Water's Edge (Alaskan Frontier Romance Book 1)

by Jennifer McArdle

  By the time Nora hung up the phone, Nate had returned. He entered through the same door he’d exited through earlier and immediately took up his post behind the counter. Two other men followed him in through the door and lingered around the counter. Nora recognized the dock workers, but didn’t know their names. They both looked to be older men, rugged and worn. The fat one sat down on the wooden folding chair next to the counter and propped his feet up on an empty milk crate. The taller one leaned against the doorway to the office. He looked like he was about 50, Nora thought as she watched him spit into an old coffee can sitting beside the door, then reposition the chewing tobacco in his lower lip. He stood there looking Nora up and down. She felt uncomfortable standing there, the three of them staring at her, and she timidly handed the phone back to Nate. He looked at her expectantly, but didn’t ask any questions. Eventually, the tall man spoke.

  “You’re the one living in the back bay.” It wasn’t a question. Just a statement.

  “Uh, yeah,” Nora responded. “I guess.” She had never heard it referred to as the ‘back bay’ before, but she supposed that was the best term for it.

  “So, who’d you find?” It was the tall man again.

  Nora shrugged, tired of people asking questions she really didn’t know the answer to. “I really don’t know,” she said exasperated. She shook her head. “There was no I.D. and I didn’t recognize him.”

  “Well, what did he look like?” The tall man wanted answers.

  “Dead. He looked dead. That’s all I know, alright?” Nora hadn’t meant to be so short with him, but she wasn’t having a very good day and she was really tired of questions at that point.

  The man didn’t seem the slightest bit fazed by her outburst, though. He spat into the coffee can again and looked at her. That’s when the fat one spoke up.

  “Sorry, lady,” he said. “Harry’s just trying to figure out if it’s Mark. You know he disappeared, right?” He didn’t wait for Nora to answer. “We looked for him for three days, but they went and called the search off last night. We’re just wondering if your dead guy is him.”

  “Um,” Nora didn’t know what to say. “I… I really don’t know. I didn’t know Mark. Never met him.” It was weird she hadn’t thought of Mark when she found the body, Nora realized. She’d known Mark was missing, but she never connected the dots or even considered that the man sitting frozen by the stream might be the guy who disappeared on the mountain. She guessed it was possible. Even though the mountain was a good 10 miles away from her cabin and he would have had to travel through untamed forest with dense, thick undergrowth. Getting lost is one thing, but to travel so far by foot requires purpose and determination. The more she thought about it, the more questionable it seemed.

  “That’s pretty far for someone to wander by accident,” she thought. Then she noticed their faces. All three of them looked at her curiously and Nora realized she had spoken her last thought out loud. The tall man, who Nora now knew was named Harry, and the fat man exchanged concerned glances. Nora immediately regretted having said anything. “Or maybe it’s not…” she added lamely.

  “No,” Harry said. “You might be on to something there.”

  “Yeah, we were wondering why we hadn’t seen any trace of Mark on the mountain trail. It’s like he wasn’t even there. A person like him doesn’t just vanish. But if he intentionally took off, well, that would be another story. He always was more than capable out there…”

  “You can’t blame him for sneaking off,” said Harry. “If I had to live with that wife of his, I’d have taken to the woods a long time ago.”

  The fat one chuckled at that.

  “That’s enough, guys,” Nate cut in. “Quit talking like that about Mark. He was a good guy. He wouldn’t have taken off and left Martha, no matter how miserable a woman she might be to live with. You don’t have any facts to go along with all your speculation, and until you do, you should keep your mouths shut.” Nate’s words resonated with finality and neither man spoke after that. The two men turned and went into Nate’s office then, leaving Nora awkwardly standing by the counter. She smiled uncomfortably at Nate. It was clear Nate would not have any more talk about the dead guy, and Nora was fine with that. But she did have one other matter that needed to be dealt with.

  “Is there anything else you need?” Nate asked abruptly. He didn’t like the seed Nora had planted in everyone’s minds and he was ready for her to leave.

  “Actually, there was one other thing I came here for,” she said. “What do you have to keep bears away?”

  “Bear spray. Over by the hunting supplies,” he said brusquely, nodding in that direction. “Won’t necessarily keep ‘em away, but if you run into one, that spray’ll come in handy, for sure.”

  “How much?”

  “Seventy dollars per canister.”

  Nora winced at the cost. “They’re only fifty in Juneau.” She’d seen them for sale after she got off the first ferry and waited for the ferry heading to Heron to arrive, but she hadn’t bothered to buy one. Then, she had still been under the illusion the house she had inherited was in town. She didn’t think she’d ever need anything like bear spray.

  “Then buy some in Juneau next time you’re there,” Nate said, starting to get irritated with Nora. The one thing he hated the most was people complaining about prices. If they didn’t like his prices, then too bad. His was the only store in Heron.

  Nora resigned herself to paying the exorbitant price. That’s life in the bush, she tried to tell herself, wishing she had bought a canister or two in Juneau when she’d had the chance. “No, I need it now. I’ll take one canister,” she told Nate. She reached into her pocket for some cash and remembered the mad dash she’d taken out of the cabin. Nora had been so spooked she hadn’t grabbed her wallet or anything. “That figures,” she cried, throwing her hands up in the air. “I left all my fricking money at the cabin.” Nora seriously wondered if her day could possibly get any worse.

  Nate looked at her uneasily, but didn’t say anything. Completely frustrated, Nora turned around and slid down the front wall of the counter, wrapping her arms around her legs and resting her head on her knees. She sat there, curled up into a ball, wanting to cry or scream… or do both.

  “Um, I’ll open a tab for you and you can pay for it next time,” Nate said nervously. He leaned over the counter and looked down at Nora, whose face was buried in her knees. “Go ahead and grab a canister,” he said. “I’ve already written it down.”

  She lifted her head and looked up at him, grateful. “Thanks, Nate.” But she didn’t make any move to get up and leave. Nora buried her face in her arms, wishing the day would end already.

  Nate anxiously walked into his office, where the other two men stood watching curiously. He sincerely hoped Nora would come to her senses soon and leave. The last thing he wanted to deal with was some half-crazed woman from the Lower 48 who cracked up in his store. He shooed the two men out the door, back to work, but Nate remained in his office, looking through the glass window and waiting for Nora to get up and leave. He really hoped he wouldn’t have to coax her out the door.

  When she still hadn’t budged ten minutes later, Nate cautiously walked out of his office and approached her. He took his wallet out of his pocket, opened it, and pulled out a $20 bill. On second thought, he stuffed the $20 back into his wallet and found a $10 bill. Nate crouched down to her level and quietly handed it to her. “Why don’t you go on over to the pub and have a drink? You look like you could use one.”

  Nora looked up at him. “I can’t take your money.”

  “Oh, I’m not giving this to you,” he said matter-of-factly. “I’m adding it to your tab.” Then he stood up and walked back into his office, closing the door behind him. Nora got the picture. He was telling her, in no uncertain terms, it was time to leave. She pulled herself up from the floor, walked over to the hunting supplies, grabbed a can of bear spray, and left the store.

  Chapter 11
>
  Tourists. A group of them had just arrived on two float planes and already they were doing a good job of being a general nuisance, crowding around The General Store, making it impossible for anyone to get in or out. One couple took turns snapping photos of themselves. Another was pointing excitedly at a pair of bald eagles flying somewhere overhead. They seemed oblivious to the fact that it was raining, excited to be experiencing the “real Alaska” they’d read about in the tour brochure.

  At the edge of the group, a tour guide was trying in vain to get everybody’s attention, asking them to step aside so they didn’t block the boardwalk. It wasn’t working.

  Squeezing past them, Nora tried to avoid the curious looks of the tourists. They were looking at her like she was a local. Ha! If they only knew. Nora was just as green as they were. Less than a month, she’d been in Alaska. If not for these brown rubber boots I'm wearing, I would blend right in with the rest of the crowd, Nora thought as she pushed her way through.

  When she was free, she hurried down the boardwalk the short distance to the pub. Most of the bar stools were already occupied, but Nora spotted a seat at the opposite end of the bar, and walked over to sit down. She’d put on a brave face in front of Nate, at least she thought she had, but Nora was still shaken from the bear incident. What she really needed was a drink to calm her nerves.

  When Lily walked over, Nora didn’t bother with pleasantries.

  “Give me an amber and a shot of Jack.”

  Lily nodded and turned around to grab the bottle of whiskey off the shelf along the back wall. She understood exactly why Nora was there and why she so desperately needed a drink. Word traveled fast in Heron, and word was that Nora had found a body. Judging by Nora’s ruffled appearance, the rumors were true.

  Lily poured the whiskey first and sat the shot glass in front of Nora, then walked over to the tap and poured a beer. The shot glass was empty by the time Lily came back with the dark Alaskan brew.

  “Rough day?”

  “You could say that,” Nora answered before taking a long drink from the beer mug. Her whole body was shaking and she tried to calm her nerves.

  “Are you okay?” asked Lily. “I heard you found Mark’s body... or at least everybody’s assuming it’s Mark.”

  “Yeah... no.” She was still processing everything. “I don’t know.”

  “Do you want to talk about it?” Lily was genuinely concerned for her. Nora could see it in her eyes.

  “I really want to forget about it right now.”

  “Okay,” said Lily. She didn’t want to leave Nora alone, but there were other customers waiting to be served. Besides, Nora wasn’t going to open up about it right then, anyway. “We’re pretty busy right now, but let me know if you need anything, alright?”

  Nora shrugged her shoulders and took another drink of the beer, waiting for the buzz to set in. Unfortunately, the only thing she felt was the beginning of a headache. She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples, hoping to alleviate the pain before it got worse.

  Lily left her alone, then, and went to the far side of the bar to serve another customer. From behind the bar, she had a perfect vantage point to watch everything. It was one of the best parts of the job. She always knew what was happening. News traveled through the pub first, both good and bad. Relationships began there and, more often than not, ended there. Just about everything interesting that happened in town took place in the pub, and Lily was always there, behind the bar, to see it.

  So when Jake walked into the pub and spotted Nora, Lily stopped wiping down the countertop and paid attention. Something was going to happen. She’d seen that same look in the eyes of dozens of other men. It was a look of determination mixed with a bit of anger. It was the look of a man on a mission.

  Lily tried to suppress a grin as she watched someone stop Jake to chat, his disinterest in the conversation obvious as he cranked his head around to see Nora. He was worried about her, Lily could tell, as he tried to make his way through the restaurant. She had been right to suspect Jake’s interest in Nora was more than he let on.

  Nora sat her empty beer glass down on the bar and glanced up at Lily to ask for a refill. But Lily wasn’t paying any attention. Her eyes were turned toward the other side of the restaurant. Curious, Nora turned to see what she was looking at.

  Jake.

  How long had it been since Nora had seen him last? It had only been a few days since they’d stood in the rain outside the community building and he’d asked her on a date. No, almost a week. His beard was longer and so was his hair, which was tucked under a black knit cap as well as could be.

  He stood near a large round table in the center of the restaurant, talking to a group of older men. For a second, Nora forgot about the bear and the dead body as she watched Jake interact with the fishermen. He really was the picture of the typical Alaskan man, but less worn and tired looking than the other men she’d seen in town. Everyone else was laughing as someone at the table told a story. Jake smiled politely, but looked distracted. His brow was creased and even though his lips were curved up in a grin, his eyes looked dark with emotion. No matter how hard he tried to focus on the man’s story, he couldn’t. There was something more important he needed to tend to.

  Then Nora saw Jake glance up at her, as if he’d known she was there. Their eyes met and the expression on his face changed instantly. He patted one of the men on the back, waved at the others across the table, and strode toward her. He didn’t take his eyes off her.

  Nora glanced back at Lily, but she was busy. Lily had discreetly moved further down the bar, far enough away to give them the illusion of privacy but close enough to hear them. When Nora turned back, Jake stood right in front of her.

  “What were you doing out there all by yourself?” he asked, barely restraining the frustration he felt. Jake was angry with himself. He never should have left Nora alone out there. He’d known it from the start.

  Nora opened her mouth to answer, but she didn’t know what to say. She looked at him, scrutinizing his face. He was concerned for her, but why? Nora had been out there by herself for a month and Jake hadn’t shown much interest in her well-being before. “What do you mean?” she asked, a little more sharply than was necessary. “I live out there. All by myself.”

  “I heard about the body,” Jake said brusquely. “What I want to know is what you were doing out in the woods. You could have ended up just like Mark. Do you want to get lost and freeze to death?”

  “Look,” said Nora, annoyed that Jake thought he had any say over what she did. “I don’t need a lecture from you. I’ve had a rough day. A lot rougher than you think. So can you cut me some slack and let me drink in peace?”

  Jake’s face softened then. He saw the wariness in her eyes. “You’re right,” he said. “I’m sorry.” He sat down on the bar stool next to her and tried to get Lily’s attention so he could order a drink, but she had her back turned to him and was talking with an older fisherman at the other end of the bar. When he didn’t get Lily’s attention, he got up from the bar stool and walked around the edge of the bar. He quickly grabbed a couple bottles of beer from one of the coolers under the bar and hurried back to his seat.

  “Is it okay for you to do that?” Nora asked.

  “Can’t wait around forever for Lily to work her way back to this end of the bar,” he said, cracking open a bottle and pouring it into Nora’s mug. He drank his beer from the bottle.

  “Look, I really am sorry if I overreacted.” Setting his bottle down, Jake turned to look at her. She really was beautiful, even in her distressed state. And seeing her there, her hands still trembling from the ordeal, all he wanted to do was wrap his arms around her and pull her close. “It’s just that something could have happened to you out there, too. I don’t like the thought of that.”

  Nora sighed, then. She hadn’t planned to tell anyone about the bear, but she couldn’t hold it in any longer. “Actually,” she said, “Something did happen.” Nora hastily told
him about finding the body and then her encounter with the bear. She didn’t go into great detail, but Jake could tell the experience had been scary for her. As much as he wanted to lecture her, tell her how stupid she’d been to go traipsing off into the woods, he figured she’d learned her lesson. She didn’t need him to tell her so.

  She also didn’t need to go back to that cabin.

  “Do you want to stay in town?” Jake asked. There was a spare room at home and if she didn’t want to stay there, he knew of a couple cabins in town available for rent. “You could stay the night... or longer.”

  Of course she wanted to stay in town. The last thing she wanted to do was go back to the cabin alone. But she had to go back. “I can’t. I have to wait for the Alaska State Troopers to get here and then show them where the body is.”

  Jake nodded, deep in thought. “Well, then I’ll go with you,” he said resolutely. “I want to make sure you’re going to be safe out there.”

  Nora didn’t argue. She was actually relieved.

  She took a sip of her beer and then looked in the mirror stretching the length of the wall behind the bar. She barely recognized the woman she saw. Nora had to admit her image had taken on a bit of a rustic look in the past few weeks she’d spent in the Alaskan bush. Her hair seemed to be perpetually in a ponytail to keep it out of the way, and the clothes she wore were chosen purely for function, not for fashion. Like everybody else, she even wore the Xtra-Tuf boots instead of the heels that used to be her mainstay. The big brown rubber boots made sense out there, where she had to crawl in and out of a boat on a regular basis. Wet feet were no good in the wilderness, and the water was awfully cold. Nora was more than willing to wear the gaudy-looking boots if it meant staying dry and warm. No, that woman in the mirror definitely wasn’t the same woman that had arrived there a little over a month ago on the ferry. Not even close.

  “Ugh. What am I doing here?” Nora asked in frustration, burying her face in her hands. She wasn’t accustomed to drinking – the shot of whiskey and the two beers had loosened her tongue. She didn’t care what she said, even if it meant she was openly admitting defeat. “I don’t know what I’m doing, Jake. Not about anything. I don’t know how to live in the wilderness. I don’t know how to catch crab… or anything, for that matter. I can’t even catch a fish. Not to mention, I almost ended up as dinner for some bear.”