Love Finds You in North Pole, Alaska Read Online Free PDF Page B

themselves…from one another. So what if the injury had been the result of a prison yard battle?
    Sam jumped up and checked the RV’s front and rear doors. Assured that both were securely locked, she returned to the table where her Bible lay open to the book of Psalms. Catching sight of her worried expression in the reflection of the window, she laughed out loud. Because really, what crime could a man like that have committed to earn a prison sentence? Besides, his aunt seemed like a really sweet woman. Surely she wouldn’t have exposed Sam to danger, even to protect her nephew.
    Right?
    “Oh, grow up, Sam,” she scolded herself. And yawning, she stretched and thanked the Lord for the sleepy feeling that finally began to settle over her. Lights out, she padded back to her narrow bedroom and climbed under the covers, smiling as she pictured the town. From the thatched roof of the log cabin Welcome Center to streets with names like Mistletoe Drive, Snowman Lane, and Kris Kringle Turnaround, there didn’t seem to be a single drawback to living in North Pole, Alaska!
    So why, she wondered as drowsiness deepened and the image of Bryce Stone floated in her mind, did it seem that her new boss didn’t like his hometown?

Chapter Four

    Of all the days to oversleep, why this one? Sam wondered, rushing through her morning routine. The only upside to forgetting to set her alarm was that in her rush to meet Bryce at the shop at eight sharp, she’d all but forgotten why she’d had to take the job in the first place. Besides, it was impossible to dwell on negative stuff when at every turn, she was faced with colorful decorations reminiscent of Baltimore’s 33rd Street Christmas display. Candy canes, elves and reindeer, Santas and Mrs. Clauses adorned just about every free space in town, and the pleasant expressions of shopkeepers were matched only by the bright faces of tourists.
    Wearing khaki pants and a long-sleeved white shirt, she scrunched her hair into a high ponytail and laced up her sneakers before setting out on the four-block walk from the hotel parking lot to Snowman Lane. In no time, she found herself at Rudolph’s Christmas Emporium.
    Her joy at the prospect of working here was dampened by thoughts of what her father would think about her new job. “So let me get this straight,” he’d no doubt say, “I helped fund your degree in culinary arts so you could work in a Christmas gift shop ?” She looked up at the huge reindeer overhead and grinned. “It’s okay, Rudolph. Dad doesn’t mean any disrespect.”
    “Are you planning to stand out here and talk to that big ugly deer all day?”
    She’d have recognized that voice anywhere. “Have you ever thought of becoming a DJ?” she asked, grabbing the silver handle on the big green door and looking over her shoulder to where Bryce stood on the sidewalk behind her.
    “A DJ?” His brow furrowed. “No. Why would I?”
    With a voice like that? Was he kidding ? Shrugging, Sam marched into the shop. “Or you might consider a career in espionage,” she said, stepping into the shop, “since you seem to have a talent for sneaking up on—”
    “Sam!” Olive hollered. “You look even prettier today than you did yesterday.”
    Sam would have thanked Olive for the compliment but found herself smothered in an enormous motherly hug instead.
    “I can’t tell you what a pleasure it’s gonna be, having somebody to talk to while I work!” Grabbing Sam’s hand, Olive led the way to the counter and relieved her of the big purse. “My goodness, how does a tiny thing like you lug this big satchel around all day?”
    “Careful planning,” Sam said with a giggle. “It helps that I only need to lug it short distances.”
    Olive’s merry laughter led the way into the storeroom, where she stowed Sam’s purse on a shelf behind the door. “We have virtually no crime here in North Pole,” she said in a loud whisper, “but I see no point in leaving temptation out in