Water's Edge (Alaskan Frontier Romance Book 1)

by Jennifer McArdle

  “Better for who?” Nora asked softly.

  “Look, I really don’t want to talk about this right now,” Jake said. “Can’t we just dance?”

  “Okay,” she said reluctantly. “If that’s what you want.” She didn’t ask any more questions or push him for further explanation. Instead, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the feel of his arms around her. She let the rhythm of the music move her until she forgot about the tension between Jake and his mother, until all she noticed was the way their bodies moved together on the dance floor.

  The slow song was followed by a fast-paced duet of two finger-picking guitarists. Then four young men, who looked to be in their teens, got up on the stage with their guitars and started playing something they’d made up the same day. By the time their 15-minute piece ended, Nora needed to take a break.

  “I need something to drink,” she said, laughing. In spite of the earlier tension, she was having a great time. “Will you excuse me for a minute? I’ll be right back.”

  Nora made her way through the crowd toward the far end of the festival grounds where a drink stand had been set up. The sounds of the festival quieted as she got further away from the music, the dancing, and the games. On the outskirts, the festival was nothing more than a faint noise in the distance.

  She stopped when she heard two voices nearby, on the other side of the drink stand. They were voices she recognized.

  “Stay here,” she heard Samuel plead. “Just for the week.”

  They didn’t know she was there.

  “No. I have obligations at home.”

  “That’s not your home. This is your home. It always has been.” Nora heard the pain in Samuel’s voice.

  “Don’t, Samuel. We’ve been through this before. I can’t stay here. I won’t. This place sucks the life out of me.”

  She touched his hand then. Smiled at him sadly.

  “You could come back with me, you know. The kids are grown. They have their own lives...”

  This time it was Samuel who refused. “No. I’m staying here, where I belong. We have a home here, a life. I can’t leave it behind.”

  “Then I guess we’re at an impasse, aren’t we?”

  “Yeah, I guess so.”

  Madeline walked away, leaving Samuel behind. Exactly as she’d done years before. It broke Nora’s heart to see him go through it all over again. Maybe Jake was right. Maybe they should be apart.

  Nora waited behind the drink stand until Samuel left, as well. She didn’t want to embarrass him by letting him know she’d heard everything. When she was certain he was gone, she discreetly stepped out of the shadows and headed back toward the festival grounds.

  The dance floor was busier now. Nora stood on the edge of the dance floor, watching Jake twirl Lily around, when Madeline appeared by her side.

  “Come, dear. Walk with me for a while.” It wasn’t a request, Nora realized, as Madeline took Nora’s hand, tucked it around her arm, and led her away from the dance floor.

  “It’s strange being back here. It’s like I haven’t even been gone.” She didn’t sound wistful, the way Aspen had earlier. “This place never changes. It’s the same old thing, over and over again. The same people having the same petty arguments. The same routine day in and day out. I think that’s why I had to get out.”

  “Why are you telling me this?” Nora asked.

  Madeline stopped walking and turned to look at Nora. “Because I see a bit of me in you.”

  “But you don’t even know me. We met an hour ago and we’ve barely spoken to each other.”

  “I know enough. I know you come from a very different background. I know every day here is a struggle for you. In those respects, we are alike.”

  “I’m nothing like you.” I would never leave my family behind, Nora wanted to scream at her.

  “You are, in all the ways that matter,” she said softly. “You don’t know what it’s like when the winter sets in, when there’s no way out. I’m not sure you’ll truly be happy here, and I don’t want to see my Jake get hurt. He’s been hesitant to trust women in the past. I think that’s my fault. I don’t want to see you lead him down a path he may never recover from.”

  Madeline squeezed Nora’s hand and then left her there alone. The older woman’s words still echoed in Nora’s mind when Jake found her a few minutes later.

  “There you are,” said Jake, grabbing her hand and pulling her close to him. “I thought maybe you’d gotten lost.”

  “No, not lost.” She stood up on her tip-toes and kissed him lightly, trying to force Madeline’s words out of her mind. “I’m exactly where I belong.” She hoped she was telling the truth.

  Chapter 16

  A bright light shined in Nora’s eyes and she briefly opened them before pulling the covers up over her head to block out the sun. She was still tired and didn’t want to get up. But then her half-conscious mind started working and she opened her eyes in alarm. Tossing the covers off and sitting upright in the bed, Nora realized she had no idea where she was. She rubbed her eyes, trying to remember where she was and how she had gotten there.

  Nothing.

  The last thing she remembered was watching the sunrise over the cove. That would have been around 4 a.m. Wait, she remembered having cocktails for breakfast. She drank three of the deliciously sweet drinks before Lily told her there was alcohol in them.

  After that, things got a little foggy.

  Did she actually get up on the stage and sing? She groaned at the memory, faint as it was. Nora was definitely not a singer. She vaguely recalled she and Jake had danced for a while. But she couldn’t remember anything else.

  Still feeling disoriented, Nora looked around the room. No clock. She had no idea how long she’d slept. The bright sunshine filtered in through the sheer curtains. Still daylight, so she must not have slept too long.

  Then the door opened and Jake walked in, looking remarkably fresh for someone who had been up for almost two days straight. Unless he had slept, as well. Nora quickly surveyed the bed, looking for an indentation that would give her an indication of whether Jake had slept beside her. Of the two pillows on the bed, Nora’s was the only one disturbed.

  “Good morning,” Jake said, looking at her curiously. “Looking for something?”

  “Um, no,” she said, slightly embarrassed she still couldn’t remember how she had gotten there. Thankfully, she was still fully clothed, so that was one less thing she had to wonder about. “Did you say ‘morning’?” Nora was sure it had to be afternoon.

  He chuckled. “Yeah. You’ve been sleeping…” he paused to look at his watch, “for about 17 hours.”

  “You’re kidding,” she said mortified.

  “Nope. I carried you back here right after lunch yesterday.”

  “Carried?”

  “Well, you walked part of the way, but since you were having trouble standing, I picked you up and carried you the rest of the way.” She laid back down and pulled the covers over her head, then, completely embarrassed.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry,” Nora said from beneath the covers. She pulled the covers back slightly to peek out from underneath at him. He was leaning casually against the dresser, sipping a cup of coffee.

  “Don’t worry about it. We’ve all been there at one time or another,” he said. Then he gestured toward the door. “I made some coffee and toast. Join me for some breakfast?”

  She sat back up in bed and smiled weakly at him. “Sure. I’ll be right out. Give me a minute, okay?”

  “Take your time,” he said, turning and leaving the room.

  A few minutes later, she found Jake in the kitchen, sitting at the table spreading homemade blueberry jam on a slice of toast. A cup of coffee and a plate sat on the opposite side of the table, waiting for her. Nora sat down across from Jake, hoping she didn’t look too dreadful.

  “Thank you… for everything,” she said as she picked up the coffee cup and tentatively took a sip of the hot liquid. “This is good,” she sa
id, sounding more surprised than she intended. Nora took another, longer drink.

  “Can’t believe I can make a decent cup of coffee? Shocking, isn’t it?”

  The smile on his face told Nora he was teasing her and she smiled back. “I actually expected a cup of sludge. Are these freshly ground beans?”

  “Of course,” he said, smiling at her delight in the coffee. “You know, my skills don’t end with coffee. I make a mean flat bread pizza. If you stick around for dinner, I might impress you.”

  “We’ll see,” was all she said, but the corners of her mouth turned up just a little as she looked at him coyly.

  He raised an eyebrow. “We’ll see, huh?” Scooting his chair around the table so he sat right next to her, Jake leaned in close. Real close.

  “I already know how you feel about the coffee, but you haven’t even tried the toast and jam.” He was so close Nora could feel his breath on her neck. Her skin broke out in goose bumps and Nora’s breath caught in her throat for a moment. That’s what Jake wanted. He felt like flirting and he liked seeing Nora squirm.

  He was so close to her Nora didn’t dare turn her head to look at him. If she did, she knew their lips would touch and she might not be able to control herself. A simple kiss didn’t seem like much, but when it came to Jake, she was never content with a single kiss.

  Very meticulously, Nora spread the blueberry jam on the toast, trying to ignore Jake’s close proximity. As if he wasn’t close enough to her, Jake scooted his chair even closer and leaned in to her ear. He whispered ever so quietly, “I have many hidden talents, you know.” He said it so seductively, Nora forgot about the toast in her hand. She turned her head to look at him and before she knew it his lips were on hers, kissing her lightly, gently. His lips were strong and commanding and… gone before she knew it. She didn’t even have a chance to respond to the kiss before Jake pulled away. “The jam, I mean. That’s one of my hidden talents. I made it last fall.” He was teasing her, she realized. And, what’s more, she liked it.

  He stood up, then, and walked over to the sink with his empty plate. Nora turned back to the toast in her hand and took a bite. The jam did taste good. Too good. Just like Jake.

  It would be way too easy to fall in love with him, and that might be a bad thing. So far, they had kissed a handful of times and it was fantastic. Nora couldn’t deny the attraction she felt toward him. He was everything a man should be. Strong. Masculine. Kind. Gentle. But after her encounter with Madeline, Nora wasn’t sure if a relationship was a good idea. What if Madeline was right and Nora really didn’t belong in a small bush community?

  She glanced up at him. He was standing next to the sink, leaning back against the cabinets, watching her. He looked... content.

  “Oh, Nora,” said Lily excitedly as she walked into the kitchen. “I didn’t realize you spent the night.” She went to the sink, slugged Jake playfully on the arm, and filled herself a glass of water. “So, did you have a good time?” she asked, grinning expectantly at Nora, wanting to hear the juicy details.

  Oh, no. Lily thinks we slept together. Everyone is going to think we slept together. Nora was mortified. She needed to leave before Samuel woke up, too.

  “Um, I should probably get going,” she blurted out awkwardly then. She stood up, without saying anything else, and walked out of the kitchen.

  “Was it something I said?” Lily turned to Jake.

  “I don’t know. I don’t think so.”

  Jake followed Nora through the house and stopped her at the front door.

  “What’s going on?” he asked, sincerely confused.

  “I just need to go,” Nora explained. “My stuff… the cooler and chair… do you know…?”

  “I brought everything back here,” he said before Nora finished her sentence. Then he grabbed a light jacket off a peg on the wall and opened the door. “Come on. I’ll carry your things to the boat.”

  Outside, the cooler and chair sat on the front porch. Jake grabbed them both and started toward the beach. Nora followed in silence a few steps behind him. When they reached the shore, he picked up the heavy rope lying on the ground and hauled her skiff in from the deeper waters, then he loaded her things into the boat and turned to Nora.

  “Are you sure you have to go?” he asked. Jake didn’t know what had gone wrong, but he wanted the chance to make it right. “I was hoping you’d stick around a little longer.”

  Nora didn’t want to encourage him, but he looked so hopeful. One look at his face and she knew she’d have a hard time denying this man anything he asked of her. That was precisely why she had to stand firm and leave right now. This thing between them shouldn’t go any further. It had already gone too far.

  But the faint pleading sound in his voice tugged at her heart. Her resolve wavered.

  “I guess I don’t have to leave yet.” she assented.

  He smiled, delighted. “Good. I was hoping you’d say that because I was planning to show you something.”

  “What?”

  “You’ll have to wait and see,” was all he said, but he took her hand and wrapped it around his arm, then led Nora away from the beach. They stopped back at the house long enough for him to run in and grab a rifle and a small backpack, both of which he slung over his shoulder. Then they followed the boardwalk inland, past about a dozen houses. After about a quarter-mile, the boardwalk ended abruptly. There was nowhere else to go. Nothing but trees all around them.

  “Well, that was a nice walk. Shall we turn around?”

  “We’re not done yet,” he responded, climbing over the railing and jumping down about three feet onto the squishy ground below. “Come on. Climb over. I’ll help you down.”

  “Are you kidding?”

  “No,” he said, holding out a hand to her. “Come on.”

  Reluctantly, Nora stepped up onto the lower slat of the railing, swung one leg over, and then the other.

  “Where are we going?” she asked after she jumped down onto the ground.

  He grinned. “Follow me and you’ll find out.” He took a small round bell out of his pocket and hooked it on the belt loop of his blue jeans. Then he took Nora’s hand in his and led her toward a narrow path worn through the forest. The bell jingled and jangled with each step he took.

  The trail was only wide enough for one person, but it was obviously used often enough because the ground was well worn. They followed it through thick undergrowth, weaving back and forth, continually upward.

  As they continued onward, Nora’s legs began to ache from the strain of what had become an uphill climb. But she didn’t want to admit how out-of-shape she was, so she didn’t ask Jake if they could take a break. Her pace slowed, though. Jake noticed she was getting tired, so he stopped and turned to her.

  “Let’s rest here for a minute,” he said. “We’re about halfway there, so this is a good spot.”

  “Where are we going, anyway?” Nora asked as she sat down on a large boulder beside the trail, thankful for the chance to catch her breath.

  “Up the mountain,” he said matter-of-factly. “I thought that would have been evident by now. Not far up the path there’s a clearing with a really nice view of the inlet. I think you’ll like it.”

  “So what’s with the bell?” she asked.

  “Bear bell,” he explained. “Let’s ‘em know we’re coming… so we don’t accidentally sneak up on one.”

  “Does it work?”

  Jake shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not.”

  The thought of bears alarmed her slightly, bringing back memories of her own encounter with the bear only a week earlier. “Are there a lot of bears up here?”

  “I’ve never seen one on the trail, but you never know,” he said, trying to ease her mind. “And if we do run into one,” he reached into his pocket and pulled out a canister, “I have bear spray. You can carry it if you want. But be careful you don’t spray it at yourself. It burns like you wouldn’t believe.”

  “So, let me get this straight. We
’ve been tromping though bear infested forest and you’re just now offering to let me carry the bear spray? What if we’d run into a bear? I was completely defenseless, not to mention oblivious to the fact we might even see a bear.”

  Jake chuckled at her. “Oblivious? By now you should know better,” he teased.

  Nora smiled. Jake had a point. But Nora hadn’t known where they were going, either. The entire hike she figured their destination was around the next bend. She certainly didn’t think they were going to hike to the top of the mountain.

  “You’re right,” Nora said, standing up. “I should know better. Just like I should know better than to go anywhere with you.” She was teasing now.

  Nora grinned at him and walked past him.

  “Are you sure you want to lead the way? You don’t know where you’re going.”

  “We’re just following the path, right? Shouldn’t be too hard.” She tried to sound more confident than she really was. To be honest, the mention of bears had put her on edge, but she didn’t want Jake to notice.

  “Okay,” he said from a few feet behind her. “Lead the way.”

  Continuing upward, the hike was slower with Nora in the lead. For one thing, she was less sure of her footing and unfamiliar with the trail. More than once, she almost lost the path when they reached a switchback, but thankfully Jake pointed her in the right direction each time.

  When she reached a fork in the trail, she stopped and turned to Jake.

  “Which way?” she asked.

  He smiled. “Hmm?” He was feeling playful again.

  “Which way do I go?”

  “Which way do you think we should go?” he answered her question with another question, grinning at her with a look of mock innocence. Nora smiled and raised an eyebrow at him, waiting patiently.

  “Follow the trail to the right. They join back up with each other near the summit, but this way is easier,” he said.

  “Thank you,” Nora said with over-exaggerated graciousness. Turning back toward the trail, her foot caught on a rock and Nora lost her balance. Jake swiftly jumped forward and caught her in his arms a second before she would have hit the ground.