“Thong undies are just the tip of the iceberg.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes it is.”
“Okay, then. I believe you. They’re your panties. Mystery solved.”
“Anything else?” she sassed. She was astonished, pleased and giddy with the thrill of her new-found bravado.
“Nooo. Guess that’s it.”
It was only later, after he’d sauntered away, that Cammie Jo realized from whence her unexpected bravery had sprung.
The treasured wish totem resting in her pocket.
3
ONCE SHE WAS safely ensconced in her room, Cammie Jo took off some of her layers of clothing and moved to stare out the window overlooking Main Street.
People crowded the road, wandering in and out of the shops and restaurants. Honestly, she hadn’t expected so much activity. Crowds made her nervous.
Everything makes you nervous. Like good-looking bush pilots.
A sudden rap at the door startled her so much she almost fell off the window seat.
Was it Mack?
Holding her breath, Cammie Jo crept to the door. Rats! No peephole. And no chain.
Timidly, she cracked the door open and peeked out. A gorgeous woman who looked like the actress Charlize Theron stood there smiling at her, a pen and notebook in her hand.
“Hi,” she said.
“Uh, hi,” Cammie Jo responded, impressed with the woman’s smartly tailored clothes and flawless skin.
“I’m Kay Freemont with Metropolitan magazine, and I’m the one who picked your entry to win the free vacation. I’d like to interview you if I may.”
“Oh.” Cammie Jo opened the door wider. “Come on in.”
Kay stepped into the room and Cammie Jo closed the door behind her.
“Did you come all the way from New York just to interview me?”
“No.” Kay’s smile crinkled the corners of her brown eyes. Cammie Jo realized that even though Kay looked very worldly and sophisticated, she was only a couple of years older than her own twenty-five years. “I live in Bear Creek now.”
Cammie Jo gestured at the window seat, not all that comfortable with playing hostess. She glanced over at the totem, which she’d placed on the dresser after that scary-but-thrilling encounter with Mack in the hallway. She wasn’t quite sure if she was ready to handle the consequences of wearing the necklace.
“Thank you.” Kay sat by the window while Cammie Jo perched on the end of the bed.
She ran her palms over the tops of her thighs, a habit of hers when she was nervous or uncertain.
“Relax.” Kay’s smile deepened. “This won’t hurt a bit, I promise.”
“I’ve never been away from home before,” Cammie Jo confessed.
“Alaska can be overwhelming, even for a world traveler,” Kay assured her. “I first came here in February. Talk about overpowering.” She shook her head. “So tell me, Cammie Jo, why are you interested in becoming a wilderness wife?”
“What?”
“You did enter the contest hoping to meet the bachelor of your dreams, didn’t you?” Kay sat, pen poised over notebook waiting for Cammie Jo’s response. “Although I’ve got to tell you, Quinn’s no longer on the market.” Laughing, Kay held up her left hand to show off a diamond engagement ring. “We’re getting married next month.”
“Hey, that’s great.”
“So.” Kay lowered her voice. “Which bachelor are you interested in?”
“Can I be honest with you?” Cammie Jo shifted on the thick comforter.
“By all means.”
They talked for a long while. Cammie Jo told her about her great-aunts, and how their attempts to shelter her had resulted in Cammie Jo being afraid of her own shadow.
“So getting married is really the last thing on my mind,” Cammie Jo said. “I need to stretch my wings and fly. I need to discover who I am before I’ll ever be ready for marriage. I hope that doesn’t disqualify me from the free vacation.”
Kay shook her head. “Your reasons are your own. You won the contest fair and square. If you’re not interested in any of the bachelors, that’s fine. I don’t think they will suffer. Ever since the article ran women have been arriving in Bear Creek by the hundreds. It’s a modern-day gold rush but instead of gold, the hunt is on for eligible men.”
No kidding. Cammie Jo had seen the hordes of women strolling the streets of Bear Creek.
Kay smiled. “The bachelors, in conjunction with the magazine, are throwing a party tonight at the community center across the road. Seven o’clock and you’re the guest of honor.”
Cammie Jo ducked her head. “I’m really not much on parties.”
“Now, now, didn’t you come here to overcome shyness? A party is a great way to start.”
“But I don’t have anything appropriate to wear.”
Kay looked her up and down. “You’re a few inches shorter than I am, but I’m betting we’re the same size. What about shoes? What size do you wear?”
“Six and a half.”
“Hey, me too. Imagine that. I’ll bring over a selection of dresses and shoes. Then I’ll help you do your hair and makeup.”
Two hours later, after Kay had returned to create Cammie Jo’s metamorphosis, she stepped back from the mirror so Cammie Jo could see the results.
“Ta-da!”
Cammie Jo stared owl-eyed. No. It couldn’t be. This wasn’t her. Her pulse thundered. Her head spun. Kay was a wizard with a makeup brush.
“I can teach you how to do this for yourself if you want.”
“Oh, yes,” Cammie Jo breathed.
The woman staring back at her was a complete stranger.
This woman was beautiful.
Her eyes were not Cammie Jo’s normal blah blue but a deep shade of emerald-green, converted into something mesmerizing by the colored contacts. Her round chipmunk cheeks had disappeared. Instead it seemed as if she possessed high, sculpted cheekbones. Her lips were full and pouty; her skin as luminous as dew-kissed blades of grass.
And
