her hair gleamed like polished copper. Thick and curly, it was cropped shorter than his, clinging close to her elegant, narrow head. She had clear golden skin, translucent in the firelight, but her most arresting feature was her eyes. They were a peculiar shade of light green, the color of the Granny Smith apples his mother had always preferred for pies, and they were framed by long dark lashes.

      “Think you’ll like it north of 60, Alex?”

      He had to stop staring at her. “I’m sure I will.”

      She was giving him a teasing smile, and a certain look in those unusual eyes told him she was probably accustomed to men gaping at her.

      He was also still holding her hand. He dropped it abruptly.

      “I hear you’re a carpenter.” She had a deep, husky voice with an intriguing catch in it. “Dad tells me you’re going to build those new cabins Uncle Theo has his heart set on.”

      He dragged his eyes away from her and looked over at Theo, who seemed much more amused by Ivy’s obvious effect on him than her father, who looked decidedly grim. “I’m going to give it my best shot.”

      “And we’re starting at daybreak tomorrow,” Theo said. “Gotta make hay while the sun shines.”

      “Don’t let him scare you,” Ivy said to Alex. “Daybreak in April isn’t all that early up here. Certainly not like daybreak in July.”

      “That would be about two or three a.m., right?”

      Theo chuckled. “Earlier than that. That’s why they call this the land of the midnight sun.” Theo was pouring white wine for Caitlin, who’d sat on the sofa. He waved a stemmed glass in Ivy’s direction. “You want something to drink, honey?”

      “No thanks, I’ve got to get back to Valdez. I want to say hi to Sage first, though.”

      “She’ll be pleased to see you.” Caitlin lowered her voice. “And you’d better pop in to the kitchen and say hello to Mavis, you know how easy she gets her feelings hurt.”

      “Far be it from me to get in her bad books,” Ivy said with a grin. “Is Sage over at the house, Auntie, or is she upstairs in the office?”

      “She’s at home.”

      “I’ll head over there, then. Nice meeting you, Alex.” Ivy smiled at him before stooping over to smack a kiss on her aunt’s cheek. “See you soon, Auntie. Don’t get up, I’ll go say hi to Mavis and then scoot out the kitchen door.”

      She started to leave and then turned back to her father. “Almost forgot. Dad, the skiers want to go up the mountain again in the morning. Will you be back in time to take those honeymooners up to the cabin on the Catella River? They’ll be at the office at eight.”

      “No worries, I’ll be there. I’m heading back at daybreak,” Tom assured her. “See you in the morning, Ivy.”

      She raised her hand in a small salute. When she was gone, Alex felt as if the room had deflated a little, like a balloon losing some of its air.

      He made a mental note to keep his distance from Ivy Pierce.

      CHAPTER FIVE

      Linda, I’m sorry I lost it when you told me about the baby. I was just shit scared, is all. Responsibility’s never been my strong suit. Still isn’t, or I wouldn’t be on this cruddy freighter heading for the land of the midnight sun. I wanted you to know that now that the baby’s here, I’m glad you didn’t go to that doc the way I wanted you to.

      From letters written by Roy Nolan,

       April, 1972

      TEN MINUTES AFTER Ivy left, Caitlin sipped the last of her wine and got briskly to her feet. “The guests are washing up, so we’ll eat in half an hour.”

      “If you’ll excuse me, I’d like to clean up a little too,” Alex said.

      “Don’t bother with your tux tonight, lad.” Theo grinned at him. “We’re only semiformal around here.”

      “Glad you warned me, I was thinking black tie.”

      Theo laughed, but Tom didn’t. Of the people Alex had met so far in Alaska, Tom was the least friendly. He wondered if it was the man’s nature, or if Tom had taken a sudden dislike to him. Whatever it was, Alex wasn’t entirely comfortable around him.

      He made his way out the door and along a winding path to his small cabin in the trees. Theo had told him he could stay out here or in the bunkhouses with the rest of the staff, and for Alex, there really was no choice.

      Since his divorce, he’d come to cherish his privacy. Out here, he wouldn’t disturb anyone when he couldn’t sleep. Besides, he’d always dreamed of living in a cabin in the woods, and now he had the opportunity, at least for a while.

      Not exactly roughing it, he mused as he opened the door and found the light switch. There was electricity and a small bathroom, but there was also a squat, fat woodstove in the corner. Alex had lit it earlier and stocked it with a good-sized log. He’d have to learn to regulate wood versus heat, because the air inside the cabin was now stifling. He left the door ajar and headed into the tiny bathroom to wash up.

      Apart from the bathroom, the cabin had only one room, equipped with a rustic wooden table, two chairs and a set of bunks built into one wall. On the table, Alex had propped Annie’s photo against a glass jar filled with sugar.

      In one corner, a counter covered in lino and shelves holding a few dishes and a coffeepot made up a primitive kitchen. Caitlin had given him warm quilts, pillows and flannel sheets to cover the bed’s blue striped mattress and thick white towels for the bathroom.

      Alex showered quickly and pulled a dark sweatshirt, jeans, underwear and socks from his sports bag. He was glad he’d stopped at a Laundromat in Valdez the day before and washed his collection of dirty clothes.

      As he dressed, he thought about Tom and Theo. They were both stalwart and intrinsically tough. The long, solitary drive north had demonstrated the effect environment had on people, an idea that had always intrigued him. It seemed to Alex there was a relaxed flexibility about those who lived in warmer climates. The more rugged the country became, the more it was reflected in the faces, the straightforward speech, the hardiness of its inhabitants.

      Here, in the most challenging territory of all, the people he’d met were survivors, and it showed. There was an edge to them, a tough wariness. There was also an openness and sense of unity that he figured came from an awareness of the dangers of this land.

      And there was often a decided risk factor in what they chose for their work—take Ivy Pierce. Being a helicopter pilot wasn’t the first career choice most attractive women made.

      For some reason her image was vivid in his mind, the exact shape of her face, the strange, light eyes, the delicacy of her tall frame.

      In spite of that air of delicacy, he suspected she was physically strong. Her handshake was firm, and the graceful, easy way she moved indicated that her slender body was well toned. Just like her uncle and her father, Ivy had survivor written all over her.

      Survival.

      He reached for a thin, plastic-wrapped bundle from the side pocket of his bag and slid out four tattered letters and a worn photograph, wallet-sized and yellowed with age.

      The man and woman in the picture were obviously hippies, long-haired, both wearing flared pants, loose shirts. The man was tall and rangy, and his arm was around the woman’s shoulders. His face was shadowed by the wide-brimmed hat he wore, so Alex couldn’t make out his features. She was pregnant, round belly poking out under the gauzy top. One of her hands rested on her belly, fingers splayed. They were laughing, squinting into the sunlight, leaning back on an old Ford.

      Alex touched the man’s

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