Читать книгу His Secret Alaskan Heiress - Belle Calhoune - Страница 11

Chapter One

“Here it is. Fresh out of the oven. One reindeer pizza with feta and spinach,” Sophie announced in a chirpy voice as she set the order down in the middle of the table. “And a mozzarella salad on the side. It’s good for your heart.”

“Thanks, Sophie.” Jasper Prescott, town mayor, grinned at her, his white whiskers lending him a grandfatherly appearance. She would never admit it to Jasper in a million years, but he was just about the cutest man in the world, despite being an utter rascal. She’d already claimed him as her honorary grandfather. As far as she was concerned, he was a keeper.

“You’re quite welcome, Jasper.” Sophie smiled at him. “Might I say that ever since you and Hazel got engaged, she’s been walking on cloud nine?” Sophie patted him on the shoulder. “Well done!”

Jasper winked at her. “I can’t deny that being an engaged man has done me a world of good. I feel as if I have an extra spring in my step.” He held his finger up to his mouth in a shushing gesture. “Now don’t you tell Hazel I said that. She’ll never let me hear the end of it.”

Sophie giggled. “I won’t say a word, Jasper. It’ll be our little secret.”

Once the words slipped out of her mouth, Sophie felt a tad guilty. After all, she had been keeping secrets ever since she’d stepped foot into the town of Love, Alaska.

“Now that I’m getting hitched, we need to focus on pairing you up with one of the dozens of men who keep swarming around you. I’ve heard lots of gripes from some of them who are part of Operation Love. They’re beginning to think you’re playing hard to get.” Jasper’s blue eyes twinkled. “What’s wrong, Sophie? None of ’em tickle your fancy?”

Leave it to Jasper to put it all out there with one loaded question. Operation Love was an innovative program he’d created that matched up women from across the United States with rugged bachelors from the small Alaskan fishing village. As town mayor, Jasper had racked his brain to come up with a solution for the shortage of females in town. So far, his program had led to several weddings, more than a dozen engagements and numerous love connections. It was a resounding success.

Jasper’s question threw Sophie off balance for a moment. It was the same one she’d been asking herself for more than a year. Why hadn’t she been able to move past her ex-fiancé’s betrayal and find romance here in town? Despite her fervent prayers for healing, she was still wounded from the past. She had been asked out on more dates than she could count on two hands. And she had never meant to hurt anyone’s feelings, but she wasn’t going to date a man if the chemistry just wasn’t there. And so far, she really hadn’t been interested in anyone.

“I want to get hit by that thunderclap, Jasper.” She shrugged. “It just hasn’t happened yet.” She winked at him. “But when it does, you’ll be the first to know.” What she wasn’t telling Jasper was that she wasn’t quite ready for romance.

“When you get a free moment, could you bring me an iced coffee?” he asked. “I promise not to bug you about your love life. At least not until tomorrow.” The sound of his raspy laughter rang out in the café.

“Sure thing!” She turned in the direction of the kitchen, her eyes landing on a sight that made her stomach do flip-flops. Sophie let out a sigh as she watched her best friend, Grace, sharing a tender kiss with her husband, Sheriff Boone Prescott. They were still newlyweds, having been married last year in a romantic ceremony attended by all the residents of Love, Alaska. Add in one sweet little baby girl named Eva, who was sound asleep in the baby carrier, and it seemed to Sophie that this couple was truly blessed.

She wanted to reach out and shower the newborn with hugs and kisses. Though only a few weeks old, Eva had already won the hearts of the entire hamlet of Love. Seeing Boone and Grace together gave Sophie hope of finding love with a man who would see right down to her soul and the things that mattered most. A man who would love her on her own merits, not just because her father was a billionaire. Not that anyone here in town knew the huge secret she was harboring. As far as they were concerned, she was just plain old Sophie Miller from Saskell, Georgia, a woman who had ventured to Alaska to become a part of the Operation Love campaign. The townsfolk had no idea Miller was an alias she was using in order to avoid being connected to the Mattson family name.

Sometimes even Sophie couldn’t understand how circumstances had led her straight to this Alaskan hamlet. But all in all, she felt blessed to be here. It was so very different from the world she had left behind in New York City.

Growing up as the only child of coffee magnate Roger Mattson hadn’t been easy. Her father—the owner of the Java Giant empire—had raised her all by himself after her parents’ divorce and her mother’s death a few years later. Although Sophie had been afforded all the luxuries of a royal princess, she’d never had the very things she ached for. A soft place to fall. Her father’s undivided attention. People who cared about her for the right reasons. Her entire life she’d been used for her father’s connections and the vast fortune everyone assumed she had access to. It had left her feeling jaded and suspicious of everyone’s motives. The final straw had been when her father had orchestrated her engagement to his right-hand man, John Sussex. It had all become too much for her—affianced to a man she didn’t love and who didn’t love her back, with her father pushing her to marry despite her protestations.

And that’s how she’d ended up in Love, a remote fishing village in Alaska. Tired of living an unfulfilling life, she’d given up all her credit cards, a penthouse apartment in Manhattan and a hefty bank account. Her father had no idea where she’d gone, and until she could process his staggering betrayal, she intended to lie low. She’d flown to Love simply because she’d seen an article about a women shortage in the town, written by Jasper. Something about the piece had tugged at her heartstrings, and she’d made an impulsive decision to make Love, Alaska, her refuge from the privileged world her father had constructed for her. In the end it had become a gilded cage.

Love, Alaska, on the other hand, was a dream come true. Although she wasn’t looking for the man of her dreams at the moment, she still had hope for a happy ending somewhere down the road.

Grace smiled and waved to her from her table. She was the only one who knew her true identity, and Sophie trusted that her best friend would keep her secret, just as she’d promised. Sophie wasn’t trying to be deceptive, but she wanted the residents of this quaint village to like and respect her on her own merits, not because of her family’s fortune. In her humble opinion, that didn’t seem too lofty a goal.

Not to mention the fact that she was currently estranged from her family and had given up all the rights and privileges of being a Mattson.

“Sophie!” Boone beckoned her over with a wave of his hand. Sophie walked to their table, where Eva was now nestled against her mother’s chest, Grace soothingly patting her back. “We wanted to ask you something,” Boone said, his eyes twinkling.

Sophie clasped her hands together. “Are you going to ask me to babysit this precious little lady? Pretty please with sugar on top.”

The couple exchanged a glance, then chuckled. “No, Sophie. We’re not quite ready for a date night out without Eva,” Grace explained.

“Speak for yourself. I could use a break from diaper changes,” Boone teased. Grace shook her head at him and made a tutting sound before swinging her gaze back to Sophie.

Something about her friend’s expression seemed sheepish. She ducked her head and focused on Eva rather than looking Sophie in the eye.

“We wanted to ask you if you’d be interested in going out with Dilbert Trask,” Boone said. “He’s a friend of mine who just moved back to Love. I’m guessing he’s been in here a time or two.”

“Boone says he’s a great guy. And he’s been saying some very complimentary things about you,” Grace said with a grin.

A hissing sound escaped Sophie’s lips. She looked back and forth between her two friends. How could she communicate the fact that she didn’t see herself dating Dilbert? “I don’t know,” she hedged. “Dilbert seems really nice, but I promised myself that I would only go out with a man who made my knees weak.”

“Chemistry doesn’t always work like that. I didn’t swoon when I first met Boone,” Grace added.

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.”

He shook his head. “I’m not here to eat,” he explained. “My name is Noah. Noah Callahan. I’m here to meet Cameron about the open cook position.”

This was the new cook? Marta’s replacement? Sophie had completely forgotten that Cameron had said to expect the new hire to show up today. In her wildest imagination she never would have envisioned he would look like this. Sophie had imagined an older, wizened man. The new hire had the appearance of a professional athlete or a fitness model for a sports magazine. Sophie knew it was rude, but she couldn’t seem to stop staring at him. In a town full of hot Alaskan bachelors, this guy was perhaps the most gorgeous one she’d laid eyes on yet. And his cornflower blue eyes were magnetic.

“You’re the new hire?” she asked, her voice oozing shock and awe.

“Unless you know something I don’t,” he quipped. “I hope I haven’t come all the way to Love for nothing.”

“No! No! Of course not. Cameron told me to expect you, but I forgot that you were coming by today. And I wasn’t expecting someone so...” Her voice trailed off.

“So what?” he asked, his brows knitted together. His eyes were as piercing as laser beams.

So dreamy. The words popped into her head, although she didn’t dare utter them out loud.

“You must be Noah.” The sound of Cameron’s voice coming from directly behind her caused Sophie to let out a huge sigh of relief. Saved by the boss from any further embarrassment! She wasn’t sure exactly how she would have answered Noah’s question without humiliating herself even more.

Cameron stepped forward and said, “Cameron Prescott. Nice to meet you.” He stuck out his hand and shook Noah’s vigorously. “I see you’ve met Sophie.”

“Yes,” Noah said with a nod. “Nice to meet you, as well, Cameron. And thanks for letting me rent your place. It saved me the trouble of having to search around town for digs.” Noah grinned from ear to ear. Mmm. So the man did know how to smile. And what a nice smile it was. Pretty white teeth and dimples for days. Something told Sophie that Noah Callahan was going to leave the women of Love in quite a flutter, starting with herself.

“No problem at all,” Cameron said. “I moved into my wife’s home after Paige and I got married, so I’m happy to rent the place out.”

Noah was going to be living at Cameron’s old place! Sophie let out a little sigh of disappointment. Why hadn’t she thought of asking Cameron to rent it to her? Her cabin at the Black Bear Cabins was a tad on the small side. In the past year she had filled up the small space almost to overflowing. Relocating to Cameron’s former home would have been amazing. The backyard had a lovely view of the mountains. Oh, well. She didn’t believe in crying over spilled milk or lost opportunities.

Gratitude. She had to remind herself that she’d vowed to be thankful for all the things in her life, great and small. She wouldn’t dwell on the size of her living quarters or lament the fact that Noah had scooped up Cameron’s place. God had already blessed her in so many ways. She wasn’t about to grumble.

Living in Love was a world apart from the rarefied atmosphere she’d grown up in. As the daughter of a very wealthy man, there had truly been nothing she couldn’t have procured with a single phone call or a word with her father. A private jet. Shopping sprees. Front-row concert tickets. Diamond earrings. The world had been her oyster. Once Java Giant had taken off, her family had relocated to New York City from her small hometown of Saskell, Georgia. They had moved from a modest, ranch-style home to a penthouse in Manhattan.

Sophie wasn’t sure she’d ever managed to adjust to being the Java Giant heiress. Most times, she’d yearned to go back to simpler times, when picking peaches and attending church picnics had been the norm for their family. Everything had changed when her father’s business took off and went national. Their lives had transformed in an instant. Her upbringing had been lavish, yet it had never brought her true happiness. She’d vowed to strip herself of the luxuries and get down to basics here in Alaska. So although she felt disappointed about Cameron’s house, she wasn’t going to dwell on it. Material things were fleeting.

“Sophie, can you show Noah around?” Cameron asked, drawing her out of her thoughts. “He’ll be starting tomorrow morning, bright and early. I’m going to finish out the cooking shift and show Noah how the kitchen works in a little bit. Hazel will work the tables.”

A loud banging sound, following by shouting, emanated from the kitchen. Cameron raised his eyebrows and let out a nervous laugh. “Excuse me. I need to go check in with Hazel. She’s a little swamped at the moment. Welcome, Noah. It’s great to have you on board.”

Sophie smirked, knowing her close friend Hazel Tookes probably wasn’t at her best at the moment. As Cameron’s honorary mother figure, Hazel was, for all intents and purposes, a silent partner in the café. She allowed Cameron to manage the restaurant and act as the public face of the establishment. Outspoken and lively, Hazel didn’t hesitate to let Cameron know when something didn’t sit well with her. Working the grill wasn’t her forte. Waitressing suited her more, due to her tendency to be a social butterfly.

Noah’s gaze trailed after Cameron. Then he looked around the café. “This seems like a popular spot.”

“It is. We’ve been blessed with a loyal following and enough customers to keep this place up and running. Did you know that most businesses fail within the first year?” Sophie couldn’t count how many times her father had shared that fact with her. It made her doubly proud of Cameron’s success. He’d worked hard for it.

Noah scratched his jaw. “I think I’ve heard that statistic. It’s tough to get a business started, not to mention keeping it profitable.”

“That’s for sure,” Sophie said with a nod. “The Moose Café is a testament to Cameron’s hard work and vision. Before I arrived in town, Love endured a recession that caused quite an economic downturn. A lot of businesses didn’t make it. But that didn’t stop Cameron from stepping out on a limb of faith and opening up this establishment. And the town has rebounded and we have a new factory that mass produces genuine Alaskan boots. They’re called Lovely Boots and they’ve really taken off.”

“It’s pretty courageous to start up a new company in the shadow of such hard times,” Noah said. “It’s a testament to his work ethic and vision.”

“No guts, no glory,” Sophie proclaimed as she raised her fist in the air, earning another raised eyebrow from Noah.

“Let me show you around,” Sophie said, wanting to fill the awkward silence. She motioned for Noah to follow her. She couldn’t shake the feeling that he was staring at her as if she was somewhat of an odd duck. His expression was a bit shuttered and he seemed to be quite serious about everything. Maybe he was nervous about the new job. It would be a shame if this hottie was a stick-in-the-mud with a sour disposition.

Life was too short not to smile. Ever since she’d been knee high to a grasshopper, this had been her personal motto. So many people made storm clouds when their lives could be filled with rainbows and glitter and cupcakes.

As Sophie showed Noah around the establishment, she couldn’t help but notice that he was a man of few words. Other than some nods and monosyllabic replies, he’d given her nothing but silence. Perhaps he was the strong, silent type—observing everything but giving away nothing. Maybe she just needed to pull him out of his shell.

“How about an espresso or a mochaccino?” she asked, as she led him past the area where they were made.

“No, thanks, Sophie. I’ll take a water, though.”

“C’mon. Live a little,” she teased. “Our coffee drinks are the best thing since sliced bread. Once you taste one of ’em, you won’t be able to resist them.”

He shook his head. “Thanks, but I’m not really a coffee drinker.”

Sophie felt her eyes widen. Not a coffee drinker? And he was going to be working at a popular coffee joint in town? Humph! As the daughter of a coffee magnate, Sophie had a hard time wrapping her head around the notion that Noah didn’t like coffee. It was downright peculiar.

He shrugged. “Sorry. I just never took to it.”

She didn’t know what to make of that statement, but didn’t want to hurt the new cook’s feelings by poking him about it. Because she’d grown up in the midst of a coffee empire, she found Noah’s philosophy rather shocking.

Sophie led him down the hall toward the kitchen. She paused to grab a cold bottle of water from the fridge and handed it to Noah. “No need to apologize. Speaking for myself, I’ve always loved coffee. When I was little girl I remember waking up to the smell of it.” She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply through her nostrils. “Daddy always loved coffee. All types. He would make all these specialty drinks at home right from our kitchen. Mama used to make coffee ice cream for him with one of those old-fashioned ice-cream makers. I used to love when she’d let me turn the handle. I think the love of coffee was imprinted on my DNA.”

Sophie blinked back tears. A sudden wave of homesickness washed over her. Despite everything that had transpired between them, she missed Daddy terribly. Home was still etched on her heartstrings. Everything she’d ever learned about coffee had come straight from her father. There’s love in the bottom of every cup. That was the Java Giant motto. Just thinking about it triggered a feeling of loss so vast it made her heart ache. Even though her father had transformed over the years into a man whose sole focus was his coffee empire, she still loved him and she always would. Ditto for Mama, who was now in heaven. Her parents’ divorce had shattered her childhood, but it hadn’t made her love them any less. All her memories from her childhood in Georgia were still imprinted on her heart like a permanent tattoo.

Noah seemed to be studying her. “Hey. Are you all right?” His voice was infused with concern. Sky blue eyes radiated compassion.

She sniffed back tears. “I’m fine. Just feeling a little nostalgic today. I love being here in Alaska, but I miss my folks like crazy.”

“I’m not surprised to hear that. Family is the most important thing, bar none,” he said.

Sophie nodded. “I feel very fortunate to have a family right here in Alaska. Cameron. Hazel, who you’ll meet in a few minutes. My best friend, Grace. Jasper, the town mayor. They’re not blood related, but they treat me like one of their own. I love them very much.” She knew she was gushing, but she couldn’t help herself. When it came to Love, Alaska, she tended to wear her heart on her sleeve.

Something resembling understanding flickered in his eyes. He nodded. “That’s called community. It’s the beauty of a small town. I grew up in one, so I know what I’m talking about. You’re very blessed, Sophie.” For the first time Noah’s voice had a sweetness that warmed her insides. So he wasn’t a robot, after all.

Sophie knew she was fortunate to have landed in a heartwarming town like Love just when she’d needed it the most. Her world had crumbled in all around her back in New York City, and she had found a soft place to fall right here in Alaska. For the past year Sophie had been taken under the wing of the townsfolk and treated like gold. In return, she had fallen in love with the small fishing village and its folksy charms.

“I do feel very blessed,” she murmured.

For some reason, Noah’s words wormed their way inside her and caused her to feel a groundswell of guilt. She had been a resident of this fishing village for more than a year, and for the entire time she had not been forthcoming about her identity or the fact that her father was a billionaire. Although she had tried to convince herself that it didn’t matter, she knew deep down inside that withholding the truth from the residents of Love was an act of pure selfishness. In the beginning it had seemed like self-preservation, but with each and every day that passed, Sophie became more and more uncomfortable with the omission. After all, this town had endured near bankruptcy, an embezzlement scandal and severe financial hardships.

Bile rose up in the back of her throat at the mere thought of confessing all to the townsfolk. How in the world would they ever understand her situation? This town had endured business closures, a failed cannery, foreclosures and a severe economic downturn.

No matter how she sliced it, Sophie knew she had to be honest about her family connections before the truth ever came bubbling to the surface. If not, she might risk losing the goodwill and friendship of a whole community of people who trusted her.