Page 25 of An Alaskan Wedding (Alaskan Grooms 1)

“Jasper does have that effect on people,” Grace answered. Thoughts of Jasper usually caused her to smile. The morning after their adventure in Nottingham Woods she’d received a beautiful floral arrangement at her cabin, courtesy of the mayor. The attached note had read, “So happy to hear you’re doing well. Thanks for being such a trouper. So thrilled you decided to live in Love.”

“He’s pretty special,” Grace conceded. For the first time she realized that Jasper reminded her of her own grandfather. They both had spunk, determination and an innate ability to connect with people. Grace felt the sharp ache of loss she always experienced when she remembered Grandpa Corbett. Certain holes were never filled.

“All of us owe him a debt of gratitude,” Wanda said in a raised voice. “Without Operation Love I’d still be back in Oregon working at the family produce farm.”

“So, do you think you’ve met the one?” Grace asked. Wanda seemed very sweet, but if she was wishy-washy about Gunther, the poor man needed to know not to put all his eggs in one basket. After all, most of the females would have their pick of any man in town given the imbalance.

Wanda tucked her head down. Her cheeks turned rosy. When she lifted her head up there was a sheen of moisture in her eyes. “Yes, I do. I know life isn’t always going to be easy living here in Love, but I’d be honored to live out the rest of my days with Gunther.”

And there it was. Wanda was head over heels in love with Gunther. It oozed out of every pore in her body. It glistened in her eyes. Her voice overflowed with sincerity. Her feelings were the real deal. Grace was ashamed for doubting her and assuming the worst.

A feeling of relief flooded through her at the knowledge that there might be a happy ending for Gunther and Wanda. “I’m happy for the two of you. You’re very blessed.”

“Don’t worry, Grace,” Wanda said. “You’ll meet someone soon. Unless of course you already have,” she said with a wink.

Boone’s handsome face came to mind. The sandy-brown hair that sometimes fell across his forehead and almost hid his eyes. The eyes that always seemed to see straight through her, right down to the things that mattered most of all. The laughter that emanated from deep inside him and wrapped itself around her like a cloak.

She had met someone. The type of someone who made it impossible for her to even glance in another man’s direction. Whenever he was nearby, she had the sensation of needing to catch her breath. He was funny and protective. He’d rescued her on three separate occasions. Although she was an independent city girl, he made her feel safe and sound. She let out a sigh as she struggled to process what was happening to her. Falling for Sheriff Boone Prescott wasn’t on her to-do list. Her life in New York City meant the world to her. She couldn’t imagine giving up her life there or her job at the Tribune.

Grace glanced around the room. Everyone in attendance had pure motives for disrupting their lives and venturing so far off the grid. She’d talked to most of them and overheard snippets of their conversations. They wanted love. True, enduring love. They’d all collectively decided to put together an ice-skating social so they could all become part of the Love community. Despite her cynicism, all the women seemed authentic and down-to-earth. There didn’t appear to be a bad one in the bunch. So far she was the only one who was in town under false

pretenses. And although she had wanted to relax and fully enjoy the camaraderie and festivities related to the tea party, there was a part of her that couldn’t let down her guard. She only had five weeks left in Love, and there was no point in making friends with these women. Even though she was starting to fall in love with this charming Alaskan village, she couldn’t pretend that her future resided here. There wouldn’t be any happy ending for her and Boone. If he discovered her true agenda in Love, there was no doubt in her mind that he would want nothing to do with her.

* * *

As he walked into the Moose Café, Boone felt a surge of disappointment upon remembering that today was the tea party at the Black Bear Lodge. Grace would be missing in action. He felt a little ashamed of himself for having considered searching for information about Grace online last evening. With dozens of Grace Corbetts possibly residing in New York State, he imagined it would have been an exercise in futility. He felt foolish for even considering such a thing, even though he was curious about her background. Up to this point she’d done nothing to warrant his suspicions other than pad her résumé and wear inappropriate shoes. Yep. It was official. He was losing his mind over Grace.

At least a hearty meal would be a diversion from his recurring thoughts of her. Cameron had called him earlier and invited him for lunch. Boone was torn between being optimistic about the status of their relationship and suspicious of Cameron’s motives. Once they sat down to a lunch of caribou stew and sandwiches, Cameron brought up what was on his mind.

“So, Honor’s back, huh? Guess I’m the last to know.”

Boone put his sandwich back down on his plate. “You didn’t know? I assumed I was the last to know.”

“I didn’t know a thing until she called me this morning.” Cameron paused. He wrinkled his nose. “She was asking about Joshua.”

Joshua? Five years later and Honor still had her high school boyfriend at the forefront of her mind. He let out a tremendous sigh. “Did you tell her?”

Cameron nodded. “Yeah. I figured it was best coming from me rather than her finding out some other way.”

“Did she seem...upset?”

Cameron leveled Boone with a stone-cold glare. “What do you think?”

“I think finding out he married someone else might give her closure.” He took another bite of his sandwich as thoughts of the past swirled around in his head.

“Well, if you consider crying your eyes out as closure, then our baby sister got it in droves today.”

Boone winced at the idea of Honor being in such distress over a man who wasn’t worth her time or devotion. If he could absorb some of her pain, he’d willingly do so. Since she’d been gone from Love, Joshua had been in all sorts of trouble. Boone had arrested him three times for various infractions, the most memorable of which was being drunk and disorderly on a snowmobile as naked as the day he was born. Last year he’d left Love and gotten married to someone in the Lower 48. Unlike Honor, he’d moved on. What would it take for his sister to stop romanticizing her first love?

Cameron sat back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest. He locked gazes with Boone. “By the way, I know you haven’t been hanging around here for the turkey and brie sandwiches.”

Boone tried to look unassuming. “No? They’re mighty tasty if you’re looking for some customer feedback. Just between you and me, a tomato might raise it to the level of sheer perfection.”

Cameron rolled his eyes. “In case you’re interested, I heard some guys talking about asking Grace to the skating social. Hank’s been coming in here two, three times a day to catch a glimpse of her. You might want to bite the bullet and ask her first, if you’re so inclined.”

Hank Jeffries! He was a fireman and an all-around good guy. There wasn’t a single negative thing Boone could say about him. The idea of Hank courting Grace caused an unsettled feeling to roll around in the pit of his stomach. It made him wonder if Grace might not fall for a guy like Hank.

“I don’t know,” he hedged. “It’s been a while since I’ve put my foot in the dating pond.”

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