Escape to Alaska

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

A week later, Hannah woke with the sky barely light. Waking up in her old room was still soothing and strange. She took a shower and rummaged for breakfast. Seated at the kitchen counter that faced into the living room, she took in the view of the bay and mountains and soaked in the familiar sight of the yard. She pondered Luke and his green eyes. She said his name aloud and caught herself glancing sheepishly about the kitchen, as if anyone could hear her. As she was washing dishes, she heard the sound of a vehicle rumble into the drive. Looking out the window, she saw an unfamiliar green Toyota truck and watched as Luke climbed out. She was surprised to see him and curious, taking in details as he went to the passenger side of the truck to check on something. His wavy and careless almost-black hair curled along the edge of his collar. He wore faded jeans, worn leather boots, and a red windbreaker. He turned to look at the house and shrugged to himself before walking up the deck stairs to the kitchen door. She stepped out just as he reached the top of the stairs. She caught the flash of a dimple and his warm green eyes.

Luke gave a small wave. “Sorry to show up unannounced, but I didn’t have your number. Susie sent me your way.” He hesitated. “Remember Jessie, the dog that I had with me yesterday? Well, Susie seems to think you’re the person I should ask about taking her. Thought I’d just stop by.” Luke looked to Hannah. When she didn’t respond just yet, he said, “Would love to keep her, but we commercial fish, so we’re gone for weeks at a time. Susie was pretty insistent about asking you, so here I am.”

A tumble of thoughts and feelings raced through Hannah. She laughed to herself when she thought of Susie sending Luke with the dog. Knowing Susie, she’d likely hatched this plan as soon as she knew Hannah was home, but decided ambush was the best option. She looked back over at Luke who was politely waiting. They both spoke at once. “I, well, I….” from Hannah. “This may seem crazy…” from Luke. They both stopped. Hannah gestured to Luke. “You first.”

“May seem crazy, but Susie seemed pretty confident you’d want Jessie. She promised me you’d be a good home too. Been putting off finding Jessie a home, but soon we head out for almost three weeks. Much as I’d like to keep her, she needs to be with someone who’s around more than me. Most summers, I’m out for work at least a week or two every month. She’s a good dog. Trust me, she’s a keeper. Do you want to see her again?” he asked, gesturing to his truck.

Hannah looked over. “Well, it may be crazy, but I’ve known Susie long enough to know that sometimes what’s crazy is the right thing. I would love to have a dog again. I just hadn’t thought it would happen so fast.”

She wondered what Luke knew of her. If Susie sent him with Jessie, Susie trusted him, so by extension Hannah would. She thought about trying to explain to this man with deep green eyes that she would give anything for the unconditional love of a dog just this moment. Because while she hadn’t been thinking about a dog precisely, she craved the presence of anyone other than just herself in the house. The echoes of her parents and Grayson were too keen at some moments. Just the idea of having a dog to get to know almost brought her to tears. She also thought it would be a good way to help her link to the present instead of being bound too deeply to her memories. As these thoughts circled through her mind, she wanted to reach up and brush Luke’s unruly curls away from his eyes. He had a tendency to shake them back.

She followed Luke’s gaze and found him looking quietly at the field to the side of the house. He seemed content to wait for her to continue.

“I’d like to see her again if that’s okay,” she said.

Luke’s response was to walk down the stairs. As they approached the truck, Hannah saw Jessie sitting in the passenger seat of the truck. Jessie’s wagging tail turned into a blur as Luke opened the door. Jessie flew out of the truck, ran in tight circles around them, and rubbed against Hannah’s legs. She quickly calmed, sat at Luke’s feet, and watched him expectantly.

“She wants me to throw her a ball. She’ll fetch all day if you’ll let her. Do you mind if she runs around here for a few minutes?” he asked.

“No, no, of course not.”

Luke grabbed a ball from the glove compartment. He began a game of fetch with Jessie who raced back and forth. Her fur was long, silky, and wavy, and her tail flew like a flag behind her. She was a medium-size dog on the leggy side.

Hannah asked Luke what he knew about Jessie. In explanation, he offered, “Not much really. Hung out on our road for a few days. None of the neighbors knew where she came from. We started feeding her, and after a day or two of her camping on our deck, she was staying with us. She likes to play outside, but inside she’s pretty mellow. We let her on the couch, so if you want to keep her off, you might have some work to do there. She’s affectionate and seems easy to train. Took her to the vet to get her checked out. Did the shots and got her spayed about two weeks ago. She’s healed up, but you can still see where the incision was. The vet guessed she was maybe a Lab-Gordon setter mix. They say her coat is like a Gordon setter’s. That’s about all I can tell you, other than that she’s a sweetie.”

Jessie had been exploring the w**d-filled flower beds. Luke called her over and asked her to sit. Hannah reached to pet her, her hand sinking into soft, silky fur. Jessie immediately leaned into her hand and rubbed against her legs again. She looked up with her tongue dangling and a smile. Hannah would usually wait on a decision like this, but she found herself telling Luke she’d be glad to keep Jessie.

Luke looked relieved with a simultaneous glimmer of sadness. He caught her watching him. “Part of me wishes I could keep her, but being out of town for weeks at a time isn’t a good situation for a dog.”

Yet again, the instinct to withdraw and politely send Luke on his way rose. But before she’d come home, Hannah had promised herself she’d try not to wall the world away. So she invited him in for a cup of coffee. Jessie followed them in and immediately began exploring the house. Hannah realized that she hadn’t clarified when Luke wanted to officially leave Jessie with her, and that she needed to handle logistical details, like getting her vet records and food and water bowls. She hurriedly asked Luke when he wanted to leave Jessie.

“Honestly, whenever you’re ready to have her. Figured if you were a friend of Susie’s, you’d probably put up with me asking you how Jessie’s doing and maybe even let me see her every so often,” Luke said with a laugh. “Might be ridiculous, but I feel kind of responsible for her since I found her. And she’s an awesome dog.”

Hannah poured Luke a cup of coffee and got her own ready. “That’s not ridiculous. You can check in with me anytime about Jessie and even visit. As for when I can take her, I just need to get some things for her. Dog bowls, food, that kind of stuff.”

“Oh, you can have what we’ve been using. We’ve got it all, even food. Should be enough to get her through a week or so. I’ll also make sure you have a few tennis balls for her. Didn’t get her any of those though. She has a knack for finding them.”

“Well, in that case, she can stay today. Or is that too soon?” she asked.

“I’ll miss her, but she should be where she can stay. Didn’t bring her stuff with me though. Spur of the moment thing after I ran into Susie at the gas station. Hope it’s okay that I dropped in.” Luke took a sip of his coffee and looked across the counter at Hannah.

Hannah laughed. “Well, Susie’s never been known to hesitate. She knew I missed our old dog. I hadn’t really thought about getting another dog just now, but it seems meant to be. If that makes any sense.”

“Sense or not, it’s probably best for Jessie to get to know you sooner rather than later,” Luke said with a shrug.

She felt caught in his green eyes and quickly looked away. She was out of sorts, drawn to Luke’s eyes and comfortable masculinity. He carried a warmth combined with a down-to-earth feeling that simultaneously lulled her into feeling at home with him and kicked up her heart rate. Jessie was sniffing her way around the living room. Hannah called her over as a distraction. Jessie came quickly and flung herself on the floor by the counter where they were seated. Hannah shifted into small talk, asking Luke what he thought of Diamond Creek and what type of fishing he did. He filled in a few more details about their decision to move from Seattle to Alaska.

He joked about the feeling of being under the social microscope of a small town. “You’d have thought we were aliens for the first few months with all the curiosity, but that’s gone now. We love it here. Keep saying we need to spread out, but we all still live together in the house we bought as a starter property when we got here. Works for now.”

Hannah realized that at some point Luke would ask more about her and wondered what he might know from Susie or anyone else in town. She reached to pet Jessie, realizing Jessie was quickly becoming a way to take her mind off things. As she rubbed Jessie’s neck, she decided that rather than waiting for the questions to come, she’d take the lead. With a deep breath, Hannah succinctly explained that she’d spent most of her childhood in Diamond Creek and stayed in Alaska through college, and that her parents’ unexpected death had happened just when she started graduate school.

“I knew that I wanted to come back because Diamond Creek is home to me. My closest friends are here. But…” She paused for a moment. “I don’t know if you’ve lost anyone important, but it kind of threw my world into…well, I was about to say chaos, but it’s more like being frozen on the outside and a mess on the inside. Being in school seemed to help because it gave me something to focus on.” She looked to Luke as she finished and again felt pulled into his eyes. They were dangerously green; it was too much really.

“Can’t say that I’ve lost someone like that. But I know how much my family means to me. Probably don’t need to tell you this, but Susie is beside herself to have you back here.” Luke looked at her intently for a moment when he stopped speaking, and when she looked away, he turned to look out the window.

Hannah thought she should say something. “The whole thing is awkward to try to talk about. Being away when it happened was good and bad. It’s like I could pretend I had another life, which in a way, I did. I’m relieved to be back though. I missed it more than I let myself know.” She took a breath. “Moving on though, Susie’s a good friend…the best really. Not to mention a damn good accountant.”

She followed Luke’s gaze out the window, taking in the spruce, the mountains, and the bay. Luke turned to look back. “Well, you’re here now. And now you’ll have Jessie too. She deserves a good home. Susie assured me you couldn’t be better. Glad I took the chance to ask.” Luke searched out Jessie who had remained cozied against Hannah’s legs while she stroked her. “Sweetheart, right?” he asked.

“Oh, hard to miss that. She’s an easygoing girl. I think we’ll do just fine. How much longer are you in town before you head out for fishing?”

“About two weeks. Still sorting out the final details of when we’ll leave and who will be on the crew. Then the usual guiding trips for most of the summer.”

“Well, maybe before you go, we can plan to get together for a Jessie visit. Do you want to keep her for the day until I can arrange to pick up her stuff from you? I have to head into town in a bit anyway.”

“That’ll work. We live a little farther up the hill, not far from here. Jessie usually tags along with me whenever I’m out and about. Let me give you my cell number, and you can call when you think you’ll head our way. I’ll give you directions.”

They exchanged numbers, and Luke gulped the last of his coffee. “Good coffee, by the way. Might beat Misty Mountain.” He winked as he got up to leave. She walked Luke and Jessie to the door. Jessie leaped into the truck, and they drove off. The house felt quiet in their absence. She thought having Jessie here would take the edges away from some of the emptiness that the house held.