Water's Edge (Alaskan Frontier Romance Book 1)

by Jennifer McArdle

  Jake didn’t say anything. He just sat there, studying her, listening to her.

  “I’m out there, all by myself just about all the time. I don’t even know if I can handle being alone like that. Why do you think I make so many trips into town? I can’t go for weeks without seeing anybody. I can’t even go for a few days all alone out there. I need the interaction. It’s driving me crazy being out there by myself.”

  Finally, he spoke. “Well, why did you come here in the first place, then?”

  Nora shook her head. She really didn’t know anymore. “I had no choice,” she answered weakly.

  “Sure you did,” Jake said. “So your uncle left you some land. You didn’t have to come live here. You chose that.”

  “My uncle,” said Nora sarcastically. “Now that’s a laugh.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Nothing. And it’s not like I really had a choice about coming here.” Nora hadn’t told anyone her real reason for coming to Alaska, but if anyone should know, it was Jake.

  “What do you mean?” he asked.

  Nora held back the tears. “I didn’t have anywhere else to go. I needed to get away from my life. Anywhere would have been better than where I was. And then I got this letter in the mail saying I had inherited a house. I thought it would be a fresh start in a new town. Something good, right? I didn’t expect this… a cabin in the woods with no electricity, a half-hour boat ride from town.”

  “Give yourself a break. So, it’s not what you expected, but at least you’re making the best of it. You’re in Alaska now. Be tough. Hang in there and prove everybody wrong.”

  “Prove everybody wrong? So, everybody thinks I’m going to fail, is that it?”

  “Everybody always thinks the newcomer is going to fail. But that’s because most of them do. Most. Not all,” Jake said. “You know, it’s all very exhilarating on the way up. You meet new people and everyone’s excited. And then the boat docks and everyone heads their separate ways and they never see each other again. They eventually realize life is tough here. Either they can’t find a job or they can’t handle the winters or they can’t stand being so isolated from everything. Alaska isn’t what they expected. Most of them end up going back to America before they’ve even been here a year. It happens all the time.”

  “That’s something that bothers me,” Nora interrupted, her speech beginning to slur. “Why do you call it America? Alaska is part of America, you know.”

  “Fine. The Lower 48, then,” he said, deciding she’d had enough to drink. “Come on. Let’s go wait for the Troopers at the store.”

  Jake stood up and helped her off the bar stool. When Nora stood up, she felt the full effect of the alcohol. She felt quite tipsy and a little sick, but at least she had Jake to lean on.

  Outside, the smell of salt water mingled with the aroma of wild irises and fireweed growing alongside the restaurant, a normally comforting scent but one that made Nora nauseous almost immediately after she walked out of the pub. Her eyes had yet to adjust from the darkness of the bar and she squinted at the daylight, clinging tightly to Jake’s arm as he led her down the boardwalk.

  * * *

  The boat ride back to the cabin didn’t help Nora’s nausea. Only made it worse. The headache wasn’t any better, either, especially after a half-hour with the sound of an outboard motor roaring just a few feet away.

  Jake cut the throttle as the skiff neared the rocky shore at the north end of Nora’s property, letting the motor idle and the skiff drift on the current. The cabin sat close to the beach, a few hundred feet away from them. Surveying the surroundings, Jake couldn’t see any sign the bear was still in the vicinity.

  “I’m going to go a little further so we can see the other side of the cabin before we pull up to the shore,” Jake hollered over the hum of the motor. The Troopers, who had followed behind in Jake’s skiff, nodded in agreement. Nora had told them about the bear lurking nearby and they didn’t want to take any chances, either.

  As they rounded the south side of the cabin, they visually scanned the property for anything out of the ordinary. Everything looked normal.

  Jake was the first to step out onto solid ground. The Troopers confidently followed. Nora was a little shakier getting out of the boat.

  They walked toward the cabin, listening for any sounds to indicate the bear was still nearby. Jake got to the cabin first, and used his rifle to push open the door, which was shut but not latched. In Nora’s haste to get away from the bear, she hadn’t bothered to secure the cabin, and she knew the food in her pantry could have lured the bear inside. There was only one small window in the cabin, so it was dark inside, but Jake walked in without hesitation. A few seconds later, he stuck his head back out the door to let everyone know the cabin was empty. That was a relief, at least.

  Next, Nora led Jake and the two Troopers toward the creek. All of them remained on high alert for the bear as they followed Nora to the spot where she had found the body. The body was exactly where she’d left it, surprisingly undisturbed by the wildlife. Jake recognized him instantly. It was definitely Mark, the man who had gone missing on the mountain.

  “He must have gotten disoriented and walked the wrong way,” Nora said, thinking aloud. “Ten miles in the wrong direction.”

  “Not necessarily. It’s ten miles by water, because the inlet curves around,” Jake explained. “But only three miles by land.” He pointed toward the mountain. “He could have easily gotten disoriented and came down the wrong side. It happens more often than you’d think. Even to the unlikeliest of people.”

  The Troopers took over from there. Nora and Jake waited nearby while they took photos and called in a helicopter to lift the body out of the woods. A couple hours later, both Troopers left in the helicopter while Jake and Nora made their way back to the cabin. The sun had begun its descent behind the mountains to the west and darkness was beginning to set in.

  Back at the cabin, Jake lingered for a long time to make sure Nora really was okay. Her nausea had subsided, but the headache lingered, a dull throbbing that only seemed to be getting worse in spite of the three aspirin she’d taken.

  Neither one of them said anything as Jake lit the oil lantern and started a fire in the wood stove. He put some water on the stove for coffee. Nora sat on the couch, her legs tucked up underneath her, uninterested in conversation of any kind. It hurt to even think about talking.

  Jake was the one to break the silence. “You’re shaking,” he said, sitting down next to her on the couch and taking her hands in his.

  Nora didn’t want to admit it, but she was still rather troubled about the day’s events. In fact, she was on the verge of panic... terrified the bear would return, that she would be lost to the wilderness, that someday someone else would find her own body beside the creek. Her entire body trembled at the thought.

  But Jake was there. She had to hold it together, to show him she was a survivor. She could do this.

  Nora turned to him and gave him a brave, unconvincing smile. “I’m fine.”

  “No, you’re not,” Jake said, looking her straight in the eye.

  She tried to pull her hands away from his. He held on. He wasn’t going to let her go. And he wasn’t going to let her off the hook, either.

  “Really,” she said. “I’m just tired. It’s been a long day.”

  “Don’t do that,” he pleaded softly.

  “Don’t do what?”

  “Don’t act like nothing’s wrong.”

  He was right. She couldn’t pretend like she was fine when every ounce of her being screamed exactly the opposite. Her insides were an emotional turmoil, and for good reason. She had almost died. If the bear hadn’t stopped, she could have been torn to pieces. The end.

  She was barely holding it together. Why was she fighting it?

  “You’re right,” she said, as the tears began to fall. She couldn’t hold it in any longer. She was in over her head and her own stupidity had almost gotten her killed.
“I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t know the first thing about survival.”

  She let it all out. Like a mad woman, she rattled off all her anxieties and her fears of living alone in the woods, all of her frustrations and worries.

  “I’m barely hanging on here,” she cried.

  When her hysteria quieted and the tears began to dry up, Nora realized she was in Jake’s arms. Her head rested on his chest, his arms held her tight against him. He’d been cradling her through it all, comforting her, calming her.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, lifting her head and looking at him. His face was so close to hers, his scent so strong. For a second, she hoped he might kiss her. But then she recognized the look on his face. It was one of sympathy. He felt sorry for her. He was just being nice, trying to comfort her. And his shirt was soaking wet from her tears, she realized.

  “Wow. This is embarrassing,” Nora said, pulling away from him abruptly. “Sorry about your shirt.” She scooted over on the couch, intentionally putting some distance between them.

  The second she pulled away, Jake regretted he hadn’t kissed her. She’d been so close to him, her eyes inviting him, her lips tempting him. But he hadn’t wanted to take advantage of the situation. She was in an emotional state. It wouldn’t have been right to kiss her when she was so vulnerable.

  “This doesn’t count as our first date, does it?” Jake asked jokingly to lighten the mood.

  “I certainly hope not,” she said dryly, feeling a little awkward now that she’d poured out her heart to him and gotten practically no response back.

  “Good,” he said. “Looks like the water’s hot. How about some coffee?”

  Nora wiped a stray tear off her face and nodded her head. Jake smiled warmly at her.

  He poured two cups of coffee and handed one to Nora. He could tell she was still shook up, even though she tried to conceal it. The slight tremor in her hands when she took the cup of coffee was enough to betray her.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to spend the night in town?” Jake asked for the second time that day. “There’s a spare room…”

  “No,” Nora cut him off. “I’ll be fine here.” She was trying to convince herself as much as Jake. Now that three other people had been out there looking for it, she told herself the bear was probably long gone by now.

  “Well, I could stay out here for the night… just to keep an eye on things,” he added, still not convinced he should leave Nora alone.

  “Really, you should go. Sleep in a real bed, not on some lumpy couch.” Nora insisted. She gave him a small smile to prove she was fine with being left alone.

  “You’re sure?” he asked reluctantly.

  “I am.”

  Jake turned to leave, but before he did, Nora leaned up and kissed his cheek. “Thanks for everything,” she said softly.

  Nora quickly turned and walked into the cabin, leaving Jake gawking at her. The kiss, as innocent as it had been, surprised him. In all honesty, even Nora was a little surprised she had been so forward.

  She watched from the window as Jake headed toward his skiff. He turned back around once and waved at her. Then he jumped into his boat and disappeared into the darkness.

  Feeling alone, Nora sunk down onto the couch. She still couldn’t get the dead man out of her mind… or the sound of the bear snarling at her. She curled up on the couch with a blanket and lay there for a long time, watching the door and listening for any sounds that might indicate the bear had returned. She eventually fell into a restless sleep.

  Chapter 12

  A strange noise outside awoke Nora shortly after midnight. It was a scratching sound. Paws, or maybe claws, scraping against wood. Scratching, digging, clawing.

  At the first sound of it, Nora bolted upright. When she heard the noise again, she jumped up off the couch and lunged for the door to make sure the latch was secured. It was, but she still didn’t feel very safe.

  Through the window, all Nora saw was darkness. The moon was hidden behind cloud cover and a pitch black void enveloped everything.

  She heard the scratching sound a third time, and another noise she couldn’t quite put a finger on. Whatever it was, it was close to the cabin. Very close.

  The fire in the stove was almost out and the cabin was beginning to take on a chill. Nora hurriedly tossed two more logs into the stove then looked around for something, anything, she could put in front of the door. The handmade wooden latch wouldn’t hold up if someone, or something, tried to force their way in. She briefly thought about moving the couch in front of the door, but that would put it too close to the wood stove. The last thing she needed was to start a fire in the cabin. Either she would end up trapped inside, or if she did make it out alive, she’d be forced to watch helplessly as her home burned to the ground. Not to mention, she’d be alone outside with whatever kept making that scratching sound.

  Instinctively, Nora grabbed the old rifle Pete had left hanging on the wall. She didn’t know what kind of rifle it was or what caliber shell it took. Nora didn’t know anything about guns at all. She clumsily pulled back the bolt-action lever and found two shells already in the rifle. Pushing the bolt slowly back into place, she saw one of the shells automatically slide up into the chamber and she assumed the rifle was ready to fire. Television and movies had at least ingrained into Nora’s head that there was always a safety switch on guns. She eventually found it and flicked the safety switch on. Guns made Nora nervous, so she double-checked it a second later to ensure the safety was definitely in the “on” position.

  She heard the scratching sound again, along with a familiar woofing she’d heard earlier in the day. The hairs on Nora’s arms stood up as she recognized the sound the bear had made just before it had charged her by the stream.

  The bear. It was back.

  Nora quickly grabbed the lantern and scurried up the ladder to the loft. Feeling only slightly safer due to her higher vantage point, she sat down cross-legged at the edge of the loft. She placed the lantern off to her side and pulled the rifle up into her lap. The can of bear spray sat beside her.

  Nora looked the rifle over one more time. She flicked the safety switch into the “off” position and aimed the rifle at the door. Then she sat there and waited. She had never fired a shot before in her entire life, but if it came down to it, Nora wouldn’t hesitate. She hoped two shells would be enough for whatever might come through the door. She also hoped her aim would be accurate.

  She sat there on alert for what seemed like an eternity. Her arms ached from holding the rifle for so long. The scratching sound had grown quieter. Nora glanced at the clock. It was 1 o’clock. Even though the noises had quieted, she kept the rifle aimed at the door. When another hour passed and all she could hear was the stillness of night, Nora relaxed a bit. She flicked the safety back on and sat the rifle on the floor next to her.

  Whatever had been lurking around outside seemed to be gone, but she wasn’t ready to give up her watch on the door. Not yet. Sleep was out of the question. As tired as Nora was, she was too scared to let down her guard. She would be up all night watching that door.

  She should have stayed in town, like Jake had suggested. Nora knew that now.

  I wonder if he’s still awake.

  Nora leaned over the edge of the loft and looked down at the radio. She was going to be up all night and she needed something to distract her from the bear outside, a friendly voice to help calm her nerves. Talking to Jake over the radio always helped her relax.

  No. It’s late. I shouldn’t bother him. He’s probably sleeping. Besides, he’ll know why I’m calling. Yes, she should have stayed in town. But she wasn’t about to admit that to Jake.

  Next to the radio sat Pete’s brown leather journal. That could be a good distraction, Nora thought. Quickly climbing down the ladder, she snatched up the journal and then hurried back up into the loft.

  Resuming her perch on the edge of the loft, where she could keep an eye on the door and window, Nora pulled t
he silver ink pen out of Pete’s journal and opened it up. The words that filled its pages spoke of Pete’s life in the cabin and, oddly, the fondness he felt for his niece. Some of his journal entries were sadly reflective:

  Once I’m gone, there will be nothing left of me on this Earth. No children to remember me, no wife to mourn my passing. No one will care. Not my brother. Not his daughter. I’m not part of their lives and they probably never even think of me.

  Sometimes I wish Nora were my child. It’s foolish, I know. She’s growing up and I wish I was there to see it. I see the young folks in town starting families and I wonder if I missed out on something by choosing this life. The wilderness always called to me, but maybe I should have ignored it.

  There were plenty of other things in the journal, too. Entries about his hopes and plans, as well as some sketches of what he called his homestead. He had plenty of improvements planned but he never got around to doing any of them.

  Nora had read the journal many times over the past few weeks, taking comfort in the fact Pete had experienced many of the same feelings of isolation and loneliness as Nora. It was only three-quarters of the way full. There would have been plenty of room for many more entries, if Pete had lived longer.

  Nora flipped through the pages and read Pete’s final entry one more time. It was a mundane entry recording the day’s salmon catch. He had measured and weighed each of the fish and estimated the profit he would earn if he sold them to Nate.

  She smiled as she envisioned Pete sitting down at the table, meticulously recording the information. Planning ahead. The one thing Nora had learned about her uncle was that he planned for every contingency.