Under the Midnight Sun

by Tracie Peterson

  Yes, he liked her, what little he knew of her. They were usually working apart, but when they took meals together or attended staff meetings . . . well . . . there were a lot of things about Tayler that drew his attention.

  In fact, there were many things to like about her. The way her nose turned up at the end in such a cute way. The freckles on her cheeks, and the sparkle in her eyes as she talked about the plants and flowers. The way she could make the twins laugh whenever she saw them, and in return, they called her TayTay.

  Even the fact that she was short drew him in. She was feisty and stubborn. And she loved what she did.

  All of this he’d realized in the past week, but he’d done nothing to earn her friendship or trust. He hadn’t said more than a few sentences to her.

  Then this afternoon’s conversation was a disaster, followed by his clumsiness coming out once again. He thought he’d conquered that, but sadly, Lucy would probably have the bruises to prove otherwise.

  What was he going to do?

  A glance at the clock told him he’d better get cleaned up and back to the office to meet with Allan. Maybe he could hash it out with him if Tayler wasn’t around. And then, maybe he could make a difference at dinner.

  As he entered the dining room, Thomas looked around until he spotted Tayler.

  Perfect. No one was sitting beside her yet. He took long strides over to the table and pulled out the chair next to her.

  She turned to him, a frown on her face. Her dark eyes bored into him as if to assess the danger of the situation.

  “Is this seat taken?” He gave her a smile.

  “Um . . . no.” She blinked and her expression relaxed a bit.

  Thomas sat down and took a deep breath while he shot a prayer heavenward. Conversation drifted around him. He turned back to Tayler. “I need to apologize for my behavior earlier.”

  Her brows sank down. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “I just want to make things clear between us.”

  She sat up a little straighter and turned to face him. Keeping her hands in her lap, she looked him in the eye. “All right.”

  “I know you’ve proven that you are more than qualified for this job, and I don’t want you to think otherwise. I don’t have any qualms about working with you.”

  Her face relaxed a bit, but she bit her lip before she spoke. “Thank you.”

  What should he say now? The pink of her blouse brought out the pink in her lips and it distracted him. “Good. I just wanted to make sure you knew.”

  She nodded. “Good.”

  The awkward moment stretched.

  Tayler reached for her napkin and laid it in her lap.

  Thomas took a drink of water.

  Then she turned back to the table.

  Good grief. This was ridiculous. He was a grown man. He put his arm on the back of his chair and pasted on a smile. He could do this. “I hear you’re quite good at fishing.”

  She turned her head back to look at him. A smile lifted the edges of her lips. “Where did you hear that?”

  Thomas laughed. “John told me that you two have gone twice now.”

  Her body shifted on the chair to face him again. “John’s a fascinating man. I learn something from him every time we talk.”

  “I know. I feel the same way, and I’ve known him for many years. He’s an amazing man and has such a wealth of knowledge.”

  She nodded. “So . . . I’ve been wondering this but didn’t want to sound presumptuous.”

  “What is it?”

  “Is John an Alaskan native? You know, like one of the tribes of Indians?”

  It was Thomas’s turn to nod. “Good observation. He is. In fact, he’s half-Athabaskan and half-Russian.” He smiled again. “But all American.”

  “How interesting.” She looked around the room. “I’ll have to ask him about it next time I see him. Does he speak the language? And do you know which tribe?”

  She was even smarter than he gave her credit for. “He does. Ahtna. I asked him once to show it to me in writing, but he said there’s not a lot of it actually written down. He’s got trusted friends who still live with the tribe and come through here and advise us on the movements of the wild herds, weather, poachers, things like that.”

  “Oh, I would love to meet them.”

  “I’m sure you will. They come to Curry a few times a year.”

  The conversation dropped again for a few seconds. Thomas wasn’t about to let this chance pass him by.

  “Tayler? I really would like us to be friends. Do you think we could start over?”

  She squinted her eyes at him. “I don’t know . . . how do I know you are capable of filling that role?”

  For half a second he was nervous, then he noticed the sparkle in her eye. She was joking about when they’d first met. “I don’t know, you might have to let me go through a probation period. See if I’m worthy.”

  Her face broke out into a full smile and then she laughed. A beautiful sound. “I think I can handle that.” She held out her hand. “Hi, my name is Tayler Hale.”

  He took her hand and shook it. “Thomas Smith. It’s nice to meet you.”

  Tayler was glad to finally have Thomas treating her in a friendlier manner, but she wouldn’t forget her resolve to guard her heart. The folks here at the Curry were like a family, and Thomas could surely fill the role of cousin. That was safe, wasn’t it? A nice distant cousin.

  She thought about him throughout the meal. It was hard not to with him sitting right there beside her. At one point he’d invited her to go fishing with him sometime, when the workload would allow for it. Cousins went fishing . . . didn’t they?

  As they ate and conversed with the others around the table, Tayler couldn’t help feeling quite conflicted over her earlier conclusions. Thomas didn’t act at all like a womanizer. When Collette came to join them, he stood to help her with her chair, but he hadn’t been flirtatious at all. Emerson wouldn’t have missed an opportunity with such a beautiful young woman.

  “How are you settling in?” Collette leaned forward to speak across Thomas. She switched to French. “Have you managed to get used to all the sunlight and mosquitoes?”

  Tayler laughed and kept to the French. “You mean those aren’t hummingbirds?”

  “No, but they do occasionally fly together,” Thomas interjected, also in French.

  Tayler’s eyes widened in surprise, and she reverted to her native language. “I didn’t know you spoke French.”

  “You never asked,” Thomas stated matter-of-factly. “Collette’s brother taught me some, and then Collette helps me keep it up from time to time.”

  “You’re doing very well, I must say,” Collette offered. “I’m making it my goal to teach everyone French. I even gave Mrs. Johnson a little lesson.”

  “Oh, I can’t imagine her caring much for that.” Thomas shook his head. “She can, however, rake a fella over the coals in her Scottish tongue.”

  “And don’t I know it,” Collette replied. “You should hear how she and Mr. Daniel argue. Although it is calmer now.”

  Thomas chuckled. “I have. I’ve learned it’s best to back away slowly and clear the area. They throw things.”

  Tayler laughed and continued to enjoy their stories. Collette, she learned, had also been raised in wealth. The two had a great deal in common, so they just might get to know one another better.

  She glanced around the table. Truth be told, she hoped she would get to know them all a lot better, because—for reasons she really didn’t understand—this place was starting to feel like home.

  That evening as a group of employees walked back to their quarters, Tayler decided to approach Collette. She kept to the French language, knowing it would please the petite blonde.

  “It still feels like it’s the middle of the day.”

  Collette nodded and surprised Tayler by looping their arms together. “It took forever until I got used to it. In fact, sometimes it still fools me. I get
caught up in doing something and think, oh I should go to bed. But it’s so light outside, and I convince myself I have plenty of time, only to look to the clock and find it’s much later than I expect.”

  Tayler had fallen victim to that as well. “It is beautiful here, however. I grew up with the mountains. Beautiful, large mountains. But everything in Alaska seems so much bigger.”

  “Oui, it is like nothing else on earth. People are always saying it is heaven, but then I think to myself that heaven will be even better and . . . well . . . it is more than my mind can imagine.”

  “Mine too.” Tayler glanced out across the river. “I have enjoyed talking with you, Collette. I hope we will be good friends.”

  “Oh, but we already are.” Collette gave her arm a squeeze. “I like you very much.”

  “Thank you. I feel the same about you.”

  “So why did you come all this way to Alaska when you had plenty of mountains and wild lands to see in Yellowstone and your Colorado?”

  Tayler hesitated. Should she tell her the truth? They were friends, but perhaps an abbreviated answer would do. “I needed a change. Life in the States had become . . . complicated.”

  “Oui, I can understand that.”

  “How about you? How did you end up coming to Alaska?”

  Collette smiled. “My brother. He needed a change. His life had become very complicated too. And then there was Katherine—his long-lost love. She was here. For me, I just wanted to see the world and experience everything. But when I got here, I fell in love.”

  “With a man?” Tayler hadn’t remembered there being anyone in Collette’s life—no one she had talked about anyway.

  “Non, at least not then,” Collette said. “I fell in love with God and then with Alaska. Suddenly, I didn’t want to travel. It is strange, yes?”

  Tayler shook her head and gazed across the panorama of beauty. “No. Not strange at all. There’s a peacefulness here I’ve not encountered elsewhere. A sense of something I’ve never really known. A feeling of . . . coming home.” She looked at Collette and hoped she would understand.

  Collette’s expression confirmed that she did. “Oui. It is like suddenly all the pieces have come together.”

  “Yes.” Tayler sighed. In Colorado her life was in pieces and none of them seemed to fit together to make sense. Especially since Dad died. But here, they were falling into place. The same pieces were making an entirely different picture, and with it came a peace of mind Tayler hadn’t known since childhood.

  She imagined Dad smiling down from heaven on her—his little girl, finding her way.

  SATURDAY, JUNE 1—DENVER

  Greg DeMarco took his jacket off and hung it up in the closet. His room at the Brown Palace was nice enough. Being on Charlie’s payroll always got him the best, and he deserved the best.

  Stretching out his arms and neck, he thought about his next move. He’d sent a note to the kid. The question was, Would he show up?

  Sometimes these rich and spoiled little brats didn’t understand who they’d tangled with. But it was Greg’s job to show them. It might take a little time to extract what he needed, but he’d get it. He always did. And the kid would learn a lesson.

  It was totally up to him whether it would be the hard way or not. Greg wasn’t completely heartless.

  14

  SUNDAY, JUNE 2—CURRY

  Collette sat in church and wondered how she could do something for Matthew when the man clearly didn’t need anything. He kept to himself about anything personal, didn’t talk a lot, saw to his patients, and spent his free time hiking around or reading books.

  Alone.

  It was enough to drive her mad, because while she had plenty of ideas of what she’d like from him in the future, she had no clue what to do for him now.

  After the embarrassing flour-on-the-nose incident, she’d thought maybe it was hopeless until last night at dinner when Tayler struck up a conversation with her. Then they walked together after the meal and got to know each other better. Collette felt that Tayler was a kindred spirit. Collette had shared the story of the flour humiliation, as she had come to call it. Tayler laughed with her but pointed out that at least Matthew had noticed her. He’d even spoken to her. Which was a very good start.

  So here she sat in church, next to Tayler, trying to figure out what to do for a man who didn’t seem to need anything.

  If he was so self-sufficient, maybe he didn’t want anyone in his life.

  The thought made her heart sink and she sighed.

  Tayler elbowed her, and Collette turned her attention back to the front. The pastor was about to start.

  To her right, she heard a scuffle.

  Then Mrs. Johnson’s all-too-loud whisper, “If you two can’t behave, then I refuse to sit with you.” It obviously wasn’t the twins giving her fits, so Collette didn’t need another guess to figure out who was in the pew with her.

  Chuckles echoed throughout the room.

  Pastor Wilcox stood at the podium and eyed Mrs. Johnson’s pew. “I’ll wait until you gentlemen decide.”

  More chuckles. Especially since everyone knew that one of the men was the pastor’s brother.

  Collette got up the nerve to glance over there and saw Bertram Wilcox and Daniel Ferguson straighten in their seats and smile at the pastor. Mrs. Johnson sat between them, looking completely and utterly miserable. The poor woman.

  The pastor then cleared his throat. “This morning we have the privilege of using our brand-new hymnals. They were donated to the church anonymously, and I have enjoyed perusing the pages. What a wonderful gift for our little church body.”

  Several amens and thank-yous were heard throughout the room, and several people clapped.

  “This morning, I thought it appropriate to begin our service with a poem I read recently by Rhea F. Miller. It’s entitled, ‘I’d Rather Have Jesus.’ The words brought tears to my eyes the first time I read it.

  “I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold;

  I’d rather be His than have riches untold;

  I’d rather have Jesus than houses or lands;

  I’d rather be led by His nail-pierced hand.

  “Than to be the king of a vast domain

  Or be held in sin’s dread sway,

  I’d rather have Jesus than anything

  This world affords today.

  “I’d rather have Jesus than men’s applause;

  I’d rather be faithful to His dear cause;

  I’d rather have Jesus than worldwide fame;

  I’d rather be true to His holy name. . . .”

  Collette allowed the words to wash over her as the pastor read the rest of the poem.

  At this point, she realized the pastor had been correct. She had tears in her eyes and prayed that the longing of her heart would always be for Jesus first.

  “Now please turn in your hymnals to Fanny Crosby’s hymn ‘Give Me Jesus.’”

  The pastor led them into the song.

  Take the world, but give me Jesus,

  All its joys are but a name;

  But His love abideth ever,

  Through eternal years the same.

  Oh, the height and depth of mercy!

  Oh, the length and breadth of love!

  Oh, the fullness of redemption,

  Pledge of endless life above!

  After the first verse, Collette wanted to sing this song from the hilltops. She ventured into verse two and sang along with the congregation.

  Take the world, but give me Jesus,

  Sweetest comfort of my soul;

  With my Savior watching o’er me,

  I can sing though billows roll.

  Oh, the height and depth of mercy!

  Oh, the length and breadth of love!

  Oh, the fullness of redemption,

  Pledge of endless life above!

  She felt a tap on her right as the congregation continued. Looking up from the hymnal, she looked into the eyes of none other than M
atthew Reilly.

  “Excuse me. It’s quite full. Might I sit here?”

  “But of course.” She nudged Tayler to move over so there was room for Matthew. Since there wasn’t another hymnal, she offered to share with him.

  Matthew’s deep bass voice singing out sent shivers down her spine. This must be what heaven was like. To sing praises to their Savior all day long.

  Oh, the height and depth of mercy!

  Oh, the length and breadth of love!

  Oh, the fullness of redemption,

  Pledge of endless life above!

  As they finished the song, Collette swiped a tear off her cheek. The hymn had moved her beyond words, and she felt refreshed and joyful. Take the world, but give me Jesus! Yes, she would rather have Jesus. More than anything.

  Then Matthew moved next to her, and she realized that the man she’d been thinking about more than anything was right beside her.

  Her heart felt instantly convicted. All this time, she’d been thinking of Matthew left and right, but if she truly was following Christ, then she would have the attitude of the hymn she’d just sung.

  Maybe she needed to spend a little more time in prayer and a little less time obsessing over the good doctor. And she could start right now—by sitting in church and listening to the pastor preach the Word and completely ignoring the fact that the man she was attracted to was sitting with her. On the very same pew. Right. Next. To. Her.

  She shook her head and focused her attention forward. Lord, I need Your assistance here. Help me to pay attention to You rather than the handsome man next to me.

  As the congregation rose for the benediction, Collette let out a slow breath. That hadn’t been so hard. And she’d learned a great deal. But now that the service was ending, she didn’t want Matthew to leave. What could she do?

  Pastor Wilcox said an amen, and then Tayler saved the day. “Dr. Reilly, it’s so good to see you again.” She spoke around Collette, successfully sandwiching her between Matthew and herself.

  Matthew smiled at them both. “And you as well. How’s the new job coming?”

  “Quite well, thank you.” Tayler laughed. “I’ll try to stop sending you so many patients.”

  The handsome doctor shook his head. “If the people would simply read the instructions about sensible footwear and appropriate clothing, I’m sure we would avoid many of the mishaps.”