An Alaskan Wedding. Belle Calhoune. Читать онлайн. Newlib. NEWLIB.NET

Автор: Belle Calhoune
Издательство: HarperCollins
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Жанр произведения: Современные любовные романы
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insides. Her cheeks felt warm and she self-consciously tucked her chin into her chest. It was an odd little habit she had when she was nervous. A protective gesture of sorts.

      Boone reached out and gently touched her chin, lifting it up so that their eyes met. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you. Just speaking a plain truth.”

      “Thank you. Not just for the compliment, but for coming out here to assist me. Now I can close my eyes tonight without having to worry.”

      He shifted from one foot to another. “I should be getting back to town,” Boone said as he gestured toward the door. “You must be tuckered out.”

      Grace trailed behind Boone as he ambled outside. Once he reached the porch, he turned toward her, his expression difficult to read.

      She looked past him, distracted by the brilliant stars peeking out through a midnight sky. She let out a surprised cry. “Oh, it’s stunning,” she gasped. Boone turned his head and looked up. In profile his face appeared softer somehow and a little more vulnerable. He didn’t look quite so tough at the moment.

      “That it is.” He turned back to her, studying her face for a moment. “Night, Grace. Get some rest.”

      She moved toward the doorway of her cabin, unable to resist turning back one last time to wave at Boone as he revved his engine and disappeared down the lane.

      As she settled in for the night a feeling of discomfort trickled through her. Boone had been so nice to come to her rescue this evening. Even though he’d been a bit prickly at first, he seemed like a good guy. It didn’t feel great to make him believe she was in town as a participant in Operation Love. It felt like a lie. She shut her eyes tight and pressed her head against the pillow, determined to get a restful sleep.

      One thought rattled around her brain as she drifted off to slumber. No one and nothing was going to get in her way of achieving her professional goals, not even a too-handsome-for-his-own-good sheriff who made her weak in the knees just by glancing in her direction.

       Chapter Four

      Grace woke up to a clanging sound resounding in her ears. For a moment a sense of disorientation hung over her like a heavy fog until she remembered—she was in Alaska! Bleary-eyed, she jammed her feet into her rabbit slippers, shuffled over to the front door and pulled it wide open. A gust of cold air blasted her in the face. A brilliant blue sky beckoned. Church bells were ringing!

      When she crossed the threshold of her cabin, a slight rustling sound caught her attention. At her feet sat a pretty blue envelope, the color of a robin’s egg. Her name jumped out at her in big bold letters. Grace picked up the envelope and brushed off the snow that had settled on top of it. Using her nail, she slit it open and took out the cream-colored card inside.

      Grace,

      If you’re still interested in a tour of Love, I can pick you up at the Moose Café after your shift ends at two o’clock. If I don’t hear from you, I’ll assume you’re game to explore...and hear about a legend or two.

      Fondly,

      Jasper Prescott

      Yes! Score! She put the letter up to her lips and kissed it. A tour of Love would allow her to get an overview of the town she would be writing about. Although she’d done a little research prior to coming to town, there was nothing more invigorating than going out in the field and experiencing it for herself. Since Jasper Prescott was the one who’d coined the phrase Operation Love and written the original article about this lovelorn town, she considered it serendipity that he would be the one to show her around. It would be an added bonus if he told her about the legend. That would certainly give her something to write about!

      Standing out on the porch in her robe and pj’s felt surreal. Shivering, she looked around her, half expecting to see Primrose scampering through the brush. It was an incredibly beautiful vista. Huge mountains dominated the horizon. It almost felt as if she could reach out and touch them. She breathed in the fresh, pristine air, noticing for the first time that she had a partial view of the bay. The clouds sat in the sky like fluffy cotton balls. Everything felt so crisp and clean.

      Grace threw back her head and extended her arms in the air. “Hello, world,” she cried out, half expecting to hear an echo bounce back at her. It was the oddest feeling to be standing on her porch in Love, Alaska, communing with nature. Odd, yet refreshing at the same time. She hadn’t expected to feel this rush of excitement thrumming through her veins. Truthfully, she hadn’t been all that intrigued by Alaska, although she’d jumped at the opportunity to be entrusted with this series. It was quite a professional coup. Nevertheless, the forty-ninth state had never been on her list of places to visit, nor had she been aware of all its charm and raw beauty.

      She always felt a burst of adrenaline whenever she began laying the groundwork for a story. Being here in Love, Alaska—a world far removed from what she was used to—heightened the thrill of it all. It made the normal challenges of her profession that much more difficult. And that much more exciting.

      Grace’s love of journalism had been sparked at the age of nine by her grandfather. Fred Corbett had been a businessman with a seat on the New York Stock Exchange. While he was ruthless in the boardroom, he was a teddy bear with his only granddaughter. Every time Grace visited his penthouse apartment on the Upper East Side, he’d asked her to bring him the newspaper from the foyer table. Dutifully, each and every time, Grace had brought him the furled copy of the New York Tribune.

      “Read me the headlines, Gracie. Tell me what’s going on in the world today,” he’d instructed her in his signature booming voice. He’d sat back in his velvet-cushioned chair, closed his eyes and waited for her to begin.

      Grace had read her grandfather the Tribune’s headlines and, in the process, fallen in love with the written word and the stories that made the world go round. Some of the stories made her want to cry, while others educated her about politics and global issues.

       Wonderful job, Gracie. Knowing about the world around you is a powerful thing. Thanks for bringing the world to my doorstep today.

      Her grandfather’s praise had felt as warm as summer sunshine on her face. He’d made her feel like the most important person in the world, if only for those few minutes she’d held the newspaper in her hands and read aloud to him. It had been the first time in her life anyone had made her feel important. From that point forward she’d devoured the daily newspaper the way some kids gobbled down candy. The stories she uncovered between the pages of the newspaper served as fuel for her dreams. And she’d never forgotten the feeling of having the world at her fingertips. Moving hearts and minds with the power of her words never failed to amaze her.

      At the sound of a door being opened, Grace turned toward Sophie’s cabin. “Morning, Grace. It’s our official first day of work. I’m so tickled. I could barely sleep last night.” Sophie crossed her hands prayerfully, the same way Grace had done on Christmas morning when she was a child.

      Bless her. Perhaps Sophie’s enthusiasm about working at the Moose Café would rub off on her.

      She waved at her new friend. “Hey, Sophie. Isn’t the view beautiful?”

      Sophie vigorously nodded her head. “It’s almost as pretty as the bluebirds back in Saskell.” Grace smiled. It was surprising Sophie had left Saskell in the first place. Every time she mentioned her hometown, Sophie lit up like the Fourth of July. What had made her come all the way to Alaska? She was the most lovable woman in the world. And beautiful. Surely she could have found love in Saskell, Georgia?

      Not for the first time, Grace wondered why Sophie looked so familiar to her. As a journalist, she had a great memory for faces. This feeling of recognition wouldn’t go away. It had been nagging at her since the flight over from Anchorage.

      “Sophie, have we met before? Perhaps back in New York?”

      Sophie’s eyes widened. “N-no, ma’am.