Ghost Town

by Annie Bryant

  Meanwhile, Maeve was distracted by a different sort of view. “What do you think that’s about?” she whispered to Katani, directing her attention to their right.

  Katani looked to where Maeve was pointing. Mr. Ramsey, surrounded by all their carry-on bags, was talking to a woman in a snappy leopard print coat.

  “She’s pretty!” Isabel blurted.

  “Looks like someone has found something other than the beautiful scenery to admire,” Maeve said in a singsong voice.

  Katani sighed. “Maeve, you have a one-track mind. Just because Mr. Ramsey is talking to a woman doesn’t mean anything.”

  “We’ll see,” Maeve replied, giving Katani a meaningful look.

  Star Sighting

  At baggage claim, the light started flashing, an alarm bell rang, and the conveyor belt lurched into operation. Maeve couldn’t see anything through the throng of people ambushing the conveyor. Suddenly, Charlotte popped out with a bag in each hand, which she placed at her father’s feet before worming her way back through the crowd to find the rest.

  “How did she do that so fast?” Maeve wondered. “My mother’s black suitcase looks just like everyone else’s!”

  But Charlotte Ramsey had done enough world traveling to know that a bright polka dotted ribbon tied to the handle of her bag was a very helpful trick when it came to spotting her luggage.

  “Wish I’d thought of that,” Katani said enviously.

  Maeve was impressed. Once she became an actress and was traveling all over the world for movies and premieres and whatnot, she would have bright pink luggage, or maybe leopard print luggage, something that would stand out as being totally HER. Maybe she would get her own initials in gold—MKT. Or would that be too much?

  Charlotte surfaced from the crowd with two more bags—Katani’s stylish rolling suitcase and her dad’s big duffel. She looked around for her dad and noticed that he was still talking to the woman in the leopard jacket.

  “Girls, this is Lissie McMillan,” Mr. Ramsey announced as he rejoined the group. Ms. McMillan looked dazzling. Her honey-colored hair with golden highlights hung stylishly around her heart-shaped face. She had an easy, engaging smile and eyes that were large, distinctively yellow-brown, and captivating. She wore expertly applied eye-liner, which made her eyes look even more catlike.

  “Nice to meet you all. I guess I should get my bag,” Ms. McMillan said. “Be right back.”

  The group was a little dumbfounded as they observed Mr. Ramsey watch her walk away. “Ms. McMillan has decided to give up her job in a Boston brokerage house to return to her western roots. Her mother’s family came from Montana, and—get this—she’s going to be working for the next few months at Big Sky Resort. Can you believe it? What a small world!” Mr. Ramsey exclaimed.

  The group was silent.

  Dad is acting kind of weird, Charlotte thought.

  “I suggested that since I rented a van with so much extra room, Lissie should ride with us,” Mr. Ramsey informed them.

  Mr. Ramsey looked up to see Lissie pulling a large suitcase off the conveyor. “Here, let me help you with that.” He rushed to the belt to haul the suitcase off.

  Maeve gave Katani a look.

  “Don’t say anything!” Katani warned Maeve. “Just because he offered her a ride doesn’t mean he’s in love with her. Hello? Maeve? I’m talking to you! Oh, what now?”

  Maeve was looking past Katani, wide-eyed and incredulous. “Omigosh,” she managed to gasp. “OH MY GOSH. It’s Nik!”

  “Nick Montoya? No way!” Katani exclaimed.

  “No! Not Nick Montoya—Nik of Nik and Sam!”

  “Nick and who?” Katani turned around, expecting to see a couple of guys.

  “Did you say Nik and Sam?” Avery asked, whipping around. “Where? WHERE!”

  “There!” Maeve pointed, dropping her bags on the floor and sashaying over to where the two were standing.

  “Who are Nik and Sam?” asked Katani.

  “Come on, don’t tell me you’ve never heard of Nik and Sam,” Avery groaned. “Maeve played their CD for us at the sleepover a few weeks ago. They’re twins and country singers from Arkansas. I love them! They’re around our age, too.”

  Katani looked over at the two girls with long, tawny hair. In an instant Maeve was rushing up to their side, talking to them like they were old friends. The rest of the group hung back as Maeve solicited autographs from the two celeb musicians, who seemed to be admiring Maeve’s glitzy travel outfit—the pink boots in particular. Maeve pawed through her jumbo pink patent leather bag and then called Charlotte over, motioning that she needed something to write on.

  By that time all of the bags had been gathered, so the whole group dragged their suitcases over to Maeve.

  “Nik and Sam, these are my best friends: Charlotte, Avery, Katani, and Isabel. And this is Charlotte’s father, Mr. Ramsey.” Maeve swept her arm across the group. “Oh, yeah. And this is Lissie McMillan. She’s Mr. Ramsey’s new . . . friend,” Maeve added.

  “Hey, girls,” Nik greeted them with a smile and a wave.

  “It’s nice to meet y’all,” said Sam.

  Nik and Sam introduced their parents, their agent, and the rest of their entourage to the Beacon Street Girls. Maeve was glowing with excitement, and all the BSG were captivated by the twins’ star power and their down-to-earth friendliness.

  “It was very nice to meet you all,” Mr. Ramsey said, “but I need to go check on our rental car. Stay right here, girls. I’ll be back in a second.”

  The girls didn’t have any intention of going anywhere, not when they were having a real-life celebrity encounter!

  “We love your music,” Maeve gushed. “LOVE it, especially your song ‘Old Enough.’ It’s like you wrote that song just for me!”

  “Thanks,” Nik said. “It means so much to hear that!”

  “So what are you guys doing here in Montana? Don’t you live in Arkansas?” asked Avery.

  “We’re performing at Big Sky Resort this week,” Sam replied.

  Maeve squealed. “That’s where we’re going, too!”

  “Seriously?” Nik asked.

  “Seriously,” Maeve assured her.

  “That’s so cool!” Sam exclaimed. “We were afraid there wouldn’t be any girls there to hang out with!”

  Maeve beamed. Nik and Sam wanted to hang out with her. This week would be even better than she imagined.

  Mr. Ramsey returned to say that there was a delay with the rental van and it wouldn’t be ready for a few hours.

  “Hey, we were planning on having lunch in town before we hit the road for the resort. You guys wanna come?” Sam suggested.

  “That’s okay, Mom, right?” Nik asked.

  “Of course! The more the merrier,” Nik and Sam’s mom replied with a warm smile.

  Maeve grinned from ear to ear, and even Katani, who was new to the Nik and Sam phenomenon, seemed excited to spend some time with the famous duo.

  CHAPTER

  6

  Another World

  Charlotte’s head was swirling. Although she was an experienced traveler and used to encountering all sorts of delays and unexpected twists, she had never had a surprise celebrity encounter. And now they were about to get into a cab to go have lunch with Nik and Sam at Buffalo Bill’s, a swanky western restaurant in downtown Bozeman. That’s the thing about travel, Charlotte thought. You never know what’s going to happen! “Expect the unexpected,” her father always said.

  Mr. Ramsey wasn’t one to get bent out of shape when plans didn’t go as expected, but he also wasn’t used to looking after five twelve-year-old girls at once. At that moment, Maeve, totally empty-handed, was trailing after the Nik and Sam gang.

  “Aren’t you forgetting something?” an exasperated Mr. Ramsey called after the starstruck Maeve, who seemed to have forgotten that she was supposed to stay where she was. Sheepish, she made a beeline back to the group. An in-charge Mr. Ramsey corralled everyone and headed them back to the renta
l car counter explaining, “Girls, we can’t drag all this luggage with us.”

  As the procession of giggling BSG made its way back to the counter, Maeve couldn’t resist peering out the window. “There’s a limo out there,” she exclaimed. “The resort sent one for Nik and Sam. Look!” She pointed to a silver stretch limo and a driver holding a sign.

  “Whoa,” Katani exclaimed. “That’s so cool. Nik and Sam, you guys must love riding in an awesome car like that!” she shouted out to the twins, who were waiting by the door.

  “We have room for two more people in the limo,” Nik and Sam said in unison.

  “Yeah, two of you should come with us all the way to the ranch,” Sam suggested. “It’ll be fun!”

  Eyeing the girls’ pile of bags, Nik added, “You’re welcome to put some of your luggage in the limo, too. We have a little extra room, and it’s all going to the same place.”

  “Thanks!” Maeve said, dragging her bags over to the limo driver who had come inside to retrieve the twins. “Who wants to ride in the limo with me?”

  “Wait a minute. Who said you get to go with them?” Avery asked.

  “It’s only fair. You guys wouldn’t have even recognized them,” Maeve argued. “This is like a dream come true for me.”

  “I knew who they were, too,” Avery pointed out. “We all want a limo ride. And anyway, everything is a dream come true for you.”

  “Come on, guys. No fighting,” Charlotte pleaded.

  “Why don’t you draw straws or something?” her father suggested.

  Charlotte rummaged through her bag and pulled out four sticks of gum. She tore one in half and handed the five sticks to her dad. “The two that draw the half sticks of gum get to go in the limo,” Charlotte explained matter-of-factly.

  Katani and Isabel were the lucky winners. Still holding her half stick of gum, Isabel peeked over at Maeve, who looked devastated.

  “I can’t believe this. Isabel and Katani didn’t even know who Nik and Sam were and now they get to ride in their limo? This is just completely unfair,” Maeve grumbled.

  Charlotte pulled Maeve aside. “Look,” she began, hoping that Maeve wasn’t going to have a meltdown. “We have a whole week to spend with Nik and Sam. And as far as riding in a limo, someday that’ll be part of everyday life for you when you’re in Hollywood being famous and fabulous. So let Katani and Isabel enjoy it now.”

  Maeve smiled weakly. “Okay. Sorry. You’re right, Char.”

  Grizzlies and Ribs

  After a short cab ride, the girls were greeted by a big stuffed grizzly when they walked in the front door of Buffalo Bill’s Restaurant. The interior was decorated with roughly hewed wood, caribou antler chandeliers, and lots of stuffed creatures.

  “Cool! This place is awesome,” Avery said, running up to the grizzly, which towered over her with raised paws and a gaping mouth full of ferocious teeth. She pretended to punch the stuffed grizzly in the stomach and then handed her camera to Charlotte. “Char! Take a picture of me!” Avery cowered as if being attacked by the bear.

  “We’re meeting some folks,” Mr. Ramsey told the hostess as Maeve flung herself into the grizzly picture.

  “Here, Charlotte, why don’t you join them?” Lissie said. “I’ll take the picture.” Lissie snapped the shot and handed the camera back to Avery. “That one’s a keeper.”

  The hostess led them to the table to join the group and handed menus to everyone.

  “Cool! They have rattlesnake and buffalo on the menu. I can’t wait to get home and tell Scott I ate buffalo,” Avery exclaimed.

  “You’re the only one here who would eat buffalo,” Maeve told her.

  “Actually, buffalo is supposed to be very good for you. Fairly low fat, very lean, packed with protein,” Lissie said. “And I’m told rattlesnake tastes like chicken, although I’ve never tried it myself . . . and probably won’t.” Everyone, including Charlotte, laughed.

  “Yum. Throw a little barbecue sauce on that buffalo and it’ll be dee-lish,” Avery said. “Scott would love this place. This is the kind of thing he wants to do when he opens his own restaurant . . . something with a really cool theme.”

  “Yeah, Elena Maria too,” Isabel agreed.

  “Maybe those two can come to Montana on their honeymoon,” Maeve added, eyes sparkling.

  “Not so fast, Romance Girl,” Avery held up her hand. “I’m all for Scott and Elena Maria hanging out, but don’t get all starry-eyed or anything.”

  “Hi, I’m Kyle. I’ll be your server today,” said a handsome young man in worn jeans and a button-down shirt, with a cowboy hat pulled down over his dark eyes. “I’ll give you a few minutes to look over the menu.” He smiled at the large group and moved on to deliver drinks to another table.

  “He’s dreamy,” Maeve said, gesturing toward the waiter and sighing as she buttered a fresh roll. “Cowboys are so my type. I think maybe my future college plans might include the University of Montana.”

  “Okay, Betsy Fitzgerald,” joked Katani.

  Maeve made a face. Betsy was their college-obsessed classmate from Abigail Adams Junior High back in Brookline. Maeve hoped she didn’t sound like that.

  “Kyle is cute,” Sam agreed.

  All the college-aged waiters and waitresses were wearing authentic cowboy gear—hats, cool boots, and snazzy western-style shirts. The servers, along with the authentic decorations and delicious smells, gave Buffalo Bill’s a fun, unique atmosphere.

  “It’d be great to get some western wear while I’m on this trip, but I know that resort stores can be really expensive. I wonder if there’s a good place to shop around here,” Katani thought aloud.

  One of the waitresses overheard and suggested an inexpensive spot just down the street.

  Suddenly, the music cranked up. The waiters put down their trays and started a choreographed line dance.

  “Cool! ‘Cotton-eyed Joe!’” Avery shouted.

  “Come on!” Maeve grabbed Nik and Sam by the elbows as soon as the waiters motioned for the customers to join in.

  All the girls jumped up to test their line dancing skills, and even Mr. Ramsey and Lissie joined the fun. Charlotte and Katani both felt like they had two left feet, but they got the hang of the routine toward the end of the song.

  Out of the corner of her eye, Maeve noticed that the twins’ father disappeared and returned with two cases. He opened up the cases and began tuning a guitar and a banjo while the dancing went on.

  “Here at Buffalo Bill’s we are fortunate to have two special people in our restaurant today,” Kyle spoke into the microphone at the end of the song.

  For a split second Maeve thought Kyle was going to single her out for her dancing skills, but then the waiter gestured to Nik and Sam. Oops, Maeve thought with a blush. Guess it’ll be a couple years before people start recognizing Maeve Kaplan-Taylor in public.

  “Nik and Sam, the country singing sensations, will be performing at Big Sky Resort this week, and we’ve persuaded them to put on an impromptu performance this afternoon. Let’s give Nik and Sam a warm Montana welcome!” Kyle clapped and the crowd joined in, yipping and yelling with the BSG leading the way.

  Nik and Sam took their instruments and stepped on stage. They leaned their heads together and whispered for a few seconds, then nodded and faced the audience with bright smiles.

  “This is for our new friends from Boston,” the twins said in unison before breaking into a soulful noise that immediately got every foot tapping in the house. “They say I’m a wild child . . .” the girls began.

  “‘Old Enough!’ My favorite song!” Avery called out.

  By the time Nik and Sam got to the chorus, the BSG were belting out their favorite part: “I’m old enough!”

  The song ended and the crowd erupted in ringing applause. Maeve led the BSG cheer, even though she was hoarse from singing with all her might.

  “Thank you!” Nik and Sam waved to the audience. “And here’s a new one we’d like to share with you,” Sam
said. The girls slowed down the pace, strumming out a bluesy ballad. “It’s just another Sunday morning,” the girls crooned.

  Mr. Ramsey got up and offered a hand to Lissie, who took it and followed him to the dance floor.

  “Hey, Charlotte, your dad is a pretty good dancer,” Avery observed. “My dad looks like he’s trying to swat and stomp bugs when he dances,” she said. “It’s definitely not pretty.”

  “Where did your dad learn to two-step like that?” Katani asked.

  “I have no idea,” Charlotte replied as she felt a strange knot in the pit of her stomach. She wasn’t sure why she felt all shaky and weird inside. It wasn’t fear or anger or embarrassment. She just felt uncomfortable.

  Meanwhile, all the restaurant goers were exclaiming and trying to get a good look at the twins.

  Maeve gave a little wave to some of the onlookers. Maybe they were trying to catch a glimpse of the one and only Maeve Kaplan-Taylor too. Who knew?

  Nik and Sam’s dad stood up and announced that it was time to get going. They had to reach the resort in time for the twins to settle in and rehearse before it got too late.

  The limo was waiting for them at the front door. Nik and Sam and their parents, along with Isabel and Katani, piled into the shimmering silver car. Katani was a little disappointed that she wouldn’t be able to go shopping, but Isabel whispered that she was sure that the resort would have a cool gift shop.

  Mr. Ramsey stuck his head through the open window to give the girls some instructions. “All right, girls. Be good, and we’ll see you in a bit.”

  Isabel and Katani nodded.

  “When you arrive, tell the person at the front desk that you’re part of the Ramsey group. If there is any problem, call my cell. We should only be a half hour to an hour behind you.”

  Mr. Ramsey stepped away from the limo, and Katani, Isabel, Nik, and Sam waved good-bye to the rest of the group as the limo rolled away from the curb.