Aloha Rainbow

Book excerpt: Drawn to a land of lava, ice, and sea - three previous hockey teammates leave dreary Detroit and buy historic La`Ohana Inn in sunny Kona. As temperate and as fierce as Hawaii's nature, this accountant, teacher, and physician become indispensable to neighbors and friends who are intent on sharing Aloha. At sunset Catherine Kievers drives the beautiful and desolate sea plain to Pu'uhonau O Honaunau searching for Livia Hinman, whose aunt died that morning in Indiana. Long before dawn, Cate recognized this day as a day of sorrow. Both women have witnessed a rainbow on opposite shores of The Big Island. Now facing moonlit totems and looming Pacific, Cate prepares to phone Margaret Brown and informs her of a futile search. Thanksgiving and Christmas come a bit bleak, until neighbor Tom Smith stops by and asks if La`Ohana Inn will sponsor weekly Keiki Pony Rides. He and partner Tim Boki run nearby Queens' Stables, and they add plenty of spice and angst to the women's lives. Elderly Chakra Kuhanamana falls on the highway near the inn's mailbox, and Margaret earns the nickname 'The Good Doctor' after treating the kupuna and her brother Aye Noelani. This interesting couple sponsors an old-fashioned hukilau, and they are invited to move back to the Caretaker's Cottage. Pele and Poliahu take notice. Veterinarian Richard Header becomes The Good Doctor's doctor and the island's most elusive pedophile. Hilo's mysterious Ma Loa Hakkalani appears and lends plenty of intrigue and plenty of trouble. Hockey buddies and an old friend visit and find it hard to leave. Then something truly amazing happens, and the story culminates with a double rainbow. Steeled by experience three individuals are ready to become kahuna.