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“Are you single?” Hazel asked without skipping a beat.
He felt a smile twitching his lips. “Yes, I’m single.”
“That’s a blessing for the ladies of Love, although you’re now providing the men here with some stiff competition in the looks department.” Hazel’s gaze swept over him like laser beams. “From what I’ve heard through the town grapevine, you’re not a participant in Operation Love. Is that true?”
Noah gulped. “I’m part of the town grapevine? I’ve barely been in town a week.”
Cameron let out a loud chuckle. “From the moment you stepped out of Declan’s seaplane you became part of it,” he explained, quirking his mouth. “That’s how small towns work, especially this one.”
Noah shook his head in disbelief. He needed to keep low to the ground and not attract any attention to himself. There wasn’t time for any distractions, particularly not of the female variety.
“No, I’m not part of Operation Love,” he answered.
Hazel leaned across the table and splayed her hands in front of her. “I’m going to be brutally honest, Noah. You’re seriously missing the boat by not joining up. Don’t you want a happily-ever-after like Cameron and Paige?”
“Technically, I was never part of Operation Love,” Cameron interjected. “Paige and I reunited after a few years apart, so we can’t really be counted as a success story for the program.”
Hazel scowled at him. Cameron shrugged. She turned toward Noah and continued making her pitch. “The women in this program are extraordinary. Imagine the bravery and pluck it took to come all this way in the hopes of finding your one true love? As far as I’m concerned, that type of gal is a keeper.”
“I agree,” Noah said with a nod. “I have the utmost respect for anyone who takes a huge leap of faith.” The last thing he wanted to do was make Hazel think he was looking down on Operation Love. And he couldn’t very well tell her that he wouldn’t be in town long enough to find a life partner. That would pretty much blow his cover.
The grin Hazel bestowed on him was dazzling. It made him a little nervous. She was acting as if he’d given Operation Love a huge thumbs-up. Perhaps he needed to reiterate that he wasn’t interested in the town’s matchmaking program.
Just then the bell chimed and they all turned toward the door. Sophie stood there in a puffy down jacket the same color as her eyes. A white beret sat perched atop her head. Her cheeks were rosy. The tip of her nose looked like a raspberry.
“Morning, everyone. It sure is cold out there,” she said, rubbing her mittened hands together. “Sorry I’m late, but I stopped in to see Liam at the clinic. Claire gave me a ride into town.”
“You’re not late,” Hazel said. “We still have another ten minutes before the doors open. Take off your coat and sit for a while.”
“A hot, steaming coffee would be a nice pick-me-up,” Sophie agreed, shrugging off her coat and draping it over one of the chairs.
“Hot coffee coming right up.” Hazel jumped up from her seat and made her way to the counter.
Noah’s ears perked up. Who was this Liam person? And what was he to Sophie?
Was he a love interest? If so, Noah needed to find out everything he possibly could about this man. It would all be part and parcel of his investigation. He felt a little niggling sensation in his chest. For some inexplicable reason, he didn’t want this Liam character to be romantically involved with Sophie.
“So what’s my brother up to? Was he able to give you the medicine you needed for your allergies?” Cameron asked, taking another hearty swig from his cup.
“Dr. Liam Prescott is my hero at the moment. He switched up my medicine and gave me a new inhaler. Hopefully now I can breathe at night,” Sophie said. “And Ruby sent me some homemade granola. Talk about a win-win.”
“He’s a mighty fortunate man to be married to a woman like Ruby,” Cameron said with a wide grin. “God sure did bless my brothers and me in that department.”
“Your brother is the town doctor?” Noah asked, still trying to wrap his head around the cast of characters who lived in this town. He already knew Cameron’s brother Boone was the sheriff of Love, but he hadn’t known about Liam. It was evident that Liam was married to Ruby. Based on this conversation, Sophie had seen him as a patient, and there didn’t appear to be anything romantic going on. Noah felt the tight sensation in his chest loosening.
“Yes,” Cameron said with a nod. “One of my brothers is the town doctor. That’s Liam. My other brother, Boone, is the sheriff. And Jasper, my grandfather, is the town mayor.” He leaned back in his chair and smiled. “And my baby sister, Honor, runs the wildlife center.”
“Quite a family,” Noah said, letting out a low whistle.
Hazel returned with a steaming mug of coffee for Sophie. “He’s not even telling you about his fabulous sisters-in-law, Ruby and Gracie. And let’s not forget Cam’s wife, Paige. She’s one in a million.”
“The Prescott family is one of the founding families of Love,” Sophie said in a gushing tone. “In a week or so we’re going to celebrate Founder’s Day in a big way. Fireworks. Festivities. Sleigh rides. It’s going to be a can’t-miss event. So put it on your calendar, Noah.”
His calendar. Noah didn’t really do social engagements. Back in Seattle he’d devoted most of his time to Catalano Security. In his off time, he met up with friends, and on the rare occasion went out on a date. But his heart really wasn’t into dating, not since Kara had broken his heart and shattered his faith in women. Sometimes it felt as if he was just going through the motions.
If you don’t put yourself out there, you’ll never know what you’re missing. His mother’s voice buzzed in his ears, reminding him that there was a whole world to explore. For the past few years he had avoided putting himself out there. He didn’t like to think of Kara very often, but he knew his past relationship with her served as a barrier for him getting close to another woman and trusting people in general.
At one point in time Noah had envisioned Kara as his future wife. He’d loved her, and believed she loved him in return. He had even started looking at rings in anticipation of asking her to marry him.
