Secluded

by Alana Terry

  “Cut that out.” Willow pushed him playfully away. “Kennedy, hand me my crutches, and then you can help me get ready. Nick’s got to stay down here and pretend like he hasn’t seen me all day.”

  “Oh, wait.” Judson held up his hand. “Before you go, we have a new Christmas Eve tradition at our home, don’t we? Isn’t somebody supposed to read the Christmas story and then we’ll sing a hymn? That’s how we did it last year.”

  “You really want to do that, Daddy?” Willow asked.

  “Of course. You’re a Christian now, and so is my future son-in-law. What kind of dad would I be if we ignored something important like that?”

  “I left my Bible in the guest room. I’ll go grab it,” Nick said.

  Star leaned over and hugged Willow. “I’m so excited for you,” she whispered. “He’s such a good man.”

  “I know, Mom.”

  “You’re going to be so happy together.”

  “You’ve got that right.”

  CHAPTER 28

  AFTER NICK READ LUKE 2 and everyone sang Silent Night, Star began clearing the table while her husband asked Nick about the exact date of Jesus’ birth.

  “Come on,” Willow whispered. “That’s our cue to go upstairs and get ready.”

  “Sure you don’t want me to carry you up?” Nick asked with a grin.

  “After the wedding,” Willow answered, her voice full of teasing.

  Kennedy handed her the crutches, and they both went upstairs.

  “How are you feeling?” Kennedy couldn’t remember seeing her roommate look so peaceful and happy before.

  Willow sank onto her bed. “I don’t even know how to describe it. It’s like I’ve been expecting Nick my entire life. Like I’ve known him forever and have just been waiting for God to bring us together. It’s like living out a fairy tale.”

  Kennedy smiled and took down the dress Willow had picked from her closet. “You sure you don’t want to go big and fancy?”

  Willow smiled. “I’m sure. In fact, now that the big day’s here, I almost regret letting my hair go natural again. I think I had this certain picture in my head that a bride had to look an exact way, but that’s really just me being vain. Nick didn’t fall in love with me because I could fit into an expensive white dress or revert back to plain old brown hair. I mean, if he’d shaved off his dreadlocks for this wedding, I might have called the whole thing off. Not really, but you know what I mean.”

  Kennedy smiled and helped Willow into her cotton tie-dyed dress that looked more appropriate for a summer fair than a Christmas Eve wedding.

  The doorbell rang. “That must be Pastor Reggie,” Willow said. “I’m so glad he agreed to come do this, especially with it being Christmas Eve and all. I guess the good news about having to postpone the wedding for a few days is that it’s going to be wicked quick.”

  “How do you know that?” Kennedy asked.

  “Because he’s got two young kids, and he wants to get back home as soon as he can, I’m sure. And with as long as Nick and I have been waiting to do it right, I’m not interested in a two-hour ceremony before I’m able to take him to bed and make him mine forever.”

  Kennedy had been listening to Willow and Nick’s innuendos for nearly a week. She wasn’t even embarrassed anymore. She held out the pair of crutches. “You ready?”

  Willow smiled. “Dude. Let’s do this.”

  CHAPTER 29

  THE WEDDING WAS AS unique and beautiful as Willow and Nick’s love for each other.

  Willow was a ray of colorful sunshine in her rainbow dress. Nick wore a T-shirt with a picture of Solomon proclaiming his love to one of his brides. Kennedy couldn’t remember the exact quote from Song of Solomon, but it had something to do with comparing his beloved to a cow.

  If the Copper Lake pastor was surprised by the unconventionality of the ceremony, he didn’t show it. Kennedy figured that informality must somehow play into Alaskan culture, since even Pastor Reggie showed up in jeans and flannel. Baby Rylee was the most dressed up out of everybody in a white baby gown that had once belonged to Willow’s grandmother. Unfortunately, she slept through the procession, and Willow never did get the flower girl she’d been hoping for.

  Pastor Reggie kept the ceremony short and simple. Willow and Nick had written their own vows, and after they exchanged the rings, Pastor Reggie led them in a heartfelt prayer. After he asked God to bless their union, they signed the marriage license, and Pastor Reggie went home, taking several dishes full of leftovers to share with his family.

  “Well, now,” Willow’s dad announced, “it’s taken me twenty-one years to say this, but I finally have a son to call my own. Welcome to our family.” He gave Nick an embrace large enough that it nearly swallowed him up.

  Willow and her mom were both wiping tears off each other’s faces, and Kennedy felt more than a little out of place.

  Judson cleared his throat. “And now, a toast to the happy couple. Willow, I know that you’re a grown woman, fully confident in your capabilities, fully assured of yourself, but there’s a part of me that’s always going to look on you as my Willow Willow Armadillo, the little girl who tried bungee-jumping off the chicken coop when she was seven and had to wear a leg cast for two months one summer. And now you’re in a cast again, but you’re not letting that slow you down. And I’m sure at some point you’ll look at your feet and wish that you could get all ten toes manicured so you can show them off in those cute little sandals you like to buy, but instead of feeling sad or ashamed, I hope you’ll always realize how proud we are to have a daughter who would sacrifice herself not only for her friend but for a perfect stranger who needed you. Little Rylee may not have survived if it weren’t for you, and we have no idea how long she’s going to be part of our family, but she’s already made it so much richer. It’s been over two decades since we had someone this little to share Christmas love with.

  “As for you, Nick, I mean it when I say I couldn’t wish for a better, more suitable spouse for my daughter. You and Willow complement each other so well, and I’m not ashamed to admit that you’ve taught this old dog a few new tricks. I had no idea there were Christians who were so committed to social justice and freedom. You put every single liberal who makes sweeping generalizations about how all Christ-followers are bigoted racists to shame, and I’m glad you proved them and me wrong.

  “As for you, Willow Willow Armadillo, I’m speaking for your mother and me both when I tell you that we are so happy you’ve found a relationship with the divine that has obviously made you so happy and fulfilled and given your life a new purpose. And whatever crazy adventures the universe throws your way, I want you both to know you always have a home for you here in Copper Lake.

  “Which is why we want to talk to you about your wedding present. You’re down-to-earth, folksy kids. My guess is as long as you have food and shelter and Willow has a little pocket money to spend on her hair dyes and manicures, you won’t have a care in the world. But your mother and I have talked it over, and we’ve decided it’s time. We’re splitting up the homestead. Willow, you’re getting your grandpa’s old cabin and half of the hay field, including the income it generates. Nick, I don’t know how good you are with tools, but if you don’t mind a little sweat and blisters, I guarantee you that over the summer we can make it not only livable but a place you can truly call home. But it’s yours to do with whatever you like. Your mom and I mean that. You can sell it and go abroad for a few years, you can rent it out and finish up college, you can stay here and raise goats or chickens or grandbabies or whatever. It’s entirely up to you. Our only stipulation is that you are both in perfect agreement with each other with whatever decision you make.”

  Willow wrapped her arms around her dad’s neck and gave him and her mom noisy kisses on their cheeks, while Nick looked almost as shocked and woozy as if he’d just seen a needle coming straight at him.

  “You guys are the best,” Willow said and picked up her glass. “To the most wonderful family i
n the world.”

  “You sure you’re supposed to be the one giving the toast?” Mr. Winters asked.

  “Just drink with me,” Willow laughed, and everybody obeyed.

  CHAPTER 30

  KENNEDY LOOKED OUTSIDE the window of Willow’s room while she waited for the call to go through. Star was outside, bringing eggs in from the coop.

  “Merry Christmas. You’ve reached the Sterns.”

  She stared at her phone to make sure she dialed the right number. “Ian? Is that you?”

  “Yeah. Don’t sound so surprised. Knowing your mom, do you think she’d let a friend of yours spend Christmas all alone in a big, foreign country?”

  “You’re at my parents’ again?” She still couldn’t get the picture to settle in her mind.

  “Yeah. Your dad’s calling out merry Christmas in the background if you can’t hear him, but he and your mom are stuffing sausages or something like that so they can’t talk. Want me to put you on speaker phone?”

  “No,” she answered quickly. “I’ll call back in a little bit. Or just tell them to call when they’re free.”

  “How are things there?” Ian’s voice was easy, like he had nothing better to do than hang out in Kennedy’s parents’ kitchen and talk to her from the other side of the world.

  “Good. We just finished Christmas breakfast. Willow and Nick had to postpone their honeymoon plans until they fix the highway, so we’re all here.”

  “You doing all right out there? Your dad and I were looking at a map last night. You’re really cut off.”

  So he was there last night too? Had he moved in?

  “It’s ok. The Winters have a big pantry, and they grow or raise most of their own food, so it’s not that bad for us, but it’s causing a few problems for other folks around here, especially the ones who have to get into town for medical appointments.”

  “How are things in Anchorage?” he asked. “I haven’t heard too much lately. Are the riots over?”

  “Yeah, I don’t think anyone had the heart to keep up the looting over Christmas, but the city’s a pretty big mess. I think the last count was around fifty confirmed dead from the quake. Most of that was in Anchorage.”

  “Wow. I’m glad you’re ok.”

  “Me, too.”

  “Well, your dad’s cleaning up now, so I’m sure he’ll want to talk to you, but before he does, have you thought any more about that summer camp in Seoul? I think it could be a really neat opportunity for us both.”

  Us both? She wasn’t quite sure what he was saying but tried not to read too much into it.

  Did she want to spend her summer in South Korea working at a camp for resettled refugees? It wouldn’t build her premed resume. She still hadn’t decided if she was going to stick with Harvard or apply to other med schools over the summer.

  Or was medical school a dream of her own making? A dream that God was going to ask her to give up in exchange for something even better?

  Did she dare take time off to volunteer at a camp for people she didn’t even know and would never see again? Did she want to spend the summer away from her own family?

  Kennedy took a deep breath. “You know what? I think I’ll do it. I could use a change of scenery.”

  She could hear Ian’s smile on the other end of the line. “Perfect. It’s a date. I’ll let you talk to your dad now.”

  “All right. Merry Christmas, Ian.”

  “Merry Christmas, Kennedy.”

  READY FOR KENNEDY’S next adventure? Read her last and ninth novel Captivated today.

  A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

  I HOPE YOU ENJOYED Kennedy’s most recent adventure! It was certainly fun for me plunking her down in my own home state of Alaska.

  One of the things that makes these Kennedy books so exciting for me to write is the feedback I get from you. Your comments, reviews, and encouraging emails bring so much momentum to this project, and I’m really thankful for that!

  Of course, Kennedy has more adventures ahead of her, and I hope you follow her through them all. You might also want to check out novels from my other series. The Whispers of Refuge books deal with underground believers in North Korea and will give you the opportunity to meet the Sterns (Kennedy’s missionary parents) more thoroughly. My Orchard Grove Women’s Fiction novels are set in Washington but also share characters with the Kennedy series, as do my Sweet Dreams Christian Romance books.

  You’d think I’d have learned this lesson pretty well by now, but each novel I write serves to remind me how helpless I’d be without the Holy Spirit. I’m also so thankful for the prayers that help bring these books to life.

  My husband is a huge encouragement to me, and I’m also very grateful to my editors and beta readers for saving me from a lot of embarrassing mistakes. Thanks also to Victoria for the great cover. You’re a joy to work with.

  If you ever want to be in touch, you’re welcome to contact me, sign up to request a free novel, or check out all my titles at alanaterry.com.

  Want more from Alana Terry?

  Check out http://www.alanaterry.com for current titles.

  Sign up to join the Alana Terry Readers’ Club to get free books and never miss a new release!

  DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  For group discussion or personal reflection

  ICE BREAKER QUESTIONS

  What’s the coldest temperature you’ve ever been in?

  Have you ever been in a major car accident?

  What’s the most dangerous natural disaster you’ve lived through?

  Which do you think is scariest: flood, earthquake, tornado, or other natural disaster?

  Do you read much end-of-the-world fiction (either Christian or secular)? Why do you think these books have such an appeal?

  Have you read the book of Revelation?

  What’s your own personal attitude toward the end times? Hope I’m not there, it’ll all work out in the end, it’s gonna be really terrible, Christians won’t have to live through it anyway, etc.

  Story-Related Questions

  Kennedy is faced with a lot of questions about her future in this novel. What path do you think she should choose?

  Do you think God has one specific life plan in mind for each believer or do you think we are free to make our own decisions as long as they don’t go against Scripture?

  What do you expect Willow to do with her future? How do you feel about the decisions she’s made up until now?

  Have you ever met a new believer who’s grown as quickly as Willow?

  What is your opinion about Willow’s parents? Are they a couple you’d like to meet?

  How do you react in emergencies? Are you calm and collected or do you tend to freak out?

  If you were in the same situation as Willow and Kennedy, would you have reacted any differently?

  Ready for your next novel?

  Buy Captivated, the ninth and last book in the Kennedy Stern series, right now.