[Song of Alaska 02] - Morning's Refrain by Tracie Peterson

one feeling to the next. On one hand, I want revenge for her. I hate that anyone would cause her fear or pain, but that they would try to kill her . . . well, that just makes me want to return the favor.”
    “I felt the same way,” his father admitted.
    He shook his head. “On the other hand, I feel a strange need to know more, to know them—my brothers and sister. Even my father. Does that make any sense at all?”
    Kjell considered the words for a moment. “I think there’s a reason and purpose for everything, Dalton. I can see why you would want to meet them and know them better. I can vouch for the fact that, nineteen years ago, they were very dangerous people. Especially your brother Marston. He was the one who seemed to instigate everything. Mitchell is his twin and went along with the plan, but Marston seemed to always make the decisions.”
    “I just feel like I . . . that I . . .” Dalton shook his head again. “I don’t know who I am. But that sounds crazy. I’m Dalton Lindquist. I live in Sitka, and I have a wonderful family who loves me. You’ve been an incredible father to me. I don’t want you to think otherwise. I will always love you and be grateful that you chose to be my father. I should be happy with that . . . and I hate it that I feel so restless instead.”
    “It’s not nearly so important to know who you are, as to know whose you are.”
    “I don’t understand.”
    Kjell reached out and touched his shoulder. “Son, you might have been conceived a Gray and born a Lindquist, but there’s something so much more important. You chose to belong to God—to accept that Jesus died for your sins and rose again to give you life eternal. You made those choices a long time ago. You belong to Him. That’s where your identity should come from. That’s where you can find peace when everything else goes wrong.”
    “But there’s still a need to understand my earthly past. You know who your parents were—who your people are. You didn’t have this horrible thing hanging over your head—this secret shame of what once happened.”
    “Everyone has something in their past that they’d just as soon forget, Dalton. But even so, you had nothing to do with the choices and decisions that others made before you were born—or even after. Your father’s actions might have set certain courses in motion for you, but they needn’t determine your future.”
    “Do you think my brothers could have changed? Do you think my other sister would want to know me like Evie does?”
    Father shrugged. “It’s hard to say. Folks can certainly change, if they allow the right influences. Of course, they can change for the worse, too.”
    “It doesn’t sound as though my brothers could have become much worse.” Dalton moved away from his father and walked to the edge of the trail. The water below looked as gray as the sky. Seals surfaced and dove as they played in the harbor, and Dalton wished he could be as carefree. Maybe it would have been better if he’d never known the truth. And if that were possible, then maybe knowing anything more would be a mistake.
    “Dalton, no matter what you decide, talk it over with your mother. She deserves to know what your plans are in this matter.” Kjell paused until Dalton turned to face him. “All of your life, she’s only wanted to keep you safe. Her fear of what they might do to you kept her vigilant. I don’t think she’s ever really had a moment when she wasn’t looking over her shoulder to make certain you weren’t in danger.”
    “But—”
    Kjell held up his hand. “Just hear me out, son. Your mother loves you—probably in a way that goes even deeper than the love she has for our girls. She almost lost you, and she knows she could lose you still.”
    “No one is going to steal me away. I’d feel sorry for the man who tried,” Dalton said with a cocky grin.
    “Maybe not physically, but emotionally or spiritually, it wouldn’t be difficult to sway a man