Chapter One
Cadence
An enormous moose stood between Cadence Whitmore and her rental car, stranding her on the cozy porch of her vacation rental cabin. “Are you . . .lickingmy window?” The antlered beast towered over the sedan, seemingly uninterested in moving.
The bull didn’t respond to her question. Which was just as well, considering what she remembered of them during her brief time here in Alaska the year she turned thirteen. A change in behavior might indicate aggression. She could barricade herself inside the small log cabin, but that wouldn’t get her to the lawyer’s office on time.
“I really don’t have time for this, Mr. Moose.”
Beautiful as Alaska was, at least she didn’t have to worry about encountering a moose in Wichita. Certainly one had never made her late for an important appointment. “Can you find someone else’s car to lick?” She shook her head in disbelief. “Seriously.” Had she ever seen a moose act this way? “Maybe you should see someone about your addiction.”
Cadence held up her cell again, but not a single bar appeared. If she had service, she could at least call the lawyer and explain her delay. Mr. Jenkins—a lifetime resident of Sunset Ridge—would understand her dilemma.
“Need a ride?”
The male voice startled her, and she let out a squeak. The bull lifted his head, temporarily abandoning the window-licking hobby he’d taken up in her driveway. Her gaze traveled to the cabin next door—one much bigger than her tiny space—and discovered a man in jeans and a red plaid shirt, standing on his deck.
“Sure. Unless you have any bright ideas on how to get Bullwinkle here to get a move on.” She pointed toward her car. “I swear, they put something in the window cleaner.”
Despite the approximate ten-yard gap, she could hear his laughter crystal clear. The smile that complemented it made her forget about her four-legged obstacle with antlers large enough to scoop her up. The man’s white teeth sparkled in contrast to his dark beard. “Actually, we call him Ed.”
“Ed?”
“He likes to wander the neighborhood, but he’s pretty harmless unless provoked.”
Cadence glanced around at the few cabins that comprised saidneighborhood. Sunset Ridge was a small town by most standards, but she’d still opted for a place on the outskirts of town without many people. Mr. Jenkins had recommended it. The six cabins she could count—seven if the structure through the thick trees was also a house—could hardly be called a neighborhood.
“C’mon, I can take you into town.”
Cautiously, Cadence took a step down from the covered porch. The moose moved two steps to examine the rear passenger window instead of the front, but otherwise seemed uninterested in her. Fighting the impulse to speed walk, she warily closed the distance separating the two cabins. Though Ed seemed harmless enough, she wasn’t eager to be in the line of fire should the gigantic beast decide to charge.
“Why don’t you go wait in the truck?”
At this closer range, Cadence noticed the green hue to his eyes. She tried not to let her gaze linger, but assessed him long enough to guess the man was in his late twenties or early thirties.Attractive too. “You want me to wait in the truck?” She glanced nervously over her shoulder. Ed seemed so much bigger now that she was off the porch.
“I need to grab Riggs.” He nodded toward his cabin. The nose of a German shepherd was pressed up against the glass, creating a concentrated cloud on one of the windows. Over the top edge of the fogged-up glass, wide eyes fixated on the bull moose. “You don’t mind if he rides along, do you?” the man asked when Cadence had yet to move her firmly planted feet.
“Not at all.”
Circling the front of the truck—Ed kept in her peripherals—Cadence made her way to the passenger door. “No running boards, Mr. Alaska?” she mumbled, reaching for the grab handle inside the truck and propelling herself into the seat like a human slingshot.
She checked her phone again out of habit, but no luck. How many emails or texts from work had she missed since she arrived in her cabin last night? There was supposed to be Wi-Fi, but for whatever reason, it wasn’t working. Her boss, Janine, would just have to accept that she was really on vacation for a few days, and the spotty service gave her the perfect excuse.
The truck’s back door opened, and a dog the size of a small grizzly bear bolted in, making the jump with graceful ease. Riggs pointed his giant furry face at Cadence, and his tail swished uncontrollably. He let out a faint whine as he warred with which to focus his attention on first, her or the moose.
“Where do you need to go?” the man asked once inside the truck. It occurred to Cadence that she had accepted a ride with a complete stranger, and she didn’t even know his name. She hoped Sunset Ridge was as friendly and trustworthy a place as she remembered from her childhood.
“Jenkins Law Office.”
The man studied her a moment, as though her answer meant something to him. She waited for him so elaborate on whatever seemed to be hanging on the tip of his tongue, but instead he nodded and put his truck into gear.
“So, Ed is a regular, huh?” As much as Cadence wanted to know what he almost said, she wasn’t about to push a kind stranger offering her help in a time of need. Downtown was only a few minutes from her cabin.
“Ed? He likes Sunset Ridge, but hangs out a lot in our neighborhood. All those gardens to pick from.”
“He’s been around a while, then?”
“Going on seven years now.”
