A rebels beacon, p.4
A Rebel's Beacon, page 4
The Rez Art logo on the cups had her mouth watering and her stomach hollering to fill it. She really should’ve grabbed a granola bar or something hours ago. The smell of lemon, lavender, and sweet coffee hit her, and her stomach groaned so loud it shook.
Bjørn’s smile stretched across his face, his dimples caving in on his cheeks. “You have a bear in there?” His low chuckle filled her with warmth, like she’d chugged a rich cup of Mexican mocha.
“Maybe,” she quipped back as she took the carrier and headed to the small kitchen area. “More like time got away from me. I can’t believe you stopped at Rez.” She turned and cocked an eyebrow. “Are you a mind reader or something? I literally was just going there to grab breakfast.”
“Nope, just wanted a coffee and figured I’d bring enough for everyone.” He set the other carrier and bag down.
“Well, you’re my hero.”
Refusing to look at him, she snatched the bag, breathed in the buttery goodness, and pulled out her favorite lavender lemon scone. She took a big bite. Zesty citrus and flowers zipped along her tongue, and she closed her eyes with a sigh. How could the Bell Tower Bakery in the Resurrect Art Coffee House make flour and butter taste like angels made them?
“So good,” she spoke around the bite.
“The barista said it was your favorite.” Bjørn’s words popped her eyes opened.
He’d asked about her? Was that just him being considerate, or did it mean more? She mentally shook herself. She’d been over it a thousand times the night before. It didn’t matter how attractive or nice Bjørn was. Men like him would never want someone scarred like her. She swallowed the scone past the lump in her throat.
“Thanks, but you didn’t have to.” She grabbed the to-go cup he extended to her and took a tentative sip. The rich, smooth cinnamon and chocolate of the Mexican mocha coated her mouth, giving her brain the jolt of caffeine needed to bring her back to reality.
“I didn’t mind.” He shrugged and took a bite of his own scone. His eyebrows winged up in surprise as he pulled it away from his mouth to look at it. “Wow. This is amazing.”
“Right?” Sadie let his easy manner settle her more.
Was he always this comfortable to be around? She hoped so. Handsome or not, he seemed like he’d be a good friend.
“Are your sister and cousins here?” He motioned to the rest of the cups. “The barista made their favorites too.”
Sadie shook her head in both amazement and teasing. “I don’t think we need to share.”
“No? You don’t like to share?” His eyes danced with a smile as he stared at her while he took a slow drink.
“I don’t mind sharing.” She took another bite, then used the scone to point at the bag. “We could always hide the bag, though. I mean, they’d still have the fantastic coffee, and the girls would never know.”
“Never know what?” Denali asked from behind her.
Sadie puffed out a surprised breath, spraying scone crumbs onto her shirt. Bjørn took another drink to hide his laugh. Man, those dimples of his were killers. She brushed off her shirt, put her finger to her mouth to shush him, and turned to her family.
“Hey, Bjørn brought breakfast.” She stepped back even with him while displaying the goods with her hand dramatically, like a game show assistant.
“Oh, pastries!” Violet bounced on her toes as she peeked into the bag and pulled out a muffin. “You sure know the way to a girl’s heart.”
“Really? I’ll have to remember that.” He peeked at Sadie before tipping his cup to the counter. “Truth is, I was out of coffee at home and didn’t want to be rude.”
“Feel free to not be rude any time you want.” Violet grabbed the cup with her name on it and took a long drink. “Ah, sweet vanilla, how I needed you.”
Denali pulled a scone out, and her brow wrinkled as she squinted at Sadie. “You weren’t going to tell us about what, exactly? The scones or the entire bag?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Sadie spoke around her bite as she licked her fingers.
“Maybe she’s talking about your addiction to these scones.” Aurora pushed up her glasses as she located her cup. “Or she could be referring to that time the mayor brought celebratory cookies, and you hid them in the cupboard with the medical supplies.”
“You guys don’t even like peanut butter cookies.” Sadie sputtered through her giggles, remembering the shocked look on Denali’s face as the Tupperware full of cookies had tumbled from the cabinet.
“No, you keep telling yourself we don’t like peanut butter so you don’t feel guilty eating them all.” Denali waved the last lemon lavender scone in the air. “Kind of like you wanted to hide these gems.”
Sadie lunged for the pastry, but Denali pulled it out of the way. Reggie yipped a joyful bark and circled between them, probably hoping the scone would drop. Bjørn tipped his head back and busted out laughing. All the women froze like they were caribou that just realized a wolf was in their midst. Sadie turned to find him leaning against the counter, his gaze darting between her, Violet, Denali, and Aurora.
“Don’t mind me.” He popped the last of his scone in his mouth.
“Sorry.” Sadie wiped her hands on her jeans. “We sometimes forget not everyone is family around here.”
“Don’t apologize. I have six siblings.” He waved his cup toward them. “All this is like home.”
Six siblings? Were they all overachievers like Bjørn and his pararescueman brother? She pointed to Denali.
“Bjørn, these are my cousins Denali and Aurora, and this cute guy is Reggie.” Sadie bent down to pet Reggie and calm him down. “Denali’s focus is the law enforcement service dogs.”
“And I’m the computer nerd.” Aurora lifted her cup. “I’m totally okay with letting these three do the whole adventure thing.”
“It’s nice to meet you all.” Bjørn gazed around the building. “It’s pretty incredible you’re doing this. Transforming this place couldn’t have been easy.”
Sadie followed his gaze and wondered what he saw. The half-century-old house had taken a lot of elbow grease and paint to make it presentable. They’d ripped out walls to bedrooms to make the main room larger. They’d had to replace all the flooring, so it’d be easy to clean. She loved the bright colors and amazing mural Violet had painted on the wall. This place was home more than her cabin she shared with Denali and her son was, but what did others see when they visited?
“This place is amazing.” Bjørn whistled low. “Did you have to renovate yourself?”
“Yeah, except for the electrical and plumbing.” Sadie toned down her excitement and pride his words had pushed to the surface. “It was a real mess, but we’ve been able to make it work. Would you like a tour? I was about to give the puppies their Super Dog training. You can help if you want.”
Okay, Sadie. Stop talking and let the guy answer.
“Super Dog, huh?” He straightened to follow her. “If you’re teaching them to fly, why do you need me?”
“It’s early cognitive training. I definitely still need you.” Oh, dear Lord. Had she really just said that?
She waved him to follow her as she turned to hide the heat rising up her neck. Violet tucked her head down, her snicker still audible. Violet had caused Sadie’s brain to have this meltdown with her Norse god comments and her suggestion that Sadie and Bjørn would be perfect together. If her sister had kept her mouth shut, Sadie would just view him as another one of the guys.
She peeked back, deciding his profile definitely was Louvre worthy. Plus, he delivered baked goods and coffee on a whim. She turned forward and blew out a breath that caused her lips to flutter together. Who was she kidding? Bjørn Rebel was the epitome of a heartthrob. That didn’t mean she had to act on her attraction, especially if she wanted to keep her own heart safe from snapping like a glacier calving into the ocean.
Chapter Six
Bjørn grabbed the last puppy to run it through the Super Dog moves. He held it under its front legs so its body hung for three seconds, turned the pup upside down, cradled it against him on its back like a baby, then placed it on the cold, damp towel. The puppy yipped the entire time, and Coco, the puppy’s mom, kept trying to push her way to save her baby.
“I’m not sure why this is supposed to make them smarter.” Bjørn took the puppy and set it in the whelping box with its siblings. “Theoretically, I get it. The military put me through intense training, so I understand how it can make you a stronger person, both physically and mentally. You said they are only six days old. Why put these puppies through this now? Why not wait until they’re older?”
Sadie sat back on her heels, her face lighting up with excitement. “It has something to do with the electrical synapses in the brain.”
She spoke wildly with her hands, making motions with her fingers like something bounced between each hand. He liked how animated she got when she talked. He’d have to think of things to ask so he could watch her more.
“During this rapid growth phase between day three and sixteen there’s like a crazy amount of activity happening in the brain. You know your brain has all these electrical connections, kind of like a web. Doing these exercises creates just enough stress to build more connections.” She stared into the box where the puppies nursed, a soft smile on her face. “It’s amazing, really. If you do more than three to five seconds for each exercise or do it more than once a day, it’s too much on the dog and breaks them somehow. Yet, just this circuit of moves that take less than a minute a pup makes dogs that are not only smarter but are more calm under stress with healthier immune systems.”
Bjørn knew all about the breaking point. Isn’t that what the military pushed those enlisted toward, especially the ones like him who wanted the crazy path of special ops? Constantly seeing just how far a soldier would let pain and mental anguish go before giving up. It was what had honed him into one of the best pilots in the Night Stalkers. He watched the puppies crawl on their mom. If it was so beneficial for dogs, had any research been done on people?
“Would something like this work on human babies?” He turned back to Sadie.
“I haven’t done a lot of research into it since I don’t have any babies.” She shrugged and pushed against the wooden box to stand. “From what I’ve read, we are a lot like the puppies. It’s why giving babies affection, talking to them, and playing with them is so important, even when they are only eating, sleeping, and pooping machines. It’s also why babies that are neglected have so many cognitive and social problems. The synapses weren’t properly connected.”
Her mouth pulled down and her forehead scrunched in concern, like she wanted to find all those poor babies and bring them to her kennel to take care of. Bjørn shook his head at his thoughts and stood. He didn’t have a clue what she was thinking. What he knew was that his brain had kind of frozen for a second while she talked about babies, and veered off course, wondering what her babies would look like.
“You’ll have to make a list for me.” He cleared his throat, needing to get his mind back on track.
“A list?” She headed toward the sink and washed her hands.
“Yeah, a list of how you do this Super Dog training.” He pumped soap on his own hands and stood next to her at the sink. “My brother, Gunnar, mushes. He’s training for the Yukon Quest and Iditarod this winter. I bet this would work for his dogs too.”
“Yeah, sure.” She shrugged and stuck her hands under the water. “I guess I can make a list.”
The humor in her voice didn’t escape him. Not everyone needed lists like he did, but it kept him organized, knowing what needed done next. He pushed her hands out of the way to rinse his off, splashing her when he finished. She laughed, tossed the towel at him, then quickly yanked her sleeves down over her wrists.
“So, speaking of lists.” He hung the towel on the hook in the wall, then leaned against the sink. “Do you have a plan for how you want to do this flight training?”
“Yeah, sure. Kind of.” She bit the side of her bottom lip, her eyes full of amusement. “Though, I don’t have anything formal written up. Nothing but a bunch of scribbles.”
“Let’s see what you’ve got.” He could always make an action plan later.
She led him back to the front room and sat on the couch, pulling the coffee table closer. The sunlight filtered through the window and made the red in her brown hair pop. She pushed her long ponytail over her shoulder, then shifted papers on the table. How long was it when she let it down? She glanced up at him and tipped her head to the couch next to her.
“I won’t bite. Unless you have another lemon scone hiding in your pocket.” Her head shook in mock seriousness. “If that’s the case, I can’t be held responsible for what might happen.”
“Duly noted. Don’t keep snacks with me unless I’m prepared to share.” He circled the table and sat down next to her. “And if I really want bonus points, I’m thinking peanut butter or lemon would work.”
“Smart man.” She whistled for Rowdy, her male, wire-haired, pointing griffon—and the puppies’ father—who had just pushed through the doggie door. “So, here’s my plan: I think we start with Rowdy here, so I only have to focus on one dog at a time. He’s already skilled at search and rescue. Getting him acclimated to flying will make him even more beneficial to the team.” She rubbed behind his ear with one hand and pointed at a map on the table with another. “I was studying the area this morning and picked spots that would be good tourist drops, that way you can get familiar with places you could advertise as destinations, either fly-in camping, backpacking, or day picnic-type trips.”
As he stared at her, a heat unfurled in his chest at her thoughtfulness. He hadn’t really thought about turning this into a benefit for his business, but she had. He figured it would accustom him to the land for SAR. That alone would be worth taking her out. Not only that, but she’d thought of a part of his business that he’d not slated for further down the line. He’d be able to increase his business a lot sooner than he had written on his timeline.
“Thanks, Sadie.” He turned his attention to the maps. “I wanted to offer those kinds of services, eventually. This will help me do it sooner than I planned.”
“You scratch my back. I scratch yours.” She shrugged. “I want us both to get something out of this, and not just that you have someone to talk to.”
He knew it was just a saying, but the phrase had his mind wandering. His gaze lingered on the shell of her ear that was the perfect size, and the sway of her hair as she leaned over the map. He hadn’t felt this much attraction to someone in a long time, and he definitely hadn’t been this distracted. Was it just the drive to cross the next thing off that stupid list of his? Was the intel his brain fired through him reliable? This development needed analysis before he fired his engines and launched a mission he wasn’t prepared for.
He tore his gaze from her and scooted toward the table. “So, where do you want to go first?”
“Well, there are a coup—”
The door opened with a howl. He’d have to ask her where they bought that bell. If he could install it without Gunnar knowing, it’d be a great joke. One Bjørn could catch on video. A man walked in, took off his sunglasses, and scanned the room.
Sadie did a double take. “Drew, what are you doing here? I thought your flight was this morning.”
“Sadie, I have the most amazing news.” He crossed to the couch and pulled her up. “Are the others here?”
Sadie pulled her sleeves down, then patted him on the arm. “Sure, let me go get them.” She turned to Bjørn, her teeth clenched and her face scrunched in apology. “I’ll be right back.”
“No worries. Take your time.” He waved her off.
She rushed out of the room to the back.
“Sorry to interrupt, man.” Drew outstretched his hand toward Bjørn. “Drew Wilder.”
“It’s not a problem.” Bjørn shook Drew’s hand, trying to place where he knew the name from. “Bjørn Rebel.”
Sadie returned with her sister and cousins. They all held varying expressions of surprise and concern. Drew’s shoulders relaxed as he stepped toward them.
“Did the Nature Channel not like the interview?” Denali asked, her hands wringing in front of her.
The Nature Channel had interviewed them? That’s where Bjørn knew Drew from. He starred in that extreme wild animal show that travelled to the craziest places in the world. What was he doing interviewing at a kennel?
“No. I mean, they loved it.” He grabbed her hands in both of his, then let go quickly. “They want us to do an entire series.”
“What?” Violet gasped, her hands going to her cheeks.
“What do you mean, series?” Denali crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes narrowing.
“Nature loves the idea of a group of amazing women defying odds and attacking the Alaskan wilderness head-on.” Drew motioned between the ladies as the excitement grew in his voice.
Aurora snorted while Denali rolled her eyes. Bjørn cocked his head as he watched them. Sadie just stared, not saying a word. She chewed on her index finger’s knuckle, while her other hand held her elbow. Calculations churned in her brain, and he wished he knew her well enough to tell what she was thinking.
“We aren’t doing anything that every other woman and man in Alaska aren’t doing as well.” Denali shook her head. “It’s called life. It’s no different from anywhere else.”
“Sure, but viewers are obsessed with Alaska.” Drew gestured around the room with his hand. “With you ladies being gorgeous and adventurous, people will jump on this like a wolf pack on a downed caribou.”
Bjørn sat back on the couch as unease slithered along his skin. He wasn’t sure he liked the idea of a million people gawking at Sadie and her family. He also had no say in the matter. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep his mouth shut.
“I’m not sure I enjoy being referred to as prey.” Denali narrowed her eyes, her arms tightening around her front. “And I definitely don’t want to be forced to stage things for some audience like a joke. I mean, there’s not much real Alaska in those shows everyone is so obsessed with.”
