Sophie Miller wasn’t going to make a fool out of him.
Chapter Three
The next morning Noah made it to the Moose Café by six thirty. He actually beat Cameron there and greeted him as he arrived to open up the place.
“Now that’s what I like to see,” Cameron said with a wide grin. “Another early bird like myself. We probably won’t see Hazel or Sophie until at least seven.”
Noah almost sputtered at the “early bird” comment. It had taken every ounce of discipline he had to get his weary body out of bed this morning. And it hadn’t been easy. From the moment Noah rose at the crack of dawn, he had felt like a grizzly bear with a sore paw. Years of working late-night stakeouts as a PI and sleeping in the next morning had taken their toll on him. He was definitely not an early bird.
After tossing and turning for hours last night, he had finally realized that Sophie must be a chameleon. She had the ability to change her personality at the drop of a dime depending on the circumstances. Humph! He had come up against women like her before. Charming and manipulative. And he wasn’t about to fall for her sweetness-and-light routine. If she was that genuine she wouldn’t have dumped her fiancé and headed to Alaska to find a new man, without batting an eyelash.
And Noah had a sneaking suspicion that there was more to her being here in Love than met the eye.
Last night he had called Sussex shortly after dinnertime. The conversation had been awkward and sad, as well as eye-opening. Noah had given Sussex a rundown of his interactions with Sophie, starting off with her admission about being part of the Operation Love program. He knew that hearing this kind of news would feel like a kick in the gut, especially since Sussex appeared to be head over heels in love with Sophie.
Sussex had let out a shocked gasp upon hearing the news. “She’s part of a matchmaking program? No! That can’t be right.”
“Yes, it’s true. I heard it straight from her own lips,” he’d acknowledged. “Sorry to have to tell you that kind of information, but I have to stick to the facts.”
A tortured silence ensued, during which Noah was certain he heard slight sniffling sounds on the other end of the line. The poor guy was a puddle of mush. Meanwhile, Sophie seemed upbeat and content with her life in Love. Their situations were night and day.
He might as well throw the guy a bone. “She’s still single and unattached, though, if it’s any consolation,” Noah added.
“Yes, it is,” Sussex had replied, his tone sounding more upbeat. He cleared his throat. “It gives me hope.”
Noah’s heart had gone out to him. He was clearly besotted with Sophie, the woman who had run out on him. And judging by her desire to find a loving home in Alaska, she didn’t seem to be losing any sleep over her ex-fiancé. That bugged Noah. It showed a coldness in Sophie’s personality that didn’t speak well of her. A woman who tossed men aside like garbage wasn’t to be trusted or admired. He didn’t care one bit how likable she seemed. He knew all too well that some women found it easy to play a role.
The whole thing rankled him more than he cared to admit. He knew what it felt like to be ditched. Abandoned. And he hated the fact that Sophie had twisted this man around until he hadn’t known if he was coming or going. Although he had wanted to tell Sussex to get a grip on his feelings and move on, Noah knew that rich men didn’t listen to peons like himself. No, it had been apparent from Sussex’s expensive suits, fancy car and the fact that he’d paid in cash that he was a considerably wealthy man.
And what was that saying people always quoted? “The heart wants what it wants.” John Sussex wanted Sophie back something fierce. But just because he wanted her back didn’t mean it was going to work out that way. Sophie seemed to have moved on.
Noah didn’t know what Sussex’s end game was with regards to Sophie. Was he waiting for her to fall for someone, then swoop in to try to win her back? Did he love her so much that he just needed to make sure she was safe and sound? Or was he testing the waters so he could develop a strategy? It was a head-scratcher.
Noah’s instincts were now on high alert. He still felt as if there was something his client wasn’t telling him. Had he been so eager for the big payout that he’d missed a few red flags?
He set a pan down on the stove with a slight bang. Why was he fretting so much about this assignment? He couldn’t allow himself to get emotionally involved. Sure, Sophie had made a great first impression on him, but he suspected it was all smoke and mirrors. She had been way too much of a sweetheart. In other words, too good to be true. In his experience, people weren’t that good-hearted.
Do the job, then take the money and run! It was the smartest way to handle things, considering what he stood to lose if this assignment went off the rails. Just the thought of having to shutter the doors of his company made him feel sick inside. It was the only thing in this world he had ever built for himself out of his own ingenuity and savvy. He couldn’t lose it! And getting tied up in knots about Sussex’s agenda and the inconsistences about Sophie could only muddy the waters.
“Good morning, Noah.” The chirpy voice could belong to no one else but her. There was something about her upbeat tone that brought to mind rainbows and sunshine and puppy dogs.
“Morning,” he said, not raising his eyes from the stove to meet her gaze. No way did he want to look into those expressive eyes when his thoughts were as scrambled as the eggs he had just cooked for Cameron.
Sophie’s image had danced under his eyelids last night as he’d tossed and turned. If he didn’t get it together, things were going to get mighty complicated rather quickly. And Noah didn’t like complicated. He liked orderly and straightforward. He hated curveballs. Sophie Miller was rapidly becoming a problem in his uncomplicated world.
“Did you get settled in last night?” she asked. Her voice was infused with so much cheer and a lightness he desperately needed to hear at the moment.
Unable to stop himself, he swung his gaze up. Even in the dullest of brown shirts, Sophie looked resplendent. Her long titian hair hung down in loose waves. Without a trace of makeup on her face she still shimmered. Her full lips were a perfect shade of pink. Her green eyes—the color of Irish moss—sparkled. She had a pleasant expression on her face, one that caused a slight uptick in the beating of his heart.
He frowned. She wasn’t making things easy for him. Another wave of sympathy for Sussex roared through him.
“Pretty much,” he said curtly. He didn’t want to encourage too much conversation with her, at least not until he could get a handle on how best to deal with her. Noah needed to figure out how to get close to Sophie without things becoming too personal. There needed to be an invisible line drawn in the sand, one he couldn’t step across. Establishing boundaries was a good idea.
“How are you liking Cameron’s place?” Sophie asked. “I always thought it had such fantastic views of the bay. At night you can really catch a glimpse of the constellations.”
“It’s nice,” he said, reaching up for an order slip. He pretended to study it so he wouldn’t have to look in Sophie’s direction again.
“And it’s fairly close to everything in town, so it will be really convenient for you. Not to mention you don’t have much of a commute to work,” she continued. “That will be a lifesaver when it’s storming outside or the roads are icy. Or even if you want to pick up something at the post office.”
“I imagine so,” he muttered. Although he sensed Sophie meant well, her friendly demeanor was making his assignment exponentially more cumbersome.
She continued to chatter away. “Just wait till you meet Emma, Cameron’s little girl. She’s a charmer if there ever was one. And Cameron’s wife, Paige, is wonderful.” Sophie shook her head and her mane of red hair rippled across her shoulders. “Matter of fact, everyone here in Love is pretty amazing. You’ll see what I’m talking about once you start m
eeting folks.”
“I’m kind of busy here, Sophie,” he snapped.
He instantly saw the hurt flash in her eyes. She resembled a wounded deer. A piercing sensation stabbed him in the gut. He hadn’t meant to sound so harsh, but pushing her away had felt like throwing himself a life preserver. It was difficult to establish boundaries between them when Sophie was treating him like her new best friend.
It took her a moment to recover. “Okay, then,” she said in a crisp tone. “I won’t waste another second of your time.” She turned on her heel and disappeared from the kitchen as if her feet were on fire.
Once she’d gone, Noah let out a tortured groan. He wanted to follow after her and apologize, but he knew the words would just stick in his throat. He’d never been good at smoothing things over.
Well, he’d just managed to solve his problem regarding Sophie’s close proximity to him. He had just proved to her without a shadow of a doubt that he was a total jerk. Noah couldn’t imagine that she’d want anything further to do with him. And that thought left him feeling way more shattered than he could have ever imagined.
* * *
Sophie blinked away the tears that had pooled in her eyes. She wasn’t sure whether she was furious or embarrassed. Who did Noah Callahan think he was, anyway? He was a newbie in town, and since she had been in that position herself, she’d wanted to show him grace and kindness and fellowship. Everyone in Love had treated her with compassion when she had arrived here. She had just been trying to pay it forward with Noah!
Clearly, that had been a major mistake.
Noah had been all kinds of wonderful yesterday when he’d rescued her from a long walk to the Black Bear Cabins. What had happened to alter his mood so drastically? Sophie thought he’d been as sweet as peaches and cream yesterday. She’d been looking forward to getting to know him better. Last night she’d thought of him before she closed her eyes to go to sleep. He had been so kind, and she respected the way he had come to Love for a steady job and a regular paycheck. That took gumption!
Of course, the fact that he was very easy on the eyes didn’t hurt. A sigh slipped past her lips. His looks were scrumptious. She couldn’t deny it. There was something about Noah that she found very appealing.
Not that his good looks mattered at the moment. There was nothing more of a turnoff than a cutting tongue and incivility. Rudeness was not attractive! It totally went against Sophie’s philosophy about greeting the world with a warm smile and encouraging words. Every single day she put her best foot forward and stepped out on a limb of faith. It was her goal to treat people with kindness. Maybe he was one of those men who knew he was good-looking and tended to act as if he was God’s gift to the universe.
Humph. It would be a hot winter’s day in Alaska before she put herself out there again with Noah Callahan! Perhaps the ladies in his life put up with his snotty ways, but she wasn’t about to put up with his churlishness.
With her head held high, she moved toward the table where her next customer sat awaiting service. “Morning, Dwight. Can I start you off with some coffee before I take your order?”
“Why hello, Sophie.” Dwight Lewis clutched the menu in his hand and peered past her, adjusting his glasses as if he might be able to see better in doing so. Dressed in his signature suit and bow tie, he made Sophie wonder if he ever dressed down in jeans or a sweater. A smile tugged at her lips at the thought of a dressed-down Dwight. She might not even recognize him.
“Are you waiting for someone to join you?” she asked, saying a silent prayer that he was meeting up with someone special for an early-morning date.
Dwight Lewis was the town treasurer. Although Sophie knew that he meant well, he tended to rub people the wrong way with his desire to keep the books balanced in a town that had almost gone belly-up financially a few years ago. He had a tendency to act like a know-it-all.
Sophie had a feeling that Dwight was just lonely. He had tried on several occasions to pair up with women from the Operation Love program, but so far nothing had stuck. Bless his heart. He deserved love just as much as anyone else in this lovelorn town.
“I, um... Marta usually pops in to say hello when I come for breakfast. Is she around? I haven’t seen her for a few days.” Dwight’s gaze darted about the restaurant as he spoke.
Marta! Sophie had totally forgotten that she and Dwight had gone out on a few dates. Hadn’t Marta told him about her plans? Sympathy flared inside Sophie at the realization that Dwight was about to get his feelings hurt.
She reached out and patted his shoulder. “Oh, Dwight. I’m sorry to be the one to tell you, but Marta had to go back home for an emergency. She gave notice to Cameron a few weeks ago about having to give up the cook position.”
Dwight resembled a startled owl as he looked up at her. “What? When did she leave?”
Sophie thought for a moment. “Almost a week ago.”
Dwight’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “W-when is she supposed to return?”
“I—I’m not sure she’s coming back, Dwight,” Sophie said, her heart aching as the man’s face fell. He appeared stunned by the news. Although Marta was a nice, unassuming woman, Sophie could wring her neck right now for wounding Dwight like this. Despite his brash attitude, he was a gentle soul.
He bowed his head for a moment, then placed the menu facedown on the table and slowly stood up. “I think I’ll forgo breakfast this morning. I don’t have much of an appetite, after all.” He briskly walked past her, his gaze focused on the exit.
“Wait, Dwight,” she called after him. “If you’d like a listening ear, we could talk over coffee.”
Sophie watched as he slinked out of the café without bothering to answer her. His heart had shattered right before her very eyes. It sent a chill straight through her. If this was love, did she really want to have anything to do with it?
“What was that all about?” Hazel asked in a booming voice as she came up behind Sophie. With her tall height and commanding air, the woman could be a bit intimidating. She was a straight shooter who didn’t mince words. But in Sophie’s eyes, her friend was a real sweetheart and all-around mother figure.
Sophie shrugged. “He was looking for Marta. If I had to hazard a guess, I think he’s in love with her. And now he’s heartbroken because she’s gone and she didn’t even have the courtesy to tell him she was leaving Love.”
Once again this morning, Sophie found herself blinking away tears.
Hazel patted her on the back in a soothing gesture. “Now, now, don’t fret about it. We can’t judge Marta because we really don’t know the entire circumstances. Things will work out for Dwight, one way or another.” Hazel shook her head. “He’s the most exasperating man I’ve ever met, but I still want him to find his happy ending.” She wagged her eyebrows at Sophie. “I’m praying for you to meet your match, as well. Every night before I go to bed I kneel down and ask God to show you favor, Sophie.”
Tears slid down her cheeks. Knowing Hazel prayed for her was incredibly moving for Sophie. “Thank you, Hazel. For everything. You’ve given me roots here in Love. That’s priceless.”
“Everyone needs to be firmly planted somewhere. Now, I haven’t pried into your past, and it hasn’t escaped my attention that you haven’t been very forthcoming about it.” When Sophie opened her mouth, Hazel hushed her. “I’m not complaining, but I would like to point out that perhaps you need to get past whatever is holding you back from finding that man of yours. It’s fine to say you’re part of Operation Love, but remember the love part.”
“I want to find love,” Sophie acknowledged. “And maybe my past is hindering me from doing so,” she hedged. “But I really want things to change for the better in the romance department. If I have to face up to my truths to do it, then so be it.”
Hazel sent her an exaggerated wink. “Well, why don’t you go
flirt with our handsome new employee while I go make some coffee drinks? These orders need to go up.” Hazel handed Sophie some order slips and made a shooing motion in the direction of the kitchen.
Sophie didn’t bother to make a fuss. At some point or other she would have to interact with Noah again. There was no sense in telling Hazel or Cameron that the new hire had made her feel awful earlier. Knowing Cameron, he would take Noah to task for it. He was as protective of her as an older brother. And Hazel was such a firecracker. There was no telling how she would react. No, it was best to keep quiet and handle the situation with grace and dignity.
Sophie made her way to the kitchen and placed the two order slips on the spindle. It would be Noah’s job to take the slips down and prep the food. She didn’t even have to look at him if she didn’t want to. His back was to her and he was cooking something that smelled scrumptious.
There weren’t any dishes at the pass-through, but a plate sat on the butcher-block table directly behind Noah. Not wanting to speak to him, Sophie reached out for the plate, then instantly recoiled as heat seared her palm and fingers. The plate clattered to the floor. She let out a cry and closed her eyes as pain seared her hand.
“Sophie. Are you all right?” She watched through a red haze as Noah whirled around and reached her side in seconds. “Is it your hand?”
She nodded, gritting her teeth at the agony caused by the burn. He gently reached for her wrist and examined the damage.
He let out a tutting sound. “It looks like a third-degree burn. You need some salve for it and a bandage.” Noah’s eyes were intense as he locked gazes with her. She nodded solemnly. All of a sudden she knew that she was in great hands. Noah was confident and masterful. He was taking charge of the situation.
His Secret Alaskan Heiress Page 4
