Home Sweet Alaska

by Beth Carpenter

  He pocketed the phone and started toward Emma, but Volta put her hand on his arm and stopped him. “Thank you,” she whispered.

  He smiled at her. “Anytime. Say, I thought after we’re done here, we might go for a walk by the creek. I was on the phone with DEMA this morning, and I have some news I think you’re going to like.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I’ll tell you as we walk. You game?”

  “Anytime,” she echoed him.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  SCOTT WATCHED EMMA transition smoothly from a jog to a lope. She’d come a long way in the last two weeks. He was confident she was ready for the show tomorrow, especially after talking to the staff at the stable. He’d learned that in the beginner class, ribbons were awarded based on how well each participant executed individually, rather than in direct competition, and Emma was executing well.

  He looked across the arena at Volta, who had settled in on the first row to watch. He waved, and she waved back, her smile reaching across the arena to tug on his heart. Two more days. That was all they had together. The day after the show, he was heading to Ethiopia, to a surgical clinic that specialized in birth injuries, where he would work for the next two weeks before moving on.

  Leaving was going to be hard. Ordinarily, he would be eager to move on to his next challenge. While he left every assignment wishing he could do more, there was a sense of satisfaction that he’d given them his best and that he was leaving them better than he’d found them.

  In many ways, that was true here. He’d discussed his recommendations with the Travert Foundation’s board, and they were eager to take those recommendations and run with them, so he had accomplished his primary objective. He and Emma had been working together almost every day, sometimes twice a day, and in the time he had been coaching her, Emma had made great strides as a rider. He felt confident she would continue to improve. He could hardly wait to cheer her on at the show tomorrow.

  But Volta. He wasn’t leaving her life better than he’d found it. On the contrary, he had the feeling he was breaking his Hippocratic oath when it came to Volta. First do no harm. He’d harmed her once, and he was afraid he was going to do it again.

  Not that he’d made any promises. They’d both understood, from the first day they met in Sparks, that this was a temporary assignment. She had been hesitant to let him get close, and yet when he’d asked for her help, she’d agreed to work with him, and the relationships she brought to the job had proved invaluable. It was the relationship between them that was difficult. He knew better, and she knew better, and yet they’d let these long-buried feelings surface once again.

  He’d come to Alaska to make sure she was okay. He’d found a woman who was much more than okay. Despite the stones that life had flung at her, Volta was strong and brave and in charge of her life. And she was raising a daughter to be just as strong. It might hurt Volta when he left, but she’d be fine. Her character wouldn’t allow for any other alternative.

  Would he be okay? Occasionally, Scott wondered if he’d ever been okay. He could say without conceit that he was a more-than-competent doctor. He got along fine with the people he worked with. Often after spending a week or two working alongside him, the part-time volunteer doctors would invite him to stay in touch, or to stop by if he found himself in their hometown, but he never followed up. He had no close relationships. His father was practically a stranger.

  Volta was the only woman he’d ever loved, and the moment he’d recognized that fact, he’d removed her from his life, as though her love was harmful to him. In fact, her love might have been the only thing that could save him. But he’d made his decision. Now he had to live with it.

  “Dr. Scott?” Emma was waiting for her next assignment.

  He smiled at her. “You know what? You’re ready. I think I’ll saddle up Nugget and we should spend the rest of our time today on a trail ride. What do you say?”

  A smile spread across her eager face. “Let’s go.”

  * * *

  VOLTA WAVED GOODBYE to Emma and Scott as they rode off on the main trail. He’d said they’d only be gone thirty minutes, so it wasn’t worth leaving and coming back. She had a paperback in her purse, so she decided to sit on the bench near the parking lot and read until Emma was done.

  On the way, she passed a woman who was flicking through her phone. The woman gasped. Volta turned back. “Are you all right?”

  “Me? I’m fine. I just saw that they had a big earthquake in Samoa. I know someone who was going there. I want to make sure he’s okay.” The woman started punching numbers on her phone.

  Volta leaned against the rail fence beside the parking lot and brought up the story on her phone. The Samoan earthquake was a magnitude 6.8, with the epicenter almost directly under a coastal city, and they had issued a tsunami warning. That didn’t look good. If this was happening in Alaska, she would be on her way to the airport right now.

  The woman finished her phone call and turned to Volta with a relieved smile. “He’s fine, but he says he can’t contact any of his friends in Samoa, so he’s not sure if they’re okay or not.”

  “I’m glad your friend is all right.” Volta continued to follow the updates over the next half hour. The tsunami had materialized, almost thirty people had been reported missing, and power was out for most of the island. Roads were damaged.

  Scott and Emma rode back up the trail. Emma reined to a stop in front of Volta. “Hi, Mommy. We saw two foxes playing together.”

  “How fun.”

  “Now we’re going to groom Butternut real good so she’ll be pretty for the show tomorrow. And Scott says I need to polish my boots.”

  “Good idea. You’ll want to look your best for the judges.”

  Volta followed them to the barn. Scott unsaddled and ran a brush over his horse first, and then helped Emma unsaddle Butternut. He produced a bottle that looked much like the leave-in conditioner Volta used on Emma’s hair. “I brought this shine dressing we can use on Butternut’s coat to get her ready.”

  He squirted a little on a brush, and Emma went to work brushing it into Butternut’s coat. “Pretty.”

  “Yeah,” Scott stroked the horse’s face. “She’s looking good.”

  They moved to her neck. “You’ll be there tomorrow, right?” Emma asked Scott.

  “Sure I will.”

  “Will you be in the arena with me?”

  “No, you and the others will be alone with the judge, but I’ll be watching from behind the fence. You’ll do great.”

  Emma smiled. They were working the tangles from Butternut’s mane as Scott’s phone chimed. When he looked at the screen he frowned. And Volta’s chest went cold.

  He stepped out of the stall. “Scott here. Where? How much damage? Helicopters? How about generators? Yeah, I understand. What time? Okay, I’ll be ready.”

  He looked at her. She knew that expression. It was the same expression she’d seen on so many doctors’ faces when they had to deliver bad news to the families of their patients. The same expression that had been on his face when he’d broken up with her. Calm and comforting on the surface. Only the tension in his jaw hinted at the cyclone of emotions whirling underneath.

  “You have to go.” She said it for him.

  “I do. There’s been an earthquake—”

  “In Samoa. I heard.”

  “A maternity hospital has lost all power and has been cut off from the rest of the island. Two of the staff doctors are missing.”

  “When do you leave?”

  “Two hours.”

  “But you can’t go.” Emma had slipped out of the stall.

  “I’m so sorry,” Scott told her. “If I could stay—”

  “You promised.”

  Some of the color drained from Scott’s face. Volta knew about all the broken promises of his childhood. “Sweet
ie, there are people in Samoa who need Scott right now,” she said.

  “I need him, too.”

  “I know. But they need him more. There’s been a big earthquake, and people are hurt. They need a doctor.”

  A tear slid from Emma’s eye. “I’ll miss you.”

  “I’ll miss you, too.” Scott blinked as though he wasn’t far from tears himself.

  Emma flung herself against him and hugged his waist with all her might. “Goodbye, Dr. Scott.”

  “Goodbye, Emma.” He hugged her. “You’re going to be an incredible horsewoman someday.”

  He turned to Volta, his eyes pleading for...something. She wasn’t sure what. Maybe she couldn’t hear his silent request over the sound of her own heart breaking. Again. He led her a few steps away where Emma wouldn’t hear. “I’d stay if I could.”

  “I know.”

  “Maybe I can come back after—”

  “No.” It hurt to say it, but it was better this way. “We can’t keep doing this. It’s too hard on Emma. Too hard for all of us.” She slid her arms around him. “Goodbye, Scott. Take your car. We’ll finish with the horse and take a cab home.”

  He pulled her close. She could hear his heart beating, feel him draw air into his lungs and then release it in a long, slow breath. He leaned back, just far enough so that she could see his face. She tried to think of something to say, some final words, but nothing came to mind.

  He looked into her eyes for a long moment, and then he kissed her one last time and walked out of the barn.

  * * *

  “COME ON, EMMA. Breathe in through your nose. One. Two. Three. Four. Now out, slowly.” Volta glanced in the mirror at her daughter before the light changed and she had to return her attention to the road. The calming exercises weren’t having much effect.

  She’d never seen Emma so nervous, and they hadn’t even arrived at the stables yet. Volta didn’t know much about horses, but she’d been around other animals enough to realize Emma’s anxiety could only upset the horse.

  “I can’t do it.” Emma was almost sobbing. “Not without Dr. Scott. I need him here.”

  “Remember, the people at the stable said you’re not in competition. You’re only showing what you can do.”

  “But what if I can’t do anything?”

  “Emma.” Volta used her best I-know-what-I’m-talking-about voice. “You’ve got this. Yesterday, Scott said you were so ready you didn’t even need to practice anymore, right? That’s why you took the trail ride.”

  “What if Butternut breaks gait?”

  Volta had no idea what that meant, but it couldn’t be that serious. “Then it happens, and life goes on. And you’ll do better next time.” Her phone chimed, signaling a message, but Volta ignored it.

  She pulled into the parking lot and tapped her fingers on the wheel, waiting while a pickup and an SUV jockeyed over a parking spot. A glance in the mirror showed her that Emma hadn’t yet given in to tears, but they weren’t far away. Finally, the SUV conceded defeat and moved on to the rear of the lot. Volta followed and found a spot at the very end.

  She opened Emma’s door. “Come on.”

  Emma shook her head. “I don’t feel good. My stomach hurts.”

  “All the more reason. Come on, sweetie. Get out of the car and we’ll talk about it.”

  Emma unbuckled and slid onto the pavement. Volta wrapped her in a hug. “Listen to me. If you really don’t want to be in the show, you don’t have to. But don’t forget, Grandma, Granddaddy, Leith and Sabrina are all coming to see you ride. You’ve worked hard to prepare for this and I think you’ll be sorry if you don’t participate.”

  “But...”

  Volta guided her over to a bench and sat down beside her. “What’s the very worst thing you can imagine happening today?” Volta didn’t mean that literally, of course. With all the things she’d seen in her job, she could come up with all sorts of scary scenarios, but she trusted that Emma wouldn’t be able to imagine them.

  “I fall off, and everybody laughs.”

  Volta nodded solemnly. “What would you do if that happened?”

  Emma thought for a moment. “I’d get back on the horse.”

  “So, even if the very worst thing happened, you’d know how to handle it. It sounds to me like you’re ready.”

  “I guess.”

  Volta’s phone chimed again. She checked the ID. Scott.

  Tell Emma she’s going to be amazing today. She’s a born equestrian. I’m so proud of her.

  Another text followed.

  Got to go. Boarding in Fiji. Give Emma a hug for me.

  “Look.” She showed Emma the first text. “Scott sent a message for you.”

  “He did?” Emma leaned closer to the phone.

  “See? Scott is a horse expert, and he believes in you. He says you’re a born equestrian.”

  “Is that like a cowgirl?” For the first time today, Emma’s voice was steady.

  “Pretty much. So, you ready to cowgirl up?”

  Emma giggled. “Okay.”

  “Okay. Let’s go. Butternut is probably wondering where you are.”

  * * *

  WATCHING HER RIDING that horse in front of the judge, Volta would never have known that an hour ago, Emma had been in meltdown mode. Volta’s mom sat on the bleacher bench beside her, with Sabrina and Leith on the other side. Dad was standing at the fence, capturing everything with a video camera. They’d all cheered when Emma entered the ring. She must have heard because she gave a little smile.

  There were five kids in the beginning class, including Linda’s son. Emma was probably the youngest, and the oldest might have been eleven or twelve. According to the program, they’d all been riding for less than a year.

  The judge had the riders walk their horses around the arena, and then change and walk the other way. Some of the horses tossed their heads and fidgeted when their riders turned around, but Butternut turned smoothly. Then the judge ordered them to jog, and later to lope. Several times during their maneuvers, one of the horses would drop from one gait to a different one. This always drew a collective sympathetic “aw” from the crowd, so it must have been a mistake. Emma managed to take her horse through all the gaits, even backing the horse up several feet when the judge asked. Volta applauded along with the rest of the crowd.

  At the end of the class, the judge walked up to each of the children, spoke with them for a minute and presented them with a ribbon. Two were blue, and two were red. Emma was last in line. Whatever the judge said put a huge smile on her face. The judge asked her something else, and she answered eagerly. Then the judge handed her the blue ribbon, and Emma’s smile grew even broader. Even though Dad was filming, Volta snapped a picture with her phone.

  The judge gave an instruction, and the riders directed their horses to lope once more around the perimeter of the arena, while the audience applauded. Leith leaned forward to talk to Volta. “I’m impressed. She can really handle that horse.”

  “Look how tall she’s sitting,” Sabrina said. “Like a queen.”

  “I’m so glad,” Volta’s mom said. “When Russ said he wanted to get her riding lessons, I wasn’t sure. But I knew you’d already agreed to send her to horse camp, so I figured individual lessons would help get her ready for that.”

  “They really did. Too bad her instructor had to drop out.”

  “Well, your friend Scott certainly filled in admirably. Where is he anyway?”

  “He got called away. You heard about the big earthquake and tsunami in Samoa?”

  “Oh, yes. That sounds awful. He’s going there?” The concern in Mom’s voice could have been for the people in Samoa, but Volta suspected some of it was aimed at her, as well.

  She tried for a casual smile, but it felt tight even to her. “Yes. They’ve sent him to a maternity hospital. Some of th
eir staff is missing, and they have no power, so they need help.”

  “Goodness.” Sabrina clasped her hands together. “Those women must be terrified.”

  “It’s a long way to Samoa,” Leith said. “How long will it take him to get there?”

  “I’m not sure,” Volta answered. “He flew out of here last night. When he texted a couple of hours ago, he was changing planes in Fiji. I don’t know any of the details, but presumably they’ll fly him to whatever undamaged airport is the closest and helicopter in from there.”

  “That sounds a lot like your job,” Sabrina said.

  “I stabilize them, throw ’em on a plane and get them to the hospital. People like Scott are who I’m trying to get them to, so they can save their lives.”

  Emma and the others were filing out of the arena and another group was coming in. “Excuse me. I need to go get Emma.”

  Volta’s dad, having filmed her all the way to the gate, was returning to the bleachers. “Tell her we’re proud of her. She did great. We’ll all go out for ice cream to celebrate later.”

  “I’ll tell her.” Volta made her way through the crowds to the barn, where the stable staff was busy trying to herd the kids into some sort of order. Emma climbed down off the horse, and one of the trainers led her away. Emma looked around the busy barn until she spotted her mother. She hurried over, holding up her ribbon. “I got blue!”

  “I saw! That’s great. Granddad filmed the whole thing, and he says after the show, he’s taking us all out for ice cream.”

  “Peanut butter and chocolate?”

  “Whatever you want. Don’t you need to take care of your horse?”

  Emma shook her head. “Somebody else is going to ride her next, so they took her to change her saddle. I’m all done.”

  “Well, then, let’s go to the stands and show everybody your ribbon. We can watch the rest of the show.”