A Mother's Wedding Day

by Rebecca Winters; Dominique Burton

  At that Jake started laughing. “A long story. That’s all you have to say?”

  The threesome could see the humor of the situation and smiles shone through tearstained faces.

  Marta collected herself first. “Jake? You’re filthy, son. You need a shower.” She gave him a no-nonsense look. “When are you ever going to learn to take one before you come home from trips?”

  “I’m aware of that, Marta, but you’re not getting rid of me so easily. I’m going to stay to hear this story.”

  “All right.” Marta squeezed Sammi’s shoulder. “Let’s go inside and hear this before I go insane with questions.” She guided her into the charming home.

  NELS HEADED DOWN TO THE truck to collect Sammi’s things.

  Jake followed. “Nels? How are you so sure this woman is your granddaughter? It could be a trick. I’d be happy to run some background checks. I don’t want you or Marta to be hurt.”

  The older man stopped once he reached the truck, putting both hands on the side of the cab for support. “You’ve never had a child, Jake. Since my Chris died, there’s not a night that goes by I don’t wake, thinking of him.”

  He reached in to pull out Sammi’s bag. “When that girl stood on my doorstep just moments ago, I thought it was a ghost. She looks like an Engstrom. One day when you have kids and grandkids you’ll understand.” He patted Jake on the arm, then carried everything inside the house.

  “I don’t have that ability to trust. Family can let you down. I learned that from C.J.,” Jake muttered to himself before getting in his truck to make a quick phone call. Five minutes later he hung up.

  Tomorrow I’ll find out if this girl is for real or not.

  Just as he was getting back out again, he saw another truck, heading from his parents’ home to the Engstroms’. He slammed the door shut. “Of course they called Mom and Dad.”

  Sam was going to drive him crazy and he’d only known her five hours.

  Jake leaned against his truck. A little later he waved to his family. It must have taken Marta all of two minutes to track them down. By now half of Craig would know about Sam. In another hour the rest would know, too. It was one of the few drawbacks of living in a small town.

  The big black Chevy truck pulled into the circular driveway, kicking up dust as it came to a stop. Jake nodded to his father before heading to the other door to help his mom out.

  Doug Powell levered himself from the cab with ease and headed around the vehicle. He took Jake by the arm before he could open the door. “Is it really true you found Chris’s daughter by accident and brought her home?”

  The hope Jake saw in his father’s eyes was unbelievable. His dad was a quiet fisherman who worked hard to put food on the table. According to Jake’s grandmother, Doug had been a lighthearted soul before Jake was born, but his carefree spirit had died when news of Chris’s accident came.

  “I don’t know, Dad. She has a birth certificate and some pictures. I’m doing a background check on her right now. I won’t know for sure until tomorrow.”

  “But what do you think?”

  Images of Sam filled his mind with thoughts he didn’t want to share with anyone. He already felt protective of her. Though he didn’t like her deception, he understood her motives in wanting to meet Nels and Marta first, before telling people she was Chris Engstrom’s long-lost daughter. It seemed like a fairy tale that could come crashing down and hurt the whole family. He’d feel better once he made sure she was for real. Hell, he still wanted to get to know her better.

  “It would be an amazing blessing for Marta and Nels if she really is Chris’s daughter.”

  Doug reached out and gave him a bear hug, something he hadn’t done in years. “You always were my cautious one, Jakey.”

  Jakey? What was going on? His whole family was going crazy.

  Doug’s voice dropped to a whisper. “It’s an unforeseen gift from God in Nels’s older years. Maybe now he’ll finally be able to forgive himself.”

  Jake put an arm on his dad’s shoulder. “Now that would be a miracle.”

  His father gave him another giant hug. “Let’s get your mom inside.” He let go of him and opened the door for Doris Powell, Jake’s tall, thin, dark-haired mother. She wasn’t a beauty in the regular sense, but she had strength and a great sense of humor. These qualities had gotten their family through the good times and the bad.

  “Sounds like you brought home a real catch for once, Jake!” She gave him a hug and a sly wink. No doubt they would all fall for Sam’s charms, too.

  As his father led her up the porch steps, she called over her shoulder, “Your brother is following us in your new Jeep, with Beastly. He’s been having a blast wheeling it around the island.”

  “Ah, mom. Where did he find the keys?”

  “I tried to stop him, honey.”

  Sure she did. Like a baby stops someone trying to take its candy, his mother could never refuse C.J. anything. But before Jake could say a word, his parents had disappeared inside the house.

  He could hear the Jeep, but he couldn’t see it. The way his brother was driving, he’d break his new custom speakers and wheel kit. Instead of waiting in the driveway, Jake took off at a clip, running up the emerald-forested hill behind the house. He knew where C.J. had gone.

  There was an old logging road hidden in the trees. When they were young they always used it as a shortcut to the Engstroms’ house. Once Jake reached the top of the hill he saw his brand-new, four-door Wrangler wheeling up the steep incline. C.J. had taken the top off. The dog sat in the passenger seat, loving life.

  Beastly, you traitor!

  It was payback time. Jake stood on a rock behind a tree so his brother wouldn’t see him before he jumped in the Jeep to scare him.

  MARTA AND NELS TOOK SAMMI on a short tour of their home, pointing out pictures of her father as a child. The cozy place had knickknacks everywhere, a wide-open floor plan and a great room surrounding a fireplace that emanated warmth. To her friends back at Brooks—a university for the arts—this place would be a makeover dream. But to Sammi it was perfect! Exactly how a grandparent’s house should look.

  Nels reached for her bags and led her up the rickety old staircase to the upper level, which was painted a cheery yellow. The home was bigger than it appeared. To her surprise she learned there were three bedrooms and two bathrooms.

  Marta followed closely behind, pointing out the bathroom Sammi could use to freshen up in. They set her up in her father’s old room, the one she was told he’d shared with one of his two older brothers.

  “I’ll put some tea on, dear. Come down when you’re ready.” Her grandmother squeezed her hand and walked away. Nels gave Sammi a gentle nod before trailing his wife out the door.

  Once it was shut, Sammi sat on one of the twin beds and looked around the room. It was full of trophies and pictures. There was so much life to learn about and so much pain to overcome….

  She leaned back on the bed and closed her eyes. The memory of Nels and his loving embrace kept coming back to her, assuring her this was real—this was really happening!

  Sammi knew they were dying for answers, but freshening up sounded like heaven. After coming from the hot weather of the tropics to the Alaskan summer, she was chilled to the bone. The ferry ride over had been cold, and then meeting Jake…

  Jake! Because she hadn’t told him the whole truth, she wondered what he thought of her now. Hopefully, he would understand.

  Sammi felt exhausted and knew a hot shower would do the trick. A half hour later she emerged from the bathroom ready to take on the world. She put on some comfy jeans tucked into fuzzy boots, and topped off her look with a pink cowl-neck sweater.

  She decided to wear her long hair down and minimal makeup. After retrieving her father’s journal from her backpack, she was ready to tell her grandparents the whole story.

  Once she left the bedroom she could hear a rumble of voices in the great room below. What was going on? Who was here?

/>   As she made her way down the stairs her hands shook. At the landing she stopped, finding a group of people staring up at her.

  “For once you actually caught something worth bringing home!”

  “Shut it, Jeremiah!”

  Two of the most handsome men she’d ever seen came forward to meet her on the stairs. They looked alike, but all she noticed was her ranger, with eyes as green as the island he lived on. Even if he’d stayed at the house for no other reason than to hear her story, maybe he’d stick around after? A girl could hope.

  She let out a nervous laugh. “You’re a twin! I can only imagine the damage you two boys did growing up here in Craig.” Her eyes never left Jake’s. She couldn’t help but notice how incredible he looked up close. He was still in his ranger outfit and needed a shower, but there was something so irresistible about this guy.

  Jake was suddenly shoved aside and another Jake stood in front of her, perfectly groomed. This guy was a charmer and knew it!

  “Hi, Samantha. I’m Christopher Powell, but everyone calls me C.J. Only Jacob here calls me Jeremiah.” He held out his hand to shake hers politely. “Sorry you had to meet the brute of the family.” Jake’s twin gave her a sexy smile and a wink. His eyes were the same shade of green as Jake’s. C.J. was obviously comfortable using his looks to his advantage. Sammi might have fallen for his charms if she hadn’t met the Boy Scout first.

  “Hi.” She felt uncomfortable under C.J.’s gaze and looked around anxiously for Jake, who’d gone over to sit in a lounge chair by the fireplace. His green eyes were still focused on her. They looked just as playful as they’d been when he’d found her at the side of the road this afternoon.

  “Told you, Jeremiah,” he teased his brother. “Sam isn’t fooled by charm and idiocy.”

  Sammi’s attention was caught by a large dog warming himself at Jake’s feet. “That’s funny,” she murmured. “I don’t think I noticed a dog before.”

  “This is Beastly, the love of my life.” At the mention of her name, the dog raised her head.

  “Jake?” She eyed him intently. “Who are all these people?”

  “Well, besides your grandparents, that’s my brother, as you can see. The two people on the couch are my parents, Doris and Doug Powell.”

  “Oh!” She smiled shyly. “It’s a pleasure to meet all of you.”

  They smiled in response and then waited for her to sit. Sammi pulled herself together and walked over to where Nels sat on the sofa. Once seated, she could see the Pacific Ocean out the window. “What a view!”

  “You like it, dear?” Marta had just come from the kitchen.

  “I love it!”

  “I’m glad. But, Samantha—do you think you could start to explain? I’m not sure we can wait much longer.” She sat on the other side of the couch, next to Sammi, and patted her hand. “Since Doug and Chris were best friends growing up, we invited him and his family over. I called our two other boys—your dad’s brothers—but they live in Seattle and Anchorage, and won’t be able to get here for a couple of days.”

  Sammi noticed C.J. had taken his place on a lounge chair next to his parents. Jake stayed by the fireplace. He obviously liked to keep aloof. She wished he was next to her instead of over there with his dog.

  Taking a quick breath, she began her story, explaining the reasons why her mother had kept everything a secret. Sammi told them about her childhood on the vineyard in St. Helena with her mom and Aunty Edna. She talked about the owner of the vineyard, Steve de Roussillac, his kindness, and how he’d helped her mom raise Sammi.

  She spoke of the beauty of the landscape and how it had prompted her to start taking photographs. Finally she explained how her mom had just married Max de Roussillac, Steve’s son, and how hurt Sammi was that her mom had kept her grandparents’ identity hidden.

  Sammi then turned her attention to Nels, who’d been listening attentively. “I’m curious. Why did my dad leave Alaska? What was he paying you back for? Why do you think he wouldn’t have told you about us?”

  Nels promptly got up and walked to the fireplace. Sammi realized she had overstepped her boundaries, and felt the blood drain from her face.

  Marta clasped Sammi’s chin. “Your father and Nels didn’t part on the best of terms.” Her voice had grown quiet.

  Nels turned toward her, looking at Sam through anguished eyes. “My Chris was a troublemaker. I was too hard on him.”

  “Nels—you were only doing what any father would do,” Doug interjected.

  “No!” His voice shook with pain. “I drove my Chris away. One night he took my fishing boat out while he was drunk and crashed it. I was furious. The things I said hurt him to the point that he felt he could never come home until he’d repaid me.

  “I wanted him to come to his senses. Tragically, it wasn’t until his death that I came to mine. Every day since then I’ve had to live with the pain of losing my son. Bless the Lord for sending you to our home, Samantha. You’re welcome here for as long as you want to be with us.” On that note, Nels went upstairs.

  Why did you keep everything a secret, Mom?

  It was dark by the time the Powells went home. Two o’clock in the morning rolled around before Sammi climbed into bed. There’d been tears, laughter, but mostly feelings of loss.

  Her very last thought was of Jake and how he’d said goodbye to her. Had he meant it to be a final goodbye, or only until tomorrow?

  Chapter Four

  Sammi woke up the next morning more tired than ever. Her dreams had been vivid and often turned dark. She couldn’t quite remember what she dreamed of, but the demons that had haunted her over the last months were obviously surfacing.

  To her chagrin she hadn’t been able to warm up, and she hoped she would acclimatize soon. Normally, it never took this long.

  I must still be in shock.

  As if the cold wasn’t enough, she felt her heart was being torn in two. While she was thrilled to be with her grandparents, she knew her mom was worried about her.

  I know I need to call you, Mom, and tell you what I learned about Dad. I just can’t do it yet. Maybe I’ll send an e-mail after breakfast.

  Sammi left her bed and went to the window. The view staggered her, and instantly a change came over her as she took in the magic of her surroundings. A layer of mist clung to the calm waters of the steel-blue sea. Above it, tiny rays of sunshine broke through the cloud cover, bringing the mist to life with colors of yellow and peach.

  The cove where her grandparents lived looked out on small islands covered in lush green forests, typical of the magnificent ocean vistas around Prince of Wales Island. Sammi walked to another window, noting there was so much to do. From the moment you stepped off the front porch, it was a hiker’s dream. Rocky shores led up to the forest, where fallen trees were sure to be home to small animals and a host of interesting fungi. The deeper her gaze penetrated the woods, the more intense was the foliage. She could only imagine the treasures waiting to be found.

  I bet Jake knows some amazing places.

  The idea of being alone with him set off her adrenaline. Would he want to spend time with her?

  This was where her father had grown up. Sammi couldn’t wait to get out and snap pictures. How could she ever take enough photos of such a place? The wildlife, the plants, the landscape—all of it was a photographer’s dream.

  She hurried and got dressed in jeans, hiking boots and a white turtleneck, ready to take on the day. Not wanting to deal with her hair, she pulled it back into a long braid, letting her bangs sweep softly to the side. Once she learned what her grandparents had planned for the day, she hoped she could fit in a hike for a couple of hours.

  As she entered the great room, the smell of a hot breakfast wafted past her nose. She spotted Nels eating at the table while he read the newspaper. “Good morning,” she called out.

  “You’re up early, dear.” Marta poked her head out from behind the refrigerator door.

  “Is it early?”


  “Seven-thirty.” Nels spoke from behind his paper.

  “Oh.”

  “What do you like for breakfast?” her grandmother asked.

  “I usually have coffee and some toast, but I can get it myself.”

  “Oh, no, you don’t. This is my kitchen and I’m the captain.”

  While Marta was talking, Nels put the paper down and smiled at Sammi. He motioned for her to take a seat at the large, oval wooden table. “There’s no use in fighting her. Our daughters-in-law gave up years ago,” he whispered.

  Sammi smiled back. “Okay.” It was fun to have little family secrets like this. Family. It was going to take some getting used to.

  Marta brought the food over—a spread of eggs, bacon, coffee, juice and toast. Sammi found herself eating and drinking more than she normally did this early in the morning. It had been too long since she’d had such a delicious, home-cooked breakfast.

  They chatted while enjoying the morning. There were more questions about what Sammi did for a living, where she’d traveled in and out of America, where she’d gone to school and what made her fall in love with photography.

  “I would have to say Mom got me into it. I was given a Polaroid camera for my sixth birthday and went around the vineyard snapping pictures. My mom thought they were wonderful and used them as models for her own artwork. She painted a whole series of tiles that sold for a lot of money that year.”

  Nels pushed his plate away and looked at her a little more seriously than he had before. “Samantha, I talked to your mom on the phone this morning.”

  A wave of emotion almost crippled her. She didn’t know exactly how to react. How did you get mad at someone you didn’t know that well? Sammi could understand his reasons, but she felt betrayed. “How did you find her number?”

  “You left the journal down here. I saw a business card with your mom’s name on it. So I called.”

  “All right.”

  “Your mama is awful worried about you. There were times when we hadn’t heard from our Chris for what felt like ages. As parents we make mistakes, but that doesn’t stop us from worrying or loving.”