Water's Edge (Alaskan Frontier Romance Book 1)

by Jennifer McArdle

  “What about you?” Nora asked, evading Lily’s question. “I’ve never seen you with a guy. There seem to be a lot more men around here than women, as far as I can tell.”

  Lily laughed loudly. “Have you ever heard the old expression? The odds are good, but the goods are odd.” Nora laughed then, too. “So you know what I’m talking about,” Lily continued. “You’ve seen the men around here. Don’t get me wrong, I like ‘em a little wild and wooly, but they are definitely a little too odd… except for my brother. Maybe it’s because he got out for a few years, but he’s a lot more level-headed than most of the guys in Heron.”

  “What do you mean he got out?”

  “Oh, he spent three years in Portland. Did fairly well for himself down there, but I guess he missed the island. He came back home about a year ago. At first, I was a little disappointed he came back alone. I was hoping he’d bring back a sister for me. But now that you’re here…”

  “Quit it.” Nora laughed. “It’s just one date. We’re not getting married.”

  “We’ll see about that. Look, I gotta go,” said Lily, giving her a quick hug. “Don’t forget about the solstice festival. I expect to see you there.”

  “I think I can squeeze it into my schedule.”

  By the time Nora finished saying goodbye to Lily, Lars had already grabbed her now-full cooler and was loading it back onto her boat. The tide had risen slightly and the ramp wasn’t quite so steep going down as it had been when she arrived earlier, but she still thought it was nice of him to help her out.

  “Here, let me help you with that,” he said as Nora approached the boat with the case of beer and box of wine. He took them and placed them in the stern of the boat. “I can keep an eye on this stuff if you still have more stuff to do in town.”

  “Thanks, Lars. But I’m finished here.” Nora smiled. “Heading home now.”

  He nodded and watched her climb into the skiff. When she turned to start the motor, Lars blurted out, “So, the cabin is ‘home’ now? You’re going to stay?”

  Nora turned and looked up at him, smiling. She nodded her head. “I think so,” she said.

  Lars smiled back encouragingly. “Well, be careful out there.”

  His last remark reminded Nora of the missing man up on the mountaintop. “I’ll try,” she said as she stole one more glance up at the mountain. It will take a miracle for them to find him, she thought to herself as she started the outboard motor and pulled away from the dock.

  The mountain towered over the inlet, and for several miles she had a hard time pulling her gaze away from the spec of a helicopter, hovering around the peak. Nora was thankful when the mountain disappeared from view, as she rounded Tailor’s Point on her way deeper into the inlet, and her mind was free to wander away from the search mission.

  She loved this inlet. She realized at that moment she actually loved it there. As new as it still was to her, it already felt like home. The deep, cold waters held so many mysteries, probably as many mysteries as the never-ending forest that surrounded it. But what she liked best about the inlet was the point where the water collided with the land, the shoreline where huge pieces of shale met lush, towering pines. The cool air felt cleaner and smelled sweeter than anywhere she’d ever been.

  When the cabin came into view, Nora turned the skiff toward an opening in the rocky shore, a long section of tidal flats mostly underwater at that point, and coasted toward the shore until the bottom of the skiff scraped the ground, digging into the pebbled waterbed. Jumping out of the skiff, she grabbed the front and pulled it onto the shore. She unloaded her goods and then pulled the skiff further up onto dry land, safely away from the still-rising tide.

  Inside the tiny cabin, Nora unloaded her supplies onto the shelves. She left the meat, eggs, and butter in the cooler next to the table and the box of wine on the table. She put the bottle of Scotch on the bottom shelf along with her growing collection of beverages she was stockpiling for guests, assuming anyone ever stopped by. The case of beer, she took outside. Walking a short distance to the creek, she stooped down and pulled a fish net out of the water, placed the cans of beer in the net, then lowered the net back into the chilly creek. At least the fish net is getting some use, she thought.

  Back inside the cabin, Nora looked at the clock. Only 2 o’clock in the afternoon and such a beautiful day. The perfect day to get outside and try to chop some wood. Or, even better, the perfect day to ignore the dwindling woodpile and soak up some sun.

  Nora picked up the catalog she’d received in the mail, along with the box of wine and a plastic cup off the shelf. Then she went outside. She sat down on the ground, leaning against one of the large pine trees next to the cabin, and poured a cup of the sweet concord wine. It tasted good. She took a long drink, closed her eyes, and listened to the sounds of the water and the forest around her, basking in the warmth of the sun on her skin.

  She’d been sitting there for a long time, enjoying the outdoors, when an unfamiliar sound in the water caught her attention. Sitting up straight, Nora turned her attention toward the water. To her delight, she watched as a whale surfaced briefly a few yards from the shore. Finally! It was the one thing she’d been hoping to see for weeks.

  She sat the cup of wine down on the ground and stood up to get a better view. To her surprise, there was not one whale but several of them. Their slick bodies moved under the water, skimming the surface ever so lightly. At first, Nora thought they were playing. Then she realized they were actually working together to find food.

  The water swirled, as the whales dove under and swam in circles, maneuvering a school of fish into position. The surface of the water rippled with air bubbles and, above the water, birds swarmed around the disturbance. Suddenly two whales rose up out of the water, their mouths agape, catching hundreds of fish. Then, as quickly as they’d leapt out of the water, the whales leaned to the side and splashed back down, disappearing under the surface.

  It was the single most amazing thing Nora had ever seen in her life. Scanning the water, she hoped to catch another glimpse of it. A short distance away, the scene repeated itself, culminating once again in a glorious display as the whales lunged out of the water and crashed back down. Nora saw them surface once more, off in the distance, and then they were gone.

  Disappointed when the show ended, she sat back down against the tree and picked up the catalog. She flipped through the pages, looking at outdoor clothing and hand tools, when something fell out into her lap.

  Glancing down, Nora saw the envelope. She sat the empty cup down next to her, picked up the envelope and opened it. It was from the publication in Los Angeles, confirmation that her ad had been placed. She had almost forgotten about the ad. Now it seemed silly she’d ever wasted the time placing it. Her mind made up, Nora made a mental note to call the publication the next time she went into town. She needed to cancel the ad.

  At some point in the past few days, without even realizing it, Nora had made her decision. She was going to stay in Heron. It may have been when she gave her things to Nate to sell on consignment or maybe it was on the long ride from town to the cabin, but she’d definitely made her choice. Especially after the show she had just seen, Nora knew for certain she couldn’t sell the property.

  “This is home,” she said quietly to herself. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  * * *

  At first, Nora couldn’t wait to tell someone about her decision. She was going to stay. It was exciting, exhilarating. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized she’d already been telling people she was staying. Even though she hadn’t made up her mind at the time, she’d let Lily believe she was going to stay in Heron. Jake, too.

  A day passed. Then another and another. She tried calling Jake on the radio, eager to talk to him, to tell him about the whales and how she was finally able to understand why he loved this place so much. But there was no answer on the other end. Just radio silence. It didn’t surprise her. After all, Jake had said
he was going to Juneau for a while and he never did say when he’d be back. But she was still a little disappointed.

  Picking up a can of tuna, Nora debated whether she wanted to subject herself to a meal from a can. The hamburger she’d bought in town had already been used up. The eggs and bread Willie had brought over a few days earlier were gone. Oh, how she wished for electricity and a refrigerator so she could buy more fresh food and not worry about it spoiling.

  She tossed the canned tuna back on the shelf, grabbed a light jacket and one of Pete’s old fishing poles, and went outside instead. She didn’t know the first thing about fishing, but she did have a can of worms she’d collected a week earlier after a heavy rain. She’d left the can sitting outside the cabin, right next to the door. Stooping down, Nora picked it up and headed south toward the creek. Now seemed like a good time to learn how to fish.

  Nora stepped up onto a large, flat rock and surveyed the stream. She was looking for a good place to drop her line. The creek bed was filled with smooth, round rocks, many of them covered with a green, slimy coating. The water was fast-flowing, but not very deep. At its shallowest point, the creek was about 6 inches deep, but there were areas of the creek where the depth plunged to three or four feet.

  Sitting down on the rock, Nora decided any spot in the creek was a good spot to start. She didn’t have the slightest clue whether to cast her line into the deeper waters or the shallow waters, but she figured she would learn eventually. Even if it meant she’d have to learn by trial and error.

  Pete’s collection of old books had included one about fishing. Out of boredom, Nora had read through it several times and thought she had figured out the process of how to tie a hook to the end of the line. With a little concentration, she managed to fumble her way through it. Satisfied with her knot, Nora gave it a slight tug to make sure the hook was secure. The knot came loose instantly. She untied the knot and tried it again, making sure she did it exactly as she’d seen it in the book. When she tested it again, the knot held, surprisingly. Tying a hook to a fishing line was one more thing to add to the long list of things she needed to practice. But she’d have plenty of time for that.

  Nora reached over and grabbed the can of worms sitting next to her on the rock. She opened up the lid and sifted through the dry dirt. She lifted out a dead worm, dry and crusty, and wrinkled her nose in disgust at it. She didn’t know much about fishing, but she did know the worm was supposed to be alive and wiggling when she put it on the hook. Nora tossed the dead worm into the water and pulled out another worm. Dead. Tossing the fishing rod aside, she took the can of worms in both hands and frantically searched through the dirt looking for any worms that might have survived the slow death she had unknowingly subjected them to by leaving the can out in the sun. At the bottom, she found one that was not dead yet. But it didn’t look very alive, either. She picked it up and looked at it closely. It would have to do. She didn’t have any other bait to use. Taking the hook in one hand, Nora slowly forced the tip of the hook through the worm, impaling it from end to end. If the worm had been alive, it was definitely dead now.

  Instead of attempting to cast the line out into the stream, Nora let a little line out of the reel and dropped the hook into the water directly below her. She sat the rod on the rock next to her and then laid down on her belly alongside the rod. Her head hung over the edge of the rock so she could look down at the worm on the end of her line. The water was so clear, Nora could see every detail of the rocks just a couple feet under water. The worm lay there on the creek bed, lifeless but swaying gently with the motion of the water.

  The odds Nora would actually catch a fish were slim, she knew. Looking around, she didn’t see any fish in the stream. But fishing took time. Eventually, something will swim up this creek, she thought.

  Rolling over onto her back, Nora stared up at the blue sky that barely peeked through the heavy canopy of trees. Not a bad life, she told herself. She had wasted too much time with Conner, trying to become someone she wasn’t. Now, she was free to rediscover herself, and that felt good. Sure, it was taking time for her to get into the swing of things, but at least she was trying. Out there, by the creek, she found it a little easier to forget about her past and really focus on the present. As for the future, well, that would take care of itself.

  Nora closed her eyes, enjoying the sound of the water running over the rocks. When she really listened, she could hear the sound of rushing water off in the distance. Somewhere nearby there was a waterfall. She hadn’t gone looking for it yet, but she knew it was there. According to the topographical map hanging on the wall of her cabin, the creek flowed down from a small mountain directly east of her property and drained into the inlet south of her cabin. The mountain was unnamed on the map, and its elevation was only around 2,000 feet. The peak had still been covered in snow when she’d arrived at the property in the last week of May and her first view of her new home had been breathtaking, even if she was extremely disappointed the cabin wasn’t exactly what she’d expected. The beauty of the mountain and the inlet definitely overshadowed the derelict old cabin she’d inherited. The cabin might be falling apart, but her surroundings made it all worthwhile. In fact, everything she’d seen in Southeast Alaska had been stunning. It was so astoundingly different from anything she’d known back home. Sure, California was a beautiful state, but it was nothing compared to the splendor and remoteness of the inlet.

  Nora rolled over and looked into the water. The water-logged worm still lay on the bottom of the creek, untouched. She reeled in the line and decided to cast the line out a little toward the middle of the stream. Awkwardly, she swung the rod and released the line. The end of the line landed about four feet away from her. Not exactly what she’d been trying to do, but good enough for now. She sat up and kept her eye on the line this time, enjoying the sunny day. As much as it rained there, Nora knew these days were something to be treasured and she wanted to make sure she didn’t take them for granted.

  She closed her eyes again. Aside from the sounds of the stream, everything was silent. No birds chirping. Nothing. That was odd. It’s almost too quiet out here sometimes, Nora thought as she watched her line float downstream with the current. She’d come from a life that revolved around social networks. She had constantly been surrounded by other people in Los Angeles, and now there wasn’t another person for at least a mile. The solitude was nice, but it was taking time to get used to it.

  Standing up, Nora reeled in her line. She decided to walk up stream a bit, thinking maybe she’d have better luck there. She wasn’t giving up hope of catching something. In spite of her limited cooking skills, she hoped she’d be able to batter-fry some fish for dinner.

  She walked carefully along the bank of the stream, unconcerned about getting lost. No matter how far she ventured, she would be able to follow the stream back to her cabin.

  The forest was thick with moss and fallen trees and other obstacles, so she stayed close to the edge of the water, where it was only slightly easier to walk. When the bank of the stream became impassable, Nora stepped out into the water and made her way further upstream, walking carefully over slippery rocks and struggling to maintain her balance as she moved against the current. She’d left the boundaries of her five-acre property, and she had no idea whose land she was on, but nobody was going to care, she figured. There was nobody out there but her.

  Standing in the middle of the stream, Nora cast her line into the water. More determined this time, and definitely more vigilant, Nora kept her eyes on the water, looking for a fish, any fish. About an hour went by before she spotted one. Not large, it swam along a crevice in a large boulder near the middle of the stream. Her line was more than a few feet away, so she reeled the line in a little, trying to maneuver her bait a little closer to the fish, battling its way against the current and barely moving in spite of its efforts to swim upstream. It would have to be a seriously desperate fish, Nora thought, for it to take the miserable bait on my hook. Surpr
isingly, the fish took the bait at the end of her line. In her excitement, Nora mistakenly jerked the rod just enough to pull the bait away from the fish. But the fish was hungry and it found the bait again.

  With a bit of dumb luck, Nora hooked the fish and began reeling it in. It didn’t put up much of a struggle. It was already tired out from battling the current on its way upstream, she guessed, as she pulled the fish out of the water and laid it down on a nearby rock.

  Its tail flapped and its eyes bulged as the small fish gasped for oxygen. Not sure what to do, Nora held it down with one hand and tried to dislodge the hook. She’d never done this before. Grasping the hook, she gave it a tug and tore it out of the fish’s mouth. Oh, I didn’t expect it to be like this. The poor fish. She held the fish up, holding tight so it wouldn’t wiggle out of her hands, unsure what to do next. She hadn’t brought anything to carry it in, so she’d have to carry it in her hands and hope it didn’t slip away.

  With a tight grip on the fish, she tucked the fishing rod under one arm and turned back to head downstream. As she turned, though, something caught her eye. She spotted specks of bright red and yellow a little further upstream, partially hidden from view behind a tree that had grown out over the edge of the bank of the stream. Clutching the fish and her rod, Nora waded through the water toward it.

  “Is anybody there?” she called, realizing it was a person sitting on the bank of the stream, maybe the person who owned this land she’d been fishing on. “If I wandered onto your land, I’m sorry. I live just down the way and…”

  Nora stopped when the man came into view. He looked like he’d been there a while. His clothes were dirty and torn. He sat upright with his knees curled up to his chest and his arms wrapped around his legs. His head was tucked down toward his knees, and it looked like he had fallen asleep there. Except, he wasn’t asleep. Nora took a step closer, just to be sure. Yeah, the man was definitely dead.