On Friday, Penny helped her mom sort through some of her old belongings from high school. No need to keep cluttering her parent’s home with things she’d never use again. Soon she’d have a permanent home in Chicago.
She grabbed her cell phone as it blared out her familiar Rocky Mountain High ringtone. “Hello.”
“Penny, it’s Willow. Ryan and I were wondering if you’d come over and have dinner with us tonight?”
“I’d love that. I’ve been meaning to come by and thank you for letting me be a part of the camp this summer. What time?”
“The campers are having a cookout in the meadow, so maybe after that. Say around seven? Is that too late? Ryan and I often like to have a late dinner by ourselves after the troops are settled in for the night.”
“Sounds perfect. See you then.”
Penny turned to her mom. “That was Willow. They invited me over for dinner tonight. I’ve been meaning to get back over there and say goodbye.”
“They sure are a nice young couple. Why don’t you take some of these old clothes with you? Maybe they’ll have some campers who could use them.” Her mom continued to sort through her closet. “You have so many books in here. Do you think the campers might enjoy some of them, too?”
“Those are both great ideas. So many campers arrived in thread bare clothes, and I doubt their families have much money for books. Some of my favorites I’m taking with me for my classroom, but the rest I’ll take over to camp. Thanks, Mom. You’re the best.”
The scent of pines, mixed with smoke from the campfire, filled Penny’s nostrils as she parked near the camp’s lodge nestled in the trees. It smelled like home. She pulled a flannel shirt over her t-shirt as she got out of the car and headed up the hill to the private residence. Since she ended up with several boxes of clothes she’d outgrown over the years, she drove her Camaro instead of riding Ginger. Although still August, the crisp, evening air held a slight chill. She shivered and picked up her pace. Fall came early at over 9000 feet above sea level.
Willow opened the door to her knock.
It had only been a week since Penny has seen her, but it looked like her belly expanded another couple of inches. “You look great.”
“Great big you mean,” Willow said with a laugh. “I’m about ready for this kid to make an appearance. Another six weeks, and I may not fit through the door.”
Ryan walked in from the kitchen. “Welcome to our home.”
“Who’s minding the campers? They’re not running wild in the woods, are they?”
“Nope, the counselors have it under control tonight. It’s one of the perks of being the boss. Sometimes you can delegate work to others. Seriously, we’ve had a great staff this summer. I hate to see them leave next week.”
Willow ushered Penny into the dining room and returned with a steaming tuna casserole. The aroma made Penny’s mouth water. Ryan poured a glass of water for his wife and white wine for himself and their guest.
“One more reason I’m ready for junior to get here. I miss a good glass of wine at the end of a long day.”
“Thank you so much for having me to dinner. I wanted the chance to say thanks for letting me volunteer this summer. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I brought some boxes of my old clothes and books, if you think the campers could use them.”
“That’s a great idea. We have been talking about setting up a small, free store of sorts. Fill it with gently used, donated items. Let the campers each pick out a few things.”
“And we enjoyed having you. The kids adored you. You have a true gift.” Willow raised her glass in a toast. “We wanted to say thanks, and also to share our good news with you.” Willow glanced over at her husband.
Ryan winked at her and turned to Penny. “One of our grant applications was accepted. We’re going to be able to keep Peak Adventure open year round.”
“That’s fabulous,” Penny got up and gave each of them a hug.
“Of course, we won’t be open during the week in the school year, but we can host campers almost every weekend. Hiking and horseback riding in the fall; tubing, snowshoeing, and maybe even skiing in the winter; enjoying the first flowers and the thaw in the Spring. We’ll have an extended weekend camp over Thanksgiving Break. Show these kids what a real Thanksgiving feast is all about. And there’s the Peakview Harvest Fest—maybe even a Halloween themed weekend. The possibilities seem endless.” Out of breath, Ryan paused.
“I’m so excited for you, and for the kids. How great to get kids out of the city and into nature year round.”
“Exactly. The only issue, at least for this year, is that Willow’s due in a few weeks. She’ll obviously need to take some time off after the baby is born, and I’d like to spend as much quality time with the two of them as possible. Fortunately for us, the grant includes a salary for a full time assistant camp director.”
Penny frowned. “Where are you going to find someone who is right for the job? Do you have any ideas?”
Willow joined in the conversation. “We’re looking at her.”
“What? Me?” Penny’s mouth fell open. “But, I…”
“Before you turn us down, please think about it. You’ve fit right in since day one, and the kids all love you. You know the trails and countryside of Peakview County as well as we do. We know you have a great job in Chicago waiting for you, but we got the impression that you might be having second thoughts about leaving Peakview. It’s hard to get this place out of your blood.”
“I don’t know what to say. I wasn’t expecting this. Tell me more about the job.”
“Obviously, you’d only actually be with kids on weekends. Weekdays would be full-time too, though. Planning for each weekend’s activities, doing some long term planning for next summer and beyond, helping with maintenance and improvements, and maybe even some of the grant writing. It would be your job to contact the various agencies and get the campers and their scholarships lined up. And, of course, driving campers to and from Denver. It may be challenging at first, but it may prove to be a very rewarding job.”
Ryan mentioned the compensation, and she was surprised that it was slightly higher than her starting teacher salary in Chicago. “There’s a small apartment on the second floor of the main lodge. You could fix it up however you like and stay here, or you could live at your parents and drive back and forth. Totally up to you.”
Her thoughts spun like a top out of control. “It sounds wonderful, although I’d hate to let my school down at the last minute. Can I have a few days to think about it? I don’t want to hold you up. You probably need to hire someone soon.”
“Sure. Take some time. We know we sprung this on you, and we want it to be the right fit. We have another week of summer camp, and then we’ll shut down for at least a couple of weeks to clean up and regroup for the fall season. We really haven’t considered anyone other than you. You’d be so perfect for this job, but we also want the job to be perfect for you. Just get back to us as soon as you can.”
“I will. I’m flattered.”
Ryan and Willow’s excitement proved contagious. She spent the rest of the meal listening to all of their plans for the new grant money. Each month from September through May provided a unique opportunity for camp activities. There would be holiday-themed weekends, and others that would change with the seasons. By the time they got to dessert, Penny came up with several ideas of her own. She felt as though she was already onboard. She thanked her friends for the offer and the wonderful meal and promised to get them an answer by the beginning of the week.
Back in her Camaro, she headed toward the little cabin in the pines. This was not a decision she could make on her own. As enticing as the job offer was, she’d only stay in Peakview if it meant a future with Luke. She couldn’t imagine living in the small town any other way. Luke wanted her to stay, didn’t he? She parked her car in front of the now familiar cabin, as doubts started to seep in like an overflowing mountain stream. The last time she came here he had turned down her a
dvances. Was it because she was leaving? Maybe he had gotten over her. She let out a deep breath. She was about to find out.
Walking onto the porch, she felt like she was coming home. She knocked on the door and waited. Although she heard Brutus’ welcoming bark, no other sound came from inside. She knocked again, harder this time.
A sinking feeling hit the pit of her stomach. Where was Luke? She walked behind the swing and peered in the window. Brutus caught sight of her and barked louder, his whole body wagging with his tail in excitement. Nope, definitely no one home. Luke couldn’t have gone far, could he? She sat down on the wooden swing. Such a beautiful late summer night. She pulled her flannel tighter around her. She’d wait for him to return. Maybe he’d gone down to the main ranch house for something. At the creak of the swing, Brutus began to whine and scratch at the door. The longer she sat there, the louder he got. Dang it. This wasn’t fair. The poor dog didn’t understand why she wasn’t coming in to see him. She could look around to see if Luke had hidden a key somewhere. No, that was being a little too forward. She hadn’t earned the right to trespass into his home. Discouraged, she got up and moved back to her car. Maybe the dog would think she left and quiet down. She sat in the car and stared up at the stars through her T-top. It was peaceful here. Why had she ever wanted to leave? The heavens seemed so close. Lost in thought, a half hour passed and still no sign of Luke. She shivered, the night air cooled down even more, and a breeze picked up. She glanced at her phone. 10:30. Could he be with someone else? Maybe it was too late. Maybe she’d lost the love of her life. She put her key in the ignition and started the car, wiping back the tears that started to run down her checks. Luke where are you? She slowly backed down the path through the dark pine trees. The wind whistling through the branches now seemed ominous. Her heart, so full of excitement a couple hours ago, ached in dread.
***
Luke wandered over to the bar and ordered another beer. He wasn’t sure why he had let Chip, an old friend from high school, talk him into coming to the Apple Creek Saloon. It seemed better than spending another Friday evening at home alone with his dog. While Chip spent most of the night on the dance floor with several different girls, Luke sat at their table nursing his beer. A couple cute girls stopped by and asked him to dance, but he declined. He thought that being out in public might make him feel better about Penny leaving, but the sight of all the happy, laughing couples just made him feel worse. Would he find someone to love him again? He could see himself growing old on that mountain—becoming a sad, lonely hermit.
“Hey buddy, why aren’t you out on the dance floor? You can drink beer at home.” Chip placed his hand on Luke’s shoulder. “This is Samantha.” He smiled at a pretty blonde standing by his side. “Darling, do you have any friends who might like to dance with my friend here?”
The blonde motioned to a petite girl with long, thick brunette hair. “Lucy, this is…. I’m sorry, what was your name?”
Luke set his beer down on the bar. “Luke Walker. Nice to meet you.” He stuck out his hand to shake with both of the young women.
“Lucy’d love it, if you’d ask her to dance.”
Despite his misgivings about interacting with members of the opposite sex tonight, he was too polite to decline a direct request. Lucy smiled up at him. The band was playing a two-step, and he was fairly adept at that. At least he and Penny were at one time.
Turning to the girl beside him, he mustered his best smile. What was her name? “Would you like to dance?”
“I thought you’d never ask.” She took his arm and led him onto the floor.
She proved to be a good dancer, and he admitted that moving around the dance floor cheered him up. They danced to two of the upbeat songs, and then paused as a slow one began. Nope, he wasn’t ready to hold another woman close in his arms.
“Let’s take a break. Can I buy you a drink?”
Although disappointment crossed her pretty face, she agreed, and they stopped by the bar to pick up his beer and one for her before returning to the table to join Chip and Samantha. The girls were talkative, no doubt in part due to the beer consumed. Both were born and raised in Aspen Ridge and worked together at the local hair salon. They seemed extremely content with life in the small community. Although neither appeared to have much ambition, they were entertaining, and he found himself laughing in spite of himself. The rest of the evening passed quickly. When the bartender announced last call, it was clear that Chip wasn’t ready to say goodnight to the girl at his side. Why hadn’t Luke brought his own truck?
“Can we give you lovely ladies a lift home?” Chip stood and threw some money on the table for a tip.
“That would be wonderful.” Samantha smiled at him, grabbing his arm. “We live just a couple of miles down the road.”
Once in the parking lot, Chip opened the passenger door to his old pickup. How were they all going to fit in the truck? Samantha climbed in first and slid over as close to the driver’s seat as she could get. Now what?
“You get in, and I’ll sit on your lap.” Lucy smiled.
On top of the fact that this arrangement violated of all the seatbelt laws, Luke wasn’t ready to have a pretty girl in his lap—at least not one who wasn’t Penny. He couldn’t think of a polite way out, so he climbed in and offered his lap. She leaned back against his chest, her soft hair brushing against his face. It smelled like strawberries. As the truck started down the road and she jostled against him, he had to admit this wasn’t all bad. Maybe there was hope for him yet.
Chip stopped in front of a small bungalow and jumped out to help Samantha down from the driver’s side, walking her toward the door. It was clear that he intended on enjoying a nice, long goodnight kiss before leaving. Luke wasn’t ready to kiss anyone, so he sat awkwardly where he was praying Lucy would say goodnight and get out of the truck by herself. Instead she rifled through her purse, and handed him a neon pink business card.
“I had fun tonight. Here’s my number in case you’d like to call me sometime.” She leaned her head down intending to place a kiss on his lips, but he turned his head slightly so it landed on his cheek.
“Goodnight.” He patted her arm and shifted to help her out of his lap. “It was nice to meet you.” Thank goodness, she got the hint and climbed out of the truck not looking back. He watched as she awkwardly squeezed past the other couple—engaged in a passionate embrace—and entered the house.
Luke fastened his seat belt as Chip pulled out of the driveway. His friend looked over at him with a frown. “Not sexy enough for you?”
Luke ran his fingers through his hair. “Just not ready.”
“You need to get over Penny. It’s been four years, man. Time to get on with your life.”
“You’re right. I got Lucy’s number. Maybe I’ll give her a call.”
Back in his cabin, Luke emptied out his pockets onto the nightstand. He picked up the bright pink card and turned it over in his hand. A beautician. Next time he needed a haircut, he’d give her a call. But a possible lifetime partner? He’d keep looking.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Penny awoke to the sounds of her parents downstairs after a fitful night. Her mind would not shut off—even for a second. Looking out her window, stars twinkled in the still dark sky. It was the day of their annual vegetable stand down by the main road, and her father was determined that they’d be ready to set up at first light. She climbed out of bed, grabbed her robe, and called to a sleepy Bandit to follow her down the staircase. The dog gave a weak wag of his tail and obeyed.
“Mornin’, darling. How was your dinner with Ryan and Willow? I didn’t hear you come in last night.”
“Dinner was good. They’re excited about the baby.” She grabbed some coffee and walked out onto the back porch with Bandit. Guilt crept up inside her. She hadn’t said anything, so why did she feel like she was lying to her parents? Because she always shared everything important in her life with them. She just couldn’t tell them about the job offer. Not
yet. She didn’t want to let them down, and if they thought there was a possibility that she might stay, they’d get excited. No. She needed to make a decision first. And to do that, she had to talk with Luke. She committed to spending the day at the stand, but once done she’d try again.
She walked into the yard, breathing deeply to take in the pine fragrance in the morning dew. The dark shadows of mountain peaks loomed to the west, as the first rays of sunshine broke the eastern horizon. It was going to be another gorgeous, late summer day. Not a cloud in the sky. How she loved this place—it was home. Maybe she had needed to leave to appreciate what she already had.
The screen door behind her banged signaling her father had joined her. “Let’s get these baskets of produce loaded into the back of the truck and down to the road.”
Her mother followed closed behind, her face lit up like a firefly. She loved getting to show off what she had grown for the year. This day was one of her favorites, rivaling even Christmas. “Be careful Gary. Don’t let any of the bushels fall on each other. We can’t sell damaged produce.”
“Yes dear. I’ve got it under control.” He glanced over at Penny. “You’d think I hadn’t done this every year for 16 years.”
Penny jumped on the back of the flatbed truck with the baskets and promised to watch over them while they drove the short distance to the table they’d set up yesterday. The truck bumped along the rutted path. Her cell phone began to ring, and she pulled it out of her pocket. Darrell. She hit the decline button. No, she couldn’t talk to him either, not until she made her decision.
By seven, the stand was up and running. Several early risers had already made purchases. This day was as much of a social event as it was a money-making endeavor. Neighbors stopped by to chat and catch up on the latest local gossip. Apparently, old Mrs. Whittaker, who had taught English at Mountain High School since time began, was becoming senile, and everyone questioned the motives of her niece who arrived recently to be her caretaker. Penny smiled to herself, she thought Old Lady Whittaker (as the students referred to her) was senile long before she endured her for a year of Freshman English.
Colorado Cabin in the Pines (Peakview series Book 3) Page 11
