Maple Mayhem (A Sugar Grove Mystery) by Jessie Crockett Page B

three. He had made me hysterical by asking Loden to fetch the chain saw so he could get me out.
    “In the end we just tickled her until she got all loose and floppy and she slipped her own head out just as easily as she slipped it in.” Grampa beamed at Graham and then at me. “That’s our Dani, always getting herself into trouble and then finding her way back out again using unconventional means.”
    “She does seem inclined to do things a little differently,” Graham said.
    “Some people think she’s a bit eccentric, but don’t tell her I told you so,” Grampa stage-whispered to Graham. “She’s a little sensitive about that sort of thing. Especially when good-looking young fellers like yourself are the ones hearing about it.” Grampa creaked the maple antique kitchen rocker back as far as it would go without tipping over backward. He always did that when he got ready to kick his storytelling into high gear. That meant it was past time to leave.
    “That’s me, sensitive and eccentric. Ready to go?” I turned my attention from Grampa to Graham.
    “I am always ready to go camping,” Graham said.
    “Even with a squad of squirrels?” I asked.
    “I love kids. Someday I hope to have a whole squad of my own.” He flicked his eyes over my frame briefly and I wondered if he was evaluating my hips and their birthing capacity. I felt like a failure. My hips are as small as the rest of me. As I looked back at him I thought of a Chihuahua giving birth to German shepherd puppies.
    “Good attitude, young man. You can’t work a farm without a crew. When were you thinking about getting started?” Grampa asked.
    “We’ve got to go or those squirrels will have worn poor Mindy out if she has to handle them all by herself for long.” I grabbed Graham’s sleeve and tried tugging him toward the hallway. He didn’t seem to be taking the hint.
    “I was thinking sooner rather than later, sir. After all, no one is getting younger.”
    “You got that right. Why little Dani here is already twenty-seven. Can you imagine that? Looking at her, she still seems seven instead of twenty-seven.”
    “I don’t know about that, sir. She looks pretty grown-up to me.” Graham winked and finally took the hint as I tugged on his sleeve again. I waved good-bye to Grampa and tracked Grandma down in the laundry room in order to give her a kiss while Graham loaded his truck with the camping gear and my clothing.
    “You have fun, dear. I know you could use a little excitement in your life.”
    “I’ve had quite enough excitement with finding the Midget all carved up and trying to keep the cooperative afloat.”
    “That’s not the kind of excitement I meant and you know it.” Grandma adjusted my collar like I was about to head out the door to school looking like a ragamuffin.
    “It’s the only sort I seem to drum up and I guess I’ll have to take it.”
    “I think there might be more out there in life for you to take if you just pay attention. Graham is a nice boy and he really seems to like you. I think even your father would approve. I know Lowell does.”
    “I thought you had your heart set on me settling down with Knowlton?”
    “I have my heart set on you having a good life. I’ve always wanted all you children to be as happy as your grandfather and I have been. As happy as your parents were.”
    “I know. I want that, too. Which is why I don’t want to be pushed into anything or to settle for less than perfect.”
    “Perfect doesn’t exist, Dani. But good does. Kind does. Putting others first sometimes does. I think Graham may have all of those qualities. You could do a lot worse.”
    “Let’s just see how the camping trip goes.”
    “Camping does tend to show a lot about a person. You should come home with more knowledge than you left with concerning Graham’s core character.”
    “And whether or not he snores.”
    “And whether or not he likes children as much as he says he does. Kids can be pretty hard to