Page 22 of An Alaskan Wedding (Alaskan Grooms 1)

With a self-conscious grin, she walked toward Sophie, who was standing on the porch with an all-knowing smile on her face.

Boone had called her Gracie. No one in her life had done that since her grandfather. Not ever! She wasn’t a Gracie! Or was she? Ever since she’d arrived in Love, she hadn’t felt like Grace Corbett of New York City. It was the oddest feeling. It was as if she’d reinvented herself the moment she arrived in Alaska. Gracie was kinder and gentler and more open to the world around her. She prayed to God and, even though she wasn’t certain of it, she thought He might be listening.

So much had happened today. She felt as if a door had been pushed wide open. Now she knew what made Boone tick. His love for his family and his desire to protect them defined him. And much like herself, he’d been betrayed by the person he loved. She’d tried to summon the courage to tell him about her own heartbreak, but she hadn’t wanted to see the look of pity in his eyes when she told him about Trey and being jilted at the altar. As humiliating as that had been, it was even worse that her own family had tossed her aside in the aftermath. It made her feel guilty knowing he’d laid it all out there for her while she’d kept quiet about her own past.

Finding out someone betrayed you and lied to you over and over again is difficult to process.

Boone’s words were now seared into her consciousness. He’d been burned before by a woman who’d lied to him. And even though there was a world of difference between herself and Diana, she was operating in a really murky area. She was pretending to be something she wasn’t.

It didn’t feel great allowing Boone to believe she was in town as a participant in Operation Love. She wasn’t in town to find love. Not even close. She was here to study the residents of this lovelorn town and to write a series of articles about her findings for the Tribune. That was her truth in black and white. There really weren’t any shades of gray in this situation.

She hadn’t expected to meet someone like Boone. He was heroic and strong, and he’d stepped in on several occasions to rescue her. There was a tenderness about him that he tried to hide. But she saw right through his rough edges. They’d almost shared their first kiss tonight. And even though she wanted to lock lips with Boone more than she wanted her next breath, she knew it would only lead her further astray from her goal. For the next six weeks she needed to keep her eyes on the prize and not on the handsome sheriff of Love!

Chapter Seven

“Why don’t you just take a picture of Grace? It might last longer,” Declan teased. His blue eyes were filled with amusement. Little crease lines surrounded his mouth and eyes as he teased Boone for watching Grace work in the Moose Café a couple days after her adventure.

“Don’t you have a sightseeing tour lined up?” Boone asked, his eyes straying right back to Grace. She looked prettier than ever today, even though she was wearing a brown T-shirt with a moose on it. He shook his head and chuckled. Cameron and his corny Moose Café T-shirts!

Declan took a bite of his sandwich and washed it down with a glass of milk. “They canceled. Plus, it’s way more fun to sit here and watch you get all goo-goo eyed over the new girl.”

Boone gave Declan his most forbidding scowl. “I’ve never been goo-goo eyed in my life.”

“There’s a first time for everything,” Declan said, his lips twitching with mirth. “I like this Grace Corbett. She mellows you out.”

Boone shifted his gaze back toward Grace. He watched as she gracefully placed one hand on her hip. She had a pot of coffee in the other. Boone knew he should be listening to Gunther and Abel as they read their love letters aloud to him and Declan. He’d agreed to give them his opinion. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t seem to take his eyes off Grace as she moved from table to table refilling coffee cups. Perhaps he was getting his fill now since she hadn’t been at work yesterday. Cameron, feeling guilty that he hadn’t stepped in and stopped Jasper from being Grace’s tour guide, had given her the day off work to rest. It was a good thing, too, since she still had a few bandages on her fingers.

He’d been forced to face the cold hard truth yesterday when he’d arrived at the Moose Café and realized he wouldn’t be seeing Grace. The ache inside him had been acute. He’d felt deprived of her company. His thoughts had drifted in her direction all day long. He’d never admit it to his best friend in a million years, but he was right. He was goo-goo eyed over Grace Corbett. For so long he’d prayed for the Lord to send him a woman who could move his heart. Never in a million years had he expected God to send him a woman like Grace.

She was a beautiful city girl who seemed to be a mass of contradictions. Girly, but as tough as nails. Sweet, but sassy. Smart, yet impractical when it came to wearing high-heeled shoes in Alaska. Friendly, yet a bit guarded.

As Grace moved toward their table, her eyes locked with his. He felt a warmth spreading across his chest. An awareness flared between them. Not for the first time, he kicked himself for not planting a kiss on Grace’s lips the other night. The past two nights he’d lain awake thinking about it. He’d imagined how it would feel to kiss her, and if it was something Grace wanted as badly as he did. If he was reading the signals right, she felt something for him. Something he wanted to explore.

“Roses are red, violets are blue. I can’t wait to spend some more time with you.” Gunther beamed as he finished reading his letter and placed it down on the table. “What do you think? I’m going to give it to her right before the ice-skating social.”

Abel shook his head vigorously. “It’s real solid. She’ll love it.”

Lionel pulled up a chair, sat himself down and gave Gunther a thumbs-up.

“I think she’ll be mighty pleased with that prose,” Boone said.

“Sounds like something I got in second grade on Valentine’s Day,” Declan muttered as Boone lightly kicked him under the table.

Grace reached for a coffee cup and began to fill it up. “Gunther. You’re hoping to land the girl of your dreams. Am I right?”

“Yes, Grace. Wanda is my everything. She thinks I need to be more romantic, so I want to show her that I can rise to the challenge.”

She pointed her finger at Gunther’s poem. “No offense, but that right there is not going to seal the deal.”

Gunther frowned. “No?” His shoulders sagged. “What’s wrong with it?”

Grace shook her head and looked around the table at each of them. “You men just don’t get it, do you? Letters are incredibly romantic.” She sighed “There’s nothing like receiving a nice, crisp envelope in the mail and being able to sit back and lose yourself in someone’s flowery sentiments about you. Women want to be romanced. Wooed. Courted. We want someone to make us feel as if we’re the earth, moon, sun and the stars.”

“That’s the way I feel about Wanda,?

?? Gunther said. “I’ve waited my whole life for someone like her.”

Grace bestowed a stunning smile on Gunther. “Then tell her. Use your words and show her how she makes you feel. Here.” She placed her hand over her heart. “I’m a pretty good letter writer if you need some help.”

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