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ChapterTwo
Arne relaxed his fingers on the steering wheel, again. This was not how he imagined their reunion going. From the shocked look on her face, she hadn’t known he was the one taking her out to the Millers. Did she know he was staying to give them a hand at the mine? Arne blew out a slow breath. She’d probably walk home when she found out. Or give him the silent treatment all summer, like she had since getting in the truck.
How could he fix this? If she still hated him, the summer would stretch long, stuck in the Alaskan wilderness. He hadn’t planned on making her uncomfortable. Shoot. When his ma had said Katie was helping Patience with the kids and was waiting for him to pick her up, his heart had leapt into his throat and pounded with hope. Amazing how that hope fizzled into a nauseating lump in his gut.
He heaved a sigh and relaxed against the seat. His muscles ached with tension, especially his thigh. He rubbed his fingers over the injured leg muscle, the bumpy scars he could still feel through his jeans evidence of his jettison from the sanctuary the army had provided. The need for complete focus and the hectic schedule he’d kept as a medic had blessedly left him so exhausted at night he’d crash into bed with little energy to worry over her. Mostly. But since the bullet had ripped through his leg and he’d had to endure two months of recovery, his mind filled with all things Katie.
One would think four years of silence from her would’ve clued his heart in to the fact he’d lost her. His stupid heart hadn’t. It had just hibernated, and, like a grizzly in spring, his injury had woken him to his starving need for Katie.
Too bad she didn’t feel the same.
He kneaded his scar harder, willing his body to relax. If he didn’t, his thigh would seize up, making it difficult to walk. His doctor promised it’d get better with time … as long as Arne took it easy. The man clearly didn’t understand Alaskans at all.
“You’re okay, right?” Katie’s question startled him, causing him to jerk the wheel.
The trommel rattled behind the pickup as it bounced over the dirt road. Great. Just what he needed. Would she notice him jumping like a snowshoe hare?
“What?” In his embarrassment and shock, he couldn’t remember what she’d asked.
“You said in your letter you were shot.” She pointed her chin at his leg, her dark brown eyes flashing with concern. “Are you okay now?”
Did she really care?
“My letter?” Had he fried his brains between home and her place?
“The letter you sent from Germany.” She leaned against the door and crossed her arms.
“Right. That letter.” He’d sent a letter? He swallowed, nodded. “Yeah. I’m fine. It just aches sometimes.”
He peeked at her, before turning his attention back to the narrow Alaskan highway. Her eyes narrowed to slits, and his pulse throbbed in his throat. A vague memory of writing to her in his journal surfaced through the shadows of the painkiller haze, though he didn’t remember sending it. Just what had he written?
“You don’t remember writing the letter, do you?” Was that hurt in her voice?
“No, no. I remember writing it.” He ran his sleeve over the sweat beading on his forehead and rolled down the window.
She snorted and turned back forward. “You’re still a terrible liar.”
He ran his hand through his hair with a huff. “Okay, the truth is, I remember writing to you in my journal.” He clenched his jaw. What would this confession cost him? “It’s just … well, it’s just that I was doped up on painkillers and don’t recall what exactly I wrote.” Except probably way too much of his heart if the anguish wrapped with the memory was a clue. “I didn’t realize I’d sent it.”
“Oh.” Her quiet answer had his eyes darting to her.
She turned to stare out the side window. Should he try to keep the conversation going or would it be better to sulk on his side of the bench seat? The old truck jolted in another pothole, clattering the trommel they towed and the gear stowed in the bed. He couldn’t risk her clamming up again and shutting him out. On some level, she still cared about him. Otherwise, she’d have never asked. Was it enough level ground to build their friendship back upon?
“It’s good of you to go help Patience.” He spit the words out. Katie’s compassion had always drawn him. That, paired with her sense of adventure drew him like a giant magnet. “Ma said she’s pretty much stuck in bed with this pregnancy.”
“Yeah. She’s having a go of it.” Katie sighed and watched out the windshield. “I wish she’d head into Fairbanks and just wait it out, but she doesn’t want to leave Ron with the kids. He wouldn’t be able to get any mining done.”
“Hopefully, with you out there, she’ll get the rest she needs to be back on her feet.”
Arne slowed to take the trail hidden among the willows. He cringed as the branches scratched the length of the side panels. Would the old truck make the forty-mile drive into the Miller’s place? It’d be hairy in places, but hopefully the Millers had driven the trail enough to make it passable.
“When did you get back?” The tone of her question had him peeking at her again.
He used to be able to read her like a book, something she obviously could still do with him, but tragedy and years apart had made her thoughts a mystery. Did he want to solve it? Would digging through her outer layer reveal hidden treasure or more disappointment and heartache?
“Yesterday.” Arne squeezed the steering wheel as the truck tipped sideways into a rut.
Katie slammed into his side with a grunt, then scrambled back to her side of the seat. “Sorry.”
“No worries.” He smiled over at her. “That one snuck up on us. I’ll try to pay closer attention.”
“I don’t think it’ll matter.” She chuckled. “I’m afraid this road is going to beat us up.” She glanced at him. “Thanks for bringing me. It’s good you were here to haul up their supplies and their new trommel. Dad’s been worried about them since he heard theirs broke.”
“I’m glad I’m able to help.” Arne had agreed to help for the summer the minute his dad had explained the need. “With my brothers all old enough to help Dad, it was a no-brainer to come out and mine with Ron for the summer.”
“The summer?” Katie’s eyes widened and her mouth gaped opened like a trout. “You’re staying the entire summer?”
The panic in her voice had his jaws clutched in frustration. Did spending the summer with him seem so horrible? He snorted and gave her a curt nod, turning his attention back to the trail. So much for finding solid ground with her.
