“I want a doggy.” The longing in Haley’s eyes poked at Meg’s “no dogs” policy.
“I know, baby, but we can’t have one right now. Why don’t you go see if you can find any more pictures of Brinkley for me?” Maybe since they were staying put this time she’d consider a dog for Haley. After the lodge was open and taking bookings.
Haley huffed out a breath, but then hopped up and started digging through boxes without further fuss. Thank goodness. Stress about Haley meeting Josh made Meg’s stomach ache. Luckily, Haley seemed to be taking news of Josh in stride. Hopefully it’d go that smoothly later.
Meg tucked the picture into her backpack thinking Casey might like to see it, and went back to her sorting.
As she dug further she found a box with a faded, barely legible For Megan scrawled on it in her grandmother’s shaky handwriting. Ripping it open, her heart leapt. Her mother’s things. She knew so little about her mom it was like finding buried treasure.
Meg found awards from various school functions, report cards, her mom’s high school diploma, the cap from her graduation, and a cute little class ring. She slipped the gold ring with her mom’s aquamarine birthstone onto her finger. A perfect fit. Maybe she’d ask the others if they would mind if she kept it.
Digging deeper, she found a couple of legal-sized files lying flat on the bottom. Just as she reached in to investigate, a deep voice called out from downstairs, “Where are the heathens in this damned house?” Her head popped up, thinking it was her father for a nanosecond, but then she remembered Ben said he might stop by with some new meds for Haley. The jerk. Trying to make his voice sound like their father’s. Well, turnabout was fair play.
She called out in a high, panicked voice. “Ben. Thank God! We’re in the attic.”
Footsteps thundered up the stairs. Ben flew into the attic and skidded to a halt. “What’s the mat—”
The big grin on her face must’ve given her away.
The concern on Ben’s face turned into a scowl. “You’re a brat, Muck.”
“I learned from the best. And we’re not calling me that anymore. Especially in front of the k-i-d.”
Ignoring her, Ben scooped Haley up over his head and made her giggle. “I brought my new super-fast ski boat. Want to ditch your boring mom and go for a ride with your favorite fun uncle?”
“Bye, Momma!”
Wow, she’d never even been dumped by a guy that quickly. “We’re having a talk about men and their fast boats when you get older, Haley. And I’ll be in the ice cream booth at the park when you’re done being fun, Ben.”
“Okay.” He tossed a little white bag her way. “Don’t forget, payback’s a bi—” He looked at Haley and, remembering his language, finished with, “bummer, Megan. You won’t know when and you won’t know where. Instructions on the bottle. See you.”
She sent him her best you-don’t-scare-me smirk.
Ben and Ryan were both responsible adults and yet they still lived to tease her like they had when they were little boys. But she could hold her own with those clowns.
After Haley and Ben disappeared down the stairs, Meg closed the lid on the box and put it aside to look through later. She had just enough time to change before she had to go scoop ice cream. And then introduce Haley to Josh.
Josh headed down to the lobby before he set off to the fund-raiser. After Casey finished with a person who had to be Jim Carrey, because no one else had a goofy smile that big, Josh stepped up to the front desk. “Just tell me this. Are his initials J. C.?”
Casey crossed her arms. “Nice try. What’s up, Granger?”
“Any tips on how to avoid your father today? I don’t want to cause Meg any more trouble.”
“Yeah, I heard about the dart game last night.” When the phone rang, Casey lifted a finger, cutting him off, then answered it.
While she took her call, he wandered over to the brochure rack. White water rafting looked interesting. He cracked the colorful pages open and studied them. Could be a fun thing to expose the kids on the ranch to.
Casey appeared beside him. “Meg’s a fantastic guide. You should ask her to take you sometime.”
One more skill Megan had that he didn’t know about. “She never said much about growing up here. Did she leave town because of your father?”
Casey sighed. “Again, not my place to tell. But if you want to avoid my dad today, lay low at first. He usually kicks off these fund-raisers with a rah-rah speech and then makes a quick round of the booths before his wife, Sue Ann, gets bored and makes him leave.”