An Alaskan Christmas. Belle Calhoune

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ voice startled him, serving as a reminder of Maggie’s pint-size traveling companion.

      “Hey. What’s your name?” Finn asked, looking down at the small child standing beside Maggie.

      Maggie tousled the boy’s hair and said, “This is my son, Oliver. Oliver, this is Finn O’Rourke. A long time ago we were pals when I spent a few summers in Alaska with Uncle Tobias.”

      Finn stuck out his hand. Oliver looked up at his mother, then shook Finn’s hand once Maggie nodded her approval. “Nice to meet you, Oliver.”

      “Are you our pilot?” Oliver asked, his expression full of wonder.

      “Yep. I’m going to fly you and your mom to the best place to live in all of Alaska. There’s moose and bears and fishing and reindeer pizza. Not to mention we have sled dogs and the northern lights.”

      Oliver’s eyes grew big in his small face. “Whoa!”

      “Are you excited about it?” Finn asked in a teasing voice.

      Oliver nodded his head. “Mom says we’re going to have our own house. We never had our own house before. And she’s going to run a store.” He rubbed his hands together. “And the best part is, she’s going to find me a new father here in Alaska.”

      Finn felt his jaw drop. He swung his gaze toward Maggie. There was no doubt about it. Her expression showed utter mortification. He watched as she shot her son a look of annoyance. Oliver smiled up at her as if butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth.

      Finn reached out and grabbed Maggie’s luggage and Oliver’s bag. With a nod of his head he said, “Why don’t we go board the seaplane and get ready for takeoff?” He winked at Oliver. “Love, Alaska, awaits you.”

      * * *

      Once Maggie had settled Oliver into his seat on the seaplane, she sat down and buckled herself in. She couldn’t remember ever having traveled in such a small plane before. She might have felt a little apprehensive if Finn O’Rourke hadn’t been their pilot. Maggie knew instinctively they were in good hands. It was strange to feel that way since they hadn’t been in each other’s lives for quite some time, but Finn exuded an air of control and authority. And she knew he’d learned how to fly from the best—Killian O’Rourke.

      As the plane took off, Maggie felt a burst of adrenaline race through her veins. They were really doing this! She and Oliver were on their way toward a brand-new life in the small hamlet of Love, Alaska. Maggie needed someone to pinch her. It was a surreal experience.

      “Look, Mama. That mountain is ginormous!” Oliver’s chubby, chocolate-stained finger pointed at a spot outside the window. She reached into her purse for a tissue, then wiped his fingers clean.

      Maggie Richards chuckled at the excited tone of her son’s voice as he pressed his face against the window of the seaplane. She leaned in and tousled his sandy head of hair, admiring his hazel eyes and infectious smile. No doubt she was biased, but Oliver was one adorable kid, even though he’d caused her a world of embarrassment with Finn at the airport. The look on Finn’s face when Oliver had told him about getting a new father had been priceless. Finn hadn’t known what to say and he’d looked at her with confusion etched on his too-handsome-for-his-own-good face.

      Maggie hadn’t bothered to explain her son’s desire for a father in his life and her inability to convey to him that it wasn’t something she could order on demand. Somehow Oliver had gotten it into his head that Maggie was going to find him a new father. Nothing she said or did could convince him otherwise even though the last thing Maggie wanted or needed was a husband. Been there. Done that.

      Her heart ached a little bit as she observed her son. He’d been through so much in his young life. If she had one wish, it would be to build a stable, peaceful life for him. Maggie was determined to create a strong foundation for Oliver in Alaska, and she would do it on her own as a single mother.

      “Oliver, I’m not sure ginormous is an actual word in the dictionary.”

      Oliver turned toward her with confusion radiating from his eyes. He appeared crestfallen. “It’s a word, Mommy. Honest.”

      She pressed a kiss against his cheek. “I believe you, sweetie.” She reached for a napkin and wiped away the chocolate stains from the glass.

      As she turned her head to peer out the window, Maggie let out a gasp as the majestic, snowcapped mountains came into view. Oliver was right. The mountains were ginormous. And magnificent. She couldn’t remember ever seeing such a lovely vista in her entire life, even though she had traveled the world extensively before settling down to marriage and motherhood. How could she have forgotten this spectacular sight? Granted it had been twenty years ago, but some places deserved a lasting place in one’s memory.

      For most of the flight from the Anchorage airport, Maggie had been praying about this big move. Was she doing the right thing? By uprooting Oliver from their home in Boston she was taking him away from everything he’d ever known. On the other hand, she was determined to see her son grow up in a place where no one would judge him for his last name. Maggie had reverted back to her maiden name of Richards to avoid being blackballed. She had done the same for her son. He was now Oliver Richards. The town of Love wouldn’t know their family history. They would be judged on their own merits and not based on news reports or local gossip.

      Maggie let out a sigh. The last year had been devastating. Gut-wrenching. Her husband, Sam’s death had left them reeling and trying to pick up the shattered pieces of their lives. Her beloved husband had been shot and killed while holding up a grocery store. In the aftermath, the bottom had truly fallen out of her world. Everything she’d thought about her life had been shattered in one devastating moment. To this day she still found it difficult to wrap her head around Sam’s criminal actions or the fact that she’d been blind to them for so long.

      But with this relocation to the other side of the country, a whole new world would be awaiting them. Uncle Tobias had bequeathed her his home in Love, as well as his shop, Keepsakes, and a nice sum of money. It would allow them to have a fresh start. That’s what Maggie was calling it. She was relying on God to see them through the difficult weeks and months ahead. It wouldn’t be easy to re-create a whole new life, but she knew it was important for Oliver’s future and well-being.

      Finn’s voice buzzed in her ear through the headset.

      “We’re reaching our final descent. If you look out the window, you’ll see beautiful Kachemak Bay stretched out as far as the eye can see. You might remember it from back in the day, Maggie. It’s an Alaskan treasure.”

      Finn’s voice was just as attractive as the man himself. It had been quite a shock for Maggie when she came face-to-face with her childhood buddy at the Anchorage airport. He was all grown-up now. With his dark brown hair and emerald-colored eyes, he was a serious looker. No wonder the town of Love had been luring women from all fifty states to their lovelorn town. If all the men looked like Finn O’Rourke, it was no small wonder Operation Love was such a successful campaign. Not that she wanted anything to do with it. Her dating days were over.

      “It’s awe inspiring,” Maggie said into her mouthpiece. She turned and relayed the message to Oliver since he didn’t have a headset on. “Pilot O’Rourke just reminded me of the name of the water down below. It’s called Kachemak Bay.”

      Oliver wrinkled his nose. “Kacha what?” he asked. Maggie giggled at her son’s attempts to pronounce the difficult word. Honestly, she could gaze at him all СКАЧАТЬ