A Match Made In Alaska

“As soon as I get this fire going, we’ll really be in good shape,” he said. This was his moment to demonstrate his skills and to show Annie that he could take charge of the situation and protect her. He took a few dry sticks and began to rub them together frantically. Over and over again he rubbed the sticks in an effort to make a fire out of friction. As soon as he saw a hint of smoke, he would toss the sticks onto the pile of tinder and pray that a roaring fire would start burning.

“How’s it going?” Annie asked over his shoulder. She was so close he could feel her breath on his neck. Talk about pressure!

“Any minute now, this tinder is going to go up,” he said. “And we are going to have the world’s most roaring fire to keep us warm.”

Precious seconds ticked by. Frustration began to set in as his efforts to get a fire going failed over and over again. It didn’t make any sense at all. Why wasn’t this fire sparking? The sticks were dry. He was exerting a lot of energy making sure that there was plenty of friction between the two sticks as he rubbed them together. Yet nothing was happening.

“May I try something?” Annie asked. Declan looked up at her. She was standing beside him and digging around in her purse. What was it with ladies and their purses? The bags almost seemed like an appendage. Annie’s purse was like a clown car. She appeared to be able to fit endless items inside.

Bless her for wanting to help with the fire. “This is pretty complicated,” he said with a shake of his head. “Have you ever tried to light a fire before?”

He frowned as he watched Annie remove the battery from her cell phone. She then pulled a pocket knife from her bag. “Oh, I’ve never done it before. But I’ve read up on the subject. One of the best perks of being a librarian is all the books at our disposal. I find it amazing that knowledge is always at our fingertips.”

Declan wanted to groan with frustration. Life wasn’t learned through books. Knowledge was accumulated by living. At least, that’s the way he’d always handled things. Tackling situations head-on was life affirming and empowering. Burying your head in a book was a surefire way of missing out on life. He didn’t want to insult Annie, but he needed to set her straight.

“That’s impressive, but starting a fire isn’t really something a person can learn from how-to books. Experience is the best way to gain wilderness skills.” There was something incongruous about seeing Annie with a pocket knife. “You really did come prepared. Although you really should be careful with that knife. You can hurt yourself if you’re not careful.”

“In preparation for this voyage, I read a very interesting book about Alaska. It’s called How to Survive and Thrive in the Alaskan Wilderness. Fascinating stuff,” she explained with an enthusiastic nod of her head. “And the first chapter detailed how to start a fire with your cell phone battery.”

Declan resisted the impulse to roll his eyes. Thousands of books had been written about the Alaskan wilderness by so-called experts in the field. Not one of them, he would guess, had ever lived in Alaska or knew the first thing about surviving a plane crash. Not a single one would know how to land a malfunctioning seaplane safely. Yet they peddled books about survival to the public.

Annie crouched down next to him and placed the battery on the rock’s surface. She scraped the knife against the top of the battery. Then she poked the battery with the knife.

She looked up and met his gaze. “When the lithium is exposed to oxygen, it ignites.”

Huh? Book or not, it was pretty impressive. He wasn’t sure the everyday, run-of-the-mill librarian knew how to start a fire with a cell phone battery. Annie was a librarian extraordinaire. He swung his gaze toward the battery, which was now smoking. Annie quickly tossed the battery into the tinder pile. Within seconds, smoke began to plume from the tinder. Declan’s jaw dropped as he watched a fire burst to life right before their eyes.

“Well, shut my mouth,” Declan drawled. “You did it!”

“I did, didn’t I?” Annie asked. She was smiling so hard, he thought her cheeks might break. “I feel so invigorated.”

He looked down at his twigs and threw them into the fire. “So much for the old-fashioned way,” he grumbled. It burned a little to know that Annie had been able to do what he had failed at. Ever since he was a kid, he had hated to have egg on his face. It didn’t feel any better as an adult.

Declan felt completely off-kilter. He considered himself an outdoorsman. He fished, mountain climbed and could live off the land if the need arose. Annie was a sheltered librarian from Maine. Up until today, she’d never stepped foot in Alaska. Yet here she was building fires and serving the role of provider with her stash of snacks. Their roles had been flipped. He was the native Alaskan. It was his job as owner of O’Rourke Charters to care for his client, not the other way around.

“Don’t feel bad about not being able to start the fire,” Annie said in a chirpy voice. “I wouldn’t have been able to do it without the battery. And you gathered up all the tinder and made it possible.”

Annie was being kind. Her sweet nature radiated off her in waves. He shrugged off his wounded pride and allowed gratitude to wash over him. He was fortunate to have a smart, resourceful woman by his side during this crisis. Survival wasn’t a contest. It was a collaborative effort. So far, they had made it through a crash landing, gathered food and water for sustenance and built a fire for warmth. Making sure a rescue plane could spot them from the air was the next important step in their survival plan. It could make the difference between life and death.

He needed to kick things into high gear. His mind had suddenly shifted toward rescue. He needed to do everything possible to make sure that they were rescued tomorrow. At almost eleven thousand square miles, the Chugach National Forest was too large for them to attempt to find rescue on foot. Their food supply wouldn’t last much longer, and he was worried about the elements and being able to sustain a fire. If the search and rescue missed the plane wreckage from above, he and Annie Murray would be fighting for their very lives.

Chapter Three

As nightfall came, Annie found herself questioning whether rescue would actually come tomorrow. Her euphoria about starting the fire had waned pretty quickly as the temperature dropped and the sky darkened. What would happen to them if rescue never came? How long could they hold on with a dwindling food supply and no promise of water? At least they could melt snow and drink it, Annie realized. They wouldn’t get dehydrated. But there weren’t even berries or nuts or anything remotely edible in their midst. And although she wasn’t opposed to losing a few pounds, she certainly didn’t want to do it via the Alaskan wilderness diet.

She was pretty sure there were wild animals lurking in these woods. Earlier she had heard a high-pitched cry emanating from somewhere in the forest. It had nearly scared the life out of her. Declan had acted nonchalant, as if he hadn’t heard a thing. But she knew what she’d heard. Most likely it had been a wolf. Bears tended to hibernate during winter, but there were always sightings during November, especially if the winter weather was mild. So there could be bears waiting to pounce on them. Or wild moose.

She didn’t voice her concerns to Declan. His mood had changed in the past hour or so. He seemed more contemplative and less talkative. Perhaps he, too, was worrying about rescue. Maybe he was just the strong, silent type. He certainly looked the part with his muscles and powerful physique. A few times she had caught him staring at her with a perplexed expression on his face. It wouldn’t be the first time, she thought with a sigh. Men always seemed to think she was quirky.

You’re not unusual, pumpkin. You’re extraordinary. Again, Gram’s voice came to her like a warm breeze over the ocean. As always, pearls of wisdom from Gram fortified her as nothing else ever could.

Eating beef jerky and trail mix, Annie and Declan shared a meal before the fire. Although they had already polished off the sixteen-ounce bottle of water, Annie had filled it back up with snow so that they would have a fresh supply of water when it melted.

The food tasted delicious, although Annie carefully eyed their portions. If rescue didn’t come tomorrow, they needed to have a little something to fall back on for a meal. Perhaps it was time to start rationing the food. Declan was a big guy who was probably used to eating big meals.

“So, what brings you to Love?” Declan jutted his chin in her direction. “These days that might seem like an obvious question, considering all the matchmaking going on.”

“Operation Love is what inspired me to come to Alaska. It’s been all over the news. I’ve been very impressed by the coverage.” She felt a little self-conscious admitting it, but she wanted to find the love of her life. “I’m no different than most people. I want to find my other half. My soul mate. My husband.”

A hint of a smile played around his lips. “Well, so far the program has been a rousing success. My best friend happens to be the town sheriff, as well as the mayor’s grandson, and he met the love of his life through Jasper’s program.”

“Jasper? Mayor Jasper Prescott?” Annie’s heart started thumping like crazy. For a good portion of her life, that name had been a constant. Jasper had always featured prominently in Gram’s poignant stories about Love. After Gram’s death, her journal had revealed tender musings about the handsome charmer who had seemingly captured her grandmother’s heart. Her words about Mayor Prescott had made it crystal clear that she had been head over heels in love with him. Perhaps even until her dying day.

And finally, after all these years, Annie was within reach of unraveling the mystery of her ancestry. She was within reach of uncovering her roots. She hoped that would mean family connections. A grandfather. Cousins. Aunts. It was too soon to share her suspicions with Declan, but in her mind, there was a very real possibility that Jasper Prescott was her grandfather. The same Jasper Prescott who had spearheaded the Operation Love campaign and, via the media, urged single women to relocate to his hometown in order to help sort out the woman shortage.

“You’ll love Jasper,” Declan said. “He’s the heart and soul of Love. Town mayor. Wise sage. Loving grandpa. Feisty agitator.” He let out a deep-throated chuckle. “He’s the man.”

Annie knew gushing when she heard it. The respect and admiration Declan felt for Jasper Prescott hummed and vibrated in the air around them. Although Declan didn’t radiate a sweet vibe, he suddenly seemed softer and gentler. Clearly the town mayor brought it out in him.

She was going to reserve judgment about Jasper until she knew whether or not he was kin to her. There was a part of her that resented the man who had used his good looks and charm to worm his way into Gram’s heart, only to leave her pregnant and alone. The ripples of that situation had affected her own life, since her mother had also been an unwed mother. Annie was determined not to follow the same path. She would break the cycle of women in her family who had loved unwisely and been left to rear children alone.

“It sounds as if you know the mayor well.” She touched her forehead with her palm. “Oh, yes, you said that his grandson is a good friend of yours.”

“Boone is my best friend. Bar none,” Declan asserted with a nod of his head. His blue eyes radiated deep affection. “He’s my partner in crime. The one who knows where all the bodies are buried. One of the few people in this world I trust implicitly.”

She sensed something under the surface of Declan’s words. It was more what he wasn’t saying. Who hadn’t he been able to trust in his life? Had someone betrayed him? And if so, was that the reason he had a huge chip on his shoulder?

“Will your wife worry about you not making it home?” Although her question wasn’t very subtle, she was curious about Declan’s life. All she knew about him was that he was an Alaskan pilot. Although she hadn’t spotted a ring on his finger, for all she knew, he was married with kids.

“Nope. She won’t worry one bit, considering I don’t have one,” Declan teased, his blue eyes alive with merriment. “I’m single. Footloose and fancy-free. And I aim to keep it that way.”

Annie chuckled. She liked the lighter side of Declan, the one who teased and laughed and showed tenderness. She found it rather shocking that someone as eye-catching and successful as Declan was unattached, although from the sound of it, he embraced being a bachelor. If Declan was an example of the eye candy in Love, it was no wonder that women were flocking to the small fishing village to find their soul mates.

“But having grown up in Love, I know plenty of people who will worry when I don’t show up.” He looked over at her, and their gazes held and locked. His expression was intense. “Don’t you worry, Annie. They’ll come looking for us.”

“I wonder if anybody is waiting for me,” she said in a forlorn tone. “I’m the new librarian in Love, so maybe they’ll be concerned when I don’t arrive on time.”

Declan’s eyes bulged. He let out a whistle. “So you’re that librarian.”

Annie immediately bristled. She knew bias against librarians when she came up against it. Just when she’d been warming up to Declan, he had to go and say something to put her on edge. “What do you mean by that librarian?”

Declan quirked his mouth. “No offense, but resources are tight in town. Taking money out of the town coffers to create a library was a hotly contested topic in Love. We debated it for quite some time.”

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.