A Match Made In Alaska

Annie sat up straight. “I’m working through a partial grant, so all the money isn’t coming from the town.” She sniffed back tears. She had been so excited about this new adventure. The very thought of being at the center of controversy made her feel terrible. All this time, she had imagined being treated with kindness and support the moment she stepped off the plane. Had she been completely misguided? Maybe she would be as unwelcome as a storm sweeping into town.

“Hey, now,” Declan said, his voice noticeably softer. He edged closer her and peered into her face. “Are you...crying?”

“No, I’m not,” she said as tears splashed onto her cheeks. “It’s just smoke from the fire getting in my eyes.” She was mortified. Up to this point, she had managed to hang tough and hold her head up high. All of sudden she had broken like a dam.

He reached out and brushed her tears away with his thumb. “Forgive me. I spoke without thinking, Annie. It’s been a really long, scary day for you. All you expected when this day began was to arrive safely in Love, Alaska, with a wonderful adventure stretched out before you. And what did you get instead? A terrifying crash landing in the middle of the wilderness. And a pilot who has a bad habit of putting his foot in his mouth.”

Annie stared into Declan’s eyes, lulled by the rich timbre of his voice and his ice-blue eyes. He really was a spectacular-looking man. And he was kind. He just hid it behind a mask of brusqueness. He’d been hurt, she deduced. Someone or something had bruised this man, and as a result, he hid his light under a bushel. But without him even knowing it, the richness of his soul shone through at certain moments.

“I’m sorry for being so thoughtless with my words. I really like you, Annie Murray. You have more spirit and pluck than most women would have in a crisis like this. And you’ve done brilliantly in an unpredictable and terrifying situation. Truth be told, I’m pretty fortunate that you were my passenger. Without you here, I’d be hungry and cold and downright miserable. If I had to rate you as a survival companion, I’d give you an A plus.”

Annie smiled at Declan through her tears. He was being so very kind to her. The truth was, he had bruised her feelings with his careless comment about what the town thought of her. She took her profession very seriously, and if she was being completely honest, she was a tad homesick. Whimsy, Maine, was all she had ever known. And she had traveled all this way to head up Love’s new library, only to be involved in a plane crash. The last thing she needed to worry about was her bread-and-butter job in Alaska.

But to be fair, it wasn’t completely Declan’s fault. Her nerves had already been on edge. This day had been endless. And she was scared to death. It was almost time to go to sleep, and she didn’t know what the morning would bring. Rescue? Or vast disappointment?

“I don’t know if I deserve all your praise, but I appreciate you lifting me up.”

Declan flashed her a perfect smile. “Anytime, Annie. We’re buddies now, right? After this singular experience, we’re bonded for life.”

Bonded for life. What a dramatic turn of phrase. Even though she knew better than to fall for a handsome charmer like Declan, the idea of being bonded for life with him was not an unwelcome thought.

* * *

When it was time to bunk down for the night, Declan borrowed several articles of clothing from Annie so that he could make a pallet for himself. He intended to keep watch tonight rather than lie down and sleep. He figured if he propped the pallet against a tree, he could sit up and keep watch without being too uncomfortable. And he felt the need to keep watch over Annie. Even though she acted tough, Annie Murray needed protection. Until he delivered her safely to Love, she would be under his watchful, protective eye.

He and Annie enjoyed a companionable silence as they made their pallets. Declan couldn’t fathom how she had managed to stuff so many items in her bags.

“I feel bad getting all your clothes dirty,” Declan said.

“Oh, don’t worry,” Annie said with a wave of her hand. “I sent two trunks of clothing ahead of me through a shipping service. After all, a girl can never have too many clothes,” she quipped.

Declan gaped at her. More clothes? It was fairly mind-boggling how one woman could own so many outfits. They sat there for a few moments in stillness.

“After what we’ve been through together, I feel compelled to tell you something I haven’t shared with a lot of people.” Annie’s announcement interrupted the quiet that had stretched out between them.

Declan eyed her nervously. Annie was as sweet as blueberry pie, but he didn’t really want to head into the territory of TMI. It might create an uncomfortable vibe between them if she overshared. After all, they didn’t really know each other well enough to exchange personal information. He had no intention of spilling any secrets of his own.

“It’s about my fake glasses.” She let out a sigh. “You’re probably wondering why I would do such a thing, right? I never explained myself.” Declan nodded as a sense of relief flooded him. A confession about glasses he could handle.

“When I first became a librarian, I was twenty-three years old. I was given the job because the head librarian in my hometown of Whimsy, Rose Minnows, passed away. She was ninety-five, bless her heart.”

Declan sputtered. “Your town librarian was ninety-five?”

Annie nodded her head enthusiastically, causing locks of her dark brown hair to cascade over her forehead. “She was two weeks shy of her ninety-sixth birthday when the Lord called her home to glory.”

Declan let out a low whistle. “That’s dedication to a vocation. Ninety-six!”

Annie nodded solemnly. “Rose was the consummate professional. So when I replaced her, everyone in town questioned whether I was fit for the job due to my age. Of course it was hurtful, considering I had grown up in Whimsy, and the same people who had rocked me on their knees were now questioning my abilities. I decided that I would do everything in my power to convince the townsfolk I was the perfect choice for head librarian. Step one was to switch up my wardrobe. I dressed the part of a town librarian—”

“You mean that you dressed in a dowdy manner?” Declan interrupted.

“Dowdy?” Annie asked with a frown. “Of course not. Rose was the most beautifully dressed woman in town. She put the F in fashion, if you know what I mean.”

“Not sure I do,” he muttered. “Jeans and my aviator jacket are my fashion statement.”

“Her clothes were classic. Timeless.” Annie let out a sigh. “Step two was to wear glasses. I know it may sound strange, but people are judged all the time by appearances. In our society, glasses signify intelligence. Wisdom. The moment I slipped the glasses on, people began to treat me differently. It was night and day. Suddenly I was fit for duty simply because of my appearance.” She brushed some pine needles off her leopard pants. “So that’s the story behind my glasses. I figured they might help me out here in Love as well. But I guess I’m on my own in that department.” A little sigh slipped past her lips.

“Don’t worry about what I said earlier, that the library is a hot-button issue. We debate everything in Love. That’s who we are. All the wrinkles about funding for the library will probably be ironed out.” Or not, Declan thought guiltily. He himself had lobbied to reduce the number of hours the library was being funded. It hadn’t been a malicious move on his part. Love’s first library had gone belly-up decades ago due to lack of funding. He just couldn’t wrap his head around using vital town resources so people could browse for books. Not when there were businesses still suffering in town. However, there was no way in the world he could admit that to Annie. Not at the moment, anyway.

Annie frowned. “Wrinkles? There are wrinkles?”

He let out a groan. There he went again, spilling information he should have kept close to the vest. On the other hand, Annie had traveled a long way to become town librarian in Love. She deserved the unfiltered truth. “There are a few,” he said in a halting voice. “Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but the library has only been approved for part-time hours.”

“But that’s ridiculous,” she exploded. “Mayor Prescott told me weeks ago that the library budget had been approved and that I was being brought on as a full-time librarian.”

Declan held up his hands. “Don’t shoot the messenger. I just didn’t want you to feel blindsided.”

Annie bowed her head. “I’m sorry for blowing up at you. Thanks for telling me. I think,” she said in a soft voice.

“You’re welcome. Why don’t you get some sleep, Annie?” he suggested. “It’s been a long day.”

Annie yawned and stretched her arms. “I am pretty bushed. Good night, Declan.” She walked toward her pallet, which was a good distance from his, where he was keeping watch.

“Night,” he called out after her. “Don’t get too close to the fire. We don’t want any accidents.”

He watched from afar as Annie settled down on her pallet. She was close enough to the fire that she could feel warm and toasty without endangering herself. She had said earlier that her boots were doing a pretty good job of keeping her feet warm, although at the very tip, she felt a little spot where her toes were cold. Once they got to Love, he was going to buy her a pair of Hazel Tookes’s boots. Hazel was a good friend of his who had created unique Alaskan winter boots that the town of Love was now mass-producing. Boone’s wife, Grace, had come up with the brilliant idea of making Hazel’s boots the focus of the town’s moneymaking endeavors. So far, Hazel’s boots were selling like hot cakes in the lower forty-eight states. If the income streaming in from the boots continued, it could be a game changer for Love.

An unsettled feeling kept poking at him. He hadn’t told Annie the whole unvarnished truth about the library hours being reduced. He had lobbied against the library, and after it had been approved, he had been a proponent of reducing its hours. He couldn’t help but feel guilty about Annie’s job being slashed by a significant number of hours.

As Declan watched Annie doze off, he felt a surge of protectiveness rise up within him. There was something about her that brought out a desire in him to keep her safe. And he wasn’t sure it had anything to do with his duties as a pilot. He vowed that no matter what situation arose, he would keep Annie out of harm’s way. He uttered a silent prayer that the morning would bring rescue. If not, he was going to have to come up with a plan B in order to ensure that they made it out of this crisis alive.

* * *

Annie was dreaming of Love, Alaska. Ice-skating at Deer Run Lake. Wintry nights. A tight-knit community where she would be welcomed with open arms. A spanking new library that changed lives, one book at a time. A soft place to fall when the world around her became chaotic. A strapping, tall man with golden hair and a magnetic smile.

She heard a flapping noise by her ear. She raised her hand to brush it away. Something furry was swirling around her neck. Oh no! This wasn’t a dream. This was real life. Something was burrowed in her hair. With a scream lodged in her throat, Annie sat up straight and started fighting it off with her fists. She managed to get it out of her hair. By the glow of the fire, she could see wings and squinty little eyes as he began flying around her in circles.

“Bat!” she yelled as the fuzzy brown critter swooped down at her. Once again it burrowed in her hair as she began to jump around wildly in an effort to dislodge it.

She had almost died earlier today in a plane crash. And now she was on the brink of being killed by a rabid bat bent on taking her down. She began shrieking at the top of her lungs.

“Declan! Help!”

* * *

It was a perfect Alaskan day. The sun was shining brightly in a robin’s-egg-colored sky. Declan soared above the clouds without a care in the world. Everything felt peaceful up here in the wild blue yonder, as if nothing bad could ever touch him again.

Something was wrong. He was flying Lucy. No, that wasn’t possible. Hadn’t Lucy gone up in flames?