Life and Love in Alaska: Life & Love in Alaska, #3

By Cherime MacFarlane

Prepare to be captivated by the tumultuous tapestry of Life and Love in Alaska. In these pages, you will find a realm where the unimaginable unfolds with relentless intensity. The indomitable spirit of this land defies all reason, commanding unwavering attention.

In this land of extremes, nature reigns supreme, the Great Land weaves its fateful tales. Here the lives of its inhabitants intertwine in a web of unorthodoxy. The people who dwell here shatter the boundaries of convention, leaving an indelible mark upon the fabric of existence.

Each tale offers a glimpse into the unpredictable tapestry of Alaskan life. Be prepared to have your emotions stirred and your senses awakened, for within these narratives lies a potent concoction of passion, heartache, and triumph.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cherime MacFarlane
• Release date: Jun 30, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223223634

Cherime MacFarlane

Meet Award-Winning, Best-Selling Author Cherime MacFarlane. A prolific multi-genre author, she has a broad range of interests that reflect her been there-done that life. Romance, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Paranormal, all sorts of characters and plots evolve from a vivid imagination. As a reporter for the Copper Valley Views, Cherime MacFarlane received a letter of commendation from the Copper River Native Association for fair and balanced reporting. She was part of the Amazon Best Selling in Anthologies and Holidays, and Fantasy Anthologies and Short Stories. The Other Side of Dusk was a finalist in the McGrath house award of 2017.

Book preview

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Volume III

By Cherime MacFarlane

Copyright 2020 – Cherime MacFarlane

Copyright Notice:

All the stories are works of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Author's Note: Alaska can be a hard and dangerous place to live. Finding love in this state has its challenges. Keeping love alive is no less challenging.

License Notes: This collection is licensed for your personal enjoyment only and may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this collection with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your retailer and buy a copy for yourself. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Contents

The Keepsake

The Lunch Date

Boxes and Bits

Time Change

The Berry Patch

A Lady Without Means

The Ghost and Johnny

The Long Road Home

Other books by Cherime MacFarlane:

The Keepsake

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By Cherime MacFarlane

Earthquake! The shout accompanying the shaking had everyone looking up. Above them four floors of steel, wood and heavy things like stoves and washers threatened. In the underground parking garage the residents called home, everyone cringed.

Clinging to one log which separated the makeshift sleeping cubicles, she wondered if the building would fall. So far, they had been lucky.

With no electricity, no heat, and no running water, they had survived. In the days following the total absence of utilities, the residents converted the old garage into a home. It couldn’t have happened without the men. Men who hadn’t left for work that early morning when everything hiccupped.

Maybe the entire world went nuts. In Anchorage, Alaska, with no communication, they couldn’t be sure. On the edge of the high-priced district, surrounded by trees, the apartment house held six middle-class families.

More good luck came when the door to the garage did as its designer planned and stuck in the up position. One tenant, born and raised in the Alaska bush, had a chainsaw and hunting equipment in his storage locker.

The men formed a team and figured out how to install a wood stove in the garage. They knew how to make things. Together, they built a cart from the kids’ bicycles and worked hard to get the heavy stove they found to the building.

On their return, they spoke of looting and armed gangs they hid from. Marty declared no one could go out alone. If it became necessary to go shopping, it would be an armed sortie.

The run of luck didn’t extend to Addy and her mother. Her dad had been at the joint base Elmendorf-Fort Richardson when the city descended into chaos. Dirk Weaver didn’t come home that night.

Her mother gave up. Depressed, Adele spent most of her time in the lower bunk in their small space. When Addy tried to get her to go to the apartment and gather some things for safekeeping, Adele burst into tears.

Everyone treated her mother with a mix of pity and exasperation. Useless, the woman couldn’t seem to get a grip.

The last aftershock rolled through. Addy had been ready to sneak upstairs when the first quake hit. She wanted the photo album, and anything that would help her remember her father. Tough but kind and fair, she loved him.

Addy opened the stairwell door and slipped inside. If her mother couldn’t or wouldn’t help, she didn’t care. Not anymore.

Keeping a good grip on the handrail, Addy eased up the steps in the dark. The rail ended when she reached the first floor landing. She reached for the next one.

With all the windows in the apartments, they feared someone would put a ladder up, break the glass and get in. She’d been told not to go into the main building without an adult. To her mind, the age of majority had dropped. She had a knife and would use it if necessary.

There were no actual windows in the parking garage they now called home. Narrow slits high in the walls provided light during the day. They used candles after dark. Two of the women had plans to make more when they could get what they needed.

On the second floor landing, she slipped the trimmed log from behind the panic bar and eased the door open. Not a sound came from the inside of the building. She blocked the door open with