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Alaskan Reunion
Belle Calhoune
A Baby Between ThemAfter her father's betrayal turned her hometown against her, Paige Reynolds fled Love, Alaska. Now she's returned to mend the damage her dad’s actions caused. But repairing her broken heart is a different story. She must face Cameron Prescott, the man she left behind—and reveal he’s the father of her infant daughter. As Cameron falls in love with his baby girl, he can't bury the growing feelings for her mother. In a time of turmoil, they turned on one another. But older and wiser, can Cameron and Paige learn that forgiveness may lead to their happily-ever-after?


A Baby Between Them
After her father’s betrayal turned her hometown against her, Paige Reynolds fled Love, Alaska. Now she’s returned to mend the damage her dad’s actions caused. But repairing her broken heart is a different story. She must face Cameron Prescott, the man she left behind—and reveal he’s the father of her infant daughter. As Cameron falls in love with his baby girl, he can’t bury the growing feelings for her mother. In a time of turmoil, they turned on one another. But older and wiser, can Cameron and Paige learn that forgiveness may lead to their happily-ever-after?
“Under the circumstances, I thought it was best to show up here unannounced.”
“Circumstances? What circumstances?” Cameron asked, his mouth twisted. He let out a brittle laugh. “Are you talking about the fact that your father nearly bankrupted this town and then fled like a thief in the night? Or the fact that you’re not exactly welcome in this town?”
“All of that I suppose,” she said in a soft voice. “I knew if I had called beforehand, you would have refused to see me. Maybe even run me out of town again.”
His eyes cut straight through her. “You’re right. I would have told you to stay away. For good.” He spoke through gritted teeth. It seemed as if he was on the verge of exploding.
Even after all this time, it wounded her to see so much animosity in his beautiful green eyes.
Cameron’s harsh voice cut into the silence. His eyes sparked like molten fire. “Whatever brought you back to Love has to be huge. So, let’s cut to the chase. What are you doing here?”
BELLE CALHOUNE grew up in a small town in Massachusetts. Married to her college sweetheart, she is raising two lovely daughters in Connecticut. A dog lover, she has one mini poodle and a chocolate Lab. Writing for the Love Inspired line is a dream come true. Working at home in her pajamas is one of the best perks of the job. Belle enjoys summers in Cape Cod, traveling and reading.
Alaskan Reunion
Belle Calhoune


www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Where you go I will go,
and where you stay I will stay.
—Ruth 1:16
For my brother, David.
You’re the bravest hero I know.
Acknowledgments (#ulink_efb830d8-86f6-5e3e-aac0-6287a5bfd287)
For all the readers who have embraced this Alaska series and who have let me know that they are waiting for more stories.
For my editor, Emily Rodmell, for being so enthusiastic about Love, Alaska.
Thanks to my fellow Love Inspired authors Sarah Varland and Angel Moore. Sarah—thanks for allowing me to constantly pick your brain about life in Alaska. Angel—thanks for all the pictures, cool facts and Alaska inspiration.
Contents
Cover (#u69d2d627-a6b8-5110-bbf9-3404a982cf0d)
Back Cover Text (#ua55f0a78-128a-5a7d-b77b-a0442d144f0d)
Introduction (#uaa71660f-b4c5-59d1-bfa9-83d11077e254)
About the Author (#u8f78c361-8e09-5134-9922-7a6433984dbe)
Title Page (#u2d8afcd9-b555-5f90-abf0-0c78478178ce)
Bible Verse (#ua16a3fa0-870c-5c4e-860a-336c6f25d2b4)
Dedication (#u955f7497-20f2-5a2c-bf34-d0b6bb08930d)
Acknowledgments (#ub3df2b75-b30a-5d9e-abe8-996bbae15300)
Chapter One (#u47d4b76b-58a0-5904-bb02-334ef8790d05)
Chapter Two (#ue242d3d2-4ed5-56c1-8c87-906402a66a33)
Chapter Three (#udb4e1ab3-a0eb-5ca3-a769-1758c53f0dd2)
Chapter Four (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)
Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)
Dear Reader (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter One (#ulink_5ba46d04-bf3c-5c60-a559-db5792694b71)
“It’s too late to turn back now,” Paige Reynolds muttered, her steps slowing as she neared her destination. Snow gracefully fluttered down from the pewter sky in Love, Alaska. She stuck her tongue out and tried to catch a snowflake. April weather in Alaska was unpredictable to say the least. Snow one moment and then nothing but blue skies the next. It was so cold she could see her breath swirling in the air right in front of her face.
From this vantage point, Jarvis Street looked quaint enough to be featured on an old-fashioned postcard. She, of all people, knew better than to give in to sentimentality. Greeting her past head-on wasn’t going to be a pleasant experience. Not by a long shot.
She’d stuffed her honey-blond hair under her hat and ducked her head down in order to minimize the possibility of being recognized by any of the townsfolk. Her arrival yesterday by seaplane just as it was getting dark had been deliberate. Landing in Love just as the sun went down lessened the chances of anyone noticing her.
Love, Alaska, a small fishing village, was located off the Pacific Ocean, on the southeastern tip of the state. She’d flown into Anchorage from her home in Seattle before taking the short flight to Love. She could only imagine the villagers’ reaction if they’d stumbled upon the secret she was cradling in her arms as she stepped off the plane. Paige had known from having lived in this town for years that few people would be hanging out at the pier at sunset. It was very unlikely that any of the villagers would have pulled out the welcome mat for her even if they had known of her return.
If anyone had told her a year ago that she’d ever come back, she would have called them crazy. The locals had run her out of town almost two years ago in the wake of a financial scandal involving her father, the town of Love’s treasury and the man who had once owned her heart. Even though she’d had no knowledge of her father’s embezzlement, she’d been caught in the cross fire and regarded as guilty by association. The daughter of Robert Reynolds had been deemed unwelcome in the town she had always adored. That knowledge still burned inside her.
It was a little bit ironic, considering all the media reports she’d seen recently about young women flocking to the town due to Mayor Jasper Prescott’s Operation Love campaign. Because of the female shortage in town, Jasper had reached out to the media and given an interview in which he invited eligible women to come to Love in order to be matched up with the single men.
She was probably the only woman the town wouldn’t welcome with open arms.
It was all right. They didn’t need to greet her with a ticker-tape parade. What mattered most was that she was back, with an agenda that might be beneficial for everyone in town, if they would only listen to her. She bit her lip as a rising tide of anxiety rose up inside her. There was no telling what might happen once the villagers discovered she had returned. As far as they were concerned, the treachery of Robert Reynolds had cost them a cannery deal that would have greatly improved the financial status of their town.
The fishing village of Love had always been abundant in cod, salmon, pollock and halibut. The idea to build a cannery had been an excellent one. It would have created jobs for hundreds of residents, increased local revenue and put the town on the map with regards to the export of canned salmon. It had also been the hope that people would move to Love as jobs became available.
Her father’s greed and selfishness in stealing the money earmarked for the venture had put a stop to those dreams and wounded a lot of people. And it had led to the town’s financial downturn when creditors sought payment for construction of the cannery. Trying to help repair the damage to the town would hopefully lead to her own personal healing. Despite her father’s treachery, she wanted to uphold his dying wish of redemption. And she needed to introduce her baby daughter to a father who had no idea about her existence. After all this time, she needed to do the right thing.
Everyone deserved forgiveness and an opportunity to make amends. But now being back in Love made her question whether her goals were way out of her reach. Had the choice to return to Alaska been a wise one?
Lord, please let this decision be the right one. My beautiful Emma needs to know her dad and he has a right to know her. And I need to make amends for my father’s actions and repair some of the damage he inflicted. I want to be a source of healing for all the villagers. And, if possible, I want to provide redemption for my father. So much is riding on this!
Paige felt the corners of her mouth tilting upward into a smile as the wooden sign embossed with gold came into view. The Moose Café. Cameron Prescott’s establishment. Her ex-boyfriend. The only man she had ever loved. Her knees trembled underneath her, threatening to give way at any moment. She steadied herself against the sheer magnitude of what the sign meant. Her father’s treachery hadn’t broken Cameron. He’d picked himself up, dusted himself off and built this café out of nothing but pure will and determination. That was who he was at his very core. She was so proud of him she could almost burst.
Cameron had been the love of her life. She’d long ago come to terms with the fact that he always would be. She had known he was special the very first time she’d laid eyes on him as a shy preteen. Since she and her parents had lived in Seattle for most of the year, she’d been able to catch only random glimpses of Cameron during summer vacations or holiday trips. Everything had changed with her mother’s untimely death, her father’s early retirement and their relocation to Alaska when she was fifteen. With Hazel Tookes, beloved owner of the Black Bear Cabins, playing matchmaker, she and Cameron had started dating and became a couple when they were seventeen. They had taken a break in their relationship when Paige had left Alaska to attend college. Upon her return four years later, they had picked up right where they had left off. Everything had been wonderful between them until the bottom fell out of their world.
Tears pricked her eyes at the thought of all Cameron had endured since the cannery deal fell through. The town had trusted him, along with her father, to deal with all aspects of getting the business up and running. They’d been in charge of hiring the employees, getting additional funding, overseeing the construction of the factory and handling the funds the town had appropriated toward the endeavor. When her father absconded with the town’s money, the whole project had folded. And Cameron had been branded as an incompetent fool. Everyone had whispered about how he had let the wool be pulled over his eyes by a con man.
Even after all this time, the guilt threatened to pull her under. Her father’s actions had torpedoed Cameron’s life and created ripples throughout Love. She pushed past the painful emotions, knowing she had to keep moving forward. She’d come too far to lose her nerve now. Even though she’d made mistakes along the way, the time had come to bridge the gap between them. It was time to lay everything on the table.
Paige peered into the huge bay window, basking in the soft glow emanating from inside. The café had a rustic charm. A quick glance reassured her that all the customers were gone. A black-and-white Closed sign hung on the door. Her pulse quickened as a familiar sight came into view. Hazel was vigorously cleaning off a table. With her commanding height and silver hair, the older woman had a striking appearance. She was one of the most formidable women Paige had ever known.
Gruff, loyal Hazel. She had a tough exterior but a marshmallow center. Once, not too long ago, they’d been friends.
Paige turned the knob and, meeting no resistance, pushed open the door and stepped inside. The little bell over the frame jangled. Warmth enveloped her like a welcoming hug. The savory smell of coffee wafted in the air. The aroma of baked bread rose to her nostrils. She inhaled deeply, then exhaled. The door made a clicking sound as she shut it behind her, leaving the snow and the cold in her wake. She took her woolen hat off her head and shook it free of snow, then quickly peeled off her mittens. Paige ran her fingers through her hair and smoothed a few flyaway strands back in place. Her heart thundered inside her chest.
“Sorry. We’re closed for the day. Stop by tomorrow morning and I’ll make you the best waffles known to man. I’ll even throw in a mochaccino on the house.” Hazel’s voice rang out loud and clear. It had an unmistakably brusque quality. She continued to focus on cleaning the table without even bothering to look up. After stacking a few plates and cups on a tray, she picked it up and balanced it against her middle.
“Hello, Hazel.” Paige’s simple greeting caused the older woman to swing her head up and lock gazes with her from across the room. A high-pitched squeak slipped past Hazel’s lips. The tray slipped from her hands, landing with a loud crash on the hardwood floor. Liquid spewed everywhere. Hazel stood there like a statue with her mouth agape.
“Hazel! Are you okay? What happened? What’s wrong?” Cameron’s voice washed over her like a welcome rain after months of drought.
He came rushing from the other room to Hazel’s side, and for a few seconds Paige was able to gaze at him without his being aware of her scrutiny. She clenched her hands at her sides as a rising tide of emotion overtook her in powerful waves. He was still achingly handsome. His chocolate-brown hair had grown out a little so that it now hung a bit past his ears. His profile was strong and manly. Paige couldn’t see his eyes, but she knew the moment they connected with hers she would have to steady herself against the impact.
He was wearing a dark brown, long-sleeved T-shirt with a cartoon moose on it. In other circumstances it would have made her laugh out loud.
She soaked in as many details as she could in a matter of seconds. She wanted to savor the visual he was giving her.
A strong desire to burrow herself against his chest swept over her. His strong arms had always provided protection. And love. It had been a long time since she had experienced that type of comfort and closeness. She stuffed down the urge to reach for him. Those days were long gone.
“Cameron.” Hazel uttered his name and then jutted her chin in Paige’s direction. With a look of confusion etched on his face, he swung his gaze in her direction. Time slowed down, and for a moment it felt as if it were only the two of them standing in the room. Everything else just faded away.
Cameron’s green-hazel eyes flickered, and she watched as a half-dozen emotions ran across his face. He took a step forward, then stopped. Hazel grabbed hold of his T-shirt sleeve and pulled him back to her side. She was in full Mama Bear mode.
“What are you doing here?” Cameron asked in a curt voice. His expression was now shuttered.
“Hello, Cameron,” she said with a nod in his direction. “I—I’m sorry to just drop in like this, but under the circumstances, I thought it was best to show up here unannounced.”
“Circumstances? What circumstances?” Cameron asked, his mouth twisted. His eyes seemed dazed. He let out a brittle laugh. “Are you talking about the fact that your father nearly bankrupted this town and then fled like a thief in the night? Or the fact that you’re not exactly welcome here?”
“All of that, I suppose,” she said in a soft voice. “I knew if I had called beforehand, you would have refused to see me. Maybe even run me out of town again.”
His almond-shaped eyes cut straight through her. “You’re right. I would have told you to stay away. For good.” He spoke through gritted teeth. It seemed as if he was on the verge of exploding.
Her mouth was as dry as sandpaper. She felt as if she’d lost all her nerve under the heat of Cameron’s anger. And Hazel was glaring at her with such venom. Her harsh facade served a purpose. She was protecting Cameron, who was the closest thing she had to a son. It warmed her to know that she was still looking out for him.
“Hazel, would you give us a minute? Alone?” It took every ounce of courage she had to make the request. Hazel had been shooting daggers at her ever since she’d walked in.
The older woman’s eyes bulged and her frown grew even more ominous.
“If you think I’m leaving Cameron here alone with you so you can torture him some more—” Hazel blustered.
“It’s fine, Hazel,” Cameron interrupted. He placed an arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. “Thanks for the backup, but I’ll be all right.”
A silent form of communication passed between them. With a quick nod at Cameron, Hazel strode off toward the back of the café, her heavy footsteps the only sound echoing in the room.
Though she had asked for a private moment with Cameron, a feeling of awkwardness settled over her. An obvious tension hummed in the air between them. The intensity blazing from his eyes made her look away from him. Even after all this time, it wounded her to see so much animosity in his beautiful green-hazel eyes. She wrapped her arms around her middle. Her gaze focused on the coffee pooling on the floor and the shards of the shattered mugs that needed to be cleaned up.
Cameron’s harsh voice cut into the silence. His eyes sparked like molten fire. “Whatever brought you back to Love has to be huge. So, let’s cut to the chase. What are you doing here?”
* * *
Paige’s mouth opened, then closed. She cleared her throat. He easily recognized the signs of her anxiety. Her warm hazel eyes blinked rapidly. She bit her lip, shifting from one foot to another. Time hadn’t lessened her impact. As always, she took his breath away with her beauty. Her golden hair fell all around her shoulders in waves. He couldn’t help but appreciate her stunning features and heart-shaped face. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever known. But unlike how he had in the past, he wasn’t about to tumble over the edge. Been there, done that. Falling for her had cost him everything. He had nothing more to give her.
Now when he looked at Paige Reynolds, all he saw were flashing warning signs.
“I’ll ask you again. What are you doing here?” He repeated the question, his tone curt. “It’s pretty foolish to come back to the scene of the crime.”
She winced. Her eyes flickered with emotion. “I have some unfinished business here in town,” she said. “Some things I need to settle up.”
Bitter laughter burst from deep inside him. His lips curved into a sneer. “Business? The last business you conducted in this town left Love on the verge of bankruptcy. Let me warn you, our coffers are empty, if you’re hoping for a repeat performance.”
She visibly bristled. Anger flared in her eyes. “That wasn’t my doing, Cameron. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I had no idea what my father was up to when he was working on the cannery deal with you.”
“Right,” he snapped. “Tell me another one, only this time please realize that I’m not the same fool I was two years ago.”
“I never thought you were,” Paige said in a soft voice that brought him back to a point in time when she’d been his everything. His stomach twisted painfully. Seeing her after so long made him feel as if he’d been sucker punched in the gut. That was what it felt like to be staring into Paige’s big, expressive eyes. The pain rippling through him served as proof that he wasn’t over the past. Not by a long shot. The weight of it was sitting on his chest like a five-hundred-pound elephant.
“But I was a fool,” he said in a low tone that matched her own. “A complete and utter fool to let my heart rule my head.”
She shook her head, the long strands of her hair swirling about her face. “I want to make things right, Cameron. My father regretted what he did. Believe it or not, that’s the truth. That’s why I’m here. I want to return some of the money my father stole. And I want to do whatever I can to help get the cannery up and running.”
Paige’s words nearly knocked him off his feet. She was here to revive the project? And give back some of the money her father had stolen? That was crazy!
“You’re about two years too late to resurrect the cannery deal, although I’m not about to say no to a big fat check made out to the town of Love,” he spit out. The old resentment was rising up in him again. Try as he might, he couldn’t contain his emotions. They were bubbling over like an overflowing pot on a stove.
She took a few steps toward him, quickly swallowing up the space between them. Her nearness made him want to take a step backward. Having her so close was dangerous to his equilibrium. His fingers itched to reach out and tuck a few strands of her glossy hair behind her ear. Or run his palm against her cheek. He shook his head to rid himself of those treacherous notions. How could those thoughts have even crossed his mind?
“It’s not too late. It can’t be.” Her voice rang out stridently. “This town still desperately needs the business.”
“Those dreams died, right around the time you and your father absconded with the funds.” Paige’s eyes pooled with tears. Her chin quivered. He could tell she was trying to act brave, even though she was failing miserably. He shouldn’t care that he’d hurt her with his gibe, but he did care. Even after all this time and everything she’d done to him, he still hated to see her suffer. It caused a physical ache inside him.
“So where is he? Your father? Mr. Big Shot. Shouldn’t he be here making this speech? Or is he too afraid he’ll be put in jail and brought up on charges?”
Tears slid down Paige’s face and she choked back a sob. Her graceful fingers wiped away the evidence of her sorrow. She bowed her head for a moment, then slowly raised it, her mournful eyes meeting his gaze.
“He’s dead, Cameron. My father passed away two months ago of liver cancer.”
Cameron felt as if someone had knocked him in the teeth. Robert Reynolds was dead. His former mentor. The man who’d betrayed his trust and made him a town pariah. Paige’s beloved father. He didn’t know how to explain it, but he felt a slight ache in his soul. They had once been close friends, or so he’d believed. The feeling of loss surprised him since all he’d felt toward Robert for the past few years was a hot, burning anger.
Paige, an only child, was now alone in the world, having lost her mother when she was a teenager. Before she’d shown up here today, he’d thought he was well past caring about her hurts, but the sight of her looking so wounded and grief-stricken tugged at his heartstrings. He knew that, with no family to speak of, she must have gone through the ordeal alone, with no one to share the burden. He steadied himself against the feelings of sympathy coursing through him, knowing it wasn’t wise to make himself vulnerable to the one woman who knew how to bring him to his knees. He’d vowed to never go down that road again. He couldn’t. His very survival depended on it.
She stuck out a wobbly chin. “I know you think he’s a monster, but he had remorse for what he did. On his deathbed he made me promise to right his wrongs.” She shrugged. “So you see, I don’t have a choice. I need to fix everything he destroyed.”
“Everything?” Cameron asked with a raised eyebrow. Robert’s treachery hadn’t harmed just the town of Love. Cameron’s relationship with Paige had been a casualty of the town scandal. Nearly everyone in town had believed Paige was in on her father’s scam. Even though it had killed him to think she was capable of such duplicity, he’d grown to believe in her guilt, as well. Nothing else had made sense. As a result, everything in his life had fallen apart. He had been at rock bottom trying to claw his way out of the abyss. He had emerged on the other side, but not without an abundance of scars.
“I’m aware some damage can’t be undone, no matter how much I wish otherwise.” Her simple statement was full of meaning. Once it would have meant the world to him to hear her speak of regret and making amends. Now, with so much standing between them, her words seemed hollow.
“You’re absolutely right,” he snapped. “Some things can’t be fixed.”
She let out a sigh. “I know you’re still angry, Cameron. And you have every right to be. But if you would only hear me out, you’d realize that what I’m proposing is in the best interest of this town. You can’t let anger and bitterness cloud your judgment.”
He raised a hand and sliced it through the air. “There are no buts or what-ifs or maybe-sos in this situation. I lost everything because of what happened. When your father embezzled those funds, I was left holding the bag. All fingers were pointing at me. I lost every shred of credibility I had. You have no idea what it feels like to have an entire town turn against you.”
Paige raised an eyebrow. “Don’t I? I was run out of here because the same suspicions were leveled against me. And I was just as innocent as you were, Cameron. I know what it feels like to have everyone turn against me. Including the man I loved.”
The man I loved. She had loved him. Of that he’d always been certain. And he’d loved her in return. Madly. Devotedly. With every fiber of his being. He had dreamed of one day making Paige his wife. Because of her, he’d wanted to become a better man. And even though he still dreamed of pledging forever to a soul mate, he had a hard time imagining ever feeling that way again about anyone. So many of his dreams had been wrapped up in Paige. And her betrayal had left him wounded.
Despite the fact that dozens of women had arrived in town to participate in Operation Love, he never allowed himself to imagine getting into a relationship with any of them. The idea of being that vulnerable again terrified him. The past still loomed over him like a dark cloud.
Had he made the right decision when he’d forced Paige’s hand and told her to leave town? For so long he hadn’t even second-guessed himself, but now, after hearing her heartfelt words, a sliver of doubt crept in. Why had he been so convinced of her guilt? What had made him so willing to turn his back on the woman he had adored?
“Cameron. I can’t pull this off without you. Nobody in Love is going to want to listen to what I have to say. No one will work with me to make it happen. The dream this town once had of opening a cannery is still viable. I know we could make it work.” Paige’s cheeks were flushed and her voice vibrated enthusiasm.
“We?” His head was feeling fuzzy. Had he heard her correctly? She wanted him to team up with her?
“I need your support to rally the townsfolk.” Her shoulders drooped and she let out a sigh. “As you know, I don’t have a lot of credibility here. But I do have an MBA and several projects to my credit.”
“What are you asking me to do? I have a business to run now.” Cameron looked around at the café. It meant the world to him. Making a success out of it had given him the redemption he’d craved. It gave him respectability after the cannery fiasco. Finally, people in town weren’t shaking their heads at him anymore. He’d won them all over with hard work and grit, convincing them to make the Moose Café a staple in town. No way! He was done stepping out on a limb and taking leaps of faith. Once bitten, twice shy.
“Sorry to burst your bubble, Paige, but this town closed the door on that pipe dream a long time ago.”
She narrowed her gaze. “Really? I’ve been keeping tabs on Love for a while now, Cameron. I know it’s still suffering financially.”
“Things have been improving bit by bit. Don’t believe everything you hear,” he snapped. For some reason it annoyed him to no end that Paige knew how badly they’d continued to struggle. They may have fallen on hard times, but the industrious townsfolk in Love had banded together to try to reverse the town’s fortunes. That single fact made him proud to be part of this community. The town was down at the moment but not out.
A low buzzing sound cut into the silence. Paige fished in her pocket and pulled out a cell phone. She knit her brows together and peered at the screen. Her eyes slightly widened. “I—I’m sorry. I have to go, Cameron.”
“Seriously, Paige? You can’t just show up here after all this time and drop a bombshell like this and take off,” he protested.
Paige locked gazes with him. “There’s a lot more I have to say. Things I should have said a long time ago. And whether or not you approve or disapprove, I’m going to try and make amends for my father’s crimes. It’s the only way I can look at myself in the mirror in the weeks and months ahead.”
There she was. The Paige he’d fallen in love with well before he’d ever had the courage to tell her how he felt. Obstinate. Opinionated. And now she was here in front of him, determined to right her father’s wrongs. Which meant she’d be staying right here in Love to make amends. There was no point in his standing in her way. That slight edge to her voice indicated she meant business.
“I’ll be in touch with you tomorrow.” With a nod in his direction, she turned on her heel and began to quickly walk away. Once she reached the door, Paige turned around and met his gaze. “By the way, I’m really proud of what you’ve done here. The Moose Café is beautiful. Some dreams can’t be denied, can they?”
Before he could even respond, the jingling of the door serenaded Paige as she sailed out the door and into the Alaskan night.
“What just happened?” he muttered as he stood in the middle of his establishment wondering if he should follow after her or just leave it alone for now. Like a true force of nature, she’d blown into his world and left him feeling as if he’d been caught in the path of an unexpected storm.
* * *
As soon as Paige turned off Jarvis Street onto Main Street, she let out a deeply held breath. She’d faced Cameron head-on without backing down. And she was still standing! It had turned out better than expected even though she hadn’t achieved her main objective during her visit. He needed to know about Emma.
A tight knot had been forming in her stomach all day. For weeks and months she’d planned for this very moment. And somehow it had slipped through her fingers. That only served to heighten the anxiety she felt about the situation. Leaving the Moose Café without telling Cameron the most important reason for her return hadn’t been her intention. The text message she’d received had interrupted them, and due to the pressing matter at hand, she’d had no choice but to table their discussion for another time.
Cameron, you’re a father. How exactly did one just blurt that news out? No matter how many times she had practiced her speech in the mirror, it never came out sounding right. Tears gathered in her eyes. She’d been so wrong about so many things.
If she was being honest with herself, telling Cameron about Emma wasn’t something she’d wanted to do with Hazel within earshot. In her heart she’d wanted to tell him in a private moment shared by just the two of them. And that moment hadn’t presented itself.
Ever since her daughter had come into the world, Paige had made her the number one priority in her life. Now it was time to give Cameron that choice, as well.
As a woman who’d moved toward her faith after becoming a mother, she harbored regrets about not being married to Emma’s father when her daughter was conceived. Her actions hadn’t been consistent with her upbringing or her own moral compass. But in the aftermath of her dad’s massive betrayal, she and Cameron had turned to each other for comfort. Days later she’d fallen under the town’s suspicion and Cameron had distanced himself completely from her. With no other options, she’d left Love and headed back to Seattle. Her life had been in shambles until she’d made the discovery some weeks later that she was pregnant.
Looking back on her life, she realized that what had been missing had been a spiritual base. Even though she had always considered herself a joyful, content person, there hadn’t been anything to anchor her to the world around her. Perhaps if her father had led a more spiritual life, he wouldn’t have been so tempted by financial gain.
Bringing her beloved daughter into the world had given her life meaning. God had given her a foundation on which to stand. With His forgiveness, she had been able to move forward. Praying, attending church and being part of the faith community had all taken center stage. Because of Emma, her relationship with the Lord had strengthened and blossomed. For fourteen months Paige had lived every day with some measure of contentment—all the bitterness and anger she’d been harboring about the past had been soothed because of Emma and her faith.
But being back in Love meant facing up to her truths. Somehow she had to find a way to tell Cameron that he was the father of a baby girl.
Chapter Two (#ulink_6773863a-3ce9-5fa1-b66b-729a5b132d0c)
Cameron watched helplessly as Paige walked out of the Moose Café and hustled down the street at a fast clip. He drifted toward the window, his gaze trailing after her as she faded from sight. He pressed his eyes closed as the ache of loss swept through him.
Still, after all this time, it hurt to acknowledge that Paige was no longer a part of his life. Getting over her had almost killed him. Yet here she was, back in Love and vowing to make amends. Suddenly everything he’d been trying to forget had come bubbling back to the surface. Pain. Embarrassment. Loss. He didn’t know what to do with all these chaotic feelings roiling around inside him. Even though he’d been trying to stuff down these raw emotions ever since he’d come face-to-face with Paige, they were still riding on the surface.
He couldn’t help but wonder if he was being played again. Hadn’t Paige mentioned returning a portion of the money her father had stolen? If that was true, it could help the community immensely. But he didn’t want to get his hopes up without seeing an actual check in his hands made out to the town of Love, Alaska. He’d already been burned once by Paige and Robert Reynolds.
It was all coming at him too fast now—like an out-of-control train. He pulled out a chair and sank down in it, his shoulders slumped forward as he held his head in his hands. The sound of Hazel’s clunky footsteps heralded her arrival. She bent down and began gathering up the ceramic pieces in a dustpan and wiping up the liquid on the hardwood floor.
She looked up at him. “Are you okay?” Her voice was filled with worry.
“Never better,” he said. Hazel had already seen him at his worst. He couldn’t count the number of times she’d consoled him when he’d broken down over Paige and the financial scandal that had sent shock waves through his hometown. There was no way he was going to burden her with any more of his misery.
She let out an indelicate snort. “You look like you’ve been run over by a truck.”
Cameron shoved his hand through his hair and let out the breath he’d been holding. He stood up from his chair to face her. “I can’t believe this is happening. Paige thinks she can undo the damage she and Robert caused. She thinks she can just stroll into town after all this time and put all the pieces back together.”
“I heard every word she said,” Hazel admitted, rolling her eyes. “She always did have a pie-in-the-sky mentality.”
He frowned at her. “You were eavesdropping?”
Hazel planted her hands on her hips. “It’s called watching out for me and mine. I saw the carnage she caused the first time around. I’m not about to let it happen again. Not on my watch!”
A sigh escaped his lips. “Hazel, I love you dearly, but I’m begging you to stay out of this. And whatever you do, please don’t tell Jasper or Boone that she’s back. I want a little time to digest everything before complete chaos breaks out.”
Hazel quirked her mouth. A sinking feeling landed in the pit of his stomach.
Cameron folded his arms across his chest and narrowed his gaze. “Hazel,” he said in a reproachful tone. “I hope you didn’t—”
The door of the Moose Café burst open with a loud crashing sound. His brother Boone, town sheriff, and his grandfather, Mayor Jasper Prescott, came barreling into his establishment.
“Hey! Didn’t you two read the sign? We’re closed,” Cameron shouted, knowing it was too late to stop the impending hurricane from whirling all around him.
Jasper darted his gaze around the café. “Where is she?”
Cameron crossed his arms again and rocked back on his heels.
“Who are you talking about?”
“You know who I’m talking about. That beautiful blonde trickster you were so enamored of for all those years. Miss Paige Reynolds. Daughter of the most crooked man who ever stepped foot into Love.”
“Jasper! Knock it off! Let’s keep the drama to a minimum,” Boone barked. “Give him an opportunity to talk.”
“I can’t believe she had the nerve to come back here,” Jasper fumed. “Returning like a bad penny!”
“Settle down, Jasper,” Boone said, reaching out and clasping his hand around his arm.
He shrugged off his grandson’s hand. “I won’t settle down. As town mayor, I implore you to arrest her, Sheriff Prescott,” Jasper said in a raised voice.
“There’s no proof that Paige had anything to do with her father’s scam,” Boone explained. “We already went through this dozens of times. There’s no grounds to charge her.”
“There never was,” Cameron said, a slight defensive edge to his voice.
Boone shot him a curious look. Cameron looked away from him. His older brother had a canny ability to see straight through him, right down to the things that mattered most. He couldn’t afford that intense scrutiny right now, not when he was battling old feelings that were rising up in him like a strong tide.
“What about aiding and abetting a criminal? Rumor has it she reunited with that thieving dog once we ran her out of here. Doesn’t that prove they were in cahoots?” Jasper asked.
Cameron shook his head at Hazel. “How long did it take you to call them? Two minutes?”
“I figured we might need a small army to run her out of town again,” Hazel explained, her expression sheepish. “And they did need to know about her plans to give back the town’s money.”
“No one is getting rid of Paige,” Boone said. “I’d like to talk to her about the funds she wants to return. That’s important for Love’s finances.”
“And our future! This town needs money in the coffers,” Jasper growled. “If you ask me, we should charge her interest.”
Cameron rolled his eyes, resisting the impulse to show his grandfather the door. “Funny you should say that, since I don’t remember asking you.”
“So, Cameron. What did she say, exactly? How much is she giving the town? I must have missed that part,” Hazel said.
“I don’t know,” Cameron mumbled, feeling foolish that he hadn’t asked her for specifics. He’d been so blown away by her mere presence that he hadn’t homed in on it. Was she really prepared to give a hefty sum of money?
“You didn’t ask her?” Jasper shouted. He threw his hands up in the air and began muttering in a loud voice. “What a bunch of foolishness!”
“No, I didn’t. I was pretty much blindsided when she strolled in here. It took a few minutes to get my thoughts together.” Cameron ground out the words in a no-nonsense manner. It was just like Jasper to show up and start trying to boss him around. As long as they were in his place of business, he wasn’t about to allow his grandfather to walk all over him.
“Stop being so insensitive,” Hazel said in a loud stage whisper. “You’re acting like a bull in a china shop.”
Jasper and Hazel exchanged a long, meaningful look. Jasper’s expression softened. He took a deep breath, then continued. “Well, if you beg my pardon for asking, where is she?”
Already Cameron was feeling weary. Normally, he could go a full twelve rounds with his grandfather, but he was still reeling from the unexpected encounter with his ex. He simply didn’t have the strength at the moment. Paige’s surprise appearance was resting heavily on his heart.
“There aren’t too many places she could go, Cam. Matter of fact, there’s really only one,” Boone said, his dark brows knit together.
The homestead. The two-story log-cabin home and vast acreage that had belonged to the Reynolds family for generations. Years ago when Paige’s father had been flush with money, he’d renovated the home and transformed it into a modern showcase. Although many villagers had wanted to seize the property after Robert’s misdeeds came to light, homesteads in Alaska were not eligible for seizure.
And so it had sat unoccupied. Until now.
Three pairs of eyes were trained on him. It was clear what they wanted him to do.
“I’m not chasing after her. She said that she would talk to me more about all of this tomorrow.” He shoved his hands in his front pockets.
“Ha! And you believe that?” Hazel cried out. “Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, shame on you.”
“Do you really want to leave all that in her hands instead of being proactive?” Boone asked. “This isn’t personal, Cam. It’s about the town. You need to find out if she’s serious about the money. I wasn’t going to mention it just yet, but we need an influx of cash in order to move forward with the production of Hazel’s boots. This enterprise has become a lot more expensive than we anticipated. Strangely enough, Paige’s return could be the answer to all our prayers.”
Hazel had designed stylish and functional boots for the townsfolk that were now being mass-produced and sold throughout the United States in order to bring profit to the treasury’s coffers. Boone’s wife, Grace, had the brilliant idea to capitalize on the fashionable winter shoes as a way of boosting the local economy. For the first time in a long time, the residents of Love had hope of turning things around. But, like any new enterprise, it all boiled down to money.
The answer to all our prayers. Boone’s words were ironic. Once upon a time he had believed that Paige was the answer to all his prayers. Only he’d been wrong. Although the love he’d felt for her had been stronger than anything he’d ever known, everything had come tumbling down like a stack of dominoes. He still felt as if he was picking up the pieces of his former life. Opening the Moose Café had been a huge step in the right direction. It had always been a dream of his to have his own establishment in his hometown. And even though people had lost faith in him, they’d come around once they’d got a taste of his unforgettable coffee drinks and sampled the delicious menu. Finally, his life was back on track.
And yet he still felt guilty about being fleeced by Robert Reynolds. He continued to struggle with his leading role in the town’s financial downturn. Had he missed any warning signs along the way? Had his feelings for Paige blinded him to her father’s larcenous nature? Those questions continued to plague him in the hours between darkness and dawn as he struggled to get some shut-eye on sleepless nights.
Was it possible that he could help make things right by working with Paige? The one thing he knew he was guilty of was being biased against anything she had to say. She’d burned him once before and he no longer trusted her. But in order to help the town, he might have to take a leap of faith and take her at her word. The very idea of it rocked him to his core.
“I’ll do it,” he said. “I’ll go find Paige and get the information you want.”
“That’s more like it!” Jasper cried out. “I knew you’d come around.”
Cameron reached for his coat and shrugged into it. He glared at his grandfather. “Don’t get the impression I’m doing your bidding, Jasper. I’m acting in the best interests of this town. Considering my role in the economic downturn, it’s the least I could do.”
Boone approached him and placed his hand on his shoulder. “I know this isn’t easy, Cam. I’m sure it stirs up a lot of memories. You want some company? I don’t mind coming along for moral support.”
He let out a sigh. “Thanks for asking, Boone, but I’ve got to handle this on my own. Go home to that beautiful wife of yours. I’ve got this.”
His brother nodded in acknowledgment, his expression solemn.
Boone and his wife, Grace, were newlyweds. Despite Grace having pretended to be a participant in Jasper’s Operation Love campaign when she arrived in Alaska, she’d really been a journalist working undercover on a series about the town. In the end, their love had triumphed.
He couldn’t even pretend to himself that he wasn’t a little bit jealous of what Grace and Boone had together. It was what he had once believed he’d had with Paige. True, enduring love.
As he headed out the back entrance of the café and walked toward his red pickup truck parked in the lot, the full weight of the situation was sitting squarely on his chest. He’d once promised to never chase after Paige Reynolds again. And lo and behold, it was exactly what he found himself doing.
* * *
Paige navigated the darkened Alaskan roads like a semiprofessional driver. It was funny how the mind worked. She hadn’t lived in this town for years, yet she could probably drive this road blindfolded. Some things a person never forgot. A tender word. The sweet verses to a song. Your baby’s first cries. The only man you’d ever loved.
Coming face-to-face with Cameron had been an electrically charged, emotional moment. Her knees had been trembling the entire time. Not a day had gone by since she’d left Alaska that she hadn’t thought of Cameron. His strength. The larger-than-life smile that almost took over his entire face. The sound of his laughter ringing out with such tremendous joy. The way he’d always looked at her with love shining from his eyes.
So much had changed since those wonderful days. Earlier, there had been nothing emanating from Cameron’s eyes but disgust. And given everything at stake, it frightened her. Every night since Emma had been born, she’d prayed that his heart would soften toward her. Not for her sake but for Emma’s. Clearly those prayers hadn’t been answered. He’d been as implacable as granite.
She tightened her grip on the steering wheel. Once she had received the text message from Fiona, her nanny, she’d had no choice but to cut things short and head to the homestead. Emma needed her mother.
The sign heralding her arrival at The Last Frontier appeared just before she turned right into the long driveway and parked her loaner car in front of the house. After grabbing her purse and exiting the car, she climbed the front steps, silently admiring the wraparound porch and the rustic yet modern feel to the house. It seemed strange being here without her father. This house had been his pride and joy, back in the good old days before he’d lost his way.
Maybe she was being overly optimistic, but she was hoping it might feel like home again.
Before she could even put the key in the lock, Fiona Gersham pulled open the door and greeted her. She was holding Emma on her hip. With her round face, soothing voice and sweet expression, the middle-aged woman had given Paige a good feeling the moment she’d presented herself for the interview to be Emma’s nanny. As her father’s illness worsened, Fiona’s presence in their lives had been a godsend. As much as her father had been vilified for his misdeeds, she’d never stopped loving him. And the grief that had consumed her after he’d passed away had been overwhelming. It had felt like being buried by an avalanche with no hope of rescue.
With God’s love, Fiona’s steady assistance and the almighty love she felt for Emma, she’d crawled her way out of the darkest days she’d ever known. She’d emerged ever changed. If losing Cameron and her father so close together hadn’t broken her, nothing in this world ever would. Emma had come into her life like a bright light and given her a purpose. She’d been her rainbow after the storm.
Fiona stepped aside and ushered her out of the cold and into the toasty house. Emma held up her hands and gifted her with a beatific smile that traveled straight to her core.
“I’m so sorry to disrupt your meeting, Miss Paige. I tried to get her calmed down, but between the flight over here, the time difference and the new surroundings, I think the little lady is turned upside down.”
She patted her nanny’s shoulder. “It’s okay, Fiona. You’re right. It’s been a long day for her.” She scooped Emma up in her arms and cradled her against her chest. Smoothing her daughter’s dark curls back, she pressed a kiss against her temple. “How’s my sweet girl?”
“Want Mama. Night night.” Emma’s dark lashes were moist from crying. Paige’s heart expanded by leaps and bounds every time she held her child in her arms. She wanted to give this precious little girl the world wrapped up with a big bow. Right now Emma needed her mother’s loving arms and the comfort that only she could provide.
“Baba,” Emma said, saying her word for bottle. “Me want baba.”
Fiona made a face and handed Paige the bottle. “I’ve been trying to offer her this bottle for the last hour,” she said with a low chuckle. “Guess she wanted her mother to feed her.”
Mother. Just the sound of it rolling off Fiona’s tongue gave her a feeling of elation. Motherhood was the most amazing role of her life. It was gratifying. Awe inspiring. Empowering. Being Emma’s mother made her feel as if she could do anything. Climb the highest mountain. Rush into a burning building to save her child. Even return to a town whose citizens had falsely accused her and turned their collective back on her. Her daughter made her brave.
Paige gently rocked from side to side, knowing her daughter found it soothing. Emma reached up and tugged at her hair, then let out a high-pitched giggle. She jokingly shook a finger at Emma, resulting in another round of laughter. Yes, she thought with satisfaction. These were the simple moments that brought her joy.
A loud noise from outside drew her attention. It sounded like the crunching of a car’s tires in the gravel driveway. Paige felt her entire body stiffening. Was someone outside?
“Miss Paige. I think someone just pulled up in the driveway,” Fiona said as she turned and peered out the window.
Fear grabbed her by the throat. There were only two people in town who knew she was here. Cameron and Hazel. And for the life of her she couldn’t imagine Hazel taking the trouble to come all the way out here to the homestead. The sound of a car door slamming followed by footsteps caused a rush of adrenaline to course through her.
“Fiona, can you take Emma upstairs to her room? I’ll be right up.” She handed Emma over to Fiona, who made her way swiftly down the hall. On instinct, Paige turned off the light in the foyer, hoping that it might dissuade her visitor from knocking on the door.
Dear Lord, she prayed, please make him go away. Please, please, please. Make him get back in his car and head back to town. This is way more than I can handle at the moment. I don’t want Cameron to find out about his daughter like this.
* * *
Cameron rapped on the door again, this time using a little more force. A light from inside had gone out while he was standing here on the front porch. He waited a few seconds, then knocked again. It wasn’t even eight o’clock. Surely she hadn’t turned in for the night.
“Open up, Paige. I know you’re in here. I saw the lights from down the road and I know this house has been unoccupied since you left.” He heard a rustling noise, then nothing further.
“I listened to what you had to say when you came by the café. Can’t you give me the same courtesy?” he asked, trying to appeal to Paige’s innate sense of fair play. Was she even the same person she used to be?
“It’s late, Cameron. Can’t we just talk tomorrow? It’s been a long day.” Her voice sounded slightly muffled from the other side of the door.
“I need to talk to you. Now. This can’t wait till morning.”
The click of a lock turning echoed in the stillness. The door crept open until he could see Paige standing there with her body blocking the entrance.
“I told you we could talk tomorrow,” she said in a hushed tone.
He stepped forward. “Can I come in? There are some questions I need answers to.”
Paige’s hazel eyes were wide. Her complexion had lost a bit of its rosy color. “N-now isn’t a good time, Cameron.”
“And why is that? You showed up at my place of business unannounced and unloaded all this stuff on me, but I can’t ask any follow-up questions?”
“You can,” she said in a soft voice. “Just not now.” She cast a quick glance over her shoulder.
Why was she looking behind her? Was someone staying at the house with her? All his nerve endings were suddenly on edge. Something about Paige’s body language was sending out warning signals. She was hiding something from him.
“Mama!” The earsplitting cry came from inside the house. Paige’s eyes began blinking rapidly and she took a step backward. She fumbled for a moment, then tried to shut the door. His arm snaked out, preventing her from closing it in his face.
“Mama?” His voice came out hoarse and ragged. The thought of Paige being a mother almost brought him to his knees. Had he failed to notice a wedding ring? Had Paige married someone else? Given birth to another man’s child?
“I need to check on my daughter.” Paige choked out the words. Cameron watched as she spun around and took a few steps toward an older woman who was standing in the foyer holding a wailing child. Feeling stunned, Cameron crossed the threshold and pushed the door closed behind him. The scene unfolding before his very eyes captivated him. He couldn’t have looked away if he’d tried. Paige was tenderly cradling a toddler in her arms while the older woman muttered apologies. Within seconds the loud cries stopped. He heard a little chuckle burst forth from the baby. She had one of Paige’s curls wrapped around her chubby finger.
“I’ll put her down in a little bit, Fiona. Don’t worry about us. Go get some rest.”
“Thank you, Miss Paige. See you in the morning. Nighty night, sweet peach.” The Fiona woman darted a curious glance in his direction, then headed up the stairs.
“Night night,” the girl said, turning her head and waving her tiny hand at Fiona.
Cameron let out a gasp as he caught his first full-on glimpse of the little wailer. Nothing in his life up to this point had prepared him for this one moment in time. Everything around him stilled and hushed. With her chocolate-colored hair, wild curls and almond-shaped eyes, she evoked dozens of his own childhood photos. Her green-hazel eyes brought the truth home. He placed his fingers over the bridge of his nose and squeezed tightly, then blinked in rapid succession. Was he seeing things?
He might be all kinds of crazy, but in his humble opinion the toddler was his spitting image. Yes, indeed. This little girl was a Prescott, through and through.
Chapter Three (#ulink_e35db262-a266-5df2-8951-8ac5b1760796)
Paige could see the look of recognition as it passed over Cameron’s face. Anyone with eyeballs could see the resemblance between Emma and her father. Although she’d always known Cameron to be a good man, she had no way of anticipating his reaction to this bombshell revelation. After all, she never would have believed that he’d have turned against her in the first place. She never could have predicted that their love story would disintegrate into ashes. The Cameron she’d been in love with had been loyal to a fault. And compassionate, as well as tender. Until he had stopped believing in her. Until he’d viewed her as a traitor.
Her body went rigid as she waited for him to speak, to say something about their baby girl. Little beads of moisture gathered on her forehead and she found herself swiping them away with the back of her hand.
“Is she mine?” Cameron asked in a guttural tone. His intense green eyes were focused on her like lasers.
“Yes,” Paige acknowledged with a nod of her head. “She’s yours.”
His eyes held a dazed look. “Wh-when? H-how old is she?”
“I found out that I was pregnant right after I left Alaska. She’s fourteen months.”
Cameron shoved his hand through his dark mane. A slow hissing sound escaped his lips. His foot was tapping an unsteady rhythm on her hardwood floors. He began to clench and unclench his hands at his sides.
“You had my child and never said a word?” Anger rang out in his voice. His jaw clamped down and his expression darkened. “How is that possible?”
Paige tightened her grip on Emma, who was now frowning at Cameron. “We’re not having this discussion in front of Emma. She’s not used to loud voices.”
“Emma. That’s her name?” Cameron’s voice had softened to something resembling tenderness. It catapulted her back to a place in time when they’d loved each other. Sometimes those days seemed so long ago it felt as if she’d dreamed them.
“Yes. After my mother,” she said. “I still miss her every day, but it’s my way of paying homage to her. She was a good woman. If I can be half the mother to Emma that she was to me—”
Emotion clogged her throat and she let her words trail off. Losing her mother in a car accident on an icy Seattle road at fourteen had changed the course of her life. The tragedy had left her and her father bereft for years. She had been the center of their home, and without her they’d floundered. Until they’d both decided to love each other as fiercely as she’d loved them. Her daughter’s name would always remind her of grace and goodness and mercy. Each and every day, she prayed that Emma would be gifted with those attributes.
“It’s a good name,” Cameron conceded. “Your mother was an amazing woman. She had such a light about her. I always admired her quiet dignity and compassion.”
Warmth filled her insides at the tender way he spoke about her mother. The feeling settled right inside her heart, providing her with much-needed comfort in this tense moment.
Emma let out a yawn and rubbed her eyes. She dropped her head onto Paige’s shoulder. The warmth of her little body gave Paige a feeling of comfort.
“Cameron, I know there are probably a hundred things you want to say to me. Questions you need to ask. But I really need to put Emma down for the night. If I don’t, she’ll be a bear tomorrow.”
He looked confused for a moment, as if he was still trying to make sense of this turn of events. “Can I watch you put her to bed? I won’t say a word. I just want to see you put her to sleep.”
Cameron’s request surprised her. She’d figured that having just found out he was a father, he might need some time to process everything. She locked gazes with him, trying to gauge his thoughts. There was a look of such wonder in his eyes. He resembled an adorable little kid. And as always, she found it impossible to say no to him.
“Of course you can. Just walk softly. Her eyes are already drooping,” she whispered as she supported the back of Emma’s head with her hand.
As Paige led the way upstairs, then toward the bedroom at the end of the hall, Cameron trailed behind her. He followed her almost soundlessly. Once she’d laid Emma down on the small twin bed, she began to rub her back and sing to her. It was the same song every night, the one her own mother had sung to her. Cameron stood off to the side, quietly taking it all in. His expression was thoughtful, reverent almost.
“Good night, little one,” Paige crooned as she pulled the quilt over Emma’s body and pressed a kiss to her cheek. She turned off the lamp sitting on the bedside table and made sure Emma’s favorite night-light was lit up. Sleeping in a strange house might result in a middle-of-the-night awakening. If so, Paige would hear any cries or babbling on the baby monitor she’d placed nearby.
When she turned around to tiptoe out of the room, she noticed that Cameron was gone.
* * *
Watching Paige put their daughter to sleep had been a gut-wrenching experience for him. His daughter was achingly beautiful. And innocent. She’d looked so small and defenseless nestled up under her covers. A protective feeling had risen up inside him, one that shocked him by its ferocity. The earth-shattering knowledge that she belonged to him had ricocheted through him like a bullet. He knew from this moment forward he would fight all her battles and make sure everything was right in her world.
His little girl. He’d never imagined bringing a child into the world as a single, unmarried man. The dream had always been to stand at the altar and exchange vows with Paige before God and all their family and friends. It didn’t sit well with him that the Cameron of two years ago hadn’t been connected with his God or his faith. And he’d made mistakes in his relationship with Paige that he deeply regretted, although something told him he would never regret being a father to his precious little girl. He’d turned his life over to God two years ago when everything in his world had gone up in flames. His life was now firmly rooted in his faith with every step he took. Nothing could shake it.
And even though he harbored regrets about his poor choices, he knew that the Lord had a plan for him and sweet Emma.
Emma Prescott. He let out a groan. For all he knew, Paige had given her the last name of Reynolds. He let out a snort. That would go over like a lead balloon in this town.
How could something so delicate and wondrous and perfect have come from him? And how could Paige have hidden something so monumental? Hadn’t she owed him the truth? Lord, please help me make sense of this deception. I feel like I’ve been betrayed all over again.
A myriad of emotions had flooded him when he’d watched Emma drift off into slumber. Joy. Wonder. And resting right on the surface...a righteous anger at Paige for keeping his daughter’s existence a secret. Fury had been stoking inside him like a slow-burning fire. He’d left Emma’s bedroom rather than run the risk of saying something negative to Paige in front of Emma. Try as he might to calm himself down, the questions continued to whirl all around him.
As he gazed out of the huge bay window in the living room, he found himself taking solace in the stunning vista that stretched out as far as the eye could see. The onyx sky was scattered with twinkling stars, while snow-dotted mountains loomed in the distance. If it had been light outside, he might even have been able to catch a glimpse of Deer Run Lake or Nottingham Woods.
Paige’s footsteps echoed behind him. He turned around to face her, making sure to breathe in and out to calm himself. Tension crackled in the air between them.
She reached out and gently touched his arm, causing shivers of awareness to trickle straight through him. “Are you all right? I know everything must be coming at you like a freight train. Finding out you’re a dad is going to take some getting used to, I imagine.”
He ran a hand over his face. “I’m still in shock, I think,” Cameron said. “I can’t seem to wrap my head around the fact that I’m somebody’s father.”
Tears shimmered in Paige’s eyes. “She’s wonderful, Cam. I know I’m biased, but she’ll wrap you right around her finger in no time at all.”
Paige’s words were tantamount to poking a grizzly with a stick. He didn’t want to hear about how magnificent Emma was when he’d missed out on the first year of her life. He should have had the opportunity to experience it himself rather than hear it secondhand from Paige.
“I wish you’d—” He stopped himself, feeling frustrated by his inability to find the right words to express himself without finger-pointing or rage. He let out a strangled sound.
“Reached out to you and told you about Emma?” Paige asked in a low voice.
He frowned at her. “Why’d you do it? Was it some sort of payback for the town wanting to prosecute your father? Was it your turn to turn the tables on me because I wasn’t in your corner?”
Paige shook her head. Her eyes narrowed. “None of those reasons. It wasn’t based on spite or meanness or a desire to lash out at anyone. If you remember correctly, I didn’t leave Love of my own accord. I was thrown out of this town like yesterday’s garbage. Not a single person here wanted to hear what I had to say about the stolen money, nor did anyone consider how it must have felt to be standing in my shoes. I was the town pariah. So when I found out I was pregnant with Emma after leaving here, the very last thing I ever wanted to do was come back to this town.”
“Or to me?” The reality of it wounded him. Things had been so bad between them she’d chosen to raise Emma alone rather than share the experience with him. That knowledge shattered him.
Paige’s mouth hardened. “That wasn’t an option. You made that quite clear when you turned your back on me. If I remember correctly, you told me to leave town, said there wasn’t anything for me in Love.”
“I turned my back on you?” Cameron asked, feeling incredulous at Paige’s spin on things. “You knew where your father went when he left town with all our money and you refused to tell me or anybody else,” he protested. “You protected him!”
Paige angrily brushed away tears. “I didn’t know his whereabouts until much later. He was my father. No matter what you thought of him, he was my only living parent. And I didn’t know for certain where he’d gone or what he’d done. He fled town without saying a word to me. I had my suspicions, but no facts. And this town wanted blood. When they couldn’t produce my father, they went after me.”
Cameron winced inwardly as memories from those terrible days washed over him. He’d been so outraged and jaded and shocked by Robert’s duplicity that he’d been numb to Paige’s pain. It had been an impossible situation. And he still didn’t know how much or how little Paige had known about her father’s scam. For some reason it had been easier to believe that she too had betrayed him, even though he had always known Paige to be an honorable woman.
“Tensions ran high. I’ll admit that,” Cameron said. “People were hurt and devastated and furious. But no matter what went down between the two of us, you owed me the truth about Emma. I had a right to know she was part of this world.”
“That’s one of the main reasons why I’m here, Cameron. Losing my father made me realize that I have no right to keep you from knowing your daughter. Because warts and all, I adored my father. I’m thankful he was in my life. And I want you to have the chance of having the same relationship with Emma.”
He was trying not to lose his temper, but hearing her talk about the man who’d nearly bankrupted Love grated on his nerves. He didn’t want to hear about her great love for her father when he’d missed fourteen months of his daughter’s life. Not when Robert had hurt the people Cameron cared about most in this world and taught him a brutal lesson about betrayal.
“I can appreciate that, but don’t expect anyone else in town to echo those sentiments. Your father was a thief and a liar. He deceived this entire town. And now, because of him, I lost out on moments with Emma that I’ll never get back. The moment she started crawling. Her first steps. Her first word.”
She jutted her chin out. “You lost out on those moments because of my choices and your own actions. My father may have been dishonorable, but he didn’t wreck our relationship. We did that all on our own.”
Paige’s words slithered inside him like a poisonous viper. Was Paige trying to make him responsible for her poor decision? Was she once again deflecting blame from her father? And onto him?
Suddenly all he felt was fatigue. The news about Emma being his daughter had left him reeling. He’d got way more than he’d ever imagined when he set off to track Paige down at the homestead. What he needed right now was some time alone with his thoughts. He needed God as a sounding board as he worked through this situation.
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I think it’s time I left, Paige. I came here tonight to get answers about the funds you mentioned wanting to return to the town. Let’s leave this discussion for another time.”
Paige nodded. “I agree. It’s late, and we could probably go round and round this issue for hours. Nothing has really changed in two years between us.” A sigh slipped past her lips. “Although I know I’ve changed. I like to think I’m a better person now, one who’s grounded in her faith and her values. Two years ago God wasn’t a factor in my life, but now He’s my anchor.”
Her faith? God? Two years ago Paige’s beliefs had been nonexistent. Much like his own. During their relationship neither of them had been leading a faith-based life. Matter of fact, he couldn’t remember a single time they had attended church or prayed together. Faith had not been a part of their lives.
He nodded. “I can appreciate that. I’ve turned my life over to God, as well.”
Paige opened the front door for him. Her expression was shuttered. He stood on the threshold, his body half-turned toward her. He bowed his head down for a moment, then swung his gaze up to meet her scrutiny. “You’re wrong about nothing changing, Paige. Emma changes everything. From this moment forward, my life is never going to be the same. I wish you had seen fit to tell me about her fourteen months ago.”
He charged off into the night, not even waiting for Paige to respond. His heart and mind were filled with a hundred different emotions. Fear gripped him. What if he wasn’t cut out for fatherhood? What if it was too late to bond with Emma? Despite those questions, the major emotion he felt was pride in the chubby-cheeked beauty who bore a stunning resemblance to him. However, her mama made him want to scream with frustration and yell at the top of his lungs. She made him feel other things, too. Tender sentiments that tempted him to reach out and caress her cheek or plant a sweet kiss on her lips. It had been entirely too long since romantic feelings had swept over him. It was safe to say he missed those moments.
Even after all this time, Paige made him feel things he had thought were dead and buried in his stone-cold heart. Things he had no intention of resurrecting.
* * *
Paige stood in the doorway and watched as Cameron roared off into the darkness. She wrapped her arms around her middle as the wind whipped straight through her. When she could no longer see his taillights, she headed back inside the house. Seeing Cameron so turned upside down left her feeling guilt-ridden and sad. What had she expected? She had dropped a bombshell on him with no warning. He had been blindsided.
It wasn’t as if they were close. The love they had once shared had died out years ago. All they shared in the present was a precious child.
Although she knew she had done the right thing in returning to Love, it didn’t feel like it at the moment. So much time had passed, yet Cameron was still consumed by anger and bitterness. Would he be able to put those emotions aside in order to co-parent with her? To be the father Emma deserved?
Stay the course. It was her mother’s expression, one she’d used often during Paige’s upbringing. Emma Reynolds had been a firm believer in sticking to a plan and seeing it to its fruition. Don’t give up so easily. Her mother’s voice washed over her like a welcoming summer breeze. She smiled to herself, knowing that once again her mother was sharing her wisdom, even though she was no longer with her. It made her feel not so alone in the world. It gave her courage.
With the large sum of money she now had and a plan to resurrect the cannery deal, Paige knew she could help revitalize this town. If Cameron agreed to join forces with her, they would be unstoppable. But after being bamboozled by her father, she had no idea whether he would ever agree to take this journey with her. And finding out about Emma might just have convinced him that she couldn’t be trusted.
Lord, please let Cameron see Emma as a blessing in his life. And please don’t let his anger over the past blind him to the possibilities for the future.
As she headed to her bedroom to turn in for the night, she couldn’t help but peek in on her baby girl. She soundlessly entered the room, praying the floorboards wouldn’t creak as she tiptoed toward the bed. Emma was curled up on her side, sleeping soundly. Her little thumb was rooted in her mouth. Paige’s chest tightened with raw emotion. What she felt could never be expressed with mere words. It was the purest form of love. Instinctual. Maternal. And more than anything in the world, she wanted to give Cameron the opportunity to bond with Emma so that he too could feel this way about his daughter. Emma deserved two loving parents.
Tomorrow she would seek him out again. This time, though, she was bringing Emma to town with her. There was no way she was going to hide her daughter away like a dirty little secret.
* * *
Cameron fidgeted with the coffee machine, his nerves teetering on the edge as he made the first batch of the day. On a normal morning the scent of coffee wafting in the air served as a shot of adrenaline to his senses. But after last night he was going to need a mega shot of espresso to get him going. He couldn’t seem to focus on the day-to-day tasks that he usually performed like clockwork. It had started with him fumbling over the keys to the Moose Café. It had taken him several tries to find the right one to fit the lock. And judging by the taste of this coffee, he’d messed up his usual process. His mind was somewhere else.

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