Page 35 of An Alaskan Wedding (Alaskan Grooms 1)

Boone realized he needed to take a more active role in Jasper’s health. “When I get back to town I’m going to swing by and see him at his office. We have a town council meeting tonight, so I’ll make it seem as if I want to talk to him about the town budget. I won’t let him know we talked.”

Liam shot him a wary glance. “Don’t go overboard, Boone. You tend to barrel in like a bull at a rodeo. This needs to be handled delicately, otherwise Jasper will just dig his heels in and refuse to budge.”

“I promise to tread lightly,” he said, realizing that both of his siblings had garnered a promise from him during this visit. He intended on honoring them both.

“He’s awful fond of your friend Grace,” Liam said. “Aidan and I think she’s pretty amazing, as well.”

Boone felt a rush of pleasure at the notion that his family had given Grace their stamp of approval. It matched up with the way he felt about her. She was delightful in every way. Funny. Sweet. Beautiful. And kind. And he got the feeling she was looking for the same things he was seeking. A strong, faithful partner. Wide-open arms to embrace her. A love for all time.

“I think if Jasper was a few years younger, he’d make a play for her,” Boone said with a chuckle.

“Who’s to say he won’t?” Liam said with a shake of his head. “He told me they were doing some treasure hunting today. Maybe he has a little crush on her.”

Treasure hunting. Grace and Jasper? No. It wasn’t possible. He’d already explained to Grace that enabling Jasper in his pursuit of the town legend wasn’t healthy for his grandfather. And she’d promised him that she wouldn’t do anything to encourage him any further. Liam must have misunderstood. Grace wouldn’t go back on her word.

“Are you sure about that?” he pressed. He was getting a funny feeling in his insides. Little prickles of awareness rose up on his arms. That sensation usually heralded bad news. He shook it off, realizing he was jumping to conclusions.

Liam nodded. “He went on and on about it. Said he was ordering lunch at his office for the two of them so they could map out some stuff.”

Map out some stuff? Such as another location to go treasure hunting? He stuffed down a burst of annoyance. He needed to reserve judgment until he knew something concrete. Hadn’t he just promised Honor to be more flexible and less unyielding?

Boone glanced at his watch. Perhaps if he headed back to town right away he’d be able to see what Jasper was up to and allay some of his concerns about his grandfather. After abruptly saying his goodbyes to his family and promising to take Aidan sledding on the weekend, Boone got in his cruiser and headed back to town. His first stop was the mayor’s office. As much as he told himself his main interest was assessing his grandfather and his well-being, another part of him knew that he was also checking in on Grace. He uttered a quick prayer that his faith in her hadn’t been misguided.

Chapter Ten

Sitting on the floor of the mayor’s office with maps and diagrams spread out all around her made Grace feel like an adventurer. Truthfully, this was even more fun than their spelunking escapade, especially since it didn’t involve her freezing her tootsies off. And she’d managed to keep her promise to Boone. Looking at maps of Love with Jasper wasn’t treasure hunting, and it wasn’t putting him in any danger. It was simply spending time with a friend who badly needed a shoulder to lean on.

The truth was, Jasper was lonely. When he’d invited her to have lunch with him in his office a few days ago under the guise of showing her an antique map of Love, she’d agreed on the spot.

She didn’t have the heart to cancel on him, especially since he told her no one else wanted to entertain his talk about Bodine Prescott’s treasure. Grace had come to the conclusion that for Jasper the treasure represented something he needed to cling to, like a beacon of hope for the hometown he loved so dearly.

Hope couldn’t be a bad thing.

When Grace had arrived at his office, she’d made it clear that her spelunking days were over. Jasper said he understood, but he still wanted to show her some potential spots for the location of the treasure.

Grace had her notebook out and was scribbling down some notes for Jasper. Something was niggling at her, some fact they’d come across that didn’t compute. It was hovering on the edge of her brain, but she couldn’t connect the dots.

“Jasper, what year did Bodine and his brother drown out on the bay?”

Jasper scratched at his chin, a thoughtful expression etched on his face. “Hmm...must have been not long after he found the gold in Juneau. Eighteen eighty-one, I believe.” Grace wrote the date down on the page, along with the year he’d discovered gold. She was working on a timeline.

“Was it his own boat?” she asked.

“I assume so, but to be honest, I don’t rightly know,” he admitted.

Again, Grace scribbled down that tidbit of information.

“Grace, I want to show you a picture of my wife.” The tone of Jasper’s voice quieted and softened. It sounded as gentle as a caress. He reached over to his desk and carefully picked up a picture frame. Jasper extended it to her and she let out a gasp at the fragile beauty who stared back at her. The woman in the picture had long dark hair and gray-blue eyes. There was a look of sadness in her eyes, as well as a determination that resonated with the strong tilt of her jaw.

“That was my wife, Harmony.”

“Oh, she was lovely. And she looked happy,” Grace remarked.

“Most beautiful woman I’d ever laid eyes on. God-fearing, too. And the most humble. That woman had no idea how stunning she was or how many men in town were crazy about her.” He grinned and pointed a thumb at his own chest. “But she picked me. Me. Proudest moment of my life.”

“Sounds like a love match,” Grace said, knowing the story was bittersweet due to its ending.

“It was. Until it wasn’t.” Jasper let out a sigh. “Always remember to hold on to love, Grace. Never let it go.”

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