Grizzly Flying Free (Air Bear Shifters Book 2) (6 page)

Silver sniffed a bit, obviously fighting back tears. Anderson felt his own heart breaking at the sound, and he made a split-second decision to allow her to go to Kodiak to study dance with Lexi. He knew it would be hard for him to have his daughter far away, and he knew it would be difficult to have Lexi constantly on his mind. But Silver didn’t deserve to suffer because of his own internal hang-ups. She was a talented dancer, and she deserved the chance to shine.

“I tell you what, sweetie. If you want to go to Kodiak to study dance with Miss Lexi, then I will send you there. You’ve worked really hard to improve your dancing, and you deserve the chance to study with someone as talented as her.”

Silver sat up straight and looked at Anderson, her eyes growing wider than he had ever seen them. The hopeful expression in her eyes melted his heart. “Really? You’re going to let me go spend more time in Kodiak.”

Anderson smiled. “Yes, really. I’m going to miss you like crazy, but I know you’ll be in good hands. And you were right a few days ago when you pointed out that I’m always working. It’s not fair for me to always be at work but still not let you go dance. We have to make sure you can transfer to the schools in Kodiak for the semester though. Just because you’ll be dancing doesn’t mean you can skip out on school.”

Silver nodded solemnly, and then her face broke out into a huge grin. She threw her arms around Anderson’s neck, and hugged him with a strength that was surprising for a six-year-old.

“Thank you, Daddy! I promise I’ll be good. This is the best day of my life.”

Anderson chuckled. “Well, that’s good. I’m happy to hear. Do you know what the best day of my life was?”

Silver leaned back and gave him a quizzical look. “No,” she said. “What was it?”

“The day I met you,” he said, leaning in to kiss her forehead. Silver giggled, and Anderson relished the sound of her happiness. It was true. The day he had met Silver had been extraordinary, even though he had lost his wife the same day. Nothing compared to holding the tiny fingers of a tiny little being that was created from your DNA. Anderson would never forget the first time Silver had opened her little eyes and looked up at him fuzzily, blinking in confusion.

“So, do you really not like Miss Lexi?” Silver asked. Anderson wanted to laugh and roll his eyes all at the same time. His daughter could get so fixated on an idea sometimes.

“Adult relationships are complicated, Silver,” he said with a sigh. “Don’t worry about who I like or don’t right now. Just enjoy the chance to dance. You’re so good at it already. I can’t wait to see how much you learn from a teacher as good as Miss Lexi.”

Silver nodded, thankfully content to let the discussion about Lexi drop for the moment. She kissed her father goodnight, and scampered back to her room, leaving Anderson alone with his beer once more.

Anderson rubbed his forehead and took one long, last swig of his beer. He knew that, if he was honest with himself, he would have to admit that he did like Lexi. He liked her a lot. But that didn’t change the fact that adult relationships
were
complicated, and the complications of a romance with Lexi were too many to make pursuing her worthwhile.

He would let his daughter continue her dance lessons, but he would force himself to keep his own mind on his work here in Frost Peak. Some things just weren’t meant to be.

Lexi checked the latch on Silver’s small suitcase one more time, making sure that it was securely fastened before lifting it to help carry it down the stairs. Silver walked ahead of her, carrying her small backpack that was ready for the flight back to Frost Peak. Lexi couldn’t believe that it was the middle of December already, and that Silver was heading home for Christmas. Time, which had seemed to stand still when she first moved to Alaska and spent long days alone, now seemed to fly by at an impossibly rapid speed. Lexi’s small dance studio had gained quite a waiting list of students after the success of her first program. Parents from all over Alaska—and beyond—were lining up to let their children take lessons with Lexi. With the exception of Silver, Lexi was only tutoring local Kodiak students at the moment. She had decided to limit the live-in dance programs to the summer, but she had already told Silver’s father she would take the girl on for lessons before that decision had been made. She hadn’t wanted to go back on her word, so she’d made an exception and let Silver live and study with her for the last three and half months.

And she was so glad that she had. Having Silver around had turned out to be a dream come true. Silver loved to help with the classes for the preschoolers. She often acted as a little teacher’s assistant for Lexi, showing the youngest students how to correctly strike different poses. And she had the best manners of any six-year-old Lexi had ever met. She always said please and thank you, and she kept her room clean and cleaned up after herself in the kitchen and dining room. Not to mention, Silver’s dancing continued to improve by leaps and bounds. Lexi felt privileged to have the opportunity to teach her.

Lexi had actually been quite surprised when Anderson called to ask if Lexi would still be interested in teaching Silver. After
In the Know
published photos claiming that Lexi and Anderson were dating, Lexi had been sure he would never want to talk to her again. But he had, and had been surprisingly unfazed by the article. He had simply told Lexi that he now understood better than ever that the stuff those magazines printed wasn’t true, and he had left it at that. Lexi had been all too happy to let the issue drop.

She still hadn’t made many close friends, but she at least had some adult interaction with the parents’ of her students. She knew her lack of friends was partially her fault. She was worried about lingering paparazzi, and so she tended to stay home and decline the occasional invitation to go out. The idea of seeing her face on the cover of yet another gossip magazine made her stomach turn. Surely, they would give up at some point and leave her alone for good, wouldn’t they?

It had been nearly four months now since the magazine cover came out claiming that Lexi was dating Anderson. The week after the magazine came out, Lexi had seen several paparazzi stalking her. But, soon, the photographers realized there wasn’t much to see in Kodiak, and they went back to New York or California, leaving Lexi to finally live in peace. She knew her star was beginning to fade in the celebrity world, and she couldn’t have been happier about that. Greg had moved on to yet another girlfriend, and finally seemed to have forgotten all about Lexi. She should have been hurt that someone who had meant so much to her acted like she didn’t even exist anymore, but all Lexi felt was relief. Greg had turned out to be pretty much the opposite of Prince Charming, and Lexi was thankful to have him gone from her life. Still, she proceeded cautiously whenever leaving her house. She still had a hard time believing that she could freely roam the streets of Kodiak without being hounded by paparazzi.

“I see him! I see him!” Silver called out from the window by the front door. Dropping her small backpack, Silver flung the door open and took off running down the front walkway.

“Silver! Put your jacket on!” Lexi yelled out. But Silver didn’t listen, and kept running toward her father, who was just climbing out of a large black pickup truck. Lexi cursed under her breath. Anderson was going to think that Lexi let Silver run around in the dead of winter without wearing a jacket.

A few moments later, Lexi cursed again, a little louder this time. It had been over a month since Anderson had visited, and, in that timeframe, Lexi had convinced herself yet again that she didn’t feel any attraction toward him. But, yet again, as she locked eyes with his across the front yard, she felt herself melting under his heated gaze. Something about the way he looked at her turned her insides to jelly. She grabbed a hold of the doorframe to steady herself, willing herself to keep her composure as she felt a thrill pass through her core at the sight of Anderson.

She tried to speak, to yell out again to Silver to get her jacket. But she couldn’t tear her eyes away from Anderson’s. Luckily, a moment later he broke their gaze, turning his attention to their daughter as he swept Silver up into his arms. He spun her around in circles until she squealed with delight.

“How’s my favorite little ballerina,” he said, lifting Silver onto his shoulders as he walked toward the house. “Ready to get back to Frost Peak and see your Auntie? She misses you something awful. She asks me every day how many days are left until you come home, even though I’m sure she has a countdown on her refrigerator to remind her.”

“I can’t wait to see Auntie,” Silver said. “I want to bake Christmas cookies with her.”

“I’m sure she’ll be happy to do that with you,” Anderson said, ducking way down low so that he could fit through the door without taking Silver off of his shoulders. Lexi admired the ease with which he moved. For such a large man, he was surprisingly agile.

“Hey there,” he said, smiling as he finally let Lexi slide down to the ground. “Thanks for taking such good care of my girl. It sounds like she’s learned a lot over the last few months. Every time I call to talk to her, I can hardly get a word in between her excited chattering.”

Lexi laughed nervously. “I’m glad she’s enjoyed it so much. It’s been a joy having her here. I hope you’re considering sending her back for another term?”

Anderson laughed. “I’m pretty sure I don’t have a choice at this point. It’s either let her come back for another semester, or live with a moping child for the rest of the winter.”

Lexi glanced at Silver, who was happily twirling around the front entryway. It suddenly crossed Lexi’s mind that if she ever had a daughter, she would want her to be exactly like Silver. Lexi shook the thought off, not quite sure where it came from. She wasn’t sure if she would ever have kids, since she wasn’t getting any younger and still didn’t even have a serious boyfriend. And how was she supposed to find a man while being antisocial and spending her days holed up in an Alaskan town with just over six thousand residents—many of whom were already paired off with someone?

“Any big plans for Christmas?” Anderson asked as he easily lifted Silver’s suitcase off the floor.

Lexi winced. It was almost like he knew how lonely she was and wanted to rub it in. Lexi knew that this was an absolutely ridiculous thought, and that he was just making friendly conversation. But she still couldn’t keep the defensive note out of her voice.

“No big plans. It’s been a busy year, so I think I’m just going to hang out here and relax for a bit.” She smiled a bright smile, hoping that he would let the subject drop. But he didn’t. He frowned in her direction and gave her a searching look.

“Just hang out here? By yourself? You’re not going home to New York or something?”

Lexi snorted. “And risk stirring up the paparazzi again? No way! Besides, New York isn’t home anymore. I don’t have any family there, and most of my friends who live there are jetting off to other places for Christmas. I’d be just as alone there as here, so I might as well stay in my cozy house and relax.”

Anderson looked like he was about to say something, but then clamped his mouth shut. Silver, however, made no secret of the fact that she thought being alone at Christmas was not an acceptable option.

“You can’t just stay here by yourself at Christmas!” Silver said, her eyes widening as she looked up at Lexi in disbelief. “Christmas is supposed to be spent with people you love.”

“Silver, honey—” Anderson started to say, but Silver didn’t even realize he was talking to her.

“Why don’t you come to Frost Peak with us?” Silver asked. “There are lots of guest cabins there, and you can help my Auntie Grace and me bake Christmas cookies. It will be way more fun than being alone.”

Lexi saw a pained look cross Anderson’s face, and she knew he wasn’t thrilled about his daughter inviting her to spend Christmas with them. She understood that she wasn’t exactly a close friend, but she had to admit that it hurt a little that he reacted so quickly and negatively to the idea of her spending Christmas with them. Obviously, any feelings of attraction he might have had toward her weren’t strong enough for him to want to explore his feelings further.

“Thank you, Silver, but I think I need to just stay here and relax at home,” Lexi said, hoping that by quickly declining Silver’s invitation the awkwardness of the moment would end. Lexi refused to meet Anderson’s eyes again, choosing instead to focus on the sweet face of the little girl standing in front of her. And that little girl looked extremely disappointed.

“But won’t you be bored all by yourself here? Who will you eat Christmas dinner with?” Silver asked.

Lexi opened her mouth to reassure Silver that being alone wasn’t always such a bad thing, but before she got the words out, Anderson cut in.

“Silver’s right,” he said. “You can’t spend Christmas alone. Pack a bag, and fly back to Frost Peak with us.”

Lexi looked up at Anderson in shock. Hadn’t he just winced moments ago at the idea of her coming to Frost Peak? Why the sudden change?

“I couldn’t,” Lexi said, even though deep down she knew she really wanted to. “I have too much to get done here, and I don’t want to impose on you.”

Anderson rolled his eyes. “It’s not an imposition, because we’re inviting you. And you don’t have stuff to get done here. All your classes are on winter break right now. Don’t be stubborn and spend your holidays alone. No one likes being alone at Christmas.”

Silver started jumping up and down with excitement, and Lexi found her resolve wavering. She
had
been dreading the idea of spending Christmas alone. And she
was
curious to see another city in Alaska. Besides, as much as she tried to deny it to herself, she knew that the possibility of spending more time with Anderson wasn’t something she wanted to pass up. So, somehow, she found herself shrugging and saying “Okay,” then heading off to her bedroom to pack a small bag.

What in the world was she getting herself into?

* * *

A little over an hour later, Lexi found herself in the copilot’s seat of a tiny airplane, rising high above the Alaskan landscape below. She had never been a big fan of flying, let alone of flying in a plane that was so small you felt like it wasn’t much bigger than a toy. But Lexi tried to put on a brave face and look like she was enjoying the ride. She didn’t want to admit that she might have been just a tiny bit nervous.

Okay, a big bit nervous.

Silver, on the other hand, seemed to be completely unaware of how they were being held up in the air at a precariously high altitude by only a tiny box of metal. She was bouncing around in one of the back seats, which were even tinier than the front seats, and asking her dad question after question about Christmas plans while he maneuvered the plane toward the north. Lexi wanted to tell Silver to be quiet and let her dad concentrate on flying the plane, but Anderson seemed completely unbothered by the interruptions. Lexi knew, thanks to Silver’s exuberant retelling of the story, all about the instance where Anderson had been forced to crash land one of the planes due to an engine failure. Lexi had no idea how Silver—or Anderson, for that matter—could be so relaxed after experiencing such a traumatic event. But they both acted like it was no big deal. Lexi had actually asked Anderson about it before they had boarded this plane, and he had shrugged.

“It happens,” he’d said. “It’s really rare, and it’s unlikely to happen again. But don’t worry. I know how to land a plane even if it loses an engine. You’ll be just fine.”

Lexi had smiled bravely, and that smile was now frozen onto her face as she tried to mentally unravel the knots in her stomach by telling herself that Anderson was one of the best pilots around. It was true. She’d heard people in Kodiak telling tourists that the pilots from Frost Peak Tours were the ones you really wanted to fly with. They supposedly had more experience, training, and skill than any of the other pilots in Alaska. Still, it was hard to put your complete trust in anyone, no matter how talented they were, when you were hovering about fourteen thousand feet above the ground in what essentially amounted to a glorified beer can.

The bumpy flight wasn’t the only thing that had Lexi’s stomach in knots, though. She still couldn’t believe that she was about to spend two weeks out in a wilderness town with Anderson. What had she been thinking? Sure, he told her she’d have her own cabin, so at least she would have her own space. But she was invading his Christmas celebration, and she barely knew him. She wasn’t even sure why he had insisted that she make the trip. He was so hard to read, looking angry and disinterested one minute, then kind and happy the next.

Lexi’s stomach dropped as the plane lurched and dropped several feet. She glanced nervously over at Anderson, who seemed unfazed.