His Secret Alaskan Heiress

Noah was trying to take it all in. From the looks of it, this town wasn’t like anything he was used to. Small shops with brightly colored doors and decorative wreaths beckoned him. So far he hadn’t seen many villagers out and about. He couldn’t help but grin at the rustic Welcome to Love sign hanging in a store window. Love, Alaska, had a folksy charm most would find hard to resist.

The streets were dusted with snow, courtesy of a January storm that had pummeled a large portion of the state. Even a week later, there was still an abundance of snow on the ground. That was par for the course for Alaskan winters.

Noah took the crumpled photo out of his pocket and smoothed it down on the steering wheel until it was flat. The woman staring back at him was easy on the eyes. With her fiery red hair, the slight freckles scattered across the bridge of her nose and the expressive emerald eyes, she was stunning. No wonder her ex-fiancé was having a hard time letting her go. Maybe his client, John Sussex wasn’t crazy, after all, in asking him to keep tabs on his former fiancée.

“You’re a beauty, Sophie Miller. I’ll give you that,” he muttered, before stuffing the photo back inside his coat pocket. “No wonder Sussex can’t just let you go.”

He let out a low whistle as the full impact of what he’d agreed to do hit him over the head like a sledgehammer. For the next six weeks he was going to be living in this small fishing village in Nowhere’s-ville, Alaska, and working a very lucrative gig—keeping tabs on Sophie Miller. He had arrived last night, having been flown in by Declan O’Rourke, a pilot who ran a plane charter business and lived here in town.

As a private investigator, Noah went all over the country following the paying gigs. And he was moments away from beginning his undercover assignment. His company, Catalano Security, had hit a financial rough patch, which had made refusing this job near impossible. And even though he could think of much better assignments than this one, he’d had no choice in the matter. A paying job like this meant that his Seattle-based company might hold on for a little bit longer. He wouldn’t have to shutter the doors just yet. And he could pay his employees and allow them to run the fort while he was away. Watching his company go down the tubes wasn’t something he could allow to happen.

So, for the foreseeable future, he was going to be posing as a cook for the Moose Café, an establishment owned and operated by Cameron Prescott. It was the same eatery where Sophie worked as a barista and waitress. Noah was going to fulfill his obligation to his client, then head back to Seattle where he belonged, and focus on building up his business.

He knew that he was going to have to be on his A game in order to pull this off. He’d done a little research on Cameron, whose brother, Boone, was the town sheriff. Noah couldn’t do anything to raise suspicions about his background. Local law enforcement might run a check on him and hit pay dirt by linking him to his profession as a PI. His company provided personal and corporate security, as well as conducting investigations. It had been rather simple to provide references to his new boss via his connections in the world of private investigations and security. He didn’t want to be too cocky about it, since in his experience, that’s when people made mistakes.

While in Love, he was going by the name of Noah Callahan. Noah had called in a few favors to make this operation run smoothly. As a result, there was really no reason for anyone to suspect that he was anything other than a man who was seeking to reinvent his life as a cook at the Moose Café. And he had no intention of blowing his cover. His future—and that of his company—was riding on this assignment. Failure wasn’t an option.

* * *

Sophie waved goodbye to Jasper as he sailed out the door of the Moose Café. Just as he exited, a tall, broad figure stood for a moment in the doorway before crossing over the threshold. Another customer! It was shaping up to be good day for tip money. She loved days like this, when the place was full of hustle and bustle. Interacting with customers was the best part of her job.

The man stood inside the doorway and looked around the premises as if he was soaking in all the details. When he looked up, Sophie sucked in a deep breath.

He was gorgeous, with jet-black hair and striking blue eyes. A dimple on his chin added to the overall wow factor. He had a strong jawline and a commanding air. Although he was on the tall side, it was his leanly muscled physique that really packed a punch. He looked like he could handle himself in a dark alley if needed. He exuded strength.

Sophie let out an involuntary sigh. This man was spectacular. A little piece of Alaskan eye candy.

At the moment he was heading straight toward her, his gait full of power and ease. She wasn’t certain, but she might just have to pick her jaw up off the floor. This man was pure poetry in motion. He stopped right in front of her, his gaze focused on her brown apron, which advertised the Moose Café with a cartoon moose sipping a cappuccino. Needless to say, her boss, Cameron Prescott, had a zany sense of humor.

When he swung his head up, Sophie locked gazes with the stranger. “Why, hello there, good-looking.” Woops. The words had just slid out of her mouth like a rushing river.

Be quick to listen and slow to speak. Her mother’s voice buzzed in her ears. After all these years, Sophie was still trying to learn that lesson. She might benefit from having a zipper on her mouth to prevent this very thing from happening.

She bit her lip, wishing she could take the words back. From the looks of it, tall, dark and handsome didn’t seem too impressed by her.

The man raised an eyebrow. His expression displayed a mixture of surprise and a measure of disapproval. Sophie let out a low groan. He appeared slightly humorless. He might have at least cracked a smile at the compliment.

She felt her cheeks blush. “What I meant to say was, hello there, stranger.” Why was she fumbling so badly with her words? She didn’t want the hottest man in Alaska to think she was a babbling fool. Something told her it might be too late to correct a bad first impression.

“Hello,” he said in a deep, calm voice.

She smiled at him, stuffing down her discomfort. “I’m Sophie. Welcome to the Moose Café.” She waved her hand in the direction of the seating area. “Feel free to take a seat wherever you like. I’ll be right with you with a menu and the most delicious coffee drink you’ve ever ordered.”

He shook his head. “I’m not here to eat,” he explained. “My name is Noah. Noah Callahan. I’m here to meet Cameron about the open cook position.”

This was the new cook? Marta’s replacement? Sophie had completely forgotten that Cameron had said to expect the new hire to show up today. In her wildest imagination she never would have envisioned he would look like this. Sophie had imagined an older, wizened man. The new hire had the appearance of a professional athlete or a fitness model for a sports magazine. Sophie knew it was rude, but she couldn’t seem to stop staring at him. In a town full of hot Alaskan bachelors, this guy was perhaps the most gorgeous one she’d laid eyes on yet. And his cornflower blue eyes were magnetic.

“You’re the new hire?” she asked, her voice oozing shock and awe.

“Unless you know something I don’t,” he quipped. “I hope I haven’t come all the way to Love for nothing.”

“No! No! Of course not. Cameron told me to expect you, but I forgot that you were coming by today. And I wasn’t expecting someone so...” Her voice trailed off.

“So what?” he asked, his brows knitted together. His eyes were as piercing as laser beams.

So dreamy. The words popped into her head, although she didn’t dare utter them out loud.

“You must be Noah.” The sound of Cameron’s voice coming from directly behind her caused Sophie to let out a huge sigh of relief. Saved by the boss from any further embarrassment! She wasn’t sure exactly how she would have answered Noah’s question without humiliating herself even more.

Cameron stepped forward and said, “Cameron Prescott. Nice to meet you.” He stuck out his hand and shook Noah’s vigorously. “I see you’ve met Sophie.”

“Yes,” Noah said with a nod. “Nice to meet you, as well, Cameron. And thanks for letting me rent your place. It saved me the trouble of having to search around town for digs.” Noah grinned from ear to ear. Mmm. So the man did know how to smile. And what a nice smile it was. Pretty white teeth and dimples for days. Something told Sophie that Noah Callahan was going to leave the women of Love in quite a flutter, starting with herself.

“No problem at all,” Cameron said. “I moved into my wife’s home after Paige and I got married, so I’m happy to rent the place out.”

Noah was going to be living at Cameron’s old place! Sophie let out a little sigh of disappointment. Why hadn’t she thought of asking Cameron to rent it to her? Her cabin at the Black Bear Cabins was a tad on the small side. In the past year she had filled up the small space almost to overflowing. Relocating to Cameron’s former home would have been amazing. The backyard had a lovely view of the mountains. Oh, well. She didn’t believe in crying over spilled milk or lost opportunities.

Gratitude. She had to remind herself that she’d vowed to be thankful for all the things in her life, great and small. She wouldn’t dwell on the size of her living quarters or lament the fact that Noah had scooped up Cameron’s place. God had already blessed her in so many ways. She wasn’t about to grumble.

Living in Love was a world apart from the rarefied atmosphere she’d grown up in. As the daughter of a very wealthy man, there had truly been nothing she couldn’t have procured with a single phone call or a word with her father. A private jet. Shopping sprees. Front-row concert tickets. Diamond earrings. The world had been her oyster. Once Java Giant had taken off, her family had relocated to New York City from her small hometown of Saskell, Georgia. They had moved from a modest, ranch-style home to a penthouse in Manhattan.

Sophie wasn’t sure she’d ever managed to adjust to being the Java Giant heiress. Most times, she’d yearned to go back to simpler times, when picking peaches and attending church picnics had been the norm for their family. Everything had changed when her father’s business took off and went national. Their lives had transformed in an instant. Her upbringing had been lavish, yet it had never brought her true happiness. She’d vowed to strip herself of the luxuries and get down to basics here in Alaska. So although she felt disappointed about Cameron’s house, she wasn’t going to dwell on it. Material things were fleeting.

“Sophie, can you show Noah around?” Cameron asked, drawing her out of her thoughts. “He’ll be starting tomorrow morning, bright and early. I’m going to finish out the cooking shift and show Noah how the kitchen works in a little bit. Hazel will work the tables.”

A loud banging sound, following by shouting, emanated from the kitchen. Cameron raised his eyebrows and let out a nervous laugh. “Excuse me. I need to go check in with Hazel. She’s a little swamped at the moment. Welcome, Noah. It’s great to have you on board.”

Sophie smirked, knowing her close friend Hazel Tookes probably wasn’t at her best at the moment. As Cameron’s honorary mother figure, Hazel was, for all intents and purposes, a silent partner in the café. She allowed Cameron to manage the restaurant and act as the public face of the establishment. Outspoken and lively, Hazel didn’t hesitate to let Cameron know when something didn’t sit well with her. Working the grill wasn’t her forte. Waitressing suited her more, due to her tendency to be a social butterfly.

Noah’s gaze trailed after Cameron. Then he looked around the café. “This seems like a popular spot.”

“It is. We’ve been blessed with a loyal following and enough customers to keep this place up and running. Did you know that most businesses fail within the first year?” Sophie couldn’t count how many times her father had shared that fact with her. It made her doubly proud of Cameron’s success. He’d worked hard for it.

Noah scratched his jaw. “I think I’ve heard that statistic. It’s tough to get a business started, not to mention keeping it profitable.”

“That’s for sure,” Sophie said with a nod. “The Moose Café is a testament to Cameron’s hard work and vision. Before I arrived in town, Love endured a recession that caused quite an economic downturn. A lot of businesses didn’t make it. But that didn’t stop Cameron from stepping out on a limb of faith and opening up this establishment. And the town has rebounded and we have a new factory that mass produces genuine Alaskan boots. They’re called Lovely Boots and they’ve really taken off.”

“It’s pretty courageous to start up a new company in the shadow of such hard times,” Noah said. “It’s a testament to his work ethic and vision.”

“No guts, no glory,” Sophie proclaimed as she raised her fist in the air, earning another raised eyebrow from Noah.

“Let me show you around,” Sophie said, wanting to fill the awkward silence. She motioned for Noah to follow her. She couldn’t shake the feeling that he was staring at her as if she was somewhat of an odd duck. His expression was a bit shuttered and he seemed to be quite serious about everything. Maybe he was nervous about the new job. It would be a shame if this hottie was a stick-in-the-mud with a sour disposition.

Life was too short not to smile. Ever since she’d been knee high to a grasshopper, this had been her personal motto. So many people made storm clouds when their lives could be filled with rainbows and glitter and cupcakes.

As Sophie showed Noah around the establishment, she couldn’t help but notice that he was a man of few words. Other than some nods and monosyllabic replies, he’d given her nothing but silence. Perhaps he was the strong, silent type—observing everything but giving away nothing. Maybe she just needed to pull him out of his shell.

“How about an espresso or a mochaccino?” she asked, as she led him past the area where they were made.