COPYRIGHT
ISBN 1-59310-608-4
Copyright © 2005 by Marilou H. Flinkman. All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the permission of Truly Yours, an imprint of Barbour Publishing, Inc., PO Box 719, Uhrichsville, Ohio 44683.
Our mission is to publish and distribute inspirational products offering exceptional value and biblical encouragement to the masses.
All of the characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events is purely coincidental.
All scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.
ONE
The flight from Seattle had been uneventful and the scenery spectacular. Laurette kept her nose close to the window as the panorama of the Canadian Rockies held her in awe. Snowcapped peaks seemed to touch the sky; glaciers and glistening mountain lakes beckoned to her then disappeared beneath a layer of clouds as the plane approached Sitka, Alaska.
Laurette felt the small aircraft bank and turn, descending into the clouds below. Gripping the armrests, she tensed when the pilot announced he would make one more attempt to land as the plane changed altitude again. “If there is no break in the cloud cover, we will go on to Juneau,” he said.
Heaving a huge sigh, Laurette wondered why she had let Jenny talk her into this. Her college roommate had lived in Sitka for several years before her father retired from the Coast Guard. Jenny had coaxed Laurette into applying for a job with Southeast Alaska Maritime, the port agent serving cruise ships and their passengers’ myriad needs while they were in Sitka. Laurette closed her eyes and said a quick prayer for Jenny’s father. His heart attack had sent her roommate rushing to his side.
The plane dived, throwing Laurette forward against her seat belt. Her eyes popped open and her prayer rapidly changed to “Lord Jesus, please keep us safe.” All she could see now were clouds rushing past her window. She repeated her prayer like a mantra until the view cleared and she felt the wheels bouncing on the runway. At least she thought it was ground. Whichever window she looked out, she saw only water. Her heart continued to beat out a rapid rhythm.
By the time the steward opened the door, Laurette felt back in control. She squared her shoulders, pulled her backpack from the overhead bin, and followed the other passengers off the plane. In the terminal she spotted a tall, thin, but athletic-looking young man holding a sign with her name printed in large black letters. This is the welcoming committee? she wondered, seeing his glum expression. Aside from that, he wasn’t bad to look at. His dark hair looked like it had been combed by the wind. He wore pressed jeans and a jacket with the Southeast Alaska Maritime logo.
Hiding her apprehension, Laurette picked her way through the small crowd of passengers to reach the man with the sign. “Hi. I’m Laurette Martel.” He must be over six foot, she thought, offering him her hand.
He raised an eyebrow and gave her a crooked smile. His blue eyes showed no warmth when he touched her hand. “Welcome to Sitka. I’m Ryan Nichols. Do you have luggage?”
“Yes. Jenny gave me a long list of things I would need. I’m sorry she couldn’t come.”
“Me, too.”
Laurette wondered at his tone. Jenny had never mentioned any particular guy, but it seemed Ryan knew her—and was apparently very disappointed.
“Luggage is this way.”
She scurried to keep up with his long stride. “Mr. Personality,” she said under her breath.
As soon as she saw her big duffel bag, she grabbed it off the carousel. She’d barely put it down when the large cardboard box she had checked appeared. Ryan saw her reach for it and managed to snag the awkward package before she could react.
“The company van is parked out front. I’ll carry the box. Follow me.” Her official greeter grabbed the box and started for the door.
“Thanks,” she said as she slung on her backpack and picked up the duffel bag. “Another adventure,” she muttered, hurrying after his retreating figure.
When he shoved the box in the back of the van and reached for her duffel bag, she warned him, “My laptop is in my backpack. I’d like to keep it up front.”
Again he arched one bushy eyebrow and said, “Suit yourself.”
He eased the van away from the airport and drove across a long bridge, giving Laurette a little time to look around. She realized now that the runway her plane had landed on was on a narrow—or was the narrow—strip of land on what she assumed was an island, since she hadn’t paid much attention to that part of the map. Ryan spoke just as she opened her mouth to ask.
“You have a place to stay in Sitka?”
“I made a reservation at a place called Edith’s Bed-and-Breakfast on Monastery Street. Looks like I can walk to work from there, according to my map.” Laurette ducked when a small plane took off from the water and roared over the van.
“Seaplanes have the right-of-way here. Boats have to make room for them,” he said, gesturing toward the water where the various crafts had indeed given the seaplane a wide berth. “You’ll get used to it.”
He sounds like a really bored tour guide. “Nice to know.” She took note of the many fishing boats moored in the harbor.
“We’ll stop by the office first. The boss will want to meet you.”
“Fine,” she said, looking at the sights and ignoring her less than friendly driver. The clouds still hovered over the city but did not blot out the faint shadow of the surrounding mountains.
“You handled that luggage with no problem. You’ll be doing a lot of that now.”
Laurette did not know how to answer him. She just looked at his profile and wondered if that was meant to be a compliment. “I grew up on a farm. I’m used to hard work,” she said firmly.
He smiled at her. He could be good looking if he did that more often, she thought. Her thoughts were interrupted as he pulled into a large parking lot.
Ryan pointed to the building near a dock. “That’s the Centennial Building. The dock below it is where the tenders bring people off the ships. The cruise ships anchor out there in Crescent Bay.”
Laurette was not about to admit she had no idea what a tender could be. Beyond the dock she saw several pleasure crafts in the harbor. She scurried to keep up with Ryan when he got out of the van. They jaywalked across the street and went up some stairs next to a souvenir shop. He led her past a couple of closed doors to the end of the hall. Here, the door stood open, and a man in his midthirties turned to greet her.
“Welcome, Laurette. Glad to have you here.”
She shook his proffered hand.
“I’m Tyler Healy. Do you go by Laurette?”
“Yes, sir, but my father calls me Rette,” she answered politely, wondering why she’d added something so irrelevant.
“I go by Tyler. Not very formal here.” His welcome warmed Laurette. Her boss wasn’t as tall as Ryan, but since she stood only five feet four inches, she looked up to almost everyone. Tyler had sandy-colored hair and a neatly trimmed beard. He wore a long-sleeved sport shirt and dark blue jeans. She spotted a sport coat on the back of a chair. She wondered if her own slacks and sweater looked travel worn. Can’t be helped, she said silently, finger-combing her curly hair.
“Do you have a place to stay tonight?” he asked. “My wife said to bring you home if you didn’t.”
“Thank you for the invitation, but I made a reservation at Edith’s B and B. I’ll have to find a permanent place and a vehicle to drive soon.”
“We’ll start on that tomorrow. Right now, let me show you around the office. Would you lik
e a cup of coffee?”
She took the offered drink. It was strong and bitter. Must be Alaskan style. She sipped the dark brew as she followed Tyler. Laurette realized Ryan had left them without comment. There were three rooms with desks and machines. The fax machine started to clack. He picked up the message being sent.
“This is usually how the cruise ship captains contact us. They let us know what they’ll need while they’re in port, and we do our best to take care of them.” He turned to a cabinet. “Let me give you a cell phone. Be sure to keep it charged and turned on at all times. This is how we stay in contact.”
Laurette took the phone. She turned as Ryan appeared in the doorway. “Could you find a VHF radio for Laurette?” Tyler asked him. “We don’t use them often, but they’re a backup if the ships are out of cell phone range,” he explained to her. “Your call name will be SAM 3. I’m SAM 1 and Ryan is SAM 2,” her new boss instructed. “Bring an extra battery pack, too,” he called to the departing Ryan.
She smiled. “Easy to remember.” Laurette looked for a place to put her cup when Ryan came back with her radio and battery pack; she already had the phone in her other hand. “I left my backpack in the van.” She put the cup on the windowsill and murmured, “Sorry. Don’t have enough hands.”
“Have we got a coat small enough?” Tyler asked Ryan. “You’ll need the uniform and the pockets,” he told Laurette with a smile.
“Uniform?” she questioned.
“We aren’t in dress blues.” He laughed. “We try to look presentable, particularly when we go aboard the ships. A good pair of jeans will do, and the company windbreaker will identify you as one of our employees.”
Ryan came back with a jacket. “Smallest we’ve got.”
She put down the phone and radio before pulling it on. “It fits okay,” she announced, pushing the elastic in the cuffs up her wrists to keep the sleeves from falling over her hands. Next she stowed the phone and radio in the pockets and picked up her cup of coffee.
Through all this, Ryan hadn’t spoken. Tyler didn’t seem to notice, so Laurette tried not to show her discomfort with her coworker’s obvious disapproval. Or was it her own self-consciousness?
She sat down in the chair by Tyler’s desk while they chatted about Sitka and what would be expected of her.
“Do you have a church preference?” Tyler asked her.
“My family went to a community church near our ranch. In college I’ve been attending Grace Church. Kind of an evangelical service.” The change in subject startled her.
Tyler beamed. “My wife and I belong to an evangelical congregation. Perhaps you’d like to join us on Sunday.”
“I would like that,” she answered, surprised to see Ryan slouch even farther down the wall he leaned against.
Doesn’t look like Mr. Grouch is a believer, she thought. Don’t make snap judgments, Rette. Maybe he just goes to a different church and—
“Only one ship in port today. Season is just starting,” Tyler explained, interrupting her thoughts. “By the end of May, we’ll have ships daily. Why don’t you take off, Ryan? Leave early while you can. Could you drop Laurette off at Edith’s on your way home?”
“Sure.” The young man stood up. “I think we can get her luggage into my car.”
Tyler laughed. “You might have to throw out some of the garbage.” His smile broadened. “Ryan has a drinking problem.”
A shock wave hit as Laurette looked at her coworker.
Tyler continued to chuckle. “He’s addicted to chocolate milk. The back of that little car of his is usually piled up with empty cartons.”
Ryan looked up with a sheepish grin. “Hey, Boss, you’re making me look bad. I’m sure I can get Miss Martel and her luggage to Edith’s B and B without any difficulty.”
❧
Ryan led Laurette to a beat-up Volkswagen. “We’ll pick up your stuff,” he said as he opened the passenger door for her. He drove to where he’d parked the company van and stopped behind it, then went to open the back door.
“Let me help.” She jumped out of the car.
“That’s okay,” he said, pushing her seat forward so he could load the box into the back of the VW. He piled the duffel bag on top of it. “Can you hold this in your lap?” he asked as he handed her the backpack.
“Sure.” Laurette squeezed into the passenger seat with her pack.
“How come Jenny didn’t come with you?” he asked, pulling out of the parking lot.
“Her father had a heart attack. She went to help her mother take care of him. Did you know her?”
“We went to the same school. She’s younger than I am, but I saw her around.”
“We were roommates in college. Jenny has another year to go.”
Ryan didn’t answer her. His thoughts went to the tall, willowy blond he had expected to work with this summer. They had dated a few times before her family moved. He sighed and looked at the petite girl clutching her backpack on her lap. She had a pert face with a cap of chestnut-colored curls. Her light brown eyes sparkled with excitement. Kind of cute, he thought.
“Is that Swan Lake?” she asked, pointing out the window.
“Yes. Have you been to Sitka before?”
“No. I just read all I could find out about the place. Got a map off the Internet so I won’t get lost.”
“That’ll help,” he said as much to himself as to her. She can handle big bags and maybe find her way back to the airport. We can start her out hauling passenger luggage. Ryan stopped the VW in front of the B and B. “Here we are.”
“Thanks for the ride, Ryan. I can take that.” She grabbed the duffel bag Ryan pulled out of the backseat, and he noticed she already had the pack on her back so her arms were free.
“I’ll take the box in for you,” he offered.
“I forgot to ask what time I should be at work,” she said as they approached the door.
Her stricken look made him smile. “You’ll get used to checking the schedule. We have to be available when the ships anchor. Show up at eight in the morning.”
Edith greeted them and told Ryan where to put the bags and box. When he introduced Laurette, she greeted Edith politely and openly admired the decor. It looked cluttered with lace and bric-a-brac to Ryan. He beat a hasty retreat.
Wonder how long the good cheer will last, he thought, remembering Laurette’s smiling face. Hope that enthusiasm will keep her going for long hours and through lots of bad weather.
He waved good-bye to the women and started the car. “She’s not my worry,” he muttered to himself, “but it could be interesting working with her.” He scowled. “Still wish Jenny had come, too. She’s been around here long enough to know about the cruise industry. And we had some good times in high school.” Kind of wanted to know what she was like after six years, he admitted silently. Guess I’ll never know.
Ryan stopped by Sea-Land Grocery to pick up some chocolate milk and a frozen dinner. Still light, he thought, getting back in the car. I could work on the boat for a while tonight.
TWO
Laurette stood in the midst of the Victorian decor thinking the place must have been copied from a page in a magazine. There were marble-top tables, fringed lamps, and lacy doilies everywhere. She listened politely to Edith, who seemed to want to explain where everything had come from. Finally she broke into her hostess’s monologue. “Excuse me. I’m sorry. I’d like to freshen up. Would you mind?”
“Why, of course not, dear. How thoughtless of me. We can chat later when you’ve had a chance to settle in.”
Edith closed the door to Laurette’s room, still cheerfully talking, apparently to herself, her voice fading as she walked away.
“Hope I can find a permanent home soon,” she muttered, pulling open her backpack. Her stomach grumbled, indicating the bag of peanuts she had eaten on the plane had long since disappeared. “As soon as I’ve washed up, I’ll walk back into town and find a place to eat.”
She spent a few minutes unpacking
and had just started for her jacket when she heard a knock at the door.
“I have some tea made. Wouldn’t you like a cup, dear?” Edith offered when Laurette opened it. The woman had tightly permed white hair and wore a large apron over her ample figure.
Seeing the pleading look in the woman’s eyes, Laurette nodded and set her jacket down. She followed her hostess into the kitchen, where her eyes were accosted by bright yellow walls and flowered curtains. She started to the chair Edith indicated but stopped when she heard a ghastly noise. Had someone screamed?
“Oh, Lucy, be still. This nice young lady will be with us a few days.”
Laurette looked at the large Siamese cat wrapping itself around her legs and reached down to scratch between its dark ears. A plate of muffins sat next to the teapot on the table, and Laurette’s stomach began to growl loudly. She sat down and took the cup Edith offered her.
“I don’t get many roomers this time of year. It’s nice to have someone in the house.”
“Thank you. I’ll be here until I can find a permanent place to rent, if that’s all right.”
“Of course, dear. Will you be working with Ryan Nichols?” Edith passed her the plate of muffins.
“I have a summer job with Southeast Alaska Maritime, so it seems I will for a little while.” Laurette chose a large berry muffin and took a bite.
“He’s such a nice boy. He was just a child when his father died. His mother fell to pieces, and young Ryan took care of her.”
Laurette nearly choked. Quickly she sipped some tea, wishing she knew how to stop this conversation. She took another bite of muffin.
“Stayed right with her until she up and ran off with a musician.”
Laurette put down her cup to ask about the town’s history, hoping to divert the woman, but her hostess didn’t even stop for breath.
As she reached to refill her guest’s cup, Edith continued. “She did teach Ryan well. My friend Molly and I go to dinner at the Dockside Hotel once a month. We always make sure Ryan will be playing the night we go.”
“Playing?” Laurette managed to sputter.
Alaskan Summer Page 1