Past Lies Read online

  “About as fine as my favorite uncle.” She waved a hand in Tom’s direction. “Hey, Captain, long time no see.” Then she turned curiously to Alex. “Hi there,” she said with a wide, welcoming smile.

  “Alex Ladrovik, my niece, Ivy Pierce,” Caitlin introduced.

  “How do you do, Ivy?” Alex stood as she came toward him with her hand outstretched. They were close to the same height, which put her just over six feet.

  “Pleased to meet you, Alex. Ladrovik, have I got that right?”

  When he nodded, she said, “That’s an unusual name. Russian?”

  “Yes, originally.” Alex had taken her strong hand in his, feeling more than a little disconcerted by the initial effect she was having on him.

  Ivy would stand out in any surroundings, and not just because of her height. There was something magnetic about her. He found it difficult to look anywhere else.

  “We have a lot of people of Russian heritage in Alaska. So where are you from, Alex?”

  “San Diego.” She wasn’t exactly movie-star beautiful. Her father’s straight, narrow nose was perhaps a little too long on her. She had his high, elegant cheekbones, accentuating a squarish face. Her full, lush mouth was a trifle wide above a strong, no-nonsense jawline. And her hair gleamed like polished copper. Thick and curly, it was cropped shorter than his, clinging close to her elegant, narrow head. She had clear golden skin, translucent in the firelight, but her most arresting feature was her eyes. They were a peculiar shade of light green, the color of the Granny Smith apples his mother had always preferred for pies, and they were framed by long dark lashes.

  “Think you’ll like it north of 60, Alex?”

  He had to stop staring at her. “I’m sure I will.”

  She was giving him a teasing smile, and a certain look in those unusual eyes told him she was probably accustomed to men gaping at her.

  He was also still holding her hand. He dropped it abruptly.

  “I hear you’re a carpenter.” She had a deep, husky voice with an intriguing catch in it. “Dad tells me you’re going to build those new cabins Uncle Theo has his heart set on.”

  He dragged his eyes away from her and looked over at Theo, who seemed much more amused by Ivy’s obvious effect on him than her father, who looked decidedly grim. “I’m going to give it my best shot.”

  “And we’re starting at daybreak tomorrow,” Theo said. “Gotta make hay while the sun shines.”

  “Don’t let him scare you,” Ivy said to Alex. “Daybreak in April isn’t all that early up here. Certainly not like daybreak in July.”

  “That would be about two or three a.m., right?”

  Theo chuckled. “Earlier than that. That’s why they call this the land of the midnight sun.” Theo was pouring white wine for Caitlin, who’d sat on the sofa. He waved a stemmed glass in Ivy’s direction. “You want something to drink, honey?”

  “No thanks, I’ve got to get back to Valdez. I want to say hi to Sage first, though.”

  “She’ll be pleased to see you.” Caitlin lowered her voice. “And you’d better pop in to the kitchen and say hello to Mavis, you know how easy she gets her feelings hurt.”

  “Far be it from me to get in her bad books,” Ivy said with a grin. “Is Sage over at the house, Auntie, or is she upstairs in the office?”

  “She’s at home.”

  “I’ll head over there, then. Nice meeting you, Alex.” Ivy smiled at him before stooping over to smack a kiss on her aunt’s cheek. “See you soon, Auntie. Don’t get up, I’ll go say hi to Mavis and then scoot out the kitchen door.”

  She started to leave and then turned back to her father. “Almost forgot. Dad, the skiers want to go up the mountain again in the morning. Will you be back in time to take those honeymooners up to the cabin on the Catella River? They’ll be at the office at eight.”

  “No worries, I’ll be there. I’m heading back at daybreak,” Tom assured her. “See you in the morning, Ivy.”

  She raised her hand in a small salute. When she was gone, Alex felt as if the room had deflated a little, like a balloon losing some of its air.

  He made a mental note to keep his distance from Ivy Pierce.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Linda, I’m sorry I lost it when you told me about the baby. I was just shit scared, is all. Responsibility’s never been my strong suit. Still isn’t, or I wouldn’t be on this cruddy freighter heading for the land of the midnight sun. I wanted you to know that now that the baby’s here, I’m glad you didn’t go to that doc the way I wanted you to.

  From letters written by Roy Nolan,

  April, 1972

  TEN MINUTES AFTER Ivy left, Caitlin sipped the last of her wine and got briskly to her feet. “The guests are washing up, so we’ll eat in half an hour.”

  “If you’ll excuse me, I’d like to clean up a little too,” Alex said.

  “Don’t bother with your tux tonight, lad.” Theo grinned at him. “We’re only semiformal around here.”

  “Glad you warned me, I was thinking black tie.”

  Theo laughed, but Tom didn’t. Of the people Alex had met so far in Alaska, Tom was the least friendly. He wondered if it was the man’s nature, or if Tom had taken a sudden dislike to him. Whatever it was, Alex wasn’t entirely comfortable around him.

  He made his way out the door and along a winding path to his small cabin in the trees. Theo had told him he could stay out here or in the bunkhouses with the rest of the staff, and for Alex, there really was no choice.

  Since his divorce, he’d come to cherish his privacy. Out here, he wouldn’t disturb anyone when he couldn’t sleep. Besides, he’d always dreamed of living in a cabin in the woods, and now he had the opportunity, at least for a while.

  Not exactly roughing it, he mused as he opened the door and found the light switch. There was electricity and a small bathroom, but there was also a squat, fat woodstove in the corner. Alex had lit it earlier and stocked it with a good-sized log. He’d have to learn to regulate wood versus heat, because the air inside the cabin was now stifling. He left the door ajar and headed into the tiny bathroom to wash up.

  Apart from the bathroom, the cabin had only one room, equipped with a rustic wooden table, two chairs and a set of bunks built into one wall. On the table, Alex had propped Annie’s photo against a glass jar filled with sugar.

  In one corner, a counter covered in lino and shelves holding a few dishes and a coffeepot made up a primitive kitchen. Caitlin had given him warm quilts, pillows and flannel sheets to cover the bed’s blue striped mattress and thick white towels for the bathroom.

  Alex showered quickly and pulled a dark sweatshirt, jeans, underwear and socks from his sports bag. He was glad he’d stopped at a Laundromat in Valdez the day before and washed his collection of dirty clothes.

  As he dressed, he thought about Tom and Theo. They were both stalwart and intrinsically tough. The long, solitary drive north had demonstrated the effect environment had on people, an idea that had always intrigued him. It seemed to Alex there was a relaxed flexibility about those who lived in warmer climates. The more rugged the country became, the more it was reflected in the faces, the straightforward speech, the hardiness of its inhabitants.

  Here, in the most challenging territory of all, the people he’d met were survivors, and it showed. There was an edge to them, a tough wariness. There was also an openness and sense of unity that he figured came from an awareness of the dangers of this land.

  And there was often a decided risk factor in what they chose for their work—take Ivy Pierce. Being a helicopter pilot wasn’t the first career choice most attractive women made.

  For some reason her image was vivid in his mind, the exact shape of her face, the strange, light eyes, the delicacy of her tall frame.

  In spite of that air of delicacy, he suspected she was physically strong. Her handshake was firm, and the graceful, easy way she moved indicated that her slender body was well toned. Just like her uncle and her father, Ivy had surviv
or written all over her.

  Survival.

  He reached for a thin, plastic-wrapped bundle from the side pocket of his bag and slid out four tattered letters and a worn photograph, wallet-sized and yellowed with age.

  The man and woman in the picture were obviously hippies, long-haired, both wearing flared pants, loose shirts. The man was tall and rangy, and his arm was around the woman’s shoulders. His face was shadowed by the wide-brimmed hat he wore, so Alex couldn’t make out his features. She was pregnant, round belly poking out under the gauzy top. One of her hands rested on her belly, fingers splayed. They were laughing, squinting into the sunlight, leaning back on an old Ford.

  Alex touched the man’s narrow face with the tip of a finger.

  You, Roy Nolan, were not a survivor. You certainly don’t look like one, either. But I don’t think you were a fool. So what brought you here? What were you looking for?

  He’d read the letters many times over, but the answer was still elusive.

  Whatever it was, Alex had come here to find it.

  IVY KNOCKED at her cousin’s door and, without waiting for a response, opened it, hoping to find Sage alone.

  “Hey, Sage? You home?”

  “Up here, Ivy.” Sage’s voice floated down from the second floor. Ivy trotted up the wide staircase and reached the top just as Sage burst out of a doorway down the hall, long, dark curls bouncing as she grabbed Ivy in a hug. She was shorter than Ivy, maybe five-six, with a perfect oval face and a rounded, sexy body.

  “I heard the copter earlier, I was hoping you’d come over.” She released Ivy and stepped back, holding both of her hands. “Another ten minutes and I’d have come looking for you, my friend.” Her deep-set eyes glowed with pleasure.

  “I missed you. How was your trip?” Ivy noticed the dark shadows under her friend’s blue eyes, and the sadness there. “You okay, Sage?”

  The nod she gave wasn’t reassuring. “The trip was the usual hoopla, meeting prospective clients, doing PR, schmoozing at dinner. Ben’s so much better at that than I am. It always feels phony to me.” Her rich contralto voice quavered a little as she added, “And now I’ve got my period. Again.”

  “Damn. I’m really sorry, Sage.” Ivy knew her friend had been trying for some time to get pregnant.

  “Yeah. Me, too.” She frowned. “Ben’s pushing me to go to Anchorage—there’s a new fertility clinic at the hospital there. But I keep hoping it’ll still happen the old-fashioned way.” She sounded frustrated and angry. “I keep reminding him we’ve only been married three years, but he insists I should’ve been pregnant twice by now, seeing how his first wife managed it before they were even married.” She pointed at the stairs. “C’mon, let’s go down and have a coffee, I just made a fresh pot. Ben’s still out with those Japanese fishermen, so we’ve got the place to ourselves.”

  Ivy felt relieved that they’d have time to talk privately. “One quick coffee, I can’t stay long. Dylan’s taking me out for dinner.”

  “Aha. So have things heated up between you two?”

  “Nope. Try the opposite, at least for me. He’s hot, I’m not. I think I’m going to tell him tonight that he’s a wonderful guy, but the chemistry just isn’t right between us.”

  Sage led the way to the well-equipped kitchen and retrieved two mugs. “You sure of that? Maybe it’ll be the sort of thing that grows over time.” She poured, added a dollop of cream and handed Ivy a mug.

  Ivy dropped onto a high stool by the breakfast bar. “You actually believe that’s possible? That love would grow over time?”

  Sage sat as well. Her wide eyes narrowed and, after a moment, she shook her head, making her thick dark curls bounce. “Not in my experience, that’s for certain. I met Ben and within three seconds I was a goner.”

  “That’s never, ever happened to me.” She thought it over and amended, “Well, sexually, maybe, but emotionally, no.”

  “Not even with Noah?” Sage knew all about the Alaska State Trooper Ivy had come close to marrying some years ago.

  “No. I did love Noah, but I loved flying more.” She gave Sage a wry look. “I figure my wiring’s screwed up. I fall in love with planes instead of people.”

  “Talk about safe sex.” Sage giggled.

  “Talk about no sex, is more like it.”

  “You and Dylan haven’t—?”

  Ivy shook her head. “Nada. He’s pushing, that’s why I’m opting out.”

  “Maybe you should give him a shot. Sometimes guys surprise you…that way.”

  “I’m sure he’s good in the sack. He’s a doctor, he’s bound to know where things are and how they work. I’m just not interested. He doesn’t turn me on.”

  “Well, from what I hear, this Tahoe Glen guy would be happy to take over. He practically salivates each time he looks at you, according to Mavis.”

  “God, for someone who never comes out of the kitchen, that woman picks up on everything. Nope, no Glen, either. I’m taking a sabbatical.”

  “Well, I’m not. I’m ordering a couple of new nighties and some hot underwear from Victoria’s Secret. Something to drive Ben wild during my fleeting fertile moments.”

  “You don’t need nighties, Sage. You could turn guys on wearing a parka.”

  “Only if there was nothing underneath.”

  They laughed. Reluctantly, Ivy finished her coffee and got to her feet.

  “Gotta go dump Dylan,” she groaned.

  “Wait until after dinner,” Sage advised. “It’s easier to do on a full stomach, and you don’t want to get left with the bill if he walks out. But you don’t need my advice, you’re an expert at it.”

  “Professional dumper. Remind me to put that on my résumé.” As she left, Ivy was pleased to see that Sage looked a little more cheerful.

  IT WAS FUN TO JOKE with Sage about dumping guys, Ivy acknowledged on the flight back to Valdez. But it was beginning to concern her. She wasn’t that far off thirty. She wanted kids as much as Sage did, although without the growing desperation she sensed in her friend.

  Why didn’t Ben just let up on the kid thing? He had twin daughters from a previous marriage, it wasn’t as if he had no heirs. But that was Ben, he’d get something in his head and run with it until everyone wanted to throttle him. Her charismatic cousin wasn’t easy to live with.

  But she envied Sage the passionate relationship the two of them shared. What was it like to be a goner three minutes after meeting someone? For some reason Ivy thought of the man she’d met tonight, the guy with the Russian name.

  Alex Ladrovik. Now wasn’t that straight out of a spy novel? But she couldn’t see him as James Bond, she decided, banking the copter for the landing at Up And Away. In spite of being a carpenter, he actually struck her more as the professor type, with his dark-rimmed glasses and that lean, intelligent face. Although he did have a kind of dark look to him, a touch mysterious. Sexy black eyes. Unruly hair, soft and golden-brown, tumbling over his forehead. Slow, deep voice, as if he thought carefully about what he was saying. And that strong jaw surely indicated a stubborn nature.

  He might look like a prof, but his hands were those of a carpenter, tough and calloused, scarred and veined. No rings, she’d noticed when he hung on to her hand longer than he needed to. There’d been an awareness there, all right, certainly on his side. He’d given her the look.

  And she’d found him interesting. But a goner? She blew out a long breath. No goner, Ladrovik, sorry about that.

  Not by a long shot.

  CHAPTER SIX

  You’ll probably get a bundle of these letters all together, Linda, because I’m writing them from the boat, and there won’t be a chance to mail anything until we reach Valdez.

  From letters written by Roy Nolan,

  April, 1972

  BY THE END OF THE FOLLOWING week, Ivy had forgotten all about Alex Ladrovik. She hadn’t quite managed to forget the devastated expression on Dylan’s face, however, when she told him it was over between them. Dumping nice
guys wasn’t her idea of a good time, but fortunately she was far too busy to spend time feeling guilty.

  Business had taken off and both she and Tom were flying their fool heads off, as he described it. Ivy had just landed a lucrative contract she’d wanted ever since they’d leased the Bell Ranger, patrolling the pipeline once a week, checking for leaks and damage. Leasing and operating the Ranger was expensive, especially now that gas prices had shot up, and this new contract went a long way toward solvency for Up And Away.

  The tourist business was also booming. This morning, two Chinese businessmen and their wives had booked her for a full hour’s tour, and Ivy was doing her best to make it worth their while.

  “There are two bears just down to your right,” she said, tilting the copter so they’d have a better view. “I’ll drop down so you can take a closer look.” Ivy spiraled until the furry animals were clearly visible to her customers. The bears were ambling along through a grassy meadow and looked like big lovable teddies.

  “Look, there’s a pair of cubs,” she exclaimed. The little rascals had been hidden by a pine tree, so she hadn’t spotted them right away.

  “Alaska has three species of bear: brown, black and polar,” she went on. “The ones you’re looking at are browns. They have the greatest range, so they’re the ones you’re most likely to spot.”

  Ivy enjoyed playing professional guide, pointing out calving glaciers, tundra, snow-covered mountain peaks, hidden lakes and a huge herd of caribou. The weather had cooperated fully. It was a wonderful morning, clear skies, golden sunshine glinting off blue glaciers, only a light wind. Perfect flying weather.

  The bears were a hit. Oohs and aahs and little screams and delighted giggles sounded over her headphones, and Ivy was smiling when the call came over the radio.

  She knew by the tone of Tom’s voice that something was wrong.

  Through the static, she heard him say, “Caitlin just radioed in an SOS. It sounds like Theo’s having a heart attack. They’ve taken him in to Valdez Hospital, but they don’t have the equipment he needs there so he has to go to Anchorage. The medevac from Anchorage is out on another call. We need the copter, stat. They’ll bring him by ambulance to the pad by the office.”