A/N: Another double chapter post today, September 24th, so be sure you've read Chapter 46 before this one!

It's a beautiful fall morning in my neck of the woods. I hope you're enjoying a great day as well. If you're not, I hope this story helps to life your spirits and give you a distraction from whatever your stresses may be. I know many of you are in difficult situations and have shared those with me. I'm thinking of you and pushing forward to give you the best I've got to offer. I only wish I could do more. May this chapter give you hope that there's always a way.

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Chapter 47: Reflections of the Past

The postal worker opened the gate, allowing Bo and LJ to pass. They walked down the aisles until they arrived at box 377,

"This is it," LJ said, as he pulled the chain that held the key over his head and inserted it into the keyhole. When it was open, he slid the drawer out of its compartment and placed it on the table behind him. Again, he used the key to open the top of the box, flipping open the lid to reveal an envelope and a blue velvet box inside.

"Now what?" He asked.

Bo pointed, "Blue box first."

He lifted the blue box out of the compartment and opened it, finding two gold bands and a diamond ring. Lifting the gold bands up first, he looked at Bo,

"Did these belong to my parents?"

Bo shook her head, "These belonged to your mom's parents. Read the inscription."

He held the inscription close, reading the words from the thinner band first, "Heart to heart, love eternal."

Bo nodded, "Read the other."

He leaned in and read the other ring, "Soul to soul, love eternal."

Bo smiled as he looked up and said, "That's beautiful."

She nodded, "Your grandparents on your mom's side gave those rings to each other. The diamond is her engagement ring. Your mom asked me to tell you the story behind the rings."

"She told you the story?"

Bo nodded, "It was several days after my dogs had been killed. Your mom had been in Anchorage to load supplies onto the train because a particularly large load was coming in from the lower forty-eight."

LJ nodded, "Yea, that happens once in a while."

Bo nodded, "The train was late because of bad weather, so she called your dad and told him she was spending the night rather than try to make the drive back. She stayed at Shirley's."

"Isn't that where you stayed after your dogs were killed?"

Bo smiled, "That's what Shirley and I led everyone to believe. In reality, I would make an appearance for a meal, then head up to my room. When it was dark out, I would take the fire escape down and take off on foot into the woods until I got to the barn on her personal property where she kept my tin dog. I'd take that out to Kurt and Kyle's farm where my pups were."

"You were sleeping in her barn."

Bo nodded, "Yup. It wasn't safe for me to stay in one of her rooms anymore after things came to a head with Big Jim, so it was the best option – for everyone."

"You didn't want them to come after Shirley."

Bo sighed, "And I also didn't want to draw attention to Kyle and Kurt. They weren't on his radar and I wanted to keep it that way."

"I'm sure they would have done what they had to do if he came around."

Bo shook her head, "Remember, LJ, I didn't have friends back then. Kyle and Kurt were just as wary of me as everyone else. What I didn't know was that Tamsin had come into town and she was… let's just say encouraging people in key positions – behind the scenes – to help me out."

"Shirley too?"

Bo nodded, "And Dyson, Hale and your Pops."

"I didn't realize…"

She smiled, "LJ, you were so young back then – maybe eight years old? But I used to watch you when I came into town. You were like the Artful Dodger weaving in and out of clothes racks to hear adult conversations."

"I'd like to think I was more Sherlock Holmes or one of the Hardy Boys. I liked detective stuff."

Bo grinned, "I guess that's why you always got along with Dyson and Hale."

"Yea, but my dad didn't like me hanging out with them."

"They were afraid you'd let slip some of what you'd heard."

LJ nodded, "I guess that's true now that I know everything that was going on. So, what happened that night?"

"Well, when I went up to my room after my meal, your mom was watching me and tried to follow me to my room. It was late, so I pretty much went into the room and headed straight out the window and down the fire escape."

Bo chuckled, "She caught on quick – your mom was smart like that. She followed me into the woods to the barn. When I saw her, knowing who she was, I was immediately afraid she was sent to do me harm. I drew my knife and my axe which caused her to put up her hands, showing me that she was unarmed."

Bo lowered her eyes, "There was a bit of a verbal standoff."

"You had every reason not to trust her."

She nodded her agreement, "But when she stepped into the headlights of the tin dog… I don't know, LJ… I just trusted her. There was something in her eyes. But still, I didn't want her to know about my dogs – just in case. So I led her to believe I was just coming back to where I was living… in Shirley's barn, rather than head out to Kyle and Kurt's farm. I knew they would take care of my dogs if I didn't show up. We had an agreement."

Bo sighed, thankful they'd never had to test that, "So, I unpacked my bag and started a fire, pulled out a rabbit I had left over from one of my traps and started to prep it to cook."

Bo chuckled, remembering their dinner, "We shared some rabbit stew. She was impressed by my cooking abilities. Anyway, eventually, things got serious and we talked about you. She knew I didn't try to kill you. She believed you when you told her I saved you – about how you chased me because you wanted to go where I was going… you wanted to run away."

With teary eyes, she continued, "She was heartbroken that you wanted to run away from home, but she told me that living with Big Jim was no place for a child… that living with your dad was unbearable for her, but she had no way out. She asked me if I could take you away… for her… to save you, but I told her he would find us. We talked about all of the possibilities but nothing – including Tosh's plan – would succeed. So, she began to set up a nest egg for you. She wanted you to have a way out if you ever needed one."

Bo reached out and closed the box, "Like your grandfather's ring, these are not to be sold unless you are beyond desperate. The skills I'm teaching you are so you never get to that point, LJ. If you can survive off grid, you don't need what this world offers. Material possessions are trappings – they keep you here and make you soft."

"So, you're soft now?"

Bo nodded, "More than I'd like to admit. In my ideal world, Lauren would leave all of this behind to live out in the wild with me... all of you would. That was the whole idea behind building the cabins on the river."

"You got your wish then?"

Shaking her head, she lowered her eyes, "Civilization is too close and as much as I love my new friends and family, they rely too much on the things in town. Jobs and money, trucks and restaurants… they're part of that world and I either find a way to live there or lose everything I've gained."

"So, you don't mind the material possessions?"

"I don't mind people – not as much as I used to. I still mind the possessions, but some are necessary for racing and to keep a kennel."

He looked down at the rings, "Possessions were part of my mom's world."

Bo shook her head, "Those rings aren't possessions, LJ. Those rings are a promise… a symbol of the kind of love your mom once knew before she married into the Morton Clan. Those are the kind of possessions you keep to remind you of the good part of your soul. They are to be passed down to your kin with the story so your mom's side of the family lives on and the Morton's side gets buried."

She put the velvet box from him, closing it and dropping it into the box. She removed the envelope,

"This is what she left for you to use as you see fit. Now, I'll be honest, LJ. She wanted you to go to college. She wanted you to get out of this town. But now, seeing the family that she never could have predicted you would have and the opportunities for your future, I think she would want you to travel the path that will make you happy."

Bo smiled, "Your great grandfather and your dad are no longer standing in your way. You can stay here and be happy or go seek happiness elsewhere. Whatever you decide, Pops and I will support your choice."

He nodded, taking the envelope with shaky hands as Bo spoke,

"Pops and I have no idea what's in that envelope. We only know that it can help you to achieve your goals and that it needs our signatures on it before you can use it. With your grandfather's sickness, he felt it important to sign it now. If you want to keep it safe, don't have us sign it right now. If we don't, Judge Payne has a copy and there is a legal process that he can pass down when he retires to ensure you will be able to use what's in that envelope should something happen to us."

"Sounds complicated."

Bo smiled, "Bottom line, to use what's in that envelope, we need to sign the document. If we're dead, go to Judge Payne or his successor and he'll handle the replacement signatures."

"Oh. Okay. That's easier," he smiled, turning the envelope over and over in his hands.

"Something wrong?" Bo asked.

He shook his head, "This is it, huh? I mean, after I open it, there's nothing else?"

Bo shook her head, "I'm afraid not. I mean, not from me, anyway. I'm not sure if there's anything else your Pops is holding back or not. He didn't mention there was."

LJ nodded, still not making a move to open the envelope.

"LJ?"

"Sorry. It's just that… when I open it, it will be like she's dead all over again."

Bo nodded, now understanding what he must be feeling. She hadn't thought about how this process might make him feel. It was like his mom was alive again and once they walked out of this room, that would be it. Then, she remembered something his mom had said in her letter,

"LJ, let's just be here with her in the here and now. Let's give her this moment as she imagined it would be. She would be excited watching you open this letter – anticipating your reaction to a plan she spent years putting into action. She would be grinning ear to ear right now… remember, she said she'd always be with you."

He smiled, giving Bo a nod through his tears which fell freely now,

"Sorry. It's… emotional."

Bo nodded, "My dad was an asshole, and my mom is now alive again, so I can only imagine."

"Are you glad he's dead?" LJ asked.

"Big Jim? Yes. The dad I miss is the one that I imagined for almost a decade when my PTSD had helped me forget who he really was."

LJ smiled, "That must have been bliss."

"It was," Bo nodded, "I guess we hit the mom jackpot, huh? We both had moms who did screwed up stuff to protect us."

"I'm glad you have Aunt Mary," he smiled, "Hell, I'm glad I have Aunt Mary… and Rudy and Elise. I'm a pretty lucky guy, huh?"

Bo smiled, "I think so."

"I want to do something for Lauren… for your wedding. I went for a walk last night after I got home. When I walked past the clinic, I found this," he reached into his pocket, pulling out a penny,

"I know pennies are a thing with you two, Rudy and Elise. I found it heads up. I thought about how my mom put the penny we found in a bottle and that reminded me of how you made that glass ball for that musher last year… you know, the one that held his belt buckle. Remember that?"

Bo smiled, "Oh right! I forgot about that. I spent hours by the forge trying to figure out how to build up a ball around the buckle because it kept wanting to take the same shape. Eventually, I figured it out."

LJ nodded, "It reminded me of a glass picture frame."

"I guess it kind of was."

LJ smiled, "Do you remember the worry stone I gave to Lauren when she first got here and we had that polar bear encounter? She was so freaked out about the possibility of a bear walking into her clinic."

The pair laughed, Bo asking, "I wonder if she still has that stone."

LJ nodded, "It's on her desk. I saw it the week before we left for the Iditarod. Lynnie said she uses it when she's doing paperwork at her desk and other things that involve thought. She said she rubs the hell out of it with her thumb when she's on a difficult phone call."

Bo smiled, "Sounds like Lauren."

"I was thinking that maybe you could make her a clear glass version with this penny? I mean, it's a gift from me, so I would pay you for it, but it would still kind of be a gift from both of us since you're making it. What do you think?"

Bo looked at the penny, smiling when she saw the date, "It's a 2019 penny. That's the year we met."

"Really? I didn't notice. We met on the same day, just a few hours earlier."

Bo nodded, "December of 2019. Best day of my life."

LJ smiled, "Mine too. She's a great woman, Bo. I hope I find someone who makes me as happy as Lauren makes you."

Bo cocked her head, lowering her eyes as she spoke,

"You know, Lauren taught me something about that. She taught me that it takes a lot of different things to live a truly happy life. It's about how you perceive the daily events of your life and the choices you make in response to those perceptions."

She placed a hand on her chest, "I can't expect Lauren to make me happy. Holding her responsible for my happiness would mean, by definition, that she doesn't get to do things that make her happy. She likes working in healthcare, so asking her to drop that to work at the kennel for my happiness would be wrong. Does that make sense to you?"

"Like what you said earlier about your ideal life being living with her off-grid. Your compromise is living slightly off-grid in the middle of nowhere."

Bo chuckled, "Simply put, I can't ask her to exchange her happiness for mine. We both have to be happy. Partners can choose to make sacrifices or compromise once in a while, but if you're the one always giving up your dreams, you'll end up miserable."

LJ smiled, "Sort of like you playing the part at this Gala tonight?"

Bo smiled, "Exactly like that. I'll do what I have to do for her sake tonight and every other night this month because she gave up seven straight days for me – not to mention all of the doctors she had work the race rather than work at her hospital."

Bo shook her head, thinking of what Lauren had said about not coming to the Iditarod next year if she raced. She sighed,

"I owe Lauren big right now. Not because she expects it, but because I expect it of myself. She deserves it after all she did for me and will do for me in the future. We'll continue to give and take from each other."

"I get it. That's why they call it being partners," LJ said, "Of course, Pops would say you're following the rules for how to treat a woman."

"Well, I'm glad I'm following his rules since he's such a ladies man," Bo chuckled, "Okay, so let's get into this envelope. We have a gala to get ready for."

LJ shook his head, "Don't remind me. I'm going to look like a dang penguin."

Bo laughed, "Oh, please. I bet you're going to look incredibly handsome."

"You think?"

"Do the Morton men look any other way? It's the one good thing you got from your gene pool. You're all great looking men and you get better looking with age," she ruffled his hair, "Although I must say that this hair is getting really long."

He shrugged, "It's a curly mess. I don't know what to do with it."

Bo shrugged, "Get Kenzi to trim it a bit for you – just so we can see those gorgeous eyes of yours. Trust me. You'll look great. If there's any single ladies at this thing, they won't be able to resist you. Eat your heart out, Penny! Now open the envelope!"

He laughed, as he opened the envelope and pulled out the document, laying it on the counter,

"Wow. This is really formal looking."

Bo nodded, "Oh wow! LJ, this is your mom's full last will and testament. It's the only copy that exists of her actual will. The document your dad and Big Jim opened after her funeral was given to them by Tosh at her request."

"It wasn't this one?"

She shook her head, "It was essentially a decoy. It told them exactly what they needed to hear. It was only the first page of this document. The rest was kept from them as it did not involve them. My brother said you were there for the reading of this, but he wasn't sure you would remember what was in it."

LJ looked up, his eyes searching for the memory, "We were at the courthouse in a room with a big table and dark furniture. A guy… I guess the attorney… read a letter aloud that said something about…"

"Here. Let me help you," Bo said, reading from the first page of the will,

"I, Sava McGrath Morton, being of sound mind and body, hereby declare that I have no worldly possessions to bequeath. During my adult life after marrying into the Morton Family, any money I might have earned was taken by my husband and his grandfather for their use. Any possessions I might have had were either burned, sold, given away or confiscated and are no longer mine to bequeath. Any property I may have owned is now in the name of my husband. In short, when I entered into this marriage, Jon and Jim Morton took everything I possessed, everything I was and everything I might have become. They used me and abused me. There was no love and if my husband claims there was, it was buried beneath his fear of his grandfather, it was suppressed beneath the control of Jim Morton.

Bo paused, seeing that LJ's hands were shaking. She placed a hand on his and gave it a squeeze as she continued,

As my final request, I ask that Sheriff Dyson Thornwood and The Honorable Judge Payne investigate the health and safety of the home of Mr. Jon Morton for my son. He will now be a single parent responsible for a business that requires him to work sixteen of twenty-four hours each day. If you agree that it is not an appropriate placement for my son, I ask the court to seek to transfer custody of my son to my father-in-law, Mr. Tosh Morton or my brother and sister-in-law Mr. and Mrs. Mark Morton."

Bo was silent after reading, suddenly wishing she had read the document before reading it to LJ. It said a lot and if she were honest, Bo was a bit upset with her brother for not giving her a heads up. Bo turned to the young man as he spoke,

"She wanted Pops to have custody of me."

Bo nodded, "Or your aunt and Uncle."

"So that's why they sent me here during summers. It must have been a custody arrangement."

Bo shrugged, "I honestly don't know, LJ. You'll have to ask Pops about that. I only know about the envelope that was in the box. May I continue?"

LJ nodded, leading Bo to flip the page. She explained, "So, page two was never read to anyone but your Pops. It's a lot of legal jargon, but what it basically says is that she bequeathed all of her worldly possessions to you."

"But you heard her. She had nothing."

Bo shook her head, "As Mrs. Sava Morton, you're right. She didn't. But as Miss Sava McGrath, she owned property and possessions. Your mom was smart, LJ. She came from a business family and when she saw things change in her marriage, she started to take advantage of her business education so that she could become Sava McGrath again if it came to that."

Bo laid the second page on the table, "Here is her actual will where she leaves everything to you."

Flipping the page, Bo showed LJ a land deed, "This is McGrath land. I've been managing the land since your mom told me about it."

"Managing?"

Bo shrugged, "Watching? I built a fence around the property – a job she paid me for – a few years after I arrived in Talkeetna. She contracted through my foreman, so no one would have any idea it was her land. While I was working on it, I thought it was my foreman's land. When we finished, he handed me a letter from your mom and told me he was paid to keep quiet until the job was done."

LJ shook his head, "She was in the middle of a freaking mystery novel."

Bo twisted her mouth, "Just the way Big Jim like it."

"Where is it?"

"Just southwest of us in Trapper Creek. It's seven acres of land, great views of Denali. I only fenced in the two acres around the home. I won't lie, it was in bad shape the last time I was there, so I'm not sure if it's still standing three winters later."

"Three winters?"

Bo shrugged, "Tosh told me there was no money left to pay me to care for the property and you weren't old enough to own the land, so he just said to let it sit rather than get into a tussle with a bear or some other creature who decided to take up residence there."

LJ nodded, "How did my mom get the land?"

Bo smiled, "She grew up there. Do you remember the paintings she did of Denali that were sold in their General Store?"

A grin stretched across LJ's face, "Are you kidding me? I used to stare at them for hours. I even tried to talk a customer out of buying my favorite one. Those paintings made me love our mountain."

Bo nodded, "Well, those paintings were of the views from her bedroom window at her family homestead. She said every night, she would look out to see if the mountain was there. The grin on her face when she talked about this one night when a full moon was out over the mountain… well, that was it. That was the moment she knew that she would reach the summit one day."

LJ smiled, "That's the one! That's the painting. That's so cool, Bo."

Bo nodded, "It's pretty wide open. I'm not sure if trees would take root there or not but you could certainly try to start some trees. Take saplings from my land and see if they'll take. At least around the house to give some shade. I mean… if you're going to live there or use it as a fishing or vacation home. You can always sell it if you want – you do have that option. She wants you to live where you want to live."

"How far from here?"

Bo shrugged, "By truck it will take you about thirty minutes. By snow machine, you could probably knock that in half once you know the terrain and the waterways. The rivers between our properties probably connect, but you know how that goes depending on the time of year. It could run too shallow in some parts to make the trip the whole way. You'd hate to have to walk your boat through a swamp to get here."

He nodded, "Yea, well it's a better commute than Anchorage to here by train."

"It is. You don't have to decide now," Bo said, turning the page, "This page is a copy of a bond that your mom took out when you were a baby. Your Pops has the actual bond in his safe at his house," she turned the page,

"And this is a copy of your college fund. Again, Pops has the statements for this account. There's more than enough there to pay for a four-year college as a resident or to take online courses to get your degree from any college in the fifty states. It cannot be converted to cash until you turn twenty-five."

LJ laughed, "I guess she wanted to be sure I didn't change my mind about going."

Bo smiled, "I would have done the same thing. Lauren says college is where she learned the truth about the independence she always wanted as a teen."

"What did she learn?"

"That she wasn't as independent as she thought she was - that being independent isn't easy. She figured out that all of the people her parents hired to do things for her were people she took for granted. Having to do all of the cooking, cleaning, laundry, bill paying, errand running and grocery shopping on top of studying, made her want to go back home. But she figured it out. She cried a lot, screamed a lot, but she figured it out."

LJ nodded, "Do you think I need to go to college to learn about being independent?"

Bo smiled, "You're looking at the woman who went to the college of independence. I would just send you out into the Alaska Range and say good luck. See you in a year."

LJ laughed, "No thank you."

"Really?"

"I'm not like you, Bo. As much as I'd like to be, I'm not. I was kept safe… always safe. Why, I don't know…"

"To keep you compliant," Bo stated without thought or hesitation as her anger at Big Jim boiled just beneath the surface.

"Bo?"

Her head snapped up as she realized what she'd said, "He wanted you compliant, LJ. He wanted you reliant on him. It's not different than why your dad took your mom's independence from her – at least he thought he had. She outwardly made it seem she was submissive, but as you can now see – she was anything but beneath the surface emotions she showed."

LJ nodded, "I mean, I can throw an axe, drive a sled, use a fish wheel and I'm getting better with traps. Mr. Clancy complimented the skins I tanned for him, so that was a first."

Bo chuckled, "He's a tough old nut to please."

"Tell me about it. Of course, he still said to tell you he misses you and asked when you're coming back to the business."

Bo shook her head, "Did you tell him I'm not coming back?"

LJ shrugged, "I like him thinking you might. It gives me more time to get better, so he starts liking my work just as much as yours."

"Translation, if I tell him you're not coming back, Bo, he'll dump my contract."

"Or you could say it like that," he laughed.

"You can trap, so you can track. You can build a fish wheel, so you can fish. You can care for your dogs, build a sled from the parts and plans I make so you can sled. You know how to use an axe to chop wood and build a fire. You know how to find food…"

"Berries… just berries. Aunt Mary didn't get to the lessons on other plants yet."

Bo smiled, "You'll learn. What I'm trying to say is that you have the skills – you just don't trust yourself to put them together to live."

She shook her head, "You said you were angry when I got credit for sleds that you built. You didn't build them, LJ. You assembled them from the parts that I crafted. Do you see the difference?"

"Wow. I made used Legos."

"What?" Bo asked, confused.

"One of those analogies you always use. Legos… they're these little plastic blocks…"

"Rudy introduced me to them. I know what they are."

"I didn't make the Legos. I assembled them into a house or a car or a tree for model of Rudy's Island in her bedroom. Tosh figured out how to use mini-Christmas lights from the General Store to light up the village, the house… well, everything."

He paced to the end of the aisle and back, tapping his fingertips together as Bo had seen him do many times when he was thinking,

"There's this furniture in the Lower Forty-Eight… a store called Ikea. You go through the aisles and pick up bags that have all of the parts in them, take them home and build a sofa or a table or a bed following their instructions and using their parts."

His head snapped up to Bo, "I need to learn to make the parts in order to call myself a builder."

Bo smiled, "Yup."

"Can you teach me how to make the parts?"

She shook her head, "No. You have knowledge of wood varieties and you know where to find them. You know how to use a saw, axe, planer, drill, hammer, wood glue and anything else you need to build your own parts."

"I have the skills, I just need to put it all together."

Bo nodded, "And you need to understand the math."

"Math?"

"Math."

He sighed, "Okay. I give. What's math got to do with anything?"

"Our sled work better than steel because we're not relying on a strong material to last. We're relying on the proper supports in the proper places based on the math that tells us where the stress points are in our final sled. We want the flex provided by wood because it offers a smoother ride and durability."

"And all of that is math?"

"Math," Bo smiled, "Ready to register for your first college class yet?"

"Math?"

"Math. More specifically, architecture and engineering math," Bo smiled, "Like I keep telling you, you've got to find your path, LJ. You'll never know if you like college unless you take a class, so why not take one that can be of use to you if you don't end up staying for four years?"

"Good point. It would be a start on figuring out what I want to do with my life," he concluded.

Bo smiled, ruffling his hair, "We all end up as pretty good people if we remember to be good people while we're on our way to wherever it is we find ourselves."

LJ nodded, "I like that, Bo."

Smiling, Bo returned to the document,

"Tosh knew you would need accounts and asked me to get Penelope's help so…" Bo pulled out a key and moved to her own safety deposit box, pulling it out and laying it at the other end of the table. There were contents in hers that she did not want LJ to see.

Opening it, she puled out another stack of papers,

"These are from Pops. Penelope helped me set up the accounts online so you can access them without having to have statements sent to your house…"

She noticed him eyeing the Will cautiously, "… since we don't know where you'll choose to live after this."

He nodded, giving her his full attention,

"Pops has all the statements to date. He's been watching these accounts for years. We hired Penelope as your accountant for the next year. After that, if you want to keep her on, you'll have to pay her from your own pocket or from the accounts. She's not cheap, LJ but she's the best in Lauren's opinion and you know that woman has a team of lawyers and accounts a mile long."

"Does she really need them?"

Bo sighed, "Honestly, I don't know how she and Stephen keep it all straight. They own about ten hospitals, various clinics, a few labs and employ thousands upon thousands of people. Things go wrong in surgeries, so doctors get sued, lawyers are needed and accountants pay the settlements. Plus there's taxes and audits and all kinds of things I'd never even heard of until I met Lauren."

"Wow. I don't even know what some of that stuff is."

"Penelope's your accountant. She's only a little older than Lauren so she'll be around for a good chunk of your life. She's smart and will officially be a local in a few months."

"Really?"

Bo smiled, "She's already sold one of her Boston properties, so she's on her way."

"How many does she have?"

"Lauren said she's got at least twice as much money and property as she does, so I can only imagine."

"Wow. I saw pictures of her beach house. Penelope has something like that?"

"Lauren said hers is much bigger and it's on top of a mountain overlooking the ocean. She said it has two guest houses and the main house is bigger than Kenzi's hotel and restaurant."

"Yup. She's my accountant."

Bo smiled, "But do you know why she should be your accountant?"

"She's rich and accounting is about not losing your clients' money?"

Shaking her head, Bo replied, "Because right now, that house and those two guest houses are being used – free of charge – by a woman's shelter."

"What's a woman's shelter?"

"It's a place for women and their children who have escaped violent men… violent homes."

LJ froze, "Like my mom and me?"

Bo smiled, "If such a shelter had existed here, I'm sure your mom would have made her way there and my brother would have led the way."

LJ nodded slowly, taking a deep breath, "She's letting them all stay there for free?"

"Fifteen families, last I heard. They come and go as they get name changes, witness protection or the husbands are jailed but she said it's always full and yes, always free."

"Penelope is my accountant," he said, looking up at Bo with tears in his eyes, "For as long as she's in the business, she's my accountant."

"You're a good man, LJ."

"I hope so, Bo," he said, head down as he once again lifted his mom's will.

Bo gave him a moment until he looked up at her again,

"So what's next?"

She smiled, "You have a meeting with her on Monday of next week at two o'clock in her office at the hospital. Put it in your phone right now so you don't forget. Get to the kennels early that day and be sure to let Kyle know in advance that you have the appointment. She knows it's coming – she just doesn't know the date because I just set it up yesterday."

"Kyle knows all of this?"

"Kyle will only know what you wish to tell her, LJ. I know the two of you are getting closer because you work together so much, but I haven't told her any of this. She does know about the night that your mom followed me and that she was helping me, but not much about the details of your life. That's your story to tell or not. It's up to you."

He nodded, "What's next?"

She flipped the page, "Finally, this is a bank account that you can access right now. This is a debit card that goes with the account. The code is zero and then the safe deposit box number," Bo handed him a set of papers and one other page, "This is the most recent statement and this is your balance."

She smiled as his eyes went wide as saucers, "One hundred and sixty-two thousand dollars?"

Bo nodded, "Remember what I said about money?"

LJ took a deep breath and then blew it out, "I'm going to pay off my snow machine."

Bo shrugged, "How about you wait for that meeting with Penelope before you do anything?"

"But I'm paying interest," LJ said.

"But you're building credit," Bo countered.

"What?"

"Credit. You have what's called a credit score that determines how credit worthy you are. If you decided to open a fishing business on the river where your home is, you would want to have a business account at a bank, possibly a line of credit to buy the things you need for the business."

"I have my dinghy, about ten rods, a tacklebox full of gear and a hot spot for digging up worms."

"LJ, you don't put tourists who want to fish in a dinghy. You need a legit boat for that kind of business."

"Right. I can use the money to renovate the house on that property," he suggested.

Bo snagged the debit card from his hand, "How about I keep this until after your meeting with Penelope on Monday."

"Hey!"

"Now do you understand why your mom isn't letting you touch that college fund until age twenty-five? Just because you have money doesn't mean you have to spend money."

She shook her head, "Save, LJ. Lauren tells me a single baby can cost up to twenty-five thousand dollars before you ever leave the hospital. You see how much my wedding is costing me. You're going to want - possibly need - that money down the road. Right now, you don't need anything so let the money sit there as it did for more than a decade. That's how a much lesser amount grew into what it is now."

She sighed, "As for the house, if you want to renovate it, I'm not going to let you hire someone to do it for you. You're going to learn how to build."

"But I don't know how to build a house, Bo!"

Bo shook her head, "I'll teach you the skills you need using the next house I build on the river. You can build it with me. Then, we'll design your house and you'll build it just like I built mine. Trust me, it will be an experience you won't regret and when it's finished, it will be a house you're proud to live in."

LJ smiled, "Is there anything else in the document?"

Bo nodded, tearing off the back page, "Only this."

LJ took the page and smiled, his hand covering his mouth, "Is that me in her arms?"

Bo smiled, "It is. That's baby LJ with his momma. It was her favorite picture. If you turn it over, you'll see the last picture the two of you took together."

He flipped the page and smiled even wider, "I loved riding in the basket of her sled. She wouldn't let me drive it, but at least she would take me out for a ride once in a while."

Bo nodded, "She loved you, LJ."

He looked up at Bo, "Yes she did."

Bo sighed, placing the document back in the box, closing the lid and locking it. She inserted the key into the front and turned it before sliding it back into its slot, then turned the key and pulled it out. She hung it over his head once more, pulling out the collar of his shirt and dropping the key beneath,

"Remember to lock up that key in a safe place when you get home and don't forget about that meeting with Penelope on Monday. You've got papers to sign and money stuff to learn. Take questions with you. She's a super smart accountant who has handled Lauren's money since before she graduated from medical school."

LJ nodded, "Okay. Thanks for hiring her for me. I appreciate it."

Bo smiled, "Just remember - she's worth the money. Now, a few things. First, those two pictures – Pops has them electronically so if you want to print them on nice photo paper and frame them, you can. Paper and draft print ink doesn't do them justice."

He smiled, "You're right. These should be displayed in my room."

"Agreed," Bo smiled, "As for the money and all of this financial stuff, I just want to say that you need to listen to Penelope and Lauren. This was all knew to me a year ago too. I didn't trust people and I certainly didn't trust modern ways of life, so I never had a bank account. Every business I ran required cash up front. That's a lot of fish and furs, LJ. Trust them."

LJ nodded, handing Bo the penny, "I will. You'll make Lauren's gift for me?"

"We'll get it done."

"Thanks."

Bo smiled, "Hey. I've got to have something to do when I'm grounded after my surgery tomorrow."

He nodded, "Well, firing up the forge will certainly make things toasty for breeding."

"That will happen outside. But, it's a good idea to fire up the forge when the puppies come."

They headed out of the post office, each getting into their own trucks,

"See you in a few hours!"

LJ nodded, "See you there! Thanks, Bo!"

"You're welcome!" she said as she waved and drove off.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

THE HOMESTEAD, THREE HOURS BEFORE THE GALA

Bo was in the kitchen working on Rudy's hair because her mom had run late from her fish delivery to Kenzi. Rudy was fidgeting in her chair as her sister worked through the tangles with a wide-toothed comb. Finally, she took the long piece of dark pink ribbon, stretching it to its' length before sliding the middle under the long curly mop of hair. Just as she was about to bring the two ends atop Rudy's head to tie the bow, there was a knock on the door,

"Mom? Can you get the door? My hands are full."

"I'm on my way, Child. Just one second…"

Mary walked into the room, her hair woven in a swept style to a bun in the back. Bo smiled,

"Ooh la la! Sexy Momma."

Rudy giggled while Mary shook her head, "Hush, Child. I do know how to make a fuss for the sake of my future Daughter-in-Law."

Bo smiled, "Lauren will appreciate the effort."

"I believe she will appreciate yours as well. You look so refined," Mary said as she opened the door and then pushed open the screen door to see LJ standing there with a grin on his face,

"Good evening, Ms. Dennis. I'm your escort to The Gala," he pointed towards the open garage door, "Your chariot awaits."

Mary grinned, "Mmmm… my pumpkin carriage has been replaced by a pick up truck. Very Alaska. I love it."

He smiled, "Are your daughters ready?"

"Just about. Bo is finishing Rudy's hair and we'll be ready to go," Mary said, reaching down for her Mukluks.

"Bring those, but no need to put them on right now. I've shoveled a path to my truck and put hay down so you wouldn't ruin your shoes in the snow."

"Such a gentleman. Thank you, LJ," Mary smiled, pulling her wool wrap from the rack. She tossed the lower part over her shoulder, covering her torso, then pulled the long upper part around her neck before pulling the oversized hood up to cover her head. She pulled on her gloves and took LJ's hand as he helped her down the stairway.

"I love that coat," LJ said, "It's a coat, but… not a coat. Very… fashion forward, I think Kenzi would call it."

Mary smiled, "Well, I'll have to ask her then. I just made it yesterday."

"You made it?" LJ asked.

She nodded, "Yes and one for Rudy as well. Of course, hers is black. She wanted her dress to 'pop' when she pulled it off."

LJ laughed, "Kenzi's influence once again."

Mary nodded, "Absolutely."

"So, you didn't make Bo a coat? Doesn't she feel left out?"

Mary shook her head,

"As you know, Rudy is growing like a weed, so we're spending a lot of time at the Army-Navy store in Anchorage this winter. Ysabeau has been eyeing a long Navy Pea Coat there for months but kept denying herself because she didn't really need it. I bought it for her on Monday, switched out the old buttons for wooden toggles and wrapped it up in newspaper and a bow for her. She loves it and it looks very smart on her with her gala outfit."

LJ smiled when he saw Rudy peeking around Mary, "Well, hello there, princess. Your hair is beautiful."

"Do you want to see my dress?"

LJ chuckled, "Of course I do. Come out from behind your mom and show me."

Mary stepped to the side and Rudy stepped forward, twirling around twice before she smiled up at LJ,

"Do you like it? Do you like how it fluffs out when I spin?"

LJ shook his head, "Miss Rudy Dennis, you are a thing of beauty. You look so grown up and I love that shade of pink on you. It matches your cheeks!"

Rudy smiled, "Do you like my hair? Sister did it!"

"She did a great job, but your hair is beautiful even when you do it yourself."

Bo grinned, pulling Rudy's wrap from the rack and holding it out for her,

"Here you go, Roo. Do you remember how to close it?"

Rudy nodded, "Bottom to the shoulder, top to the neck, hood up, gloves on! Momma, thank you for putting the lining in so the wool doesn't scratch me."

Mary nodded, "You're welcome, my little Roo."

LJ smiled at Bo, "That is a smart looking lady tux, Bo. You look sharp. I love the red bow tie and the red handkerchief in the pocket."

Rudy pointed excitedly, "I picked them out. Kenzi said you always have to have a pop of color!"

LJ nodded, "She told me that too, so my pop of color is light blue."

Bo smiled, "You look sharp, LJ. The ladies are gonna swoon."

"And Lauren is going to swoon when she sees you," LJ laughed, "Has she seen your tux yet?"

Bo shook her head, "She thinks I'm coming in jeans and a sweatshirt – at least that's what she told me I could wear the last time we talked about it. I didn't want to let her down. I hate that look on her face when she's disappointed in me."

LJ smiled, "I can relate. I get that from Molly too… and I think she's teaching it to Elise."

"So, why are you here?"

LJ leaned in, "More importantly, why did Lauren stay at her clinic apartment the last two nights? Are things okay?"

Bo whispered back, "Gala planning and meetings. Stephen told me he's trying to clear her schedule as much as possible for the you-know-what, so I'm just going with the flow."

"Bo! LJ! We're gonna be late!" Rudy said, jumping up and down.

Bo smiled at her sister, "Don't jump! You'll mess up my hair creation!" he turned back to LJ, "So why are you here?"

LJ grinned, "I decided Mary could use an escort since you had Rudy and she'll have Elise once we get there."

Rudy looked up at Bo, "I asked Elise to go to the gala with me and she said yes."

Bo smiled, "Well that was nice of you. I'm glad she said yes."

Mary smiled, "Well, let's be on our way then. We promised Kenzi we would be there early to help Stephen with these changes they've made."

Bo shook her head, "That event planner is gonna be pissed!"

LJ smiled, "I don't think Kenzi or Stephen care. They've locked all of the doors except to the people that are helping with the changes. Even Lauren isn't allowed in – not that she'd be there yet anyway. When I left the hotel, she was still in surgery."

"Surgery?" Bo asked.

Mary nodded, "Lynnie called when I was delivering Kenzi's order. Apparently Kate called Shannie in to assist on a last-minute transplant very early this morning."

"Shannie instead of Kelly?"

Mary nodded, "Kelly and Shannie are assisting. They were about two hours in when Kate called Lauren to assist because Stephen was already wrist deep in another patient's chest – Kenzi's words, not mine."

"Gross," Rudy said, contorting her face and sticking out her tongue.

"Spirits please don't let them lose a patient the night of the gala. Stephen said Lauren doesn't handle that sort of thing well."

"Anna is at the restaurant waiting because she said the same about Kate. She also said that's four of the best hands in the business working on the patient, so she's hoping for the best."

"For Kate to call Lauren, it must have been serious, right?" LJ asked.

Bo nodded, "Especially in light of Lauren wanting time off. Kate never would have asked if she didn't think it was life and death."

"It doesn't get more life and death than taking the heart out of one person and putting it into another," LJ shook his head, "Dang!"

Everyone looked up at LJ, Bo asked, "What's wrong?"

"Oh – I mean… I just realized what it must be like to do what they do for a living. One wrong move…" he looked up at Bo, "And Lauren's really the best there is?"

Bo shrugged, "So everyone keeps telling me."

"I'm honored to know her," LJ said.

"Me too," Rudy smiled.

"As am I," Mary nodded.

"So we do our best tonight… for Lauren, right?"

"For Lauren," they all said together.

Bo sighed, "I can't wait to see my fiancé. She must be… LJ, just get us there, okay?"

"Well, don't get too impatient. You know she'll have to wine and dine her donors tonight," Mary cautioned as they headed out of the house.

"I know, I know," Bo said, "I just need to see her – even if it's from across the room. I'll know how she is from the look on her face… and the muscles in her jaw."

"The what?" LJ asked.

"She grinds her teeth when she's being more pleasant than she wants to be. You can see the muscles in her jaw flex," Bo explained as they headed out of the house, "I just hope we can have at least some fun."

"We're gonna have a blast, Bo. Trust me."

"Right," Bo said.

"Hey! I trust you when you ask me to, can I get a little quid pro quo?"

Bo sighed as LJ held the truck door for her, "I'm sorry. I am officially lifting my spirits and trusting you right now."

LJ smiled, "Thank you."

He closed the door and walked around the truck, hopping in and heading down the road to the gala. This was going to be a good night. There would likely be drama, but it wouldn't stop them from having the event of the year. He just knew it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

THE GALA SET UP

LJ pulled into the train parking area and turned off the truck. Everyone got out when Bo asked, "Why are you parking back here?"

He grinned, "Because the hotel is where the swanky, stuffy part of the gala is taking place ninety minutes after everyone arrives. The train is where the 'Alaska Experience Gala Party' begins. Kenzi had us roll out those long black heavy plastic floor protectors over the paths we shoveled to protect people's shoes and clothes. She and her staff along with some of their friends from school hung those strings of twinkly lights so everyone could see the paths and she has ten by ten canopy's over the gaps between the cars."

"What if someone falls trying to go from car to car?" Bo asked.

"Have a look. Garret and Steve and some of the other guys from your construction company bolted down wooden catwalks between the cars so you can walk the train from end to end."

"What about the guests that were staying in the rooms?"

LJ pointed to the other set of tracks, "While we have been prepping for the race and actually attending the race, Kenzi was living just another Kenzi dream. You know that prize money you fronted her before the race?"

Bo nodded, "Yea."

"Well, while we were there, she was here renovating the train cars on the parallel track. All of the guest furniture was moved to their new cars last weekend. The second car is empty. She really wants you to see one of the renovated cars. She thinks they're awesome."

Bo nodded, "So she wants to upgrade these now?"

LJ shrugged, "I'm actually not sure anymore. She said if this event goes well, she may keep this as is so she can host parties on the trains. The hotel ballroom will literally be at capacity with the two hundred guests that are invited for tonight. She said at most, she might be able to squeeze another twenty-five in, but she'd need special permission from the fire company to do it."

"Her business is growing faster than she can keep up."

LJ smiled, "I know and she's loving it because this event planner has been a real thorn in her side."

Bo nodded, "I heard a little something about that."

"So, you know?" LJ asked.

"Know what?"

LJ frowned, "Nothing. Let's go see what she needs us to do, Roo."

Rudy smiled looking up at Mary who nodded, "Don't get your dress dirty!"

"I won't, Momma! Bye Sister!"

"Bye Roo. Have fun!"

LJ took Rudy's hand and they ran into the back entrance to the hotel while Mary and Bo stood, looking around,

"The twinkly lights are so Kenzi. This is really nice. She's put a huge patio out here with concrete furniture. That's a smart move – very durable and very difficult to steal or break."

Mary nodded, "She's got a bar out here too. Looks like she has the taps hooked up as well."

"It just needs a bartender. Want a drink?" Bo asked, walking over to the bar.

Mary smiled, "An Alaskan, please."

"One Alaskan, coming up," Bo smiled, stopping when she saw the glasses, "Oh. My. Gosh!"

"What is it, Child?"

"She's got ice glasses! Look!" Bo said, holding up a glass made of ice, "This is awesome! I want to go back to my bartending days tonight!"

Mary smiled and took a seat on the padded concrete bar stool at the end.

Bo looked at the ingredients, finding what she needed before putting the glass up on the bar, adding gin, yellow chartreuse and a dash of bitters. She topped it with a cherry, laid down the thin neoprene pad and set the glass on top,

"The Alaskan. Let me know if I've still got the goods. It's been a long time since I poured a drink."

Mary smiled, taking a sip from her glass, "Cold, crisp, just the right mix of liquor to bitters… perfection."

Bo grinned as she took another sip, looking up when she heard Kenzi call her name,

"BoBo! I knew you would find the bar and… oh my! That tux looks amazing on you. Love the coat and Mary, what is this gorgeous wrap? Where did you get it, who's the designer, I must have one! Rudy was wearing a mini-version of this, right?"

Mary grinned, "Send me your measurements and I'll make you one the next time I buy wool."

"You made this?" Kenzi asked, lifting the material and examining it, "You have got to sell these! You would be at the top of the fashion world!"

Mary smiled, "My fingers were raw after making two. Wool is a very unforgiving fabric on the skin of these somewhat dated fingers."

"You don't look a day over thirty, Mare. So, what have you heard about our little pre-gala gala?"

Bo shook her head, "Nothing, actually. Does Lauren know about this?"

Kenzi shrugged, "Don't know. They were supposed to tell her last night, but then I heard your girl has been jammed right up with multiple emergency surgeries. There was a helicopter crash up in the Talkeetna Mountain Range. I think it crashed on Wrangell. Six people on board. They all lived, but they're in bad shape. Transplant before that, but I guess you heard."

"Was it a medi-vac chopper?" Bo asked.

Kenzi shook her head, "Private guy – just moved here about seven months ago and opened an air tour business."

Bo shook her head, "The wind drafts up there are…" she sighed, "… I won't waste my breath. People just don't listen."

"Hook me up with something sweet, BoBo. I've got enough time to get a drink in before this shit show begins."

Bo stepped back behind the bar and pulled out another glass, "I can't believe you got ice glasses in! This gala lady is going all out!"

Kenzi shook her head, "Oh no she's not!"

She winked at Mary, "Those glasses are from the Alaska Planning Committee specifically for The Alaska Experience pre-gala party. Very exclusive guest list."

Oh, I see," Bo smirked.

"Crazy Gala Lady may know those fancy people she added to the guest list, but she doesn't know my customers. Everything back here is all us, baby. The last train car is axe and knife throwing. There's an Iditarod car – hope you don't mind, but Tamsin and Kyle made a video of your camera footage so people can literally ride behind the sled with you… while sitting in a chair and watching a movie screen," Kenzi smiled, clapping as Bo slid a drink across the bar to her,

"Yes! Come to mamma you perfect little beauty. I'm in my happy place!" she sipped the drink, "Oh God, yes! This is perfect! I should have hired you instead of that twenty-something-I-can-mix-anything-goober!"

"Andy?" Bo asked.

"Yes."

"Bo shook her head, "You love his drinks, Kenzi."

"I know. That's why I hired him, but your drinks have just a little something extra that gives it a zing!"

"That would be a twist of lemon and an ice glass."

"Right."

Bo shook her head, "Anthony can do the same thing, Noob."

"Anyway, let me tell you ladies, we've got an Alaskan buffet that will gie your pallet an orgasm. It's on the first three cars," she said, clapping excitedly, "Reindeer hot dogs, reindeer sausage, salmon, salmon jerky, halibut nuggets with that recipe Mary gave me for vinegar, oil and tartar sauce! There's moose jerky, king crab legs with plastic bibs to protect the fancy clothes, eskimo ice cream with wild berries, jitter juice in case you're sleepy, and of course, you already saw that we have both the Talkeetna brews and Vex's Mesmer Ales on tap. There's sailor boy pilot bread, berry cobbler and – our favorite, BoBo – artic refuge wildberry snap ice cream!"

"Your favorite?" Mary asked.

Kenzi nodded, "BoBo and I have this tradition that whenever the Iditarod start is moved to Fairbanks because the conditions in the Alaska Range are bad, we meet up at Hot Licks Homemade Ice Cream parlor and load up on Artic Refuge Wildberry Snap ice cream."

Bo grinned, "Of course, since it rarely starts in Fairbanks, we make at least one annual trip there or we make it a vacation and stay there the entire week, eating a different flavor every night. Their ice cream is amazing."

"So, what is this particular flavor you love so much?" Mary asked, sipping her drink.

Kenzi smiled, "Ooo! It's vanilla ice cream with ginger snaps, swirled with a puree made from Alaska cranberries and blueberries. It's so good!"

Mary smiled, "I'll have to sample this treat one day. Maybe I can make a version of it here."

"You mean here here? As in – at my hotel? For moi?"

Mary grinned, sipping her drink, "If you'd like."

"I'd like! I'd like!" Kenzi smiled, downing the rest of her drink, "I'd love another, but I'll be a good host and stay sober… I can't believe I just said that… so I don't do something I'll regret to Dizzie Lizzy the event planner."

"Dizzie Lizzy?" Bo asked.

"Yea, you know…" Kenzi stopped herself, looking at Bo, then Mary, "You don't know."

"Okay, that's the second time someone has said something like that and not told me what it is that I don't know!"

Kenzi stood, sliding her empty glass over to Bo, "Maybe you can finish this off."

Backing up, Kenzi saw Bo take the glass in her hand, "Do you maybe want to do away with that glass before I tell you what you're supposed to know by now?"

"Ladies! How are the most beautiful women in the whole of Alaska tonight?" Stephen said, "Present company included, of course," he said, looking down at Betsy and kissing her hand.

"Stephen," Bo smiled, moving her dagger eyes from Kenzi, "You're looking dapper in your tux."

"As are you, Ysabeau. I love the red accents."

Bo laughed, "Someone told me there is no better color than red on a dark-haired woman."

Stephen smiled, "I'm glad you took my advice."

"So, Kenzi was about to tell me all about this thing I'm supposed to know that apparently no one managed to tell me just yet."

Stephen looked at Betsy, then back to Bo, "You haven't spoken to Lauren?"

Just as Bo was about to answer, Anna and Kate came rushing outside,

"Stephen! Oh, thank God!"

"Kate? Anna? What's the matter?"

"There was a helicopter crash last night. Lauren was still here, so she took on the first emergency surgery rather than call all of us back in. It was faster for the clinic doctors to get here since they were just closing up. Nine victims and she was still in surgery when we left the hospital two hours ago."

"I thought you called her in for a transplant, Kate," Bo interjected.

"That was between surgeries. Once we got the heart restarted, one of the other doctors needed her for a heart laceration on one of the helicopter victims. Every time we thought all of the crash victims had been brought in, they brought another. They just kept calling for doctors," Kate said, her eyes welling with tears.

Bo came around the bar, placing a hand on hers, "You're here and it's over now, Kate. Where's Lauren?"

"She was still there when I left. I-I didn't want to interrupt her. She's… I mean, I knew she was good, but she's… she's like a machine and my entire med school library rolled into one. She knows everything and her surgical techniques… she's like a fisherman with all the knots she knows and her hands… they're perfect for getting into spaces that a normal doctor would never think they could get to. She found a bleed that no one else saw – I mean, Shannie and Kelly were both standing there with me and none of us saw it – Lauren did. She knew. She saved him."

Kate shook her head, "Trauma surgery is where she belongs. Evony screwed up her entire career. You should have seen her, Bo. No stress, no worry, just… in the zone… like you on a sled. Perfection. I've never seen anything like it."

Stephen smiled and checked his watch, looking to Anna who wasn't on such a surgical high, "Okay. She should make it though, right?"

Anna shrugged, "I'm not a surgeon, Stephen. I wasn't in there."

Kate nodded, "I was. Laceration of the liver. She should be closing up by now, but that's not the problem."

"Oh?" Stephen asked.

"We never got to speak with her last night after you left."

"So, she doesn't know that…"

"No."

"So, she never told Bo that…"

"No."

Stephen sighed, turning to Bo who was now pulling back the ice glass in her hand and throwing it at the nearest tree,

"Will someone p-leee-se tell me what the hell is going on here?"

Stephen sighed, walking to Bo, "Please. Sit with your mother."

"I'll stand."

Stephen nodded, "Okay. You're aware of how someone slid into the gala arrangements, hired a new event planner, inflated the budget, changed the guest list…"

"Yadda, yadda, yadda! Yes, I know all that! Get to the news!"

"The woman who did that… who is the new event planner, is Lauren's mom, one Elizabeth Lewis."

"Looney Lizzie," Kenzi mumbled.

"No. There's got to be a mistake. Lauren hasn't seen them since…"

"It's true, Bo. It's her. We know her. Kenzi took a picture of her this morning before she left and sent it to us. It's her. We didn't realize because her business had a different name before… and she never did hands on work at an event. That was beneath her."

Bo nodded, "But because it's Lauren, she's coming in guns blazing."

"So to speak, yes," Stephen nodded, "And there's more. The three other companies that are coming are Lauren's Father and Patrick's former partners in his law firm as well as a pharmaceutical giant that Lauren's former hospital used to work with… well, the board members were in bed with, I should say."

Bo shook her head, looking at Kenzi. The younger woman shrugged,

"Like I said… shit show."

"So all of this?" Bo asked, looking around the area.

Stephen shook his head, "This is my doing. If it goes sideways, I take the fall and become Lauren's silent partner. If it goes well, Lauren looks like the victor. Listen, Bo - Elizabeth has already threatened to ruin Kenzi if she didn't do things her way. It's what she does. She and her husband. They manipulate people to get what they want."

"And what is it that they want, exactly?" Bo asked.

Stephen shrugged, "They're likely here to manipulate Lauren somehow. Threaten to destroy her if she doesn't come back to their way of thinking? We're not really sure. What we didn't want was for her to be blindsided by her parents' presence."

"Well, there's no way the people of this town are going to believe anything that outsiders say."

Stephen nodded, "Agreed. That's why we're doing this piece out here. The guest list climbed to two hundred because we invited the townspeople, Bo. If anyone says one bad word about Lauren…"

"Oh, man. They'll get an earful – or worse," Kenzi grinned, "And hopefully I'm standing next to these stuffed shirts when they get what they have coming to them."

Bo sighed, "So, did you change everything back to the way Lauren wanted it?"

Kenzi shook her head, "Stephen said to keep the indoor part as Ladiy Lizzy made it. He's figuring that everyone will eat and leave since the party is happening before dinner."

Bo nodded, "Late dinner on a Thursday before a Friday workday. Yup, they'll all bolt."

"But they'll have what Lauren wanted… plus a little extra touch of off-grid Alaska… for ninety minutes before the dinner," Kenzi explained, "Plus, because there's normal food out here and tiny bites of food in there, our people will feel like they were actually fed!"

"I can get behind that," Bo said, rolling her eyes, "Okay, so our plan is to show Lauren's parents what a great community Lauren has and how successful she's become here?" Bo asked.

Stephen nodded, "And Patrick…"

"Who is looking super-hot in his formal tux as is his sexy, sexy man Jake," Kenzi said.

"Okay, so who is going to let Lauren in on this news?" Bo asked, "She should know before she gets here, don't you think?"

Anna and Kate raised their hands, Anna saying, "We'll walk back to the hospital and catch her as she's coming out of surgery. She's probably going to need a hand with her hair anyway seeing as she's going to be in such a rush."

Bo looked at Stephen, "Well, you can get the party started if she's not here and she can give her little speech once everyone is inside and seated for dinner, right?"

Stephen nodded, "I just hope she had time to prepare her speech."

Bo shook her head, "Well, Kate and Anna can help her with that after her surgery as well - if she hasn't gotten it done yet, though knowing Lauren, she's been writing draft after draft for months. Oh Great Spirits, be merciful this evening."

Bo looked at Kenzi, the two repeating in unison, "Shit show."

Anna placed a hand on Bo's upper arm, "Don't worry, Bo. We'll handle Lauren."

"Lauren doesn't like to be handled. Give her the news – all of it including the changes her mom made and the changes Stephen made after the fact, and then ask her how she wants to handle it. Tell her what Stephen is suggesting after she gets her thoughts together."

Anna nodded, "Thanks for the advice."

Bo sighed, "Thanks for going to see her. I know they won't let me back in the doctor areas – especially if she's in surgery."

"Okay, we're going to head out," Anna said, but Bo stopped her,

"Hey, why don't you take my truck?" she said, feeling her pockets for the keys before her mom waved them her way,

"LJ gave them to me."

Bo smiled, "Thanks, Mom."

She tossed the keys to Anna, then turned to Kenzi, "Okay, where do you need me and what should I do?"

"We need people to man the train cars. I know you'll probably hate this, but Kyle suggested that we put you in the Iditarod car. All you would do is sign autographs and answer questions at the end of the movie. I know it's not something you like to do, but it would raise money for the hospital and…"

"Done," Bo said, her eyes locked on the small train car. She stepped back behind the bar, "Super tight space."

"The doors will stay open and the signing table is right by the door. Limitied number of people inside," Kenzi explained.

Bo nodded, "Okay, but I'll need another drink before I do it."

"Easy there, sweet stuff. You don't exactly drink on the daily. Drunk Bo will not make a good impression for Lauren."

Bo sighed, her eyes again set on the train car, "Right. Are you sure you don't want me to tend bar? I could pour mean drinks and still do autographs out here. You know, personalize the conversations if people have questions and Kyle could talk about general Iditarod stuff or behind the scenes stuff."

As Bo's eyes drifted down to the drink she was pouring, Mary placed a hand on Kenzi's shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze. The young woman turned to see Mary shaking her head before she looked up at the sky,

"It's a beautiful night to be outside, isn't it? Spring will be here before we know it. Look at all of those stars. Many of these people will never have seen a sky like this. Perhaps Ysabeau is right. We could have tables out here and she could point out the constellations and how she uses them to travel in the wilderness… or explain why she loves living outside more than living under a roof."

Kenzi finally caught on, shaking her head when she recognized the tiny space, she was asking her friend to spend two hours in,

"I wonder if we could put the screen behind and to the right of the bar in that dark space and still get a clear picture? It would be cool for them to view it outside. It would sort of give them the ambience of being on the trail, you know? It's not warm racing across the tundra on a sled."

Mary smiled, "I like that idea."

Stephen agreed, now catching on to what Mary and Kenzi were doing,

"If we moved that entire Iditarod car out here and gave Bo an assistant at the bar, we could put the Things To Do in Talkeetna Q & A in there with Kate, Anna, Shannon and Carolyn."

"Why them?" Bo asked, "Don't you want someone local?"

Stephen smiled, "The actual topic is how not to be an idiot outsider disguised as something they might want to attend. So, after they speak and take questions about what's safe and not safe to do, they'll ask for suggestions from the locals about what to see. They'll also be discussing what its been like for them to move here. You know, sort of an Alaska 101 course for those who are thinking about moving here."

Bo smiled, "That's actually a good idea. Maybe my mom could help out there too?"

Mary shook her head, "I'm at the axe and knife throwing car with Molly."

Bo grinned, "What about a cooking, sewing, medicine making, foraging, hunting, trapping, fishing and all around Alaskan survival car?"

Mary laughed, "If I could do all of that in ten minutes, it would be worth the time, but since I can't, we'll let them have fun with lightweight, protected axes."

"Lightweight? Protected?" Bo asked.

Mary nodded, "Yes, protected. When they miss – and they will - more often than not, I don't want a live axe bouncing back at us in a small train car."

"Good point," Bo smiled.

Kenzi clapped her hands together, "Okay then. I'll go get my staff on this. If you all could help them arrange everything when they get out here, that would be great. BoBo? Can you light up those three firepits then? You're going to need them out here. Some of my workers will tend the fires throughout the night as they go in and out to stock the buffet."

Bo nodded, "Do you have something I can put over me, so I don't get my clothes dirty?"

Kenzi nodded, "Yup. Reach under the bar and pull out one of those heavy-duty trash bags, poke head and arm holes in one and use it to cover up."

"Great idea," Bo smiled.

Kenzi pulled Stephen and Betsy aside, holding each by one arm as she stood in the middle, "Inside. I need to show you what I did."

They headed inside while Kenzi stopped two of her workers and asked them to get started on switching up the activities, then she followed the older couple inside.

She immediately found them and walked them to a long table with name tags on it,

"So, Kate gave me this idea from a party she attended. When everyone comes back inside, they'll find their nametags on this table and on the back side, there's a number. That number corresponds to the table numbers we've placed on the top of each table center piece. Get it?"

"Got it," Betsy said, picking up her name tag and flipping it over, "They're alphabetical by first name which is good since it's first name first."

Kenzi nodded, "Stephen, you'll have to explain this when they come back in so they know what to do. Any of the stuffed shirts who don't go outside will have to stand around on the dance floor or sit on the perimeter because I've pulled the sliding doors closed and locked them. No one gets into the formal dining area until dinner time."

"Perfect," Stephen said.

"The ballroom is plenty big enough to handle half of the people, so as long as the temperature doesn't drop and it doesn't start snowing, we're golden."

"And if it does?" Betsy asked.

Kenzi shrugged, "Hey – they wanted to come. When in Alaska, live like Alaskans. We have plenty of trash bags to do what Bo just did, so we have plenty of 'ponchos' and if they want to, they can make beeswax paper hats in the Alaska Crafts train car."

Stephen and Betsy laughed, "I can see Elizabeth in a trash bag now."

"So, did you rearrange the tables?"

Kenzi smiled, "Absolutely!"

"Lauren's parents?" Betsy asked.

Kenzi nodded, "Are seated with the people they invited, of course. You two are with Bo and Lauren, Mary, Rudy, Elise, LJ, Molly and Mark. Faith Gray, Anna and Kate are with Shannon, Carolyn, Kurt, Kelly, Kyle, Tamsin and Hale who is picking up Faith so she didn't have to drive alone from Anchorage. Ciara and Dyson couldn't make it tonight because the kids have a roller-skating party at school, but Dyson is on call if Hale needs him."

"I'm sorry you can't enjoy this with us," Betsy said.

"Are you kidding me? I'm the boss! I'll be mingling with everyone saying a lot of 'how is everything' and 'are you enjoying yourselves' while simultaneously taste testing the food to be sure it's up to my temperature and taste standards."

Stephen smiled, "Then we'll see you around?"

"Absolutely. I'll come and sit on your lap to share your plate at dinner and smile all the way to the bank, Baby! I'm also going to schmooz one of these wealthy jokers into making a whopping donation to cover the Gala costs, otherwise, Lizzy and Frankie better get ready to fork over the extra cash they've cost Lauren or Penelope is going after them."

"Perfect," Stephen said, giving Betsy a wink."

"Anyway, the rest of the hospital staff is seated in the groups Lauren had originally designated. The one I haven't seated is Doctor William Grace. He's the source of all of this drama, right? Who can handle him?"

Stephen grinned, "Seat him with the Lewis'. It's only fitting. Is there enough room at their table?"

Kenzi shrugged, "It will be an eleven topper, but they can squeeze."

"Or you can switch the rectangular donations table with their round one right now. They're used to rectangular tables from board meetings, so it fits, don't you think? You can put the Lewis' at each end so they can handle the awkward atmosphere that they created," Stephen said, flatly.

"You know, I'm almost glad Lauren won't be here until right when this shindig starts. She won't have a chance to go into panic mode and try to switch things back to appease mommy and daddy," Betsy said.

Kenzi frowned, "Do you think she would do that?"

Betsy looked at Stephen who shrugged. She turned back to Kenzi,

"We've seen her do it before. We can only hope that in her time here and with the support of you, her new friends and adopted family, she has developed the strength to tell them to…"

"Fuck off?"

Betsy smiled, "Exactly."

Kenzi nodded, "Well, I'm not going to wait around to see if she falls back onto old habits. I'm going to go stack the deck in Lauren's favor with a little Kenzi magic."

"Kenzi? What are you going to do?" Stephen asked, worried.

"Make sure Lauren has the support she needs, that's all," Kenzi smiled, walking back towards the kitchen, leaving the couple staring at each other.

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