“Coffee?” Ben asked, gesturing with the pot.
“No, thanks. I came in for a little advice.” Matt wanted to get straight to the point.
“You’re not going to order anything?”
“No, I wanted to ask—”
“Listen, advice is no longer free,” Ben said. “You sit back and chow down on a piece of my homemade apple pie, and then I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”
“I’m not hungry,” Matt objected. He’d never known Ben to push food on anyone. “Business slow or something?”
“All these women in town aren’t exactly helping, you know? Every one of them’s got a kitchen, and if they don’t already have a family to cook for, they’re inviting the men in town to dinner. Business is down twenty percent from a year ago.”
It looked like Matt was going to be the one with the sympathetic ear.
“So that’s what the frequent-eater program’s all about?”
“Exactly.”
Matt understood Ben’s concern, and he did want to support the Hard Luck Café. “All right, give me a cup of coffee.” He was desperate enough to pay for coffee he didn’t want if Ben could help him win over Karen.
Ben nodded, obviously pleased. He filled Matt’s cup, then pressed his hands against the counter. “What can I do for you?”
“It’s about Karen.”
Ben’s mouth quivered with the telltale signs of a smile. “Goes without saying.”
Once more Matt was as direct as possible. “She wants to be, uh, wooed.”
“Wooed,” Ben repeated as though he’d never heard the word before. “What does that mean?”
Matt hadn’t considered that Ben wouldn’t know. It would be a shame to waste a couple of bucks on a cup of brew if Ben wasn’t going to help him. “Why do you think I’m asking you?”
The door opened and Sawyer O’Halloran walked in.
“Sawyer,” Ben called out, looking relieved. “You got a minute?”
“Sure.” Sawyer perched on the stool next to Matt’s.
“Matt, here, has a problem. Maybe you could help.”
“Be glad to do anything I can,” he said, righting his mug.
“Karen wants to be wooed,” Matt told him.
“Any suggestions?” Ben asked the pilot.
Sawyer frowned as he took his first sip of coffee. “You’re asking the wrong guy. I know what the word means, in a general way, but how to go about it is another question.”
“You convinced Abbey to marry you,” Ben reminded him.
“Sure, but it wasn’t easy.”
“How’d you do it?” Matt asked. True, he’d been married himself, married to Karen, but they were both young then. He didn’t remember that he’d done anything special. She’d apparently thought marriage was a good idea, and he’d gone along with it. There hadn’t been any talk of this wooing business; it sure hadn’t been the problem it was now.
“First, I didn’t realize I was in love with Abbey,” Sawyer confessed. “All I knew was I didn’t like any of the other men bugging her. When I heard Pete Livengood had proposed I went ballistic.”
“Pete’s married to Dotty,” Matt said, confused.
“That was before Dotty arrived,” Ben explained.
“Okay, so Pete proposed to Abbey.”
“It made me furious,” Sawyer muttered. “I told myself that Christian and I had brought these women up to Hard Luck and it had cost us a lot of money. I hadn’t gone to all that trouble and expense so the local grocer, twenty years Abbey’s senior, could steal her away.”
“So what’d you do?” Matt asked.
“I did the only logical thing I could think of. I told her if she was that desperate to find a husband, I’d marry her myself.”
Wow, maybe this’ll be easier than I assumed, Matt thought. “And that worked?”
Ben chuckled. “It worked so good the next thing I heard, Abbey had packed her bags and was planning to leave on the first flight out of here.”
“You’re joking.” Matt could see they weren’t. “So what’d you do after that?”
Sawyer held his mug with both hands and frowned. “What could I do? I begged.”
“Begged?” Matt figured he’d already tried that and it hadn’t worked.
“I’d never felt lower in my life,” Sawyer said. “One thing I knew for sure—if Abbey left I wouldn’t be worth a damn. I loved her, and Scott and Susan.”
“What did you say that convinced her?”
Sawyer considered that, then shook his head. “Don’t know. I was just so grateful she agreed to marry me I never asked.”
The door opened again, and ten-year-old Scott O’Halloran flew into the café.
“Don’t be bringing that dog in here,” Ben warned.
Scott said something to Eagle Catcher, who stopped abruptly, tail drooping between his legs, and turned around. With a backward glance he ambled out the door.
“I swear that dog understands English,” Matt said.
“I’ll only be a minute,” Scott told the husky. He hurried to the counter and slapped down a dollar bill. “You got any of those ice cream bars left, Ben?”
“Sure do.” Ben turned and headed for the freezer in the kitchen.
“So Karen wants to be wooed,” Sawyer said to Matt. “She wants to be courted.”
Wooed. Courted. Whatever you called it, Matt still didn’t have any clearer idea of what she was seeking than before he’d asked his friends. He knew the results he was after, he understood the general strategy, but he didn’t have any specific plans.
“That’s a good idea,” Scott murmured absently.
“What is?” Matt asked the boy.
“Courting Karen. I wish she’d marry you again, because then Angie or Davey would have someone to play with after they’re born.”
“Those are the names Abbey, the kids and I’ve picked out for the baby,” Sawyer explained. “You might listen to Scott—he offered me some valuable advice when I needed it with Abbey.”
“Really?” Matt said eagerly. He didn’t believe a ten-year-old kid could supply him with the answer three adult men couldn’t. “So you think it’s a good idea for me to, uh, court my ex-wife?”
Ben returned with the ice cream bar. Scott regarded the others suspiciously. “Yeah,” he said as if he thought this might be a trick question.
“So, how’s a man supposed to go about that?” Ben asked Scott, leaning halfway over the counter.
“Well,” Scott said, clearing his throat, “he could flatter her.”
The three men exchanged glances. “That sounds like a plan,” Ben said.
“Yeah. Tell her…tell her that her eyes are as brown as a bear’s winter coat,” Sawyer suggested.
“She’s got blue eyes,” Matt said.
“Blue…blue…” Sawyer repeated in an apparent effort to find something to compare to her eyes. He must’ve said the word ten times before he stopped, defeated. “Anyone else got any ideas? I’m not exactly a poet, you know.”
Matt had already figured that out for himself.
“Be affectionate,” Scott said next.
The three leapt on that like hungry wolves on fresh kill. Matt was the first one to realize it wouldn’t work.
“But…Karen’s already pregnant,” he babbled. Good grief, he couldn’t get any more affectionate than that.
“True,” Sawyer agreed.
“What about flowers?” Ben threw out. “Women are crazy about getting flowers. Aren’t they?”
Matt had thought of that, but he didn’t have the money for such extravagance. And second…“Why would she want flowers when the tundra’s in full bloom?”
“Maybe you should pick her some,” Ben said.
Matt dismissed the idea with a shake of his head. “I’ve got better things to do than traipse around there looking for tulips.”
“There aren’t any tulips on the tundra,” Sawyer told him.
“I know that!” Matt snapped, losing patience. H
e glanced at Scott again. “Any other ideas?”
The kid was busy eating his ice cream bar, and Matt could tell from the way Scott kept looking over his shoulder that he was eager to get back outside with his dog. “Romance her,” he said tersely.
“Romance,” Matt echoed. That was what he’d thought this entire conversation had been about in the first place.
“Can I go now?” Scott asked him.
“You can go.” Matt removed the dollar bill from the counter and handed it back to the boy. “Put that on my tab, Ben,” he instructed. “Thanks for your help, Scott.”
The boy was gone in a flash.
“Just a minute!” Sawyer jumped off his stool. “Man, why didn’t I think of this sooner? I’ve got the perfect solution!”
Matt was paying attention now. “You do?”
“Hot damn, I can’t believe I didn’t think of this sooner.” Sawyer paced the floor, threading his way between the tables. “One of the most romantic things Abbey and I ever did was fly out to Abbey Lake.”
“Abbey Lake?”
“Yeah, I named it after her. She got a real kick out of that.”
“I don’t have any lakes to name after Karen.” Matt was losing confidence again. Unlike him, the O’Hallorans owned a lot of land in these parts and could easily afford to name lakes after the women in their lives. Besides, land wasn’t available to the everyday citizen the way it used to be, before statehood.
Sawyer gave an exasperated sigh. “I’m not saying you should name a lake after Karen. I’m saying you should take her into the wilderness with you.”
“Fishing?”
“Why not?” Sawyer asked.
“Yeah,” Ben echoed, “why not?”
Matt couldn’t think of a reason not to do it. “You seriously think she’d like that?”
“Abbey thought it was a lot of fun. I flew her and the kids out to the lake. Must’ve been a little more than a year ago now,” Sawyer continued. “It was one of those really hot summer days we get now and then.”
“Had quite a hot spell last year about this time,” Ben commented. “That was when I served sweet-and-sour meatballs with pineapple for dinner one night. Sort of my salute-to-the-tropics night. John Henderson ate two platefuls.” Ben grinned proudly. “I had those little umbrellas sticking out of the meatballs. They looked real festive.”
“Go on,” Matt encouraged Sawyer, afraid that Ben might have distracted him.
“I remember it was one of the first times I ever kissed Abbey. The kids were playing in the water.” His eyes grew warm with the memory. “That was when I realized how much I liked being with her.”
“You must have if you were kissing her,” Ben muttered. He reached for the coffee and topped up their mugs.
Still, Matt was skeptical. “I’m not so sure Karen’s the outdoor type.”
“You think Abbey is?” Sawyer asked.
Sawyer had a point. The idea started to build in Matt’s mind. The two of them out in the Alaskan tundra. Alone…It led to all kinds of interesting possibilities.
“Tell her if she’s answering the phone at the lodge she should have fishing and camping experience herself,” Ben counseled. “That way she can answer the travel agents’ questions.”
Matt nibbled his bottom lip. “That sounds plausible.”
“Then take her out there the same way you would any tourist.”
Well, yes, except that they’d share a tent. And a couple would zip their sleeping bags together, wouldn’t they? Oh, yes, the thought of them crowded together in a small tent held plenty of appeal. Karen curled up against him in a double sleeping bag would be heaven after the frustrating nights he’d spent tossing and turning in his huge bed.
“You might’ve hit on something here,” he said slowly.
“Give it a try,” Ben said, looking pleased with the outcome of their conversation. “I’d say let her do the cooking, though.”
“But I generally do all that myself,” Matt explained. When people paid him a thousand dollars or more for the Alaska fishing experience, they didn’t expect to fry up their own dinners.
“Women are really particular when it comes to that sort of thing,” Ben said. “They like to do their own cooking.”
It had proved true so far, Matt thought. Karen had done all the cooking unless they had guests, in which case he took over.
“I think you might be right.” Matt eased himself off the stool. “Thanks for everything.”
“No problem,” Ben and Sawyer said together as Matt left the café.
“Did you get everything settled with Matt?” Scott asked Sawyer over dinner that evening.
“Settled?” Abbey looked from her husband to her son.
Scott stabbed his fork into the soft, pink flesh of fresh salmon. “Dad was giving Matt Caldwell advice about how to romance Karen.”
“Sawyer? Giving Matt advice? On romance?” Abbey wasn’t sure what to think.
Sawyer grinned from ear to ear. “Yup. The poor guy came into Ben’s all depressed. No idea how to get his ex-wife back.”
“And you told him?” This should be interesting.
“Yup.” Sawyer made an exaggerated display of polishing his fingernails against the flannel sleeve of his shirt.
“You?” Abbey almost choked holding back a giggle.
“And Ben,” Sawyer added defensively.
“They asked me a bunch of questions, too,” Scott informed her.
“They asked you?” This was getting better by the minute.
Scott nodded.
“And what did you tell these three great romantics?” she asked her son. It took considerable restraint to keep the laughter out of her voice. Although she loved Sawyer, the man knew as much about romance as she did about flying a plane. To his credit he tried, but she’d had to coax him every step of the way.
“I told Matt he should be affectionate,” Scott muttered.
Sawyer frowned. With an air of superiority, he said, “Well, Scott, to my way of thinking, affection is something you give a dog. Women require a whole lot more.”
“Is that right?” Abbey asked, and took a bite of her dinner in an effort to hide her smile. “What else?”
Scott’s eyes narrowed as he concentrated. “Um, I told Matt to flatter Karen. Tell her how pretty she is and that kind of stuff.”
“That’s good.”
“You think so?” Sawyer looked surprised. “We had a problem with that one.”
“Oh?” This didn’t come as any surprise to Abbey.
“Karen’s got blue eyes and we couldn’t think of something poetic to compare her eyes to.”
“What about the sky?” Susan suggested, joining in the conversation.
“The sky,” Sawyer repeated, pointing his fork at the eight-year-old. “I’ll have to tell Matt about that.”
Abbey rolled her eyes. “Just what did you three masters of romance finally suggest?”
Sawyer set aside his fork and planted his elbows on the table. He leaned forward as if he was about to confide a wonderful secret.
“We’re all ears,” Abbey told her husband.
Sawyer spoke to the children. “Remember the time I took you and your mother to Abbey Lake?”
Both children nodded enthusiastically.
Sawyer beamed. “That’s it.”
“You mean you suggested Matt take Karen swimming?” Abbey remembered how cold the water had been, and the water fight that had ensued.
“Not swimming exactly,” Sawyer said.
Abbey studied him expectantly.
“I thought the most romantic thing he could do was take Karen camping.”
“Camping?” Abbey exploded.
“And fishing. Ben made a point of telling him he should let Karen do the cooking, too. Women feel real proprietary about those sorts of things,” he added as though he was an expert on the subject.
“Oh, Sawyer,” Abbey groaned, closing her eyes.
“Yup,” he boasted. “That’s what roman
ce is all about. Taking a woman into the wilds, letting her share the wilderness experience.”
Abbey buried her face in her hands.
“Great idea, don’t you think?”
Abbey slowly shook her head. “Where, oh, where did I go wrong?”
Chapter
7
You know what I was just thinking?” Karen said over dinner. She studied Matt, who sat across the round oak table from her. Without guests, it made sense for them to dine in the kitchen, something they’d done all week.
Matt’s look was absent, and he seemed absorbed in his own thoughts.
“Matt?”
“Sorry,” he said, glancing up.
“I went over your books this afternoon.” Karen half expected him to complain that his finances were none of her affair, and he’d be right. The lodge was his business, not hers.
“Did I make a mistake, mark the debits as credits?” he joked.
Matt would never make such an error, not after the months of training he’d received while working for one of Anchorage’s largest accounting firms. “No, of course not.”
The fact was, Matt was far more qualified than she to handle the books.
“I’m surprised at how well you’re doing financially.”
“It looks promising, doesn’t it?” According to his reservation list, the dogsledding tours were booked solid. He’d collected a nonrefundable advance fee from each client. Despite herself, Karen was impressed with the way he’d handled the lodge’s finances.
“You might think about hiring someone to help you this winter.”
“Really?” Her suggestion appeared to surprise him. “You mean other than housekeeping?”
“Eventually you’ll need some help in the kitchen and a couple more maids,” Karen said. “And I was thinking you might want someone to pinch-hit for you with the winter tours.” Since the baby was due in January, shortly before the first tour was scheduled, Karen was beginning to worry that Matt would be too busy to spend time with her. Although he’d arranged for professional mushers to train, supply and escort the participants, he’d be on the trail himself, hauling food, tents and other essentials. He’d be the one setting up camp each evening, cooking the meals, getting everything ready for the arrival of the dog teams.