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While Declan stared at her with his mouth hanging open, Annie scooted out of the seat and made her way back across the aisle. She quickly buckled up, then let out a sigh of resolve as she stared out the window at the magnificent Alaskan scenery unfolding before her very eyes. Majestic mountains loomed in the distance. A large body of water—Kachemak Bay, according to her research—glistened with promise. She let out a gasp as the plane began to descend and she spotted eagles circling their nest. Down below she could make out buildings and people and cars.

Excitement roared through her as her dreams merged with reality. Finally, after so many years of dreaming about it, she was moments away from her arrival in Love, Alaska. She felt inc

redibly blessed. Her life in Alaska was about to begin!

Chapter Five

As the plane went in for its final descent over Kachemak Bay, Annie prepared herself for landing. Twenty-four hours ago she had been involved in a terrifying crash of a similar-size seaplane. It was only natural that she was slightly nervous. As the plane touched down on the water, Annie softly recited a prayer and closed her eyes. Within a few minutes, she realized that the plane had stopped moving. Relief washed over her as she heard Finn announce over the headset that they had arrived in Love.

Thank You, Lord, for safe travels.

After grabbing a few of her belongings, Annie followed right behind Declan as he exited the plane after Boone and Finn. For a moment, she felt disoriented as the glare of the sun hit her squarely in the eyes. She ducked her head, giving herself a moment to adjust to the light. A huge roar sounded all around her. When she looked up, she saw that a huge crowd had assembled by the dock where Ethel had landed.

A beautiful, dark-haired woman, presumably Boone’s wife, stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the lips. Her stomach was gently rounded in pregnancy. She then threw her arms around Declan and wiped away tears from her eyes. Finn had radioed ahead to let the authorities know that they had been found alive near the crash site.

It seemed to Annie as if everyone in town was calling out to Declan. There were signs bearing his name, while others simply read Our Hero. Clearly he was beloved by all the villagers. All of a sudden, Declan transformed before her very eyes. He seemed lit up from inside with a lightbulb. White teeth flashed. His shoulders straightened. The sound of his laughter filled the air.

A group of young women swarmed around him. It was almost as if Declan was a rock star or a soldier returning from the battlefield. Who were these women? Declan O’Rourke groupies? Ladies he was dating? A trickle of annoyance flowed through her. Although she wanted to look away from the spectacle they were making of themselves, it was like watching a train wreck. She found herself riveted. There were blondes, brunettes, redheads. Short, tall, brown-skinned, fair-skinned, freckled. Annie shook her head. Declan had his own personal fan club.

She watched as he threw up his hands and chuckled. “Ladies. Ladies. There’s enough of me to go around.”

Annie rolled her eyes. He was clearly relishing all the attention. She watched on the sidelines as Declan was swept up by a whole new crowd of well-wishers. An older woman wearing a magenta ensemble handed him a teddy bear, and a teenager enthusiastically high-fived him. Although the sight was beautiful to witness, it left her feeling a tad homesick. She had come here to establish a sense of community, but at the moment, she was a stranger. It was a foreign feeling to her and one she didn’t enjoy. Her heart sank—until she saw a beautiful sign bearing her name. It read Welcome to Love, Annie. It was feminine and delicate with lots of swirls and flowers and several shades of purple. Declan waved her over and pointed enthusiastically at the sign.

She nodded with approval, smiling at the dark-haired little boy who was holding it up. Annie bent down so that she was on eye level with the cutie-pie. “I really love it.” The boy grinned then bowed his head.

“Thanks, Aidan,” Declan said, tousling the child’s curly hair. The little boy ran off into the crowd.

“Declan O’Rourke!” a raspy voice boomed. Annie felt goose bumps on her arms as a silver-haired older man came into view. “I already had one heart attack. Are you trying to give me another one?” he asked.

“Jasper! Did you miss me?” Declan greeted him with wide-open arms. Annie had sensed before Declan even stated the gentleman’s name that she was in the presence of Jasper Prescott.

Jasper wrapped his arms around Declan and embraced him tightly. When they pulled apart, Annie could see tears streaming down Jasper’s face. “I promised Killian I would watch over you. Everyone knows you’re an honorary member of the Prescott clan. You’re just as precious to me as my own grandsons.” Jasper’s voice radiated affection and an abundance of love.

Declan touched Jasper on the shoulder. “You’ve always made me feel like one of the fold,” he said. “Grandpa would be proud of that. He thought the world of you.”

“I still think of him every day,” Jasper said. “He was the truest friend I ever did have.”

Annie teared up as she watched the emotional reunion between Jasper and Declan. It was so wonderful to see the two men share such a heartfelt moment. Based on Gram’s journal, she already felt a kinship with the mayor of Love. He could possibly be one of the last links to her heritage. If he had been the man to hold Gram’s heart in the palm of his hand, he must be quite special. She peered at him, trying to find something in his features that resembled her mother or herself. Hmm. As much as she wanted to see something familiar in his countenance, there wasn’t a single feature she could isolate.

“Where’s your passenger? Her name is Annie, isn’t it? Our new librarian?” Jasper asked in a raised voice. “I’d like to make her acquaintance.”

Declan grabbed Jasper’s elbow and pulled him in her direction. Jasper’s blue eyes twinkled as he gave her the once-over. He tipped his hat to her like an old-fashioned gentleman.

“Jasper, this is Annie Murray, our new librarian,” Declan announced with a flourish. “Annie, this is our town mayor, Jasper Prescott.”

Jasper reached for her hand and pressed a kiss on her knuckles. “It’s my pleasure to welcome you to town. And to tell you how thrilled we all are to have you heading up the new Free Library of Love. This dream has been decades in the making.”

All of sudden, when faced with the man who might be her grandfather, Annie felt a bit overwhelmed by the possibilities. Jasper Prescott was a larger-than-life figure from Gram’s writings. She had to force words out of her mouth. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Mayor,” she murmured. Ugh. Mr. Mayor? Why had she called him that? It sounded ridiculous.

Jasper squeezed her hand. “I’m terribly sorry about the plane crash. You must have been terrified.”

Annie darted a glance at Declan. “Let’s just say I feel blessed to have made it out safe and sound.”

“That’s the right attitude, Annie.” He eyed her shrewdly. “Are you sure you’re not Alaskan? From what Boone just told me, you’ve shown a great deal of resilience. And fortitude.”

She giggled. “Not even the slightest. I was born and bred in Maine in a rather small town named Whimsy,” she explained.

Jasper stroked his chin. “Now, why does that sound familiar?” Annie’s heart leaped. Perhaps he had a recollection about Gram. Should she just cut to the chase and introduce herself as the granddaughter of Aurelia Alice Murray? Or would it be too abrupt? She didn’t want anyone to believe she had come to town with an agenda. Her main goals in relocating to Alaska were to be a participant in Operation Love and to help establish the library. Tracking down her grandfather was important, but she didn’t want to alienate the townsfolk right off the bat.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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