Sweet Home Alaska. Beth Carpenter

it doesn’t. But we didn’t lose anyone today.” He grinned. “Volcano or no, today is a good day.”

      “Absolutely. Let’s go get some lunch.”

      They both pulled on masks, and Scott followed Volta next door. They slipped inside the store and quickly shut the door to seal out the swirling ash, jangling a strip of sleigh bells.

      The usually bustling building appeared to be deserted. They were wiping their feet on the rug when Libby appeared from the door leading to the mailboxes.

      “Where is everyone?” Volta asked her.

      “I sent them all home before the ash got here. Did Lori deliver?”

      “A boy and a girl,” Volta reported. “Both healthy.”

      “That’s wonderful. And how is Lori?” Libby looked at Scott.

      He hesitated, probably weighing how much information he should be sharing, but he must have decided Libby counted as family. “Tired, but happy. She’s going to be fine.”

      “That’s good news. You know, Dr. Willingham, it’s funny. You told me yesterday that you hadn’t planned to visit Sparks until next week.”

      “That’s right. I finished with personal business more quickly than I expected, so I decided to get a head start on this assignment.”

      “It’s no accident you were here when Lori needed you. I’m convinced there is an unseen hand that guides us to the places we need to be.” Libby included Volta in her smile. “And it brought you both here today. Even with the volcano.”

      Tiny goose bumps rose on Volta’s arms. Unlike Libby, Volta was not the sort to go looking for signs and omens, but here she was, in a village in the Alaskan bush, in the same room as a man she used to love. Was it fate?

      No. They’d burned their bridges long ago. Their lifestyles were never compatible, and now Volta was rooted here in Alaska, raising her daughter, which meant they were further apart than ever.

      And yet being in the same room with Scott was dredging up memories. Memories of laughter and fun. Of swimming in the ocean and building castles on the beach. Of feeling his arms around her when he kissed her good-night under swaying palm trees.

      “Volta, aren’t you hungry?” Libby was ladling something from the slow cooker she always had going beside the microwave.

      Volta jumped. “I’m sorry, Libby. What’s in the pot today?”

      “Salmon chowder. And those little crackers you like.”

      No wonder everyone in Sparks loved Libby. Two months ago, when Volta was in town to help with an immunization drive, she’d mentioned in passing she liked oyster crackers. Libby never seemed to forget anything. “Chowder sounds fabulous, thank you. But let me take something for Paul and Lori first. He said he wanted a sandwich.” She crossed to the cold foods case.

      Libby joined her and reached for a sandwich. “Paul will want ham and cheese, barbecue potato chips and baby carrots.” She dropped her voice to a whisper. “The doctor seems to know what he’s doing.”

      “Yeah, Scott’s great.”

      “Scott?” Libby looked at her speculatively.

      “Dr. Willingham,” Volta amended quickly. “I’ll take a bowl of chowder for Lori.” Volta ladled the soup into a paper bowl and snapped on the lid. “Please put them on the tab with mine.”

      “Nobody’s paying today. We’re celebrating.” Libby looked toward Scott, who was pouring a cup of coffee. “So, you and the doctor—”

      “I’d better take this to Lori before it gets cold. I’ll come back for mine in a little while. Thanks, Libby.” Volta grabbed the food and headed toward the door.

      “Don’t forget your mask,” Scott called.

      “Right.” Volta stopped to juggle the food items. Scott set down his coffee and came to hold them while she pulled up her mask. “Thanks.”

      “Hurry back. We have a lot of catching up to do.”

      That was exactly what Volta was afraid of.

       CHAPTER THREE

      SCOTT WATCHED VOLTA practically sprint out the door and across to the clinic. Something Libby said seemed to have spooked her. Or maybe it was him.

      He wasn’t sure where he stood with Volta. She’d looked stunned to see him in the delivery room, but who wouldn’t given the same circumstances? Afterward, she hadn’t hesitated to come into his arms for a hug. But then she’d drawn away, and an invisible curtain of awkwardness seemed to fall between them.

      She looked good in her snug flight suit, her dark hair pulled back into a ponytail. Not much different than she’d looked when she was in college. A beautiful woman.

      A beautiful woman with a daughter. Why was that such a surprise? Did he think nothing would have changed in Volta’s life in the last eleven years?

      “Doctor, come eat your chowder before it gets cold,” Libby said. “I’m sure Volta will be back soon, and you can have a second bowl with her.”

      He sat down across the table from Libby and tried the chowder, made with sockeye salmon, savory vegetables and evaporated milk, of course. Over dinner last evening, Libby had explained that—because of transportation costs—fresh milk in the villages ran four times the price of milk in Anchorage. They’d discussed alternative ways for pregnant and nursing women to get calcium and vitamin D. Libby was a font of knowledge about the challenges of health care in remote villages. They really should have hired her for this study.

      “Good soup,” he told Libby.

      “Wait until you taste my akutaq. I had to fight off my grandkids to save you some.”

      “I’ll look forward to it.”

      Libby took a drink from her coffee. “I thought last night you said this was your first time in Alaska.”

      “It is.”

      “Then how do you know our Volta?”

      He took his time with another spoonful of soup before answering. “I knew her in Hawaii.”

      “Volta was in Hawaii? I thought she grew up in Alaska.”

      “She did, but she was in college in Hawaii while I was doing my residency at Royal Honolulu Hospital.”

      “Hmm.” Libby was clearly not satisfied with that answer. “And you were friends, in Hawaii.”

      “Yes.” Much more than friends, but that was between him and Volta.

      “I never heard about that. You kept in touch?”

      “No.”

      “But you came to Alaska to reconnect with her.”

      “I came to Alaska on the assignment we talked about yesterday.” And maybe partially to find Volta. Maybe mostly to find Volta. But officially, he was here on assignment.

      “Hmm.” Libby clearly wasn’t buying it.

      Scott felt as if he’d already said too much, so he asked, “How long have you known Volta?”

      “For about three years. Daniel does a health fair and a vaccination clinic every year, and Volta has helped with two of them. She stays overnight with me when she does. We’ve become friends.”

      It sounded like they’d only spent a handful of days together, but some people didn’t take long to get to the heart of a person. Libby seemed like one of those people. “You know her daughter?”

      “Emma?” Libby smiled. “We’ve never met, but I’ve heard so many stories, I feel