Page 4 of An Alaskan Wedding (Alaskan Grooms 1)

The sound of a sharp whistle rent the air. “Hey! What’s going on here?” She blinked in surprise to see Sheriff Boone at her side, his arm encircling her back in a protective gesture. He gently pushed her aside before stepping in between the two adversaries. He looked at one, then the other, his expression forbidding. “I hope neither one of you is doing anything that might warrant a trip to the sheriff’s office.” He continued to swing his gaze back and forth between both men. “I think it’s best to shake hands and apologize to the ladies for being overzealous.”

The two men hung their heads, grudgingly shook hands and then mumbled brief words of apology before stepping into the background. Grace almost felt sorry for them. They’d slunk off like polecats.

What in the world had just happened? Had two men actually been fighting over her in an Alaskan coffeehouse?

Boone looked down at his watch and then pointedly back to her. “Congratulations, Miss Corbett. You’ve been in town for less than an hour, and you already have grown men fighting over you.”

Chapter Two

Heat warmed her cheeks as a result of Sheriff Prescott’s comment. Was she really being blamed for the mayhem that had just erupted? The last thing she wanted was for two local yokels to duke it out for her time and attention. She made a mental note to add this to her column for the Tribune. Men shamelessly brawling over a single woman in a local eating establishment. The sheriff of Love forced to break things up. It was thrilling to see how quickly anecdotes for her articles were beginning to materialize. Yet it was annoying to be blamed for something she’d had no part in.

“I never wanted... I didn’t mean to—” she stammered, instantly losing her composure under the heat of his gaze.

His grin was slow in the making, but bit by bit it broke over his face until it seemed as if it stretched from ear to ear. Brown eyes twinkled. Little crinkles gathered near his eyes. “I’m teasing you. Seth and Thomas fight over every little thing under the sun. If they weren’t fighting over you, it would have been over who was picking up the tab or which one of ’em caught the biggest fish.”

Relief swept through her. For some reason she didn’t want the sheriff to think she was starting trouble on her first day in Love. She smiled back at him, feeling a bit dazzled by his pearly whites and effortless charm. He pulled back her chair and gestured for her to sit down. From her seat across from Grace, Sophie was beaming at Sheriff Prescott as if he’d just achieved world peace. Before she could make the introductions, Sophie stuck out her hand. “Howdy. I’m Sophie Miller. Nice to meet the man who keeps law and order in this town.”

“Sheriff Boone Prescott,” he said, reaching out to shake Sophie’s hand. “I do my best to keep this town orderly.”

Prescott? Prescott? The name was now ringing in her ears. She’d heard that name before ever stepping foot into town. What was it about that name? It was on the tip of her tongue. Ahh, yes!

It was Mayor Jasper Prescott who had written the original article about Love, inviting single women to come to his hometown to find romance and to help solve the woman shortage. It was because of Jasper that she’d come up with the idea to write the column about this town and its residents. Now that she was here, she didn’t know whether to thank him or kick him in the shins.

“Hey,” she said, looking up at Boone. “Are you any relation to Jasper Prescott, the town mayor?”

“He sure is.” A raspy voice sounded over her shoulder. She turned her head to see a white haired, whiskered man beaming at her as if he’d been lit up from the inside with a lightbulb. “I’m his grandfather.” He swung his gaze back and forth between her and Sophie, his expression full of joy. “It’s nice to see that Operation Love is in full effect.” He reached over and clapped his grandson on the shoulder. “So, which one of you two lovely ladies is going to take Boone off the market and make me a great-grandfather again?”

* * *

Boone cringed at his grandfather’s none-too-subtle attempt to get him married off. He shouldn’t be surprised, considering this wasn’t the first time he’d tried to play matchmaker on his behalf. Normally, he had the good manners not to mention great-grandchildren. His brother Liam had already given Jasper those bragging rights when his son Aidan was born. At the moment it didn’t seem to matter to Jasper. This time he was clearly going for broke. In response to his pronouncement, Grace’s blue eyes began to blink like a startled owl while Sophie giggled with delight.

“Settle down now, Jasper,” Boone said, trying to shrug off the waves of embarrassment. He didn’t know why Jasper’s meddling was getting to him, since he usually just shook his head and laughed it off. Perhaps it was because of a certain raven-haired newcomer who’d piqued his interest the moment she’d stumbled into his arms. It had been a long time since he’d cared what a woman thought about him, but strangely enough, it mattered to him in this very moment. He didn’t know why, but Grace Corbett’s opinion mattered.

“Hot food coming through.” The loud announcement preceded Cameron’s appearance at the table. He was carrying a large tray filled with drinks and a wide assortment of food. Was it his imagination or was Cameron now serving a much wider variety of foods than he’d realized? He didn’t remember sandwiches being on the menu, or little pizzas. “Hey, Boone.” Cameron acknowledged him with a nod as he deposited plates brimming with food in front of Sophie and Grace. He placed a steaming mug next to each of their plates. “I thought you’d given up coffee.”

“I didn’t stop drinking coffee, Cam,” he explained for what felt like the tenth time. “I’m just not a big fan of those frothy, foamy drinks you specialize in. They’re all tongue twisters, too. A half cup of mocha latte or an iced caramel macchiato with a twist of cinnamon. I like to know what I’m drinking.”

“Don’t knock ’em. Those specialty drinks have put this place on the map,” Cameron answered, a slight edge to his voice.

Boone chuckled. There was a running joke in his family about the Moose Café saving the town from financial ruin. Although the place was doing well, it was a far cry from being Love’s salvation. Perhaps he didn’t say it very often, but he was proud of the way Cameron had turned his life around and made a full-fledged success of his café. If only they could get back to the way things had been between them before everything had fallen apart right along with the cannery deal.

When Cameron had been swindled by his girlfriend’s father and subsequently lost a great sum of the town’s money, it had been hard to find anyone in town to take up for him. He’d been the town’s whipping boy. Boone had tried to defend his brother, but the more he uncovered about the stolen money, the angrier he’d become at Cameron. He’d been so in love with Paige that he’d made foolish, reckless mistakes. And because of it, the whole town of Love had suffered the financial consequences. They’d exchanged words one evening, taking nasty jabs at each other, which were hard to repair in the light of day. Ever since then things had been shaky between them.

Boone watched as Grace picked up her sandwich with both hands and took a big bite out of it. She let out a sigh of appreciation. “This is delicious,” she raved, placing her hand over her mouth as she spoke. She swallowed and took another bite.

“What is it?” Sophie asked, taking a daintier bite of her sandwich. “It’s yummy.”

“Smoked turkey breast with fresh avocado, some crispy bacon and a blue-cheese spread. I’m expanding the menu to attract more culinary-minded customers.”

Jasper waved his hand in the air and plunked himself down in one of the empty chairs. He propped his elbows on the table and said, “Enough about the menu. I want to know what Sophie and Grace think about our little village.”

“They’ve only been here for an hour,” Boone said, shooting his grandfather a warning look. “Let them settle in before you subject them to the grand inquisition.”

Cameron shook his head and threw his hands in the air. “I’ve got to take some orders. Hazel must be swamped in the kitchen.”

Hazel Tookes, owner of the Black Bear Cabins, was a beloved figure in town. In her late sixties, she was an honorary auntie to the Prescott brothers. With her silver hair and piercing green eyes, she was a striking figure. Over the years she’d picked up a lot of the slack in his parents’ absence. Hazel came in a few times a week to help out Cameron in the kitchen and to waitress.

Sophie jumped up from her chair, an eager expression stamped on her face. She bit her lip. “I’d like to make myself useful behind the counter. I’m pretty good at making drinks.”

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