Page 23 of An Alaskan Wedding (Alaskan Grooms 1)

“Would you?” Gunther leaned forward in his chair, his expression radiating excitement.

“Of course I will. I’ll have to wait for my break, though. The boss can be a bit of a grouch,” she said in a stage whisper. Boone wanted to laugh out loud at the comical expression on her face.

“I could use some help, too,” Lionel piped up. “Don’t leave me hanging. I’d love to do something to get Anabel’s attention.”

“Oh, Lionel. I’d never leave you in the lurch,” Grace said, reaching out and touching Lionel’s arm. “I’d love to hear all about your courtship. How you met, what made you think she was the one, where you see things going.”

Boone didn’t like the feeling of possessiveness sweeping over him. It annoyed him to no end. He shouldn’t have the sudden urge to knock his friend’s chair over, should he? Why should his gut tighten at the sight of Grace sitting next to Lionel, Abel and Gunther as she helped them with their love letters?

He tried to look away, but he found his eyes glued to the graceful curve of her neck and her onyx locks. A woman like Grace was all wrong for him. He imagined that a city girl like Grace would expect a man to buy her expensive shoes or take her on shopping sprees. He was a simple man with a very ordered, uncomplicated life. Any woman who thought she could lead him around by the nose was in for the surprise of her life.

So why did the mere sight of Grace cause his belly to clench up? And why was he filled with so much regret about not kissing her the other night?

The one thing he didn’t regret were the emotions roaring through him. It had been ages since he’d experienced anything remotely like this. And it made him feel more present and more alive than he’d felt in years. As much as he loved his siblings, he’d sacrificed his own personal life under the weight of all their issues. Although he didn’t regret a moment spent caring for them, he often wondered if he’d deliberately focused on their lives rather than on his own. Had it been his way of staying out of the danger zone?

On his way back to his office, he strolled by the counter where Grace was sitting down enjoying a coffee and a cinnamon bun.

“Awful nice of you to take the time to help out with the letters. Once word gets out, you’re going to have a line going out the door.”

Grace appeared to be brushing crumbs off the sides of her mouth. “I enjoy helping them. I just hope they don’t get their hopes up too high.”

“What do you mean?” Boone asked. “Isn’t hope a good thing?”

“They seem so...invested in these women. They’ve really poured their heart and souls into these letters.” Grace’s eyes radiated concern.

Boone raised an eyebrow. “Shouldn’t they be invested? They’re courting them with the hopes of marrying ’em. I’d call that an investment.”

“Even more reason that they should be careful,” Grace said as she tied her apron back on and headed behind the counter to finish her shift.

Grace’s cryptic comment left him scratching his head. Had life taught Grace to be leery of happily-ever-after? And if so, what experiences had led her to feel so strongly about the subject? Now that he thought about it, he realized it was high time he learned more about Grace Corbett.

* * *

Boone had been dead-on about the demand for her writing services. Over the next few days, one by one, men trickled in to the Moose Café asking for her assistance. They were incredibly sincere and determined to find the right words to court their ladies. Seeing so many men go the extra distance to woo their women was impressive. She helped as many as she could before Cameron pulled her aside and sternly reminded her she was on the clock.

On the clock. Yet another reminder that time was ticking away from her.

A phone call this morning from Tony had reminded her that she needed to focus her energies on her assignment rather than good-looking lawmen and sweet-faced, whiskered mayors. When she’d seen the New York City area code on her caller ID, something inside her had wanted to ignore that call. It was surprising, since she’d jumped through hoops for the past four years to impress her boss. Shouldn’t personal attention from Tony be a validation of everything she’d worked so hard to achieve?

“Grace! How are you? It’s Tony.” His thick, New York accent rang out over the line.

“I’m doing well, Tony. So far, so good.”

“Just calling to check in. I was expecting some sort of update from you by now. Perhaps a sneak peek of the first article.”

A feeling of annoyance flooded her. An update? She’d been in Love for less than a week. Leave it to her boss to expect everything to happen at warp speed.

“I’ve been laying the groundwork for the series. There’s no need to worry. It’s going to be great. I’ve been meeting lots of interesting people and finding out the secret history of the town. I’m going to a tea to meet some of the ladies who moved here for Operation Love.”

A long silence ensued.

“Tony? Are you still there?”

“I don’t have to remind you of how much is riding on this series. With faltering sales and consumers flocking to the internet for their news, the newspaper business is at a crossroads. We’ve put considerable resources behind you, Grace. This series has to be a blockbuster.”

Grace swallowed past the lump in her throat. Blockbuster? Sure! No pressure.

“Oh, it will be, Tony. There’s a veritable gold mine of information here.” Gold mine. No pun intended.

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