Against the Wild Read Free Page B

cabins?”
    â€œThat’s right. Four outside cabins plus the main lodge, and a few outbuildings: sheds, covered wood bins, that kind of thing.” One of his dark eyebrows went up. “You can handle it, right?”
    A shot of irritation trickled through her. “Of course.” She was damn good at what she did. And she had done far bigger projects. She wouldn’t have taken the job if she couldn’t do it right. She flicked him a sideways glance. “I can handle it. That’s why you’re paying me the big bucks.”
    Dylan laughed, a husky, masculine sound that sent a ripple of heat sliding through her, reminding her of the underlying reason she had come.
    Dylan circled the plane one more time and some of her unease returned as she realized that as far as she could see there was nothing but forest, miles and miles of deep green woods broken only by blue mountain lakes and long stretches of ocean.
    â€œI thought there’d be a town,” she said.
    â€œNot to worry.” The engine buzzed as he swung the plane a little to the right and she spotted what looked like structures in the distance, a few scattered homes and businesses. “That’s a settlement called Yeil. It means ‘raven’ in Tlingit.”
    â€œKlink-it?”
    â€œThat’s the way you pronounce it. It’s the name of the Indians in this area. There’s a small school, a grocery store with a one-pump gas station, and a community center. It’s where we get our power, and the cell tower is there. Some of the people who live there work for me.”
    â€œI see.”
    â€œWaterside is fifteen minutes further north by air. The ferry docks there. That’s where we get supplies, pick up guests. There are businesses there, even a movie theater.”
    â€œSo you can drive there?”
    â€œYou can. Or you can go by boat.”
    â€œYou have a boat?”
    â€œTwenty-five-foot Grady-White. Great for fishing.”
    â€œHow long does it take to drive?”
    â€œThe town’s only twenty-five miles away, but the roads are gravel. They aren’t too bad this time of year, but if the snow gets too deep, you have to fly or go by snowmobile.”
    Her stomach knotted. Unless Dylan flew her, or took her in his boat, she was stranded miles from the nearest real town. Why hadn’t he mentioned how secluded they would be? Why hadn’t she asked more questions? She’d been so damned busy she hadn’t had time to do her research.
    Or maybe she was afraid if she knew too much, she wouldn’t come.
    When she turned, she saw him watching her.
    â€œYou know you read like an open book. We won’t be alone out here, if that’s what you’re worried about. Other people live in Eagle Bay. They aren’t that close to the lodge, but they have homes not too far away. With the remodel, I’ve got contractors working at the lodge all day. I’ve got a housekeeper. You don’t have to be afraid, Lane.”
    Her hackles went up, though she had definitely been feeling uneasy. “I’m not afraid. I was just . . . I should have done a little more research.”
    â€œI’ll tell you anything you want to know.”
    She sat back in her seat. It would have to be enough. She was here now and she had to admit she was captivated by what she had seen so far. Whatever happened, she would remember this wild place. She figured very few people who saw it ever forgot it.
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    Dylan made a nice, easy, smooth-water landing, then taxied close to the dock and let the wake nudge him up to the tie-downs. Paddy O’Ryan, the brawny, redheaded Irishman who worked for him, began securing the lines, attaching the plane so it wouldn’t float away.
    Dylan climbed out, stepping down on one of the pontoons that replaced the wheels, then reached up for Lane and helped her climb out. She caught Finn’s leash and tugged, and the dog jumped out of the plane,