Alaskan Summer

by Marilou Flinkman

  Laurette gulped and looked at Ryan. “I don’t have a job after October.”

  John nodded. “I know. We’ll just have to work things out. The important thing now is to get Mother moved and settled in her new home.”

  “Maybe we can rent it from you, John. I’m looking for a better job.” He looked at Rette and saw her nod. “We’re planning to be married.”

  “Congratulations!” John jumped up to shake Ryan’s hand and give Laurette a hug. “Did you hear, Mother? Laurette and Ryan are going to get married.”

  Ruth beamed. “Oh, a wedding to plan. How exciting. I hope I can come.”

  “There won’t be a wedding without you,” Laurette said, kneeling by her friend’s chair and taking her hands. “I have to have my special grandmother at my wedding.” She stood, and Ryan put his arm around her waist.

  “And I love talking with you about the Bible,” he told Ruth.

  “Do you read the Psalms like I told you?”

  He smiled. “Yes, ma’am, I do.”

  The couple chatted with Ruth until she announced she felt tired. After she had gone to her room, John asked Ryan about the trip across from Fred’s Creek.

  While they talked, Laurette put her wet clothes in the washing machine. John rose when she came back. “Time I got home.”

  “How soon will Ruth move?” Laurette asked.

  “She’ll want to decide what she needs in her new home. There isn’t any rush, but I’d like to get her settled by the first of the month.”

  “I’ll help.”

  Ryan put his hand on her shoulder. “John and I have talked terms. He’ll make it easy for us to buy Ruth’s house.”

  She smiled and looked around the living room. “There’s room for a piano.”

  “All we need is work.”

  “You can fish with me any time you want,” John offered.

  “Thanks. I’m sure the Lord will show us what He has in store for us,” Ryan replied.

  After John left, Ryan stifled a yawn. “You didn’t get a nap,” Laurette said, snuggling close to him on the davenport.

  “It’s been a long day. Did you realize it’s after ten? We’ve been up since five.”

  “And it’s been an amazing day.” She put her head on his shoulder. “You saved my life.”

  “Is that why you’re willing to marry me?” he teased.

  “That and because I love you.” She sat up straight. “I want to talk about so much with you, but I think we should both get some sleep.”

  “Why don’t you sleep in tomorrow? Come to work late. Besides, Ruth will be excited to start packing to move.”

  “I want to call my mother.”

  “I wonder what my mother will say when I tell her I’m getting married,” Ryan said.

  “To someone she has never met.” Then she added, “My parents haven’t met you, either. This could be interesting.”

  “We’ve got a few wrinkles to iron out, but we’ll do it together.” He pulled her close and kissed her good night.

  ❧

  “Mom?”

  “Hello, dear. Good to hear your voice,” Laurette’s mother said. “Dad’s out in the field.”

  “I wanted to talk to you.”

  “Is there a problem? Why are you calling in the morning?”

  “No problems. I wanted to tell you first.” She gulped and blurted out, “I’m getting married.”

  “When? This is so quick. Is it the boy you’ve written about?” The concern in her mother’s voice sent a shiver through Laurette.

  “Yes, it’s Ryan. And I’ve known him since the first day I got to Sitka. I know you’ll like him.”

  “If he makes you happy, your dad and I will welcome him to the family. Now tell me all about it. When did you decide, and what plans have you made?”

  “He just asked me yesterday, so we don’t have many plans yet. But”—she hesitated—“I would like to be married in Sitka.”

  “Well, if it’s what you want, we can work it out. Do you have a date?”

  “No. I don’t even have a job after October.” She decided not to tell her mother Ryan’s job ended in November. “I did think a Christmas wedding would be fun.”

  Her mother laughed. “At least we know your father won’t be busy in the fields then.”

  “I wanted to talk to you alone, but I’ll call tonight and tell Daddy.”

  “Do you want me to keep it a secret until then?”

  “No, I want you to soften Daddy up so he doesn’t demand I come home tomorrow.” Laurette laughed.

  “Now you know your father would never do anything like that. We trust you to pick out a good man to take care of you.” Laurette heard the sigh. “Dad may not think he’s good enough for you, but dads are that way about their little girls.”

  “Oh, Mom, I am so happy. I wish you were here.”

  “I’d like to be there to give you a big hug. Now you sit down and write me all that’s going on. We can plan this wedding by e-mail. My little girl has grown up.” Laurette heard the catch in her mother’s voice.

  “I love you, Mom. I’ve thought a lot about living so far away, but we’ll visit often.”

  Her mom sighed across the phone lines. “Yes, we will.”

  “Keep Daddy in the house. I’ll call back at eight your time tonight.”

  “We’ll wait for your call. Love you.”

  Laurette went to work at noon.

  Ryan came in soon after she reported for work. He kissed her forehead. “Did you get rested?”

  “Yes, and I called my mother.”

  “Is the wedding off?”

  She smiled up at him. “No, but we still have to tell my father.”

  “We? Does this mean you want me with you?”

  “Would you, please?”

  “It’s proper that I ask for your hand in marriage. When do we do this?” Ryan asked.

  “Tonight. I’ll even cook supper for you.”

  He took her hand, sending tingles up her arm.

  “Am I going to get any work out of the lovebirds anymore?” Tyler quipped.

  Laurette felt her face grow hot. “You told everyone?” she accused Ryan.

  “Just Tyler.”

  “And I came to work late.” She apologized to Tyler.

  “Congratulations on the engagement. As for coming in late, after yesterday I’m thankful you came in at all. Do you have any bad effects?” her boss asked.

  She grinned. “The backs of my legs are stiff from the run back down Mt. Edgecumbe.”

  “Now that she’s here, may I take her to lunch?” Ryan asked.

  Tyler shrugged. “As long as she calls my wife as soon as she gets back. Diane wants to know for herself that both of you survived that storm yesterday.” He looked from one to the other. “Even the kids were praying for you.” He started back to his office but turned to add, “And I didn’t tell her about the engagement.”

  Ryan and Laurette stood hand in hand. “We’re grateful for all the prayers that kept us safe,” Laurette said softly. “I’ll tell Diane about Ryan and me this afternoon.”

  “Fish-and-chips?” Ryan asked at the bottom of the stairs.

  “What else?”

  As they sat over lunch, Ryan told her, “I called my mother this morning. She says to give you a big hug. She can’t wait to meet you.” He picked up a piece of fish. “She also asked if she and Harvey could play at the wedding.”

  “They’ll come to Sitka?” Rette put her glass down with a bang.

  He smiled and nodded. “Said she wouldn’t miss my wedding for anything.” Laurette could see the joy in his eyes.

  “I’m sure my parents will come, too. I think my mother’s a little disappointed that I wanted to be married here, but she’s already making plans.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want to go home?”

  She put her hand over his. “Sitka is home. I belong here with you.”

  TWENTY-ONE

  There were many tasks to be taken care of the fir
st day back at the SAM office. Laurette picked up a stack of messages and groaned, “Lots to do.” She did take time to call Diane. “We’ll come to dinner as soon as things settle down a bit. I’m going to be busy helping Ruth pack,” she told her friend when Diane insisted they get together to start wedding plans.

  She decided to stop at the grocery store for something quick to cook for dinner. When she opened the door into the kitchen, she found Ruth sitting at the table. “Are you waiting for supper?” Laurette asked her.

  “Oh, you’re home. I started a list of what I want to take with me.” Ruth patted the pencil and paper in front of her.

  “Not a very long list.” Laurette saw a blank piece of paper.

  “I don’t know what I need. Will you help me?” Ruth looked like a lost child.

  Laurette hugged her old friend and kissed her cheek. “Of course I will. I need to start supper right now, though. Ryan’s coming to eat with us. Maybe he can help.”

  “I’ll miss you reading to me at night,” Ruth said wistfully.

  “I’ll come visit you, and we’ll read together then.”

  “I’d like that.” Ruth’s sweet smile sent a wave of love through Laurette. “I’m glad you’ll take care of my house.”

  “Ryan and I will live here when we’re married.”

  “Are you getting married soon?”

  “At Christmastime. And you must come to the wedding.” Laurette had put the groceries away and started peeling potatoes.

  By the time Ryan walked in the back door, pots were steaming on the stove and the table had been set. “Smells a lot better than the canned soup I fixed last night,” he said, giving Laurette a kiss on the cheek. “And how is my favorite girlfriend?” he asked Ruth.

  Laurette kept looking at her watch.

  “You have a date?” Ryan asked as they cleared the dinner table.

  “I told my mother I’d call at eight their time. She’s to have my father in the house.”

  “Where does he usually spend the evening? Is there a ritual I should know about? Do I have to stay in the barn?” he teased.

  “Sometimes I think my father would rather be in the barn than in front of the television. His farm is his life.”

  “Does he have a lot of animals in that barn?”

  “No. Just a few chickens, but he loves to tinker on the farm machinery.” She smiled as she washed a plate and handed it to him to dry. “That’s why I learned to fix motors. It was one way I could get my dad’s attention.”

  “What about your mother? Does she work on motors, too?”

  “No. She cooks, sews, and reads a lot. It may not sound like a good marriage, but it is. They do a lot of things together, but they each have their own things to do as well.”

  “You’re going to want your space. Is that what you’re telling me?”

  “I want to be with you as much as I can.” She reached up to put soapsuds on the end of his nose. “Now let’s go make that call.” She picked up a towel to dry her hands and wipe his face.

  A minute later, Laurette was saying, “Daddy, I want you to meet Ryan.”

  “So who is this guy who wants to steal my little girl?” Mr. Martel growled.

  “I am not a little girl. I am twenty-three years old.” Laurette rolled her eyes at Ryan.

  “Good evening, Mr. Martel. I don’t want to steal your daughter. I only want to ask for her hand in marriage.”

  “Isn’t that nice, Fred? He’s an old-fashioned boy to ask our permission,” Laurette’s mother said from the extension phone.

  “Daddy, will you be part of my wedding and give me away?”

  “I don’t know if I want to give you away.” The laughter in his voice gave away his gruff words.

  Ryan smiled at Rette. “I could offer a lifetime supply of salmon in exchange for Laurette.”

  Mr. Martel’s loud guffaw raced across the phone line. “You’ll fit right into this family, Ryan. And I’ll take that supply of salmon.”

  “Rette may have to catch them. She’s a better fisherman than I am.”

  “Will you mind coming to Sitka in the winter?” Laurette asked. “It will be dark, wet, and cold.”

  “You’ll be our sunshine, sweetheart,” her mother answered.

  “It’s a good time for me,” her father added. “I don’t have a lot of farmwork in the winter.”

  “Who will stand up with you?” her mother asked.

  “I’ve e-mailed Jenny. She’s the one who talked me into coming to Sitka, and she went to school with Ryan. I have a flower girl and a ring bearer. They’re the children of our boss.”

  “Sounds like you’ve made a lot of progress. Will you need my help?”

  “Of course, Mom. I have no idea about what to wear. Maybe I’ll have to fly down to look for a dress.”

  “I’ll buy the ticket if you’ll go shopping with your mother,” her father offered. “Of course, I’ll expect you to bring me some salmon.”

  “I’ll smoke some for you,” Ryan offered.

  “Now that’s an offer I can’t refuse. I’m going to get off the phone and let the women talk. Nice to meet you, Ryan. Look forward to seeing you both. Love you, Rette. Let me know when you can fly home.”

  Ryan smiled at Rette and turned off his extension phone. She visited with her mother for another ten minutes. When she put the phone down and turned to him, he sat by Ruth with the Bible, reading to her.

  “I’ve been replaced,” she joked.

  The three of them read and discussed the Scriptures until Ruth said she felt tired.

  Left alone, the young couple sat holding hands and planning their future.

  ❧

  The work at SAM continued at a brisk pace. Some cruise ships would keep stopping in Sitka until the middle of October. Most would move to southern waters sometime in September.

  The silver salmon run started in late August. John needed to fish and appealed to Laurette. “Could you get Mother ready to move? I have the papers from the home telling her what she should bring.”

  “What about the house? Aren’t there family things that should be packed for your children?”

  “Thank you for thinking of them. I talked to my daughter, Marty, last night. She can’t get away until the first of the year. I’ll try to help you pack, and I do have a place to store things at my house until she can go through them. I know you’ll want to change things so it’s your home.”

  “I won’t make any drastic changes for a while. I want Ruth to still feel like it’s home when she comes to visit.”

  “I thank God for you every day. You’ve made our lives much easier. Mother loves you and has come to depend on you. I worried about what would happen when you left Sitka.”

  “I thank God He gave me a reason to stay,” she replied.

  Laurette spent hours helping Ruth go through clothes and decide what to keep. Her picture albums took days. Laurette framed pictures of Ruth’s family to go on the wall of her new room. She would take her big chair and television. Ryan gave her a large print King James Bible and called it his housewarming gift when they helped John move her to the Pioneer Home.

  A few days later Diane called to invite Ryan and Laurette to dinner. Rette moaned, “I haven’t had any time to look for a job. Getting Ruth moved has taken all my spare time.”

  “Don’t worry about it right now. Just come to dinner on Saturday. We’re having a celebration.”

  “Did I miss a birthday?”

  “No. Just come and be surprised.”

  “I don’t know what she’s up to. I wonder if this will turn out to be a wedding shower,” Laurette fussed to Ryan.

  “As long as there’s food, I don’t care,” Ryan told her.

  She poked him in the ribs. “Just like a man. Only thinks of his stomach.”

  “Speaking of dinner, you want to go out to eat tonight?”

  “No thanks. I’m still trying to get our house settled.”

  “You’ve got months to do that,” he protested.
<
br />   “I hope to be working.”

  He grimaced. “Me, too, but so far I’ve had no response to my inquiries. I did have someone call about my offer to sell my trailer.”

  “We’ve agreed that the money from that will buy you a piano.”

  “Gives me an idea. If you won’t go out with me, I’ll go play at the Dockside Hotel tonight.”

  ❧

  Saturday, Ryan picked Laurette up at what would someday be their home. “I bought some flowers for Diane.”

  “And I picked up some books for David and Katie.”

  The dinner was delicious and the company lively. “That mouse stays in the cage,” Diane had insisted before they sat down.

  “Do we get cake now, Mommy?” Katie asked, bouncing up and down.

  Diane nodded as she cleared plates from the table. “I don’t need help,” she told Laurette. “Go sit by Ryan.”

  Ryan took Laurette’s hand when she did as she was told. They watched as Diane brought a fancy cake to the table. Laurette gave Ryan a puzzled look as Diane put the cake in front of Tyler.

  “This is Daddy’s celebration,” David said with a beaming face. “And we didn’t tell, Mommy. We kept the secret.”

  “Yes, you did, and I’m proud of you.” She stood behind her husband. “But I am more proud to announce that Tyler has been promoted.”

  “What’s this?” Ryan asked.

  “I’ve been promoted to the head office. I’ll be taking a supervisory position,” Tyler said quietly.

  “That’s wonderful. Will you still work the cruise ship side?”

  “No. I’m going to handle freight.”

  “Now don’t you two start talking shop,” Diane scolded. “I want you to tell them the rest of the story, Tyler.”

  Tyler smiled at the young couple. “I’ve recommended you to take my place in Sitka,” he told Ryan.

  Laurette looked at Ryan’s surprised face and reached up to touch his cheek. “An answer to prayer?”

  He nodded and put his arm around her shoulders. “A full-time job.” His voice held wonder as he pulled her close to him.

  “How soon do you move?” Laurette asked Diane.

  “Tyler is supposed to start in Ketchikan the first of December.” She held up her hand. “But we’ll be here for your wedding. We have to sell this house and find one to move into. I don’t think the kids and I will move until the first of the year. Now I have a question for you.”