I thought he’d never get over Diana.
Oddly, the thought of people gossiping about him didn’t bother him as much as usual. Perhaps that had something to do with Grace being by his side. In her black ski jacket, dark leggings and pink tutu, she looked very fashion forward. Pink leg warmers topped it all off. She held a black bag in her hand that contained her skates. Now came the moment when he would have to break it to her.
“Ready to get out there?” Grace asked, a look of anticipation lighting up her face.
Boone quirked his mouth. “I don’t know how to skate.”
Grace shook her head. “That can’t be true.”
Boone held up his hand. “I promise you, it’s true.”
“But you live in Alaska, home of snow, ice and subzero temperatures. How did you make it through your childhood without knowing how to skate?” Grace’s eyebrows rose by what seemed like inches.
“The Prescotts are fishermen, going back as far as we can trace it. I learned how to fish and mountain climb. And there was white-water rafting, skiing and canoeing. We Prescotts kept busy. We just weren’t skating.”
“Sounds like you Prescotts are a rugged bunch.”
“That’s a fair statement. Pretty much explains why my grandfather is still spelunking in his seventies. Look at you, though,” Boone said as Grace unzipped her bag and pulled out a pair of beautiful white skates. “I’m impressed. You brought your skates and everything.”
Grace’s eyes sparkled as she lightly ran her hand over her skates. “I learned to skate when I was six. I used to love when my grandfather would take me skating at Central Park back home.” Grace’s eyes sparkled. “The cold wind whipping against my face, that feeling of flying as I soared across the ice, a mug of hot chocolate between my mittens as I warmed up afterward. It was as close to perfect as it got. Afterward he would take me to my favorite doll shop and let me pick out whichever one I wanted.”
This was how Grace loved, he realized. Tenderly. Poignantly. With gusto. She shone from the inside out. What would it be like to be loved by this woman? To be her everything? To make it all the way past the wall she had up?
“Those are beautiful memories. Sounds like he’s an important part of your life.”
Grace winced. “He was. We lost him five years ago to a heart attack. Not a day goes by that I don’t miss him.”
Perhaps that was the reason she seemed to have taken such a liking to Jasper. It was possible that being around him reminded her of the grandfather she’d lost.
“So, I’m more than happy to teach you to skate.” Grace said.
Boone looked over at the lake. “I don’t think that would be a very good idea.”
She put her hands on her hips. “And why not? You asked me out on a date, Boone Prescott, which means you have to see to it that I have a good time.”
“And you can’t have a good time unless I’m stumbling around on the ice?” Boone could picture it vividly in his mind’s eye. At close to six foot two, he’d go down like a mighty spruce tree. It wouldn’t be pretty. And then Grace would never want to go out with him again.
“I’ll have a much better time if we’re together out on the ice,” she said sweetly, flashing him her most endearing smile. Grace’s smile did a number on him. For the first time in his life he wished he could skate as proficiently as a professional hockey player, if only to whirl Grace around the ice and give her the date she’d imagined.
Boone shifted from one foot to the other. “If I had some skates I’d give it a try, but I don’t own a pair.”
Grace’s lips twitched as if she was sitting on a secret. “Declan told me you might say that.” Declan? When had Grace spoken with Declan?
All of a sudden Grace let out a loud whistle and gestured toward the ice. Declan, racing around the ice as if he was born with skates on, glided toward them. In a graceful motion he stopped short and walked off the ice straight toward them.
“Hi, Grace. Boone. I was waiting for you to arrive. My other pair of skates is in the bag over there by the tree.” He nodded in the direction of a pine tree ten feet away. Declan clapped Boone on the shoulder. “We have the same shoe size. Remember?”
“I’ll get them,” Grace said. “This worked out perfectly. Didn’t it, Boone?”
The minute Grace walked away, Boone turned toward Declan. “You know you’re going to pay for this, don’t you?” Boone said through clenched teeth.
“I figured as much,” Declan said. “But watching Grace teach you to skate will be well worth it.”
Grace made her way back to them, lugging Declan’s skating bag. She had a pleased expression on her face. “Here we go, Boone. Let’s put on your skates.”
The excitement etched on Grace’s face, combined with the enthusiasm oozing from her voice, was undeniable. Seeing her like this—joyful, eager and full of anticipation—was worth a little discomfort on his part. The thought of getting out on the ice for the first time felt a little intimidating, but he was going to embrace it for all it was worth. Because it made her radiant with happiness. Because it mattered to Grace. And the knowledge swept over him like the cold blast of an artic wind. Suddenly, what meant the world to Grace, deeply mattered to him, as well.
As Grace led him onto the ice in front of half the town, Boone uttered a fervent prayer. Please don’t let me make a fool of myself in front of Grace.
* * *
After an hour on the ice, Grace knew it was time to give Boone a reprieve. For a novice, he’d done a great job, even though he’d taken a few hard falls. His cords were covered in frosty ice. In the end, he managed to skate around the ice with her in a somewhat wobbly fashion. She gave him high points for effort and his can-do attitude.
“You were great,” she said as they made their way off the ice.
Boone shot her a look of disbelief. “Seriously? If I fell any more I’d have been mopping up the ice.”
Grace tried to hide her laughter behind her mittened hand. “Your attitude was great. Every time you fell, you got right back up.”
“Of course I did. Can’t have my date thinking I’m soft,” Boone said with a little bit of swagger in his voice.
Boone practically collapsed onto a wooden bench. He flung his arms out to the side and threw his head back, sticking his tongue out. “I think I’ll just stay here for the rest of the night,” Boone said.
“Hey! Look alive, Boone. If we hurry up and take our skates off we can beat the rush for the hot apple cider,” Grace said, darting a glance toward the concessions line. The line wasn’t too crazy at the moment, and the cider would be the perfect way to take the chill out of their bones. Although she thought he looked mighty cute, Boone’s nose was as red as a strawberry.
After hearing her suggestion, Boone bent down and quickly took off Declan’s skates. He heaved a huge sigh as soon as he put on his own boots. As they walked toward the concession stand, they met up with Gunther and Wanda, who were standing in line.
Gunther beamed as Wanda stood next to him, her arm looped through his. They looked like an old married couple.
Gunther called out to them in greeting. “Hey, Boone. Grace. Looking good out there.”
“Hey, Gunther. Wanda. You’re too kind,” Boone drawled. “Gracie was doing all the heavy lifting, keeping me on my feet.”
“Stop being so humble. You were incredible,” Grace raved. “I still can’t believe it was your first time out on the ice. You’re a natural.”
“You two were both great,” said Wanda. “Let’s hope we glide out there as well as these two,” Wanda said with a laugh. Gunther leaned in and tightly clutched Wanda’s hand. They gazed into each other’s eyes as if they were the only two people in the universe. Grace watched the couple as they walked off with cups of cider in their hands.
“I sure hope it all works out between them,” Grace said
with a rueful shake of her head as she reached out for the cup of apple cider Boone purchased.
“This is the second time you’ve made mention of people not getting their hopes up about love,” Boone remarked. He was staring at her intently.
She shrugged. “I think people ought to tread carefully where love is concerned. That’s all.”
Boone leaned in toward her and asked in a low voice, “Are you guarding your heart, Gracie?”
“If I don’t guard it, who will?” she snapped.
Boone stopped in his tracks. When she looked over at him he was gazing at her with a look of dismay etched on his face.
“What happened to you? Who made you so reluctant to put your heart out there?” His soulful eyes flickered over her face. Boone’s question created an immediate reaction inside her. It was like poking a grizzly bear with a stick. She didn’t want to go to that dark place of hurt she’d lived in for so long. If she did, there was a danger she might never crawl back out.
She rolled her eyes. “You’re not going there, are you?”
He leaned in toward her so that his arresting face was mere inches from her own. Her nostrils twitched at the woodsy scent of him. She wanted to swat him away like a pesky gnat. He was getting too close, in more ways than one. He was opening up old, painful wounds.
“Who hurt you, Gracie?” Boone’s voice was low and tender.
“No one,” she mumbled. “Nothing.”
“What happened?” he pressed.
“I grew up. That’s what happened,” she said in a curt tone.
He narrowed his eyes. “So you stopped believing in happily-ever-after?”
She let out an indelicate snort. “Humph. Happily-ever-after is a fairy tale. No prince is going to go door to door looking for me with a glass slipper in his hand.”
He raised his brow. “And you say this because?” The tone of his voice was incredulous.
“I was supposed to get married, if you really want to know. Right before the wedding, he told me he’d fallen in love with someone else.” She hadn’t meant to tell him, hadn’t wanted to confide something so personal. “I didn’t even have time to run from the church with my tail between my legs. So unless you’ve stood up in a church full of people and explained to them that your wedding has been called off by your groom—” Her voice trailed off, swallowed up by raw emotion.
Boone’s eyes began to blink rapidly. His mouth opened and then shut. Finally, he spoke, his voice sounding raspy. “Someone left you at the altar?”
“Yes. My college sweetheart, Trey. Turns out he wasn’t so sweet.”
Boone didn’t laugh. He gazed at her with an expression that threatened to strip away the last of her composure. She didn’t need pity, and she didn’t need sorrow on her behalf!
She blinked away the moisture in her eyes. After all this time she couldn’t believe she was getting emotional about it. She’d put a lid on these feelings two years ago. “It was an hour before I was to walk down the aisle.”
Her stomach clenched as all the memories rolled through her. Even now, some twenty-six months later, she still felt the embarrassment of that moment. Shame still coursed through her at the notion that she hadn’t been good enough. Trey Walker III hadn’t wanted her as his wife. His intention hadn’t been to crush her, of that she’d been certain. But he hadn’t wanted to commit himself to a woman he didn’t love. What he’d felt for her hadn’t been the type of love that would last a lifetime.
It wasn’t his fault he’d fallen in love with someone else. He’d been caught up in a terrible dilemma. The choice had been between obligation to her and following his heart’s desire. He’d chosen to follow his heart, making her a casualty in the process.
As a result, her family had turned their backs on her. And ever since, she’d felt achingly alone.
And now Boone was poking and prodding at a wound that still wasn’t fully healed, even though she’d almost convinced herself that everything was fine.
“So pardon me for doubting whether love can last a lifetime, because mine didn’t even last long enough to make it down the aisle.” Although she’d thrown the words out there in a defiant way, her voice came out shaky and uncertain, mirroring the way she felt on the inside.
Boone’s brown eyes flickered. His expression softened. “But you’re here, so you must still believe in love.”
Guilt speared through her upon hearing Boone’s words. Love had nothing to do with it. For her, coming to Alaska had been all about business. She’d known that by covering this story and writing her series she’d be in line for professional accolades at the Tribune. She’d make a name for herself in journalistic circles. Maybe even get a promotion. But not for anything in this world could she ever admit that to Boone.
“Yes, I’m here,” she said in small voice. “For what it’s worth.”
He reached out and wrapped her mittened hand in his gloved one. “It’s worth a lot, Gracie. Believing in something when everything tells you it might not be worth believing in...that’s faith.”
She shook her head. It didn’t seem right to allow him to think she was a woman of faith. It was bad enough that Boone believed she was in Alaska in the pursuit of a romantic relationship. God hadn’t been a part of her life since her world had fallen apart two years ago. He’d stood by and let her whole world crumble into dust.
“I haven’t believed in anything for a very long time,” she admitted in a small voice.
Boone squeezed her hand tightly. “I’m so sorry that your hopes and dreams were crushed. I understand what it feels like to have your world fall apart around you. My heart has been knocked around a time or two, but I still have faith. I still believe in loving someone with every fiber of my being. And even though my trust has been broken, I still want everlasting love. I think I deserve that.”
She tried to swallow past the huge lump in her throat. Boone’s words had reached deep down inside her very soul and tugged hard on her heartstrings. The feelings he was stirring up were powerful. If she had to reduce it to one single emotion, it was longing. Deep, profound longing. He’d tapped into the very core of her beliefs— the ones she kept hidden behind a thick, impenetrable wall. Hiding them had been a whole lot easier than grieving the loss of her dreams. The loss of her family. The future she’d dreamed of ever since she was a kid—Trey and enough children to fill up a huge Victorian house in the suburbs.
When her wedding had come apart at the seams, her family had acted as if she was their shame, their disappointment, their soul-crushing moment. Instead of taking her into the fold and nursing away the hurt, they’d treated her like an albatross around their necks. They’d blamed her for botching an opportunity to improve their social standing.
The words her mother had hurled at her would be imprinted in her memory forever.
“All you had to do was get him to walk down the aisle, and you couldn’t even do that right.”
She flinched as the callousness of her mother’s words served as a reminder of her fractured family and the hole in her that might never be filled up. She hadn’t deserved their treatment, nor their scorn. They should have loved her all the more, no matter how disappointed they felt.
“I suppose I am guarding my heart. It’s hard to believe in anything when the people who are supposed to love you unconditionally turn their backs on you and break your heart into a hundred little pieces in the process.”
Chapter Nine
The pain etched on Grace’s face nearly did him in. Her words rocked him to his core. A mighty anger began brewing inside him. This Trey character was weak and unprincipled. And her family should have provided her with open arms and a soft place to fall. They should have rallied around her and closed ranks until her wounds healed. From the sounds of it, she’d been thrown under the bus by everyone involved. He hurt terribly for her.
Boone cleared his throat. He needed to get a handle on this and figure out what he was up against. Perhaps Grace had come to Love in order to get over her ex-fiancé. There was a distinct possibility that she still had strong feelings for him. Cameron was a prime example. Despite Paige’s machinations, his brother still loved her. And Honor still hadn’t gotten over Joshua.
“Do you still love him?” There was no sense in beating around the bush. If she was still in love with her spineless ex, he needed to know before he invested any more of himself in Grace.
She didn’t answer for a moment, and he felt his heart drop to his stomach. Please, don’t be in love with him. The thought repeated in his head like a benediction. He stared into those vivid blue eyes of hers, hoping he might find his answer in their depths.
“No, I don’t love him,” she answered with a hint of a smile perched on her lips. “And to tell you the truth, I’m not sure I ever really did. Not in the truest sense of the word. He represented something to me that I’d been yearning for my whole life.”
“Acceptance?” he asked. It seemed clear to him that the people in Grace’s life hadn’t shown her unconditional love. Perhaps Grace had believed that in marrying Trey, her family would finally accept her.
Surprise flashed in her eyes. “Yes. I suppose that was a large part of it. Wide-open arms to embrace me when the world gets crazy all around me.”
“There are plenty of arms that can do that. You just have to know where to look to find them,” Boone drawled.
Their gazes met and held. Understanding passed between them. Grace’s shoulders relaxed. She let out a little sigh. Her defenses were down. She was no longer fighting him. Now he knew exactly why she’d been so prickly and why she doubted Operation Love. She hadn’t wanted Gunther, Lionel or Abel to get hurt because she herself had been badly bruised by love. Being aware of Grace’s past made him feel even closer to her. They’d both invested themselves in people who weren’t worthy of their devotion.
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