Starry Night

be there, too.” Carrie was upset about it herself. This was the choice she’d made before flying to Alaska. The thought of spending the holiday alone filled her with dismay. She would miss the huge family gathering for the first time in her life.
    “It isn’t like you not to call.”
    This was a bit more difficult to explain. “Well, for one thing, being away from my desk for so long means I’m swamped at the office.”
    “But, honey, you know your father and I are dying to hear what happened in Fairbanks; we’ve only heard snippets. Tell us more about Finn Dalton. Everyone here wants to know what he’s like and if the things he wrote about in his book could really be true.”
    Carrie’s stomach twisted in a huge knot. “Mom, who have you told about me meeting Finn?”
    Her mother must have heard the panic in Carrie’s voice, because she asked, “Are you keeping it a secret?”
    “Yes,” she nearly shouted. “This is important. Please don’t mention my meeting Finn to anyone, okay?”
    “If that’s what you want, but surely once the article—”
    “There isn’t going to be an article.”
    “But I thought—”
    “I know, but I’ve come to know Finn and want to respect his privacy.” Her voice softened as her mind traveled back to the moment when he’d passionately kissed her and held her in his arms before she boarded the flight with Sawyer.
    “Carrie?” her mother said. “You better tell me what happened between you and this wilderness man. And don’t try to hide it from me. Clearly there’s something going on here; I can hear it in your voice.”
    Carrie swore her mother had special radar where she was concerned. It seemed she was unable to keep anything from her mother, and perhaps that was a good thing. Besides, Carrie felt like she would burst if she couldn’t talk about her feelings for Finn. The way she’d been lately with her head in a cloud was causing all kinds of speculation among her friends, especially Sophie.
    “I’m falling in love with Finn Dalton.” It felt good to admit it, good to say out loud what was already in her heart.
    Her announcement was followed by a short, stunned silence. “After only two days?”
    “Does it sound crazy?” Then, before she could stop herself, Carrie blurted out nearly the entire story right to thepoint when he’d kissed her and asked Carrie not to write the article.
    “Love is a strong emotion after such a short acquaintance,” her mother warned softly.
    “I agree, I do, but I can’t help how I feel. It was all sorts of crazy and wonderful. Finn and I were playing cribbage, and I looked up at him and something happened. Something physical. All at once my pulse started racing and I looked at this burly, unshaven man and I thought Finn Dalton was the most attractive, appealing man I’d ever met. At first I tried to ignore it, tried to rationalize this attraction away with an entire list of excuses why a relationship between us simply wouldn’t work. It hasn’t done me any good. And since I’ve left Fairbanks, that feeling has grown stronger and stronger. He’s on my mind nearly every minute of the day. It’s like I’m only half alive since I returned.”
    “Oh, dear, you do have it bad,” her mother said with a sympathetic sigh.
    Carrie didn’t need her mother to tell her the obvious.
    “But surely there’s a way for you to write the article and maintain the relationship,” her mother suggested. “You could write it and give it to him to read and approve. That way he would have control over what information was released to the public.”
    “I thought of that, too.” Her mind had worked its wayaround several scenarios, but in the end she feared even approaching Finn with the idea would be a breach of trust.
    “Doesn’t he realize what that article would do for you and your career?”
    “He knows. Finn didn’t ask for this notoriety when he wrote his book. He doesn’t want the focus to be on him but on the beauty of the land and the adventures that await those willing to explore the great outdoors.”
    “Well, he should have thought of that before he wrote the book.”
    In theory, Carrie agreed, but Finn had had no idea how popular his tales of life in Alaska would be. “Do you know why he decided to write Alone ?” she said, thinking back over a recent conversation. “He said he saw what was happening to men and boys in America, addicted to computer games. People are not getting outside and enjoying the