Northern Fascination Read Online Free PDF Page B

temporarily and that suited her just fine. Sure, she’d had a tremendous thing for him back in the day and perhaps he’d always been the guy she’d always wondered about, but that part of her life was long gone.
    A whole lot of water had passed under that bridge. If she wanted a man in her life, it certainly wouldn’t be Logan Jeffries.

3
     
    L OGAN CHEWED AND SWALLOWED the last bite of his caribou stew. Within seconds the waitress, a ponytailed blonde named Teddy, was at his booth. “The daily special comes with seconds. Would you like some more stew? More rolls? Another glass of water?”
    “It was delicious,” he said. And it had been. “But I’m full. I’ll just take the check when you have a minute.”
    “Sure thing.”
    Gus’s, the restaurant housed in the same building as the bed and breakfast but separated by a wall with a connecting door, was an interesting place for sure. Once again, it reminded him of a scene out of an old western. A bar, complete with the brass footrest, fronted two-thirds of the wall beside the connecting door. He had to smile at the moose head wearing a pair of sunglasses mounted over the bar’s back wall.
    The other third was devoted to the kitchen area, open to the rest of the room except for a high counter. Restrooms, pool tables, a dartboard a jukebox, and a small stage occupied the area to the left of the door. The remaining two walls were lined with booths like the one he was occupying near the bar. The room’s center held a number of tables and chairs. Across the room, another door was tucked into the wall.
    The place was busy considering it was late in the afternoon but it was already dark outside. He’d gotten several curious glances since he’d wandered in half an hour ago. He’d overheard a smattering of conversations and he should’ve attempted getting to know some of the residents, but now that he was here, he couldn’t seem to get Jenna off of his mind.
    There was only one thing to do. He needed to look her up so he could cross her off his list. Drop in, say hello, satisfy his curiosity and then get on with the task at hand. It was a simple and straightforward solution to what shouldn’t have even been a problem to begin with.
    The waitress returned with his check. “You sure I can’t get you a piece of pie? Lucky made chocolate cream this morning. It’s yummy.”
    He smiled. “Thanks, but I’ll pass.”
    The sooner he tracked down Jenna, the better. Then he could focus on what really counted, offering everyone in Good Riddance a financial security they’d probably never known before.
    Leaving his money on the table, he grabbed the jacket he was very glad he’d worn and headed back to the airstrip. Merrilee Swenson sat at her desk, filling out what looked like an official form. He knew from experience that a boatload of paperwork came with any business, even running a small airstrip like this one.
    She looked up as he crossed the room, his shoes echoing on the wooden floor. “How was your meal?”
    “Excellent.”
    “Glad to hear it. We pride ourselves on the food at Gus’s. It may be the only restaurant in town, but we think it’s one of the best in the state.”
    Civic pride had been heavily weighted in the scouting report and factored into the buy-out offer.
    “I haven’t had caribou stew before, but it was certainly tasty.”
    “Wait until you try the moose pot pie. And you’ll have to check out karaoke night on Thursday. It’s a lot of fun.”
    Smiling, Logan shook his head. “I can’t say I’m big on karaoke.”
    “You will be by then. There’s not a lot of entertainment to be found in Good Riddance. It’s more fun than you might think.” She shoved her ink pen behind one ear. “By the way, your luggage should arrive tomorrow morning. It’s coming into Anchorage on a red-eye flight. Don’t ask me how but it wound up in Tulsa.”
    “I’ve heard of stranger things happening.” He chuckled, aiming for casual. “I thought I’d