Alaskan Hideout. Sarah Varland

did except keeping Luke and herself safe.

      Kate handed Emma the spare clothes and she smiled gratefully. “Thanks, I can’t wait to be out of these.”

      “Kinda rough seeing your ex for the first time in a hospital gown, huh?” Kate’s half grin softened the words. Emma guessed the woman was probably just a straight shooter who didn’t sugar coat much. She seemed to remember Tyler telling her that Alaskans were often like that.

      “Beyond rough. At least it wasn’t the worst part of today.”

      “I guess not. You’re in good hands, though. Our family protects its own.”

      “I’m not...”

      Kate just stared at her. “Isn’t Luke Tyler’s son?”

      Emma nodded.

      “Then even if Tyler never speaks to you again, that makes me Luke’s aunt. And that makes you family. In a weird way, maybe, but we’re not going to let anything happen to you, Emma.”

      Tears stung the corners of her eyes. When was the last time someone had stood up for her like that? Welcomed her so unquestioningly? Emma didn’t know.

      “I’ll be right outside the door. You so much as squeak and I’m coming back in, okay?” Kate stepped out.

      Emma took the clothes and changed, grateful to have something to wear and also making a mental note to ask Noah what had happened to her car so she could retrieve their belongings. Though, for now, she was incredibly grateful to Kate for the black hiking pants and green Moose Haven Lodge sweatshirt. Emma stole a glance at herself in the mirror before letting Kate back inside and winced. The sweatshirt set off her blue eyes nicely, and her hair wasn’t so bad, but nothing could mask the cut on her forehead.

      Not that it mattered. There was no one here she needed to try to impress...was there?

      She opened the door and Kate smiled. “You look nice. They’re waiting for you downstairs. Noah really wants to know what you’re mixed up in that has someone after you.”

      “Ever heard of being in the wrong place at the wrong time?” Emma asked as she headed down the stairs.

      She found Noah and Tyler both sitting in the family room. No sign of the others she’d seen on her way in, Luke included. “Where’s my son?”

      Was it her imagination or did Tyler flinch at the “my” part of that? Fine, their son, but it didn’t seem natural to say that when she’d said it the other way for so long.

      “Clay and Summer took him upstairs to the TV room to watch Finding Nemo.”

      Emma’s shoulders relaxed a little as she nodded. She looked at the two men, sitting in chairs, and took a spot on the sofa. “Where do you want me to start?”

      “With whatever happened that made this guy come after you.”

      “That started after work one night when I went back to confront my boss about some inconsistencies in paperwork I’d stumbled upon. I assume it has something to do with that.”

      “You did financial stuff?” Noah asked.

      She shook her head. “Marketing. It was truly an accident I ever saw it, but once I had, I couldn’t ignore it. It looked too much like money laundering or something.”

      “Did you ask your boss about it?”

      She shook her head. “That’s when I saw him get shot.”

      Noah’s eyes widened. “You witnessed it?”

      Emma stole a glance at Tyler. His face was steady, solid, unreadable. Just like it had been when she’d met him. They’d both changed over the years they’d been together, but she guessed time had changed them even more.

      “Murderers don’t often like to leave witnesses alive.”

      Emma laughed nervously, desperate to cover her vulnerability. “I’d rather change that this time. I’m all Luke has. I mean, I was all he had until now but... I’m his mom. And he still needs me.”

      Noah nodded. “We’re not going to let them get to you, Emma. You made the right choice coming here. We’ve got your back.”

      There he was, making her tear up again like Kate had. What was it with this family and their mile-wide protective streak? Not that she was complaining.

      She wasn’t alone anymore. Not completely.

      Emma glanced Tyler’s direction again. How did he feel about all this? She wished she knew, but didn’t expect him to divulge what he was feeling. He just wasn’t like that.

      “Tell me more about that night,” Noah said. “And everything after it.”

      Emma did so, including the fact that the newspapers had initially reported it as a suicide, how she’d called Officer Smith, how Mike had been killed. And how she’d come here.

      Noah listened carefully, nodding in the right spots. “I’m going to need to think about this. For today you’ll stay here.” He looked at Kate. “Maybe you guys could go join them watching that movie?”

      Kate stood and motioned for Emma to follow. She did, but slower, her legs finally feeling the weight of the day.

      Noah’s and Tyler’s voices carried up the stairs as they talked.

      Too curious not to, Emma paused.

      “...constant protection...” Noah’s voice.

      “...spare enough officers...” Tyler.

      “No... But you...”

      “Are you serious, Noah? Me protect her?”

      Emma swallowed hard, hurrying the rest of the way up the stairs without looking back. It was bad enough she needed protection. And while she still felt she’d done the right thing in coming here, it hurt to hear those words from Tyler. She’d wondered how he felt about all this. Well, now she knew.

      He wanted nothing to do with her.

      * * *

      Night fell faster this time of year and it took Tyler off guard tonight more than it usually did. The spruce trees had darkened to their fall color, which had always seemed to him to be a darker green than the one they had in the summer, and everything around the lodge was blackness, or close to it.

      Tonight he felt the blackness inside him, fear wrapping around his heart and gripping tight. Emma wasn’t his anymore, never had been officially. He’d planned to ask her to marry him on graduation day, had assumed they’d get married that summer in Alaska, along the edge of Half Mile Lake, the mountain lake he’d hike to on breaks from college. Back then he hadn’t planned to live there. He’d wanted a change, but he’d known the vividness of Emma’s personality would appreciate the extremes of Alaska, even if it wasn’t the city lifestyle she was used to.

      He took a deep breath, walked down the hall to the room where she was staying and lifted a hand to knock on the door.

      She took so long to answer that he considered bursting inside until he remembered Kate was in there. No one was getting past his sister. She was easily the toughest person he knew, him and Noah included. He laughed a little at the thought of petite Kate and how tough she was. The man who won her heart one day would have to be some kind of special.

      Of course, what did Tyler know about romance? Not much, obviously.

      The door cracked open slightly.

      Emma stepped out, her blue eyes as deep and easy to stare at as they’d ever been, her hair down around her shoulders in medium brown waves. Soft. He swallowed hard as he reminded himself that reaching out to touch it would be so many levels of inappropriate. Not to mention undesirable. She’d broken his heart once, shattered it, in fact. Chances were good he’d never recover, never find anyone he felt as strongly about as Emma, but maybe that was for the best. She was living,