Hidden Gifts_A Castle Mountain Lodge Romance

by Elena Aitken

  Morgan’s stomach flipped. She was afraid she knew exactly what Carmen was going to say, and she didn’t want to hear it.

  “And Patty, the girl that’s getting married,” Carmen continued, “just left me high and dry in the Cub’s Club. I think you’d be perfect for the position.”

  “Cub’s Club?” Morgan was almost afraid to ask.

  “It’s for our child guests. It’s much more than a babysitting room, which is why I think you’d be perfect for it. Patty did great things there. Crafts, games, activities. She used to…”

  Morgan stopped listening as Carmen went on to describe the job in detail. Her mind focused on words like: children, babysitting, perfect. Her mind spun and for a terrifying moment when she couldn’t focus on the woman in front of her, she thought she might pass out. How could she take a job working with children? The whole point of coming up to Castle Mountain was to escape.

  “Morgan?”

  She forced herself to focus. “Sorry,” Morgan said. “I was just thinking.”

  “So you’ll take it?”

  “Actually, I really don’t think I’d be right for the job.”

  Carmen’s face fell and Morgan felt a flash of guilt. “Of course, you’re perfect,” she said. “Plus, you won’t have to work any evenings unless the guests hire you for extra hours, which can be very lucrative.”

  Morgan swallowed hard and tried to look as professional as possible. “I’d really rather stick with the event planning ,if it’s all the same to you.”

  “Actually,” Carmen said, “there’s really no other choice.” She pressed her lips into a hard line. “The other position has been filled.”

  “Filled?” For the second time, Morgan’s stomach flipped and she was afraid she might be sick.

  “I honestly didn’t think you would have any problem with the change. Besides, I didn’t have any other choice. None of the other applicants have any experience with children, and then there was your résumé staring up at me.”

  “So I don’t have a choice?” Morgan struggled to keep her voice calm.

  The other woman shook her head. “No. I’m afraid you don’t. It’s the only opening left. I’m sorry, but I really thought you’d be happy with the change.”

  “No,” Morgan said, her voice barely a whisper. “I really don’t want to work with children at all. I’m going to have to think about this,” she said.

  “Think about what? The job?”

  “Yes…I…” Morgan couldn’t finish the thought, because she wasn’t sure how to. A million thoughts raced through her brain. She’d already given up her apartment. She had nowhere to move back to if she went back to the city. And her job? Andi and Eva certainly would give her a job at Party Hearty, but the whole idea of going up to the Lodge was to give herself a fresh start. A chance to adjust to the idea that her future could never be what she thought it would be. It was one thing to see children now and then; it would be another thing entirely for her to spend her days surrounded by them.

  “Please tell me you’re going to do it,” Carmen said, interrupting Morgan’s thoughts. She drained her beer and stared at Morgan. After a moment, Carmen sighed. “I’m going to have to find someone else, aren’t I?”

  Morgan nodded slowly. “Yes,” she said. “I’m sorry, Carmen. But I can’t do it. I just can’t work with children.”

  “You’re sure? I told you, I don’t have any other positions.”

  Morgan nodded again.

  “Okay,” Carmen said with a sigh, “but can you please at least work tomorrow? I’m kind of stuck until I have a chance to find someone else.”

  “I don’t know—“

  “Please, Morgan. There’s only one little girl scheduled. It’ll be easy.”

  Carmen looked as if she might cry, and despite the fact that Morgan felt as if she was going to either throw up or pass out at any moment, she nodded. “Okay. One day. Then I guess I’ll go.”

  “Thank you,” Carmen said. She grabbed Morgan and gave her a quick hug. “I’m telling you, the stress of this job is going to kill me. Come on, let’s go get another drink.”

  Morgan did her best to smile, but she didn’t follow as Carmen wove her way through the crowd. Looking around at the party going on around her, all the people she no longer would be working with for the summer, she didn’t much feel like celebrating.

  Chapter Five

  Bo took one more look down the hall where he’d left Ella in the Cub’s Club. She’s in good hands, he reminded himself. Besides, Carmen said the Cub Counsellor would be there right away, and those people had experience with kids. Ella would be fine—probably better than fine. Maybe she’d even come out of her shell a little bit. It wasn’t right that a little girl should be so sad.

  When he’d left her, Carmen had been trying to get her to put down the ceramic deer, which she’d eyed suspiciously, but fortunately not commented on, and go play with some of the other toys. Ella certainly hadn’t said anything, but Bo could tell she was a little overwhelmed. Didn’t that make two of them?

  His thoughts were still focused on Ella and how he might be able to make her smile when Bo walked through the lobby of the main lodge. He didn’t see the woman running across the room until the last second.

  He reached out and grabbed the woman to keep her from slamming into him. “Whoa,” he said.

  They spun in an awkward dance before she looked up into his eyes. The expression in her eyes changed from shock to one of annoyance in a flash. “You,” she said.

  “It’s me.” He tried to keep the laughter out of his voice. “Morgan, right?” He released her and she immediately pulled at her shirt, trying to adjust her uniform. “You should watch where you’re going. This place is going to get pretty busy soon,” he said.

  “Well, I’m sorry,” she said. Was it his imagination, or was she hostile towards him? He couldn’t remember doing anything, well, not much of anything anyway, to annoy her. “I’m late.”

  He stood back and swept an arm out to the side gallantly. “I should let you get going then. It wouldn’t do to get in trouble on the first day.”

  She blushed, which Bo couldn’t help noticing had the effect of softening her annoyance and making her look extremely beautiful.

  “I don’t know if it will matter actually,” she said. “I’ll be leaving on Monday.”

  The stab of disappointment that shot through him surprised Bo. “Leaving? But the season is just starting.”

  “Yes, well…” Morgan looked down at her feet and twirled the end of her ponytail around her finger. “I just don’t think it’s going to work out.”

  “That’s really too bad,” Bo said. “We got off on the wrong foot and I’m sorry about that.”

  Her head shot up; the annoyance that he was already used to seeing on her face was back. “I assure you that my decision had nothing to do with you.”

  Bo smiled. “I’m glad to hear it.” He searched her eyes with his. She was a tricky one to figure out. He couldn’t get a read on her. After a moment, he said, “I’ll be sorry to see you go, Morgan.”

  Something flickered in her eyes but it was gone so fast, he couldn’t be sure that he saw it at all. “Well, I’m going to be late.” She dodged around him and hurried across the room.

  Bo watched her disappear down the corridor before turning to head outside. He had to walk some trails, and check conditions before the guests started to arrive. It wouldn’t do to lead guests through muddy, snow-covered trails. Some liked them rough and rustic, but most didn’t. And he wasn’t going to be able to earn the types of tips he needed by leading a bunch of tourists down a soggy trail.

  ~ ~

  He headed out on the paved trails that led away from the Lodge. At least five kilometers of paved trails wound through the main buildings, around the pond in the courtyard, and along the mountain ridge. The entire area was accessible for all guests, including those in wheelchairs and pushing strollers. The accessibility was one of the things that made Castle Mo
untain so popular because there was something for everyone. He didn’t have to check those trails to know that they’d be fine because the Lodge kept them in good condition all year round. He quickly veered off the pavement and on to Spruce Track—one of the easier hikes he liked to try the inexperienced hikers on before venturing further out.

  Bo moved at a comfortable pace, hopping over exposed roots and rocks. He pulled his notebook out of his back pocket and recorded where trees had fallen and would need clearing, or areas that would be treacherous in less favorable conditions. The spring had been warm, and all of the snow on the lower trails was melted. But it wasn’t the lower trails he was worried about. He was eager to get up on the mountain and lead a group to Lake of the Hanging Glacier. It was an all-day trek, and like the name suggested, the trail led to a breathtaking lake that was fed by a stunning glacier. A log cabin—they called it Stanley’s Cabin for the man who discovered it—at the top was perfect for overnight stops. He wouldn’t have time to check the whole path yet but at least he could check out the trail head.

  A rustle in the trees behind him caught his attention and Bo turned slowly with one hand on the canister of bear spray he kept on his hip. The mountains were full of cougars and bears, a fact that always stunned some guests when he went through his survival tips. It never failed to surprise him how many of the tourists thought those animals were only found in the zoo.

  He squatted lower to the ground and listened for a moment before he stood upright again and laughed.

  “You almost got me, Jeff,” Bo called out.

  A second later, Jeff appeared on horseback coming around the bend and through the trees. Besides his own black mare, he led two others.

  “Hey,” he said, “I didn’t know you’d be out here this morning.” Jeff hopped out of the saddle and landed on the ground with a surprisingly graceful thump.

  “I’ve been itching to check out the trails,” Bo said. “There’ll be guests here before we know it and it’ll be time to get out here.”

  “True enough.” Jeff patted the mare. “That’s why I wanted to get Sally out here. Thought I’d warm up a few others, too. I think the horses are just as excited for the season to get fired up.”

  “Let’s walk for a bit.” Bo gestured down the path.

  Jeff fell into step next to his friend, leading the horses behind him. Together, they walked in silence for a few minutes. They knew each other well, and just being outside together in the woods was enough to strengthen their friendship after a winter apart. But it wasn’t long before Jeff broke the silence.

  “So,” Jeff said as they approached the trail head. “Are you going to tell me about that sweet little girl you have?”

  Bo sighed and rolled his shoulders back, releasing some of the tension he’d been holding. “There’s not much to say. I didn’t really have much of a relationship with her mother.”

  “Do you with any of them?” Jeff quipped and Bo shot him a look. “Sorry,” Jeff added, “that was out of line.”

  “Anyway,” Bo continued, “she doesn’t have anyone else, and Tessa named me in her will. So, I got the call and a few days later, Ella.”

  “Wow, man. I can’t even imagine.” Jeff wiped his sleeve across his brow. “She’s pretty cute, though,” he said. “Must take after her mama, huh?” He dodged Bo’s punch and laughed. “So what are you going to do? I mean, you can’t keep her at the Lodge.”

  Bo stopped in his tracks and stared at his friend. “Why not?”

  “It’s not much of a place for kids, is it? I mean, it’s good for holidays and all, but to live? That sucks, because rumor has it that they were going to offer you the full-time gig. You know, leading winter treks and all that. Isn’t that the one you were after?”

  Crap. With everything that had happened in the last few days, Bo’d forgotten all about putting in for the outdoor recreation manager position. He took a moment to digest what Jeff had said before he spoke again. “I don’t think I can keep her anyway.” At Jeff’s confused expression, he quickly continued, “I mean, what kind of father can I be? And like you said, the Lodge is no place for a child to live, even if I could.”

  “I thought you said there was no where else for her to go?”

  “There isn’t…but—“

  “You’d turn her over to Social Services? Your own daughter?”

  “No!” Bo’s response surprised even him. “No,” he said again, calmer. “I mean, I don’t want to. But they were looking into some family. An uncle, I think.”

  Jeff shook his head slowly. “Did I ever tell you I was a foster kid?”

  Bo shook his head. Neither of them had ever really talked about their childhoods.

  “It’s a hard life for a kid,” Jeff said. “Don’t get me wrong. It’s the right decision for some and I did end up with a really good family. Even got a few pesky little sisters out of the deal, but…” He looked past Bo, staring into the woods for a moment, lost in a memory.

  “Jeff?”

  His buddy shook his head, clearing the memory. “Sorry,” Jeff said. “I was just thinking.”

  “So what do you think I should do?”

  Jeff shrugged. “No idea. But you definitely need to think about it.”

  Bo kicked at a loose rock on the trail. “I’ve been doing nothing but. I mean, what if I keep her and screw it up?” Bo ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t know anything about kids, and my situation is less than ideal. Maybe she’d be better off with a nice family. People who can provide her with a stable home and like you said, maybe some sisters and—“

  “Is that really what you think?”

  “I don’t know,” Bo answered truthfully. “That’s the whole problem. I just don’t know.” But what Bo did know was that when he got back to the Lodge, he had a call to make. Maybe Clara Kersey could help him with an answer.

  Chapter Six

  It was bad enough that she was late, but after her run-in with Bo, Morgan had to take a minute to compose herself before walking into the Cub’s Club. Sure, he was arrogant and full of himself, but there was something else about him that made her blood run hot and for the second time in as many days, Morgan had to remind herself that she wasn’t looking for a relationship, particularly with a man like Bo.

  Morgan took a deep breath and opened the door. Carmen was waiting for her and just like she’d promised, only one little girl sat on the colorful carpet. The same beautiful, blond girl she’d seen at the campfire the night before.

  As soon as she saw her, Carmen headed straight for Morgan. “Oh, thank goodness,” Carmen said. “I was afraid you’d decided not to come at all.”

  “I’m sorry I’m late,” Morgan said.

  “Oh, it’s fine. I knew you wouldn’t do that to me. You’re not the type,” Carmen said. “You know you can always change your mind about the job.”

  Morgan held up her hand before Carmen got the wrong idea. “I’ll tell you what,” she said. “I’m here now. Let’s just leave it at that.”

  Carmen smiled apologetically. “You don’t have to give me an answer right now.”

  Morgan was pretty sure that her answer wasn’t going to be any different by the end of the day, but she didn’t bother pressing the issue. Instead, she listened while Carmen gave her a brief run-down of the room and the amenities. Morgan had to admit, it was a pretty impressive child-care room and if she were still interested in a career in child development, she’d be jumping at the chance to work in such a space. But she wasn’t. Not anymore. So instead of letting her mind run free with ideas and activities that she could conduct in such a place, she put a lid on them and instead focused on what Carmen was saying.

  It didn’t take long to get the complete tour and then it was time for Morgan to meet the little girl, who until that point had been drawing quietly in the center of the room.

  “Normally, there would be a lot more children here,” Carmen said. “And of course, a lot more staff. We like to keep a five to one ratio with the kids because
that way we can really get to know them and have a lot more fun with them.”

  “Of course,” Morgan said.

  “Let me introduce you to Ella,” Carmen said as she walked to the carpet. “She’s the daughter of one of the outdoor recreation guys. Normally we don’t have children of the staff in Cub’s Club, but this is a special situation.”

  Morgan nodded and offered a small smile.

  Together they walked to the table, but Ella didn’t look up. “She’s very quiet,” Carmen said. “As far as I know, she’s only spoken a few words to her dad, even. Her mother just died and—“

  “I’ll take it from here,” Morgan cut her off abruptly and shot the other woman a look that she hope conveyed how utterly inappropriate it was to talk about a child as if she wasn’t sitting right in front of you. She waited for Carmen to excuse herself from the room before crouching down at the table next to Ella.

  “Hi there,” she said and when Ella didn’t even look up she added, “Looks like you’re working on a really pretty drawing. Is it a horse?”

  Ella tipped her head up and peered at Morgan through long blond lashes. Her dark eyes were wide, but still she didn’t speak.

  “I love horses,” Morgan said gently. She reached for a piece of paper of her own and took a crayon from the bowl. Without saying anything, she slowly started sketching out the rough outline of a horse on her own paper. “Have you ever been on a horse, Ella?”

  The little girl shook her head slowly.

  “I have,” Morgan admitted. “But not for a very long time.” She turned her attention to her own drawing and after a moment, Ella returned to her project as well.

  They sketched in silence for a few minutes before Morgan tried again. She reached out and pointed to the clay deer that sat on the table by the crayons. “Is this your deer?”

  Ella’s head popped up and she grabbed the deer, clutching it close to her chest. “Horse.” Her voice was tiny and thin. Morgan tried to hide her excitement at hearing her speak.