as much as they’d liked each other in their letters. The kiss was just a culmination of all that expectation and hopeful thinking.
Donovan punched a button, then dialed another number into the phone. He said a few words, waited, then said something else, his mouth tight with apparent irritation. After a long moment he nodded and opened the door.
“It’s Cole. He wanted me to call once you got here,” he said, handing over the phone.
Jodie swallowed and took the cell phone. Ah, the miracles of modern life. A man could take off for a climb on Mount McKinley and still apologize to the woman he’d promised to meet.
“Hello?” she murmured into the receiver.
“God, Jodie, I’m so sorry,” Cole exclaimed, his voice eerily similar to his brother’s. “I didn’t mean for this to happen, I swear. But they would have been forced to cancel the expedition if I didn’t go.”
She bit her tongue, literally, not wanting to say something she’d regret.
“You there, Jodie?”
“Yes. I understand this was the opportunity of a lifetime,” she murmured, congratulating herself on her steady tone. “I’m glad you were able to join the climb.”
“That’s great of you. I’ve go—”
Static crackled the line and she waited, wondering what else needed to be said. “Cole?”
“Sorry. This damn phone doesn’t get good reception up here, and it’ll be worse the higher up we go. I can’t talk long, but how did the kids take the trip? It’s a long way from Florida.”
“They’re fine. We stopped over in Denver for a couple of days.”
“That’s why I couldn’t reach you. Well…” His voice trailed and she could hear the sound of impatient voices in the background.
“You’d better go. We’ll talk when you get back,” Jodie said.
“Okay.” Another crackle of static followed, then silence.
She handed the phone to Donovan, who slipped it into his shirt pocket. “Did Cole straighten everything out?”
“What’s to straighten out?” she asked evenly.
“You know what I mean.”
Yeah, she knew. Donovan might be easygoing and laid-back the way Cole had described, but nothing seemed to escape his notice. Donovan realized she was upset that Cole had left, and that she was upset because she ought to understand his dream of climbing Mount McKinley. And she did understand, except now she had to question all over again whether Cole was the right man for her to marry. Men who craved dangerous challenges didn’t make ideal husbands.
“I think this is something between Cole and me,” she said firmly. It didn’t do any good to avoid Donovan’s knowing gaze, so she met it squarely.
“Fine.” Donovan started the engine and drove out of the lot.
Jodie glanced into the rear seat. Tadd and Penny were gazing around, curiosity in their eyes. Despite the turmoil in her thoughts, Jodie smiled at the way Tadd held his sister’s hand in a protective grasp.
It had always been that way. Since the moment Penny was born, her brother had assumed the role of protector. Though hardly old enough to understand, he’d realized she was small and defenseless. For an instant her smile wavered. She’d been pregnant with Penny and had almost lost her in those terrible months after Mark died.
“Hey. It’s not so terrible,” Donovan murmured, watching her face. “I’m sure Tadd will decide that a mountain climber is almost as good as a pilot.”
Jodie stiffened. She knew Donovan was just teasing her again. He didn’t know her husband had been killed in a plane, so he couldn’t understand how she felt. How could he? He was a pilot, just like Mark. And if Mark had survived that damned crash, he would have climbed aboard another jet as soon as he was able.
“Jodie?” Donovan’s teasing smile faded into concern. “I didn’t mean to say anything to upset you. Honest, you can’t take me seriously. I joke around too much.”
“Don’t be silly. I’m sorry Tadd was rude,” she said quietly, still keeping one eye on the back seat. Neither Penny or Tadd seemed aware of their conversation, but as the old saying went, little pitchers had big ears.
“At least Cole will always know where he stands.”
“That’s one way of putting it.”
Donovan chuckled at Jodie’s droll tone, though he sensed a forced quality in her voice. Something had brought a shadow to her catlike eyes.
With an effort he focused his attention on the road ahead. If Cole hadn’t gone on that climb, then he’d be here, worrying about Jodie’s eyes and the things that made her sad. Instead, it was big brother Donovan, always safe to call in an emergency. And it might have been safe if Jodie hadn’t mistaken him for Cole and given him a kiss that nearly knocked his shoes off.
A frown creased the space between his eyes. As kisses went, that one was utterly chaste. But it had made him see her first as a woman, instead of as a potential sister-in-law.
“Do your parents live far from here?” Jodie asked a few minutes later. They’d passed the city limits and were getting into a less-populated area.
Donovan flashed her a reassuring smile. “It’s just a few miles. I don’t really think of Shamus as my father. I’d already moved out and was working on the Alaska pipeline when Mom remarried.”
“That’s too bad.”
“But Cole is closer to Shamus. He was sixteen at the time, so it’s more like a father-son relationship between them.”
After another fifteen minutes Donovan turned down a neatly laid driveway of crushed rock. They wound through the trees for a quarter of a mile, then pulled up next to a massive log house halfway down the hill.
“It’s beautiful,” Jodie breathed, staring at the structure and surroundings with obvious pleasure.
“Not too bad.” He went to help her out, carefully ignoring the way her skirt rode up her legs. Earlier he’d caught a glimpse of Jodie’s smooth, tanned thighs and his temperature had gone up another few degrees, no doubt explaining his foul temper when he’d called Cole.
Donovan winced, thinking of the brief, biting comments he’d passed on to his little brother. He should have kept his mouth shut. The last thing Cole needed on a dangerous climb was something to break his concentration.
“Welcome to Alaska,” cried a voice. Donovan looked up in time to see his mother pull Jodie into a hug. “I’m so happy to meet you.”
“We’re happy to be here, Mrs. Carney. Cole wrote about you in his letters.”
“No, dear, please call me Evelyn. I’ve waited too long for a daughter-in-law to waste time being formal. Heavens, I thought neither one of my sons would ever get married.”
“Th-thank
