Thanksgiving Groom by Brenda Minton Page A

glanced up, not smiling. “She shouldn’t have made that walk, but I think she’ll be fine.”
    Man, this guy was serious. “No, she probablyshouldn’t have. But walking was better than the alternative.”
    Staying in the woods all winter. Worse, meeting up with whomever had been at the cabin.
    He winked at Penelope and she nearly smiled. “Want a cup of coffee?”
    She nodded. “I’d love one.”
    â€œSee, Doc, that’s all it takes. A cup of coffee, a good night’s rest and she’ll be back to her old self.”
    Back to being Penelope Lear. He watched her, wondering if being Penelope Lear was really any better than being Tucker Lawson.
    â€œYour dad is coming here to meet you.” He leaned against the wall. She glanced up, her eyes shadowed and a little tearful. “I’ll go get that coffee.”
    â€œThanks.”
    He wanted out of there before she cried. Tears weren’t his thing. He glanced back over his shoulder at Penelope on the chair and the doctor sitting across from her now. Yeah, he was the kind of guy who could handle tears.
    Tucker walked out into the cold Alaska night. In the center of the town a fire burned bright, and the village residents were performing a colorful dance, displaying their heritage for the few dozen people who had showed up for the festival.
    â€œTucker, hold up.” Clark Johnson hurried across the street to catch up with him.
    â€œDid you get Wilma settled at the pastor’s home?” Tucker walked next to the older man. The ground was covered with a light dusting of snow and picked up the light of the full moon. It was cold though, deep-down cold.
    â€œYes, but she’s heading across the street to check on Penelope. She isn’t going to let you two kids go, you know. As far as she’s concerned, you’re both hers now.”
    â€œI don’t think either of us is bothered by that.”
    â€œWhat will you do, Tucker?”
    â€œWhat do you mean?”
    â€œI know you have to settle your dad’s estate. But are you going back to Seattle to your law practice?”
    Tucker shrugged. “I don’t know what else I’d do. What about you?”
    â€œBack to Germany and our church there. Last spring we didn’t know if we could do it again, but now…well, how can we not?”
    â€œI guess I don’t know how you can.” Tucker paused for a moment to think about what he wanted to say. With anyone else he’d hold back. A quick look at him and he knew that Clark would want nothing but the truth. “You’ve given your life to serving God, and what did that get you?”
    â€œWell, Tucker, it got us through a storm. It helped us heal. Our faith gave us something to hold onto. Yes, we were angry. We were hurt. We felt let down. We can feel those things and still have faith.”
    â€œI wish I had met you a long time ago, Clark.”
    â€œNo such thing as too late, if that’s what you’re thinking.” Clark stopped walking. The snow was coming down hard, and in the distance Tucker heard the choppy sound of a helicopter. “Where are you heading?”
    â€œCoffee for Penelope.”
    â€œHow is she?”
    â€œGood, I guess.”
    â€œI think she would have stayed out in the cabin all winter.”
    â€œI think she would have driven you crazy if that had happened.” He knew she would have driven him crazy…or something.
    Clark laughed. “No, she wouldn’t have driven us crazy. Watching her come to life was like watching a child take their first steps. She’s a pretty special young woman.”
    A sentence loaded with meaning, and Tucker wasn’t biting. Clark and Wilma had fallen into the trap of matchmaking.
    Instead of responding, he dug out the wallet that had been dormant for months. He still had cash, but he figured that his credit cards were probably frozen.
    They walked to a small refreshment