LITMIR.BIZ

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moment, thankful to have such a wise and gracious friend. After Patrick died, Amy and her late husband had taken Casey under their wing. Casey would be forever grateful to Ben James for taking a chance and hiring her as a wilderness guide. She missed him, as did everyone in Treasure Creek. He’d been the mayor as well as the owner of Alaska’s Treasures.

      His death had been a tragic accident. Ben had been trying to save the life of a client during a dangerous rapids trip and lost his life for the effort. Reed Truscott had witnessed the devastating event. Perhaps that was the tension Casey always sensed between Amy and Reed.

      As Casey left Amy’s office, she glanced at her watch and decided she could still get a ten-mile run in before she went home. She met Reed in the hall. “Hey, Chief. Thank you for recommending me to Jake Rodgers.”

      Reed nodded in acknowledgement but didn’t slow down. “No thanks necessary. You’ll be good for Jake.” He disappeared inside Amy’s office.

      Okay. Not the most cordial person, but he got the job done. Just why did Chief Truscott think Casey would be good for Jake?

      Casey opened the front door to the small A-frame house that she’d lived in since she’d first come to Alaska twenty-two years ago. To a little girl who’d just lost her parents, the house had seemed big and strange, so very different than her parents’ turn-of-the-century town house in the heart of San Francisco. Now the A-frame was comfortable, her safe haven.

      At least it had been, until Amelia returned.

      Casey stepped across the threshold to the darkened living room and tension crept up her neck. Had Amelia left as mysteriously as she’d returned?

      A movement to her right jolted her system. She pivoted, prepared to defend herself against an attack. But none came.

      She reached out to flip on the light switch. The table lamp by the couch glowed, throwing shadows around the room. Casey blinked as her eyes adjusted. Her sister sat in the rocker by the window.

      A sense of déjà vu swept over Casey. Many times, when Casey and Uncle Patrick had returned from some adventure out in the wilderness, they would find Amelia quietly sitting in the rocker, waiting for them as she now waited for Casey. Casey had never understood why Amelia had chosen to stay home alone while she and Patrick went exploring.

      Were those tears wetting her sister’s lashes? “Amelia? Are you okay?”

      “Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?” Amelia snapped, and rose from the chair to glide past Casey toward the kitchen. She wore a turquoise top with a matching skirt that flowed with each step. “Dinner is ready.”

      Casey closed the front door and went to the sink to wash her hands. “Thanks for cooking. You know, you don’t have to take care of me.”

      “I know I don’t have to,” Amelia said as she set on the table a plate with little canapés. “But what else is there to do in this town but cook? Besides, I didn’t make anything fancy, because your cupboards are pathetic.”

      “I haven’t gone shopping this week.” Taking the seat opposite Amelia, Casey eyed the plate of crostini topped with pepperoni and stuffed olives. This was dinner? Casey’s stomach growled. “And there’s plenty to do.”

      “Like?”

      The ring of Amelia’s cell phone drew Casey’s attention. Amelia didn’t move. “Aren’t you going to pick up?”

      Amelia made a face. “No.”

      “Do you want to talk about it?” Casey asked, wondering at her sister’s odd behavior.

      “No.” Amelia made a rolling gesture with her hand. “You were saying what there was to do in town.”

      Pursue Jake?

      Not wanting to put that idea into Amelia’s head, Casey said, “You could browse the shops. Take a walk. Volunteer to help with the reunion committee.”

      Amelia plucked a crostini from the plate and held it between her two fingers as if she were holding fine china. “Now, that sounds perfect for my skill set. Who do I talk to about helping with the committee?”

      “Renee Haversham. I can introduce you when we get back from our backpacking trip.” Casey searched her sister’s face closely. In some ways it was like looking in a mirror, but not. To Casey, Amelia’s pale complexion was flawless, her eyes bluer and her features better proportioned. Was it any wonder people, men especially, gravitated to Amelia? “Unless you’ve changed your mind about going?”

      “No, I haven’t.” Amelia peered at her just as closely. “You don’t want me to go, do you?”

      Stalling as she tried to think how best to answer her twin, Casey popped a crostini into her mouth and chewed slowly. After she’d swallowed and taken a sip of water, she said, “It’s not that I don’t want you to go—I just can’t see you enjoying backpacking.”

      With a shrug, Amelia said, “We’ll see. Having Jake Rodgers along should be interesting. I understand he’s available.” She rubbed her hands together. “One of those bachelors that magazine talked about.”

      Casey’s stomach clenched, and it wasn’t from the spicy pepperoni. “He’s single.”

      “Divorced,” she corrected. “And rich. Just the kind of guy I like.”

      The speculative gleam in her twin’s gaze made Casey’s mouth go dry. She took a quick sip of water before saying, “Amelia, don’t play with Jake’s affections. He’s struggling right now to raise his daughter. He doesn’t need you coming on strong with no intention of following through.”

      Amelia’s expression darkened. “How do you know I wouldn’t follow through?”

      “You left a string of broken hearts behind when you charged out of Treasure Creek.” And who knew how many men she’d caught and thrown away in San Francisco? Every time Amelia called home, she’d spoken of someone new. “You never follow through. At least not when it comes to love.”

      “Oh, and you’re some expert? When have you ever been in love?”

      The barb hit home. “Seth Davenport,” Casey replied just a tad too defensively for her liking.

      Amelia scoffed. “Right. You had one date with the nerd. That doesn’t qualify.”

      It had been more than just one date. But Casey wasn’t about to share with her twin the intimate details of her disastrous romance, though she cringed to associate the nicety of romance with what had transpired between her and Seth.

      Switching gears to keep the focus off herself, Casey said, “Why are you really home?”

      Amelia arched one perfectly waxed eyebrow—her signature expression that drove Casey nuts. “Excuse me?”

      Casey reached across the table and took Amelia’s hand. “Don’t pretend not to understand me. Why did you return home so early? And why were you crying when I came in?”

      Her expression shut down as she extracted her hand from Casey’s hold. “I’ll leave if you don’t want me here.”

      Frustration bounced around Casey’s chest. Amelia always did that—twisted Casey’s words around and used them against her. “I didn’t say that.”

      “Good.” Amelia took her plate to the sink and began doing the dishes, leaving Casey’s questions un answered.

      Her sister was hiding something. Casey wasn’t sure how to get Amelia to open up. She wasn’t even sure she wanted to try. Amy’s voice rang in her head, urging her to give Amelia a chance. They might grow closer. Maybe close enough for Amelia to confide in her. Because whatever Amelia wasn’t saying was upsetting her.

      Chapter Three

      “Welcome, everyone,” Casey said, her gaze roaming over the six people assembled in the prep room of Alaska’s

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