Wild Men of Alaska 02 - Moosed-Up

level head on her shoulders. And a very pretty one at that. He passed the clinic on the way to his place, badly wanting to pull in and see her. But a shower, shave, and a few hours of sleep would do him some good. He tended to get a little stupid when he didn’t get enough sleep, and he’d need all his brain cells for the conversation he knew they’d be having later.
    He parked and got out of his truck. He’d have to get it cleaned, since Pete had bled all over the front seat. For today, he’d grabbed a tarp from the precinct and covered his seat. Climbing up the stairs to the deck, he felt the many hours he’d gone without rest, and entered the unlocked cabin to find Eva curled asleep on his couch.
    His heart flipped seeing her sleeping in his place. It was never clearer to him than right now that she belonged here with him. Quietly, he walked over to the couch and knelt down. She’d tossed and turned during her sleep. The blanket she’d covered herself with pooled at her waist, probably due to what she’d endured the night before. He should have had Raven come and stay with her so she wasn’t alone. He tugged the blanket up to her shoulders, tucking the edges in around her.
    Her eyes fluttered open, and his heart did that stuttering thing again. He loved this woman.
    “Hey,” she greeted.
    “Hey, yourself.”
    She went to smile, doing a half stretch when she caught site of her surroundings. Everything must have come crashing back to her, for she sat up quickly and wrapped her arms in the blanket, keeping it close to her body.
    “I’m sorry for making myself at home. It’s just after you left, I couldn’t stay at my place.”
    “I understand. I’m glad you came here. I should have called Raven, or gotten you a room at the lodge.”
    “No. I would have been mortified if everyone knew I was freaked out.”
    “Eva, you were held hostage, threatened at gunpoint. I don’t know of any civilian who could’ve handled themselves better than you did. You kept your wits about you and defeated the bad guy. Pretty ingenious of you too. Nate’s singing your praises. So am I.”
    She glanced down, her fingers plucking the material of the patchwork quilt his Grandma Coho had made for him last Christmas. “Thanks for that.”
    He tilted his head toward the bedroom. “Want to catch a few more winks with m e in a more comfortable place?”
    “Uh, about that. We need to get some truths out in the open before whatever this is between us goes any further.”
    “What kind of truths?” This is not where he wanted to go. He wanted to lift her up in his arms, carry her to his bed, and after lovin g her, fall asleep in her arms.
    “You’re keeping a secret from me,” she accused. “The past has taught me one thing very important, never to abide secrets.”
    He really could have used some sleep before this confrontation. But he could see in her eyes how serious this was to her. How did he tell her without making her run screaming from him? He took a seat on the couch, faced her, and covered her hands with his. Looking deep into her eyes, he told her the truth. “I can talk to animals.”
    She rolled her eyes. “Can you be serious?”
    “I am.”
    “What, you’re like a Dr. Doolittle or something?” she scoffed.
    He winced. It wasn’t the first time he’d been called that. Didn’t help that he’d first gone into veterinarian science.
    “You’re being serious?” she asked as though she’d been waitin g for the punch line to a joke.
    He nodded and quietly waited her out as the dots connected.
    “Okay, then why is BW stalking me?”
    “Near as I can tell, he thinks you look like a pretty flower. He’s partial to flowers.”
    “He told you that?”
    Lynx couldn’t tell if she was humoring him or giving him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe a little of both. “It’s more of an image or feeling than actual words exchanged.” That would be crazy. “And then I went and told him I’d like to get to know you back when you first came to town. I believe he thinks he’s helping me.” This was going to sink him. He should just shut up.
    “So, he’s playing matchmaker ?” Her eyelids lowered, and she freed her hands from his.
    “Kinda.” He rubbed the back of his neck and decided he might as well jump in with both feet. She could obviously see if he wasn’t telling her the whole truth. “BW and I go back a ways. I rescued him when he was born. His mother died giving him birth, and I, well, raised