Page 5 of An Alaskan Wedding (Alaskan Grooms 1)

Cameron shoved his hand through his hair and looked around at the crowd. “That would be great. With all these people in here, I can use all the help I can get.”

Boone’s brother sent him a commiserating look as he walked away with Sophie. They both knew the drill. Jasper was about to start pontificating about the benefits of living in Love, Alaska.

“Forgive me. I’m getting ahead of myself.” Jasper reached for Grace’s hand and raised it to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on it. “I met Miss Miller earlier on the pier, so I’m assuming you must be Grace Corbett from New York. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I’d be happy if you called me Jasper.”

So his hunch about Grace had been correct. She was a city girl, hailing all the way from the Big Apple. Boone deposited himself in the chair vacated by Sophie. He didn’t dare leave his grandfather alone with Grace. There was no telling what nonsense might come out of his mouth that might send her on the first seaplane back to Anchorage. The very thought of her leaving caused a trickle of discomfort to flow through him.

Jasper continued. “Welcom

e to Love, my dear. May your journey be one of discovery.”

Grace crinkled her nose. “Discovery?”

“Isn’t that what brought you here?” Jasper asked. “A need to find out more about yourself and the world around you?”

Grace shrugged. “In your article you said there was a need for women here in Love. That’s why I’m here. Not sure about the discovery part.”

Jasper chuckled, a low rumble emanating from his chest. “Don’t worry, Grace. I’m seventy-five years old, but I’m still on the trail of several discoveries. Town legend says that a wise leader will find rivers of gold. I’m aiming to be that leader.”

“Legend? What legend?” Grace leaned forward in her seat, her blue eyes dancing with excitement. There was such a sweet look of rapture etched on Grace’s face. For a moment she resembled a small child who’d been promised the sun, sky and moon.

A slow hiss escaped Boone’s lips. “Don’t get him started,” he warned in a low voice. He shook his head at Jasper. “You’re treading on thin ice.”

Jasper leaned in toward Grace, his voice lowering to a stage whisper. “There’s treasure hidden in Love, buried here by one of our ancestors after the Gold Rush. I’m determined to find it. Not for selfish gain, but for the betterment of this town and our community.”

Boone could still hear every word his grandfather uttered, even though Jasper was doing his best to whisper. Although it wasn’t anything he hadn’t heard before, he felt as if he was absorbing it anew through Grace’s perspective. She could be thinking he was a lovable curmudgeon or a raving lunatic. It could go either way.

Grace’s mouth now hung open. Boone couldn’t tell whether she was incredulous or impressed by Jasper’s fanciful tale of gold, hidden treasure and his determination to find it.

“You have a standing invitation to come by my office any time you like and get a personal tour of Love.” He winked at her. “And I might just let you come treasure hunting with me.”

Grace wagged her finger at him. “You better not be teasing me. It sounds like a wonderful adventure. I’m looking forward to it.”

Jasper slowly got to his feet and nodded his head in Grace’s direction. “I have to get back to my office and sign a few ordinances. It has truly been a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Watching his grandfather shuffle away filled Boone’s heart with a mixture of pride and sadness. Jasper wasn’t getting any younger, and his physical decline in recent years had been noticeable. Despite suffering a heart attack a year ago and dealing with chronic arthritis, Jasper still continued to proudly serve as mayor. He’d been serving in that capacity for nearly two decades. Even though Boone thought “Operation Love” was an over-the-top, desperate tactic, he admired Jasper’s passion and the way he’d put himself out there for the world to see, warts and all. Sometimes he worried about his own inability to step out on the ledge and take a risk. For so long now, everything in his life had been nice and comfortable. What was it his father used to say? “No risk, no reward.”

Silence settled over the table in the wake of Jasper’s departure. What now? Idle chitchat? Meaningless conversation? How about this bone-chilling Alaska weather we’re having? Do you come to coffee bars often? He was so out of practice making conversation with an attractive woman, it was downright pitiful. Perhaps he could use a few pointers from his grandfather, who hadn’t skipped a beat in his discussion with Grace.

Boone made the mistake of glancing around the café as his mind raced with things to say to Grace. A few men in town were openly glaring at him, clearly upset that he was spending time with one of the new arrivals in town. Ha! Some of them had no business even trying to talk to Grace. Hugo had been married and divorced three times over while Dean scared off most women once they realized he reeked of his bison farm. Ricky Stanton was staring at Grace with a forlorn expression etched on his face, a clump of droopy flowers clutched in his hand. Deciding to flex his muscles a little bit, Boone edged a little closer to Grace. Declan gave him a thumbs-up sign from his seat at the counter.

“I really admire Jasper’s gusto,” Grace said. “He seems like the sort of person who lives his life with conviction.” There was a wistful tone in her voice that made him curious about who Grace Corbett was as a person. Was she living life to the fullest? Or just existing? Had her heart led her all the way to Love? Or was she looking to shake things up in her world?

“You’re right about Jasper. He lives life to the fullest in a no-holds-barred kind of way. He’s had a few health scares recently, so I wish he would settle down some, but he’s pretty ornery. Please don’t take his comments about the legend to heart. This town is his whole life, and he’d believe in almost anything that might help us out of this financial setback. Hope is a wonderful thing, but banking on centuries-old treasure is kind of pie in the sky.”

Grace jutted out her chin. “I think it’s wonderful that he believes in something, especially after all he’s been through.”

Boone frowned. “So you read the article? And what he said about losing my grandmother?”

She nodded, her eyes radiating compassion. “Yes, I did. It was one of the most moving things I’ve ever read. Loving someone and losing them is a terrible thing.”

Boone shuddered as a dozen different thoughts roared through him. On the one hand, it didn’t sit well with him that Jasper had aired the family’s dirty laundry for all to see and read about with their morning coffee and Danish. On the other hand, it had been Jasper’s story to tell. He’d lived it. And Boone had no right to judge him for it. He’d done it for the greater good—to inspire women to move lock, stock and barrel to the place his family called home.

“He laid himself bare in that article, all in the hopes of inspiring women to come to Love and plant roots here. But Operation Love might not work out the way he’s envisioned. I don’t want him to get his heart broken all over again.” There was a ragged little catch to his voice, one born of suppressed emotion and tenderness. He locked eyes with Grace, and he knew she’d heard the emotion in his voice. He could see it reflected back at him in her eyes.

Grace’s expression fell, and she appeared shaken by his comment. “I’m not sure you can protect him against a broken heart, no matter how badly you might want to. Take it from me, hearts don’t come with a warning label.”

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