Page 44 of Cole

"It's from the lighthouse keeper motto," Cole explained. "They were the people who kept the lights burning, who guided ships away from danger. That's what we do… guide people to safety, keep them protected from threats they might not even see coming."

“That’s really… I don’t know… it sounds special.” She chewed on her bottom lip, her gaze staring out the window for a moment before shifting back to him. “I guess I don’t really understand what all you do. Or is it the kind of job where you can’t talk about it, or you’d have to kill me?” she added with a laugh.

Grinning, he finished the last of the hot chocolate and set the cup on the floor near his feet. Settling back against the cushions, he leaned a little closer. “We’re a private security and investigations company. Yes, we do security, such as what you know about how we design advanced security systems for homes… rarely businesses. But we are also private investigators. We take assignments from the FBI, individuals, and even internationally.”

Her eyes widened. “Wow, that really sounds very much like something from an action movie.”

“Sometimes it can get really crazy,” he admitted, thinking of some of the past challenges they’d faced. “But sometimes, it’s more about gathering data from our compound and directing others on what to do. All of the Keepers are former military, and it’s a way to continue assignments and missions without having to follow all the government regulations.”

Her eyes sparkled. “Something like what we did today?”

“Yeah… exactly.” He thought back to the LSIMT compound and grinned again. “The team my boss has assembled contains some of the best operators I’ve ever worked with.”

“That’s so fascinating,” she said, still sipping her hot chocolate.

His gaze held her and the air seemed to crackle, filling with something he didn’t know how to describe. But deciding it didn’t need a title, he simply wanted her to keep talking. “Now it’s my turn to find out about you.”

“Where do I start? I'm not nearly as interesting." She laughed.

"You are to me.” The words fell from his lips before he could hold them back, but watching color rise in her cheeks even in the dim light, he was glad he’d taken the risk.

20

“How about you start at the beginning and make your way to how you ended up here in this cabin?” Cole suggested.

Her eyes bugged. “Oh, you want the whole story!”

“We’ve got time.” He glanced out the window at the snow drifts. “We’ve got nothing but time.”

She was quiet for a moment, as though gathering her thoughts, then began. "I came from a close family. Both my parents are veterinarians. They run a clinic together in Washington State. Our house was always full of animals. Some were pets, some were rescues, some were wildlife that Mom was rehabilitating before release."

Cole could picture the scene… a young Janice surrounded by dogs, cats, and injured raccoons, learning to care for creatures. "Sounds chaotic."

"It was," she agreed, her smile warm with the memory. "But it was also wonderful. Mom specialized in wildlife medicine, and I'd watch her work with eagles with broken wings or deer hit by cars. She taught me that every life mattered, no matter how small or how wild."

"So you never wanted to be anything else."

"Never." Janice's voice was firm, certain. "From the time I was old enough to understand what they did, I knew that's what I wanted. To help animals, to understand them, to take care of creatures that couldn’t tell you what was wrong when they hurt."

Cole found himself leaning forward, drawn in by the passion in her voice, the way her whole face lit up when she talked about her work. This wasn't just a job to her. This was a calling.

"After college and then vet school, I worked in a clinic in Colorado for a while. Then I decided to move back to Washington and worked at my parents’ clinic. I loved being near them again, but then I had a chance to be part of a university grant study on climate change effects on wildlife in Alaska," Janice continued. "It seemed like the perfect opportunity. I got to do field research in one of the last truly wild places, documenting how the wildlife ecosystem is adapting to warming temperatures. I thought it would be good experience, and..." She paused, her expression becoming more thoughtful. "And I guess I wanted to prove something to myself."

"What's that?"

"That I could step outside my comfort zone." She pulled her knees up, wrapping her arms around them in a gesture that made her look younger, more vulnerable. "I love the clinic work and working with my parents. But there was a part of me that wondered if I was just taking the easy path, staying where it was safe and familiar. This assignment was a chance to challenge myself, to be alone in nature doing important work."

Cole heard what she wasn't saying… that she wanted to prove she was more than just her parents' daughter and that she had her own identity separate from the family practice.

"You don't mind being outdoors and being alone?" he asked. "Most people would find this level of isolation difficult."

"I actually like it. When I'm out there checking cameras or collecting samples, it's just me and the wilderness. There's something peaceful about that." Her expression grew more serious. "Though I have to admit, after discovering the contamination and knowing someone might be watching me, the isolation felt a lot less peaceful."

"I can imagine." Cole's protective instincts flared again at the thought of her out here alone, vulnerable, with no one to help if things had gone wrong.

Janice was quiet for a moment, then said, "I dated someone for almost two years. But I finally realized we were better as friends."

Cole's chest tightened with an emotion he didn't want to examine too closely. "What happened?"