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Sophie stood like a statue as she watched the Java Giant helicopter land on the town green. Leave it to her father to make a grand entrance! Roger Mattson wasn’t called “the Entertainer” for nothing. Tall, suave and handsome, with a headful of salt-and-pepper hair, he exuded grace, charm and affability.
As her father stepped out of his helicopter, her first instinct was to rush into his arms and hold on for dear life. It had been over a year since she’d seen him up close and personal. The very sight of him made her want to burst into tears.
She’d never felt so betrayed by anyone as she did by Noah. It felt as if he’d lodged a knife firmly in her back. She’d trusted him! Loved him. Once again she’d been played for a fool.
She felt her knees weakening. Despite everything, she needed her father. It didn’t mean that the past had been erased. It just meant she loved him more than words could ever express. And she knew without question he
loved her just as fiercely.
Sophie ran to meet him. “Daddy!” she cried.
“Peaches!” he called out, his raised voice textured with emotion. He met her halfway, and they clung to each other as if they were life preservers on the open sea.
The smell of her father’s woodsy aftershave rose to her nostrils. She clutched the fabric of his jacket, wanting to hold on to him for dear life. In this moment he was safety, the foundation that would never crumble.
“Don’t ever let me go,” she whispered, feeling as vulnerable as a child. Being held in her father’s arms served as a healing balm. The past no longer mattered in this moment. He had traveled all this way to Love to reunite with her. And she needed him more than ever after Noah’s betrayal. She felt as if she’d been stung by a swarm of killer bees. Sophie wasn’t sure how she was still standing, when in reality all she wanted to do was fall to her knees.
Noah—strong, hardworking, gentle Noah—had made a fool of her. The man she had fallen in love with didn’t exist! Her Noah was a double agent, working undercover for John while romancing her. All she wanted to do right now was melt into her father’s arms and get away from all the madness swirling around her. How she felt now was a hundred times worse than when she’d discovered John’s duplicity.
Thank you, Lord. For bringing my father back to me just when I needed him the most.
After what seemed like an eternity, her father gently pulled away from the embrace.
His eyes were moist with tears as he studied her face. “Sophie. I can’t tell you how good it feels to see you in the flesh.”
Sophie felt her lips trembling. “Daddy. You found me.” She looked into her father’s grass-green eyes. They so closely resembled her own.
A hint of a smile played around his lips. “I’ve always known you were here in Love, Sophie.”
Sophie sputtered. “W-what? And you waited all this time to come and see me?” She supposed it had been foolish of her to believe that a man of her father’s vast resources couldn’t have located her. Maybe deep down she had known all along he’d had his eye on her. It had allowed her to stand on her own two feet and gain a measure of independence.
“It was difficult, to say the least, but I owed you that much. I knew how badly you’d been hurt. You were so desperate to make a clean break from your life. It’s probably one of the most selfless things I’ve ever done, because I worried about you and almost came here to get you half a dozen times or more. When I was your age I ran off to join the army. My father wanted to stop me, but he realized I had to grow into the man I needed to be.”
Roger reached down and caressed her cheek. “You’ve turned into your own woman, Sophie. One who knows what she wants and the kind of life she wishes to lead. How many ways can I say that I’m sorry, baby girl? I made so many mistakes. I said and did things I deeply regret. And I know how much pain I caused you.”
Sophie swiped away tears with the back of her hand. “Oh, Daddy. It was all such a mess. I had no business getting engaged to John. I never loved him. How wrong would it have been to marry a man I didn’t love? But I was so wrapped up in making you proud of me. I didn’t want to let you down.”
“And then I let you down,” her father said in a tortured voice. “I took John’s side when I should have been firmly rooted in your corner. I chose to believe him and his lies, when I know you are the most truthful person I’ve ever known. As a father, I should have known.”
Sophie scowled as John boldly stepped forward. “Sir. I just want to let you know that I intended to tell you about Sophie being here in Love as soon as I straightened things out between us. I’m still very committed to being a part of the family.”
Sophie couldn’t be certain, but she thought there were beads of sweat on his forehead. Leave it to John to sweat in Alaska!
“Save it, John,” Roger roared. “I wouldn’t believe a word out of your lying mouth if you had your hand on the Bible. It took me way longer than it should have, but I see your true colors. You were never fit to marry my Sophie. Shame on me for believing you were!”
“Who is this man, Sophie?” Jasper barked, stepping forward so he was standing next to her. His brow was furrowed. “And why did he fly in on the Java Giant helicopter?” A group of residents stood behind him, clearly intrigued by the drama playing out before their very eyes.
Her stomach clenched. Sophie hated the look of confusion radiating from Jasper’s eyes. Why hadn’t she just told the truth from the beginning? After all this time, what would they think of her? She prayed the townsfolk and her dear friends wouldn’t think her whole life here in Love had been a big fat lie.
The crowd around them was growing larger. Sophie felt almost claustrophobic from the way everyone was beginning to press in. Hazel stared at her with wide eyes. For once her dear friend was speechless. Cameron couldn’t seem to look away from the helicopter. Noah stood at the edge of the crowd, taking it all in without saying a word. What could he say? He’d been revealed as a liar and a fraud. And he didn’t care for her. It had all been a pretense crafted in order to get close to her for surveillance purposes.
She cleared her throat. “He’s my father, Jasper. His name is Roger Mattson. And he owns the Java Giant corporation.” Sophie took a deep, fortifying breath. She jabbed a finger in John’s chest. “My real name is Sophie Mattson. This man was my fiancé until I discovered he only wanted to marry me because I was Roger Mattson’s daughter. If I were to marry him, he knew he’d be in line to inherit the company.”
Shocked gasps rang out in the crowd.
“When the bottom fell out of my world, I came here to Love,” she explained. “To soothe the pain. To reinvent myself. To get as far away as possible from people who only saw me as a wealthy man’s daughter.”
