ChapterOne
Cody
Cody Evans couldn’t stop a smile from forming as he stared at the two-thousand-pound moose. It was too much like the opening of a movie, something he knew more than a little about. “Gotta hand it to you, Ed. I’ve kayaked all over the world. Never been held hostage by a moose before.” Maybe it was penance for trespassing on the late Eddie Kingsley’s property.
The moose, dubbed Ed by the locals, flicked his ears forward and back as if mulling over his own internal debate. Recognizable by his unique antlers, goofy expression, and uncanny ability to inconvenience anyone who had somewhere to be, Cody knew better than to push his luck and step off the deck of the vacant log cabin. He glanced at his blue kayak, lounging on the shore, taunting him. He half thought Mom or his sister Haylee put the beast up to this to keep Cody from leaving in two days. They were less than thrilled about his upcoming three-year absence. “You can’t stop me from going.”
Ed, solid as a mountain, blinked his indifference. His ears tweaked again, making Cody nervous he might be caught by travelers only the moose could hear approaching on the winding private drive. He hadn’t sought permission to be here. Didn’t realize hewantedto be here until he was more than halfway.
The kayak trip to the cabin this morning was impulsive, and one he definitely didn’t have time to make. The trek back to town would take longer against the current, even for someone with his experience and endurance. But until the moose was no longer an obstacle to his way home, Cody was stuck.
Accepting he was going to be late to the annual pack-up-the-kayak-shop family breakfast, Cody leaned against a log post, folded his arms, and took in the bay view. Might as well enjoy the stolen moment of quiet. The view alone gave him an understanding as to why Eddie purchased this waterfront property years ahead of his retirement. A wave of sorrow hit Cody square in the chest when he realized his friend would never get to live out his Alaskan dream.
“Is this about the letter?”
The moose ignored the question, instead helping himself to birch leaves from the tree near the deck. In another week, two tops, the trees would be completely bare. Snow already dusted the mountaintops; termination dust as Alaskans called it. Ed’s slight shuffle to the tall birch didn’t afford Cody any better opportunity to make it to his kayak unscathed.
He was still trapped on the deck.
The letter Eddie’s granddaughter Jenna had given Cody last night burned a hole in his cargo pocket, but he couldn’t bear to read it.Not yet. He was still trying to process the unwelcome news of his friend’s unexpected passing. And now, there wasthis. A letter. Parting words, from one friend to another.So, he knew it was coming?
“Eddie, why didn’t you call me?”
Cody first met Eddie Kingsley in Barbados four years earlier on a movie shoot. As a screenwriter, Eddie didn’t have to be on set. But he particularly enjoyed watching the stunts. Claimed it inspired him to write.
Cody felt a lump rise in his throat. Jenna looked so much like her grandfather it nearly stopped his heart when he recognized the resemblance. Reaching to his pocket, he patted the crinkle of paper and cleared his throat. The moose looked his way, stripping another mouthful from a branch.
“If you leave now, you might make it to Mom and Dad’s for breakfast,” Cody said to the moose. “I know how you love fresh blueberries.”
Ed’s ears perked as he continued to leisurely munch, but Cody knew it was too much to hope that the creature understood even that one word. He wasn’t a pet, after all. Giving up on the beast moving anytime soon, Cody dropped into a wicker rocking chair and pulled out the letter he wasn’t sure he’d ever be ready to read.
He forced his eyes to the paper anyway.
Cody,
If you’re reading this, I kicked the bucket before I got to retire in my Alaska dream cabin. Life sucks sometimes like that. Oh well. I had a great run. My granddaughter Jenna should have hand-delivered this letter to you. I had hoped to introduce you to her, but I guess it wasn’t meant to work out like that.
I wanted you to know it was one of my greatest pleasures meeting you. Not only are you one heck of a stuntman with superhuman talent, you’re a pretty cool dude. I didn’t think this old guy could learn anything new, but you taught me more than you’ll ever know. You have a rare gift with the way you sense exactly what a person needs to hear.
Which is why I wanted Jenna to meet you.
I know I’m the one who owes you halibut tacos at Warren’s, but I have a favor to ask of you anyway. The next page is a list of all the things I had hoped to do with Jenna when I brought her to Alaska this year. But if you’re reading this, we didn’t make the trip, and she’s in town without me.
It’s important to me that she gets a real feel for Sunset Ridge. I think she’ll find it very inspiring if only she gives it a chance. She’s got a tough exterior, which is why I know you’re exactly the man for the job. I suspect she’s here alone, aside from her dog. She never goes anywhere without him. Help her truly appreciate some of the experiences I had hoped to share with her before I kicked the bucket. Please. It would mean the world to this old man.
All my best,
Eddie K.
Cody sank back into the chair, scrubbing a hand over his face. He could hear Eddie’s voice in his head as he read, and grief clenched his chest tightly because of it. He remembered Eddie was supposed to visit Sunset Ridge earlier that summer, but Cody hadn’t reached out when his friend didn’t show. He’d written it off, deciding Eddie had a screenwriting deadline he hadn’t met.
Now Cody was left with a deathbed favor he didn’t have time to fulfill. His flight for Maui left out of Anchorage the day after tomorrow.
“What are you doing here?” The unexpected female voice vaulted him from the chair and to his feet. He nearly lost hold of the letter but managed to keep the wind from stealing it.
The woman with a striking resemblance to her grandfather stared back at him expectantly. Her jet-black hair, pulled back into a ponytail, danced in the breeze. The dark eyes he remembered from last night were hidden beneath sunglasses. With arms folded across her chest, Cody couldn’t make out the destination screen printed across the front of her sweatshirt. “This is private property.”
“I didn’t mean to trespass. I was stranded by Ed—” But when he pointed toward the birch tree, he discovered the moose was no longer there. Cody turned a full circle searching for the elusive animal that had held him prisoner on the deck for over half an hour.
