Sweet Home Alaska. Beth Carpenter

they really all right? They’re so tiny.”

      “Yes,” Scott assured her. “They’ll grow fast.”

      Libby closed her eyes and whispered something before smiling up at Scott. “All right, then. I’m going home now. Dinner will be ready in about an hour.”

      “I’ll help cook. Just let me get Daniel or Bridget to cover,” Volta said.

      “No, my kitchen’s too small for two cooks. Bridget is having a nap at my house. We’ll let her sleep. I’ll see you both in an hour.”

      At six, Daniel ran all the guests out of the clinic, including Sadie and Susie. After another quick exam, Scott left Daniel in charge until Bridget came to take a shift. Volta hugged Lori. They waved goodbye to Daniel and made their way to Libby’s cabin. Volta opened the door and walked in, calling out, “Something smells scrumptious.”

      “Caribou goulash.” Libby stuck her head out of the kitchen at the back of the cabin. “Could you set the table, please?”

      “Yes, ma’am.” Volta went to a rustic corner cupboard and pulled out plates and silverware.

      Scott crossed to the kitchen. “Anything I can do to help?”

      Libby thrusted a bowl of rice into his hands. “Put this on the table.” She followed behind with a platter of meat with vegetables and a red sauce.

      Bridget climbed down the ladder leading to the loft and greeted them. “Everything all right at the clinic?”

      Scott gave her a medical update. They all sat down at the round table. Libby reached for each of their hands. “We have so much to be grateful for today. Let’s say our thank-yous.” They bowed their heads. “We give thanks for this food, for the birth of two beautiful babies and for bringing Scott, Bridget and Volta here today. Amen.”

      Scott opened his eyes. Volta sat across the table from him, looking even lovelier since she’d let her shiny dark hair down to fall in waves over her shoulders. It all felt so familiar. How many meals had he and Volta eaten together, talking, sharing and laughing?

      Tonight might well be their last meal together. So he would enjoy it, would linger and tell funny stories to make her smile. And then, he would ask to be alone with her because he had some things to say to Volta before they parted again. Maybe forever.

      After dinner, Bridget excused herself and headed for the clinic to relieve Daniel. Volta insisted on washing the dishes, so Scott insisted on drying, but Libby stayed to put the dishes away. Then the two women fussed over getting sheets and blankets for one of the cots in Libby’s loft and loaning Volta some sweats to sleep in. Scott noticed that of the three cots left in the room, Volta chose the one furthest from his. He was starting to wonder if fate was playing with him, dangling Volta in front of him without ever giving them a minute alone.

      He reached into his pocket for his cell phone to check his email. When he pulled out his phone, something else came out of his pocket and skidded across the wooden floor.

      Volta picked it up. A grin tugged at the corners of her mouth. “You’re still carrying this around.” She examined the tiny silver horseshoe.

      “A little extra luck never hurts.” The charm was the only thing he owned that had belonged to his mother. He’d told Volta the story of discovering it wedged in a crack in a drawer. It must have fallen off his mother’s charm bracelet. One of his few memories of his mother was of that bracelet jingling when she would dance around the house. Volta knew all about that, too.

      She handed him the charm, but then she withdrew to her side of the room, still in conversation with Libby. Eventually, Libby climbed down the ladder and disappeared into her bedroom, and Volta couldn’t avoid him any longer.

      Not that she didn’t give it a valiant effort. It was only eight thirty, but she gave a big yawn. “Wow, long day. You’re probably exhausted.”

      “In fact, I’m feeling a bit restless. Now that the ash has settled, it’s nice outside. Why don’t we take a walk?”

      “I don’t really feel like walking.”

      He blew out a breath. “Then just sit down with me for a few minutes. Talk to me. Please.”

      “I—” Volta’s phone rang, and she snatched it from her pocket. “I need to take this.”

      “Of course.”

      “Hi, Emma. What’s up?” Volta listened for a little while. “Uh-huh. So school isn’t canceled tomorrow? Sabrina said she’d do cookies.” There was a pause. “That sounds fun. Is she picking you up after school? Because if she is, I’ll need to call in and put her on the approved pickup list.” Volta got up and paced around the room. “Yes, I can do that. It looks like we’ll be able to fly tomorrow so unless something changes, I’ll be back in town. Tell Grandma I said it’s fine for you to go with Sabrina.” After another long pause, Volta laughed. “All right. You should get to bed, sweetie. I love you to infinity.” She listened for a moment and smiled. “Okay. See you tomorrow. Good night.”

      She dictated a reminder to call the school tomorrow and pocketed the phone. “My daughter.”

      “I guessed. Big plans?”

      “Tomorrow is a half day at school, and my brother’s girlfriend wants to take her to a movie afterward. She’s excited.”

      “She sounds like a busy kid.” Good; they were talking. Maybe if he eased Volta into a conversation, she wouldn’t run away. “You mentioned she was asking for a horse before.”

      “Yeah. We went to visit friends on a farm. They have two horses and let Emma and their son, Ryan, ride them around in a corral. She loved it. I’ve registered her for a two-week session of horse camp this summer. It was expensive, but she’ll love it. It will be her birthday present.”

      “Horseback riding made a world of difference to me.”

      “How old were you when you started riding?”

      “Nine. That was when my father married Gayle. She had horses, so we moved to a property where we could keep them, and she taught me to ride competitively. It was great. Of course, when their marriage broke up, she took her horses with her.”

      “That’s a shame.”

      “Thankfully, one of our neighbors let me ride his horses in exchange for stable chores. He was good to me. In fact, in high school he got me an after-school job as a riding instructor.”

      “Once horse camp is over, I’m not sure horses are in the cards for Emma. I did some checking and it costs a fortune to keep a horse in Alaska. We’d be better off with sled dogs, which I’d better not say out loud or Emma will want them, too.”

      “Do they rent riding horses in Anchorage? Maybe we could all ride together.”

      “Thanks, but no.” Volta answered quickly.

      Well, chitchat wasn’t working. Maybe the direct route was better. “Can we talk about Hawaii?”

      Volta’s eyes darted around the room as though she were getting ready to make another excuse, but finally she sighed. “Let’s go out on the porch.”

      They climbed down the ladder from the loft and tiptoed outside. Scott sat on a rustic bench. Volta perched on the other end. The landscape didn’t seem so weird at night, the moonlight washing out the ash and displaying only the undulations of the land.

      Volta broke the silence first. “What did you want to talk about?”

      He decided to cut to the chase. “I never got the chance to say I’m sorry.”

      “For what?”

      “For the way I ended our relationship.”

      Her eyes narrowed. “What do you mean, the way you ended it? Didn’t you want it to end?”

      “No. I mean, yes, it had to end.