Buch lesen: «Her Secret Alaskan Family»

Chapter One

“Welcome to the last frontier,” Sage Duncan murmured as she walked to the bow of the ferry and looked out across the breathtaking waters of Kachemak Bay.

Despite her frayed nerves, Sage was able to appreciate the raw beauty of her surroundings. She took a deep breath and inhaled the crisp Alaskan air. Snow-covered mountains rose up to greet her. A bird swooped down toward the water, then emerged a few seconds later with a fish in its mouth. Sage shook her head at the stunning sights unfolding before her eyes. The vista was spectacular. It was like nothing she had ever seen before in her life.

In her wildest dreams she had never envisioned herself traveling to this magnificent land. It had always seemed so out of reach, like a faraway constellation in the heavens.

She shivered and wrapped her arms around her middle. This Alaskan climate was a far cry from back home in Florida where heat and humidity reigned. Sage couldn’t remember the last time she had seen snow, but as a little girl she had fantasized about catching snowflakes on her tongue and sledding down snowy mountains in the wintertime.

Sage shook off those long-ago memories. She hadn’t traveled all this way to Owl Creek, Alaska, in order to live out her childhood dreams. Her reasons for coming here were complicated, and hurt bubbled up inside her as the reality of her situation kicked her in the gut.

Her mother’s death two months ago had changed her life in so many ways. With her dying breath, Jane Duncan had made a startling confession to Sage. Months later and she was still processing the revelation. According to her mother, Sage had been stolen as a baby from her birth family. Right after Jane had uttered those shocking words she had died, leaving Sage with a hundred burning questions. Who was she? Who were her real family? Why had Jane Duncan committed such a horrific act as kidnapping somebody else’s child?

Digging through her mother’s belongings had turned up old newspaper clippings about a three-month-old baby who had been taken from her crib in the middle of the night, never to be seen again. Goose bumps had popped up on her arms when she’d come across a photo with the word MISSING written in bold black print on the flyer. There were two pictures side by side—one of a baby girl and the other a pretty teenager. The words age enhanced were written beneath the image. The girl had looked a little bit like her. Similar features. Same age. Even the same birth month.

A search on the internet had turned up even more information. If what she suspected turned out to be true, her real name was Lily North. Her family—the Norths—were the owners of the North Star Chocolate Company. Her parents still lived in Owl Creek and they had never stopped looking for her or praying for her return. Her image had even been plastered on milk cartons back when she was an infant.

Which was why, in order to seek out those answers, she had traveled to this southern portion of Alaska and booked herself into a cozy bed-and-breakfast in Owl Creek for a period of six weeks.

Sage felt a solid presence next to her as she looked out toward land. She turned to her right. The man standing a few feet away from her was handsome. He was looking in her direction, his eyes focused on her like laser beams. With sandy-colored hair and turquoise blue eyes, he had a rugged appearance. A shiny gold badge sat on his chest.

He quirked his mouth. “Let me guess. You’re Lily North, aren’t you?”

Sage’s knees threatened to give way beneath her, and her heart began to beat like thunder inside her chest. Why had she thought she could get away with this?

“Wh-what are you talking about?” she asked, wondering how in the world this stranger knew her true purpose for being in Owl Creek.

He let out a chuckle. His features immediately went from attractive to downright spectacular. “Sorry. Just a bad joke. Our little town has been inundated with women claiming to be the missing North baby.” He frowned at her. “Surely you’ve heard about the case?”

“Just a little bit,” she hedged. “I’m not from Alaska, but I recall seeing some news coverage a few weeks ago back home.”

“It’s the twenty-fifth anniversary of the kidnapping so it’s been plastered all over the news and on the internet,” he explained. “Every scam artist from here to Toledo has been trying to fleece the family by pretending to be Lily. It’s been going on for years but lately it’s gotten out of hand. I was born and bred in Owl Creek so I’ve grown up hearing about the case.” His expression turned somber. “In a way it’s always cast a shadow over the town.”

“Do you know them? The Norths?” she asked, her curiosity getting the best of her. She wanted to learn everything she possibly could about them. Were they kind people? Had the kidnapping taken all the joy out of their lives? Had they moved past it?

“Sure do,” he said amiably. “They’re good people. Connor North is one of my best friends. And they make some of the best chocolate you’ll ever taste.” He stuck out his hand. “By the way, I’m Hank Crawford. Town sheriff.”

She reached out and shook his hand. “So that explains the fancy badge,” she said with a smile. “I’m Sage Duncan.”

“Are you a tourist? We get a lot of them in our little town, but not usually in the winter. The weather is pretty intimidating for those who aren’t used to it.”

She wrinkled her nose. “I suppose you could call me a tourist. I teach second grade back home in Florida and I’m on leave for a few months. I’ve always wanted to visit Alaska, and I do adore chocolate,” she said. “Call me crazy, but I’m looking forward to some wintry weather.”

“You’ll need a winter parka and some insulated boots for winter in Owl Creek. Otherwise you’ll freeze,” he advised, giving her attire the once-over. He was wearing a hunter green parka and a dark pair of cords. Sage had the feeling her clothing hadn’t passed muster. Her decision to travel to Alaska had been made rather quickly. She’d taken a leave of absence and booked her airline tickets as well as the bed-and-breakfast before she could change her mind and chicken out. As a Floridian she didn’t own many cold-weather clothes, so she’d done a little shopping online and stocked up on a few sweaters, hats and pants. She looked down at her boots. They were suede with fringes on them. Hardly fitting for the Alaskan climate. She hoped this little village had clothing stores and winter gear so she could round out her wardrobe.

“Thanks,” she said, unwilling to offer any more information to Sheriff Crawford. She had already said too much, and he was the last person whose suspicions she wanted to arouse.

“Well, we’re about to dock. It was nice to meet you, Sage,” he said with a grin. “In a town as small as Owl Creek, I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other.”

Sage nodded and murmured goodbye as she watched the sheriff walk away from her. His gait was confident and strong. She let out a ragged sigh. Hank Crawford was no doubt the handsomest man she’d met in quite some time. But she wasn’t in town to meet good-looking men. Not by a long shot. Sage had traveled all this way in order to scope out the people she believed might be her birth family. There was power in no one knowing she might actually be Lily North. She wouldn’t have anyone questioning her motives or digging into her background.

She would have time to decide what to do.

At this point she had no idea whether or not she would reveal her identity to the North family. Doing so might cause a world of legal trouble for Eric Duncan, the man who she had called father for the last twenty-five years. According to her dad, he’d been in the dark about her mother’s actions up until her dying day. Sadly, he had never addressed certain irregularities in Sage’s adoption, which could make it appear as if he’d known the truth all along. Eric had asserted he’d never had any knowledge about her being kidnapped. He’d believed that her birth parents had abandoned her. From what he’d disclosed to Sage it was evident that her adoption hadn’t been legal. Having just lost her mother, Sage couldn’t imagine losing her father as well if the North family decided to file charges against him for being her mother’s accomplice.

Sage clenched her fists at her sides. She would do anything in her power to protect him.

Hank hadn’t meant to talk to the beautiful woman on the ferry, but there had been something about Sage Duncan that had tugged at him. She had looked so sad staring out across the water, and he had wanted to make her smile. Instead, he’d made himself look like a goofball.

Hank winced. He had made the corny joke about her being Lily North, which had landed with a little bit of a thud. Sage had looked at him with horror radiating from her eyes. She probably thought it was in bad form to make a joke about a missing person.

What Sage didn’t know was that two years ago Hank had fallen for a woman named Theresa Bennett. They had gone out for a few months, during which time he had grown fond of Theresa. A short while later he had discovered she was nothing more than a fraud. A beautiful con artist bent on extorting money from his friends the Norths by pretending to be their missing child. Theresa had made a prize fool out of him. He imagined people were joking about how she’d pulled the wool over the eyes of a member of law enforcement. Just thinking about it made Hank’s face flush with embarrassment.

So, in actuality he had really been laughing at his own stupidity when he’d cracked the joke about Sage being Lily North. Theresa had already burned him on that front. Once bitten, twice shy. He wasn’t going down that road again.

He owed it to his daughter, Addie, to use more discretion when it came to romance. Hank let out a grunt. He really hadn’t dated since that adorable little charmer had come into his life. And although the whole Theresa fiasco still stung a bit, she’d also given him his daughter. He would always be grateful. Addie’s birth had led him straight to his relationship with Christ.

It wasn’t as if he was dying of loneliness or anything. Being a full-time father and town sheriff kept him very busy. In his experience, romance brought nothing but upheaval, and he had resigned himself to the fact that he wasn’t going to walk through life with a soul mate. Not everyone got the happy ending. His thoughts veered to his best friend, Gabriel Lawson. Gabe had found out the hard way about shattered dreams when his fiancée had taken off two days before their wedding. No, sir. Hank didn’t need someone to hand him his heart on a platter.

As the ferry glided into dock and the captain announced their arrival, Hank did his best not to look for Sage. The boat wasn’t crowded with passengers, and in her cherry-red jacket it wouldn’t take much effort to spot her. But he really didn’t need any distractions, especially ones with jet-black hair, tiny freckles dotting their cheeks and doe-brown eyes flecked with gold.

Just as the thought popped into his head, Hank spotted Sage struggling with an oversize piece of luggage. Despite his vow not to get involved, he found himself walking over toward her. His mother had raised him to be a gentleman after all.

“Can I help you with your bags?” he asked Sage, admiring her pluck in attempting to wield the baggage.

She immediately let go of the piece of luggage. Her shoulders sagged with relief. “Thanks for asking. I may have overstuffed it a bit,” she admitted. “When in doubt, pack everything you can. It’s far better to have too much clothing than too little.”

Hank felt the corners of his mouth twitching with merriment. The suitcase was nearly as big as the woman herself. He led the way off the ferry and down the pier. Once they reached the pickup area, he deposited the luggage on the ground. Although he wanted to ask her if she had a ride and where she was staying, Hank felt he might be overstepping if he did so. A few minutes ago it was as if a curtain had come down over her face when they had been speaking. As a law enforcement officer, he had been trained to watch facial expressions and body language. She had seemed a bit closed off.

However, Hank was far less adept at picking up on signals from females. His romantic past still hung over him like a dark cloud.

Sage was appealing to him and he didn’t quite know how to handle the situation. Judging by her ring finger, she was single. It was a rare occasion when he felt such an attraction at first sight. But it didn’t matter what he felt. He needed to focus on the lessons he’d learned in the past from his ex-girlfriend. He had no intention of making himself vulnerable again. Now that he was a man of faith, his entire life had transformed. Finding God made him want to be a better man.

Hank couldn’t wait to see his little girl. He had only been away for twenty-four hours at a law enforcement summit in Homer, but he’d missed her terribly. Being a single dad wasn’t easy, but Addie had quickly wormed her way into his heart.

His daughter had come into his life unexpectedly when Theresa passed away in a car accident in Kodiak. Hank hadn’t even known of the little girl’s existence when she had been thrust into his life eight months ago. After a bit of a rocky start, he and Addie had developed an incredible bond. Although he had long ago given up on romantic love, Hank knew without a shadow of a doubt that his daughter was the the most precious blessing God could ever bestow on him.

At the moment he needed to put in a few hours at the office and write up a report about the law enforcement meeting in Homer before heading off to his mother’s house to pick up Addie. He grinned as he imagined her sweet little face lighting up as they were reunited. As he got in his truck and started the engine, he pushed all thoughts out of his mind of the attractive visitor to Owl Creek.

Sheriff Hank Crawford wasn’t just a piece of Alaskan eye candy, she realized. He was a sweet-natured gentleman who happened to be close friends with Connor North. Between his gold badge and his relationship with the North family, he was causing warning sirens to clang in her head.

Sage didn’t want to admit it, but she felt a little forlorn as she watched Hank head off toward the parking lot adjacent to the pier. She saw him climb into a hunter green truck before he roared off into the distance. Suddenly it hit her that she didn’t know a single person in Owl Creek except the good-looking sheriff. She bit her lip. Perhaps her decision to come to Alaska had been based on emotion and grief over her mother’s death rather than being a pragmatic decision to seek out her truths.

Had she made a mistake in traveling so far outside her comfort zone?

The truth shall make you free. The Bible verse from John washed over her. Lately it had really resonated with her. Truth was important. Being here in Owl Creek meant she was one step closer to uncovering the secrets from her past.

She shifted from one foot to the other, trying to keep her toes warm in her flimsy boots. Hank had been spot-on in his assessment of her winter gear. She made a mental note to purchase a sturdier pair, ones with insulation from the snow and ice.

Miss Trudy Miller, the owner of the bed-and-breakfast where she would be staying, had sent Sage a message stating she would be picked up at the pier by her daughter Piper. Sage glanced at her watch, wondering if they had gotten the pickup time wrong. Suddenly, a large white van came barreling into the lot, stopping with a loud squeal. A few seconds later, a woman came running toward her holding a sheet of poster board with her name on it. Sage grinned at the sign being held up by the petite woman with dark curly hair and tawny-colored skin. She was wearing a red-and-black-checkered jacket with a thick turtleneck peeking out from underneath it, along with a sturdy pair of boots.

“Are you Sage Duncan?” the woman asked breathlessly as she reached her side.

“Yes,” she answered with a nod.

“I’m Piper. Trudy’s daughter,” she said, showcasing a set of pearly whites as she smiled at her. “So sorry I’m late. My van didn’t want to start for me. Betsy gets finicky once the temperature plummets. Let me get your luggage.”

“Oh no, I can manage. It’s rather heavy,” Sage explained, feeling guilty about making Piper carry her supersized valise.

“No worries. I’m mightier than I look,” the other woman said with a wink, grabbing the bag and lugging it toward her van. She looked over her shoulder at Sage. “I grew up with an older brother who loved to wrestle. It made me strong.”

Sage chuckled at the image of Piper wrestling her brother. She’d always wanted siblings but had been raised as an only child. Now that she looked back on it, she viewed it in a whole new light. She’d always known she was adopted. According to her father, Jane had struggled with infertility. Aunt Cathy, her mother’s sister, had made a reference at her mother’s funeral about desperate choices she’d made in the past. Although Sage had tried to get her to elaborate, her aunt refused to tell her anything further on the subject.

Sage reached for the poster-board sign, then picked up her small checkered duffel bag and followed behind Piper. She looked around her at the pine trees and the huge mountains looming in the distance. Wow. She really was in a completely different world right now, miles and miles away from sandy beaches and orange groves.

As they drove along snow-covered roads, Piper took the time to point out local landmarks, the shops in the charming downtown area and the Snowy Owl Diner where Piper worked when she wasn’t helping out at the bed-and-breakfast. Sage sat back and tried to let it all soak in.

“Owl Creek isn’t a very big town, but the folks here are tight-knit and friendly.” She let out a throaty chuckle. “That’s not to say there isn’t the occasional drama breaking out, but it usually involves game night or the annual Alaskan cook-off competition. For the most part, this town is the very definition of serenity.”

Sage could use a little peace right about now. She was trying to mourn her mother’s death while wrapping her head around her unforgivable act. It was all so hard to process. But she knew coming to Owl Creek might give her the closure she so desperately craved.

Piper continued. “If you want a good bison burger, come on over and check the diner out. We also make a mean salmon chowder.” Pride rang out in her voice.

“Mmm. Those both sound delicious,” Sage’s appetite kicked up at the mere mention of food. She hadn’t eaten a bite since her layover in Seattle and her tummy was beginning to grumble.

Sage’s heart began to hammer inside her chest as Piper pointed out a white chalet-style shop. A help wanted sign hung in the window. “There’s the famous North Star Chocolate Shop,” Piper told her, slowing down as they drove past it. “It’s one of the main industries of Owl Creek. There’s a factory down the road where they make the chocolate. They give tours twice a week.” She licked her lips. “And they give out chocolate samples.”

“That sounds fun,” Sage said. “I’ll make a point to swing by there.” She hoped her nerves weren’t showing, but it was hard to stay calm, cool and collected when anything related to the North family was mentioned. She had researched the family and memorized their names and faces. Nate and Willa were Lily’s parents. They had two adult children, Connor and Braden. Beulah North was the matriarch and head of the chocolate company. She was married to Jennings. There were also some other cousins, aunts, uncles and distant relations.

While looking at photos of the family, Sage had tried to find a resemblance between herself and the Norths, but there really wasn’t anything discernible. There was a part of her that wondered if Nate and Willa would take one look at her and recognize her as their own. Was such a thing even possible, or was she simply being fanciful? Maybe this was all a grand mistake. Perhaps she wasn’t Lily North after all.

Piper slowed the van down and turned down a snow-covered lane lined with stunning spruce trees. At the end of the street stood a pewter-and-black sign announcing Miss Trudy’s Bed and Breakfast. Piper turned into a driveway and announced, “We’re here!”

The inn was a beautiful yellow Victorian house with white shutters. A bright blue door and a wraparound porch lent the home an inviting look. With the snow nestled on the roof, the bed-and-breakfast looked like something from a quaint Alaskan postcard. To complete the picture, a wooden statue of a moose sat knee-deep in snow in the front yard, and a Siberian husky ran toward the van, barking enthusiastically and wagging its tail.

Sage got out of the vehicle just in time to witness the dog jumping up on Piper and enveloping her in a bear hug. The petite young woman threw back her head and laughed. “Okay, down, Astro. You almost knocked me over.”

Astro ran over toward Sage and began curiously sniffing her. She held out her hand, obliging the husky. When the dog began to lick her hand, Sage knew she’d gotten a stamp of approval. Rather than follow them the toward the house, Astro ran toward the back of the property as if he was on the hunt for something.

As soon as they stepped inside the bed-and-breakfast, Sage felt a heartwarming vibe pulsing in the air. The inn felt cozy and warm. A blazing fire roared in the fireplace, colorful throws and pillows graced the living room area and picturesque photos hung on the walls.

“Hey, Mom. We’re here,” Piper called out, depositing Sage’s luggage by the staircase.

“I’m in the kitchen,” a voice called out.

Piper motioned for Sage to follow her as she walked down the hallway toward the sound of her mother’s voice. Sage let out a low groan at the delicious smells wafting in the air. She wasn’t sure what was cooking—perhaps pasta or bread—but it made her stomach lurch with hunger.

Once they crossed the threshold into the kitchen, Trudy greeted her.