unless you go outside the town. Anyway, bears are much more common."
"Bears? I've always been afraid of bears. I didn't even want a teddy bear when I was a kid!"
"Stay inside town and you'll seldom see a bear. A live one, anyway. There might be a few teddy bears wandering around."
"Good grief!" muttered Martha, whose irrational dislike of bears was real and based on having been frightened by them as a child when she visited the zoo. To hide her agitation, she got up and brought out the chocolate-chip cookies she'd brought from San Francisco.
"My, these are good," exclaimed Faye as she nibbled at the last one.
"Can you recommend a place where I can buy fresh-baked cookies?" Martha asked anxiously as she watched the cookie disappear into Faye's mouth. "I think I've developed a full-blown addiction."
"Sorry, but I don't know of any local bakery that bakes cookies as good as these. I have a recipe for chocolate-chip cookies, though. It's a good one; it was my mother's. I'm not much good at cooking or baking, I'm sorry to say. Still, if you'd like it, I'll make a copy of the recipe for you when you decide you need a quick fix."
Martha laughed. "That'll be tomorrow. I haven't gone a day without chocolate-chip cookies since I arrived in San Francisco."
"Do you miss it? San Francisco, I mean?"
"I miss my friend Lindsay. You're the first person I've met socially since I've been here."
"We'll have to remedy that. I know lots of people. I'm single and I love to have fun. Maybe I should throw a party to introduce you around."
"Why, that would be nice." Martha was touched that Faye would do that for her.
"How about next weekend? After I get back from heaven-knows-where? Dr. Andy and I will be leaving Tuesday, flying back in on Friday. How about Saturday night? You could meet some of my married and single pals."
"I'd love it," Martha said warmly. She could have hugged this little woman; it was clear that the two of them were going to be friends.
Faye rose to leave. "You keep the rest of the soup and crackers," she said. "I'll bring the chocolate-chip cookie recipe over before I leave town, and maybe you could make some for the party."
"I'd be glad to bake cookies," said Martha in relief. She hadn't known what to offer. Chocolate-chip cookies sounded easy enough, and baking them would give her something to fill the time.
Faye made a quick mental checklist. "We'll cook salmon steaks on the grill. We'll set up tables outside on the porch. Paper plates and plastic forks, if you don't mind. This isn't going to be one of those grand affairs where there's so much silver on the table that you could perform an operation—preferably a lobotomy—on a too-boring dinner partner. No, I like people to mingle."
"What if it rains?"
Faye raised her eyebrows. Her eye patch tilted rakishly. "Rain never stops anything in Ketchikan. My porch has a wide overhang. Oh, it'll be fun."
Of that, Martha suddenly had no doubt.
* * *
Martha saw Nick Novak leaning against a post after the party on the porch had been in full swing for about an hour. He had a certain way of leaning against things, a relaxed spine and an alert incline of his head, that made his figure unmistakable.
"I'd like you to meet someone," Faye said, appearing suddenly and propelling her forward. Martha's mouth became the Sahara Desert. She wiped her hands against her slacks. She should have guessed he'd be here. Faye had said she knew every eligible male in Ketchikan.
"This is Nick Novak, Martha," Faye said. "He—"
Martha was so nervous at seeing him again that she interrupted Faye without realizing that she was doing it until it was too late.
"We've met," she said.
Nothing about his expression changed. No grin, no twitch of eyebrow or widening of eyes, so that Martha was afraid that Nick Novak wasn't going to acknowledge her at all. But then he smiled and slowly extended his hand, and his fingers curved around hers.
If she hadn't known better, Martha would have
"Bears? I've always been afraid of bears. I didn't even want a teddy bear when I was a kid!"
"Stay inside town and you'll seldom see a bear. A live one, anyway. There might be a few teddy bears wandering around."
"Good grief!" muttered Martha, whose irrational dislike of bears was real and based on having been frightened by them as a child when she visited the zoo. To hide her agitation, she got up and brought out the chocolate-chip cookies she'd brought from San Francisco.
"My, these are good," exclaimed Faye as she nibbled at the last one.
"Can you recommend a place where I can buy fresh-baked cookies?" Martha asked anxiously as she watched the cookie disappear into Faye's mouth. "I think I've developed a full-blown addiction."
"Sorry, but I don't know of any local bakery that bakes cookies as good as these. I have a recipe for chocolate-chip cookies, though. It's a good one; it was my mother's. I'm not much good at cooking or baking, I'm sorry to say. Still, if you'd like it, I'll make a copy of the recipe for you when you decide you need a quick fix."
Martha laughed. "That'll be tomorrow. I haven't gone a day without chocolate-chip cookies since I arrived in San Francisco."
"Do you miss it? San Francisco, I mean?"
"I miss my friend Lindsay. You're the first person I've met socially since I've been here."
"We'll have to remedy that. I know lots of people. I'm single and I love to have fun. Maybe I should throw a party to introduce you around."
"Why, that would be nice." Martha was touched that Faye would do that for her.
"How about next weekend? After I get back from heaven-knows-where? Dr. Andy and I will be leaving Tuesday, flying back in on Friday. How about Saturday night? You could meet some of my married and single pals."
"I'd love it," Martha said warmly. She could have hugged this little woman; it was clear that the two of them were going to be friends.
Faye rose to leave. "You keep the rest of the soup and crackers," she said. "I'll bring the chocolate-chip cookie recipe over before I leave town, and maybe you could make some for the party."
"I'd be glad to bake cookies," said Martha in relief. She hadn't known what to offer. Chocolate-chip cookies sounded easy enough, and baking them would give her something to fill the time.
Faye made a quick mental checklist. "We'll cook salmon steaks on the grill. We'll set up tables outside on the porch. Paper plates and plastic forks, if you don't mind. This isn't going to be one of those grand affairs where there's so much silver on the table that you could perform an operation—preferably a lobotomy—on a too-boring dinner partner. No, I like people to mingle."
"What if it rains?"
Faye raised her eyebrows. Her eye patch tilted rakishly. "Rain never stops anything in Ketchikan. My porch has a wide overhang. Oh, it'll be fun."
Of that, Martha suddenly had no doubt.
* * *
Martha saw Nick Novak leaning against a post after the party on the porch had been in full swing for about an hour. He had a certain way of leaning against things, a relaxed spine and an alert incline of his head, that made his figure unmistakable.
"I'd like you to meet someone," Faye said, appearing suddenly and propelling her forward. Martha's mouth became the Sahara Desert. She wiped her hands against her slacks. She should have guessed he'd be here. Faye had said she knew every eligible male in Ketchikan.
"This is Nick Novak, Martha," Faye said. "He—"
Martha was so nervous at seeing him again that she interrupted Faye without realizing that she was doing it until it was too late.
"We've met," she said.
Nothing about his expression changed. No grin, no twitch of eyebrow or widening of eyes, so that Martha was afraid that Nick Novak wasn't going to acknowledge her at all. But then he smiled and slowly extended his hand, and his fingers curved around hers.
If she hadn't known better, Martha would have
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