Page 23 of Hiding in Alaska (Home to Owl Creek 4)

He narrowed his gaze as he looked at her. “You’re talking to someone who was reunited with his missing sister after twenty-five years. Don’t stop believing that you’ll reconcile with them. With God nothing’s impossible.”

Even though Connor didn’t understand her specific circumstances, his words were still powerful. Deep down in her heart, Isabelle believed she would see her family again, despite what she’d been told by law enforcement. At moments like this one, it was hard to keep believing. She prayed on it each and every day.

Connor was a man of faith, which was refreshing.

He reached out and smoothed his gloved hand across her cheek. “You can talk to me if you need someone to lean on. I’ve been told on occasion that I’m a good listener.”

How Isabelle wished she could confide in Connor. Would he understand what she’d been through after being a witness to a violent murder? Or would he be horrified by her involvement in WITSEC? Either way, she was forbidden from disclosing it to him.

He represented everything solid and upstanding. Connor made her want things she knew

were out of her reach. But even though Isabelle understood that Connor didn’t factor into her plans, it didn’t make her yearning any less.

Perhaps it was wishful thinking, but the way he was looking at her made her believe he was seconds away from kissing her.

* * *

Their eyes locked and held. He felt something humming and pulsing in the air between them. Connor knew if he dipped his head down a few inches his lips would be on Ella’s. He was tempted to kiss her. He imagined her lips would be soft and inviting. They might just taste like the hot cocoa she’d been drinking. Instead of doing so, he sucked in a deep breath. It was too soon to kiss Ella, despite how badly he wanted to do it. He was still trying to decide if she was hiding something or if he was jumping to conclusions about her.

She was pretty amazing with her compassionate insight into his family’s devastation and trauma. And she was opening up more and more. She didn’t feel like such a stranger anymore. She’d told him about her family dog even though it had clearly been a painful topic. Maybe he just needed to be more patient.

He didn’t know if kissing her would give him clarity, but he was willing to give it a try. Just go for it, he told himself. He inched closer and leaned down toward her.

“Connor!”

The sound of his name being called had him instinctively moving away from Ella. He wanted to protect her privacy as well as his own. He didn’t have a single doubt in his mind about the town gossip that would ensue if he was spotted kissing Ella. The abrupt interruption made him feel as if someone had poured a bucket of cold water over him. The mood had been ruined.

Much to his surprise, his grandparents were standing a few feet away in the clearing.

“Beg our pardons for the interruption.” Beulah sent a pointed look in her husband’s direction. “I daresay we have bad timing.”

“I’ll say,” Connor mumbled under his breath. Disappointment washed over him now that the moment had slipped through his fingers.

He darted a glance at Ella. Her cheeks were flushed. Instinct told him it had nothing to do with the frosty temperature. The almost kiss hung in the air between them. He was trying to pay attention to the conversation with his grandparents, but his thoughts kept veering to Ella’s kissable pink lips. “We wanted to pass along a message to Ella,” Jennings said sheepishly. “Sorry about the intrusion.”

“No worries,” Connor said, placing his hand on his grandfather’s shoulder. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but Jennings looked so much more vital these days. He had been a virtual shut-in after the kidnapping of his grandchild. Only recently had he begun to venture out into the world. Connor felt gratified that he had rebounded so well.

“Ella, the young lady who drove you over here tonight had a medical emergency,” Beulah explained. “She was covered in hives.”

“Oh, no,” Ella said, her face crumpling. “What happened?”

“It seems Lissa had an allergic reaction to something she ate,” Jennings explained. “She had to leave so she could get an EpiPen shot at the clinic.”

Ella raised a hand to her throat. “That’s so scary. She brings one in to work with her every day. Is she going to be all right?”

Beulah patted her on the shoulder. “She’s in good hands. One of the town’s most eligible bachelors stepped in and drove her to the clinic after Rachel Lawson looked her over. I’m wondering if God is trying to push those two together.” Beulah’s wide grin threatened to take over her entire face. Connor arched an eyebrow in her direction. Sometimes his grandmother’s matchmaking goals were a bit over-the-top.

“Grandmother, let’s focus on Lissa’s health rather than her social life,” Connor said.

Beulah sent him a surprised look. “I apologize if I sounded insensitive, but I have a very good feeling about those two.”

Jennings reached out and clasped his wife’s hands in his own. “You always do, my dear. You always do.”

Beulah had a habit of matchmaking, but her attempts at bringing couples together had a dismal success rate. Not a single one of her matches had even come close to being a successful couple. And yet she persisted.

“Your heart is in the right place, Beulah,” Ella said. Connor could tell Ella’s comment pleased his grandmother. She was practically beaming from the praise.

“Let me take you home, Ella,” Connor offered. “I think the event is winding down.”

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