She pulled into the Salmon Catcher parking lot, put her van into park, and resolved to go after what she wanted. And what she wanted was Trey Briggs.
She trod across the parking lot with confidence she didn’t feel, but she was determined to make those acting classes pay off. Even if she didn’t feel sure of herself, she was going to act like she was.
She stepped into the hotel’s busy lobby. There were staff members clearing away dishes from the morning’s breakfast. There were people passing in and out of the front doors, up and down the spiral staircase, and customers checking out. She searched the faces until she spotted Trey walking across the mosaic-tiled lobby talking with a member of the housekeeping staff. When he looked up, he locked gazes with Lauren and immediately stopped talking. His mouth hung open for the briefest of moments until he said something quietly to the staff member and she continued down the hall.
Trey stood immobile, staring at her, taking in every inch of her with his eyes. He stepped forward and smiled, though Lauren noted the lines of stress etched in his face. “I hear congratulations are in order. You signed the deal.”
“Yes, I did. Who told you?” She clutched her handbag like a lifeline, hoping it might keep her steady.
“I don’t remember. This is a small town. News travels fast,” he said. His voice sounded emotionless and flat.
Lauren had asked her staff not to tell anyone. But then, people in this town never could keep a secret.
“Will you be selling the Moose’s Tooth before you leave?” Trey asked in a louder-than-normal voice, as though everyone in the lobby was included in the conversation between them.
“Are you so anxious for me to leave then?” she spouted, just as loud. “Who said I was leaving?”
“I…” he said in a more subdued tone, “…just assumed you were.”
“You shouldn’t make assumptions like that.”
“Lauren, maybe we should go someplace more private to discuss this.” He placed his arm on her back and urged her to walk toward the front doors.
“There’s no reason not to keep the good news private.” This wasn’t going the way she’d planned. She slowly released a pent-up sigh. “I signed the deal.”
“So you’ll be moving back to L.A.?” His tone was businesslike. It grated against every nerve ending in her body.
“I didn’t say what the deal was. But then, you made it pretty clear you didn’t want to be part of that decision.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
He refused to look her in the eye. He looked behind her and beside her, not directly at her. “I’d like to hear what you have decided.”
She also noticed he didn’t shave this morning. He had the shadow of beard stubble and dark circles under his eyes. She said, “If you’d look at me. I would like to tell you.”
He flexed the muscles in his angular jaw. People continued to mill around them in a beehive of activity. Finally, his intense blue eyes looked at her and she had that swoony feeling, like she might pass out. She was going on very little sleep, but she believed her physical reaction to him had nothing to do with sleep deprivation. “I’m not leaving. I’m staying in Alaska. This is my home. The show is coming to me.”
His eyes widened, but he said nothing.
“Add me to the list of Alaskan shows people seem to love: Alaska State Troopers, Ice Road Truckers, Mountain Men, Deadliest Catch. The Food Network wants to jump on the bandwagon with Frontier Woman.”
“Your show is called Frontier Woman? And it’s going to be filmed right here, in our town?” His voice sounded hopeful and light.
“Yes. I have to go to L.A. once a month to oversee the editing, but other than that, I’m home to stay. Well, other than needing a new home. They want my house to be natural log and on the river. You know, they love that rustic Alaskan-y look, so my apartment over the Moose’s Tooth isn’t going to cut it.”
A smile tugged at his lips.
“Do you know any good contractors?” she asked, with a little too much sarcasm.
He swallowed, then blinked several times. “I never meant what I said, Lauren, but I would never stand in the way of your dreams. I could never live with myself if I’d done that. The truth is, I love you.”
“I know.”
“You got me.” The biggest smile she’d ever seen widened across his full mouth. “Stealing a Han Solo’s line. I like that.”
“I’m glad. It is a great line, so I had to use it, but you know I love you, too. And we can agree that Alaska is our home.”
He took a hesitant step forward and wrapped her in his arms. “I believe you’re home to stay and I never want to be away from you again. The next trip you make to Hollywood, I’m going with you,” he declared.
He kissed her forehead and a tear leaked from her eye. “And I do happen to know a good contractor.”
She laughed and held him as tight as she could. She glanced out the window at the wild iris in the flower boxes. Trey loved her—it was the only thing that mattered. That, and she was finally home to stay.
A Note From Rebecca
Dear Reader,
Thank you so much for reading Sweet Home Alaska!
I love writing about people falling in love in my home state of Alaska. I also have a soft spot for historical romance.
For updates on new releases and giveaways, you can sign up for my newsletter here: Rebecca’s Newsletter.
I love to keep in touch with readers. If you’d like to be a member of my Alaskan Chicks Street Team on Facebook, please send me an email at rebeccathomas3 (at) live (dot) com expressing your interest. It would be great to hear from you.
You can also follow me on Facebook here: Rebecca Thomas on Facebook
Or here: Rebecca Thomas on Twitter where I post random things about Alaska, corny jokes, or inspirational quotes.
Warmly,
Rebecca Thomas
www.authorrebeccathomas.com
Other Books by Rebecca Thomas
Contemporary Romance
Her Alaskan Hero (An Alaskan Hero Novel, #1)
After being left at the altar, California girl Sabrina Tate needs to make a fast getaway. With her famous overbearing parents and the paparazzi hot on her heels, where else is a jilted bride to go to lick her wounds but Alaska? With only her tropical honeymoon clothes in tow, she makes her escape. For two weeks, she’ll live on her own and prove to herself—and her family—that she can make it without a husband.
Zak Forrester is a man on a mission. He’s turned his rugged yet luxurious Alaskan lodge into a hotspot for hunters, all in the hope to make up for a painful event in his past. But when Sabrina—one of the rare women to enter his rugged realm—stumbles into his world, he can’t get rid of her fast enough. He has no time for her yoga, vegetarian meal requests, or Scrabble.
Soon, neither can resist the other, and two hearts collide. With time ticking away, they have to decide where they belong. Is a life in a different world better than being a world apart?
Right Kind of Mistake: Book One
Haylie Keene wants to put the past behind her and move on after her jock boyfriend cheats on her. Her friends convince her that a hook-up (or maybe a little revenge sex) is the best place to start. Except she’s steering clear of hockey players, as in, never ever again.
Alaska State all-star defenseman Cam Erickson is a calculated risk taker. He weighs the pros and cons and knows Haylie is a bad investment on so many levels, but something about her gets under his skin. And once he makes up his mind, he pulls out all the stops to make her his.
Haylie soon realizes that Cam’s quiet charm and unfaltering confidence is like a magnet she doesn’t want to refuse. Their chemistry is undeniable and maybe the rules she set up for herself are worth reconsidering.
Historical Romance
The Earl’s Christmas Colt
Lady Arabella Sutton is stunned to learn her brother has betrothed her to a stranger despite his promises for a season in London. Although she is the first to admit
no man would suit, since she’s more interested in horses than marriage, the last thing she wants is to become a brood mare to a stuffy old earl. Facing a future she cannot abide, she takes an impetuous ride to clear her head and ends up tending her injured mare instead.
Oliver Westwyck, the Earl of Marsdale, can’t believe his luck when he stops at an inn the night before he’s to meet his fiancée. In the stable, while tending the colt he intends to give to his future wife, he happens upon her—rain-drenched but beautiful. She assumes he’s a stable hand, a fine joke he means to end…until Lady Arabella declares all noblemen are egotistical, conceited, and arrogant. How can he reveal his true identity before he’s managed to change her mind and win her heart?
The Blacksmith’s Son
Captain Quentin Drake returns home after his naval commission ends to find a groom being beaten in the village stables. He refuses to turn a blind eye to the lad's mistreatment and intervenes, taking the lad to his room. Only to discover the boy...is a woman.
After Ally Lockwood witnesses an earl committing murder, she fears for her life. She flees his estate and masquerades as a blacksmith’s male apprentice. Her ruse is up when a handsome stranger tending to her wounds disrobes her. Captain Drake lures Ally into believing she can return to life as a woman, but it may draw the killer back on her trail.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
A Note From Rebecca
Other Books By Rebecca Thomas
Sweet Home Alaska Page 7
