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Boone winked at her. “But you did tumble into my arms.”
“I tripped,” Grace said, rolling her eyes. “There’s a difference.”
“So you say,” he teased, placing his arm around her and pulling her close. He pressed a kiss against her temple.
Sophie enjoyed the banter between the couple. This was what she wanted for herself. A man who knew her like the back of his hand. An easy camaraderie that always seemed fresh and exciting. Maybe she needed to explore all avenues to find her happily-ever-after. Perhaps Dilbert was the one. How would she know unless she opened herself up to the possibilities?
“Tell you what. Let me think about it. If I keep turning down men who don’t give me goose bumps, I’ll never find my husband. But on the other hand, I need to have an open mind. My granny always used to say that love is like a spider. It comes creeping out when you least expect it.” She grinned at her friends. “I need to get back to the kitchen. We’re short staffed these days.”
Sophie cast one last lingering look at Grace, Boone and baby Eva. Her heart was filled to overflowing at the joy that bounced off the new family. This time next year, she vowed, she’d have her own man by her side and a clear path to a happy ending. After all, hadn’t the whole point of her coming to Love been to become a part of the Operation Love campaign and find her other half?
* * *
Noah Catalano parked his rented car on Jarvis Street and swung his gaze around him at the quaint Alaskan village called Love. According to his research, the small fishing village had roughly one thousand residents. Located fifty minutes from Anchorage, Love was situated on the southeastern tip of the state. The town looked like something out of an old-fashioned travel brochure, or a heartwarming postcard. As a native of Homer, he was used to more hustle and bustle than this quaint hamlet. Although Love was picturesque, it would take some getting used to after living in a large city like Seattle for the past five years.
Noah was trying to take it all in. From the looks of it, this town wasn’t like anything he was used to. Small shops with brightly colored doors and decorative wreaths beckoned him. So far he hadn’t seen many villagers out and about. He couldn’t help but grin at the rustic Welcome to Love sign hanging in a store window. Love, Alaska, had a folksy charm most would find hard to resist.
The streets were dusted with snow, courtesy of a January storm that had pummeled a large portion of the state. Even a week later, there was still an abundance of snow on the ground. That was par for the course for Alaskan winters.
Noah took the crumpled photo out of his pocket and smoothed it down on the steering wheel until it was flat. The woman staring back at him was easy on the eyes. With her fiery red hair, the slight freckles scattered across the bridge of her nose and the expressive emerald eyes, she was stunning. No wonder her ex-fiancé was having a hard time letting her go. Maybe his client, John Sussex wasn’t crazy, after all, in asking him to keep tabs on his former fiancée.
“You’re a beauty, Sophie Miller. I’ll give you that,” he muttered, before stuffing the photo back inside his coat pocket. “No wonder Sussex can’t just let you go.”
He let out a low whistle as the full impact of what he’d agreed to do hit him over the head like a sledgehammer. For the next six weeks he was going to be living in this small fishing village in Nowhere’s-ville, Alaska, and working a very lucrative gig—keeping tabs on Sophie Miller. He had arrived last night, having been flown in by Declan O’Rourke, a pilot who ran a plane charter business and lived here in town.
As a private investigator, Noah went all over the country following the paying gigs. And he was moments away from beginning his undercover assignment. His company, Catalano Security, had hit a financial rough patch, which had made refusing this job near impossible. And even though he could think of much better assignments than this one, he’d had no choice in the matter. A paying job like this meant that his Seattle-based company might hold on for a little bit longer. He wouldn’t have to shutter the doors just yet. And he could pay his employees and allow them to run the fort while he was away. Watching his company go down the tubes wasn’t something he could allow to happen.
So, for the foreseeable future, he was going to be posing as a cook for the Moose Café, an establishment owned and operated by Cameron Prescott. It was the same eatery where Sophie worked as a barista and waitress. Noah was going to fulfill his obligation to his client, then head back to Seattle where he belonged, and focus on building up his business.
He knew that he was going to have to be on his A game in order to pull this off. He’d done a little research on Cameron, whose brother, Boone, was the town sheriff. Noah couldn’t do anything to raise suspicions about his background. Local law enforcement might run a check on him and hit pay dirt by linking him to his profession as a PI. His company provided personal and corporate security, as well as conducting investigations. It had been rather simple to provide references to his new boss via his connections in the world of private investigations and security. He didn’t want to be too cocky about it, since in his experience, that’s when people made mistakes.
While in Love, he was going by the name of Noah Callahan. Noah had called in a few favors to make this operation run smoothly. As a result, there was really no reason for anyone to suspect that he was anything other than a man who was seeking to reinvent his life as a cook at the Moose Café. And he had no intention of blowing his cover. His future—and that of his company—was riding on this assignment. Failure wasn’t an option.
* * *
Sophie waved goodbye to Jasper as he sailed out the door of the Moose Café. Just as he exited, a tall, broad figure stood for a moment in the doorway before crossing over the threshold. Another customer! It was shaping up to be good day for tip money. She loved days like this, when the place was full of hustle and bustle. Interacting with customers was the best part of her job.
The man stood inside the doorway and looked around the premises as if he was soaking in all the details. When he looked up, Sophie sucked in a deep breath.
He was gorgeous, with jet-black hair and striking blue eyes. A dimple on his chin added to the overall wow factor. He had a strong jawline and a commanding air. Although he was on the tall side, it was his leanly muscled physique that really packed a punch. He looked like he could handle himself in a dark alley if needed. He exuded strength.
Sophie let out an involuntary sigh. This man was spectacular. A little piece of Alaskan eye candy.
At the moment he was heading straight toward her, his gait full of power and ease. She wasn’t certain, but she might just have to pick her jaw up off the floor. This man was pure poetry in motion. He stopped right in front of her, his gaze focused on her brown apron, which advertised the Moose Café with a cartoon moose sipping a cappuccino. Needless to say, her boss, Cameron Prescott, had a zany sense of humor.
When he swung his head up, Sophie locked gazes with the stranger. “Why, hello there, good-looking.” Woops. The words had just slid out of her mouth like a rushing river.
Be quick to listen and slow to speak. Her mother’s voice buzzed in her ears. After all these years, Sophie was still trying to learn that lesson. She might benefit from having a zipper on her mouth to prevent this very thing from happening.
She bit her lip, wishing she could take the words back. From the looks of it, tall, dark and handsome didn’t seem too impressed by her.
The man raised an eyebrow. His expression displayed a mixture of surprise and a measure of disapproval. Sophie let out a low groan. He appeared slightly humorless. He might have at least cracked a smile at the compliment.
She felt her cheeks blush. “What I meant to say was, hello there, stranger.” Why was she fumbling so badly with her words? She didn’t want the hottest man in Alaska to think she was a babbling fool. Something told her it might be too late to correct a bad first impression.
“Hello,” he said in a deep, calm voice.
She smiled at him, stuffing down her discomfort. “I’m Sophie. Welcome to the Moose Café.” She waved her hand in the direction of the seating area. “Feel free to take a seat wherever you like. I’ll be right with you with a menu and the most delicious coffee drink you’ve ever ordered.”
