Love Inspired March 2015 - Box Set 1 of 2: A Wife for Jacob\The Forest Ranger's Rescue\Alaskan Homecoming (23 page)

Evie glanced at him and he knew what she was thinking.

“Pretty, isn't it?” he said.

She nodded, a permanent scowl marring her high forehead as she clutched a stuffed toy rabbit in her lap. The way her wary gaze darted between him and the road told him she was excited but nervous. She never quite let down her guard anymore. Never was fully at ease.

A double-trailer logging truck approached from the opposite direction and Brent pulled over on the thin road to give it extra room to pass. Brent returned the driver's wave as his gaze swept the heavy load of ponderosa pine, which towered over the cab of the truck. A flash of red caught his eye. A ticket stapled to one log on the back of the load. It was habit for Brent to look. To inspect. To make sure the loggers were following the law. He knew his timber assistant was working up here today and must have already checked the load of lumber to determine the number of logs.

Back on the road, he soon approached the landing area of the timber operation, and the sound of heavy engines and chain saws filled the air along with suffocating dust. Evie clapped her hands over her ears and scowled at the deafening noise. Brent chuckled as they passed by the cutblock area. Another fifteen minutes and he pulled over and killed the engine. He didn't like what he saw. From the disapproving scowl on her face, neither did Evie.

Dozens of naked stumps porcupined the mountainside. Gone were the tall, lush trees that used to blanket this hillside, cut and stolen in the night by thieves.

Evie reached across the seat and tugged on his sleeve. He looked her way and she pointed out the window. A lone figure moved through the ruined forest. A woman, wearing blue jeans and a red sweater.

Jill!

Before he could stop her, Evie clicked off her seat belt, threw open the heavy door and hopped out of the truck.

“Evie, wait,” he called as she raced toward Jill.

Brent hurried to follow after his daughter. Since the theft, an eerie silence filled this forest with nothingness. No birdsong. No animal life. No treetops rustling as the breeze rippled past. This forest had been destroyed.

Violated by greed.

At the sounds of Evie's running feet and gasping breath, Jill turned and gazed at the child with wide-eyed surprise.

“Evie. What are you doing here?” Jill said.

She lifted her head. Brent was highly aware of the exact moment when she saw him. He felt her gaze like a physical blow. As though an electric current flowed between them, shocking him with its intensity. And he couldn't ignore a sudden rush of joy. For some inane reason, he liked being near this woman. As though she were his homecoming and they belonged together. An odd notion, but there it was.

“Howdy.” He waved, trying to sound casual. As though this meeting was a regular occurrence. No big deal. And he hoped she didn't notice the happy zing that seemed to fill his voice.

“Hi.”

Jill's reply didn't sound too eager and he couldn't blame her. His profession and the question of timber theft hung between them like a thick iron curtain.

Without asking permission, Evie tightened her fingers around the woman's hand. Showing complete trust. Assuming Jill would let her do it. And Jill did, looking completely unruffled by Evie's forward gesture.

Jill bent her knees so she could stoop down and meet the girl's eyes. “Have you been doing okay since I saw you last?”

Evie nodded, her long ponytail bouncing. Seeing his daughter so energized pleased Brent enormously. He didn't understand what it was about Jill that drew both him and Evie like a heat-seeking missile.

Jill smiled. “Good. I was planning to come and visit you later this evening. I have something for you in my car. I picked it up at the store before I drove up on the mountain. Would you like to see what it is?”

Another nod and bright, earnest eyes from the child. Brent hadn't seen Evie this engaged in a long time, and he marveled that Jill had this effect on his daughter.

Still holding Evie's hand, Jill walked with the girl toward her car. It was parked on the other side of the draw, hidden by a low-lying hill. No wonder Brent hadn't seen it when he'd first arrived.

Feeling a bit out of place, he trailed behind, curious to see Jill's surprise. At her car, she opened the back door and leaned inside. The rustling of a plastic bag sounded as she pulled out a small dry-erase board. It included a miniature eraser with a magnet and a purple marker. Very interesting.

“Since you're now a big six-year-old, you're starting to learn to write, aren't you?” Jill asked.

Evie nodded with uncertainty, her gaze riveted on the erase board like it was Christmas morning.

“You can use this to write what you want to say and show it to your dad and other people. You can talk to him and anyone else that way. You want to try it?” Jill held out the board.

Evie didn't take it. A small shudder swept her body and she looked down at the ground.

Jill knelt in the dust, seeking Evie's gaze. When she spoke, her voice sounded infinitely gentle. “Don't worry if you don't know how to write well. That will come with time. If you can't spell a word, just draw a picture instead. Your dad will understand. The important thing is to keep trying. Don't ever give up. Do you think you can do that?”

Evie lifted her head and gave a tentative nod. Then, she reached out her hand and took the board. Jill showed her how to use the marker and eraser.

“Be sure to put the cap back on the eraser right after you use it, or it'll dry out. Can you do that?” Jill asked.

Evie nodded. And that's when Brent noticed Jill always asked his daughter
yes
or
no
questions. Nothing complicated. Nothing that would make Evie feel overwhelmed and want to hide. Just simple queries that Evie could nod or shake her head on.

“Shall we try it out?” Jill stood straight.

Evie bobbed her head twice.

“Okay, do you like flowers and butterflies?”

Evie stared at the woman.

Jill pressed the tip of her finger against the board. “Just write yes or no.”

Long seconds ticked by as it took Evie time to write her response, but Jill didn't rush her. Not one bit. And during that time, Brent held his breath. What if Evie refused to try? He wasn't sure if she knew how to spell the words. She'd refused to write at school. Her kindergarten teacher didn't think she knew how. And Brent assumed Evie wasn't learning a thing. He feared she'd grow up illiterate.

The black marker squeaked as Evie wrote some wobbly letters.

Yes.

Brent blinked his eyes, his throat feeling suddenly thick with emotion. His daughter could write. And if she could write, then that meant she could also read. At least a little. Obviously, Evie knew more than her teachers realized. And he had Jill to thank for revealing that fact.

Jill smiled. “Good. How about big black bears? Do you like them?”

They waited for Evie to write. It took less time for her to write the word
no
.

“That's okay. They can be kind of scary sometimes, right?”

Evie nodded.

“But I doubt any bears live in this empty forest.” Jill's gaze lifted to the graveyard of trees, some of the stumps over three feet across.

Brent stared at her, entranced by the flicker of sunlight against her shiny hair. Thinking how she lit up the ugly forest with her beauty.

“Yeah, it's pretty sad,” Brent agreed, forcing himself to look away. “But it'll recover. Clearing the tall trees from overhead opens up the plant life below to lots of sunlight. There won't be many trees in this area next summer, but the pine grass, currants and forbs will soon cover the ground with lots of vegetation. It'll take decades for the trees to come back, unless we help it out by replanting.”

Evie stepped a short ways away, drawing a picture on her erase board.

“What do you estimate the dollar price of the theft is at?” Jill asked.

He pursed his lips, making some mental calculations. Grateful to have his attention drawn away from Jill's creamy complexion and the warm feelings coursing through his chest. “At least two hundred thousand dollars, possibly more.”

Jill nodded. “I concur.”

He wasn't surprised. She'd grown up in the timber business and knew the value of trees as well as he did.

Just then, she turned and stumbled over a low tree stump. He reached forward and caught her. She fell against him, one hand latching on to his biceps, the other sliding against his chest. She looked up and their eyes locked. He stared at her, mesmerized. For several pounding moments, they stood frozen in time. The world spun away and nothing existed but them. He felt her warmth and breathed in her fragrant scent. Her lips parted in surprise and he felt the overpowering urge to pull her in and kiss her.

Then he came to his senses. He must be losing his mind. He had to break this off right now. “You okay?”

She snapped back and blinked, not meeting his eyes. She brushed at her shirt, as though it was wrinkled. “Yes, I'm fine.”

Think. What should he say? Something to appear normal and unaffected. To regain his composure.

“I...I've already started a replanting program to repair the damage to the forest,” he said. “The crew should finish the work in another week or so, before the heat of summer comes in.”

There. That was good. Right back to business.

She took a steadying breath. “I'd like to help.”

He glanced at her, his eyes widening with wonder. “Seriously?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

She blinked, as though his blunt question had taken her off guard. And quite frankly, he was feeling a bit off balance himself. He didn't understand how a woman could smell so delectable.

“Do I need a reason?” she asked.

“No, it's just that I didn't expect you to help with the project. Under the circumstances, I think you can understand my surprise.”

“Yes, you're right,” she conceded. “It doesn't make sense to me either. But I'd really like to help. It's for a great cause. I want to ensure our forests stay forested and there are trees to harvest in the future. Mankind has done enough damage to our earth already. So, when do you need me?”

He looked away, thinking. “Um, I've got a work crew planning to come out again next Monday morning. They'll be finished with their work by noon. So you've got a few days. If you come to the Forest Service office, you can ride up with them and know exactly where they'll be working.”

“Okay, what time?” He told her the necessary information and she nodded her acceptance. “I'll be there, so don't let them leave without me. I want to work with the Forest Service in any way I can to clear my brother's name. He insists he didn't have any part in this theft, and I believe him. So we're eager to help catch whoever did this and clear our name.”

Our name. He couldn't help noticing that she included herself with her brother. And although he was positive she was completely innocent of any wrongdoing in the situation, her loyalty to her family was just one more reason he liked her.

“I'm glad to hear that. But like I said, we haven't made any accusations yet.” He shifted his weight, again wishing he could confide in her. Wishing he didn't have to keep the truth a secret. It was a good thing Alan hadn't betrayed his instructions from the US Attorney's office.

She showed a skeptical smile. The silence lengthened and he knew what she was thinking. Soon enough, the LEI would want to prowl around her family's sawmill as they performed an investigation. It was inevitable. Having Jill's cooperation would help a great deal with the ugly chore.

A tug on his arm brought his head down to Evie. She held up her erase board and he saw that she'd written the word
danc
. She'd drawn a little stick figure at the side, wearing what appeared to be a ballerina tutu. She then pointed at Jill.

He crinkled his brow. “Do you mean
dance
?”

Evie nodded and jabbed her finger more forcefully toward Jill.

“You want to invite Jill to your dance recital?” he asked.

A bright smile lit up Evie's face and she pumped her head up and down. Brent tried not to stare, but it'd been so long since he'd been able to communicate effectively with her. And seeing her smile again knocked the breath right out of him.

His gaze swung back to Jill. “Um, Evie would like to invite you to her dance recital tomorrow night. It's at seven, in the civic center.”

Okay, he'd made the invitation. From the withdrawn expression on Jill's face, he could tell she felt uncomfortable about it, too. It didn't help that she'd tripped and he'd held her in his arms like a giant leech.

Jill bent at the waist and smiled at Evie. “I'd love to come, sweetheart, but I've already got a commitment with my own family. I'll try to make it if I can. Okay?”

The woman was trying to be so careful. So considerate. Trying not to injure Evie's feelings. And Brent appreciated her efforts more than he could say.

Evie nodded, but didn't hide her disappointment. She sidled over to Brent and took his hand as she stared at the ground in dejection.

“Ah, we're still friends, aren't we?” Jill asked, her voice filled with invitation.

Evie glanced at her, then gave a timid smile indicating they were.

“Good.” Jill stepped back. “Well, I've got to get back to work. Nice to see you both again.”

“Yeah. You, too,” Brent said.

He breathed an audible sigh of relief when she got into her car, turned on the engine and headed down the dirt road.

Watching her go, he missed her already. And he shouldn't miss this woman. She was nothing to him. Just a permittee whose sawmill cut logs on national forest lands. And yet, he couldn't fight the bevy of mixed emotions in his mind. How he wished they'd met under different circumstances. How he regretted that the timber-theft issue stood between them like a huge dangerous giant.