A Wild River Retreat Read online

  Can a weekend in the wilds of Alaska clear the air between these competitive colleagues and remind them of all they’ve been missing?

  When the opportunity for a high-profile promotion comes up, hardworking sales rep Kendra Phillips figures she’s a shoo-in...only to be disappointed when her new coworker, Nolan Lawless, gets it instead. Kendra wouldn’t be so upset if he was just another colleague, but she and Nolan have history. The two shared a steamy week together at a sales conference months ago, and Kendra came away feeling that their connection was real. At least, until Nolan ghosted her when the conference was over.

  Kendra just wants to move on and focus on her job, but a forced work retreat makes avoiding Nolan impossible. Roughing it in the Alaskan wilderness isn’t exactly Kendra’s idea of a good time, and when Nolan is assigned as her partner for the trip, she’ll have to channel her pain into competitive energy to prove she’s over him...even when sleeping next to him in their tiny shelter tells her heart she’s not.

  Praise for Jennifer Snow

  “Jennifer Snow is one clever writer.”

  —RT Book Reviews

  “Set in the wilds of Alaska, the beauty of winter and the cold shines through in this romance.”

  —Fresh Fiction on An Alaskan Christmas

  “Ms. Snow brings the drama, heat, and heart along with a great cast of characters.”

  —Harlequin Junkie on Pushing the Limits

  “An Alaskan Christmas, the first book in the Wild River series, drew me in from the first page to the last. I tried to read slower so that I could savor the story and feel every emotion. I reveled in every nuance, felt the cold, the wind and snow, and loved the small town and the mountains… I can’t wait to return to Wild River.”

  —Romance Junkies

  “Never too late to join the growing ranks of Jennifer Snow fans.”

  —Fresh Fiction

  “An exciting contemporary series debut with a wildly unique Alaskan setting.”

  —Kirkus Reviews on An Alaskan Chiristmas

  Also by Jennifer Snow

  An Alaskan Christmas

  Under an Alaskan Sky

  An Alaskan Wedding (A Wild River Novella)

  Don’t miss A Sweet Alaskan Fall, the next book in Jennifer Snow’s Wild River series!

  Coming from HQN Books August 2020.

  A Wild River Retreat

  Jennifer Snow

  Contents

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  EXCERPT FROM A SWEET ALASKAN FALL BY JENNIFER SNOW

  CHAPTER ONE

  KENDRA PHILLIPS MUST have dozed off in the hour-long staff meeting that could have been an office memo, because there was no way her boss had just said they were going on a team-building weekend in the Alaskan wilderness. The only “survival training” with her coworkers that appealed to her was battling it out for a new sales lead.

  She sat straighter and cleared her throat, ignoring the eye rolls from her colleagues as she asked, “Um...excuse me, Roger, is this team-building trip in Wild River mandatory?”

  Her boss’s expression was one she’d seen a thousand times. Her father used to wear the same raised eyebrow and wrinkled top lip when he was presenting her with a “choice” but the only appropriate decision was the one he wanted her to make. “Well, I can’t force anyone to participate, because everyone needs to sign an individual waiver from SnowTrek Tours, but it is highly recommended that all staff participate.”

  In other words, it was mandatory. “Of course, I’m happy to attend. I was just asking for the room,” she said.

  That weekend, she’d been planning on working on several new accounts she was targeting. As one of Webber Pharmaceuticals’ top sales representatives three quarters in a row, she’d hoped to continue her winning streak and prompt her boss to finally promote her to senior sales executive. The promotion meant that Kendra would manage the sales reps. It also meant she’d get a significant pay raise. Roger had dangled the position like a gold necklace in front of a cat burglar for months now, and with several of their senior team members, including himself, about to move into VP positions in the coming weeks, he’d have to make a decision soon.

  But until then, she couldn’t ease up or take her foot off the gas.

  She’d just have to find time to work around the survival training. Surely they’d have some downtime she could use to do her follow-ups? Was there cell service in the Alaskan wild? How long could her laptop battery last?

  “Here is the information packet with all the details of the training—what to bring, what to expect...” Roger handed the packets around the table and no one looked particularly excited, but Kendra’s eyes widened as she scanned the printout.

  A pocketknife, a water bottle and a piece of rope. That was all they were allowed to bring.

  She raised her hand.

  Roger was already looking at her as though expecting she’d need clarification. “Question, Kendra?”

  “Yeah...um, this list isn’t set in stone, right? I mean, they can’t really expect us all to go off the grid completely for two days, can they?” She laughed nervously, absentmindedly clutching her cell phone tighter. In this one-hour meeting alone, she’d missed three calls from potential clients. Three sales that could have gone to a competitor. The pharmaceutical business didn’t take a day off... And to be out of reach for a whole weekend? Okay, just breathe. Save the anxiety attack for the privacy of your own office.

  “Of course not,” Roger said.

  Huge sigh of relief.

  “The guides will be prepared with emergency supplies and a cell phone in case there are legitimate calls that you need to make,” he continued.

  “Well, everyone’s definition of emergency is different...” To her, lost sales resulting in a lost promotion was a big enough reason to borrow a cell phone for an hour or two.

  “The idea is to unplug.”

  Unplug.

  May as well tell her not to breathe.

  “Look, we can all be successful when we have all the tools available,” Roger said. “This weekend I want to test resourcefulness among the team. How you adapt in new surroundings and situations will show me—and more important, yourselves—what you’re truly capable of, beyond self-limiting beliefs.”

  Kendra nodded slowly. Okay, so it was essentially another opportunity to prove herself. If she framed the weekend that way, she wouldn’t lose her mind. “Okay, yes, you’re absolutely right, Roger.”

  “I know,” he said with a smile. “And before you all rush off, I have another announcement to make.”

  Kendra held her breath. Here it was—the promotion announcement. She had to have this. No one else sitting around that table put in the hours she did, or made the sacrifice of putting their career above all else, the way she did. She deserved to be promoted, and it would soften the blow of having to head out to Wild River that weekend to rough it in the woods. Without any contact with civilization.

  “As you all know, there are two openings for new senior sales executive positions, and I’m happy to announce that I have filled one of those already,” Roger said.

  Kendra sat taller, her acceptance speech turning over in her mind.

  What a wonderful surprise! Thank you, Roger. I’m so happy that I can continue to be a valuable member of the team... I completely agree that the team really could benefit from survival training...

  But instead of calling her name, Roger turned toward the opening boardroom door. “Ah
, here he is now.”

  He?

  Kendra’s head swung toward the door so fast her neck cramped.

  “Ow,” she muttered, rubbing it as the man entered.

  Crisp brown leather shoes; perfectly tailored, slim-fit navy dress pants with a brown belt; light blue dress shirt opened at the collar; and a sports coat that fit like he was born in it. The new hire joined her boss at the head of the boardroom table.

  Her mouth gaped as her eyes scrolled up to meet his and her arm flopped back onto her lap.

  Nolan Lawless was standing in the office boardroom.

  The man she’d spent an amazing week with at a sales conference, only for him to ghost her for three months, had just stolen her promotion.

  Because of course he had.

  * * *

  NOLAN HAD KNOWN walking into the boardroom at Webber Pharmaceuticals and seeing Kendra again would be challenging, but he’d told himself that he couldn’t turn down a job opportunity he’d been busting his ass for just because it would mean working with a woman who’d led him on and disappointed him three months ago.

  Unfortunately, he hadn’t expected the intensity of the tug in his chest at seeing her surprised, annoyed and embarrassed expression as their eyes met across the boardroom table.

  Met and held as though locked in an unspoken battle of who’d blink first.

  He did.

  So much for showing up confident and unfazed, but damn, she was even more beautiful than he remembered. Dressed in a dark charcoal suit and white blouse, her straight, silky blond hair swept into a high ponytail, she was intimidatingly professional—which was what had attracted him to her in the first place at the conference in Seattle. But he also knew the fun and relaxed side hidden beneath her polished exterior, and that knowledge had him wiping his sweaty palms on his lap.

  Nolan could hardly resist this intoxicating woman, but he had no choice. He hoped anyone hearing his pounding heart would assume he was simply nervous to be starting a more senior level position at a new company.

  “Everyone, welcome Nolan Lawless,” his new boss, Roger, said.

  Everyone around the table applauded, but Kendra kept her hands clutched tight in her lap. She avoided Nolan’s gaze and continued to shift in her seat like she had ants in her underwear.

  Great, now he was thinking about her underwear...the pale pink silky ones that had somehow ended up on the ceiling fan of the conference hotel room. Had she ever gotten them back? He liked to think they were still there—the only remaining evidence of their wild, whirlwind affair.

  He felt his neck grow hot and he shook the memories of their time together away. He wasn’t the one who should be sweating and uncomfortable. That honor was hers. She was the one who’d made him believe that what they had that week in Seattle was real. More than just a physical connection or a fling to bring excitement to an otherwise boring work trip. She had wanted more, as well...or so she’d claimed.

  Then she’d given him a bogus phone number.

  So no, he shouldn’t be the one feeling awkward in this situation at all. She should. He was mature enough to move on.

  “Nolan comes to us from Pharmatech in Juneau, where he was the top sales rep last quarter,” Roger told the group.

  Did Kendra just scoff? Well, Miss Top Sales Rep was in for some competition now.

  “We agree that his joining the team here at Webber Pharmaceuticals will be mutually beneficial,” Roger continued. “Nolan can grow in this position while bringing a more intimate approach to the sales process.”

  Intimate. Funny word choice. He’d already been intimate with one element of Webber Pharmaceuticals. As well as vulnerable and open...

  Roger was staring at him. Waiting.

  Shit, right, he should say something. He cleared his throat as quietly as possible. “Yes, that’s right. I’m excited to work with this amazing award-winning team and hope I can bring a fresh approach to the table.”

  Another scoff from Kendra?

  He’d totally call her out on it if it wasn’t his first five minutes with the company. No one else seemed to notice. Maybe they were all used to her not being a team player.

  “Nolan will start officially next week, but he will be joining us for the team-building event this weekend,” Roger said.

  He what? His head swung toward Roger. “Well, I’m not really officially part of the team just yet...” He’d only accepted the company’s offer the week before and moved from Juneau to Anchorage in record time. He’d planned on using the next few days to talk himself up to the challenge of pretending not to be infatuated with one of his sales staff. How the hell was he supposed to be impartial to her, treat her fairly, when she wasn’t just another coworker?

  It terrified him that this one detail of the job could completely throw him off his game when he knew he could excel here. He’d needed a few more days to figure out how he was going to handle seeing Kendra every day, knowing he couldn’t be with her.

  But Roger was adamant. “What better way to get acquainted with the team than jumping right out of your comfort zone and into a challenge?”

  That was the problem. He’d jumped right out of his comfort zone three months ago when he’d met Kendra, and unfortunately, she’d allowed him to crash. He didn’t need a repeat of that disappointment so soon.

  * * *

  KENDRA’S FINGERS FLEW over her cell phone as she hurried out of the boardroom and down the hall to her office. Everyone else was greeting their new team member, but she’d had that pleasure already, so she’d faked needing to be on a conference call to skip out without question from Roger.

  You’ll never guess what happened.

  Her best friend Nisha’s reply was immediate:

  YOU GOT THE PROMOTION?!

  Kendra felt another sharp kick to her stomach at the mention of surprisingly the least devastating thing to happen in the last hour. She’d thought for sure she was going to get it. She’d been confident enough to tell Nisha about the possibility, and now she had to tell her friend that she’d been overlooked...for a man. And not just any man. One who’d been on her mind relentlessly for three months. One she’d talked to her best friend about for three months. One she’d really missed for three months.

  Three long months of silence.

  And he hadn’t even looked the slightest bit embarrassed or apologetic standing up there in the boardroom. She’d felt his eyes on her the whole time. What kind of uncaring, sadistic freak was he?

  An amazingly sexy one who’d made her body and heart react in ways it never had before. Damn it! Before meeting Nolan, her main priority—scratch that—her only priority had been her career. She loved her job, she was good at it, and at twenty-six, she’d been at the point in her life where it was unapologetically her sole focus. Then she’d opened herself up to the possibility that a career wasn’t the only thing she wanted. It had shocked the hell out of her to realize that she was interested in a relationship. Seems it only took meeting a man she couldn’t resist to open her eyes to the fact that not only could she have it all, but that she wanted it all.

  And then she was left with a void that hadn’t existed before.

  No promotion. A new boss.

  The sad-face emoji Nisha sent in reply partially mirrored how she felt: unhappy and disappointed, but also annoyed and conflicted. Three offices down the hall, Nolan would soon be settling in and casting a shadow over her in the process. Working with the first man she’d ever really had feelings for was going to be torture. Her office had once been a second home, a place where she felt confident and secure. Now she felt as though it were being invaded...just like her heart had been.

  She hesitated briefly, then hit Send on the next message.

  It gets worse. It’s the guy from Seattle.

  Her cell phone rang immediately and Kendra closed her office door before answering. “Hey
, Nish...”

  “The love-at-first-sight guy is your new boss?” Her friend’s disbelief came out in a shrill tone.

  Kendra winced. Maybe she had to stop being so open with her friend. It was embarrassing that her gut feelings about situations and people were so off. From now on, she’d tell Nisha things after they happened. No more counting unhatched chickens for dinner.

  “What the hell am I going to do? Working with him is going to be very difficult.” Understatement. Especially since seeing him hadn’t triggered feelings of rage or resentment. It had only brought back memories of how freaking great they’d been together.

  Sure, it had only been a week. But it had been the best week of her life.

  They’d met the first day of the pharmaceutical conference at the registration desk. She’d been dripping Seattle raindrops from her hair when he turned to her and joked, “Rainy enough for you?”

  “I’m from Alaska, so the rain doesn’t bother me. It’s a nice break from all the snow,” Kendra said, receiving her badge and attendee schedule.

  “You’re from Alaska?” Nolan’s voice had warmed her right away, and when she’d turned and met his friendly smile, she’d been hooked. Never one to believe in love at first sight, she’d definitely started to question her stance on the subject.

  “Yes, Anchorage. Where are you from?”

  “Juneau.”

  Had the planets actually aligned in her favor? A guy who was hot as hell and lived in her state? In her field of work? They weren’t exactly neighbors—Anchorage and Juneau were separated by a twelve-hour drive and a ferry ride—but she was already mapping the route in her mind and juggling her vacation days.

  “Which company are you here with?” And was he traveling with coworkers or was he up for a conference buddy? She wasn’t prepared to share her leads...but someone to sit next to at the sessions and have meals with would be nice. Maybe explore the city with in the evenings after the networking sessions wrapped up.