Wild Men of Alaska 04 - Wild Men of Alaska - Four Book Bundle

standing up the cute little nurse. Most likely he’d be hearing it from the townsfolk next.
    Eva was dressed in a knit top and form-fitting jeans with bare feet, her toes painted a glittery purple and her blond hair spiked.
    The place was dark, all the curtains closed, like a cave. Eva dropped into a seat at the little dining table and motioned for him to bring the sack of food over.
    He put the food in front of her much the way he’d approach a wild animal.
    Cautiously.
    Everything about this woman made him alert, all his senses on high octane.
    She opened the bag and took out one of the muffins. Biting into it, she moaned over a mouthful. “Your mother can sure cook.” She looked up at him and frowned. “Take a seat or I’m going to get a pain in my neck looking up at you. Lord knows you go on forever. How tall are you anyway?”
    “Six-three.” He sat feeling as though he’d been granted an audience with the queen. She was sure demanding for such a little thing. Would she be demanding in bed? The thought sent a pump of blood to his nether regions. “Listen, Eva, I’m sorry—”
    She cut him off with a dismissive motion of her hand. “Just tell me why you didn’t show up. And for the record, I’ve never been stood up before.” Her bloodshot eyes met his. “Never.”
    He took a moment to study her. She seemed slightly hung over. Either because she’d had her feelings hurt and tried to silence them with alcohol, or embarrassment had gotten the best of her since he’d left her sitting in a restaurant where everyone in attendance knew they’d had a date. He hoped it was hurt feelings. That meant their kiss had meant something to her too. He’d never been knocked back like that before from a mere meeting of lips. Never had a woman occupied his every waking thought and dreams like she did.
    He launched into his story of destructive bear cubs and the long trek back to town not leaving out one little detail.
    She abandoned her muffin halfway through his explanation, and cradled the coffee cup in her hands. When he finished, she took a long draw of the coffee before setting the cup on the table.
    “That’s quite the story. Do you seriously expect me to buy that?”
    He paused. He never thought she wouldn’t believe him. But then she was from Outside where things like this weren’t the norm. “Yeah, I expect you to buy it. Remember you were chased by a moose yesterday.”
    “You do have me there. So, what is it that you actually do?”
    “I’m an officer for the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge.”
    “Like what? An animal cop?”
    “It’s a lot more complicated than that.” He tried not to take her comment as an insult. She was uneducated in Alaska. And he planned to educate her. In many things. “I police the Refuge. I’m in charge of conserving fish and wildlife, international treaty obligations, subsistence uses, which is a big part of my job with so many people who depend on fish and wildlife in order to survive. Safety of people using the Refuge, and assisting with Search and Rescue when needed, which is called on more than I’d like.” He’d come close to being another statistic himself. “I monitor commercial activities on the Refuge, and Alaska is rich in oil, gas, and gold this far north. Way more politics than I signed up for,” he muttered under his breath.
    “How big is the Refuge?”
    “Yukon Flats is about eight and a half million acres, spanning an area roughly two hundred and twenty miles east to west and one hundred and twenty miles north to south.”
    “How many officers do you work with?”
    “It’s just me.” He continued when her mouth fell open, “I have other law enforcements agencies that I can call on if needed. But, basically, it’s just me.”
    “How do you patrol something that...big?”
    He shrugged getting uncomfortable talking so much about himself. Wasn’t that a red flag where women were concerned? But then if she was asking questions, she was at least talking to him and not slamming a door in his face. “By any means necessary. Horse, four-wheeler—which I’m going to need a spare until I get my other one back and repaired—plane, snow machine, dog team, you name it. Whatever it takes to get the job done.”
    “Huh.” She picked up her coffee cup and studied him like bacteria in a Petri dish.
    Uh-oh. He had talked too much. She didn’t have that glazed over look that some women got, but she was from a big city. This had to be