The Alaska Sunrise Romances: A 9-Book Sweet Romance Collection

by Melissa Storm

  “Nothing’s wrong, but I need you here for the bouquet toss. Can you wait, like, five more minutes? I’ll ask the wedding planner to get that going right now.”

  Heidi sighed and jutted out her lower lip to blow air into her bangs—an exaggerated gesture she only used with those closest to her.

  “Louise, you know Ma will never let me hear the end of it if I actually catch that thing, right?”

  “So don’t catch it. I know it’s just a tradition, but it’s important to me, and you’re one of my very best friends. I need you here. Five more minutes, please?”

  Heidi rolled her eyes, but then smiled. “Okay, but you’re lucky I love you so much.”

  “Thank you! I’ll try to throw it as far away from you as possible. Promise.” Louise said goodbye to the relative with whom she had been speaking, wrapped her oldest friend in a hug, then rushed away to collect her bouquet.

  And a couple short minutes later, Heidi stood on the emptied out dance floor, waiting with a group of mostly much younger women and teen girls. She and Louise had played this game so many times as little kids, and every time they’d shrieked with joy while tossing a bouquet of dandelions back and forth over their shoulders. It had been such a thrill to catch the good luck charm then, but today she’d give anything not to catch the beautiful arrangement of white roses and lilacs.

  “One,” Louise shouted, and Heidi watched as the women around her tilted forward and took wide stances, ready to jump or tackle or do whatever else was necessary to secure this prize.

  “Two!” The tension mounted, and Heidi took a couple steps back to distance herself from the rest of the group.

  “Three!”

  Heidi watched as the bundle of flowers soared into the air and began its descent toward the cluster of love-hungry women. Shouts of joy and laughter rose up as everyone scrambled to be the lucky recipient. Only Heidi stood still…

  Which made it all the easier for the bouquet to land straight in her face with a whomp!

  No, no, no!

  She reacted as if a spider had journeyed from its web and landed straight on the top of her nose, flailing her arms wildly to try to get the cursed thing away from her as quickly as possible.

  Get it off! Get it off!

  The flowers sailed away, and one of the bridesmaids grabbed it off the floor and held it high in the air to declare victory.

  It had all happened so fast. Had her mother seen? She ventured a quick look around the room, decked out in all its gorgeous finery, as she searched for the one woman she knew would never let her live this down.

  Sure enough, her mother split apart from the crowd and came rushing toward Heidi with a cat-who-ate-the-canary style grin. Poor Matt was being tugged behind after her as she held on to his tie like a leash.

  There was only one thing that could be done now.

  “Bye, Ma!” she offered a quick wave, then took off in a sprint toward the door.

  There was only one guy she wanted to share her bed with tonight, and she couldn’t wait to see his cute, little kitty face. She needed all the reassuring cuddles Mr. Golly G. Whiskers could give her after a night like this one.

  Sam woke up with the sun, like he always did on summer Sunday mornings. Though he would not be delivering the week’s sermon, he wouldn’t miss the service for the world. Today, the most senior pastor, Pastor George, would be speaking.

  About what?

  Sam hadn’t the slightest.

  The old man, who was well into his eighties by now, typically made up his lectures on the spot. This kept the congregation guessing and gave it all a sense of whimsy. To top it off, one never knew how long a sermon by Pastor George would last. It could just as easily be three minutes or three hours.

  Whatever the case turned out to be today, Sam was ready and looking forward to it. Perhaps George’s talk would shed some light on Sam’s current predicament.

  George had recently celebrated his sixtieth wedding anniversary with his wife, proving—at least to Sam—that the man knew a thing or two about marriage, what led up to it, and what it took to make such a thing work. Yes, in the absence of his good friend, Pastor Dan, to give him advice, Sam would rely on whatever it was Old George had to say that day to clue him in on God’s will.

  He’d prayed and prayed all through the night, then prayed some more on his way to the sanctuary, but still he lacked the clarity he needed. He’d even penned a letter to his buddy Pastor Dan, seeking his guidance, but that would take at least a week to find its way to him in the tiny African village, and who knew how long for Sam to receive a response.

  Now there was only George and, well, God Himself to see to it that Sam made the right call.

  Upon arriving at the church, he took a seat in the front row and waited.

  Pastor George soon appeared to take the pulpit, wearing a contagious grin across his wrinkled and wise face. A good sign if ever there was one.

  “Brothers and sisters in the Lord, today I’d like to talk to you about love.” Sam’s heart leapt in his chest. Did this mean…? He quieted his thoughts and waited for Pastor George to continue.

  “We’re all familiar with 1 Corinthians 13, no doubt, but do we know what it really means? Love is patient. Patient how? In today’s society we’re all about instant gratification, but is that compatible with love the way Paul described it to the Church in Corinth? Is that the way God intended it for His children?”

  Pastor George spent roughly an hour and a half detailing how the church should live love in today’s society. As he described all the ways in which love was not only patient but also kind, protecting, trusting, hopeful, persistent, and not envious, proud, self-seeking, or angry, Sam couldn’t help but picture Heidi’s beautiful face. Her strawberry hair framed high apple-like cheeks. Her eyes sparkled with joy like he had never seen before. Yes, this could be love, if such a thing as love at first sight were truly a reality.

  The longer Pastor George spoke, the more convinced Sam became that God had sent her as a blessing, not a challenge.

  Now he just had to find her again so he could formally ask her out for a meal or a movie or whatever it was one did on a date with a woman one was this enamored of. Finding her would not be a difficult task, not if he were patient. For it wouldn’t be too long before Brady and Louise returned from their tropical honeymoon and joined him in his office for their first counseling session as man and wife.

  “Love, when lived properly and given according to God’s will, never fails,” George concluded. “Let us pray.”

  The elderly pastor gave his blessing to the congregation and asked that God would lead them in love and give them strength as they gave their love to others. Amens were said, greetings exchanged, peace granted, and so on. Sam stayed in the sanctuary only a moment before racing to find George who had already started on his journey home. Preaching took a lot out of the old man, and he often absconded the moment his final words were said.

  Sam hated to push him too hard, but at the same time it really felt as if the elder pastor’s sermon on love had been intended specifically for the love-struck young minister—as if God was speaking through one man and directly to the other.

  “Pastor George, may I please speak with you a moment? I won’t keep you long.”

  “Greetings, Pastor Sam. I always have time for you!” The two men embraced, and the moment they parted, Sam jumped forward with his questions.

  “Your sermon today was very timely for me. You see, last night I met a woman and was immediately taken with her, but I didn’t know if it was God’s will for us to begin a romantic involvement. Not until I heard you speak this morning.”

  “That’s wonderful, Sam. This woman who’s stolen your heart, is she a member of the congregation?”

  “Not exactly. She actually has her own flock. She’s the rabbi at a nearby temple.”

  George’s eyes bulged in their sockets. He cleared his throat, then said, “A rabbi?”

  “Yes, but still a daughter of the o
ne true God.” It wasn’t like Sam to argue with one so much his senior, but he knew what his heart said and he felt the Lord’s conviction.

  “Sam, allow me to be frank, for I have your best interests at heart.”

  “Yes, yes, of course.” Suddenly the conviction he had felt so strongly all that morning gave way to dread.

  “A Jewess is not the type of woman God would send to one of his most faithful Christian children. Look, I’m sure she’s a really nice lady, but turning to Paul’s guidance of Corinth once again, what about his warning to be not unequally yoked with non-believers?” He didn’t wait for Sam to respond before continuing. “Can a stool with only one leg stand? Though the Jews recognize our God, they do not acknowledge Christ or the Holy Spirit. They are not on the same path you are. Jesus said there was no way to the Father but through him. Could you really stand to marry this woman on Earth but to be separated in the afterlife?”

  Sam was having a hard time getting over George’s use of the word Jewess. Had it been okay to use such terms in the elder pastor’s day or did the old man harbor a previously unspoken anti-Semitism? He realized then that the other man was waiting for him to speak, but Sam couldn’t just blindly accept what had been said.

  “But I thought that—”

  “This is a test and nothing more. Be grateful that God has taken notice of your faithfulness. He will send a more appropriate woman soon. Until then, peace be upon you.” Pastor George opened his car door and got inside, abruptly bringing the conversation to an end, which was for the best given that Sam had no energy left to argue,

  Was this the sign Sam had been waiting for—a big, blazing STOP?

  Love is patient, he reminded himself.

  But could another woman captivate him as much as this one had done? He had a hard time believing another could fill up his heart as Heidi had, but then again, he’d never even suspected such love could be a possibility for him at all. Whether with Heidi or with someone else, Sam would find what he was now searching for.

  He just needed to be patient, to wait for a clearer sign. He had faith that it would come.

  Chapter 5

  Heidi spent the next couple days locked away in her apartment, hiding from her mother. She knew eventually Judith would get tired of being ignored and call the local fire department to have them pry open Heidi’s front door with the jaws of life if that’s what it took. But for now, the peace and quiet was a welcome change.

  Only Heidi had kind of run out of food, and she didn’t trust the Chinese delivery guy not to let wily Judith slip past him into Heidi’s apartment, especially if her mother offered a bonus tip for his trouble.

  So Tuesday morning she decided to get an early start to her day by heading over to her favorite big chain grocery store, one she knew her mother did not frequent, especially so early in the morning. Besides, Heidi liked having the huge box store practically all to herself. She relished the way the freshly mopped floors reflected the bright overhead lights, the manner in which the greeter welcomed her as if relieved to see another human being out and about.

  “Good morning!” Heidi called as she grabbed a cart from the corral. She made her way toward the pharmacy for the extra strength Tylenol she knew she was going to need once she finally let her mother speak all her much-too-loud thoughts about Heidi catching the bouquet, and the even louder thoughts she had about being ignored for practically three days.

  Heidi pushed the red-capped bottle into her cart, then decided to grab some Dr. Scholl’s inserts from the next aisle as well. She never shopped with a list, because it was much too fun to wander aimlessly through the store without and pick up whatever seemed like a good buy. Too much of her life was planned out for her as it was, but at least she could find spontaneity and excitement by daring to shop without a plan.

  Oh, I’m such a wild child! She chuckled to herself at the ridiculous thought.

  Next she swung by the bakery to grab an everything bagel to eat while she shopped. She tended to avoid the bakery as its baker was a member of her temple and refused to charge her for anything ever, but she was too hungry to make it through the full store without at least a little sustenance. Besides, big box store or not, this place had the best everything bagels in town—and really what bagel was worth eating if not chock full of sesame and poppy seeds and delicious, yummy garlic?

  She snuck a tip into the small metal can on the counter, then headed toward the produce section, taking giant bites of her impromptu breakfast as she went.

  And, oh, the butternut squash had just made its first appearance of the season, which could only mean two things: one, that summer was already on its way out, and, two, that Heidi would be making her famous butternut squash bread pudding for supper that evening.

  Okay, so it wasn’t Heidi’s recipe, but rather one she’d taken from the giant binder of delicious meal ideas Louise had inherited from her late Aunt Madeline and graciously chosen to share with Heidi. Also, this particular recipe was only meant to be a side dish, but once that combination of soft, sweet squash, fresh sage, and melted Gruyere cheese hit Heidi’s tongue, she couldn't possibly imagine herself dulling that nutty, gooey goodness with any other flavors.

  At Louise’s insistence, every time Heidi prepared this recipe, she added one special ingredient—something different each time, and the zanier the better. So she grabbed up two nice, large squash and headed toward the international food aisle for inspiration.

  What would work best? Polenta? Pesto? Matzo balls? Salsa verde? Hmmm…

  Oh, how about some Greek olives?

  Just a few would really kick up the flavor, and she could eat the rest of the jar later that night for a snack.

  Perfect!

  She took another large bite from her bagel, then walked down the aisle, passing Mexico, Italy, and Germany on her way to Greece. Just as she arrived at her destination, another cart turned a tight corner into the aisle and slammed into hers. Her poor half-eaten bagel fell toward the floor, and she snapped down to grab it before it hit the floor.

  Success!

  She murmured a quick apology—even though the other shopper had clearly been in the wrong—then stuck the bagel back in her mouth and turned toward the shelf in search of her precious olives.

  “Heidi?” The man sounded familiar, but not familiar enough to know her on a first name basis, and he spoke to her behind the other shopping cart that had been part of the collision.

  “Shalom,” she said around a mouthful of bagel before turning to greet the acquaintance.

  Acquaintance, indeed. It was none other than her mysterious male Cinderella from the wedding this past weekend. There he stood, looking just as handsome as he had that night and more than a little amused as she hurried to chew up and swallow her heaping mouthful.

  “Sam, hi!” she stuck out her hand in greeting, realizing only after he’d taken it that she had a plethora of poppy and sesame seeds stuck to her fingers. And her breath reeked of garlic. Oh, no, this was not how she’d pictured their second meeting would go. Actually, she hadn’t pictured ever running into him again, so embarrassed or not, this was still a nice surprise.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked, for lack of anything else to say.

  “Shopping.” He motioned to his cart, then searched the shelves as if for an answer. “Actually I thought I might make some falafels.”

  “Falafels?”

  “Yeah, it’s one of my favorite things. A few years ago when I was sick, my congregation sent me this funny get well card. It had a falafel on the front of it and this little guy had a thermometer and water bag and looked so sad. The inside said ‘Falafel? Get better soon!’” He laughed nervously, then asked, “Do you like me? Umm, them. Falafels, I mean.”

  Well, that was an ear full. She’d asked a simple question and gotten a crazy answer in response. Was he really this nervous? Did that mean he liked her, too?

  In that moment, the nearly thirty-year-old woman felt as if she’d returned to grade school
and now had her first ever crush. How she wished she could slip Sam a note urging him to check yes or no, so that she could know his feelings for sure!

  Sam couldn’t believe how badly he’d butchered his words there in the international food aisle. Sure, he could give sermons to hundreds, but put a beautiful woman before him and he was all umms, ahhs, and errs. He needed some kind of brass ring he could use to pull himself to safety. Glancing nervously around, he spied a box of falafel mix on the shelf at about chest height. Yes, falafels would save the day!

  So he told her all about that ridiculous greeting card he’d been so taken with and the love of the tasty Mediterranean treat that had followed. She listened calmly without interrupting, just as he—and surely she, too—was trained to do. So he kept talking, and she kept listening, right up until the point when he’d straight up asked her if she liked him. He meant to ask about falafels, but he’d asked if she liked him instead.

  Heaven have mercy!

  Fortunately, her mouth was too full to answer, allowing him to back track and clarify. Unfortunately, that meant he needed to keep talking.

  “So falafels are really quite simple to make. You need chick peas, onions, spices, oil, and lots and lots of garlic. Which I can already see you appreciate. I mean… Oh, or you could just make it straight from the box if you’d prefer.” He rushed across the aisle to grab the box of falafel mix he had spied earlier and handed it over to her. “There you go!”

  She swallowed whatever garlic-laced treat she had been eating and accepted the box, studying it for a moment before dropping it in her cart.

  “Gee, umm, thanks. I’ll make some tomorrow. Tonight I’m making my specialty, butternut squash bread pudding. It’s the cheesiest, gooiest, yummiest thing pretty much ever.”

  “That sounds delicious. I wish I could try some, too. Actually, can I come over and share it with you?”

  Wait, no! What am I doing? I still don’t know whether pursuing her is right for me or my flock.

  Heidi smiled and shifted her gaze toward his feet. He needed to stop her before she could answer, and fast.