Alaska Reunion Read online

  Praise for USA TODAY bestselling author Jennifer Snow’s Wild River series

  “Heartwarming, romantic, and utterly enjoyable.”

  —New York Times bestselling author Melissa Foster on An Alaskan Christmas

  “This first title in the Wild River series is passionate, sensual, and very sexy. The freezing, winter-cold portrayal of the Alaskan ski slopes is not the only thing sending chills through one’s body.”

  —New York Journal of Books

  “Set in the wilds of Alaska, the beauty of winter and the cold shine through.”

  —Fresh Fiction on An Alaskan Christmas

  “Jennifer Snow’s Alaska setting and search-and-rescue element are interesting twists, and the romance is smart and sexy... An exciting contemporary series debut with a wildly unique Alaskan setting.”

  —Kirkus Reviews

  “Readers will enjoy the mix of sexy love scenes, tense missions, and amiable banter. This entertaining introduction to Wild River will encourage fans of small-town contemporaries to follow the series.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “An Alaskan Christmas drew me in from the first page to the last. I tried to read slower so that I could savor the story and feel every emotion. I reveled in every nuance, felt the cold, the wind and snow, and loved the small town and the mountains... I can’t wait to return to Wild River.”

  —Romance Junkies

  Alaska Reunion

  Jennifer Snow

  Table of Contents

  Alaska Reunion

  Wild Alaskan Hearts

  Alaska Reunion

  To the Beaconsfield High School graduation class of ’99! Fun times and great memories!

  Contents

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  EPILOGUE

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  CHAPTER ONE

  Alisha Miller has invited you to join the group Wild River High Class of 2011 Reunion.

  FOR TWO DAYS, Ellie Mitchell had stared at the notification. She’d hovered over the accept button and then chickened out at least eighty-six times. High school felt like a million years ago. Did she really want to revisit that time in her life for one nostalgia-filled evening?

  Now an emergency room nurse at Wild River Community Hospital, it made sense that Alisha wanted to have this reunion. She’d been captain of the cheerleading squad, senior class vice president (only because she’d opted not to run for president) and head of the debate team. Everyone loved her because she was that rare mix of popular, pretty and nice. She was always front and center at school events—not in a boastful, look-at-me way but in an uplifting, school spirit way.

  Ellie had been more of a behind-the-scenes participant in school activities. She was a worker bee on student council and the school’s event planning committee. She was the setup and takedown crew, never center stage. And she’d preferred it that way. Half of her classmates might even have forgotten she was in their graduating class. She hadn’t exactly stood out.

  At least not until senior year, when she’d stepped out and been noticed. But it had less to do with her and more to do with her dating Brent Lanigan, class president and star quarterback with big dreams for himself after graduation. Ellie still wasn’t sure how it had even happened. One day she was tutoring him to ensure that his grades were high enough to keep playing football, the next he’d gone in for an unexpected kiss, and then the rest of the school year they were seeing one another.

  She sighed. The reunion was tentatively scheduled for three weeks from now, and she could see that over half the class had RSVP’d already.

  Brent hadn’t yet. Would he attend? Would that affect her own decision? Probably. She was just that pathetic.

  She tucked her cell phone into the back pocket of her jeans as the clock hit 9:00 a.m.

  Time to open Flippin’ Pages bookstore, the place where she’d worked since graduation. Having started as a clerk ten years ago, she was now the store manager, taking care of everything from ordering inventory, doing the bookkeeping and scheduling to running store events. Despite being a small town indie bookstore, it was actually one of the local hotspots thanks to their weekly book club meetings, author appearances and read-aloud story time for kids. Every week the place hosted something for locals, and things picked up even more during the tourist seasons.

  Going to the front door, she flipped the closed sign to Open and unlocked it. She flicked on the interior lights and a cozy, inviting feeling washed over her. Flippin’ Pages was located in one of the older buildings along Main Street in Wild River, Alaska, and its historic charm was one of the things that drew people to the store. It was three stories high, with a magnificent spiral staircase leading to the upper floors, deep mahogany wood accents throughout, original hardwood flooring and patterned tin ceilings, and patrons admired the building’s historic vibe as well as the impressive selection of books it housed.

  Like the incredible delivery that had arrived the day before. Ellie couldn’t wait to dig into the box of donated classics that had come in courtesy of the estate of an older man who’d died the previous weekend. Hyped books from fresh new authors were always exciting, but old, secondhand donations were Ellie’s favorite.

  Blame it on her old, romantic soul, maybe, but there was something magical about antiques and collectibles. Old items passed down through generations, that had a history...that had existed long before she had, held a mysterious quality that she was drawn to.

  Grabbing a box cutter from behind the counter, she carefully sliced through the cardboard and opened the box of books. Reaching inside was like opening a present on Christmas morning. Joy and anticipation wrapped around her as she took one of the books out and turned it over in her hands.

  A well-loved first edition of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

  She ran a finger over the cover—octavo, original brown cloth, 1850 dated on the spine. There were only twenty-five hundred of these in the world, and it would sell for quite a nice price, but that wasn’t what appealed to her most. She took a deep breath and carefully opened the flap to the inside page.

  Yes! There was an inscription. That was always the best part. Almost as though she were eavesdropping on the past.

  To My Dear Michael,

  May this book take you on a fantastical journey.

  All my love,

  Rose

  Ellie sighed. Michael and Rose. What had their lives been like back then? Who were they? What had they meant to one another? Relatives or secret lovers? She brought the book to her nose and inhaled deeply.

  “Were you just smelling that book?” a male voice asked over the chime of the door opening.

  Ellie quickly put the book on the New Antique Arrival shelf and turned as her coworker Callum McKendrick entered the bookstore. “I smell all the books,” she said. “And you’re late.” He was always l
ate. It was almost endearing how predictable his lateness was. Like if he ever arrived on time, she’d know something was wrong. He breezed through life without a care to societal conventions like being on time for work. And got away with it.

  “Only four minutes,” he said, checking an imaginary watch. “Better than yesterday.”

  She laughed and shook her head. “Better than yesterday.”

  “What have we got?” he asked, rolling up the sleeves of his light blue shirt and bending at the knees to peer inside the box. His thick, dark hair fell into his face and he pushed it back. Everyone in town called him Clark Kent because he looked exactly like the fictional superhero at six foot three, with a muscular build, wide shoulders and a broad chest. His jet-black hair was always slightly too long, and his dark-rimmed glasses did nothing to tame the sex appeal he radiated.

  Ellie liked to believe that their regular customers came in for the literary experience and wide selection of art the bookstore provided, but it probably had more to do with the sexy bookseller.

  “This is that estate donation from the lady who called yesterday,” she said, making room on the shelf for the rest of the books. She couldn’t believe the condition they were in. Someone must have cherished them enough to preserve them and take care of them. A lot of the old books that came into the store needed restoring, but not these.

  “I can’t believe none of his children or grandchildren wanted these,” Callum said, taking out a copy of Moby Dick. “These look like they could be first editions.”

  “They are,” she said, pointing to the date on the spine. “That’s why we will be selling them for a small fortune.”

  “Also because you don’t want anyone to actually buy them,” he said with a wink.

  No doubt that little flicker of an eyelid had women fainting in old 1800s fashion, but Ellie was immune to Callum’s charm. He was at least several years younger than her and he flirted as often as he exhaled.

  “I don’t do that,” she said.

  “Yes you do.”

  “Fine. You know me too well,” she said with a laugh, but her smile faded as her cell phone chimed in her pocket. Taking it out, she saw a new post in the reunion Facebook group, from Cheryl Kingsly—one of Alisha’s longtime best friends. Cheryl was a personal trainer now, and Ellie often saw the two leaving the gym together.

  Can’t wait to be reunited with my Wild Cougar Family! Do we have a venue yet?

  Immediately little dots appeared that showed someone was typing, and seconds later Alisha’s reply appeared.

  Not yet. You know me—brilliant ideas, zero execution skills.

  Ellie shook her head. It was so like them to try to organize a last-minute event without actually organizing anything. Years ago, it was the same. The student council would meet and come up with great ideas, but then no one stepped up to do the actual work—besides her and a few others that no one gave credit to in the end when the events were a success.

  Alisha hoped to do this in three weeks, and yet there was absolutely nothing planned yet. No venue, no discussion about food, no theme or decor... Ellie sighed.

  “What’s wrong?” Callum asked, handing her another book.

  She studied the copy of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, unable to fully appreciate it. Did she go to the reunion or didn’t she? Would it make her feel better or worse about the direction her life had taken, catching up with her former classmates? “It’s my ten-year high school reunion this year, and the populars are posting nonstop on the Facebook group page with updates.”

  Callum frowned. “The populars?”

  “You know, the popular crowd in school. The ones who are still popular and want to show off how awesome their lives have turned out by forcing everyone to return to the scene of some of the most humiliating days of their lives and try to maintain chitchat while feeling the weight of judgment,” she said.

  What would they say about her? About the fact that, unlike so many of them, she hadn’t become what her high school yearbook had claimed she’d wanted to be—a teacher. What would they whisper when she walked past?

  Poor Ellie—still working in a bookstore.

  Poor Ellie—not married, not engaged, not even having fantastic casual sex.

  Poor Ellie—no kids yet. Didn’t she say she wanted three? Better get on with that life plan before her ovaries completely dry up.

  “I always thought reunions were just a fun way to catch up with people you haven’t seen in years,” Callum said with a shrug.

  She eyed him. “Of course that’s what it would be for you.”

  He faked a look of hurt. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Look at you. You’re gorgeous—tall, dark and handsome with muscles in places I didn’t even think muscles could grow...or form...or whatever they do,” she said casually. She wasn’t hitting on him, just stating facts.

  She knew better. Guys like Callum got the pretty girls, the athletic girls, the popular ones...like the ones she was wanting to avoid at this reunion. Ellie had been the book nerd even in high school. Not much had changed. Her idea of fun was a quiet night in, discussing a good book with close, like-minded friends while enjoying an amazing vintage wine. Going to an event to reminisce about the good old days with people who remembered high school a lot differently than she did wasn’t her idea of an enjoyable time.

  “You eyeballing me?” Callum asked, leaning against the shelf and flashing her his best flirty smile. She knew it was his best flirty smile because he used it on all the female customers, and their orders magically increased. As she was technically his boss—being the store manager—Ellie appreciated his sales abilities, but she knew not to read anything into the flirting.

  “I’m saying that you wouldn’t understand the intense pressure this event could have on a person,” she said, taking the remaining books out of the box and shelving them without even opening the cover flaps to check for inscriptions. A serious sign that this whole reunion thing was stressing her out.

  “What pressure? Explain it to me,” Callum said, taking the empty box from her and breaking it down.

  She sighed. “If I go, everyone will know that my life is just as boring now as it was back in high school. So, my choices are to skip it or go and invent a more exciting existence.”

  He frowned. “I thought you loved your life here in Wild River.”

  She did. It just wasn’t newsworthy. Running the small bookstore on Main Street, living in the apartment upstairs wasn’t exactly how she’d expected her life to turn out. Not that she had anything to prove or that there was anything wrong with her lifestyle...if she didn’t know for a fact that Brent was a commercial pilot whose most recent serious relationship had been a six-month affair with a flight attendant who’d missed her calling as a Victoria’s Secret model. Ellie had consumed countless tubs of ice cream while cyberstalking the two of them on Instagram.

  Brent had been her first boyfriend and one true love. They’d started out as friends when she was assigned as his English tutor. At first she’d thought he would be just another jock who’d expect her to do his assignments for him, but he’d surprised her. He was actually interested in literature, he’d just suffered from assignment anxiety. Writer’s block of sorts.

  During their time together, she’d fallen hard and fast, and he’d surprised her again with a spontaneous kiss and then asking her out on a date when he got a B in English on his midterm report card. The two had been inseparable until graduation, when Brent had made it clear he was planning on going away for university and flight school. It was his dream to become a commercial pilot and suddenly Ellie hadn’t been a part of the future he saw for himself.

  He’d left. She’d stayed.

  He’d moved on. And she was still stuck in a heartbroken limbo of wanting to get over him and secretly hoping someday he’d come back to Wild River and tell her he still love
d her.

  Pathetic, but that’s where she was.

  “I do love my life.” Most days. “I’m just dreading seeing certain people, that’s all,” she said honestly.

  “Your ex Brent?”

  She frowned. “How’d you know?”

  “Because you talk about him as though you’d marry him and have a dozen children given the chance.”

  “Well, I would, but that’s not going to happen because...” She opened her Instagram app and turned the phone toward Callum. “He’s currently dating her.” This new one was a waitress from Hawaii—beautiful, blonde, tanned with a breathtaking smile and perfect teeth. Apparently, flying commercial flights to the beach destination had more perks than just the round trips to paradise.

  Callum squinted through his dark-rimmed glasses. “You’re cuter.”

  She scoffed. “You’re not getting a raise, so you can quit the compliments.”

  “I don’t need a raise.”

  That’s right. Callum was independently wealthy. His family were hotel owners, and the poshest hotel in Alaska was here in Wild River. It didn’t quite fit the rest of the remote resort town’s rugged mountain esthetic, but it catered to a different kind of tourist—one with lots of money. The Wild River Resort was located near the ski slopes and offered guests panoramic views of the mountains. A luxury spa and five-star restaurant were additional offerings that even had movie stars visiting the town. Or in the recent case of Selena Hudson, finding refuge from a stalker.

  Callum didn’t talk about his family much, but she could sense he wanted nothing to do with the hospitality industry or following in his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps of hotel ownership. He worked in the bookstore because he enjoyed books, and he hadn’t told her, but she knew he donated his paycheck to the local animal shelter and the local school’s love of reading program.

  How he was still single, she had no idea.

  Maybe it was hard for him to trust whether a woman was interested in him for himself or his trust fund and family status. Ellie thought he had nothing to worry about—he could be dirt poor, living in a van, and women would still crave his attention.