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clear.”
    “Lynx?” Eva prompted when he didn’t quickly agree.
    “All right.”
    “Wow, you guys are acting like selfish brats,” Eva said. “I know Earl Harte was an asshole, but what did Aidan ever do to you?”
    Raven looked down at the sleeping man she used to love and had always thought she’d spend her life with. “Because of Aidan our father is dead.”

    Aidan awoke and ran his tongue over his hairy teeth. What had crawled into his mouth and died? And he badly needed to pee.
    He looked around the darkened room. A light had been left on in the bathroom leaving a soft amber glow to illuminate the bedroom. Where was he? A timber wolf pelt hung like a trophy on the wall, and a pair of handcrafted fur-trimmed Eskimo masks flanked a mirror over an old dresser where a woven basket with an Inuit design sat on the surface.
    The bear trap.
    He was at the Chatanika Lodge. And he’d seen Raven . Over the years, he’d wondered many times what she looked like now. How her beauty had matured. Well, now he knew and wished to God he didn’t.
    He sat up and looked at his leg propped up on pillows and wrapped in a splint of sorts. The pain was down to a welcoming throb. Getting to the bathroom was going to hurt like hell. His head pounded. He shouldn’t have drunk so much of the whiskey. He never could hold his liquor. There was movement in the corner of the room from the rocking chair.
    “You’re awake.” Raven’s voice was low and husky, reminding him of dark nights like this when they’d snuck away to be together.
    “You’re here?” Surprise didn’t even begin to explain the jumpstart of his pulse. She’d undone her braid and her thick, blue-black hair hung straight down to her lap. Beautiful hair. Soft and silky and flowing.
    “Eva made one of us volunteer.”
    “ You volunteered to watch over me?”
    “It was the lesser chore. Lynx has to take you to the hospital when the roads are cleared.”
    “So one night, which I’d probably sleep the most of, instead of hours in a car and then what? Wasting time at the hospital?”
    “Yep.”
    “You always were the smart one.”
    “Except you’re now awake.” She frowned. “Go back to sleep so my plan works for me.”
    “I…can’t.” He glanced longingly at the bathroom. He really had to pee.
    She followed his gaze. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
    “’Fraid not.” He shook his head. “Too much whiskey.”
    “Or not enough,” she grumbled, throwing back the afghan she’d curled up under in the rocking chair. “Let’s get this over with.”
    “I’d rather not do it with you.”
    “Good. If you did, I’d think you really were sick.” She reached for a pair of crutches. “Eva already considered this. She had Lynx drop these back by. She doesn’t want you putting weight on your leg until it’s been x-rayed.” Raven brought the crutches over to the bed. “Don’t think of crossing her. She’s very pregnant and very moody.”
    “You forgot to mention she’s also very scary.”
    Raven laughed, and it looked as though it surprised her. She was quick to smother it. “She also told me I’m supposed to take your temperature if you woke.”
    “Bathroom first.” He didn’t want to embarrass himself in front of her. It was hard enough breathing the same air when he never thought he’d see her again. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, being careful of his injured one. Someone—probably Lynx—had removed his flannel shirt, leaving him in an undershirt and boxers. His leg throbbed but felt a hell of lot better than earlier. He reached for the crutches and noticed how careful Raven was to not let their hands touch. It said a lot about a person when they could care for you and still hate everything about you. No wonder he’d always worshipped her. She reminded him of his ex-girlfriend, Sonya. Or had Sonya reminded him of Raven all these years? It would explain why he’d latched onto the idea of him and Sonya being together.
    But