Free A Match Made in Alaska by Belle Calhoune Page B

train wreck. She found herself riveted. There were blondes, brunettes, redheads. Short, tall, brown-skinned, fair-skinned, freckled. Annie shook her head. Declan had his own personal fan club.
    She watched as he threw up his hands and chuckled. “Ladies. Ladies. There’s enough of me to go around.”
    Annie rolled her eyes. He was clearly relishing all the attention. She watched on the sidelines as Declan was swept up by a whole new crowd of well-wishers. An older woman wearing a magenta ensemble handed him a teddy bear, and a teenager enthusiastically high-fived him. Although the sight was beautiful to witness, it left her feeling a tad homesick. She had come here to establish a sense of community, but at the moment, she was a stranger. It was a foreign feeling to her and one she didn’t enjoy. Her heart sank—until she saw a beautiful sign bearing her name. It read Welcome to Love, Annie. It was feminine and delicate with lots of swirls and flowers and several shades of purple. Declan waved her over and pointed enthusiastically at the sign.
    She nodded with approval, smiling at the dark-haired little boy who was holding it up. Annie bent down so that she was on eye level with the cutie-pie. “I really love it.” The boy grinned then bowed his head.
    “Thanks, Aidan,” Declan said, tousling the child’s curly hair. The little boy ran off into the crowd.
    “Declan O’Rourke!” a raspy voice boomed. Annie felt goose bumps on her arms as a silver-haired older man came into view. “I already had one heart attack. Are you trying to give me another one?” he asked.
    “Jasper! Did you miss me?” Declan greeted him with wide-open arms. Annie had sensed before Declan even stated the gentleman’s name that she was in the presence of Jasper Prescott.
    Jasper wrapped his arms around Declan and embraced him tightly. When they pulled apart, Annie could see tears streaming down Jasper’s face. “I promised Killian I would watch over you. Everyone knows you’re an honorary member of the Prescott clan. You’re just as precious to me as my own grandsons.” Jasper’s voice radiated affection and an abundance of love.
    Declan touched Jasper on the shoulder. “You’ve always made me feel like one of the fold,” he said. “Grandpa would be proud of that. He thought the world of you.”
    “I still think of him every day,” Jasper said. “He was the truest friend I ever did have.”
    Annie teared up as she watched the emotional reunion between Jasper and Declan. It was so wonderful to see the two men share such a heartfelt moment. Based on Gram’s journal, she already felt a kinship with the mayor of Love. He could possibly be one of the last links to her heritage. If he had been the man to hold Gram’s heart in the palm of his hand, he must be quite special. She peered at him, trying to find something in his features that resembled her mother or herself. Hmm. As much as she wanted to see something familiar in his countenance, there wasn’t a single feature she could isolate.
    “Where’s your passenger? Her name is Annie, isn’t it? Our new librarian?” Jasper asked in a raised voice. “I’d like to make her acquaintance.”
    Declan grabbed Jasper’s elbow and pulled him in her direction. Jasper’s blue eyes twinkled as he gave her the once-over. He tipped his hat to her like an old-fashioned gentleman.
    “Jasper, this is Annie Murray, our new librarian,” Declan announced with a flourish. “Annie, this is our town mayor, Jasper Prescott.”
    Jasper reached for her hand and pressed a kiss on her knuckles. “It’s my pleasure to welcome you to town. And to tell you how thrilled we all are to have you heading up the new Free Library of Love. This dream has been decades in the making.”
    All of sudden, when faced with the man who might be her grandfather, Annie felt a bit overwhelmed by the possibilities. Jasper Prescott was a larger-than-life figure from Gram’s writings. She had to force words out of