Alaskan-Reunion (3 page)

Chapter Two

C
ameron watched helplessly as Paige walked out of the Moose Café and hustled down the street at a fast clip. He drifted toward the window, his gaze trailing after her as she faded from sight. He pressed his eyes closed as the ache of loss swept through him.

Still, after all this time, it hurt to acknowledge that Paige was no longer a part of his life. Getting over her had almost killed him. Yet here she was, back in Love and vowing to make amends. Suddenly everything he’d been trying to forget had come bubbling back to the surface. Pain. Embarrassment. Loss. He didn’t know what to do with all these chaotic feelings roiling around inside him. Even though he’d been trying to stuff down these raw emotions ever since he’d come face-to-face with Paige, they were still riding on the surface.

He couldn’t help but wonder if he was being played again. Hadn’t Paige mentioned returning a portion of the money her father had stolen? If that was true, it could help the community immensely. But he didn’t want to get his hopes up without seeing an actual check in his hands made out to the town of Love, Alaska. He’d already been burned once by Paige and Robert Reynolds.

It was all coming at him too fast now—like an out-of-control train. He pulled out a chair and sank down in it, his shoulders slumped forward as he held his head in his hands. The sound of Hazel’s clunky footsteps heralded her arrival. She bent down and began gathering up the ceramic pieces in a dustpan and wiping up the liquid on the hardwood floor.

She looked up at him. “Are you okay?” Her voice was filled with worry.

“Never better,” he said. Hazel had already seen him at his worst. He couldn’t count the number of times she’d consoled him when he’d broken down over Paige and the financial scandal that had sent shock waves through his hometown. There was no way he was going to burden her with any more of his misery.

She let out an indelicate snort. “You look like you’ve been run over by a truck.”

Cameron shoved his hand through his hair and let out the breath he’d been holding. He stood up from his chair to face her. “I can’t believe this is happening. Paige thinks she can undo the damage she and Robert caused. She thinks she can just stroll into town after all this time and put all the pieces back together.”

“I heard every word she said,” Hazel admitted, rolling her eyes. “She always did have a pie-in-the-sky mentality.”

He frowned at her. “You were eavesdropping?”

Hazel planted her hands on her hips. “It’s called watching out for me and mine. I saw the carnage she caused the first time around. I’m not about to let it happen again. Not on my watch!”

A sigh escaped his lips. “Hazel, I love you dearly, but I’m begging you to stay out of this. And whatever you do, please don’t tell Jasper or Boone that she’s back. I want a little time to digest everything before complete chaos breaks out.”

Hazel quirked her mouth. A sinking feeling landed in the pit of his stomach.

Cameron folded his arms across his chest and narrowed his gaze. “Hazel,” he said in a reproachful tone. “I hope you didn’t—”

The door of the Moose Café burst open with a loud crashing sound. His brother Boone, town sheriff, and his grandfather, Mayor Jasper Prescott, came barreling into his establishment.

“Hey! Didn’t you two read the sign? We’re closed,” Cameron shouted, knowing it was too late to stop the impending hurricane from whirling all around him.

Jasper darted his gaze around the café. “Where is she?”

Cameron crossed his arms again and rocked back on his heels.

“Who are you talking about?”

“You know who I’m talking about. That beautiful blonde trickster you were so enamored of for all those years. Miss Paige Reynolds. Daughter of the most crooked man who ever stepped foot into Love.”

“Jasper! Knock it off! Let’s keep the drama to a minimum,” Boone barked. “Give him an opportunity to talk.”

“I can’t believe she had the nerve to come back here,” Jasper fumed. “Returning like a bad penny!”

“Settle down, Jasper,” Boone said, reaching out and clasping his hand around his arm.

He shrugged off his grandson’s hand. “I won’t settle down. As town mayor, I implore you to arrest her, Sheriff Prescott,” Jasper said in a raised voice.

“There’s no proof that Paige had anything to do with her father’s scam,” Boone explained. “We already went through this dozens of times. There’s no grounds to charge her.”

“There never was,” Cameron said, a slight defensive edge to his voice.

Boone shot him a curious look. Cameron looked away from him. His older brother had a canny ability to see straight through him, right down to the things that mattered most. He couldn’t afford that intense scrutiny right now, not when he was battling old feelings that were rising up in him like a strong tide.

“What about aiding and abetting a criminal? Rumor has it she reunited with that thieving dog once we ran her out of here. Doesn’t that prove they were in cahoots?” Jasper asked.

Cameron shook his head at Hazel. “How long did it take you to call them? Two minutes?”

“I figured we might need a small army to run her out of town again,” Hazel explained, her expression sheepish. “And they did need to know about her plans to give back the town’s money.”

“No one is getting rid of Paige,” Boone said. “I’d like to talk to her about the funds she wants to return. That’s important for Love’s finances.”

“And our future! This town needs money in the coffers,” Jasper growled. “If you ask me, we should charge her interest.”

Cameron rolled his eyes, resisting the impulse to show his grandfather the door. “Funny you should say that, since I don’t remember asking you.”

“So, Cameron. What did she say, exactly? How much is she giving the town? I must have missed that part,” Hazel said.

“I don’t know,” Cameron mumbled, feeling foolish that he hadn’t asked her for specifics. He’d been so blown away by her mere presence that he hadn’t homed in on it. Was she really prepared to give a hefty sum of money?

“You didn’t ask her?” Jasper shouted. He threw his hands up in the air and began muttering in a loud voice. “What a bunch of foolishness!”

“No, I didn’t. I was pretty much blindsided when she strolled in here. It took a few minutes to get my thoughts together.” Cameron ground out the words in a no-nonsense manner. It was just like Jasper to show up and start trying to boss him around. As long as they were in his place of business, he wasn’t about to allow his grandfather to walk all over him.

“Stop being so insensitive,” Hazel said in a loud stage whisper. “You’re acting like a bull in a china shop.”

Jasper and Hazel exchanged a long, meaningful look. Jasper’s expression softened. He took a deep breath, then continued. “Well, if you beg my pardon for asking, where is she?”

Already Cameron was feeling weary. Normally, he could go a full twelve rounds with his grandfather, but he was still reeling from the unexpected encounter with his ex. He simply didn’t have the strength at the moment. Paige’s surprise appearance was resting heavily on his heart.

“There aren’t too many places she could go, Cam. Matter of fact, there’s really only one,” Boone said, his dark brows knit together.

The homestead. The two-story log-cabin home and vast acreage that had belonged to the Reynolds family for generations. Years ago when Paige’s father had been flush with money, he’d renovated the home and transformed it into a modern showcase. Although many villagers had wanted to seize the property after Robert’s misdeeds came to light, homesteads in Alaska were not eligible for seizure.

And so it had sat unoccupied. Until now.

Three pairs of eyes were trained on him. It was clear what they wanted him to do.

“I’m not chasing after her. She said that she would talk to me more about all of this tomorrow.” He shoved his hands in his front pockets.

“Ha! And you believe that?” Hazel cried out. “Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, shame on you.”

“Do you really want to leave all that in her hands instead of being proactive?” Boone asked. “This isn’t personal, Cam. It’s about the town. You need to find out if she’s serious about the money. I wasn’t going to mention it just yet, but we need an influx of cash in order to move forward with the production of Hazel’s boots. This enterprise has become a lot more expensive than we anticipated. Strangely enough, Paige’s return could be the answer to all our prayers.”

Hazel had designed stylish and functional boots for the townsfolk that were now being mass-produced and sold throughout the United States in order to bring profit to the treasury’s coffers. Boone’s wife, Grace, had the brilliant idea to capitalize on the fashionable winter shoes as a way of boosting the local economy. For the first time in a long time, the residents of Love had hope of turning things around. But, like any new enterprise, it all boiled down to money.

The answer to all our prayers.
Boone’s words were ironic. Once upon a time he had believed that Paige was the answer to all his prayers. Only he’d been wrong. Although the love he’d felt for her had been stronger than anything he’d ever known, everything had come tumbling down like a stack of dominoes. He still felt as if he was picking up the pieces of his former life. Opening the Moose Café had been a huge step in the right direction. It had always been a dream of his to have his own establishment in his hometown. And even though people had lost faith in him, they’d come around once they’d got a taste of his unforgettable coffee drinks and sampled the delicious menu. Finally, his life was back on track.

And yet he still felt guilty about being fleeced by Robert Reynolds. He continued to struggle with his leading role in the town’s financial downturn. Had he missed any warning signs along the way? Had his feelings for Paige blinded him to her father’s larcenous nature? Those questions continued to plague him in the hours between darkness and dawn as he struggled to get some shut-eye on sleepless nights.

Was it possible that he could help make things right by working with Paige? The one thing he knew he was guilty of was being biased against anything she had to say. She’d burned him once before and he no longer trusted her. But in order to help the town, he might have to take a leap of faith and take her at her word. The very idea of it rocked him to his core.

“I’ll do it,” he said. “I’ll go find Paige and get the information you want.”

“That’s more like it!” Jasper cried out. “I knew you’d come around.”

Cameron reached for his coat and shrugged into it. He glared at his grandfather. “Don’t get the impression I’m doing your bidding, Jasper. I’m acting in the best interests of this town. Considering my role in the economic downturn, it’s the least I could do.”

Boone approached him and placed his hand on his shoulder. “I know this isn’t easy, Cam. I’m sure it stirs up a lot of memories. You want some company? I don’t mind coming along for moral support.”

He let out a sigh. “Thanks for asking, Boone, but I’ve got to handle this on my own. Go home to that beautiful wife of yours. I’ve got this.”

His brother nodded in acknowledgment, his expression solemn.

Boone and his wife, Grace, were newlyweds. Despite Grace having pretended to be a participant in Jasper’s Operation Love campaign when she arrived in Alaska, she’d really been a journalist working undercover on a series about the town. In the end, their love had triumphed.

He couldn’t even pretend to himself that he wasn’t a little bit jealous of what Grace and Boone had together. It was what he had once believed he’d had with Paige. True, enduring love.

As he headed out the back entrance of the café and walked toward his red pickup truck parked in the lot, the full weight of the situation was sitting squarely on his chest. He’d once promised to never chase after Paige Reynolds again. And lo and behold, it was exactly what he found himself doing.

* * *

Paige navigated the darkened Alaskan roads like a semiprofessional driver. It was funny how the mind worked. She hadn’t lived in this town for years, yet she could probably drive this road blindfolded. Some things a person never forgot. A tender word. The sweet verses to a song. Your baby’s first cries. The only man you’d ever loved.

Coming face-to-face with Cameron had been an electrically charged, emotional moment. Her knees had been trembling the entire time. Not a day had gone by since she’d left Alaska that she hadn’t thought of Cameron. His strength. The larger-than-life smile that almost took over his entire face. The sound of his laughter ringing out with such tremendous joy. The way he’d always looked at her with love shining from his eyes.

So much had changed since those wonderful days. Earlier, there had been nothing emanating from Cameron’s eyes but disgust. And given everything at stake, it frightened her. Every night since Emma had been born, she’d prayed that his heart would soften toward her. Not for her sake but for Emma’s. Clearly those prayers hadn’t been answered. He’d been as implacable as granite.

She tightened her grip on the steering wheel. Once she had received the text message from Fiona, her nanny, she’d had no choice but to cut things short and head to the homestead. Emma needed her mother.

The sign heralding her arrival at The Last Frontier appeared just before she turned right into the long driveway and parked her loaner car in front of the house. After grabbing her purse and exiting the car, she climbed the front steps, silently admiring the wraparound porch and the rustic yet modern feel to the house. It seemed strange being here without her father. This house had been his pride and joy, back in the good old days before he’d lost his way.

Maybe she was being overly optimistic, but she was hoping it might feel like home again.

Before she could even put the key in the lock, Fiona Gersham pulled open the door and greeted her. She was holding Emma on her hip. With her round face, soothing voice and sweet expression, the middle-aged woman had given Paige a good feeling the moment she’d presented herself for the interview to be Emma’s nanny. As her father’s illness worsened, Fiona’s presence in their lives had been a godsend. As much as her father had been vilified for his misdeeds, she’d never stopped loving him. And the grief that had consumed her after he’d passed away had been overwhelming. It had felt like being buried by an avalanche with no hope of rescue.