“For the time being I think we should focus on Emma and your idea for the cannery,” he suggested.
Paige nodded. “I agree. It would be wonderful if everyone in town rallies around moving forward with that project.”
Cameron couldn’t help but chuckle. So far Paige was proving to be very determined in her quest. As far as she was concerned, all roads led back to the cannery.
“What’s so funny?” she asked, a slight scowl marring her stunning features.
How had he forgotten that Paige hated to be laughed at? It was a pet peeve of hers that went all the way back to her teenage years.
He held up his hands. “I’m not laughing at you, but your persistence reminds me of that feisty fifteen-year-old girl who wouldn’t rest until Love declared a special day for snowy owls.”
Paige let out a low chuckle that seemed to emanate from deep inside her. She raised her hand to her mouth as if self-conscious. “I thought they deserved some recognition. They are unbelievably beautiful and underappreciated.”
Cameron grinned as memories of Paige’s snowy-owl campaign trickled through his mind. She had been full of passion and grit and dedication. And her efforts had paid off. To this day, the town had an annual “show some love to snowy owls” day. All thanks to Paige. It served as a reminder that this woman was capable of making incredible things happen by sheer will and determination. For the first time since she’d brought up the topic, he was beginning to believe that the cannery project might actually get off the ground.
“I’ve always loved snowy owls. I still do. And so does your daughter.”
Your daughter. The shock in hearing those words was beginning to wear off. All he felt now was a fierce desire to get to know Emma.
“In a few weeks they’ll be back in Alaska for breeding season. Maybe Emma would like to go out to the Nottingham Woods and catch a glimpse of them.”
Paige nodded. The corners of her lips turned upward into a radiant smile that traveled straight through him. “That would be great. I know she would be pleased with any kind of outing.”
“I want to get to know her. Her favorite color. What she likes to eat. The things that make her cry.” He felt a pang at the realization that he didn’t know very much about his own daughter. All he knew for certain was that he wanted to discover every last fact about her. Her birthday. Did she like puppies?
“Forgive me for robbing you of those answers,” Paige said. Her hazel eyes were full of regret. “If I’d told you about Emma sooner, you’d already know all those things. For starters, Emma loves pink. And her birthday is December 5th. The sound of thunder makes her cry. And she loves pancakes.”
He couldn’t dwell on all the lost moments. All he could do was focus on what lay ahead. Hopefully, a lifetime as Emma’s dutiful, doting father.
The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. The verse from Corinthians served as reassurance of the path he was walking on. There was no more time for holding on to bitterness.
“I think it’s safe to say that we both want what’s beneficial for Emma. The best way to give her that is to give ourselves a clean slate with each other. We need to put the past firmly behind us.” And in doing so, they would be cementing a bright and happy future for their child. Recriminations would only serve to hurt her. His own childhood living under the roof of two feuding parents had caused him more pain than he could ever adequately express with words. Emma’s life would not be marred by friction and discord.
Paige released a huge breath. Her features appeared less tense than a few moments ago.
“I think I can live with that,” she said with a nod of her head.
On impulse, he reached out and brushed her hair away from her face. His fingers trailed down her cheek, lingering way longer than they should have. Their eyes held and locked. Tension simmered in the air between them. He took a step closer so that they stood mere inches away from each other. His finger moved toward her lips and he gently traced the outline of them. If he just dipped his head down, their lips could meet in the sweetest of kisses. Just one tender caress might serve as a reminder of everything they had once shared.
The familiar jingle of a bell warned him that they were no longer alone, despite the Closed sign on the front door. A quick turn of his head confirmed that fact.
Paige’s nanny had just crossed the threshold with Emma, who was holding her hand and taking dainty steps beside her. A brown teddy bear, who looked as if he had seen better days, was in her other hand. Although Cameron was tickled at the sight of his daughter teetering toward them, he wished his tender moment with Paige could have lasted longer. He wasn’t sure if he would have followed through with it, but the sudden urge to place a soft kiss on her lips had roared through him just as they had been interrupted.
“Mama,” Emma cried out, lifting her hands up to Paige. The teddy bear fell to the floor. He quickly picked it up and dusted it off on his shirt, then handed it back to Emma, who was now peeping up at him from Paige’s arms.
“Here you go, princess,” Cameron said in a singsong voice.
“Say ‘Thank you, Dada,’” Paige instructed. “Dada picked up Lola Bear.”
Emma frowned at her mother. She shook the bear. “Lola,” she repeated.
“Dada,” Paige said again, then looked at Cameron. “That’s Dada.”
Emma looked away, then burrowed her face into Paige’s chest. Cameron felt a stab of disappointment. At the moment he would give anything to hear Emma call him Daddy. It was amazing how quickly one’s priorities changed once a child came into existence. But he needed to be patient. Children learned at their own time and pace. Such things couldn’t be rushed.
“The wee one is plumb tuckered out. She had a fitful nap earlier,” Fiona explained, stepping forward to pat Emma on the back. Paige swayed from side to side, rocking Emma into slumber.
Cameron found himself transfixed by the sight of mother and daughter sharing such a heartwarming moment. Even though he and Paige were no longer romantically involved, they were still a family.
“I should get her home,” Paige whispered after a few minutes, reaching for her purse.
With a lump in his throat, Cameron said his goodbyes and watched as Paige, Emma and Fiona left the café and headed back to the homestead for the afternoon.
He didn’t quite know how to explain the ache in his chest. It was as if their absence had somehow created a hole inside him that nothing else could fill up. A few days ago the Moose Café and the Prescott family had been the most important things in his world. That was no longer true. As soon as Paige had introduced him to his beautiful little girl, a portion of his heart had no longer been his own. Emma now owned a huge chunk of it. And he had the sneaking suspicion that if he wasn’t careful, her mother might soon lay claim to the rest of it.
Chapter Seven
The weekly meeting for the town of Love was scheduled to start at 6:00 p.m. sharp. As Paige walked down Jarvis Street toward the historic town hall building, she took a few soothing breaths to calm her nerves. Sunlight danced across her face and she found herself feeling thankful for the extended hours of daylight. She couldn’t believe Wednesday had rolled around so quickly. Doubts were beginning to creep in. Was it really a good idea to stand before the council and the residents of Love to lobby for the town to revisit the cannery deal?
Don’t bite off more than you can chew, Paige. That had always been one of her father’s favorite expressions. Ever since she was a little girl, he had warned her against it. More times than not, due to her stubborn nature, she hadn’t heeded his advice. She stood still for a moment and shut her eyes as bittersweet memories washed over her. Her father’s presence was strong in her heart and mind today. The terrible ache of loss was still there, serving as a reminder that the imperfections of human beings didn’t mean they were loved any less. Hate the sin an
d not the sinner.
Keep going. Don’t give up now. His encouraging voice whispered in the wind. Despite everything, she still was holding on to all the good qualities of the man she’d cared for so dearly. Living beyond his means had led him to do a despicable and desperate act. But it couldn’t erase all the good years when he had been her everything. Now it was time for her to work toward allowing him to rest in peace.
Before she knew it, she had reached the town hall. The brick-and-white building was three stories high and one of the oldest landmarks in town. Old-fashioned lampposts graced the sidewalk in front of the building, while Arctic willow shrubs sat by the first-floor windows. Once she stepped inside, gleaming hardwood floors and copper accents jumped out at her. Steeped in history, this building was one of the most ornate in town. A hum of activity emanated from the meeting room down the hall. In order to get to the room, she had to walk the gauntlet of residents who were gathered in the hallway. Some nodded or sent a smile her way, while others began whispering or looked away at the sight of her. The murmurs were a glaring reminder that her reputation in Love was tainted by past events. Even Cameron didn’t fully believe in her. Not in the ways that mattered most.
Lord, please be with me. This meeting is so important for Love’s future. And it would be a huge step forward in providing closure for everyone who was harmed by my father’s greed. Let their minds be open to what I have to say.
Cameron was already seated in the front row when she walked in. She let out the breath she had been holding ever since she had walked into the building. Some of his earlier comments had led her to believe he might stay away tonight. Part of her wouldn’t have blamed him if he had. The first cannery project had brought him more grief and shame than he could ever have anticipated. And he still questioned whether she had been in collusion with her father. She could see the doubts radiating from his eyes now and again.
As if he sensed that she was there, Cameron turned and waved at her, beckoning her over to sit with him.
“I didn’t know if you would be here,” she said once she reached his side, feeling immensely relieved by his strong presence. At the moment she desperately needed to be bolstered.
“I told you I’d come. Despite what I said about not being your ally, I stand behind your proposal. And I won’t hesitate to let folks in town know that I think it’s a no-brainer.”
Gratitude swelled inside her chest. “Thank you. That makes me feel so much better. My nerves are beginning to get the best of me.” She smoothed back a few runaway strands of hair.
Cameron gazed down at her, his handsome features creased with concern.
“Remember what brought you back. Emma and your father’s dying wish. You’re acting in the best interests of this town. Don’t overthink this. I don’t think you can go wrong if you speak from your heart.”
She smiled at him. He was such a great support system. Memories of the sweet relationship they had once shared filled her head. “You’re right about that. I just have to keep in mind what I’m fighting for by coming here and advocating for the cannery.”
“And don’t forget to mention that huge check you gave to Jasper. That’s sure to win over hearts and minds,” Cameron said with an easy smile that made its way up to his eyes.
It felt wonderful to have his encouragement, but she didn’t want to rely on him too much for emotional support. It would be so easy to give in to the familiar rhythms of their past relationship. Those days were gone forever! For Emma’s sake they had agreed to work together and stay positive, but being around Cameron was dangerous to Paige’s equilibrium. She had promised herself she’d view him as the father of her child and nothing more. But that was becoming more and more of a problem. The other day at the Moose Café she had yearned for a kiss from him. When he had moved close to her and touched her lips, she had sensed it was coming. In that moment she had wanted it more than anything else in the world.
And she still did. Even now, in the midst of this important meeting, she still couldn’t stop thinking about reliving that moment with Cameron. And it was distracting her from the matter at hand.
As six o’clock approached, she watched as Jasper, Boone and Hazel took their seats along with the other members of the town council. Townsfolk began spilling into the room until it was standing room only.
Cameron leaned toward her and whispered, “Standing room only. You don’t see that very often here.”
Something told her that word had got out about her appearance here tonight. It seemed highly unlikely that a town meeting would be overflowing with so many people.
Jasper called them all to order and promptly began to go over the minutes from the last meeting. She sat through dry discussions about town ordinances, zoning issues, business permits and a complicated issue about a runaway moose. It was all so terribly uninteresting, she realized. Paige perked up when Jasper began to give the stats for the Operation Love program.
Jasper reached for his glasses and perched them on the bridge of his nose. “Let’s see. According to my records, forty-four women have arrived after the story broke about Gracie and Boone’s romance. That media blitz gave this town a lot of mileage.” Jasper chuckled and darted a glance in Boone’s direction. “It seems that everyone is inspired by an old-fashioned love story.” A smattering of applause rang out in the room.
“So far we have a grand total of sixty-six women who decided to relocate here in the pursuit of love,” Jasper announced. “I think that deserves a hearty round of applause.” A heavy thunder of applause ensued.
“How many decided not to stay?” someone called out from the audience.
“I was getting to that! Haven’t you ever heard that patience is a virtue?” Jasper barked. He looked down at his folder. “A total of seventeen of these ladies decided they couldn’t hack it in Alaska.”
“Is there any indication as to why these women chose not to stay in Love?” Boone asked. “Perhaps if we find those answers, we can head off any issues that might arise.”
Jasper frowned at Boone, who was sitting on his right side. “If someone comes to this haven and makes the foolish decision to leave, I’m not going to pepper them with questions about the whys and wherefores. It takes strength of character to live in an Alaskan fishing village. We should just look at it as weeding out the weak ones.”
Cameron let out a groan at Jasper’s comment. He put his head in his hands.
“That leaves a total of forty-nine plucky and admirable ladies for you fortunate single men who are seeking the woman of your dreams. And thanks to Hazel, most of them are living at Black Bear Cabins.” He peered out into the audience. “I don’t know what some of you men are waiting for. Do you need an engraved invitation to go courting? I’m talking to you, Ricky Stanton. And you, Hank Jeffries. Don’t think I don’t see you in the back row, Declan O’Rourke. You’re known as the most handsome man in town, according to what the females say. Don’t you think it’s high time you settled down with a good woman? You’ve got almost fifty to choose from.”
“Sure thing, Jasper,” Declan drawled. “I’ll get right on that.”
“Jasper. Stop poking at Declan,” Hazel said in a loud stage whisper from his left side. “Get on with it.”
He shuffled his papers. “And now I have some news that involves town finances.”
Dwight Lewis, town treasurer, piped up. “Finances? Isn’t that under my purview?”
“Don’t get yourself in a snit,” Jasper said. “This financial matter falls under the heading of special circumstances. I reserve my rights and privileges as town mayor to address it in any manner I see fit.”
Dwight nodded his head but he didn’t appear mollified by Jasper’s explanation. Having gone to high school with Dwight, Paige knew he had a bent for order and following the rules without exception. She could sense by the way he was fiddling with his bow tie that he w
as unsettled by Jasper encroaching on his job description.
“As part of this exciting news, I need to shine a spotlight on one of our own, a native daughter of this village.” He swung his gaze to Paige. “Some of you might have heard that Paige Reynolds is back in town.” A low rumble went up in the room. A few hisses rent the air. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment.
“Hush!” Jasper said. He raised his gavel and banged it on the table. “Keep things civil or I’ll toss you out of here on your—”
“Jasper!” Boone warned, cutting his grandfather off before he could get himself in trouble.
Paige bowed her head. She should have been used to being snubbed, but it still hurt to know she wasn’t welcome in Love. If only they could understand she was acting only in the best interests of the town she loved so dearly. She was trying her best to be unselfish.
Cameron turned toward the townsfolk and glared at them. “Have some manners!” he growled. “Stop acting like a bunch of small-town bullies.”
“Well said, grandson,” Jasper said with an approving nod of his head. “Let’s show some decorum. I’m now going to give Paige the floor. She has something of vital importance to discuss.” Jasper wiggled his eyebrows. “And it has to do with this sizable check she brought made out to the town of Love.” Jasper waved the check in the air.
Dwight turned up his nose as if he had smelled something foul. “This is highly irregular. You have no standing here, Paige Reynolds.”
Paige met Dwight’s beady eyes head-on. “I disagree. I happen to own property here in Love, which makes me a taxpayer and a resident.”
“That’s true,” Declan shouted from the back of the room. “She has every right to come before us.”
Dwight began to riffle through his bylaws. “I’m not sure one can just flit back into town after a two-year absence and try to conduct new business at a town meeting. Surely that’s not allowed under the rules of order.”
“There’s no such stipulation,” Hazel said in a crisp voice. “And this topic actually falls under old business, Dwight. It has to do with the cannery deal.”
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