Her Secret Alaskan Family. Belle Calhoune

she asked, wondering how in the world this stranger knew her true purpose for being in Owl Creek.

      He let out a chuckle. His features immediately went from attractive to downright spectacular. “Sorry. Just a bad joke. Our little town has been inundated with women claiming to be the missing North baby.” He frowned at her. “Surely you’ve heard about the case?”

      “Just a little bit,” she hedged. “I’m not from Alaska, but I recall seeing some news coverage a few weeks ago back home.”

      “It’s the twenty-fifth anniversary of the kidnapping so it’s been plastered all over the news and on the internet,” he explained. “Every scam artist from here to Toledo has been trying to fleece the family by pretending to be Lily. It’s been going on for years but lately it’s gotten out of hand. I was born and bred in Owl Creek so I’ve grown up hearing about the case.” His expression turned somber. “In a way it’s always cast a shadow over the town.”

      “Do you know them? The Norths?” she asked, her curiosity getting the best of her. She wanted to learn everything she possibly could about them. Were they kind people? Had the kidnapping taken all the joy out of their lives? Had they moved past it?

      “Sure do,” he said amiably. “They’re good people. Connor North is one of my best friends. And they make some of the best chocolate you’ll ever taste.” He stuck out his hand. “By the way, I’m Hank Crawford. Town sheriff.”

      She reached out and shook his hand. “So that explains the fancy badge,” she said with a smile. “I’m Sage Duncan.”

      “Are you a tourist? We get a lot of them in our little town, but not usually in the winter. The weather is pretty intimidating for those who aren’t used to it.”

      She wrinkled her nose. “I suppose you could call me a tourist. I teach second grade back home in Florida and I’m on leave for a few months. I’ve always wanted to visit Alaska, and I do adore chocolate,” she said. “Call me crazy, but I’m looking forward to some wintry weather.”

      “You’ll need a winter parka and some insulated boots for winter in Owl Creek. Otherwise you’ll freeze,” he advised, giving her attire the once-over. He was wearing a hunter green parka and a dark pair of cords. Sage had the feeling her clothing hadn’t passed muster. Her decision to travel to Alaska had been made rather quickly. She’d taken a leave of absence and booked her airline tickets as well as the bed-and-breakfast before she could change her mind and chicken out. As a Floridian she didn’t own many cold-weather clothes, so she’d done a little shopping online and stocked up on a few sweaters, hats and pants. She looked down at her boots. They were suede with fringes on them. Hardly fitting for the Alaskan climate. She hoped this little village had clothing stores and winter gear so she could round out her wardrobe.

      “Thanks,” she said, unwilling to offer any more information to Sheriff Crawford. She had already said too much, and he was the last person whose suspicions she wanted to arouse.

      “Well, we’re about to dock. It was nice to meet you, Sage,” he said with a grin. “In a town as small as Owl Creek, I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other.”

      Sage nodded and murmured goodbye as she watched the sheriff walk away from her. His gait was confident and strong. She let out a ragged sigh. Hank Crawford was no doubt the handsomest man she’d met in quite some time. But she wasn’t in town to meet good-looking men. Not by a long shot. Sage had traveled all this way in order to scope out the people she believed might be her birth family. There was power in no one knowing she might actually be Lily North. She wouldn’t have anyone questioning her motives or digging into her background.

      She would have time to decide what to do.

      At this point she had no idea whether or not she would reveal her identity to the North family. Doing so might cause a world of legal trouble for Eric Duncan, the man who she had called father for the last twenty-five years. According to her dad, he’d been in the dark about her mother’s actions up until her dying day. Sadly, he had never addressed certain irregularities in Sage’s adoption, which could make it appear as if he’d known the truth all along. Eric had asserted he’d never had any knowledge about her being kidnapped. He’d believed that her birth parents had abandoned her. From what he’d disclosed to Sage it was evident that her adoption hadn’t been legal. Having just lost her mother, Sage couldn’t imagine losing her father as well if the North family decided to file charges against him for being her mother’s accomplice.

      Sage clenched her fists at her sides. She would do anything in her power to protect him.

      Hank hadn’t meant to talk to the beautiful woman on the ferry, but there had been something about Sage Duncan that had tugged at him. She had looked so sad staring out across the water, and he had wanted to make her smile. Instead, he’d made himself look like a goofball.

      Hank winced. He had made the corny joke about her being Lily North, which had landed with a little bit of a thud. Sage had looked at him with horror radiating from her eyes. She probably thought it was in bad form to make a joke about a missing person.

      What Sage didn’t know was that two years ago Hank had fallen for a woman named Theresa Bennett. They had gone out for a few months, during which time he had grown fond of Theresa. A short while later he had discovered she was nothing more than a fraud. A beautiful con artist bent on extorting money from his friends the Norths by pretending to be their missing child. Theresa had made a prize fool out of him. He imagined people were joking about how she’d pulled the wool over the eyes of a member of law enforcement. Just thinking about it made Hank’s face flush with embarrassment.

      So, in actuality he had really been laughing at his own stupidity when he’d cracked the joke about Sage being Lily North. Theresa had already burned him on that front. Once bitten, twice shy. He wasn’t going down that road again.

      He owed it to his daughter, Addie, to use more discretion when it came to romance. Hank let out a grunt. He really hadn’t dated since that adorable little charmer had come into his life. And although the whole Theresa fiasco still stung a bit, she’d also given him his daughter. He would always be grateful. Addie’s birth had led him straight to his relationship with Christ.

      It wasn’t as if he was dying of loneliness or anything. Being a full-time father and town sheriff kept him very busy. In his experience, romance brought nothing but upheaval, and he had resigned himself to the fact that he wasn’t going to walk through life with a soul mate. Not everyone got the happy ending. His thoughts veered to his best friend, Gabriel Lawson. Gabe had found out the hard way about shattered dreams when his fiancée had taken off two days before their wedding. No, sir. Hank didn’t need someone to hand him his heart on a platter.

      As the ferry glided into dock and the captain announced their arrival, Hank did his best not to look for Sage. The boat wasn’t crowded with passengers, and in her cherry-red jacket it wouldn’t take much effort to spot her. But he really didn’t need any distractions, especially ones with jet-black hair, tiny freckles dotting their cheeks and doe-brown eyes flecked with gold.

      Just as the thought popped into his head, Hank spotted Sage struggling with an oversize piece of luggage. Despite his vow not to get involved, he found himself walking over toward her. His mother had raised him to be a gentleman after all.

      “Can I help you with your bags?” he asked Sage, admiring her pluck in attempting to wield the baggage.

      She immediately let go of the piece of luggage. Her shoulders sagged with relief. “Thanks for asking. I may have overstuffed it a bit,” she admitted. “When in doubt, pack everything you can. It’s far better to have too much clothing than too little.”

      Hank felt the corners of his mouth twitching with merriment. The suitcase was nearly as big as the woman herself. He led the way off the ferry and down the pier. Once they reached the pickup area, he deposited the luggage on the ground. Although he wanted to ask her if she had a ride and where she was staying, Hank felt he might