Page 40 of An Alaskan Wedding (Alaskan Grooms 1)

And in a moment of weakness she’d written a very unflattering article about Love that might get published if she didn’t retract it, which she planned to do immediately. Her stomach muscles clenched at the mere thought of the article being published. It had been a petty and small thing to do. It was amazing how quickly things changed.

Now she was practically floating on air. All because of a few humble, sincere words from Boone. Mood swings. Going from jubilation to despair to joy again. Wanting to stay in Love, then wanting to head back to New York City the very next minute. White noise began to thrum in her ears as she began to connect the dots.

This thing between her and Boone was more than a mere flirtation. For Grace, it was beginning to feel a lot like love. And for the life of her, she wasn’t sure how she felt about falling for the sheriff.

Chapter Eleven

Boone had known he was a goner the minute Grace had come barreling into the town council meeting last night with guns blazing. From the moment she’d appeared, he’d been forced to stifle the urge to sweep her up in his arms and kiss her senseless. The joy he’d felt when she’d accepted his apology had been indescribable. It was as if, suddenly, all was right with the world.

He couldn’t escape the feeling that God was trying to tell him something. Despite her head-turning looks, Grace Corbett was not the type of woman he would ever have imagined as his soul mate. He’d judged her by her love of high heels and her city-gi

rl background. He’d tried to convince himself that a woman like Grace would want the world offered to her on a silver platter. So far, he’d been as wrong about her as a man could be.

Judge not, lest ye be judged.

It wasn’t right to judge someone based on initial impressions or superficial things such as the type of shoes they wore. What if Grace had viewed him as nothing more than a backwoods lawman? Their relationship would never have gotten off the ground if that were the case.

Yes, indeed. God was moving his heart in a direction he would never have predicted. One never knew how God might light a path. For a long time he’d been stumbling around in the darkness.

A gentle knocking on his office door drew him out of his thoughts. He was so used to visitors crashing uninvited into his office that the idea of someone using their social graces surprised him.

“Come on in,” he called out.

The first thing he saw peeking around the door frame was a head of beautiful raven-colored hair. Grace’s pretty face came into view, instantly transforming this ho-hum day into a special one.

“Hey, Gracie. To what do I owe this visit?” Grace advanced toward him, her petite figure decked out in a pink dress that skimmed her knees. She wore a black ski jacket, Hazel’s boots and a cute little pink hat on her head. He might be biased, but he thought she was the most adorable woman on the planet.

“Hi, Boone. Sorry for just popping in like this.” Her gaze swung around the room as she looked around his office with obvious interest. Kona perked up her ears and sauntered over to Grace at a fast clip. She immediately began lavishing Grace with her undivided attention. Boone smiled at the enthusiastic way Grace embraced Kona. Little by little Grace was showing him that despite first impressions, she fit seamlessly into every single aspect of his life. It reinforced every single notion he’d always heard about finding that one special person. Everything just felt right.

He stood up from his chair and quickly made his way toward her. “Don’t be sorry. This is the highlight of my day.” He reached out and pulled her toward him, brushing a swift kiss across her lips. He leaned back on his desk and pulled her closer toward him.

She met his gaze head-on. Her eyes radiated concern. “I need to talk to you about something. It’s a little bit delicate.”

“C’mon, Gracie. You can tell me anything.” And he meant it. He wanted Grace to be able to share anything with him that was weighing on her heart. Judging by the expression on her face, she was torn up about something.

Grace bit her lip. “It’s about Jasper’s legend.”

He stifled the desire to sigh. “I thought we put all this to rest,” Boone said, reminding himself that he didn’t want to lose his temper with Grace. Not when they’d just gotten over a bumpy patch in the road.

“It’s not what you think, Boone. The other day when I was at the mayor’s office there was something bothering me about Jasper’s timeline.”

Boone drew his eyebrows together. “Timeline? What timeline?”

“Jasper has a timeline showing when your ancestor Bodine Prescott discovered gold in Juneau. It shows his untimely death, as well. But there’s a problem with it.”

“A problem?” Boone asked. “What’s the problem?”

Grace heaved a tremendous sigh. “I did a little research, and Jasper’s timeline is all wrong. According to the official records related to the Juneau Gold Rush and death records for the state of Alaska, Bodine Prescott passed away in 1879, six months or so before gold was discovered in that area.”

The discovery hit him hard. He frowned. “So, you’re saying that there never was any treasure.”

Grace shook her head, her expression morose. “It seems unlikely that he could have discovered gold in Juneau prior to the documented first discoveries in that area. And there’s something else!” She opened up an envelope and pulled out a sheet of paper. She moved closer to him and pointed at a spot on the page. “I found this, too. It’s a record of a steamboat sinking out on Kachemak Bay. There were ninety men on board, most of whom perished. Read this part.”

Boone took the paper and read the sentence Grace was pointing at. “The men were traveling to Juneau, Alaska, in the hopes of joining a gold expedition led by Joe Juneau.”

Boone didn’t know how to explain the feelings roaring through him. Even though he’d grown to resent talk of the town legend involving his ancestor, it felt disappointing to discover it had all been nothing more than a tall tale passed on from generation to generation. That knowledge would be devastating to Jasper, who believed in it with all his heart and soul.

“I think it’s only right to tell him,” Grace said, voicing the exact thing he was thinking. Although it would crush his grandfather to know he’d been chasing fool’s gold, it would be kinder in the long run. Lies, whether little white ones or the bold-faced variety, always backfired in the end. He bowed his head, saying a silent prayer for wisdom.

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