Miles brought his talents to worship his God in Skagway, Samantha thought. He tried to build the church but then got correctly diverted to teach instead. She shook herself—she needed to pay attention to her father’s story, not think about Miles.
The bottom two characters were the frog, symbolizing the angel who appeared to Joseph in his dream, and the upside-down chief, symbolizing evil King Herod who was outwitted by the angel.
Samantha told Miles, “You were the angel who outwitted Soapy Smith.”
Peter and Miles both laughed.
Donald blessed his congregation and hummed the opening bars of “Joy to the World.” Men in leggings, women in deerskin, children, and the Americans from Port Orchard put their hands into the air and sang.
Worshipping God, Samantha thought, could be done anywhere with anyone who believed.
Salmon, seafood, dried berries, and more spruce tea made up the natives’ Christmas potlatch. Her father brightened when Samantha pulled dried apple turnovers from her backpack, along with sourdough to make flapjacks.
The women crowded to watch as Samantha greased the skillet with salt pork and poured in the batter. “I’ve learned a lot at the restaurant.”
“She has,” Peter agreed. “Her cooking is almost edible now.”
When she made a fist in his direction, her brother put up his hands. “You’re not Sam anymore. You’re a real woman. Act like one.”
Miles and her father shrugged together.
The four sat by the fire after the Tlingits had their fill of flapjacks, and they ate their meal on tin plates. They drank coffee from metal mugs and reminisced about Christmases past eaten on china plates.
“What happens to you now?” Donald asked when they finished their meal.
“We’ll take you back with us tomorrow.” Peter stretched his feet toward the fire. “You’re crippled, and you’re a long way from civilization. Samantha will travel home with you from Skagway.”
They watched the fire crackle in a companionable silence.
“I’ve been thinking and praying since last night,” Donald finally said. “I’ve not lived in a town or a house for two years. It won’t hurt me to stay with these people now that Mary’s gone.”
Peter shook his head. “With these simple natives?”
Donald looked around the longhouse and smiled. “They’re the most honest people I’ve met in Alaska. I can continue teaching them to read and to understand the Scriptures, and I can help them deal with the white men. It’s a good work for someone like me.”
Samantha kissed him. “I think Pa should stay here.”
“Without us?” Peter shook his head.
“With people who care about him and whom he loves,” Samantha said. “He’s needed here. We have our own lives now.”
Peter pulled a small canvas bag out of his money belt. “Fine. Here’s most of the money I owe you. Now you can return to Washington and go to college.”
Samantha touched the rough, dirty pouch. “Where is my home? Washington or Skagway?”
Miles moved closer.
“You can’t live in Skagway by yourself. It’s not safe. Take the money.” Peter held out the bag.
Miles took her hand. “She doesn’t have to be alone. I’m not going over the pass with you, Peter. I’m staying in Skagway. The two of you dragged me into a ministry I never dreamed of at seminary. Samantha made me confront evil with good because she saw the need in the sporting women’s hearts. Now the town has built a church and needs men to preach the gospel. That’s a harvest richer than Klondike gold and one I mean to pursue.”
“You’re not going with me to the Klondike?”
“No.”
“Surely you’ve met others you can travel with,” Samantha said.
“Yes.” Peter looked troubled. “But I don’t trust anyone like I do Miles. I thought I’d do the heavy work while he could minister to the miners, just like we did on the trail. I’m not a preacher. I can’t do that.”
“Here we have it.” Donald clasped his son by both shoulders. “I’ve prayed you would embrace the man God created you to be. You don’t have to be a missionary to serve God. Your desire to go to the Klondike could be for gold. But maybe it’s really an adventure for a young man who stayed with his mother and sister far longer than he wanted so his father could do a good work. This is your time, Peter. Go into the world and follow where God is leading you. You have my blessing.”
“Do you want to come with me, Sam?” her twin asked.
Samantha stood. “I love you, Peter, but it’s time we went our own ways. I don’t want to go to the Klondike. I’ve found what I want here.”
The Tlingits hummed. Her father stirred the fire. Miles stood beside her and tilted her chin toward him. “We’re both doing a good work in Skagway. Will you marry me so we can serve the town together?”
Samantha gazed into his eyes a long moment. “Wait a minute.” She looked him up and down. “Have you grown, Miles? How tall are you?”
“Six feet. Why?”
Peter burst into laughter.
“I would love to marry you,” Samantha said. “Pa can do the honors.”
“What does my height have to do with it?”
Samantha hugged him. “Absolutely nothing.”
Donald stood to pronounce a benediction. “Mary was proud of all three of you, but today your plans complete her dreams and prayers.”
He faced his son. “I know how thankful she was you stayed in Port Orchard. You go to the Klondike with her blessing and mine.”
Donald smiled at Samantha. “She would have rejoiced that you finally learned you don’t have to live in Peter’s shadow. She wanted you to choose what is important for your own life.”
He shook Miles’s hand. “Mary prayed long for your calling, Miles, and would have been even more grateful you stood by your friends and gave them the opportunity to find themselves.” He caressed Samantha’s cheek. “I think you’ve got the best end of this deal.”
Donald gathered the three into another hug. “Mary, I am sure, is rejoicing with the angels right now. Peter will have his adventure, and today we’ll have a wedding. Anything else?”
Miles smiled at Samantha. “May I kiss my bride?”
Samantha looked up at him. “Yes.”
Historical Notes
While Miles and the Harris family are fictional characters, the story of the sporting women’s exodus from Skagway after hearing Rev. R. W. Dickey’s funeral sermon is true. Steamship captain O’Brien met Dickey on the beach after the service and volunteered to take the sporting women back to Seattle at no cost. Sourdough Jim contributed one thousand dollars to cover their costs. Mollie Walsh knew “Lucy,” and Mollie set up a restaurant at the top of White Pass in the spring of 1898.
The Christmas totem pole described in The Gold Rush Christmas was carved by Rev. David Fison of Alaska in 1987. I used the concept with his permission and my thanks. You can see a photo of it at my website: www.michelleule.com.
About the Authors
As a Midwestern farm girl transplanted to Charleston, South Carolina, Shannon McNear loves losing herself in local history. She’s currently a homeschooling mother, military wife, and a member of ACFW and RWA. When not sewing, researching, or leaking story from her fingertips, she finds joy in worship, women’s ministry, and encouraging whoever God brings across her path.
CBA and ECPA bestselling novelist Kathleen Fuller is the author of more than twenty novels and novellas, including An Amish Wedding, which was recently voted as the numberone collection of the year by the Family Fiction 2012 Readers Choice Awards. Kathleen lives with her husband and three teenage children in Geneva, Ohio. When she’s not writing, she enjoys teaching, swimming, and traveling.
Anna Urquhart is—among other things—a writer, teacher, mother, and wife. She lives with her husband and three daughters in Pennsylvania and is earning her MFA in Writing from Spalding University. She teaches Secondary English and can be found most days on her b
log The Silent Isle at www.annaurquhart.com.
Margaret Brownley recently celebrated the publication of her twenty-eighth book with the release of the second novel in her Brides of Last Chance Ranch series. The third book in the series, Gunpowder Tea, will be published in the fall of 2013. A past Romance Writers of America RITA® finalist, she has won many literary awards, including Readers Choice. Margaret and her husband have three grown children and live in Southern California. She can be reached through her website: margaretbrownley.com.
Cynthia Hickey grew up in a family of storytellers and moved around the country a lot as an army brat. Her desire is to write real but flawed characters in a wholesome way that her seven children and five grandchildren can all be proud of. She and her husband live in Arizona, where Cynthia works as a monitor in an elementary school.
LauraineSnelling is an award-winning author with more than seventy-five published titles, including two horse series for kids. With more than three million books in print, Lauraine still finds time to create great stories as she travels around the country to meet readers with her husband and rescued basset, Sir Winston.
Marcia Gruver’s southern roots lend touches of humor and threads of faith to her writing. Look for both in her Texas Fortunes and Backwoods Brides series. When she’s not perched behind a keyboard, you’ll find her clutching a game system controller or riding shotgun on long drives in the Texas hill country. Lifelong Texans, Marcia and her husband, Lee, have five children. Collectively, this motley crew has graced them with a baker’s dozen grandchildren and one greatgranddaughter—so far.
Vickie McDonough believes God is the ultimate designer of romance. She is a wife of thirty-six years, mother to four grown sons, and a doting grandma. When not writing, she enjoys reading, watching movies, and traveling.
Michelle Ule is a musician, genealogist, and Bible study leader. She graduated from UCLA and married a submarine officer, whom she followed all over the world with their four children. The author of three historical novellas and a contemporary novel, Michelle lives in northern California with her family
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