Chapter One
Sophie
“Ed, I thought we had a deal.” Sophie Whitmore slowed her jog until she stopped shuffling along the dirt trail, panting heavily, feet still. “I planted you your own patch.” She narrowed her eyes at the moose leisurely chomping away at a cabbage in their garden, but he didn’t seem to notice.
The bull lifted his head a few inches from his snack. His massive antlers tilted at her scolding tone, one of the many quirks that brought out his inner dog. Ed stood between Sophie and her path to the back door.
“It’s notmyfault you already ate it all.”
Sunset Ridge had been home to Sophie for a little more than a year, ever since she and her two sisters inherited the Sunset Ridge Lodge. Long enough for her not to find it odd that she was reprimanding a moose. She allowed for a healthy distance between them, never forgetting Ed had the ability to trample her like a tumbleweed should he get irritated. The moose had never once shown her a sign of aggression when her mom side came out, but it only took once.
Ed lowered his head for another bite.
“Hey now, you can’t eatallour cabbage. We need it for guests.” Her pants slowed into heavy breaths, and she remembered to turn off her tracking app. Her run time didn’t matter, only the distance. Because if it killed her, Sophie was going to complete her first marathon next week.
Six point three miles today. She’d leave that particular detail out when she updated Denver. No matter what he recommended about tapering at this point in her training, three miles did not feel like enough distance this close to running twenty-six.
“Look, come back later and you’ll get your fill of blueberries,” Sophie continued, as if the animal could understand her. Luckily no guests lounged outside on the back patio to hear this odd conversation, but one window appeared cracked. Some guests knew about their local celebrity moose; others would think she was losing her mind.
Ed backed away a couple of steps from the garden, still chewing on his last stolen bite.
“I have errands to run.”
Though she wasn’t afraid to be stern with him when needed, she knew better than to approach him. The only person Ed had ever let touch him was her daughter Caroline, and that was on the nose while feeding him goodies from the safety of inside an open window.
“Don’t you have some roaming to do?”
The moose simply stood and stared off into the woods.
“Doyouwant to be the one to tell Caroline her birthday decorations didn’t get here on time?”
His ears perked at the name. It was a mostly empty threat, and the moose obviously didn’t have a stake in whether or not Sophie made it to the post office. But he did seem to have a soft spot for Caroline.
“Ah, sothatyou understand.” Sophie refrained from repeating her daughter’s name, concerned the animal might get the wrong idea. The little girl—growing up way too fast for Sophie’s liking—was at school. She felt a mixture of pride and loss. Even without her father in the picture any longer, Caroline was thriving in this new town. At five—six next week—Sophie’s daughter possessed the resilience of a Whitmore.
Through the stillness of the morning, Sophie heard the crank of a motor. When she left for her run earlier, most of the guests had already ventured out for the day. It was possible someone came back to the lodge or was getting a late start. Maybe making a mad dash to get away after catching her conversing with the wildlife. “Ed, if you make me miss my ride—”
But more than likely, it was Cadence driving off.
The three sisters shared one car. Both Sophie and Cadence had sold theirs before moving to Alaska last year. Tessa had never owned one, having lived in New York City for so long. With the three of them running the lodge they inherited from Great-Aunt Patty, one vehicle made the most financial sense. At first. But the longer they shared—even with Tessa moved out and married to Liam now—the more inconvenient it became.
Mornings like this made it glaringly apparent that Sophie needed her own car.
As the engine faded away, Ed finally sauntered off into the woods and out of Sophie’s path to the lodge. Shuffling forward toward the door at last, her legs wobbled beneath her weight from the long run. She’d pushed herself harder than usual today. If Denver found out, he’d lecture her on straying from the training schedule he designed for her.
Denver Grant. Now there was a problem. The two had become close friends in the past year, but lately, against her better judgment, Sophie was starting to feel . . . more. “It’s ridiculous,” she mumbled beneath her breath as she arrived in the kitchen.
A note from Cadence stuck to the fridge via a Warren’s Sea Shack magnet confirmed her suspicions. Both of her sisters were on their way to Seward to stock up on groceries that were a little harder to come by in this small town. “Great,” she muttered. They wouldn’t be back until well after lunch.
Her hands began to shake. She’d have to ask Denver for a ride.Knock it off, Sophie, she scolded herself.He’s yourfriend.Nothing more.
Once in the lodge room she and Caroline had called home for the past thirteen months, she plugged her phone into its charger. The device was more than three years old and lost its charge quicker each day. But a new cell phone was an unnecessary luxury she’d happily forego if it meant she could put a roof over her daughter’s head.
Standing at the window, cell phone cradled in her hand, debate danced in her mind. Sophie could trek across town on foot to the post office, but she wasn’t sure how she’d lug a hefty package of party decorations all the way back. If she waited for her sisters to return, she’d be cutting things too close for picking Caroline up from school. The kid was too nosy for her own good.
Options exhausted, she typed out a quick text to Denver begging for a ride, despite the guilt she felt for bugging him on his day off.
Denver:Be over in 10
