Follow Love

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Nathan leaned over the side of the guide boat and tugged on the fishing line. While he didn’t know what was on the other end, it was definitely live because he could feel the sense of vibration. Still tugging on the line, he looked over his shoulder to call to his oldest brother, Jared. Just as Nathan turned away, water splashed his shoulder. Turning back, he glimpsed a king salmon, now fighting madly against his grip on the line. King salmon were called king for a reason; even average ones weighed in at fifty plus pounds with some topping one hundred and more. He guessed this one to be medium sized, roughly two feet long and had to wrestle to keep hold of the line.

“Damn!” he said as the salmon bumped against the side of the boat. “Could use a little help here,” he called. Wrestling a slippery salmon wasn’t easy.

Michael, the man who caught the king salmon, started to move towards Nathan, fishing pole in hand.

“Stay put, I don’t want the line to loosen at this point,” Nathan directed. His other older brother, Luke was coming his way from the front of the boat.

Nathan and his brothers ran a commercial fish and guiding business, The One That Didn’t Get Away, in Diamond Creek, Alaska, a small town on the shores of Kachemak Bay. Kachemak Bay was one of Alaska’s coastal jewels, straight out of a postcard. A large bay off of Cook Inlet in South central Alaska, Kachemak Bay was home to several tourist hubs in Alaska. Though small, Diamond Creek was busy and catered to its tourists with world-class restaurants, shops and art galleries. Mountains encircled Kachemak Bay, eerie translucent blue glaciers were tucked between a few mountains, and Mount Augustine, a lone volcano, sat sentry in the bay. Along with the natural beauty, the bay was famous for its salmon and halibut fishing, drawing hordes of tourists from spring until the snow fell.

Today, they were hosting a family - Michael, Tess, Simon and Jordan - for a full day of fishing. Michael was father to Tess and Michael, both adults, and grandfather to Jordan. Nathan had to tamp the impulse to flirt with Tess. He couldn’t keep his eyes off of her. She had short honey-colored hair that curled in a tousled bob around her face. She had a soft, rounded figure, curves in all the right places. Her ginger colored eyes and luscious mouth, bow shaped and bright pink, kept drawing Nathan’s gaze. Though quiet, she had a sly sense of humor in the company of her family.

“So Dad, I thought the plan was to catch a record size halibut,” Tess commented sardonically.

“I’ll take a king salmon,” Michael replied with a wide grin.

Nathan looked to Tess. “Oh don’t worry, we’ll make sure he gets that halibut,” he said with a wink. For a flash, he saw a spark of interest, a tease, in her eyes and he almost lost his hold on the fishing line. Focus on the fish, stupid. He had to force his eyes away from her—she was distractingly delectable.

Luke reached Nathan’s side and leaned over with a net as the king salmon continued to thrash against the side of the boat. With Nathan maneuvering the feisty salmon into the net, he and Luke lifted it over the side together. Just as they set the net down, Luke lost his grip, and the salmon flung itself free from the net and slapped Nathan in the face with a slimy tail. He lost his footing and slipped onto the boat deck, landing just beside the salmon.

“Really?!” he said, looking to the salmon who ignored him and gave another flick of its tail.

Luke shook his head, trying and failing to hold back a grin. “Sorry about that, couldn’t keep a hold of the net.”

Nathan rolled his eyes. “Noticed that. Only wish you’d been the one whacked in the face.”

A towel landed in his lap. He turned to see Jared grinning at the wheel of the boat. “Thought you could use that.”

Nathan snatched the towel up and wiped the slime off his cheek. Standing, he tucked the towel over his belt and looked to Michael. “Your call on whether you keep this one or release it. You have a king tag, so you can keep it if you want.”

Michael came to stand at his side. He looked admiringly down at the salmon. “Let’s release it. My goal is halibut and if I’m gonna keep a king, I want it to be record size. Let me get a picture though.” He quickly snapped a photo with his phone.

Nathan nodded and turned back to Luke. “Let’s get this back in the water. Think you can manage to keep me from getting knocked down again?” he asked Luke.

“Oh I’ll do my best. Salmon love a fight though. He seems to have settled down now,” Luke replied.

Nathan looked down at the king salmon, which lay still on the deck, its gills laboring. “Good size one, at least fifty pounds,” he said. With efficiency, he and Luke went into motion. Luke held the salmon’s mouth open while Nathan grabbed the hook and carefully worked it out. In short order, he picked the salmon up and lifted it over the side of the boat, holding it steady in the water for a moment before gently letting go.

* * *

The silver of the salmon flashed briefly in the water before disappearing under the waves. Tess stared out over the water for a moment to see if it would reappear, but all she saw was the sun’s reflection against the water. She lifted her gaze to look at the volcano sitting in the distance. She’d read plenty of tourist materials on the flight to Alaska from North Carolina and learned that she was looking at Mount Augustine, which sat alone in this area of Kachemak Bay. It rose starkly from the water, wispy clouds floating around the top. It had erupted twice in recent decades, once spewing ash for days at a time. The latest eruption had been subtler, if there was such a thing as a subtle volcanic eruption, but ash had still disrupted flights in and out of Alaska. The volcano seemed lonely to her, but then she wondered if she thought practically everything seemed lonely since most of the time she felt that way. With a mental shake, she turned to look towards her father.

He was getting ready to drop his line back in the water, listening patiently to one of the guides about the best way to prep his line. His smile was wide. This fishing trip to Diamond Creek, Alaska was a dream for him. He’d planned to go for years. Her mother, Celine, had come on the trip with them, but was prone to seasickness, so she’d stayed ashore to visit the many tourist shops in town. Tess had joined them for this trip in addition to her brother, Simon, and his son, nine-year old Jordan. While Tess might not be the fishing connoisseur that her father was, she loved the outdoors and enjoyed fishing.

Tess shifted her gaze to Nathan who was talking to her father. The three Winters brothers ran the guiding business, The One that Didn’t Get Away. Tess guessed Nathan to be the youngest. All three had almost identical black wavy hair. The only difference in how unruly it was. Nathan’s was the shaggiest, his black curls almost touching his shoulders. He had dark blue eyes while the other two brothers had green eyes. Tess had to keep dragging her eyes away from Nathan, which annoyed the hell out of her. He was the quintessential outdoorsman—handsome with a rugged, sexy edge—so sexy that a mere glance sent her pulse wild.

He and his brothers had been nothing but kind and funny. They happily regaled her father with fishing stories and earnestly shared his love of all things fish. She could tell they’d let him talk all day and that earned major points with her. They were also kind to Jordan who was so excited about this trip he was practically vibrating. He was a relentless font of questions, filled with a sense of curiosity and wonder.

Her father caught her absentminded stare and waved her over. She stepped around a cooler and dodged a fishing pole with the few steps it took to get to him.

“Tess, honey, I was just telling Nathan here that I used to take you and Simon fishing when we went out to Cape Hatteras in the summers. It made me remember that time you caught a giant grouper,” her father said, curling an arm across her shoulders.

Her father looked towards Nathan again. “She was around Jordan’s age, eight or nine, and had a blast tugging that fish into the boat. Grouper’s good to eat. Not quite as famous as Alaskan salmon and halibut, but cooked right, it’s delicious.”

Nathan turned his bright blue eyes to her. They crinkled at the corners when he smiled. “So have you inherited your father’s love of fishing? Or you’re just a good sport and tag along because you know he loves it?” he asked with a wink.

Tess felt her lips curling in a smile, almost in spite of herself. Butterflies swirled in her center, rattling her composure. Nathan’s smile was sparks to tinder—hers, that is. She forced her attention to the moment, tilting her head to the side and glancing to her father. “It’s a bit of both. I almost always go fishing with my dad, so you could say I tag along. But then, I love it whenever I go. Hoping to take my turn at a halibut in a bit here. I was just waiting to give dad a chance to be the first to catch one.”

Her father smiled even wider, if that was possible. He was so damn happy since they’d stepped off the plane here, just about everything elicited a smile.

Nathan glanced back and forth between them. “That makes your dad happy,” he said with a chuckle. “Whenever you’re ready, let me know. May not have known your dad long, but I doubt he cares who catches the first halibut.”

Tess didn’t try to avoid smiling this time. “You’re right about my dad, which is why I want him to catch the first halibut. As much as he loves to fish, this is his to take.” She looked to her father again. “Get that line back in the water before Jordan or Simon beats you to it. You love talking about fishing as much as actually fishing, but you can talk and fish at the same time.” She leaned her shoulder into him with a soft push. “I’ll sit with you.” She turned back to Nathan. “If he doesn’t bring a halibut up in the next half hour, how about helping me get going?”

Nathan nodded. “Of course. That’s my job.”

“How about you help me get set up this time?” her father asked Nathan. “I thought I knew how far to let the line go, but I’m not sure.”

Her father’s arm slid off her shoulders as he turned to step to the side of the boat. Nathan gave her a long look before he followed her father. Her heart fluttered and she felt a flash of heat in her core. It had been so long since she’d felt that way towards any man, it was unsettling. She distracted herself by looking around the boat. Jared appeared to be the assigned boat driver. He stood at the helm, holding the steering wheel in a relaxed grip. Of the three brothers, he was the most reserved, but still friendly with a wry sense of humor. Luke, the other brother, was busy talking with Jordan. He knelt beside Jordan and appeared to be explaining something related to nautical knots as he held a length of boat line in his hands and gestured to one of the knots. Jordan nodded along. While Tess couldn’t hear what they were saying over the wind on the water, she could hear the tone of their voices, Jordan’s lilting in the way it did when he was asking question upon question. The fluttering in her heart had stopped and the heat subsided inside. She shook her head. The last thing she needed was to get worked up over some fishing guide from Alaska.

The pace of the day picked up with her father catching the first halibut of the day, Jordan following with another catch and finally her brother. With Nathan’s help, Tess got a line in and felt a tug on the line within minutes. Luke was nearby with Nathan, both helping get fish situated in the cooler. Luke looked over when Tess exclaimed, “That was fast!”

“Sometimes it’s all timing—seems to be on your side. Hold steady and reel in at a slow, even speed,” Luke said.

Before she knew it, Tess was looking at the flat eye on one side of the halibut. A few fish later, Jared had turned the boat towards Otter Cove, the boat harbor for Diamond Creek. Tess sat on a bench at the back of the boat. The salty wind blew through her curls as the boat bounced in a rocking rhythm on the waves. Turning back towards the ocean, she took a long look at Mount Augustine. The cushion shifted under her legs. She turned forward again to find Nathan sitting down beside her.

“So how was your first day on the water here? In love with Alaska yet?” he asked.

Despite her usual reserve, Tess felt herself smiling without thinking. She was disconcerted by how easily charmed she was by Nathan. His nearness flushed her, just melted her reserve. Nathan waited patiently for her to respond. Little did he know she was just trying to get her bearings. His presence was potent, her body humming while her mind reminded her not to be silly.

“My first day on the water here was pretty good. Dad has wanted to fish in Alaska forever. I’m glad he’s finally here,” Tess said politely.

Nathan’s eyes took on a mischievous glimmer. “Your dad was an easy mark to love it. But…I meant how was your day?” Nathan asked.

Tess looked back at Nathan, his dark blue eyes crinkled at the corners, his shaggy curls in disarray. Paired with those amazing eyes, Nathan had chiseled features with a perfectly proportioned nose sitting between sculpted cheekbones and a strong chin. Much as she resisted it, just looking at him raised the heat inside her. She looked away, not comfortable with how much she wanted to keep looking into the deep blue of his eyes. That inconvenient melting sensation flared.

“Didn’t realize you’d need to think so hard to answer,” Nathan commented wryly, his words bringing her attention back.

Tess looked back into his eyes for just a moment, giving in to the temptation to tumble into that mesmerizing blue. Since the way her last relationship had splintered about a year ago, she rarely let herself think much about how she felt. It was easier. But she was in Alaska for a three-week stay. Allowing herself to indulge the intense yearning Nathan elicited wouldn’t matter in the long run. After they left, she’d likely never see or hear from Nathan or anyone in Alaska again.

“Okay, how was my day? My day was good. It’s beautiful here, no doubt about that. I love being on the ocean anywhere and Alaska’s no different. Except for getting a view of mountains, glaciers and a volcano. That’s an amazing sight to witness. Plus, catching a halibut in under fifteen minutes was fun,” she finally said.

Nathan’s quick grin only raised the heat inside. “I’d like to take the credit for how fast you hooked that halibut, but it’s clear you’ve had some experience with fishing. And the view here is pretty phenomenal. We love it. That’s one of the reasons we moved here.”

Her heart racing—dear god she practically needed to fan herself—Tess found herself asking a question before she had a chance to stop herself. “Where did you move from?”

“Seattle. Like your dad, our dad loves to fish, so we grew up fishing in Washington waters. We decided to start a commercial fishing business down there together and eventually came up here to fish a few times. Liked it so much that we relocated the business and ourselves up here. Can’t imagine living anywhere else now.”

“Diamond Creek is a bit of a change from Seattle,” she said.

“Up here, we live somewhere we love instead of planning to travel here. Kind of like your dad really. Sounds like he spends a lot of time visiting places he might rather live.”

“You can say that,” Tess said, relieved that polite conversation seemed to slow her heart rate. “Where he lives in North Carolina, he’s right on a river, so he gets to fish pretty often. But he likes to try different places. Alaska’s been on his fishing bucket list for years.”

The wind had started to pick up. The boat rode into a large swell, followed by a smaller choppy wave that threw Tess against Nathan’s side. He reflexively put his arm around her waist. Just when Tess thought she’d gotten a hold of herself, her heart was off to the races, her stomach fluttering. His arm was warm and strong against her back. She wanted to lean into him and stay that way. She glanced up at Nathan and found him looking down toward her intently. Her heart gave a quiver and the simmering heat in her center turned up a notch. Nathan’s hand rested just against her hip. He flexed against the soft curve, a subtle caress. She gasped and tore her eyes away, the water a blur of whitecaps in her muddled gaze. Nathan’s loosened his grip and let go, his hand curling the bottom of the bench again. Her body immediately missed his touch, sighing at its absence.

Whether he meant it or not, Tess wondered if he was reacting to her confusion. His gaze had been direct…ardent. Yet she’d looked away…the moment passed. Relief and disappointment tinged with sadness clashed. If she imagined herself to be someone else, someone that could just let go and enjoy this attraction, it would be so much simpler.

Nathan called out to Jared. “Looks like the wind is kicking in. Want me to take over steering for a bit? You’ve been at it all day.”

Jared called back without turning. “No worry. Be to the harbor inside of a half hour.”

Nathan shook his head. “That’s Jared. Can hardly stand it if we offer to help for something he thinks is his job.”

Curiosity rose in Tess. She wanted to know more about his family. While Nathan could have sounded critical, his comment had a loving tone to it.

“So I guess he usually drives?” she asked.

“Almost always. But it’s okay. We may be brothers, but we get along better than most. Luke and I take care of whatever Jared doesn’t,” he said. ‘Speaking of that, nice chatting for a few, but I have to take care of a few things before we get to the harbor.” He stood from the bench and looked down at her, another easy grin gracing his face. “Don’t suppose I could persuade you to go to dinner with me sometime in the few weeks you’re here?”

Tess flushed head to toe, her heart danced and those magnetic eyes of his stoked the smoldering heat in her center. She wanted to jump up and say yes, and that annoyed the hell out of her. Her cautious side was dominant, oh-so-practical. She could recite by heart all the reasons any romantic entanglement wasn’t worth it. Though practical and safe, it was a lonely place to be. A tattered corner of her heart wanted more. Before she knew it, she was answering honestly. “I’m not sure. I don’t know what our plans are for the next few days.”

His grin didn’t waver. “Think about it. Diamond Creek may seem like it’s the middle of nowhere, but we have some good restaurants here. You’ll be seeing me again either way. Your dad booked us for four more trips.”

Tess nodded. “Okay, maybe. I’ll think about it.” As soon as the words slipped out, Tess couldn’t believe she’d said them. The last thing she needed was this way too handsome Alaskan fishing guide to take her on a date.

Nathan winked and turned away, striding to the boat’s small cabin. His back muscles flexed as his arms swung. She could only imagine what kind of shape he was in, given the active life he and his brothers led. He was tall, easily over six feet, with broad, strong shoulders and a rangy build. He seemed far too handsome to consider her worthy of a date. While Tess didn’t consider herself unattractive, her last boyfriend had often made passive comments about her being a little too curvy. Her breasts were prone to spilling out of blouses. She was on the short side and could rarely find tops that fit right as they seemed to be designed for thinner women. She absentmindedly tucked her hair behind her ears, her honey-colored curls getting wild in the wind.

She spent the remainder of the ride watching the shore get closer, trying and failing to keep her mind and eyes off of Nathan. The shoreline here was nothing like the ocean shore in North Carolina, which was bright sand, patches of tall grass and swaths of flat beaches with the occasional sand dune. In Alaska, the ocean splashed against glaciers, mountainsides and rocky beaches. The shore in Diamond Creek included steep cliffs, leveling off into lush green spruce forests, and beaches of gray sand covered in colorful rocks. Otter Cove was the name of the tiny cove in which the boat harbor was tucked, protected somewhat from winds and cold. Jared deftly steered the boat into its slip at the harbor docks. Nathan and Luke were ready the minute they pulled in, tossing lines over the dock pilings. Tess’s eyes were glued to Nathan. He was tall and lanky, his sinewy muscles rippling under his cotton shirt. Jared cut the engine and quickly went into motion, getting the two full coolers ready to pass over to Nathan and Luke on the docks.

After stepping off the boat, Tess, her father, brother and nephew entered a whirl of activity. Within an hour, she was waving goodbye to Nathan and his brothers as Simon drove their car rental way from the Fish Factory, the local business that would be flash freezing and mailing their halibut back to North Carolina on overnight delivery. A friend of her father’s would be picking up the packages and depositing them in the chest freezer in her parents’ garage.

Tess looked out the car window and saw Nathan give a wave. Her hand lifted in return. He flashed a wide grin. She couldn’t believe he had her even considering a date with him. Just as she started to turn away, Nathan turned to look towards Jared and stepped into one of the small boulders lining the parking lot. He stumbled into Luke who was beside him and then onto the ground. Before she looked away, she saw him look in their direction again and couldn’t help but laugh. As handsome as he was, he seemed to have a knack for falling, at least today.