kind.â
Â
Supper was over and James was putting the boys to bed when Roxy decided she wanted to leave the dining hall and go back to their cabin immediately. Megan suggested they wait for James to return.
âNo way. Iâm not a baby. And Iâm not scared of any old snakes, either. You can hang around here if you want to. Iâm going home.â
âIf you help me wipe down tables, time willpass before you know it.â The set of the girlâs jaw told Megan she was wasting her breath. âOkay. Iâll go tell Aaron weâre ready to go.â
âAaron?â Roxy brightened. âCool. I thought we had to wait for Mr. Harris.â
âYes and no. James said Aaron will walk us to our cabin any time heâs not available himself. But remember what I told you. Aaron is working here. Heâs not hanging around in order to keep you entertained.â
âYou donât want me to find somebody special and be happy, do you?â
âOf course I do. Just not yet, okay? Youâll have plenty of time for that when youâre grown-up.â
âLike you? Yeah, right. Iâm not going to wait till Iâm old and wrinkled to fall in love.â
Wrinkled? Megan gave a soft chuckle. The absurd notion of being a has-been at twenty-three tickled her. Amused, she headed for the boysâ dorm to fetch Aaron.
Before she got to the porch she could hear the boisterous boys. She knocked on the frame of the screen door. âHello! Anybody home?â
James appeared immediately. He was frowning. âWhatâre you doing out by yourself? Why isnât Aaron with you?â
âI thought he was over here with you,â Megansaid. âRoxyâs ready to go back to our cabin. I came to fetch a bodyguard, like you wanted.â
âI just sent him back to the dining hall. Didnât you pass him?â
âI donât know. I may have.â She scanned the forest through the deepening twilight. âI wasnât expecting to see him. I guess I didnât notice.â
âThen Iâm doubly glad I insisted you be escorted. The way you wander around with your head in the clouds is asking for trouble.â
Megan laughed. âHey, considering the fact my sister thinks Iâm so old Iâm already over the hill, I think Iâm doing quite well.â She started to turn away.
âWhere are you going?â
âBack to the kitchen.â
âAlone?â
Hands on her hips, she gave him a look of derision. âWell, duh. Of course alone. You have the boys to look after. You certainly canât go off and leave them, can you?â
âNo,â James said soberly. âOkay. Go. Iâll wait right here where I can watch you most of the way. When you get safely back to Inez, flash the porch light on and off a couple of times so Iâll know youâre okay.â
Megan gave in to the urge to tease him. Shestood at attention and gave a snappy salute, followed by âYes, sir!â
The look of incredulity on his handsome face made her laugh aloud. That he obviously didnât share her good humor added to her amusement.
She didnât mean to belittle his concern, she simply thought he took everything far too seriously. Especially himself.
Chapter Eight
I nez was the only person left in the dining hall when Megan arrived and asked, âWhere is everybody?â
âRoxy left. I think Aaron took her for a ride on the ATV. You know, that noisy, four-wheel-drive scooter thing they all like to take to the backcountry? I heard the motor start up a second ago.â
âOh, dear.â
âI wouldnât worry,â the older woman said. âAaron didnât seem to mind. He looked pretty happy to be goinâ off with your sister. I was a tad surprised. I didnât think they were gettinâ along all that well.â
âI wish they werenât,â Megan said. She grabbed Inezâs arm and
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