Chapter 1

Alix, can you give me a hand with this?”

Birkly rushed around the small kitchen trying to get supper ready. Her auburn bangs were matted to her forehead and sweat rolled down the sides of her face and off the end of her nose.

“Jeez, Birkly! It’s hot in here!” Alix fanned herself when she stepped into the steamy kitchen.

“Well, how do you suppose I heat up your food?” Birkly snapped irritably.

“Uh...” Alix stammered as she removed a pan that was starting to flame off the stove.

She turned down the heat of each burner and pulled the biscuits out of the oven. Birkly leaned back against the counter top and blew out a heavy sigh. She put a hand over her smudged forehead. Her shirt was stained with food, the floor was covered in puddles of spilled contents that sloshed over the sides of bowls and pans. There was a mountain of dishes in the sink.

“Birkly,” Alix walked over to her friend and put her hands on her shoulders.

“Yeah?” Strands of hair were falling out of her ponytail and it her face was framed by frizzy red-brown hair. Her eyelids were half way closed.

Alix had to stop herself from laughing. “You need to slow do-oo-wwn,” Alix annunciated each word as she said it.

“Okay....” Birkly trailed off and slumped forward. She leaned her head on Alix’s shoulder and fell asleep.

“What’s going on in here?” Aidan Caton walked into the kitchen. The atmosphere seemed to lift whenever he entered the room. The retired pilot seemed to have a certain power over everybody. Alix wasn’t sure if it was his age, or wisdom, or experience, or all three. Whatever it was, it sure grabbed attention.

His silver gray hair glimmered in the kitchen light. He smiled when he saw Alix looking at him with a bewildered expression on her face and Birkly asleep on her shoulder. Aidan chuckled as he walked over to her. He swept Birkly off the floor in his strong arms and carried her to her bedroom.