off me!” she ordered. “Get off me and get out of here!”
He managed to drag himself off her and roll onto the floor, but the only way he’d be able to get out of here at the moment would be to crawl.
“I don’t believe this,” she hissed down at him through the darkness. “I simply do not believe this. You should be totally ashamed of yourself, you…you barbarian.”
Over her words, he could hear Freckles saying, “Sully, what’s wrong? Why’s Lauren so mad?”
He tried to answer, but hadn’t gotten enough of his breath back to manage words.
Then Roxy started trying to lick his face and sit on him at the same time while the rest of the boys came thundering into the room. For some crazy kid reason, one of them had come armed with a flashlight. The beam of light bounced around, finally settling on him.
“Sully?” Billy said. “Why are you on the floor? How come you’re all bent over like somebody just kicked you in the…ohh.”
“Ohh…” the other boys echoed.
“I…I…” he tried to say.
“There’s someone on the lounge phone,” Freckles offered. “For Lauren. That’s why Sully came to wake her up.”
There was a long silence. Then Lauren said, “Really?”
A second later, she switched on the lantern beside the bed and stared down at Sully.
“It’s your father,” he gasped out. “He wants to be sure you’re okay.”
O NCE L AUREN REALIZED that Sully hadn’t come into the bedroom with rape and pillage on his mind, and that she’d completely overreacted, she tried to apologize and help him up from the floor.
He wasn’t interested in either her apology or her help, though. First he groaned, then he glared, then he firmly waved her off. So, guiltily leaving him slumped where he was with Roxy sprawled across his feet, she tugged on her borrowed robe and started for the lounge—even though talking to her father was the last thing she wanted to do. She didn’t know how he’d discovered she was at Eagles Roost, but she knew he wouldn’t be happy about it.
All five boys came along with her, although she wasn’t sure if Sully had waved them away, too, or if they just doubted she’d be able to spot the phone by herself. At any rate, their little parade was about halfway across the lounge when the front door opened and Grace came hurrying in, Otis right behind her. Both were bleary-eyed and wearing nightclothes.
“I saw the lights on and knew someone must be sick,” Grace explained, her eyes flickering from one boy to the next. “You’re all fine, though, aren’t you, so it’s Sully. What’s wrong with him?”
The boys looked at Lauren. She knew they were dying to tell Grace exactly what Sully was suffering from, but they didn’t—which was the first thing she’d had to be glad about in the past five minutes.
“Sully isn’t sick,” she said, deciding that wasn’t a lie, even though he wasn’t in the best of health, either.
Then she realized it would be a good idea if somebody made sure he was all right and glanced at Otis. “I think he might like to talk to you for a minute, though. He’s in his bedroom.
“Actually,” she said, focusing on Grace again, “the lights are on because there’s a phone call for me. I’m just sorry it’s gotten everybody up.”
“It’s her father,” Freckles said. “Sully told us.”
“Well, if the call’s for Lauren, it’s only polite to let her take it privately. So why don’t the rest of us go into the kitchen and I’ll make some hot chocolate. It’ll help us all get back to sleep.”
Lauren shot Grace a grateful glance. Then, as the others started off, she took a deep breath and told herself that no matter what her father said she wouldn’t let it upset her.
Picking up the receiver, she took another deep breath for good measure and said, “Hi, Dad.”
“Lauren, you took forever getting to the phone. Are you all right?”
“Yes. Why wouldn’t I be?”
She could hear him assuring her mother she
He managed to drag himself off her and roll onto the floor, but the only way he’d be able to get out of here at the moment would be to crawl.
“I don’t believe this,” she hissed down at him through the darkness. “I simply do not believe this. You should be totally ashamed of yourself, you…you barbarian.”
Over her words, he could hear Freckles saying, “Sully, what’s wrong? Why’s Lauren so mad?”
He tried to answer, but hadn’t gotten enough of his breath back to manage words.
Then Roxy started trying to lick his face and sit on him at the same time while the rest of the boys came thundering into the room. For some crazy kid reason, one of them had come armed with a flashlight. The beam of light bounced around, finally settling on him.
“Sully?” Billy said. “Why are you on the floor? How come you’re all bent over like somebody just kicked you in the…ohh.”
“Ohh…” the other boys echoed.
“I…I…” he tried to say.
“There’s someone on the lounge phone,” Freckles offered. “For Lauren. That’s why Sully came to wake her up.”
There was a long silence. Then Lauren said, “Really?”
A second later, she switched on the lantern beside the bed and stared down at Sully.
“It’s your father,” he gasped out. “He wants to be sure you’re okay.”
O NCE L AUREN REALIZED that Sully hadn’t come into the bedroom with rape and pillage on his mind, and that she’d completely overreacted, she tried to apologize and help him up from the floor.
He wasn’t interested in either her apology or her help, though. First he groaned, then he glared, then he firmly waved her off. So, guiltily leaving him slumped where he was with Roxy sprawled across his feet, she tugged on her borrowed robe and started for the lounge—even though talking to her father was the last thing she wanted to do. She didn’t know how he’d discovered she was at Eagles Roost, but she knew he wouldn’t be happy about it.
All five boys came along with her, although she wasn’t sure if Sully had waved them away, too, or if they just doubted she’d be able to spot the phone by herself. At any rate, their little parade was about halfway across the lounge when the front door opened and Grace came hurrying in, Otis right behind her. Both were bleary-eyed and wearing nightclothes.
“I saw the lights on and knew someone must be sick,” Grace explained, her eyes flickering from one boy to the next. “You’re all fine, though, aren’t you, so it’s Sully. What’s wrong with him?”
The boys looked at Lauren. She knew they were dying to tell Grace exactly what Sully was suffering from, but they didn’t—which was the first thing she’d had to be glad about in the past five minutes.
“Sully isn’t sick,” she said, deciding that wasn’t a lie, even though he wasn’t in the best of health, either.
Then she realized it would be a good idea if somebody made sure he was all right and glanced at Otis. “I think he might like to talk to you for a minute, though. He’s in his bedroom.
“Actually,” she said, focusing on Grace again, “the lights are on because there’s a phone call for me. I’m just sorry it’s gotten everybody up.”
“It’s her father,” Freckles said. “Sully told us.”
“Well, if the call’s for Lauren, it’s only polite to let her take it privately. So why don’t the rest of us go into the kitchen and I’ll make some hot chocolate. It’ll help us all get back to sleep.”
Lauren shot Grace a grateful glance. Then, as the others started off, she took a deep breath and told herself that no matter what her father said she wouldn’t let it upset her.
Picking up the receiver, she took another deep breath for good measure and said, “Hi, Dad.”
“Lauren, you took forever getting to the phone. Are you all right?”
“Yes. Why wouldn’t I be?”
She could hear him assuring her mother she
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