Deep River Promise by Jackie Ashenden (cat reading book txt) 📕

Morgan gave him her cop stare. “I’m afraid I’m going to need more than that.”

Chapter 2

Morgan had her arms folded again and was giving him that very stern, no-nonsense glare. Which would have been effective if she hadn’t looked as cute as an extremely irritated china shepherdess.

Not that she didn’t have reason to be irritated. Walking away from her without a word was rude. Then again, he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to say. Goodbye wasn’t appropriate since he wasn’t actually leaving and telling her to follow him seemed redundant. Anyway, he’d thought he’d answered her questions.

Still, getting her riled wasn’t a great idea. He didn’t want to cause an issue. But he didn’t want her to stop him doing what he’d been asked to do either, which was to look out for her.

You might have to make more of an effort with her.

Zeke didn’t like that thought. People could take him as he came or not at all, an attitude that had worked out pretty well for him so far. He had a great job that he loved, that consisted of guiding hunters and hikers in the wilderness, a bit of search and rescue, climbing expeditions, as well as flying planes. Of course, he’d found himself dealing with more people than he would have liked, but since those people didn’t care that he didn’t talk much, didn’t seem to need him to be polite, and certainly didn’t give a shit about what he wore, it wasn’t a problem.

Morgan, though, wasn’t one of those people. And he didn’t think she’d appreciate conversations about how to start a fire when the weather was wet, which type of mushrooms could be eaten safely, or what were the best types of bivouac construction.

He was going to have to think of some other things to say that wouldn’t actively piss her off. Unfortunately, right now, he couldn’t think of any.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said at last. “I told you why I was here.”

Her eyes really were the brightest blue, a noonday sky in the middle of summer. And they were full of summer lightning too, electricity snapping and crackling.

“Because Cal asked you to, right?” One delicately arched apricot brow arched even higher. “And do you always do what Cal asks you to?”

“No.” He pleased himself mainly. “But you’re his little sister and you were important to him.”

Her mouth opened, then shut. An unreadable emotion flickered over her face and unexpectedly, she looked away.

A heavy feeling turned over in his gut. Okay, maybe he shouldn’t have said that. Perhaps she hadn’t liked him mentioning Cal. Still, they’d mentioned him before and she hadn’t seemed bothered. And surely she couldn’t be that surprised that she was important to Cal. Maybe she was still grieving…

Of course she’s still grieving, asshole. He was her brother and it’s only been a couple of months.

Zeke’s gut clenched tight. He didn’t want to hurt anyone, especially not someone he was supposed to protect, like Morgan.

“It was a last request,” he said, hoping that more explanation might help. “In the form of a letter sent to me after the reading of Cal’s will. And since I’m basically the reason he’s dead, I couldn’t ignore it.”

She glanced back at him, her expression unreadable. “What do you mean you’re the reason he’s dead?”

“I was supposed to do the supply run that day, not him.”

“Oh, right. Yes, Si told me about that at the funeral.” Her brow creased. “But…you know that’s not your fault, don’t you?”

Zeke shrugged, not sure what to say to that. Intellectually, yes. It was the feelings that were the issue. It was always the feelings that were the issue.

“Anyway, that’s all very well for him, but what about me?” she went on. “Cal didn’t ask me if I wanted to be looked after, because if he had, I would have said no. I can look after myself.”

Again, Zeke wasn’t sure what to say. His instinct was to walk away the way he had done before, take himself out of the situation before he made it worse. But that wouldn’t help Morgan.

“That’s between you and him,” he said at last. “I just know I got a letter from him wanting me to be a brother to you now he’s gone.”

“A brother,” Morgan repeated blankly.

“That’s right.” Zeke frowned. Was that shock on her face? And if so, why? He and Cal hadn’t had any heart-to-heart chats that weren’t about planes, the bush, or Zeke’s guiding schedule, so he wasn’t sure what kind of relationship Cal had had with his sister. Perhaps it had been a fraught one?

Not that he could do anything about it, since relationships fraught or otherwise were hardly his specialty. Especially family relationships, not when his own had been so difficult.

His mother had required him to be pleasant and biddable and friendly, so she could show him off to her country club friends, while his father had wanted a businessman, who could charm and manipulate like he did.

Zeke had never been those things. He could never be those things. He wasn’t pleasant and he wasn’t biddable or friendly. He couldn’t charm and he hated manipulation in all forms. He’d been nothing but a disappointment all ’round, but hell, that was his parents’ fault, not his.

They’d wanted him to be something he wasn’t and that was their problem.

Whatever—the relationship Morgan had with Cal wasn’t his business anyway. He was here to look after her. The end.

Morgan blinked. Rapidly. “I see,” she murmured.

Zeke glanced around the room again, hoping she’d drop the subject.

That Deep River Feeling

On sale July 2021

Acknowledgments

To my agent, Helen Breitwieser, and my editor, Deb Werksman, for all their time and effort with this book. And to the amazing Sourcebooks cover artists for making Deep River look so beautiful. And lastly, to my family for putting up with me while I was editing!

About the Author

Jackie has been writing fiction since she was eleven years old. Mild-mannered fantasy/SF/pseudo-literary writer by day,