lowered into a come-hither look Atka was sure Teresa did not mean to convey. But he wanted to obey the look anyway and join her on the couch, replacing the quilt with his body for warmth, licking drops of tea from her lips with his tongue.
Still, he maintained discipline and showed restraint by refocusing on the stew that he was preparing. By the time he brought a piping-hot bowl over to the couch where Teresa sat, her eyes had lowered shut.
For a minute, he just stood there, staring. He noticed the mug containing the tea set on the coffee table, empty. He knew that she’d sleep well tonight. As for him? On a makeshift pallet on the floor? He doubted it.
“Teresa?”
“Hmm?” Her eyes fluttered open, slid from his face to his crotch and back up to his eyes. Desire flashed, intense and unapologetic, just before rationality gained a foothold and she came to her senses.
He set the bowl on the rough-hewn table. “You need to eat. The tea is strong, and without food, will upset your stomach. Here, let me help you shift your position by elevating your foot on the table.” He placed down the pillow and her foot upon it, repositioning the bounty of quilts, as well.
“I really don’t need them,” Teresa said, softly blowing the steaming spoonful. “I’m warm now.”
Atka was more than warm. He was on fire. His mind filled with thoughts on how to extinguish the flame.
“I’m going to have a glass of wine. Do you want one?”
Teresa shook her head. “I’d better not. That tea has me woozy. But my ankle feels better.”
Atka picked up his wine and soup and joined Teresa in the living room.
“This is good,” she told him.
“Thank you.”
“This is definitely not the way I planned to spend my evening in Dillingham, Alaska.”
“How did you plan to spend it?”
She shrugged. “On my computer, working, and preparing the interviews I’ll be conducting tomorrow.”
Interviews. Right. She was a journalist, here on assignment. Seeing her in his home, with tousled hair and wearing his flannel shirt, it was hard to remember to stay on guard.
“What companies were you planning on visiting?”
“The Sinclair Salmon Company, for one. There are a couple others, but I don’t remember the names right now.”
He tried to keep his voice neutral and void of the heightened suspicion now racking his brain. “What stands out about the Sinclair company, you know, that made it one you remember.”
“It’s the largest one here and by far the most successful. My paper tried to get an interview with the owner, but he declined. So I was going to take the visitor tour, and then try to get an impromptu meeting with either the store manager or one of the fishermen. There are questions about that lifestyle that I’d love to ask you, being a fisherman and all, but you’d probably believe I fell in the hole and broke my ankle just to get the interview.”
“I may have believed that earlier. Not now. I am quiet by nature, but there are reasons for my privacy.”
“No worries. Even though I’m a reporter, I’m a respectable one. I won’t use unscrupulous means to get a story. You’re a private person. I respect that. I’ve been on the other side, and know what it’s like to be hounded.”
Atka’s brow arched. “Really? How so?” She hesitated, nibbled her lower lip. “I’m sorry. Here I am not wanting to be asked questions and then doing that very thing.”
She smiled. “It’s okay. I’m glad to see that you’re curious. It means you’re human.”
He watched as she finished the last of the hearty beef stew. “Where’d you go today?”
“The state game sanctuary.”
“Ah, the walruses.”
“You’ve been there?”
“A time or two. How’d you like it?”
“The boat ride there was awesome. But as far as I’m concerned, if you’ve seen one sea lion, you’ve seen them all. I was looking forward to visiting the fisheries and shipping home seafood. That salmon last night was the best I’d ever eaten.”
“What’s your favorite type of salmon?”
“Don’t have one. Until coming here, I didn’t know there were so many.”
“So your visit was to include the fisheries, and what else?”
Her face fell in disappointment. “I was supposed to visit the Mantanuska Glacier. But from the looks of my ankle, and how it has swelled, that’s a trek I’ll also have to cancel.”
“Unfortunately, yes. You’ll need to stay off that foot for several days.”
“I can’t stay here that long.” The statement came out in a panicked rush.
Atka chuckled. “You won’t have to. Tomorrow we’ll get you to the hospital and outfitted with crutches. You’ll be able to get around much better after that.” Her relief was visible as she leaned against the back of the couch.
“How’d you decide on Alaska as the place to write about?”
“I didn’t. My editor did. Alaska is a popular vacation destination, but wasn’t on my bucket list at all.”
“I can believe that. You don’t strike me as a rugged outdoorswoman who likes to hunt and fish.”
“Not unless I’m hunting for a bargain or fishing for the right-carat diamond to put in a jewelry setting.”
He smiled, nodding. “Now, that I can imagine.” The teakettle whistled. “Excuse me. I’ll refill your tea.”
After placing the loose tea into an infuser, he brought the mug over to the table. “It’s best to let it steep for a few minutes, to unlock the healing magic within the leaves.” He winked and returned to the chair.
“Tell me more about your family. Off the record. I hope you don’t mind my asking. You’re different than any guy I’ve ever met. I get the feeling your family and upbringing might have something to do with it. That’s why I’m asking.”
He nodded. “You are right. My grandparents especially have had a huge impact on how I see life. As I’ve already stated, my family is Yupik, with ties to the land that go back more than a thousand years.”
“That’s amazing. You can trace your history back that far?”
“Through our stories, we can. However, we can only provide documents for as far back as the seventeenth century, when my ancestors arrived from Siberia and Romania.”
“Arctic countries! So, for you, this cold weather is just a walk in the park. The Romanian connection also explains the darker tone to your skin.”
“That, and the fact that my father is black.”
She didn’t try to hide her surprise. “And he lives here...in Alaska?”
“Ha! I’ll admit that brothers aren’t running here in droves, but yes, he’s lived here for over forty years. An oil-rig gig offering excellent pay lured him here in the early seventies. Six months later he met my mom and Alaska became his home. My parents and three of my five siblings are scattered across the state.”
“I come from a big family, too. There are eight of us.”
“Rare to hear about big families these days so...that’s pretty cool.”
Teresa yawned.
“Looks like someone is ready for sleep.”
“I’m sorry. Between the tea and