The sun glistened and refracted off the snow, giving the illusion of thousands of little rainbows. She looked out beyond the dogs and saw everything Alaska had to offer. There on the horizon of that beautiful landscape, she saw all the things that mattered most—her future as a musher, her future with Shane and Rosie. She even saw the smiling face of her father in the pale blue skies above her.
This was where she was meant to be. After years of not knowing her place in the world, the future now loomed clear as the whitest snow. Like the world had opened up and said, “Welcome home, Lauren.”
The race was a blur. Lauren finished fast and then left the dogs to Scarlett, not even waiting to find out her time.
“I have to get to the courthouse. I have to know how things went for Shane,” she shouted excitedly as she helped Scarlett steady the sled and gave her the keys to the dog truck.
“Go, go!” her friend urged. “I’ll find out your time and then pack the dogs up and get them home. Here…” Scarlett fished her own keys from her coat pocket and tossed them to Lauren. “You’ll get their faster with a set of wheels. Give Shane my congratulations,” she said with a mischievous smile.
“I’ll give him a kiss for you, too!” Lauren shouted over her shoulder as she jogged back to the parking lot.
“Too far! Too far!” Scarlett yelled back.
And then Lauren was warming up her friend’s ancient Subaru, then she was speeding through town, pulling up outside of the courthouse, running through its doors.
She looked everywhere, but couldn’t find Shane. But then her phone buzzed in her pocket.
Shane!
“How’d you do?” he said the moment she picked up.
At the same time, she shouted, “Where are you?”
Both laughed.
“We’re at Garcia’s, out in Eagle River,” he said.
“We?”
“Yeah, me and Rosie. She wanted Mexican food, and I just wanted to soak in all this wonderful Rosieness I’ve missed so much.”
The little girl giggled in the background, and Lauren felt her heart grow two sizes just like the Grinch—or a certain Mr. Grump.
“I’ll be there as fast as I can,” she said, already running back to Scarlett’s old station wagon.
On the way to the small suburban restaurant, Scarlett called to let Lauren know she and the dogs were about to head back to the cabin on Thornfield Way. Lauren put the call on speaker and settled the phone on her lap, since Scarlett’s car didn’t have Bluetooth.
“You got third, Lauren!” her friend shouted so loud that Lauren wondered if the speaker phone was even necessary. “If this was the Olympics, you’d have a big, beautiful bronze hanging off your neck.”
“That’s awesome. Thank you for being there for me today, and pretty much every other day, too.”
“You’re worth it, kiddo. Now, tell me all about Shane. Is he over the moon?”
“Actually, he’s out in Eagle River. I’m just driving there to meet him now.”
“And?”
“He got his daughter back. I don’t know all the details, but he’s with her now. And, Scar, I have never heard that man sound so happy.”
“Looks like you’re going to have to find a new nickname for him now,” Scar said with a laugh.
“How about Mr. Great?” Lauren said with a smile.
Scarlett let out an exasperated sigh, which quickly broke apart into giggles. “That’s even worse than my jokes. Have fun and drive safe out there.”
“I will. You too!”
About fifteen minutes later, Lauren floated into the restaurant, and Shane stood to greet her with a huge hug. “There’s my champ!”
“More like your second runner-up,” she said, “But champ is fine, Mr. Great.” She smiled prettily at him, wondering what he would think of the new nickname.
“Mr. Great?” Shane laughed and rolled his eyes. “Did Scarlett come up with that one? That level of tacky has her name written all over it.”
She rolled her eyes right back at him, then waved to Rosie, who sat with her legs tucked under her at the booth. “Hello. I’m Lauren,” she said.
“Are you my Daddy’s girlfriend?” Rosie asked. Lauren noted that Rosie had Isabel’s dark features and delicate build, but her gorgeous blue eyes were exact replicas of Shane’s.
“That’s right,” Lauren said. “That is, if it’s okay with you.”
“It’s okay with me,” the little girl said, scooting over in the booth and gesturing for Lauren to sit beside her. “You’re really pretty, by the way.” Yup, she loved this child already.
“Thank you. So are you.”
“Are you going to marry my daddy like Tom is going to marry my mom?”
Lauren raised both eyebrows. “Only if you say it’s okay.”
Now it was Rosie who rolled her eyes. “I’m just a kid, Miss Lauren. I can’t make these big decisions.”
Lauren and Shane both laughed, and Rosie’s cheeks turned as bright as her namesake.
The waiter came and Shane ordered a giant combo for Lauren, insisting she try a little bit of everything at Garcia’s just as they had with the takeout from Maurice’s.
“Rosie, I happen to know a friend of yours,” Lauren told the little girl, who was coloring pictures of flowers and hearts on her placemat. She pulled out her cell phone and flicked through the camera roll. At last finding the one she wanted, she slid it over to Rosie.
“That’s my dog!” Rosie cried. “Her name is Rose like me. She’s Briar Rose.”
“Yup,” Lauren said with a smile so big it simply couldn’t be contained. “It sure is, and she told me she misses you very much. Would you like to come visit her at your dad’s house…?” She looked to Shane, who nodded for her to go ahead. “Maybe this weekend?”
“Oh, yes, please. I will just have to ask my mom if it’s okay.” Rosie bobbed her head up and down and shifted excitedly in her seat.
“That’s a good idea,” Shane said, reaching out to hold Lauren’s hand across the table. “You should always ask your mom’s permission first, but I have a sneaking suspicion that this time, she’s going to say yes.”
One year later
Lauren looked out over the sea of people as her breath fogged before her on that bright March morning. She could scarcely believe that she’d made it here. She was about to run the Iditarod, and the race blogs all predicted she had a very good chance of making top ten, even though it was only her first year and even though this was the greatest race of them all.
The streets of Anchorage had been cordoned off for the ceremonial start of the race. After all the fanfare died down, it would be just her and the dogs against the great Alaskan wilderness for more than eight days at least as they made their triumphant trek toward Nome.
The familiar shape of Ben Benjamin with a clipboard approached. “Why, if it isn’t Lauren Dalton. Good to see you in the big leagues, kid. Old Eddie would be mighty proud.”
“Thank you,” Lauren said, “but it’s Lauren Ramsey now.”
“Well, lah-dee-dah! Will you look at that? A lot can change in a year. Last time I saw you, you earned third. How do you think you’ll fare this time?” He drew a checkmark on his sheet as he waited for her answer.
“Honestly, Mr. Benjamin, it’s not whether you win or lose. It’s how you run the race.”
He let out a hearty chuckle. “Are you sure you’re being trained by the Shane Ramsey?”
Shane waved from the basket, where he sat with Rosie in front of him. “Well, I am her husband.”
“The best husband and the best coach around,” Lauren said proudly.
“Good on you, girl,” Mr. Benjamin said. “You’re going to go far.”
“Like all the way to Nome?” Lauren’s best friend Scarlett said from the back of the double sled Lauren had harnessed to her team.
“Sitting this one out, Ms. Cole?” the friendly official asked Scarlett.
“Oh, this time, it’s just the start,” Scarlett quip
ped. “Next time, it’ll be the world.” She let out her Disney villain laugh, and Rosie joined her.
“I’ll just be on my way then,” Mr. Benjamin said. “Good luck out there. Remember, I’m rooting for you.”
They all waved goodbye and waited for the starting horn to blare.
“Got Mom?” Lauren called back to Scarlett.
“Right here in my basket,” her friend answered, referring to the urn that held Barb’s ashes. Lauren had spent five whole months filled with wonderful moments getting to know her mother before the cancer took her to Heaven, and she had been grateful for every single one of them.
She’d learned that it was never too late to find redemption, nor was it ever too late to discover your true heart’s desire. Most of all, she’d learned how to be a mother to the beautiful eight-year-old girl who spent every weekend—and every other Wednesday—at the cabin with her, Shane, and Briar Rose.
So much had changed in the past year, and yet, Lauren felt more like herself than ever before.
The announcers called her name and off she went. The dogs wanted to perform for the crowd lining the snow covered streets. They jumped forward as one, tongues hanging haphazardly from their mouths and they raced through the city.
Along the trail, little kids were held out toward her and she gave them all high fives, a warm glow in her heart. Rosie laughed and tried to high five the spectators, too, and when she could reach, Lauren made sure to give her daughter a high five of her own.
Her daughter. Husband. Fans.
This was really her life now.
Just over a year ago, Lauren had lost her heart in New York. She’d never expected to find it here in Alaska among the new people who now made up her family, but that’s exactly what had happened.
And that’s how a girl who had never believed in fairy tales got her happily ever after, after all.
Loved how Shane and Lauren came together to heal their pasts and find the greatest love of all? Then you won’t want to miss what happens next!
The second book, Let There Be Light, is now available for pre-order. Be sure to pick up your copy today at www.MelStorm.com/SledDogs
Adventure is hard to come by in Scarlett Cole’s life as a small-town librarian, but that doesn’t stop her from dreaming of putting together a team and running the great race. With the help of her friend Lauren, this possibility seems closer than ever. Unfortunately, she’ll only have one chance to make a name for herself before she needs to put these aspirations aside forever.
* * *
Henry Mitchell’s grandfather decided that no one can collect their inheritance until Henry finishes grandpa’s bucket list for himself. To secure these riches, Henry’s already walked a tightrope across the Grand Canyon, ridden from coast to coast on a motorcycle, and streaked across Times Square. That just leaves the hardest item of all: he must place in the top ten of the Iditarod so that he and his family can live comfortably for the rest of their lives.
* * *
Do either Scarlett or Henry have what it takes? And what will happen when the sport places them in direct competition with each other? Will these star-crossed racers find something sweeter amidst their bitter rivalry?
* * *
Harkening to the great literary traditions of Romeo and Juliet and The Little Mermaid, Let There Be Light is a new twist on the most epic of love stories. Don’t miss the chance to lose your heart to two courageous teams of sled dogs and the humans that love them in this tale set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Alaskan wilderness. Pre-order your copy today at www.MelStorm.com/SledDogs
Afterword
Hi,
* * *
I am not Melissa. I’m her husband, Falcon. I was so happy when Melissa told me that she wanted to write sled dogs into a series and I freely offered up my experiences as a junior musher to her story.
* * *
Remember being a child and running as far and fast as you could and feeling that sense of pure exhilaration? I’m jealous of sled dogs because that’s what they get to do. They love what they do so much that in order to keep the sled in place before the race, you sometimes have to use two snow hooks and a tether. Even then, it’s not always enough. There are steel pipes planted in concrete at the starting lines of most trails, and the pipes are bent from how excited the dogs are to start running. And when they start running, everything just melts away. It’s you, the dogs, and the beautiful Alaskan landscape stretched out before you.
* * *
What you just read is fictional, but several of the scenes are very real. I spent some time helping a friend after school as a handler. I met the dozens of dogs the musher (who was also a pathologist by day) had. The team I got to work with was mostly named after the seven dwarves, and they were all white. The first time I crested the hill to look at the kennels, I saw a field of ghost dogs bouncing around, eager to go for a run.
* * *
And when I first went out with them, it wasn’t on a sled. No, they were pulling an ATV in neutral. That’s how I knew that everything I thought I knew about mushing was wrong, or at least way off. Mushing required a lot of physical energy from the musher as well as the dogs. On more than one occasion, I shed several layers of clothes after overdoing it running alongside the dogs as they ran uphill or started to tire. On other occasions, I was chilled through to my core, the wind biting through every layer of clothing.
* * *
But the one thing that sticks out in my mind the feeling of being a part of God’s Creation. Everywhere I looked was natural beauty as far as the eye could see, the sounds of the dogs as they joyously ran to their hearts’ content. And somewhere out there was the heartbeat of the world, set in motion all those eons ago.
Mr. Storm
Acknowledgments
I have a record number of people to acknowledge for this book. Let me start with my husband, Falcon. He not only taught me about the great race, but also lent many of his own personal experiences as a handler to Lauren as part of her story.
My daughter, Phoenix, is the reason for everything, including why I write stories that are meant to uplift and inspire—as I hope this one has.
Other inspirations for this series have included my dual loves of classic literature and Disney fairytales. I decided to start the series with my favorite from each camp: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë and Beauty and the Beast. I had lots of fun weaving in little Easter eggs, and hope you enjoyed hunting while you read!
Obviously, my five dogs were a huge source of inspiration and support for this book—especially our Pomsky girl, Sitka.
My readers, who encourage me to keep going whenever that self-doubt creeps in. Believe me, it always does, which means the books wouldn’t even get written without their unwavering support and sunshine. Authors don’t exist without readers, you know!
To God, for giving me the gift and the platform to tell my stories to the world.
My editor, proof-reader, assistant, colleagues, and everyone else who helped polish this book until it shined.
And my students deserve a huge thanks as well! The more than two-hundred authors who joined the course documenting the creation and promotion of this book cheered me on every step of the way. They kept me accountable, kept me on my toes and—more than anything—they taught me, too! I’ve loved getting to know all of them, but feel my teacher’s pet, Ines Johnson, deserves special recognition. If you like urban fantasy books, then check out hers.
Thank you for taking this journey with me and enabling me to live my best life by doing what I love.
Thank you for allowing me to exist. I like being here very much, and I can’t wait to see you next time in book two of the Sled Dog series.
Also by Melissa Storm
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The Sled Dog Series
Let There Be Love
Let There Be Light
Let There Be Life
The Firs
t Street Church Romances
Love’s Prayer
Love’s Promise
Love’s Prophet
Love’s Vow
Love’s Trial
Love’s Treasure
Love’s Testament
Love’s Gift
Love’s Redemption
Love’s Resurrection
Love’s Revelation
The Cupid’s Bow Series
When I Fall in Love
My Heart Belongs Only to You
I’ll Never Stop Loving You
You Make Me Feel So Young
Total Eclipse of the Heart
Tainted Love
Eternal Flame
Take My Breath Away
I Want to Dance with Somebody
Somebody Like You
You Belong with Me
She Will Be Loved
What Makes You Beautiful
All I Want for Christmas is You
Stand-Alone Novels and Novellas
Angels in Our Lives
Diving for Pearls
A Texas Kind of Love
A Cowboy Kind of Love
A Wedding Miracle
Finding Mr. Happily Ever After
A Colorful Life
My Love Will Find You
The Legend of My Love
Splinters of Her Heart
Melissa also writes children’s books and nonfiction as Emlyn Chand. Learn more about those works at www.EmlynChand.com.
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