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A hint of a smile played around his lips. “Well, so far the program has been a rousing success. My best friend happens to be the town sheriff, as well as the mayor’s grandson, and he met the love of his life through Jasper’s program.”
“Jasper? Mayor Jasper Prescott?” Annie’s heart started thumping like crazy. For a good portion of her life, that name had been a constant. Jasper had always featured prominently in Gram’s poignant stories about Love. After Gram’s death, her journal had revealed tender musings about the handsome charmer who had seemingly captured her grandmother’s heart. Her words about Mayor Prescott had made it crystal clear that she had been head over heels in love with him. Perhaps even until her dying day.
And finally, after all these years, Annie was within reach of unraveling the mystery of her ancestry. She was within reach of uncovering her roots. She hoped that would mean family connections. A grandfather. Cousins. Aunts. It was too soon to share her suspicions with Declan, but in her mind, there was a very real possibility that Jasper Prescott was her grandfather. The same Jasper Prescott who had spearheaded the Operation Love campaign and, via the media, urged single women to relocate to his hometown in order to help sort out the woman shortage.
“You’ll love Jasper,” Declan said. “He’s the heart and soul of Love. Town mayor. Wise sage. Loving grandpa. Feisty agitator.” He let out a deep-throated chuckle. “He’s the man.”
Annie knew gushing when she heard it. The respect and admiration Declan felt for Jasper Prescott hummed and vibrated in the air around them. Although Declan didn’t radiate a sweet vibe, he suddenly seemed softer and gentler. Clearly the town mayor brought it out in him.
She was going to reserve judgment about Jasper until she knew whether or not he was kin to her. There was a part of her that resented the man who had used his good looks and charm to worm his way into Gram’s heart, only to leave her pregnant and alone. The ripples of that situation had affected her own life, since her mother had also been an unwed mother. Annie was determined not to follow the same path. She would break the cycle of women in her family who had loved unwisely and been left to rear children alone.
“It sounds as if you know the mayor well.” She touched her forehead with her palm. “Oh, yes, you said that his grandson is a good friend of yours.”
“Boone is my best friend. Bar none,” Declan asserted with a nod of his head. His blue eyes radiated deep affection. “He’s my partner in crime. The one who knows where all the bodies are buried. One of the few people in this world I trust implicitly.”
She sensed something under the surface of Declan’s words. It was more what he wasn’t saying. Who hadn’t he been able to trust in his life? Had someone betrayed him? And if so, was that the reason he had a huge chip on his shoulder?
“Will your wife worry about you not making it home?” Although her question wasn’t very subtle, she was curious about Declan’s life. All she knew about him was that he was an Alaskan pilot. Although she hadn’t spotted a ring on his finger, for all she knew, he was married with kids.
“Nope. She won’t worry one bit, considering I don’t have one,” Declan teased, his blue eyes alive with merriment. “I’m single. Footloose and fancy-free. And I aim to keep it that way.”
Annie chuckled. She liked the lighter side of Declan, the one who teased and laughed and showed tenderness. She found it rather shocking that someone as eye-catching and successful as Declan was unattached, although from the sound of it, he embraced being a bachelor. If Declan was an example of the eye candy in Love, it was no wonder that women were flocking to the small fishing village to find their soul mates.
“But having grown up in Love, I know plenty of people who will worry when I don’t show up.” He looked over at her, and their gazes held and locked. His expression was intense. “Don’t you worry, Annie. They’ll come looking for us.”
“I wonder if anybody is waiting for me,” she said in a forlorn tone. “I’m the new librarian in Love, so maybe they’ll be concerned when I don’t arrive on time.”
Declan’s eyes bulged. He let out a whistle. “So you’re that librarian.”
Annie immediately bristled. She knew bias against librarians when she came up against it. Just when she’d been warming up to Declan, he had to go and say something to put her on edge. “What do you mean by that librarian?”
Declan quirked his mouth. “No offense, but resources are tight in town. Taking money out of the town coffers to create a library was a hotly contested topic in Love. We debated it for quite some time.”
Annie sat up straight. “I’m working through a partial grant, so all the money isn’t coming from the town.” She sniffed back tears. She had been so excited about this new adventure. The very thought of being at the center of controversy made her feel terrible. All this time, she had imagined being treated with kindness and support the moment she stepped off the plane. Had she been completely misguided? Maybe she would be as unwelcome as a storm sweeping into town.
“Hey, now,” Declan said, his voice noticeably softer. He edged closer her and peered into her face. “Are you...crying?”
“No, I’m not,?
? she said as tears splashed onto her cheeks. “It’s just smoke from the fire getting in my eyes.” She was mortified. Up to this point, she had managed to hang tough and hold her head up high. All of sudden she had broken like a dam.
He reached out and brushed her tears away with his thumb. “Forgive me. I spoke without thinking, Annie. It’s been a really long, scary day for you. All you expected when this day began was to arrive safely in Love, Alaska, with a wonderful adventure stretched out before you. And what did you get instead? A terrifying crash landing in the middle of the wilderness. And a pilot who has a bad habit of putting his foot in his mouth.”
Annie stared into Declan’s eyes, lulled by the rich timbre of his voice and his ice-blue eyes. He really was a spectacular-looking man. And he was kind. He just hid it behind a mask of brusqueness. He’d been hurt, she deduced. Someone or something had bruised this man, and as a result, he hid his light under a bushel. But without him even knowing it, the richness of his soul shone through at certain moments.
“I’m sorry for being so thoughtless with my words. I really like you, Annie Murray. You have more spirit and pluck than most women would have in a crisis like this. And you’ve done brilliantly in an unpredictable and terrifying situation. Truth be told, I’m pretty fortunate that you were my passenger. Without you here, I’d be hungry and cold and downright miserable. If I had to rate you as a survival companion, I’d give you an A plus.”
Annie smiled at Declan through her tears. He was being so very kind to her. The truth was, he had bruised her feelings with his careless comment about what the town thought of her. She took her profession very seriously, and if she was being completely honest, she was a tad homesick. Whimsy, Maine, was all she had ever known. And she had traveled all this way to head up Love’s new library, only to be involved in a plane crash. The last thing she needed to worry about was her bread-and-butter job in Alaska.
But to be fair, it wasn’t completely Declan’s fault. Her nerves had already been on edge. This day had been endless. And she was scared to death. It was almost time to go to sleep, and she didn’t know what the morning would bring. Rescue? Or vast disappointment?
“I don’t know if I deserve all your praise, but I appreciate you lifting me up.”
Declan flashed her a perfect smile. “Anytime, Annie. We’re buddies now, right? After this singular experience, we’re bonded for life.”
Bonded for life. What a dramatic turn of phrase. Even though she knew better than to fall for a handsome charmer like Declan, the idea of being bonded for life with him was not an unwelcome thought.
* * *
