Boone put his sandwich back down on his plate. “You didn’t know? I assumed I was the last to know.”
“I didn’t know a thing until she called me this morning.” Cameron paused. He wrinkled his nose. “She was asking about Joshua.”
Joshua? Five years later and Honor still had her high school boyfriend at the forefront of her mind. He let out a tremendous sigh. “Did you tell her?”
Cameron nodded. “Yeah. I figured it was best coming from me rather than her finding out some other way.”
“Did she seem...upset?”
Cameron leveled Boone with a stone-cold glare. “What do you think?”
“I think finding out he married someone else might give her closure.” He took another bite of his sandwich as thoughts of the past swirled around in his head.
“Well, if you consider crying your eyes out as closure, then our baby sister got it in droves today.”
Boone winced at the idea of Honor being in such distress over a man who wasn’t worth her time or devotion. If he could absorb some of her pain, he’d willingly do so. Since she’d been gone from Love, Joshua had been in all sorts of trouble. Boone had arrested him three times for various infractions, the most memorable of which was being drunk and disorderly on a snowmobile as naked as the day he was born. Last year he’d left Love and gotten married to someone in the Lower 48. Unlike Honor, he’d moved on. What would it take for his sister to stop romanticizing her first love?
Cameron sat back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest. He locked gazes with Boone. “By the way, I know you haven’t been hanging around here for the turkey and brie sandwiches.”
Boone tried to look unassuming. “No? They’re mighty tasty if you’re looking for some customer feedback. Just between you and me, a tomato might raise it to the level of sheer perfection.”
Cameron rolled his eyes. “In case you’re interested, I heard some guys talking about asking Grace to the skating social. Hank’s been coming in here two, three times a day to catch a glimpse of her. You might want to bite the bullet and ask her first, if you’re so inclined.”
Hank Jeffries! He was a fireman and an all-around good guy. There wasn’t a single negative thing Boone could say about him. The idea of Hank courting Grace caused an unsettled feeling to roll around in the pit of his stomach. It made him wonder if Grace might not fall for a guy like Hank.
“I don’t know,” he hedged. “It’s been a while since I’ve put my foot in the dating pond.”
Cameron narrowed his eyes at him. “You like her. Just admit it.”
Boone nodded, feeling as though he was back in grade school when he and his brothers would talk about the girls they were sweet on.
“I like her. A lot,” he acknowledged. Just saying the words out loud scared him a little. And it was too late to take them back. He’d put it out there in the universe. It made everything brewing between him and Grace all too real.
“She likes you, too, from what I can tell,” Cameron said. “You can see the chemistry between the two of you from a mile away.”
It reassured him to hear Cameron’s opinion on the matter. The strain between them was beginning to ease up some. He was getting his little brother back, one day at a time. He just needed to be patient and let their relationship get back on track. The truth was he felt a little rusty about all the rules of dating and the signs of a woman’s interest. It had been a very long time since he’d had more than a passing interest in getting to know someone. What he felt for Grace was beginning to feel like the real thing. It was making him question what he wanted in the future.
“And you? Any interest in making a love connection?” He tossed the question out to Cameron with all the ease of a professional pitcher.
Cameron’s facial features tensed up. “I don’t want to talk about me. There’s no one I’m interested in romantically, and that’s a fact.” Cameron’s tone was brusque, and it brooked no argument.
In that moment he saw everything his brother wasn’t saying. “You still love her, don’t you?” he asked, the words rushing out of his mouth before he could stem the tide.
“You just can’t leave well enough alone, can you?” With a movement that almost overturned his chair, Cameron jumped up, grabbed both their bowls and stomped off toward the kitchen. Boone felt as if he’d taken six steps backward in his relationship with Cameron when he heard the crash of dishes being thrown in the sink.
As far as love was concerned, he and Cameron had one thing in common. They’d both been betrayed by the woman they’d loved. But he no longer loved Diana. And he’d come to realize that their relationship had been about as deep as the water in a kiddie pool. Cameron, on the other hand, still loved Paige, a woman who had conspired with her own father to fleece the town of Love and had made his brother an object of ridicule. All things considered, he felt mighty fortunate.
Chapter Eight
Grace’s fingers flew over the keyboard as she wrote about her spelunking adventures with Jasper. It was her day off from the Moose Café, and she was determined to finish her first article based on her initial impressions of Love. Reading back her words caused prickles of awareness to pop up on her arm. A feeling of excitement raced through her. It always felt like this when a story started to come together. Once she returned home to New York City, the first of the articles would be released. One by one they would trickle out. And then the truth would be revealed. Grace shut her eyes tightly as Boone’s face came into sharp focus. What would he think of her? It hurt her to even imagine how it would all play out.
Maybe, just maybe, they wouldn’t find out. This particular village was somewhat removed from what was happening in the rest of the country. Who was she kidding? There was cable news here, as well as internet access. Everyone here in Love would know she’d come to town with an agenda that didn’t include falling in love. As it was, Hazel kept grilling her about which man in town she had her eye on. More times than not, she asked her about Boone, telling her that if she was twenty years younger, she’d chase after him herself. Bless Hazel. She always made her laugh. She was going to miss her like crazy when it was time to leave Love.
Grace stopped typing and looked out her window at the last vestiges of sunlight. In a few minutes the sun would be stamped out from the sky, and the night would prematurely come into being. According to Boone, every day they inched closer to winter they lost a little bit of sunlight. Pretty soon, there would only be four to five hours a day of sunlight. It would be kind of cool to experience it.
But you won’t be here then, she reminded herself. You’ll be long gone.
The thought of no longer being in Love left her feeling as if someone had placed a heavy weight on her chest. More and more she could imagine herself living here, and it wounded her to think about leaving this memorable town. She shook the raw emotion away, chiding herself for being so sentimental. This wasn’t her home. It was a job assignment!
The sound of tires crunching outside on the snow had her standing up to get a clear view of the driveway. Boone’s blue-and-white cruiser came to a stop in front of her cabin. Excitement unfurled inside her at the prospect of seeing him on a day she hadn’t expected to even venture outside. She walked over to the desk and shut her computer before tucking her notes inside the drawer.
Before he could knock, she flung the door open, her heart constricting at the sight of him. He was dressed in his uniform, and he held his hat in his hand, pressed tightly against his chest. Sturdy boots encased his feet.
“Afternoon, Grace,” he said with a nod.
“Afternoon. What brings you out here, Boone? Helping Hazel track down Primrose again?” she teased. Every time she thought of the night Boone had introduced her to Hazel’s skunk, it made her smile.
His lips began to twitch, right before he flashed a wide, easygoing grin. “Not this time. Actu
ally I wanted to talk to you, if you have a few minutes.”
“Come on in. I was just about to make some hot chocolate.” Her curiosity was instantly piqued by whatever had motivated Boone to pay her a visit this afternoon.
“I’d like to take you to the skating social.” The words gushed out of Boone’s mouth like a rushing river.
Grace looked up at him as a feeling of surprise swept over her.
“As your date?” she asked.
Boone’s face held a perplexed expression. “Yes. As my date.”
“Then you should say that. ‘Grace, I’d like you to be my date for the skating social.’”
He let out a little noise that resembled a groan. “Isn’t that pretty much what I said?”
Grace shook her head. “No. You used the word take, not date. There’s a world of difference.”
Boone shoved his hand through his hair and shifted his stance. “Grace, would you like to—” he began.
“I’d love to,” she said smoothly, bursting into giggles at the dumbfounded expression on Boone’s face.
A slow hiss escaped Boone’s lips. “I’ll take that hot chocolate now if you’re done toying with me.”
She quickly ushered him inside her cabin. Once Boone entered her abode, it felt as if he overshadowed everything else with his height and breadth. The atmosphere instantly changed, making it feel all the more intimate.
“Take a seat while I put the kettle on,” Grace said, tickled at the idea of Boone coming to see her on her day off in order to ask her out.
“Actually, no. Scratch that idea for the moment. Put your boots and jacket on, Gracie. I want to show you something.”
She wrapped her arms around herself. “Right now? But it’s so warm and cozy inside,” she said, not relishing the idea of being outside in the frosty conditions.
“Come on. Take a walk on the wild side. It’s twenty-four degrees outside. That’s practically balmy.” Boone was pleading with her with his eyes.
“Okay,” she grumbled. “But this better be good. My major goal for today was to get out of bed and get dressed. My feet are killing me from standing on them all day yesterday.”
Boone’s lips twitched. “Imagine how much they’d be hurting if you’d continued to wear those four-inch heels.”
Grace shuddered as she put her boots on. She let out a sigh of appreciation. The boots were a welcome relief for aching feet.
She still loved her high-heeled shoes, but the thought of standing around in them all day was not appealing. “I never thanked you for suggesting Hazel’s boots. They’ve worked out beautifully.”
She slid her arms through her coat sleeves, and Boone leaned in and zipped her coat up for her. “No, thanks needed. As I’m sure you know, Hazel gets a real kick out of seeing her boots walking around town. She almost had me wearing a pair.” He winked at her. “Almost.”
“She needs to start charging customers for the boots instead of bartering them for goods. Something tells me they’re worth more than a dozen eggs and a pair of wool gloves. I had to practically force her to take payment from me,” Grace grumbled.
Boone shrugged. “You make a good point. Unfortunately, Hazel doesn’t look at the big picture. Perhaps you could give her a nudge in the right direction.”
Grace liked that idea. If her fashion instincts were right, Hazel could make a small fortune off these boots!
* * *
Grace jammed a wool hat on and pulled it down past her ears. Once her mittens were on, she yanked open the door and stepped outside. The glare from the sun blinded her for a moment. Boone walked behind her down the steps and then stepped in front of her to lead the way.
Grace turned toward him. “Where are we going?”
Boone pointed down the long driveway toward the lodge. “Have you ever been down the Black Bear Trail?”
“Nope. The only trail I’ve been down is the one in Nottingham Woods. And we all know how that turned out,” Grace joked.
“You were a real trouper in that situation.” He stopped in his tracks and turned toward her. His expression was somber. “Just promise me you won’t go off legend hunting with Jasper again. I know he can be really persistent about it. He’s at a point in his life when he can’t afford to have any more broken bones, and he’s not rational when it comes to the legend. That ankle of his was pretty badly injured.”
Grace felt a twinge of guilt about Jasper’s ankle. She hadn’t even known it was a break and not a sprain. Perhaps she should have nipped things in the bud before they’d even ventured into the woods. On the other hand, Jasper seemed to get such joy from his adventures. Surely that wasn’t a bad thing.
She bit her lip. “All right, Boone. I promise not to entertain any more of Jasper’s treasure-hunting ideas. The last thing I want is to see him get hurt.”
Boone’s expression relaxed. “Thank you. I know I may sound like I’m overreacting, but Jasper tends to take things way too far and he’s had a few health issues this past year.”
Grace shrugged. “You love him and you want to see him safe from harm. You don’t have to apologize for that. Not to me or to anyone.”
Boone nodded in her direction before continuing to walk down the road. She joined in, staying close beside him.
A few feet past the lodge, Boone pointed toward a wooden sign with white lettering standing next to an opening in a copse of pine trees. Black Bear Trail. Boone took the lead and charged ahead, his steps full of purpose. He waited for her to catch up and then walked side by side with her, stopping on occasion to point out a black-billed magpie or a raven. He showed her the difference between the types of trees they passed—Sitka spruce and western hemlock—and pointed in the direction of a black-tailed deer as it scampered off into the woods.
Wherever Grace looked, beauty surrounded her. It was different from anything she’d known before or had ever paused to appreciate. She couldn’t think of a time back home when she’d stopped to simply appreciate her environment. She’d always justified it by telling herself that the busy schedule of a journalist didn’t allow for such luxuries.
After about five minutes of walking along the trail, Boone stopped at the edge of a clearing and pointed at a cliff about thirty feet away. “Take a look.”
She peered up at the side of the cliff, uncertain as to what was so special about it. “What am I looking at?”
“You’ll see,” Boone said in a lilting voice that hinted of something wonderful to come.
All of a sudden Grace spotted a bald eagle soaring across the sky. Within seconds, another joined the first one in flight. One after another, eagles majestically flew through the air. They were serene and beautiful. Their movements were powerful and full of grace. She’d never seen one in person, and since they’d been near extinction a few years ago, she’d feared that she might never have the opportunity.
“I can’t believe there are so many of them,” Grace said, her eyes darting all over the sky to catch a glimpse of them.
“We call it Eagle’s Landing,” Boone explained. “For some reason the eagles make their home way up there in a little alcove on the side of the cliff.”
“It’s their little nest,” she said, her voice infused with awe. There hadn’t been many times in her life when she’d felt speechless, but right here in this moment the raw beauty of the eagles stunned her into silence.
“Pretty amazing, huh?” Boone asked, his eyes roaming over her face.
She nodded her head, not trusting herself to speak and ruin the grandeur of the moment. She felt a sudden desire to write about all the things she was discovering about everyday life in Love. The wonderful people. The Moose Café. Wild eagles in flight. Hazel’s comfy boots. Sheriffs who made house calls. There was so much more to this town than a woman shortage and Operation Love. There was pluck and determination and A
laskan pride. There was friendship and heart and fellowship. And she was beginning to think that complete and utter happiness might be here, just within reach.
Boone rubbed his hands together. “The temperature’s beginning to drop out here. It might be time to head back. Hope that offer of hot chocolate still stands.”
She smiled at Boone, knowing there was nothing she’d like better than to sit down with him over a mug of hot chocolate. Little by little her world was changing. Two weeks ago her happiness had centered around her job at the Tribune, adding to her massive shoe collection and planning her next beach getaway. A burst of contentment flooded her at the simplicity of her current wants. Being with Boone, taking a nature walk and the prospect of drinking hot chocolate gave her more joy than she’d ever dreamed possible. But would she be willing to uproot her life in New York City and all the things that went along with it? Would she be content to live a small-town rugged life? What about museums and twenty-four hour diners and towering buildings? How could she leave all that?
“Of course the offer still stands,” she answered, feeling a slight panic at the realization that she was living on borrowed time. All too soon these moments would be nothing more than memories she reflected on from her tiny office in Manhattan. She needed to hold on tightly to these moments before they vanished in a puff of smoke.
* * *
It seemed to Boone as if the entire population of Love had shown up for the ice-skating event at Deer Run Lake. The welcoming committee had set up a snack table with hot chocolate, white-chocolate-chip cookies, hot apple cider and apple cider doughnuts. By the time they’d arrived, a good number of people were already on the ice, most of them kids who were whizzing around fast enough to make him dizzy.
When he noticed Grace shivering, he purchased two doughnuts and hot chocolates for the two of them. Eyes widened. Eyebrows rose. A few men frowned at him. By tomorrow morning he predicted that his date with Grace would be the talk of the town.
Did you see Sheriff Prescott last night?
An Alaskan Wedding Page 11