“I asked what you did in New York.”
“Oh. I studied ballet. Um...let me go and get you that drink.”
Sashi headed back to the bar to get his beer, chastising herself for acting like a teenager around him. Get your act together, girl. He’s a customer who wants a beer. That’s all. With that little pep talk, she headed back to his table with the beer.
“Oh, dear,” she muttered to herself. This wasn’t going to be easy. The man was too damned sexy.
Sashi put his drink on the wooden table. “One lager on the house, courtesy of Mr. Marshall. Is there anything else you would like, Doc—I mean Cole?”
He took a swig of his drink, then set it down. “This is good.” He flashed her another warm smile.
“So I’ve been told.” Sashi felt herself smile back.
“You’re not a beer drinker, then?”
Sashi wrinkled her nose. “I’ve never been a fan of beer. Too many calories.”
He studied her. “Like you need to worry. So what do you drink?”
Her heart raced from all his attention. “If I do...a gin and tonic.”
“Cole!” Mac yelled from the bar. “Stop hitting on the staff!”
“Then stop hiring such good-looking women!” Cole fired back.
Sashi could feel her cheeks burning again. She had to get away. She flashed Cole a smile, then moved to other customers and began taking orders. She couldn’t risk jeopardizing her job, not with only three days left. For the past three months she’d spurned every man who’d come on to her, be it an employee or guest.
She needed to ignore this attraction. But it did make her feel better to know she wasn’t completely frozen inside, as the men she’d turned down had told her. She guessed she simply wasn’t attracted to most men. Only to one blond god with tawny eyes.
The rest of the shift passed quickly. When the doctor ordered another lager or asked her a question, Sashi did her best to look unaffected.
* * *
SINCE THAT RED-HAIRED beauty had appeared, Cole sat at the table thunderstruck by what had transpired. Women like that didn’t just walk into saloons up in Alaska every day. Was she one of the girls Freddy had brought up from Washington, D.C., under the pretense of proposing to her?
Even if she was interested in Freddy, there’d been a spark between Cole and her when their eyes had met. Cole needed to catch her alone before he left the bar in order to find out if this attraction was only in his mind.
He waited outside for the place to close down and for Sashi to come out. Such an unusual name. He wondered what it meant. Hell, he had a ton of questions. Most of all he needed to see her again. She looked like a medieval princess with her porcelain skin and shiny, long hair. And her face! It was beautiful.
He heard the door open before he saw silhouettes moving in the semidarkness. Sashi was the first out. Mac followed after locking up the bar.
“Get a good night’s sleep, New York.”
“You, too, Mac.”
Sashi headed in a different direction than Mac. Cole hoped she wouldn’t think he was a stalker. If she screamed and told him to get lost, he would. But if she had felt the same spark he had earlier, she might be happy to see him. No matter. He would keep his distance so she wouldn’t feel scared.
“New York!” Cole called out softly when she was near enough. “You never told me where you studied ballet.”
* * *
SASHI’S HEAD WHIPPED AROUND. There he was, standing on the other side of the bridge she needed to cross to reach her bunkhouse. Was he waiting for her? Her heart leaped at the thought. She hoped he was.
If it had been any other man, she would have been alarmed and called security—all she had to do was reach down to the two-way radio attached to the hem of her jeans and call them. Instead, she was thrilled Cole had wanted to stay and talk to her.
So she leaned against the other side of the arched bridge that ran over one of the various streams on the property. The lights below the bridge cast a romantic aura over the lush forest, making onlookers feel they’d entered the land of Fey. The sky was filled with stars.
“I studied at the Joffrey Ballet School.”
There was enough light for Sashi to see Cole’s tall frame. He must be at least six-two or -three, with the body of an athlete. She started to imagine what it would be like to be held in arms like those.
“I don’t know much about dance,” he said. “Could you tell me more about the school?”
She sighed, then said, “It’s one of the most prestigious ballet schools in the country.”
“You look like a dancer,” he said.
“And you’re an expert on the subject?” Sashi couldn’t keep the sarcasm out of her voice.
Cole took a step closer. “To be honest, speaking from a doctor’s point of view, you look like you’ve been working out for years. Even serving drinks in jeans and a windbreaker, you hold yourself with poise and grace.”
Sashi chuckled. “How many dancers do you know? I think you’re just teasing me.”
A big smile appeared. “So what’s a prima ballerina doing out here at a fisherman’s paradise?” His voice was deep.
Sashi took a few steps onto the bridge so she could lean over and look into the water rushing below. “I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase ‘Those who can, do, and those who can’t, teach.’” She turned to face him.
“I have,” he replied.
“I’m going to let you in on a little secret.” She lowered her voice. “I want to open my own dance studio. I love working with children.”
Sashi wondered how many women this doctor had known in his life. He was a natural flirt. Suddenly she decided it didn’t matter. It wouldn’t hurt her to flirt back for once in her life, especially when she knew it could go nowhere.
Cole raked a hand through his thick hair. “I’m still trying to understand how you’re going to teach ballet up here.”
Sashi stood up straight. “I’m not going to teach here. I plan on opening a studio in Virginia. But I need money to get it started.”
“Ah. So you came here to Alaska to earn the big bucks.”
“We call it the gold mine down in the plant. Yet the experience of traveling to the last frontier has been life-changing.” She smiled at him.
“You work in the packaging plant?” Cole’s voice had an edge to it.
She chuckled. “You have a problem with that?”
Cole rubbed his chin. “No... I have great respect for you. Damn. I worked in a cannery one summer and it was tough work.”
“Tough work that pays very well,” Sashi countered. “Now it’s my turn.”
“For what?”
“To ask questions.” Sashi walked closer to him. “How does an Alaskan bush doctor know the term ‘prima ballerina’? Have you even been to a ballet?”
“That’s a little harsh. Not all Alaskans are rednecks. And yes, I’ve gone to ballets.” Cole stood up straight.
“Really. Which one is your favorite?”
Cole reached her in two quick strides. The heat of his body mixed with the tangy spice of his cologne began to break down her walls. He lifted