Page 13 of An Alaskan Wedding (Alaskan Grooms 1)

Jasper snorted. “I know this town like the back of my hand! We’ll only be gone for an hour or so.” He glanced at his watch. “I have a meeting later on that I need to be back for.”

“Well then, enjoy your tour,” Hazel said wit

h a sigh. “Grace, I’m glad I gave you a pair of my boots. They come in handy in this neck of the woods.”

Grace felt sincerely grateful for Hazel’s kindness. “Your boots will keep my toes nice and warm,” Grace said. “Thanks again, Hazel. It’s mighty generous of you.” Grace looked down at the stylish, fur-lined boots—they were the most comfy boots she’d ever worn. And Hazel—dear, sweet woman—had given them to her earlier this morning out of the kindness of her heart. She’d had to force Hazel to take payment for the boots she’d designed and created, even though she’d protested at first. Grace had given her the same amount she would have paid for boots of this caliber if she’d found them in a big city. She wasn’t sure Hazel knew the value of her product.

Hazel looked pleased at the compliment. “You’re good advertising for my boots. If a beautiful city girl like yourself wears them, it might inspire everyone in town to buy a pair. Still got a few holdouts.” She stared pointedly at Cameron, who studiously ignored her.

“You two have a great time,” Sophie said with a wave.

Although Grace appreciated the sentiment, having a good time with Jasper was the last thing on her mind. Tony would expect at least a rough draft of her first article by the end of the week, and she intended to deliver the goods. After all, she’d come to Love in pursuit of a compelling story, not to make friends with an adorable, adventure-seeking senior citizen. Hazel had slipped earlier and given her some juicy details about the cannery deal, information she could definitely use in her series. And she wasn’t letting up until she had everything she needed to make this series shine, even if she had to reveal a few closely guarded town secrets in the process.

Chapter Five

An hour later Jasper had shown Grace only a small portion of the town. He’d introduced her to every shopkeeper on Jarvis Street. Jasper drove her down to the bay where all the fishing boats were docked. He showed her the fishing vessels and explained how the town’s economy was tied in to the fishermen and their catch. As Jasper explained it, the town of Love was known for producing top-quality pollack, salmon, halibut and cod. According to Jasper, locals had been making a living from the sea for hundreds of years.

Jasper also took her to the site of the cannery that had never come to pass. He appeared to be very emotional about the situation.

“We were standing on the precipice of something wonderful, something that would have been a game changer for this town,” Jasper said. “But greed ruined everything.”

Seeing the desolate look in his eyes caused an ache deep inside her. “I’m sorry, Jasper. It’s hard to have something you were counting on snatched right out from under you.”

It seemed that everyone they came across had a word or two for the town mayor. And they seemed just as excited to make her acquaintance. A woman named Dulcie tried to set her up on a date with her son. Thankfully, Jasper intervened and made a comment about how he was saving her for one of his grandsons. While Grace laughed nervously, Jasper didn’t crack a smile, which led her to believe he may have been serious.

“Anything in particular you want to ask me about?” Jasper asked as he drove her away from the dock.

“I have to admit, I’m very curious about the town legend.”

Jasper’s eyes lit up. He reached out and patted her on the knee with his right hand, keeping the left one on the wheel. “Thatta girl, Grace. If you ask me, it’s one of the most interesting things about this town.”

Grace rubbed her mittens together. “Start at the beginning and don’t leave anything out,” she said in an excited voice. It was thrilling to imagine actual treasure being buried here in town.

“My great-great-grandfather, Bodine Prescott struck gold in the Gold Rush. While everybody and their brother headed to the Yukon, Bodine struck gold in Juneau, Alaska. According to family lore, he was one of the first who hit pay dirt. When he came back to Love everyone wanted a piece of what he’d found.” He shook his head. “He couldn’t trust a soul, so he hid the gold somewhere in Love while he tried to sort everything out.”

“And he never went back to retrieve it?” Grace asked.

“He drowned out on the Bay with his brother, Jack, not too long after his return. It was a tragic loss of life. Two women lost their husbands, and their children were now fatherless. When his wife, Sadie, went through his belongings, she found some notes he’d left in a journal. In it, Bodine talked about his discovery and laid down some hints as to where he’d stashed it. Although they tried to locate it, none of them were successful. ‘Rivers of gold’ was the biggest hint, which has always made me think of the limestone cave since a river runs through the Nottingham Woods.”

“I can see why you’re so intrigued by this,” Grace murmured. Jasper had created such a vivid picture in her mind of the events back in the late eighteen hundreds. She’d always found the Gold Rush such an interesting topic.

“Are you game to check the cave?” Jasper’s expression radiated enthusiasm. His blue eyes twinkled with a hint of mischief.

“Of course,” she said, jumping at the chance to do something outside of the box. “But I thought you had a meeting to attend.”

Jasper waved his hand dismissively. “It’s just an appointment to get my hair cut. I’d rather go spelunking with you. They say there’s snow coming later on tonight, so let’s get moving.”

Spelunking! It wasn’t on her bucket list of things to do, but she felt a trickle of excitement dancing along her spine as Jasper made a U-turn in the road and headed in the direction of the woods. This would definitely be something worth writing about in her article.

Nottingham Woods was located about twenty minutes from the center of town. The area of Love they traveled through to get there was sparsely populated. They drove endless stretches of road with nothing more than trees, a never-ending amount of snow and moose-crossing signs.

Grace cried out as a large moose sauntered across the road. Jasper seemed to have almost anticipated it since he slowed the car down about twenty feet away from the moose.

Jasper appeared tickled by her reaction. “Don’t worry, Grace. We’re used to moose sightings in these parts, which is why we don’t speed on these roads. Hitting a moose could land you in the emergency room. Nothing to worry about though.”

Grace took out her phone and began snapping pictures. “I can’t believe it! I was beginning to think these moose sightings were make-believe.”

The sound of Jasper’s rumbling laughter filled the silence in the car. “I told you Alaska was about discovery.”

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