Free Courageous Love: A Christian Romance Novel (The Hawaii Love Series, #1) by Kelsey MacBride Page B

land, and over the generations, the land had been parceled off and sold to developers. Kaiko and Kana’s grandparents were the last to have the land and swore they would not sell any more. They wanted to retain the land for future generations and protect the heritage that the family had. And they had done a great job. They worked hard to rebuild the farm’s reputation and acquired more land to expand farming. By the time they passed the land onto Kaiko and Kana’s father, the farm was more successful than ever.
    Kana never told Michelle how he felt about her, but everyone knew he had a crush on her. Larry was well aware of the success of the Palakiko farm and knew the heritage of their family. He had met Kana several times over the years and knew him to be a hardworking, smart Christian boy. When he left to attend the University of Hawaii, Larry was only too happy to send Michelle there to follow him. Larry’s plans were for Michelle to marry Kana. But Michelle met Justin and fell in love. After Michelle and Justin left for California, Kaiko and Kana stopped coming around.
    It wasn’t until a year or two later that Larry and Elizabeth heard about their father. Apparently, Padraig Palakiko had squandered the profits from the farm on gambling and drinking. Nobody in town knew anything about it until after Kana graduated college. He had hoped to begin a career as an engineer at the university, but he was behind on his tuition, and the university wouldn’t hire him until he settled up. When he went to his father to find out why the bills hadn’t been paid, he discovered the truth. His father had been hiding his gambling and alcohol addictions for years. Unbeknownst to the rest of the family, he had allowed his debtors to put liens on the Palakiko farm. He was making payments, but barely enough to keep the farm in his name.
    Michelle had kept in touch with Kaiko over the years. But as time lingered on, their contact grew more intermittent. At first, it was constant phone calls. Then the occasional email or letter. As Michelle stood and looked at her childhood friend, she couldn’t honestly remember when the last time she spoke to her was.
    “Last year, when you went on that trip to the Redwoods! Remember? You sent me a picture of you and Luke driving through that giant tree?” Kaiko’s bubbly personality was infectious.
    Michelle thought back to that long weekend, one of many she and Luke had taken. They loved to just get up and escape for a few days. And with her job secure and Luke so successful, it was never a problem. A bittersweet look crossed Michelle’s face.
    “Did I say something wrong?” Kaiko asked, still knowing Michelle so well.
    Michelle laughed and shook her head. “No, no Kaiko. I was just thinking about how much I missed you, and the island, and home.”
    “Well,” Kaiko began, trying to change the subject to something more positive. “The island is just the same. Tons of tourists coming and going. Surfers everywhere, and of course, those pesky farmers.”
    The other people with Kaiko held back as Michelle and Kaiko kept talking. They bunched in their own group and held a conversation just out of earshot of Michelle. She looked but didn’t recognize any of them.
    Kiako saw Michelle’s glance. “Oh, those are just a few friends from the restaurant.” She stopped and held her hand over her mouth. “Oh my gosh, I have sooooo much to tell you!” Kaiko gushed, wanting to fill Michelle in on everything. “Okay, so let’s see. I was going to college, but my parents couldn’t afford to keep sending me.” She paused, looked awkward and kind of rolled her eyes back and forth. “You know, after all of that with my dad and all.”
    She took a deep breath and went on. “So I got a job at the Hula Surf Restaurant.” Kaiko jutted her thumb over her shoulder toward the end of the main street where the restaurant was located. “I’m actually doing okay. Saving some money so I can complete my college