Everlasting Love (7 page)

“It was just a bad dream,” she alibied. “I'm fine.”

“Your sister's reading the boys a bedtime story. Do you want me to stay with you till she gets here?”

Megan pulled a face. “No need. I'll be fine. I always have nightmares when I'm stressed or overtired.”

“You're probably hungry,” he said.

“I don't think so.”

“I do. Skipping meals is bad for you.”

She gave him a lopsided smile. “You've been hanging around little kids too much, mister. You're starting to treat everybody like one.”

“Only if they deserve it.” He lifted one edge of the foil cover from the plate and waved it under her nose. “This is chicken and potato salad. If you're not going to eat it soon, we'd better refrigerate it so it doesn't spoil.”

“You could have left it on the porch.”

“Why tempt Wiggles? He's out there, remember? The bones might splinter and hurt him. You wouldn't want that to happen, would you?”

“You barge into my house, scare me out of my wits and you're blaming it all on my poor innocent dog?”

“I didn't barge, I knocked. You were too busy fighting dragons to hear me so I did the only sensible thing. The screen door wasn't latched and the door was standing wide-open. If you're afraid of prowlers you sure have a funny way of showing it.”

“I'm not afraid of anything. I just expect a little privacy, that's all.” She hadn't meant her words to sound so reproachful. Before she could soften her stance, however, he answered in kind.

“Fine. From now on, even if you're incapacitated, you can either drag yourself down to the mess hall for meals or starve. How's that?”

“Ridiculous,” Megan said with a wry smile. “But acceptable. I do appreciate your concern, I'm just not crazy about your methods. My heart's still pounding.”

“Then don't get hysterical in your sleep again.”

“Humph. I'll make every effort not to. Thanks for caring about me. And thanks for worrying that I'd be hungry. It was sweet of you.”

James reared back as if ducking a punch. “Whoa. There you go again, besmirching my character. I'm not sweet. I'm just trying to keep my camp running on an even keel.”

“Whatever.” The warmer hue of his cheeks amused her. “I promise to make every effort to avoid accusing you of being nice again, okay?”

“Especially in public.”

“Especially in public.”

She watched him edge away, as if he'd suddenly realized their current circumstances were far too private and was uncomfortable about it. That reaction was interesting. It meant he was acknowledging her as a woman, not merely a colleague. It also demonstrated his high morals. If he hadn't cared about giving the wrong impression, he wouldn't have worried about being caught alone with her.

Megan was still smiling about their encounter long after James had left. Whether he liked hearing it or not, he was a real sweet guy. The kind of person who'd make a good, reliable friend. She hoped, before the end of her project, he'd learn to think of her the same way.

R
oxy moped around for two days, waiting for Aaron's return. When he finally did show up at the camp again he avoided her as if she were contagious, much to Megan's relief. If they actually had exchanged a kiss, as Roxy had claimed, the young man had obviously thought better of it since then and decided to keep his distance. Given his apparent change of attitude toward her sister, Megan saw no reason to go out of her way to mention the possible rule infraction to James.

When he questioned her about Aaron's moodiness, however, she spoke the truth. “Roxy probably made a pass at him and scared him.”

James scowled. “What makes you think that?”

“Some things Roxy said. She tends to exaggerate but I suspect she tried to get him to kiss her.”

The muttering that followed that statement was too muted to interpret fully but Megan got the gist. “Hey, lighten up,” she said. “I've warned her to leave him alone and it looks like Aaron is more than ready to see that she does.”

“And that's supposed to make this idiotic arrangement work? If you believe that, you're as crazy as your sister. So, are you going to drive her home or shall I?”

“Nobody's going to drive Roxy anywhere. I promised Mom I'd give her time to think things through by keeping her with me, and I intend to do just that.”

“What about the boys? I thought you were supposed to be up here helping them.”

“There's no reason why I can't do both.”

James shook his head and scowled. “Oh, really? What about Zac?”

“What about him? I thought we were talking about Aaron.”

“No,” James drawled, “we were talking about your sister. That girl has as many emotional hang-ups as half the kids the state sends me.”

“Nonsense. You're too used to looking for problems. There's nothing wrong with Roxy that a cooling-off period won't fix. She's lived with our dad for five years. He's recently remarried. Once
she adjusts to the idea that she's not the only one he loves she'll be fine.”

“The only one? What about you? You're his daughter, too, aren't you?”

Megan's lips pressed into a thin line. “When my father and mother divorced, I stayed with Mom. After they split up, I hardly ever saw my dad.”

“Then what about your sister? You two are still close, aren't you?”

“I like to think we are,” Megan said softly. “I went away to college soon after the breakup. With me in school, even if we'd lived under same roof, Roxy and I wouldn't have seen that much of each other, except on holidays and summer vacations.”

“So now you're doing penance.”

“I never said anything of the kind!”

“You didn't need to.” James sighed quietly. “All right. This is our problem as I see it. Roxy is infatuated with Aaron. He's been avoiding her. Are you with me so far?”

“Yes. So?”

“So, I caught Zac pricking himself with a pin, trying to tattoo the back of his hand with an
R
inside a heart. I checked his file. There's nobody in his life with that initial—except your sister.”

“Uh-oh.”

“No kidding. I suspect she flirted with Zac to get Aaron's attention and Zac fell for her tricks, hook, line and sinker.”

“You can't be sure of that. Roxy may have had nothing to do with how he feels. I can tell she isn't a bit interested in him.”

“Can you?”

“Of course. I've always had a sixth sense about things like that. It's similar to the way animals tell friends from enemies. I just seem to know what the people around me are feeling.”

“Is that so?”

Megan faced him, hands fisted on her hips, chin high, and declared, “Yes, it certainly is.”

“You can even tell how I feel?”

“Within reason, yes.”

“Then it won't surprise you if I do this,” James said.

Before she realized his intention he'd slipped an arm around her waist, pulled her closer, planted a kiss on her slightly parted lips and abruptly released her.

Breathless, Megan could only stagger backward and stare at him. He looked irritated, though she couldn't imagine why. His short-lived kiss had certainly not been disagreeable. Truth to tell, it had left her so bumfuzzled she could hardly
move a muscle, let alone think straight. Her lips still tingled, her arms were covered with goose bumps and she wondered if she was about to land in a dazed heap at his feet.

She only wished he hadn't pushed her away before she'd had a proper chance to either return his surprising show of affection or slap his face. Or both.

“Have I made my point?” he asked gruffly.

Megan shook her head, still in awe of what had just occurred. “Point? What point? I don't have a clue why you did that.”

“Then you're less discerning than that oak tree over there,” James said. “You may understand animals but you don't have any idea what people are thinking, including your sister. I suggest you keep a close eye on her, Ms. White. That girl is trouble with a capital
T.
”

“You're wrong,” Megan argued.

All James said as he turned to leave was, “I sincerely hope I am. For everybody's sake.”

 

The first inkling Megan had that there was another kind of trouble brewing was the arrival of a Fulton County sheriff's car the following afternoon. She'd been letting the boys take turns riding Beethoven bareback while she led him around the
yard. Seeing them freeze and stare silently at the black-and-white vehicle, she joined their observation.

When it became clear that the uniformed officer had come alone, the youngest children relaxed. Only Zac remained alert, as if poised to face danger.

Megan touched his arm, making him jump. “I didn't mean to startle you,” she said.

“No problem.” He was clearly feigning calm.

“There's no reason to be afraid of the police, you know. They protect us.”

“I can take care of myself.”

“I'm sure you can. So can I. I don't mind getting a little help now and then though.”

“Don't need that kinda help,” the youth said.

“Not now, maybe. But you should keep an open mind. You may want police assistance someday.”

“Not likely.”

Having read Zac and Bobby Joe's files, she could understand his point of view. He'd come from a family that had been fractured by crime and the ensuing punishments. No doubt he blamed the authorities for most of his problems, though the real guilt lay with the adult relatives who had tried to use the boys as a cover for their numerous thefts.

Looking back on her own childhood, Megan was chagrined. “Sorry, Lord,” she whispered. “I can see I didn't have it so bad. I'm sorry I questioned You.”

Zac had been listening. “What?”

“I was just talking to God,” she explained. “Thanking Him for the wonderful things in my life.”

“Sounds pretty weird to me.”

“Not to me. Aren't you thankful for being here with your little brother instead of having to go to separate homes? I hear you two like to stay together.”

“Taking care of the kid is my job,” Zac said. “I promised.”

“Then you and I have something in common. I promised my mother I'd look after Roxy. Roxy's been pretty unhappy lately. Confused, too. But that's understandable. She still has a lot of growing up to do.”

The boy grinned. “Looks pretty grown-up to me.”

“On the outside, maybe. Inside, she's still my little sister. She always will be, just like Bobby will always be your little brother.”

“I guess.” Zac averted his gaze. “Do you think she likes me?”

“As a friend? I'm sure she does.”

“Yeah, well, I know I'm not all muscles like that Barnes guy but I'll fill out soon. My uncle's real strong. He can beat up anybody. I'm gonna be just like him.”

“There's more to success than having big muscles,” Megan told him. “Even strong men need to use their brains if they want to succeed. Look what happened to Sampson.”

“Who's he? A wrestler?”

“No, he was even stronger.” She smiled and shook her head. “The Bible says he pulled a whole building down on top of himself to kill his enemies.”

“He croaked, too? That was a pretty stupid move.”

“Maybe. The point is, the bad choices he made in the past were why he was in such terrible trouble.”

She gave that thought a chance to sink in before she added, “Life still works the same way today. If we don't make a mess of things to start with, there's a lot less to clean up later.”

Zac glanced past her and chuckled. Beethoven had decided to relieve himself right in front of her porch. “Speaking of cleaning up,” the boy joked, “somebody'd better grab a shovel before that gets tracked into your cabin.”

“An excellent idea,” she said pleasantly. “You'll find a manure fork in the bed of my truck.”

“A
fork?
I ain't fixin' to eat the stuff!”

Laughing, Megan handed him the burro's lead rope. “Here. Hold this while I go get the fork. You'll catch on once I show you how it works.”

“I don't know,” the teen drawled. “I may be smarter than that guy who knocked a house down on himself but I'm pretty slow when it comes to learning to use farm tools.”

 

James waited until the boys and Aaron were back in their dorm, washing for supper, before he headed up the hill to speak with Megan. She was running fresh water into a big plastic tub in the horse pen when he arrived.

“I'm glad everything went well,” he said. “No broken bones…yet.”

“I assure you I'm very careful.” She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, trying to keep perspiration from stinging her eyes. “Those kids are a handful.”

“Tell me about it.”

Megan grinned. “I just did.”

“Very funny.”

“I thought so.” Studying his expression more
closely she sobered. “Hey, what's wrong? You look worried.”

“I am. I want you to make sure your door is locked tonight when you go to sleep. And take the dog inside with you so he can warn you if there's a prowler.”

“I saw the police car today. Is there a burglar in the area?”

“Something like that.”

“Give me all the details. I don't want to become a victim through ignorance. Wiggles can help us patrol the camp, too, if you think it's necessary.”

“It shouldn't be. There may not even be a problem, at least not for anybody but Zac and Bobby Joe.”

“Why just them?” Her brow furrowed.

“The sheriff got word that their uncle, Ethan Ewing, is out on bail and may plan to come here to get them. All we're supposed to do is keep an eye out and call the cops if we notice anybody strange hanging around.”

“That could be too late.”

“I know. Unfortunately, we have no choice. I'm not too worried. The man's a known thief, but according to our files he's never been violent.”

Megan's eyes widened. “Oh, yeah? How many uncles do the boys have?”

“I don't know. Why?”

“Because Zac told me how much he admired an uncle who used to beat people up just for fun. If that's his uncle Ethan, I think I'd rather skip meeting the guy.”

“Can't say I blame you. Just in case there is a connection, either Aaron or I will walk you and your sister to and from the dining hall. I don't want you making the trip alone anymore, especially not after dark.”

“And I thought all I had to worry about up here in the hills were ticks and chiggers and snakes.”

“Hey! That's a great excuse,” James said. “We'll tell your sister and the boys that you saw a snake and you're scared to go walking alone.”

“It's the snakes I don't see that bother me,” she said wryly. “Especially the big, two-legged kind.”

 

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.

“No way. I'm not a baby. And I'm not scared of any old snakes, either. You can hang around here if you want to. I'm going home.”

“If you help me wipe down tables, time will
pass before you know it.” The set of the girl's jaw told Megan she was wasting her breath. “Okay. I'll go tell Aaron we're ready to go.”

“Aaron?” Roxy brightened. “Cool. I thought we had to wait for Mr. Harris.”

“Yes and no. James said Aaron will walk us to our cabin any time he's not available himself. But remember what I told you. Aaron is working here. He's not hanging around in order to keep you entertained.”

“You don't want me to find somebody special and be happy, do you?”

“Of course I do. Just not yet, okay? You'll have plenty of time for that when you're grown-up.”

“Like you? Yeah, right. I'm not going to wait till I'm old and wrinkled to fall in love.”

Wrinkled?
Megan gave a soft chuckle. The absurd notion of being a has-been at twenty-three tickled her. Amused, she headed for the boys' 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. “Hello! Anybody home?”

James appeared immediately. He was frowning. “What're you doing out by yourself? Why isn't Aaron with you?”

“I thought he was over here with you,” Megan
said. “Roxy's ready to go back to our cabin. I came to fetch a bodyguard, like you wanted.”

“I just sent him back to the dining hall. Didn't you pass him?”

“I don't know. I may have.” She scanned the forest through the deepening twilight. “I wasn't expecting to see him. I guess I didn't notice.”

“Then I'm doubly glad I insisted you be escorted. The way you wander around with your head in the clouds is asking for trouble.”