Northern Encounter by Jennifer LaBrecque

implacable expression, it was Dalton who asked, “So, what do you think?”
    “I think it’s wonderful.” And she did.
    Dalton smiled and she could’ve sworn Clint relaxed somewhat although he gave no visible sign of any such thing. “Well, c’mon, let’s get your stuff checked in here at the local Hilton,” Dalton said.
    Clint chuckled and Tessa also laughed. “If it’s got a roof and solid walls, I’ll take it any day.”
    Together they gathered her equipment and headed to the cabin. Inside it was essentially one large room with two bunk platform beds on one wall and two more on another. The bunks were open to the kitchen, which primarily consisted of a propane fueled hot plate on the counter. Utilitarian. Stark. Three windows afforded views of the outside. Majestic. Awe-inspiring.
    Perfect…even if she had to share it with Clint Sisnuket.
     
    T HE DISTANT DRONE of Saunders’s retreating plane faded, leaving Clint alone in the stillness with Tessa.
    He turned to look at her. She stood next to him, her fur-trimmed parka framing her face, highlighting the delicate line of her nose and the pale luminescence of her skin. She wore an expression of awe as her gaze seemed to drink in her surroundings. And although he didn’t particularly want to relate to anything about this woman, Clint knew how she felt. There were many who became inured to the beauty and wonder of the wilderness when faced with it day to day, but for Clint, the expression on her face was how he felt anew, every day.
    Was this the way his mother had looked when she’d first glimpsed the surrounding area? Had his father felt the same affinity? He’d learn from those lessons and was determined not to repeat the same mistakes.
    “We should organize camp,” he said. She redirected her attention to him, and it was an effort for him to keep his train of thought with her direct green gaze fixed on him. “We also need to eat so that we’re ready to set out while we still have daylight.”
    “But we just ate before we left Good Riddance.”
    “And we’ll eat again. Your body burns a lot of fuel simply keeping warm out here.”
    “So, I could possibly freeze five pounds off while I am here,” she said with a grin.
    “Possibly.” He found himself returning her grin. There was something captivating about her that was impossible to ignore, seemingly impossible not to getcaught up in. And getting caught up in her would be one big mistake he didn’t plan to make. There was only one place that would ultimately lead…disaster. They were from two separate worlds, and while those two worlds might occasionally collide, they could never successfully combine. He’d seen it, lived it firsthand…foolishly more than once. “But not if I can help it. If you want to set up your gear inside, I’ll be in as soon as I secure the sled.”
    Her eyes sparkled. “I can help.”
    “I don’t need any help.” He realized that sounded abruptly rude and she was a paying customer. “Thanks, though.”
    Her good humor remained unshaken. “Okay, then I’ll just watch.”
    “Why would you want to watch?” He was genuinely perplexed.
    “So, I’ll know how to do it I ever need to.” She smiled, etching fine lines around her green eyes. “A person can never know too many things.”
    The odds that she’d need to know in the future how to secure a sled to a piling were slim, but he’d walk her through it. Within a few minutes it was done. She was a quick study. She’d asked a few questions as to the type of knot he’d used and how the extreme cold would affect the materials.
    On an unusual whim, he undid what he’d just done and said, “You try it.”
    She nodded and he could already see the wheelsturning in her head, taking her through what she needed to do. She did great until it came to the last knot. Her frustration was evident when she couldn’t get it right on the third try.
    “Here,” he said, placing his gloved hands over hers, “it’s this