Alaskan Sweethearts Read Free Page A

good man,” Hunter protested. Despite everything, he believed that. “I’m sure your grandmother didn’t mean—”
    “She also said he was handsome as sin and twice as charming,” the woman acknowledged with a look that measured Hunter with a calm objectivity. “Said it was a family curse of the Jacobson men.”
    “Well, thank her—”
    Hunter was beginning to think he might be able to resolve any problem here.
    “I don’t see it myself,” Scarlett said abruptly.
    Hunter rocked back on his heels.
    “Well, I never claimed to be particularly good-looking.” He paused in case she wanted to protest out of politeness. She didn’t. “But you must know my grandfather owned that mine. He had it recorded official and everything.”
    She put her hands on her hips. “He only had the right to half. He stole the rest when he filed the claim with only his name and left my grandfather off it. They were partners.”
    “Yes, but—” Hunter had never asked about the claim. He’d seen the paperwork when he was a boy, though. His grandfather had always called Murphy his partner, but there was just one name on the claim: Colin Jacobson. Hunter had never given it much thought until now.
    “My grandfather died from a broken heart after he lost that mine and the gold they’d sent to be assayed,” Scarlett continued with some heat. “‘Never should have trusted a weasel of a Jacobson,’ he said.”
    “I’m sorry.” In all of his grandfather’s stories, the man had never mentioned his partner was dead. “What happened?”
    Scarlett glared at him. “My grandfather couldn’t believe what yours had done. He was sick with a fever, but he insisted on going out to the mine so he could see for sure. I think he expected to find a note saying it was all a joke nailed to the claim post. The day was bitter cold and he fell, cracking the ice on the creek. Got his feet wet. He barely made it home. My grandmother buried him ten days later in the graveyard on the hill above the mine so he could look down on it. Pneumonia had set in. By then your grandfather had already left the state.”
    “He didn’t know,” Hunter said, his voice stumbling. “I don’t think he even knew.”
    His grandfather had talked his share of people out of money to finance some purpose or the other, but he’d never deliberately harmed anyone. Not like that. Given the date today, though, Hunter was wondering if the old man was taking care of every bit of bad business in his life.
    “My grandmother had to take in washing to support her and her baby,” the woman said, her voice full of reproach. “Even now she claims that’s what caused her arthritis.”
    “I’m sure he didn’t mean for that—” Hunter started and then stopped. He was going to have to stop defending his grandfather. Even if the man meant well, it never worked out that way.
    Everything was silent for a moment.
    “My grandmother didn’t think he could have known, either,” the woman finally admitted.
    “I’m sorry.” Hunter didn’t say anything else. He had no other words. It had happened long ago, but he could see it was like yesterday for the Murphy family. Sort of like the car accident in his family. Something no one ever got over.
    Then Scarlett faced him directly.
    “I understand your grandfather has buildings on the property he’s giving us,” she said as though she didn’t expect any further answer to her grief.
    Hunter nodded. He understood the desire to keep heartache to oneself. Talking didn’t always help. He knew that himself.
    “The house isn’t much,” he admitted. No one had lived in it for seventeen years. They had left the furniture there when they’d moved out, but they hadn’t maintained the place. There could be rats in the cupboards for all he knew. The cats had gone to the new place. “The barn is serviceable.”
    Right now the house and barn were the only things not leased to Mr. Cleary. His grandfather had pointed out numerous times that the