But if he made a few adjustments to the offer, maybe there would be a middle ground where they could meet. He couldn’t sell out, but he could see his place as an awesome B&B location.
Mark Weaver, the habitually unemployed was ready to become Mark Weaver, chief resort-maintenance coordinator. And he wouldn’t even have to leave his own home to do it.
Chapter Two
A loose strand of hair flapped in front of her face until Tessa tucked it behind one ear. She stared at the approaching shoreline. She’d chosen to arrive via the ocean from Skagway over to Haines instead of driving the six hours from Whitehorse. Not only did it make the trip shorter, it gave her another glimpse of the spectacular house.
Even though the slow rise and fall of the water was muted on the ferry, she was hanging on to her stomach control by a thin thread. Motion sickness made it tough to linger on deck, but she wanted one more confirmation her idea was more than a wild fantasy.
She shoved a piece of gum into her mouth and chewed rapidly to distract herself. Nothing had been finalized, but she’d made a decision. She was determined to establish a B&B in Haines, somewhere. Her first choice of location was still first on the list. Hopefully dealing with this Mark Weaver fellow in person would help smooth the roadblocks she’d hit.
His email response to her offer to buy his house had been unexpected. It wasn’t an outright no, which was positive, but she hadn’t expected a maybe type answer. She knew better than to dismiss his counterproposal out of hand. The best business ideas usually went through a couple modifications before resolving into a working solution, so she’d packed her bags, taken the bulls by the horns, yada yada yada, and arranged a trip to settle the details one way or another.
The ferry rounded the point and the vista changed. Tessa grabbed the railing with both hands and leaned forward, eager to spot her target.
Here the northern portion of the Pacific Inside Passage opened into a wide bay, with the town of Haines spread over the center left section. The harbour sat as the base, houses and buildings rising in neat layers up the gentle mountainside. Traces of civilization poked through the trees lining the road as it meandered up the valley to the distant mountain pass. Drivers taking that route would eventually hit Haines Junction and the intersection that led back to Whitehorse or into the bulk of the Alaskan landmass.
Her goal sat farther to the east. The town continued to spread in a thin line along the narrow highway up to Chilkoot Lake, one of the destinations each fall for thousands of spawning salmon. The pretty river descending from the lake sparkled in the sunshine like a beacon. She glanced to the right of it, sighing as her target came into sight.
The enormous paddle wheeler sat crosswise to the waters of the bay. It should have looked out of place tucked into the trees, but it was as if the boat continued its journey up a river, the dense northern forest on either side passing slowly as the ship carried cargo and passengers toward various remote destinations.
Tessa rested her chin in her hands and grinned. There was a full deck circling the second story, just like she’d remembered. It would be perfect for making individual sitting areas for the cabins she would turn into high-class staterooms. The third story had a raised back section that would be her private living quarters, while the front contained the spectacular window-filled area that would be the feature room of the entire B&B.
She could picture it now—a long communal dining table on the right side, and easy chairs and cozy private seats gathered around the massive fireplace she would have built at the far end of the room.
There would be dorm and entertainment rooms on the lower levels, along with storage for all the outdoor play equipment people could want. Tessa caught herself bouncing on her heels as ideas flooded her brain.
This was going to be so awesome, she could hardly wait.
The paddle wheeler disappeared behind a bend in the coastline, and Tessa returned to her vehicle. Time to move forward with her plans, full steam ahead, and all that. She clicked her phone back on and flipped through messages as she waited for the ferry to dock and start unloading. Tony, Tony, parents, old boyfriend, another guy. Another. Her brother. Another recent date.
She erased all but the family messages without blinking. Guy friends were fun, but there was little use in keeping touch with any males back home. Haines was going to be her new hunting grounds, although she’d be careful not to use that terminology with anyone who didn’t know, and love, cat-shifter wit.
Keil Lynus. There was a name she’d been hoping to see. She put through a return call and waited, tapping her manicured fingers on the wheel as the tone sounded.
“Keil here.”
“Tessa Williams. We met back in July, I’m Keri Smith’s friend?”
He chuckled. “I remember. How have things been since you dry-docked yourself?”
Nice. The Alpha of the Granite Lake pack had a sense of humour. “Sold the private sailboat and abandoned my bucket-list plans to sail around the world solo.”
“Sounds like a good idea. What can I help you with?”
Tessa started her engine and followed the line of cars exiting the ferry. “Two things. One, you’re a wolf and all, and I’m a cat, but I thought it would be polite to let you know I’m moving into town.”
There was a short pause before he responded. “Not a problem. Granite Lake is fairly progressive. I’m pretty sure you won’t have any issues with pack bothering you. If anyone gives you grief, call me and I’ll deal with it.”
The low rumbly sound of his voice made shivers run up and down her spine. Gad, too bad the man was taken already. He was like this huge mass of sexy shifter, but she knew better than to mess with a mated wolf. She drew a solid black line through his name with her mental marker and got back to business. “I knew I could trust you. I told my brother that.”
“Is he moving here as well?”
Was that concern she heard? More than one feline entering the picture changed things? “Oh, no. Tony just thought me being the only cat around might cause concerns…or am I wrong? Is there a pride in Haines I don’t know about?”
Keil laughed. “I think Haines is too transient a community for a pride to settle in. We get the occasional puma, lynx or cougar staying for the summer season, but if you consider that many part-time jobs in the area involve water…”
“Ick.” He was right, that would be an issue for most cats. She turned down the road leading to the paddle wheeler and took her car up to just over the limit. “Okay, no pride. That’s fine, I make friends easily.”
“I’m sure you do.” Yes, he was amused now. Tessa ignored it. Wolves took themselves far too seriously at times. “Was there something else?”
On to the more important topics. “You run Maximum Exposure, right? Adventure trips, hikes, stuff like that?”
“I do. We don’t have anything lined up in the next couple weeks except a glacier trip, but if you’re interested—”
Tessa laughed and cut in as quickly as possible. “Wait, not for me. At least, not right now. I’m asking because I have a business proposition. I’m planning on setting up a B&B and want to offer excursions to the visitors. Instead of hiring my own guide and stealing bookings from you, is there a way for us to work together?”
He didn’t answer immediately, but when he did the touch of an adult humouring a child had vanished. “That’s very thoughtful of you to offer. I’d need to sit down with you in a more formal setting to find out what you’re considering, but it could be a great help for both of us.”
Gotcha. One of her biggest concerns and she could already see it being settled. “My father always says not to reinvent the wheel. Maximum Exposure has a sterling reputation. I would love to meet with you at your convenience.”