Читать книгу His Secret Alaskan Heiress - Belle Calhoune - Страница 12

Chapter Two

As he headed out of the Moose Café, Noah raised his hand to his chest to steady himself against the feelings rising up inside him. It felt like he’d just run a mile. His heart was beating faster than a drumbeat. It always felt like this when he took on a new assignment. Ever since he’d stepped foot into the Moose Café, pure adrenaline had been racing through his veins.

Noah had ended up working the grill and helping out in the kitchen, finishing the shift alongside Cameron. He’d left right before they locked up the place for the day. He had to admit that cooking at the café hadn’t been half bad. It reminded him of working at his family’s restaurant, the Highline Diner, in Homer. Before too long he’d fallen into the familiar rhythms of food prep in a kitchen.

He wrinkled his nose. For the life of him he couldn’t figure out what had just transpired. Spending time with Sophie and observing her had been his goal, but he wasn’t sure he’d been prepared for the experience. Noah hadn’t been expecting someone so down-to-earth...and nice.

He shook the feeling off, knowing he was heading into unsafe territory. Once upon a time Noah had seen life through rose-colored glasses when it came to women. Once bitten, twice shy. Life had shown him that he was far too trusting. As a result, he had chosen a career path that involved digging up information to prove without a shadow of a doubt a person’s true character. Facts didn’t lie. Pictures of husbands stepping out on their wives didn’t lie. Money stashed away in secret accounts gave a snapshot of deception.

He was a man who dealt with facts. So far, he knew that Sophie was a woman capable of twisting a man’s heart up in knots and abandoning him at his lowest moment. Despite the fact that she was able to plaster on a picture-perfect smile and act as if butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth, Noah knew this woman had another side to her.

He needed to get his head out of the clouds and focus. What did it matter if she was nice or nasty? She was a job. Sophie Miller was his target. He didn’t want to be friends with her. Didn’t want to know her family history. He didn’t have any intention of kissing those heart-shaped lips. And he couldn’t care less about her adorable Southern twang.

It shouldn’t matter to him that Sophie emitted rays as shimmery as the sun and as sugary sweet as an ice-cream sundae. He let out a groan of frustration. He wouldn’t be feeling this way if Sophie had been as mean as a snake or bucktoothed and homely.

Don’t forget who she is. What kind of woman ditched her fiancé without warning and took off for parts unknown, leaving nothing more than a curt goodbye letter? John Sussex had been emotional and worried out of his mind when Noah had met with him in New York City. Sussex had flown him in to meet with him face-to-face about the assignment.

The way he figured it, there was a sucker born every minute. Sussex had it bad for Sophie Miller. And even though she’d treated him like the gunk underneath her shoe, he still wanted her back. He’d hired Noah to keep tabs on Sophie and to report back to him regarding her romantic attachments. Although he felt a little bit conflicted at first about spying on Sophie, Noah knew his line of work often revolved around surveillance. He wasn’t sure why this particular gig left him feeling so out of sorts.

As he got into his car and began driving down Jarvis Street, he looked around at the shops and local scenery. As he passed the Moose Café he spotted the sheriff’s office directly across the street, along with a toy store, a barbershop and a trading post. He grinned as he passed a small bookstore called The Bookworm. Tomorrow he might stop in to see if they carried his favorite mystery writer. Suddenly, he noticed a familiar mane of long titian hair with a hot-pink hat perched on top. Sophie! She was bundled up in a winter parka and a pair of sturdy boots. He wondered where she was going, since he’d just heard her say earlier that she was getting a ride home from Hazel.

Given the gloomy-looking sky and a few flakes falling, he hoped that Sophie wasn’t venturing too far. Not my problem, he reminded himself. Sophie was a big girl, fully capable of making her way around town. So what if it was snowing? Alaska and snow went hand in hand. Sophie was probably used to it by now, even though she was a New York City girl.

He swung his gaze back to the road, then glanced over again at her. The snow seemed to be falling at a faster clip now. He watched as she slipped a little, before managing to catch herself so she didn’t fall.

“Atta girl,” he said. He wasn’t sure why, but he felt like cheering Sophie on. There was something about her that made him want to root for her.

Noah let out a frustrated groan as he watched her continue to trudge onward through the snow. Ever since he was a kid it had been ingrained in him by his father to help out a lady whenever necessary. Chivalry. This time would be no different.

He slowed his car and veered toward the snow-covered sidewalk until he was parallel to Sophie. He pushed the button to let the window down and called out, “Hey, Sophie. Can I give you a ride somewhere?”

She whirled around, her face reflecting surprise. Then she shifted from one foot to another and rubbed her mittened hands together. “I don’t want to put you out, but I’m not sure I can walk all the way to the Black Bear Cabins. It’s pretty frosty out here.”

He waved her over. “Come on. Hop in.”

A cold blast of air assaulted him as soon as Sophie tugged the passenger door open. Her cheeks were rosy as she settled into her seat and put her seat belt on. “You’re a lifesaver. I usually get a ride home from Cameron or Hazel, but I think they must have gotten their wires crossed today. I went to get my things, and they’d locked up the place and left.”

“No problem. What are the Black Bear Cabins? Sounds like something out of a fairy tale.” He couldn’t stop thinking about porridge and bears and chairs being broken in a tiny house nestled in the woods. He hadn’t been much of a reader as a kid, but he seemed to remember something to that effect.

Sophie chuckled. “Just go straight along this road until you come to the Moose Crossing sign. Once you pass it, you take a right about a half mile down the road and keep going until you see the sign for Black Bear Cabins. That’s where I live. I rent out one of the cabins from Hazel, who owns the place. So do a bunch of others who came here for Operation Love.”

Noah wrinkled his nose. “Operation Love? That’s what brought you here? The matchmaking program?” Noah had heard about it on the Seattle news, and when he’d researched the town of Love it had popped up in the search engine. From what he gathered, it was a program created to pair up single bachelors from here in town with women who came from across the United States. He wondered how successful it had been so far.

Had Sophie found someone? Was she no longer single? Although he suddenly felt tongue-tied, he had to find out if Sophie was romantically attached to anyone here in Love. It was his job to know these things and pass them on to his client.

Something told him John Sussex had no idea that Sophie was part of the matchmaking program. He hadn’t mentioned it to Noah when he’d hired him. Had his client been holding out on him? Was there more to Sussex than met the eye? Noah considered himself a pretty good judge of character, but it was possible he’d missed something.

Sophie nodded, her long hair swirling around her shoulders. “Yes. In a way. I came here to reinvent my life, and Operation Love seemed like a good way to find a husband and a loving home.”

A husband? Love? Ouch. It wasn’t going to be easy relaying that information to Sussex. Noah wanted to shake his head in disbelief, but he didn’t want to alienate Sophie, who was giving him the information he needed. Picking her up and taking her to the Black Bear Cabins had yielded more information than he’d imagined.

“You really think your future is here in Love?” There was a tinge of incredulity in his voice that he couldn’t manage to mask. He didn’t want to sound like a jerk, but he felt amazed that women actually ventured to this town and stepped out in such a massive leap of faith. What if they ended up with a serial killer?

Sophie grinned at him. “The way I figure it, God has always been faithful to me. He placed me here for a reason. I just have to be patient and let it all unfold.”

Noah snorted. He hadn’t meant to, but it slipped out. One quick glance in Sophie’s direction showed that she wasn’t pleased in the slightest. Her pretty face was now scrunched up in a massive frown. Her eyebrows were knitted together. He was pretty sure steam might be coming out her ears.

“Excuse me, Noah Callahan, but that was quite rude of you,” she huffed. Anger radiated off her in waves.

“I’m sorry, Sophie,” he said, feeling contrite. One look into her big green eyes made him feel like the worst person in the world for hurting her feelings. “It just sort of slipped out. Kind of like this morning, when you first saw me and called me good-looking.” He winked at her. He wasn’t trying to flirt with her, but she was a pretty girl and he liked the way she became easily flustered. That didn’t happen too often with the women in his circle. They were all way too polished for his liking.

Noah tried not to grin as he watched Sophie turn several shades of red. She opened her mouth, then closed it, while making a sputtering sound.

“Apology accepted,” she finally said. She sat up straight and tilted her chin upward. “I’m sorry if you don’t believe that God lights the way for us, but He does. Of that I am very certain.”

“It’s not that I have anything against the big guy upstairs, but it seems like a pretty tall order to expect Him to give you a happily-ever-after.” Noah tapped his brakes as he came to a stop sign. He looked over at Sophie. “Although I admire anyone who believes in something as fervently as you do.”

She didn’t say a word, but the beginnings of a gorgeous smile began to tug at the corners of her lips. His chest tightened a little bit at the notion that something he’d said had made her smile as if she’d just glimpsed paradise. A wave of happiness traveled through him, and he had to quickly snap himself back to his main objective. He needed information, not million-dollar smiles.

“So, have you found that special someone yet?” he asked, his heart pounding like a jackhammer inside his chest as he awaited her answer. If she said yes, Sussex was bound to be upset.

“No, not yet,” she said, her shoulders sagging a little bit. “I’ve been asked on many a date here in Love, but I’ve never clicked romantically with any of them. Not that they’re not wonderful men, but I’m not willing to settle for anything less than someone who makes me feel like I’m going to swoon. And that hasn’t happened yet.”

Noah frowned. “Swoon? Isn’t that a little bit...unrealistic? I’ve never heard of a woman actually swooning.”

She shook her head at him. “It’s a feeling, Noah. One that goes straight down to your toes. Maw Maw used to tell me about it all the time when she talked about meeting Gramps for the first time.” Sophie pressed her hands together in a prayer-like fashion. “Her knees felt weak and her belly did flip-flops. She felt light-headed and she actually saw stars.”

Maybe she was actually seeing stars in the sky, Noah thought. Far more reasonable than to believe in all the romantic notions Sophie was hurling around.

“Maw Maw?” he asked, curious about the odd-sounding name.

“My granny. Gramps was my granddaddy. The way she described falling in love was like fireworks in July and stars exploding in the heavens. Their love story was one for the ages. No matter what life threw at them, they stuck it out together. Fifty-four years of marriage, bless their hearts.” Sophie rubbed her mittens together. “So that’s what I want.”

“Makes sense,” Noah muttered. Humph! About as much sense as women coming all the way to a remote fishing village in Alaska to find single men. He didn’t dare say it out loud. No need to alienate Sophie by making any more cracks about Operation Love.

“So, what brought you to Love, Noah? The cook position at the café? Because something tells me it wasn’t Operation Love.” Sophie’s tone was casual, but her expression reflected her curiosity.

“Pretty much. I needed the money,” he said. He felt bad about stretching the truth, but he couldn’t very well tell her the real reason he was in town. No, Sophie. I was actually hired by your ex-fiancé to keep tabs on you. It seems he hasn’t quite let go of the relationship and he paid me an unbelievable sum of money for the gig.

“Times have been a little rough,” Noah admitted. It was the truth, even if he’d omitted a few parts of the story. Being here in Love was a surefire way to save his company from going belly-up. If nothing else, Sussex was paying him well to keep tabs on Sophie. There was no reason to feel this twinge of guilt, he reasoned with himself. He didn’t owe her anything.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Sophie murmured, her eyes mirroring her words. “But Love is definitely the right place to turn things around. Are you new to Alaska?”

“I was born and raised here in Alaska, so it’s home for me, although living in such a small town will be something of a new experience.” It would definitely take some getting used to after being based in Seattle for the last five years. He wasn’t sure where the market was or the gas station or where to go to buy a pair of jeans. By the time he figured it all out it would be time to head back home.

“You’ll love it,” Sophie said. “I’m from Georgia originally, but my family relocated to New York City. Alaska has been like nothing I’ve ever experienced before.”

Sophie was a Georgia peach! He knew he’d detected a sweet Southern twang. Sussex had forgotten to add that detail in the information he’d provided, which seemed a little odd to Noah.

She jutted her chin straight ahead. “Keep on this road for another mile or so.”

Noah let out a low whistle. “This would have been a mighty far way for you to walk.”

“I truly appreciate the ride.” She let out a giggle. “And so do my feet. You came along at just the right time.” Sophie looked around the interior of the car. “Is this yours or a rental?”

“It’s a loaner from Hank Jeffries. I figured having wheels would be important in order to make it to work and back home every day.”

“Hank is a great guy. He’s a firefighter. And he sure loves cars. He has about half a dozen or so.”

“Wow. That sounds like quite a collection. What about you? Do you own a car?” Noah asked.

Sophie let out a sigh. “I don’t drive, Noah, so a car wouldn’t do me much good.”

He turned toward her, noticing the sheepish expression plastered on her face.

“You don’t have a license?” He tried to keep his voice neutral, but could hear the surprise ringing out in his tone. It was a little unusual not to have your license at twenty-seven.

“No,” she said in a small voice. “I never got mine.”

“I thought Georgia was one of those states where teenagers got their licenses early. Sort of a rite of passage.”

“That’s true, but my family moved to New York City when I was a kid. In a big city getting your license isn’t the same as when you’re living elsewhere. Taxis. The subway. Buses. There are so many ways to get to where you need to be.” She shrugged. “At least that’s how it was for me. I would love to learn to drive, though,” she said in a wistful voice. “Someday.”

“You never know. Someday could be right around the corner,” Noah said, surprising himself by his desire to want to soothe her. There had been something in her voice that alerted him to the fact that she wanted to drive way more than she was letting on. He didn’t blame her in the slightest. It represented the freedom to go where you wanted when the urge struck you. Even though driving in Alaska in the winter was tricky, it would open up a whole new world for Sophie. Once she was behind the wheel she’d never long for her nondriving days, he imagined.

For the next few minutes they sat in companionable silence, until a rusted-out, faded sign announced that they had reached the Black Bear Cabins.

“Make the turn here,” Sophie announced.

Noah turned down a tree-lined, snow-covered road. Stunning white-capped mountains loomed in the distance. Noah knew he had never seen anything quite as spectacular. Not even in Homer. Having grown up in Alaska, Noah knew that his home state was full of stunning vistas. The view from here was a little slice of heaven. He almost wanted to put the car in Park and just sit back and enjoy the landscape for a few minutes.

Dozens of reddish-brown cabins came into view. They exuded a rustic, no-frills air. They reminded him a bit of summer camp at Lake Chilkat when he was ten years old. Noah felt a smile tugging at his lips at the memory of all the good times he’d enjoyed there. He had snagged his first kiss from Penny Adams while they had been enjoying a canoe ride on the lake. By the end of the summer she’d fallen for Jory Banneker and broken Noah’s heart.

Sophie navigated the way to her cabin while pointing out where each of her friends lived along the route. Noah didn’t even try to keep all the names and facts straight. It wasn’t important to his investigation, so he wasn’t going to sweat it.

“This is my place right here,” she finally announced. A bright red birdhouse hung from the rafters of her cabin. A matching Adirondack chair, dusted with snow, sat on the porch. It looked festive and cheery, much like Sophie herself.

“Would you like to come in for some hot cocoa?” she asked. “It’s the least I could do after you rescued me from foot blisters.”

Hot cocoa. It had always been his favorite, ever since childhood. He could almost taste it going down his throat with its sweet, rich flavor.

All of sudden, Noah felt the pressure of a huge weight on his chest. At this moment, more than anything in the world, he wanted to accept Sophie’s offer of hot chocolate. But he knew he couldn’t. He shouldn’t.

Sophie was business. He had been hired to watch her every move. They couldn’t be friends, not really. The past had taught him that mixing business with his personal life was a fool’s game. He had crossed that line once before and lived to regret it. Noah liked to think that he’d learned from his mistakes. And even though there was something about Sophie that called to him, he was going to do his very best to ignore it.

She couldn’t be this nice or this chipper. Buying into her goody-goody act was a fool’s game. And he was nobody’s fool.

Rather than sip hot cocoa with her, Noah would go to his rental home and call Sussex with his first report on Sophie. He would be impartial and unbiased in reporting the facts to his client. Noah would be professional. He wouldn’t talk about how pretty Sophie looked or the way she was acting totally different than the woman Sussex had known who hailed from big cities.

“I’ll even throw in some marshmallows,” Sophie said in a singsong voice.

He let out a low groan. Marshmallows were his favorite! Especially the miniature ones that were perfect for hot chocolate.

“It’s a sweet offer, but I really should head back to the house. I still have some unpacking to do.” He had to practically force the words out of his mouth. All he wanted to do was jump out of the car and join her.

“I understand,” Sophie said with a bob of her head. “Your new life in Love is waiting to unfold.” With a wave of her hand, she added, “Thanks again for the ride. See you tomorrow at the Moose.”

Noah watched for a moment as Sophie mounted the steps, pulled out her keys and unlocked the door to her cabin.

He knew that he was in trouble the moment he began praying she would turn around so he could get another glimpse of her. When she did—flashing a smile and another wave of her hand—he felt a little hitch in the region of his heart.

Pressing his foot way too hard on the gas, Noah roared away from Sophie, the promise of hot cocoa and the Black Bear Cabins. During the entire ride back to town Noah berated himself. He had been here less than twenty-four hours and somehow Miss Sophie Miller had managed to make him forget for a short period of time that she was his assignment.

He vowed to do better. Tomorrow was another day to get things right. And not for a single second did he plan to take his eyes off the prize. This assignment was crucial to the future of Catalano Security. He couldn’t mess up this golden opportunity.

Noah gripped the steering wheel tightly. Sophie couldn’t be his friend. He shouldn’t even allow himself to acknowledge she was attractive. He couldn’t accept invitations for hot chocolate. He wouldn’t let himself cross certain lines with her. He’d done that once before, and in the process, turned his entire life upside down. Fool me once, he reminded himself. He’d learned a few hard lessons over the past few years. He wasn’t going to get dazzled by a client. Not again.

Sophie Miller wasn’t going to make a fool out of him.