Pausing at the door, Nora quickly ran her fingers through her hair and inspected her reflection on the glass window. Her hair was damp from the lightly misting rain. Oh, well. It would have to do.
Excitedly, Nora knocked on the door. Then she waited. And waited. The curtains were drawn and Nora couldn’t see inside, so she walked around the house, thinking maybe Jake hadn’t heard her. At the back door, Nora knocked again. This time, she also called his name. When there was still no answer, she tried the doorknob. The door was locked.
Disappointed, Nora turned and headed toward the center of town. The pub was packed as small-time fishermen came in for a cup of coffee or an ice-cold beer after a long day out on the open waters. If Nora had been hoping to get a seat at the restaurant, she would have been out of luck. But she wasn’t looking for dinner. She headed straight toward the bar, where Lily was topping off cups of coffee and taking orders for burgers and fries.
When Lily glanced up and saw Nora, her face lit up with excitement. “I knew you’d be back,” Lily said, grinning. Then she noticed Nora’s appearance. She was wet and tired looking. “Are you okay?”
“Do you know where Jake is?” asked Nora, ignoring Lily’s question.
“Uh, no.” She shook her head. “Did you check at the house?”
Nora didn’t answer. She turned and hurried out of the pub. There was only one other way she could think of to find Jake. She headed for her car, still parked in the lot at the south end of town. That’s where the radio was. If there was any way to find Jake, it would be on the radio.
Nora quickly rummaged through the boxes until she found it. She sat down in the front seat, closed her eyes, and prayed Jake would be on the other end. Then she turned the power knob on and spoke.
“Jake? Are you there?”
She waited.
“Jake. Come in.”
There was no answer.
“Come on, Jake. Answer me,” she pleaded. Tell me I haven’t lost you for good.
The only answer she received was the quiet crackle of radio silence on the other end.
* * *
Freezing cold, Nora hobbled toward her cabin. Getting out of the skiff had proven to be much more difficult than she’d expected. After all that walking, her ankle was throbbing again. The wobbling of the skiff in the shallow water threw her off balance. She fell into the cold water and had to drag herself up onto the shore before she was able to stand back up. She didn’t bother to even try and pull the skiff up onto solid ground. Instead, she tied the rope to the nearest thing she could find, a small boulder at the edge of the water. When the tide came in, the boulder would be completely submerged and the rope would probably come loose, but Nora didn’t care. The boat was the least of her worries. She’d lost Jake, probably for good. Without him, nothing else mattered.
Despondent, Nora pushed open the cabin door. She hadn’t brought any clothes back from the car. She’d left everything there, except the radio. That, she held clutched against her chest, her only connection to Jake.
It’s warm in here, she realized, confused at why the stove would have a fire in it. Someone’s in here. The cabin was dark. Only a sliver of orange glowed from the wood stove where the door didn’t quite shut tight.
“Go away.” It was a voice filled with anguish and pain.
It was Jake. He sat at the kitchen table, hunched over.
Nora closed the door.
Jake didn’t bother to look up and when he heard the door close, he assumed whoever it was had turned and left. He figured it was Willie, checking in on him. Or maybe Lily, asking him to come home. The last person he expected was Nora. She was gone for good. She’d packed up all of her things and left.
She wasn’t coming back.
That thought had been echoing in his head all day. He’d watched Nora board the float plane that morning with that Grainger guy, hoping she would change her mind. Even as he watched her leave, he knew he’d been wrong to push her away. He let his fears of rejection get the best of him. He knew that now. But being with Nora was worth the risk.
After she left, he came out to the cabin and found it empty, proof that she wasn’t coming back. Not ever. He’d spent the entire day there, shut up in the dark cabin. He couldn’t go home. He needed to be near her. The cabin was as close as he could get.
“So, does the offer still stand?” Nora finally found the courage to speak.
Jake looked up. His breath caught in his throat when he saw her silhouette in the darkness. Was he imagining her? Or was she really back?
“What offer?” he asked, standing up. He wanted to rush toward her and take her in his arms, but he still wasn’t sure she was real.
Nora took a step toward him.
“The one to marry me,” she said cautiously. “On the mountaintop, when you thought I was asleep... I believe you said you were going to marry me.”
“You heard that?” His voice cracked when he spoke.
“If the offer still stands...”
That was all he needed to hear. In two steps, Jake closed the gap between them and pulled her into his arms. Nora was back. Thank God, she was back. He wasn’t going to let her go ever again, not if he could help it.
“So you’re not leaving? You’re not selling the place?”
Nora shook her head.
“You’re going to stay? For good?”
She answered him with a kiss. It was a kiss that said, “I’ll never leave you again.”
Chapter 20
“Come back to bed,” Jake said in the wee hours of the morning. “A good wife wouldn’t keep her husband waiting like this.”
“A good husband would be a little more patient,” Nora said, smiling contentedly as she grabbed some food off the shelf.
Wife, she thought, relishing the sound of the word.
The wedding had been held at the water’s edge in front of the cabin. It was a short ceremony, with Lily serving as maid of honor and Willie as the best man. Samuel and Madeline watched as Jake slipped the ring onto Nora’s finger, promising to love and cherish her forever.
Everyone in town, all 152 residents, watched from skiffs floating in the inlet as Jake kissed his new bride and then carried her away. The two disappeared into the cabin to begin their honeymoon. Since then, they hadn’t left the loft except to eat.
Nora filled a plate with cheese and crackers to take back up into the loft. Then she grabbed a bottle of wine. From the loft above her, she heard Jake groan with impatience.
“I’ll just be another second,” she said.
There was one more thing she needed to do, one thought she wanted to record before she forgot. Reaching up onto the shelf, she picked up Pete’s journal. She opened the worn leather cover and flipped to a blank page. Then she added one more entry.
My uncle left me everything he owned, which wasn’t much. But it turns out, it was exactly what I needed. Nothing more. Nothing less.
# # #
Other Titles
Acknowledgments
Alaska is a vast and beautiful land, its regions as varied as the people who inhabit them. The short amount of time I spent in Southeast Alaska inspired me to write a story set in one of its remote locales. The people and the town depicted in Water’s Edge are pure fiction, as are their quirky personalities and habits. The characters are in no way a reflection of real Alaskans, the men and women who choose to live their lives on the edge of the last remaining frontier. For their fortitude and resilience, I’d like to thank all Alaskans… they are a true inspiration. And to the Alaskans I know personally, I hope you won’t pick apart every little bit of this book.
Water’s Edge would not have been possible without the support of my husband. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to devote myself full-time to this project.
As any writer well knows, there is a lot more to writing a book than sitting down and putting the story on paper. Many hours went into revising and editing to get the story right. Water’s Edge might not be what it is without Cla
ra Harrand, who read the earlier draft of Water’s Edge. You provided me with some much needed encouragement and criticism. My appreciation goes out to Susan Budzinski, as well, for proofreading.
Of course, thank you to my fans. There’s nothing better than receiving a note from a fan letting me know how much you enjoyed one of my books. That’s what keeps me going.
Most importantly, I thank God... for everything I have and for everything I am.
About The Author
A former newspaper reporter, Jennifer McArdle is an award-winning writer, having earned recognition from the Michigan Press Association and Suburban Newspapers of America. Since her departure from the field of print journalism, she has focused her writing talents on fiction.
She and her husband have spent a great deal of time traveling throughout the United States, including a six month stint in Alaska. The Alaskan Frontier Romance series is inspired by the time she spent in Southeast Alaska’s Inside Passage. Water’s Edge is the first book in the series.
In addition to the Alaskan Frontier Romance series, McArdle has authored a youth novel, Back By Dawn. It is available in digital format, paperback, and audiobook.
For the latest information on her upcoming projects, visit www.facebook.com/JenniferMcArdle.Author.
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