“She doesn’t want me around.”
“What makes you think that? She’s a nice little lady. Always been pretty welcomin’ toward me. She even gave me some of Pete’s old things today,” he said, holding up a bag to show him. “Good stuff, too. The one pair of pants looks like he hadn’t even worn ’em yet.”
“I know she doesn’t want me around because she flat out told me the day I brought her the boat and showed her how to use it. We got to talking about the road leading out of town and she got her panties in a bunch when I told her she shouldn’t try to drive that old trail. Said I was being a ‘typical dominant male.’ Then she asked me to leave. Told me she’d return the boat as soon as she got Pete’s old one repaired and I didn’t need to bother trying to help her out anymore.”
Willie chuckled. “Sounds like you may have gotten on her bad side.”
“No kidding,” he said dryly. “Look, I just want to make sure she’s okay, that she’s not in over her head.”
“I think you want a little more than that. Otherwise you wouldn’t be out here askin’ ’bout her all the time.”
Jake couldn’t believe he was having this conversation. First his sister and now Willie. Why did everyone think he had a romantic interest in Nora?
“Like I said before, I’m not interested in getting involved with a woman like her. She seems a little high-maintenance for my tastes. And besides, she’ll probably be gone by winter.”
Winters in Heron were always the hardest on his mom. She couldn’t get out, she always complained. The ferry only came once a month and she felt trapped. It’s what eventually drove her away. Jake was exactly like his dad, the kind of man who wouldn’t give up on the woman he loved. If he allowed himself to get involved with someone like Nora, someone who would eventually leave, it would tear him to pieces.
“I’m not so sure,” said Willie. “Now that I’ve been gettin’ to know her, I think she’s gonna stick around.”
“You still haven’t answered my question,” Jake persisted.
“She’s doin’ just fine.” Willie looked at him hard and long, then. “There is one thing I noticed, though.”
“What?”
“Her woodpile’s been gettin’ smaller and smaller,” said Willie. “Now, I would help her out if I wasn’t gettin’ so old, but my bones ache when I start swingin’ an ax. That’s why I put the heat in the floors last year. Seems to me, you oughta go out there and drop a tree or two for her. I’m sure she’ll really appreciate it, seein’ as how she’s gonna be out of wood before winter rolls around at the rate she’s burnin’ through it.”
“Don’t try to play matchmaker,” said Jake.
Willie looked at him with a raised eyebrow and shook his head. “I’m no cupid, that’s for sure. Just tryin’ to keep her alive. Besides, you’re the one who keeps askin’ ’bout her.”
Chapter 7
Nora unwrapped a Little Debbie cupcake and sat it on a small plate. She didn’t have a candle to stick in the top, so she just pretended she did. Closing her eyes and making a wish, she blew out the imaginary candle.
“Happy birthday to me,” she said aloud before taking a big bite out of the chocolate cupcake. The white filling oozed out from the center and Nora caught it on her finger and then licked it off. Chocolate was an indulgence Nora rarely allowed herself. But the rules she’d stuck to in Los Angeles didn’t seem as important here. It’s not like she needed to fit into those unrealistically small size 0 dresses anymore. There were no important dinner parties or social functions to attend. There were no watchful eyes to make her feel guilty for occasionally cheating on her diet. There was no controlling boyfriend to chastise her for each and every little indulgence. So when Nora finished eating her cupcake, she opened another one for the heck of it, smiling with satisfaction because she could do whatever she pleased and there was no one around to remind her otherwise.
Nora was actually celebrating two things that day. It was her 25th birthday, which she supposed was reason enough to celebrate, but it was also her seventh day in Alaska. She had survived on her own for a full week. It wasn’t a huge achievement, but it meant something to her. She had shrugged off the chains of her old life and was starting anew. She felt alive and free. So free that when Nora spotted her scrapbook sitting on the shelf, she decided to put it away for good. She didn’t need any reminders of her old life any more. It held photos of her time with Conner and newspaper clippings detailing the social events they’d been seen at, with speculations about their relationship. It seemed unreal now. Like it had been someone else’s life. Not Nora’s.
Uncle Pete hadn’t left her much, just some land with a rustic old cabin and a little money, but he’d given her so much more than he probably ever could have guessed. His gift had given Nora the courage to leave Conner and the means to start over fresh. That’s exactly what she was going to do.
A cardboard box still sat on the floor next to the table. It was half-full with things she’d accidentally brought out to the cabin, the electric coffee grinder and a few other small electronic devices.
Nora tossed the scrapbook into the box and then pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. There really was no point in carrying it around anymore. For the heck of it, Nora turned it on and browsed through the photos one more time. There were a few pictures of Conner, which she promptly deleted, along with a slew of photos she’d taken on the ferry on the trip north. Most of those were scenes of mountains, islands, and water. It all looked the same. From the southern coast of British Columbia all the way to Juneau, there was practically no way to distinguish where you were at.
And then there were the photos she’d taken of the inlet and of Jake. Nora lingered on those photos the longest, noticing the intensity of Jake’s gaze as he stared off into the beauty of the inlet. He knew the land and the waters intimately. Nora could tell he loved this place and everything about it. He would never leave it. She wondered if someday she would feel the same way.
The last photo was the one Jake had taken of the two of them in the boat. They were both smiling as Jake leaned in so close to take the photo. Nora had definitely felt something, a surge of blood pumping through her veins, a spark of electricity, at his closeness. How could she not? He was attractive and ever so masculine. Everything about Jake was appealing. Well, almost everything. Nora couldn’t forget the unmistakable air of authority in his voice when he’d told her to stay away from that trail.
Turning the phone off, Nora tossed it into the box with the scrapbook and the other electronics. Then she shoved the last bit of cupcake in her mouth, picked up the box and climbed the ladder to the loft. She picked up the two framed photographs that sat on the dresser and placed them in the box, as well. One was of her in a ball gown, at the entrance to a museum charity event. She had looked stunning in the form-fitted white silk and had captured the eye of the photographer, who spent half the night photographing her. The other was a portrait of her and Conner. It had been taken for what was going to be their official engagement announcement, but Nora had broken it off before the engagement had been made public. When Nora had left Los Angeles, she’d taken both photographs because she’d wanted a few mementos of that part of her life. Even though Conner had been overbearing and domineering, it had been a spectacular life. She’d been surrounded by such luxury and she’d grown comfortable with the finer things in life. But that wasn’t her life anymore. And even if she could get it back, she didn’t want it.
Nora closed the box and pushed it under the bed with her foot. The box only went a few inches under when it stopped. It hit something.
Kneeling down, Nora pushed the box aside to see what was under the bed. Grabbing a handle, she pulled out an old, hard-shelled suitcase. It was covered in dust and heavier than Nora had expected. She flipped up each of the four clasps that held the case shut, and carefully opened it up. Inside, she found an assortment of books and something else. It was an old VHF radio. Nothing more than a lightweight hand-held unit. Nora smiled.
It was like a birthday present. Maybe the best birthday present she’d ever received.
Shoving the box of photos and electronics under the bed, Nora closed the suitcase and then hauled it down the ladder. At the table, she opened it back up. She pulled the books out and stacked them on the shelf. Then she turned her attention to the radio. She carefully studied all the knobs and controls. When she opened up the battery compartment, she found it empty. Nora grabbed the bucket of batteries Pete had left at the cabin and began searching for the right size. It took some time, but eventually she found batteries that still held a charge. She actually squealed with delight and clapped her hands when the red power light finally came on.
Fumbling with the knobs, Nora turned the radio to the first station and tried it out.
“Anyone there?” she asked, holding the button while she spoke and then releasing it in hopes of receiving a response.
There was none. The radio was silent, except for the faint crackle of dead air. She pushed the button again.
“Hello?”
There was still no answer, so Nora flipped the switch to the next channel and tried again. On the fifth channel, she heard voices. There were two people talking back and forth. But they couldn’t hear her, she realized quickly enough. She turned the knob again and again, trying each channel to find someone, anyone, who could hear her.
At channel 16, Nora got lucky.
“Hello? Is anyone there?” she called out over the static. There was no response, so she tried again, just like she had on every other channel. Her fingers rested on the knob, ready to flip to the next channel, when she heard a reply.
“This is the Lil Pelican,” the voice said. “Do you need assistance?”
“Oh... uh,” Nora wasn’t sure what to say. She didn’t need help. She had simply wanted someone to talk to.
“Who is this?” the voice on the other end asked impatiently.
Suddenly shy about talking over the radio, Nora didn’t answer. She thought about turning the radio off right then. After all, she had no business messing around with the radio. She didn’t know what she was doing, and it showed.
“Identify yourself,” the male voice came back over the radio authoritatively.
His voice sounded so official, Nora abruptly sat the radio down on the table in front of her and stared at it, unsure what to do. I should just switch the radio off, she thought again. But it was so nice to hear another voice, she couldn’t do it. Hesitantly, Nora picked the radio back up and held down the button to talk. But she still didn’t know what to say, so she released the button after a few seconds.
“Look, this isn’t a toy,” came the voice on the other end, frustrated now. “If you don’t need help, get off this channel.”
Nora had to respond, she decided. “Sorry,” she said. “I was just... I don’t know what I’m doing. I’ll get off now. I’m really sorry.”
There was silence on the radio for a few seconds as the man on the other end thought he recognized the voice. Wondering if he was right, Jake stood in the tiny cabin of the Lil Pelican with the radio in one hand. With the other hand, he cut the engine so he’d be able to hear the radio more clearly. Was it her?
“Who is this?” he asked again, much less harshly this time as the boat rose and fell with the swells of the water where he’d been trolling the inlet.
Nora recognized the change in his voice, and even though she was still hesitant about using the radio, she answered.
“My name is Nora,” she said.
It was her. Jake smiled, picturing her in the cabin talking on Pete’s old radio.
“I… I’m new here and I was just looking for someone to talk to,” she continued. “I found this old radio and I’m still figuring out how to use it.” Jake enjoyed the sound of her voice over the airwaves, even if she was babbling now. “I really don’t know what I’m doing. I’ve been switching through the channels trying to find someone…”
“Listen, this channel isn’t for small-talk,” he interrupted her. “Switch over to channel 71, okay? I’ll meet you there.”
“Okay,” Nora agreed uncertainly. She turned the knob until it read 71. There was only static on that channel, so she waited.
“Are you there, Nora?” she heard his voice a few seconds later.
“Yes, I’m here.” She didn’t know what else to say. “Um, you said you were the Little Pelican, right? What’s that mean?”
Jake chuckled. She really didn’t have a clue, did she?
“It’s the Lil Pelican,” he explained. “And that’s the name of my boat.”
“Oh, so you’re the captain?”
He chuckled again and Nora heard the humor in his voice when he replied. “Yeah, captain of a one-man vessel. At the most, the Lil Pelican can hold two or three people, but it’s easier to run this thing alone.”
Jake briefly considered telling Nora it was him she was talking to, but she seemed content to talk to the anonymous fisherman, a stranger whose name she hadn’t bothered to ask. Besides, the last time they’d spoken, they hadn’t parted on good terms. Jake had a feeling Nora wouldn’t be interested in talking to him if she knew who it really was on the other end of the radio.
As he told her about his boat, Nora closed her eyes, listening to the anonymous voice on the other end and imagining what he looked like. His voice was deep and masculine, revealing no hint of his age. But if he was like any of the other fishermen she’d seen on the docks of Heron, he probably had a big, bushy beard to ward off the biting wind of the open seas and worn, weathered hands from years of working the fishing lines or nets or whatever they used out there. She pictured him in a big, heavy raincoat and tall rubber boots, pulling in fish in the light misty rain. And the sound of his laugh made her think of the nice old man who’d served as the groundskeeper at the Bradshaw family estate, so the face Nora imagined in her head looked like a grandfatherly type with a balding head and a friendly smile.
“So, how is everything? You’re not running into any problems out there alone, are you?”
Nora laughed then. It warmed Jake’s heart to hear that sound.
“No,” she said. “No problems. Just bored out of my mind. Going crazy, pacing back and forth. That counts as an emergency, right?”
“I suppose it could,” Jake said, strangely relieved she was alright. “So, you’re settling in all right?” He wanted to keep her talking. He liked the sound of her voice.
“Um… yeah. I guess so. I’ve only been here a week, but… yeah, I’m settling in all right.”
“You’re not convincing me.”
Nora laughed. “I’m not convincing myself very well, either. I keep telling myself all this peace and quiet is a good thing and I should be thankful I don’t have a busy schedule and a bunch of people stopping by to visit all the time.”
“Is it really that bad?”
“I don’t know. I guess not. Someone recently told me I’m being overly dramatic about my situation. Do you know Lily? Of course you know Lily. It’s a small town, right? She called me a drama queen the other day and then she proceeded to make fun of me.”
Yeah, that sounded like his sister, always ready to poke a little fun at someone else’s expense. “So you don’t like Lily?” Jake asked, a little concerned his sister had unintentionally alienated the newest member of the community.
“Oh, I love Lily. So far I’ve met a total of three people, and they’ve all been nice enough, but Lily’s the best.” Talking to the fisherman felt comfortable, like they were old friends who talked on the radio every day. “She’s the first person I met in town and she’s been so friendly and welcoming. I think we could become friends.”
“So who else have you met?” Jake was curious what Nora thought of him.
“Just Lily’s brother, Jake, and my neighbor, Willie.” Nora chuckled, slightly embarrassed at the way she’d met Willie. “Willie actually walked up on me when I was half naked.”
Half naked? Willie failed to mention that fact.
> “I think it startled him more than me, though,” Nora continued. “I didn’t know what to think of him at first, but he’s a great neighbor. He keeps stopping by to check up on me. It’s kind of sweet.”
Nora realized, then, she was monopolizing the conversation. She knew nothing about the fisherman on the other end of the radio except the name of his boat.
“I’m sorry. I’ve been babbling. Tell me a little about yourself. What’s it like being a fisherman?” she prompted.
Jake chuckled at her question. Nobody had ever asked him that before. Everybody in Heron fished, either commercially or, at the very least, to feed their families. “Well, it’s like any other job, I suppose. It can be frustrating at times. Sometimes I put in a lot of hours out here and don’t catch much of anything. But there’s something to be said for getting out on the water and away from everybody for a while. At least I have my own boat. I can fish at my own pace. It’s peaceful. The rise and fall of the boat on the swells is calming for me. Keeps me centered.”
“What about in the winter? Lily told me the waters can get pretty rough.”
“Oh, I don’t usually fish in the winter, unless I’m in the mood for a winter king salmon. No, in the off season, there’s plenty of other stuff to keep me busy.”
“Like what?”
“You name it. Chopping and hauling wood. Repairing the house. Foraging.” Jake figured the portrait of life he was portraying sounded a bit daunting to Nora. At least he hoped it sounded daunting. That way she’d know what she’d be in for if she stayed. “There’s a never-ending list of work to be done.”
Nora sighed, looking around the ramshackle cabin. There were gaps between some of the logs that let a cool draft into the house and the woodpile outside was getting low. She had a lot of work to do if she was going to live there for any length of time.
When Jake heard only silence on the other end of the radio, he decided to change the subject. As much as he wanted to know whether she really had it in her to stick it out in the harsh Alaskan wilderness, he didn’t want to scare Nora away. There were plenty of good things about living in Heron, too. Things you couldn’t find anywhere else but the Alaskan bush.
Water's Edge (Alaskan Frontier Romance Book 1) Page 9
