On Ice Read Online Free PDF

shouldered and looked strong as an ox, though she thought perhaps the term here might be strong as a grizzly.
    “ I'm Rene Nichols,” she said, approaching the man.
    “ Brett LeCroix,” he answered gruffly. Deep blue eyes seemed to be glaring down at her. “Give me your baggage claim tickets and I'll get your gear. You did bring jackets, didn't you?” He glowered at Rene questioningly. When she nodded, he picked up her nylon shoulder bag and started walking briskly toward the exit. Rene and the children struggled to keep up.
    “ Wait, Mommy!” Sara wailed. As they all turned to gaze at her, she explained sorrowfully, “My legs are too little.”
    “ I'll fix that.” The big man picked up the small child in his other arm. “Now you have long legs.” She smiled delightedly and while he didn't quite smile, he looked a bit less fierce. He took them to his bright red Hummer, making sure they were properly attired in their required jackets and settled within the vehicle before leaving to get their baggage.
    “ Who is he, Mom?” Seth spoke for the first time.
    “ He's my new boss.”
    Brett returned with their gear and stowed in the back. With Rene perched high in the passenger seat, he made sure the children were belted in behind her. Brett started up the Hummer. As it lurched into gear, the tires made a loud crunching noise as they grappled with the road. Rene had noticed the huge tires, ringed with deeply grooved tread. They probably served a purpose, but she was too intimidated to ask.
    As they drove through the city of Anchorage, Brett kept up a running commentary, pointing out sights as they passed.
    “ Almost half the population of Alaska lives right around Anchorage. We'll be heading out on the Glenn Highway. It's a very scenic route.”
    “ Were you born here, Mr. LeCroix?” Rene asked.
    “ Yes, I'm a native. My family has been here since the early gold rush days. In fact, my great-grandfather founded the town we're headed for.”
    “ And you've always lived there?”
    “ No, I grew up in Seward. The mine was thought to be played out and my grandfather moved his family, including my father, to Seward. But he still owned the property and he used to take me there when I was a boy. Probably because I was the only one really interested in it, he left it all to me when he died. I was filled with his stories and the stories his father told him. I majored in geology and engineering at Washington State and learned enough to take another look when I graduated.”
    “ It sounds almost romantic,” Rene said, blushing when he gave her a sharp look.
    “ Nothing romantic about it. Just hard work. Only recently has technology found a way to recover ore from the smaller veins, but they have to be worked consistently eight months of the year to make the whole thing worthwhile. And there are other minerals present. At first, the men I hired were drifters and drunks. They’d work for a while and drift on. Now I've attracted family men anxious to make a home but they won't stay unless I provide them with a sane and sober teacher for their children. That's why I'm willing to pay you more than twice what you make in Houston.”
    Rene swallowed hard. She had no idea about the financial arrangements because Maddy had done all the negotiating.
    “ By the way, you'll receive the sign-on bonus when we ink the contract tomorrow. I'll take you to your cabin and let you get settled in. My housekeeper, Mrs. Jolly, did some shopping for food and laid in other essentials for you. I think you’ll be comfortable there.”
    “ How kind. Please convey my appreciation.” Rene's head was whirling from all the details she didn't know. “Since it's early May will school be over for the year soon?”
    Jerking his head to face her, he frowned. “Miz Nichols, we discussed all of this on the phone and I sent you a letter confirming your duties. Didn't you receive it?”
    “ Oh, yes. I just couldn't remember the details with all the