Borrowed Dreams (Debbie Macomber Classics) Read Free Page B

from now.”
    “A lot of people see Alaska as big and lonely. Its appeal isn’t for everyone.” His smile was wry.
    “Alaska is isolated, that much I’ll grant you. But not lonely. I’ve sat in a crowded room and been more alone than at any time in my life. Alaska demands and challenges, but not everyone is meant to face that—”
    Abruptly, Carly broke off and bit her lip. This was the very thing that had attracted her to this frozen land of America’s last frontier.
    Brand studied her, his expression revealing surprise at her answer. “George purposely hired someone in early spring,” he told her. “Only a fool would move to Anchorage in winter.”
    “That bad?” She, too, hoped to lighten the mood.
    “You have to live through one to believe it.” The edges of his mouth deepened to reveal a smile.
    “I’ll make it,” Carly returned confidently. She wasn’t completely ignorant. Diana had taken delight in relaying the fact that temperatures of twenty degrees below zero weren’t uncommon during the winter months in Anchorage. Carly had known what to expect when she’d accepted the job.
    “I don’t doubt that you will.” His dark gaze skimmed her face. “I like you, Carly Grieves,” he admitted, his voice low and gravelly, as if he hadn’t meant to tell her as much.
    “And I trust you about as far as I can throw you,” she teased. “But then, I’m stronger than I look.”
    *  *  *
    Once they returned, they ate in a restaurant not far from the Anchorage International Airport. A companionable silence hung between them. The men Carly had dated in the past were talkers; she preferred it that way. The experience of sharing a meal with a man she had seen only a handful of times and feeling this kind of communication was beyond her experience, and that excited her.
    They rode back to the airport, where Carly had left her car. “Come into my office and I’llshow you around,” Brand invited. “I’ll put some coffee on.”
    “I’d like that.”
    He opened her door for her, and she followed him into the small building that served as his office.
    A flicker of uncertainty passed over Carly’s features as she entered the one-room office. The area was too private, too isolated. Once inside the darkened room, Brand didn’t make any pretense of getting coffee. Instead, he turned her into his arms; a hand on each shoulder burned through her thick jacket. He seared her with a bold look as his eyes ran over her.
    “I’m not interested in coffee,” he muttered thickly.
    “I knew that,” she answered in a whisper.
    His hand cupped the underside of her face as his thumb tested the fullness of her mouth. When his hand fell away, Carly involuntarily moistened her lips.
    She watched, fascinated, as a veiled question came into his eyes. He looked as if he were making up his mind whether to kiss her or not. His fingers slid into her hair, weaving through the dark strands and tilting her head back. Although her heart was pounding wildly, she continued to study him with an unwavering look. His eyes were narrow and unreadable.
    With a small groan, he fit his mouth to hers. Carly opened her lips in welcome. The kiss was the most unusual she had ever experienced: gentle, tender, soft … almost tentative. Gradually, he deepened the contact, his arms pulling her closer until she was molded tight against him. His hands roamed her back, arching her body as close as possible as his mouth courted hers, exploring one side of her lips and working his way to the other in a sensuous attack that melted any resistance.
    He broke away, his mouth mere inches above hers. His warm breath fanned her face as his fingers worked the buttons of her coat. Again his mouth covered hers in long, drugging kisses as he slipped the coat from her shoulders and let it fall unheeded to the floor.
    Carly fought for control of her senses. This was too much too soon, but she couldn’t tear herself away. The throbbing ache his mouth, his