Lana felt her whole body warm to the idea of an entire night completely alone with her husband under the canopy of Alaska’s stars. God had given her true love, dear friends, a splendid family and the adventure of His perfect plan for her life. She smiled and touched the cross before wrapping her arms around Mack to thank him good and proper. “Treasure, indeed,” she whispered into his neck. “But the Mayor shouldn’t leave his own party early.”
Mack grinned. “Says who? As far as I’m concerned, it’s the perfect distraction. They’ll all be too busy celebrating to come look for us.”
Hand in hand like youngsters, Mack and Lana grabbed supplies and were just about to set off toward the trail when a young boy broke into the clearing. “Mr. Mayor, you gotta come now.”
“No, I don’t,” Mack nearly growled.
“Oh, but you do. There’s two big men got into a big argument over the blueberry pie. They says you have to decide. And there’s some other man asking about some golden baby?”
“Tell Mr. Parker to take care of it.”
“I tried.” The boy pointed back in the direction of the growing ruckus. “He’s too busy fighting with one of them Tucker sisters.”
Mack’s grip on Lana’s hand tightened defensively. “Which one?”
“I dunno. Never could tell them apart. And now they got dresses on besides, so I’m not even really sure they are Tuckers. Mama says she rightly expects to see a pig fly tomorrow, but I can’t figure out what she means by that.”
“Teena Crow!” Margie’s voice shouted from somewhere behind Mack. “You better get on over here and patch this fella up before he bleeds all over my new dress. Frankie hit him something fierce.”
Mack growled and raised a hand to dismiss the boy when Lana tugged his arm. “Go do your duty, Mr. Mayor, I’ll wait. It’s sunset until midnight around here anyway. That’s just one of the blessings of living in Alaska.
Dear Reader,
Treasures. We seek them in one place, only to find them in the last place we thought to look. The world sees treasure as something you can hoard, but the wisest among us see the lie in this. God ignores a man’s possessions but values his soul, ignores a woman’s beauty but treasures her compassion. Why then, do we so often run after something that only looks like success or security? We try to engineer our own fortunes, but that is God’s domain. He loves us and wants only the best for us—even when it takes us far too long to figure that out. I hope Lana’s and Mack’s story helps you recognize the true treasures in your own life. As always, I love to hear from you at www.alliepleiter.com or P.O. Box 7026 Villa Park, IL 60181.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
Do you think Lana had other options than to marry Mack? What would you have done in her place? “Get-rich-quick” schemes have been around for
centuries. Where’s the “gold rush” these days? What are its dangers, and how can we protect ourselves?
Have you had an idea catch hold of you like Lana’s idea to teach did? Did you act on it? Why or why not?
Do you have a daily ritual like Mack’s evening walk? If you don’t, what like that might appeal to you?
Georgie brings out an element of Mack’s personality that’s been gone for too long. When has a child brightened your life? Why are they so good at it?
How would you have felt if you received a pin like the one Mack gave Lana? Why was it or wasn’t it a good idea? Was he right or wrong to use it the way he did?
Is the “six-nugget treasure” a wise tactic or a lie? Why?
Mack says, “People were always believing things in spite of the hard truth in front of them.” When has that happened to you? What opened your eyes to the truth?
Have events ever made you angry at God like Lana was? What’s the best thing to do with those emotions? If you’re not pleased with how you handled that season of your life, what can you change in the future?
Would you have been as harsh on Leo as Mack was? Why or why not?
Have you ever seen “the words of scripture pierce a heart”? Felt it yourself? What was the result of such a powerful experience?
If you had found the gold nuggets like Thomas Stone, what would you have done with them?
Do prayers come easy to you like they did to Mack? Or do you feel uncomfortable with praying like Lana did? If you’re not happy with your prayer life, what can you do to change it?
What’s the role of honesty in a marriage? Are there secrets worth keeping, or are all secrets kept from a spouse dangerous?
Have circumstances ever kept you from trusting someone you should have? How can we fight such deceptions? How do we fix mistakes of mistrust?
Special thanks and acknowledgment to Allie Pleiter for her contribution to the Alaskan Brides miniseries.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-8982-0
YUKON WEDDING
Copyright © 2011 by Harlequin Books, S.A.
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