The Legend of Lollipop

by Lisa Prysock

  “So you mentioned you have another sister near Yellowstone?” Jed drummed his fingers on the door frame, tapping along with the music.

  “Our other sister, Melissa, lives in Cody on the eastern edge of the park with her husband, Albert. Sometimes Trish will stay there in the extra cabin. When she’s working from her Cheyenne office, she has lodgings in our brother McArthur’s house.”

  “How many brothers and sisters do you all have? I seem to remember McGuire said he came from a big family.”

  She laughed. “There’s seven of us. McArthur, McGuire, William, Melissa, Jennifer, Trisha, and then me.”

  “Whoa!” Jed chuckled. “That is a big family.”

  She nodded, keeping her eyes on the road. The traffic was a little heavy at times, but she supposed for a Friday night, it was to be expected. “A constant fight for the bathroom until dad upgraded to a three bedroom two bath on wheels. Boys in one room, girls in another. We thought we’d moved to the palace. Since I was the baby, I learned to stand up for myself and developed a lot of patience. We were all pretty crammed in an RV, but at the same time, it was like we were always on a camping adventure.”

  “Musta been a big RV.” Jed turned to look at her as he spoke, but then he looked right back at the road. She could tell he was busy watching the traffic with her, scanning the road for any sign of trouble.

  “It was, and it was home except for a few summers and a couple of years when we returned to Wyoming, but we were still crowded. We learned to keep only what we really needed the most and truly loved. We were always preparing for the next trip to England. That was daddy’s true calling. We all had to learn to sing. Dad always called us up front at church gatherings to sing together. Sometimes we’d travel the U.S. to speak at other churches to gain support for the next trip to England. I grew up seeing a lot of highways, countryside, and the insides of churches. Met a lot of other preacher’s kids.”

  “Sounds like an interesting childhood. We moved around a lot, but not that much. I grew up in the middle between two brothers. James, Jed, and Josiah.”

  “Aw, that’s like my brother McArthur and his wife, Annette. They named all of their four kids with ‘J’ names: Joshua, Jacob, another James, and Jewel, their only girl.”

  “Sweet.” He reached for the bottled root beer they’d brought along and drank some.

  “Do you have any family around here?” she asked.

  “Naw, the folks are in Cheyenne. My dad’s basically retired now from being a professor of agriculture. Mom works in a grocery store as a clerk, part-time. My younger brother, Josiah, he’s an English teacher in a Cheyenne middle school. My oldest brother, James, he’s a family physician in the Tipton area.”

  She passed a slower moving semi-truck and then returned her vehicle into the right lane. “I see. Your parents must be so proud of all of you. My brother, McArthur, is a preacher in Cheyenne and his wife is British. They met in England and fell in love before moving here. She’s a stay-at-home mom. Having four kids is a handful and it keeps her running. My brother, William, he’s a teacher like your brother Josiah. He and his wife, Careen, live in Casper and both teach in a private Christian school. They have three kids, Cara, Shawn, and Brooke. My sister, Melissa, and her husband, Albert, have a small ranch in Cody. She’s a part time photographer and they have one child, Timothy. Jenn, she’s a newspaper writer and has an editorial column. Her husband, Curtis, is in public relations for the city of Jackson. They have four adorable kids you’ll get to meet this weekend, Maria, Mallory, Michael, and Matthew.”

  “I can’t wait to meet them all. I love kids,” he commented. “James and Sally have one son, Carter. Josiah and Janie have Lilly. As you can imagine, my mom is thrilled to have her first two grandchildren.”

  “I’m sure she is. Each one is special. It’s such a blessing when the Lord grows our families.” Anastasia reached for her own root beer and drank some. “Hang onto your hat, cowboy.” Then she grinned at him and hit the button to put the rooftop down, and for a while, they enjoyed the drive with the wind whipping through their hair on the beautiful summer evening, driving under the starlit sky. Jed smiled and a few seconds later, he cranked up the volume to the music. TobyMac’s song, “Eye On It,” blasted through her speakers, and before long, they were both singing at the top of their lungs, her ponytail flying out behind her.

  Around midnight, after about five more songs and thirty miles of driving beneath the stars with the wind whipping around them, her cell rang. She closed the roof and reached for her cell while Jed turned the music volume down.

  “Hey Trisha,” she answered. “I have you on speaker because we’re still driving. How’s it going?”

  “We just arrived. How are you two doing?” Her sister sounded happy.

  “We’re doing great. Our estimated arrival time is about two or two-thirty in the morning. We’ve had a lot of traffic and had a late start, but we’re enjoying the drive.”

  “Okay, drive safe. We’ll see you in a little while then. I’m going up to the house to say hello to Jennifer and Curtis. The lights are still on, so I know they’re still awake and expecting us. I’m sure the kiddos are in bed, though.”

  “All right, tell them I won’t wake them since we’re going to be much later. See you soon.” She clicked the phone off and Jed turned the music back up a little.

  For the rest of the drive, they left the top closed and continued chatting about anything and everything, as if they’d known each other for years. He asked her a lot of questions about her time in England.

  Finally, around two o’clock in the morning, they pulled into Jackson and then found her sister’s driveway about twenty minutes later, continuing on toward the remodeled barn house.

  Chapter 14

  “A horse is the projection of peoples' dreams about themselves - strong, powerful, beautiful - and it has the capability of giving us escape from our mundane existence.”—Pam Brown.

  “I’LL BRING IN THE LUGGAGE since you drove,” Jed offered when she popped the trunk open. How could Anastasia say no to good manners? He reached in and picked up her suitcase before she could stop him anyhow.

  She led the way from the driveway to the door, and when they entered the rustic home, they stopped in the long foyer area running the length of the living room. She laid her keys and purse beside a fresh flower arrangement of colorful daisies, geraniums, and snapdragons on the narrow table by the door beneath a framed mirror. “Ah, these are beautiful! Jennifer must have brought these over today when she found out we were coming. She’s thoughtful like that. She probably cleaned the whole place for us, too.”

  “Hey guys!” Trisha greeted them from where she and Landon were watching the end of a movie and eating popcorn in the living room.

  Landon pointed the remote at the television screen to pause the movie. “You made it.”

  “No, don’t stop your movie,” Anastasia said as they started to rise from the sofa. “I’ll give Jed a tour and show him his room. They’re in the loft bedroom on the right, and we’re in the left one, correct?”

  “Yep,” Trisha smiled. “We’re glad you’re here. Make yourselves at home.”

  They returned to the movie, and Anastasia turned to Jed. He bent down to look at a small framed photo on the key table beside the vase of flowers. “Who’s this?”

  She smiled. “That’s a photo of my grandfather with his horse, Victory. It was taken at the racetrack, the same day when Victory won the Triple Crown.”

  “That’s very cool.” Jed picked up the photo for a closer look and stood up straighter. “These two little redhead girls, hmm, let’s see. Ya’ll look kinda like twins. This one here, holding your grandfather’s hand looks more like you, but it’s hard to say.”

  She chuckled. “You’re right, that’s me holding Grandpa’s hand, and that’s my cousin, Courtney. She’s related on the maternal side of my family. Last I heard, she went to visit some family in Shady, Wyoming. I think she has an uncle on the other side o
f her family that I’m not related to living in Shady.”

  “I see. Great picture.” Jed returned the photo and looked around, appearing to notice to the horse themed décor spread around the barn-shaped guest house.

  “Ready for a quick tour?” she asked quietly, trying not to disturb her sister and Landon as they continued to watch their movie. He nodded.

  “The powder room is the first door here on the left, then after the staircase, also on the left, the dining room. We don’t eat in the formal dining room that often, but there’s more of Grandfather’s horse trophies and such in here.” She flipped on the light so he could see the horse memorabilia sprinkled about the room with her grandmother’s china. “Some of our grandmother’s dishes are in the hutch.”

  He followed her back into the hallway extending from the foyer. “The kitchen is straight ahead in here.” She flipped on the kitchen lights. “The kitchen runs the length of the whole rear of the house. There’s also a covered patio outside.” Then she peeked in the fridge. “Oh thank the Lord, Trisha remembered to bring coffee creamer. I can’t handle that powdered stuff, but we do have some mocha flavored powdered creamer that isn’t too bad.”

  “Either one is great. I sometimes drink mine black, but I’m sure you’ll enjoy having your creamer.” Jed held up a can of Columbian coffee he found on the counter next to the coffee maker and grinned. “The good stuff.”

  “Hey, wow, lookie here.” She continued to lean on the fridge door. “Trisha must’ve stopped at the store and picked up a few groceries. She brought a carton of eggs and some bacon for breakfast, some roasted turkey slices and sandwich fixings for lunch, and a bag of green apples for snacks.”

  He leaned against the counter, stretching out his legs after the long drive. “Here’s a jar of peanut butter and two loaves of wheat bread. I think she thought of everything.”

  After she showed him each room on the first floor, and they peeked outside at the patio, they wound up in the foyer again at the foot of the staircase across from the living room where Trisha sat close to Landon on the sofa, his arm draped around her shoulders. Anastasia led the way upstairs, turning at the first landing and up another set of steps which brought them into a hallway above the living room. He followed her down the hall until she stopped at the first door on the right. “Here’s where you and Landon are. As you can see, there are two twin beds. Looks like Landon claimed one already.”

  “This is great, and I see you’re just across the hall.” Jed placed his duffel bag on the other bed and yawned.

  “There’s a bathroom at the end of the hallway up here if you want to brush your teeth or need it in the middle of the night. I’m not sure which bath Trisha will want us to use, but I’m guessing she’ll want the one upstairs and give you the guys the downstairs one. I usually defer to her preference and use the one downstairs when we’re here. She’s here more often than I am since Halston Staffing has an office in Jackson,” she explained, leaning on the door frame while she pulled her hair out of the ponytail holder, pausing to run her fingers through the long auburn strands.

  “I’m sure I’ll sleep like a log.” He began fishing out his toothbrush from a shaving kit as they talked.

  She unbuckled one of her espadrilles, and then the other, sliding them both off of her feet. “Yeah, I’m pretty tired, too. Do you mind if we wait to talk about tomorrow at breakfast? I’d like to sleep in ‘til at least ten or eleven. I was sort of thinking we can have a leisurely breakfast and then go up to the big house and maybe say hello to Jennifer, Curt, and the kids. I’d like you to meet them, but beyond that, I’m not sure what you and Landon would like to do. I’m wiped out from the drive and not thinking very clearly.” This time, she yawned.

  “Sounds good to me. You don’t have to twist my arm to get me to sleep in.” He sat down on the bed and pulled off one of his cowboy boots.

  “I hope you like big, friendly dogs. My sister has an Irish setter named Lola,” she warned.

  “That’s awesome. I love dogs.” He pulled his other boot off. “See you in the morning.” Jed smiled, his handsome brown eyes looking tenderly at her even though she was sure he was as tired as she was. “Sleep well, Anastasia.”

  “Sleep well, Jed.”

  “SO HOW DO YOU LIKE Paris?” Jill held Christy in one arm as she attempted to have a conversation with her mom on the cell. She paced back and forth in the small living room quarters upstairs in the main house while Jackie plunked out a tune on the piano. Every now and then, she wandered into the dining room to be able to hear her mother’s responses. Jill suspected their adorable newborn was teething, and walking around calmed her.

  “Paris is wonderful. My hotel room is a luxury suite with a view of the Eiffel Tower. I’ve been to the Louvre this morning. I could spend days there. Last night, after the train ride on the Euro, I had an amazing dinner of French Country Skillet Chicken at a wonderful restaurant. I’m touring Montmartre today, but I had to take a break. I’ve seen several artists sitting outside painting and sketching this afternoon. It’s been an unforgettable day so far. I’m sitting at a café enjoying a mocha and a croissant.”

  “That’s great, Mom.” Jill positioned the baby into her other arm since she was starting to feel heavy.

  Betty Anne continued, chatting away a mile a minute. “How’s Christy today? How are the kids doing? I’m bringing them all souvenirs. Miniature Eiffel Towers for everyone, and a hat from Paris for you, Meredith, Jackie, and Grace. Oh, and English Breakfast Tea and tea cups from London.”

  “Sounds wonderful, Mom. Though I must say, I’m a little worried about you wandering around Paris by yourself. Aren’t you with a tour group?” Jill smiled at Christy. The baby smiled back at her. As long as she kept walking around, she was a perfectly content baby.

  “I don’t need a tour guide. I speak quite a bit of French, enough to get around. My travel agent assured me I can call and arrange to meet with a tour group if I want to, though. It is one of the options in my travel package. Tell me about the kids. I miss them. I can hear Jackie practicing her piano.” Her mom paused, probably to sip her mocha.

  “The kids? They’re fine. Christy’s teething. She’s been kind of fussy lately. Grace is drawing in her sketch book at the dining room table. Zach is practicing his guitar in the kitchen because he said he can’t hear the chords over top of Jackie’s piano. Savannah and Micah have escaped with their new friend, Riley.”

  “Escaped with Riley?” Betty Anne echoed. “Who’s Riley?”

  “Riley’s a foster child between homes right now. Well, they were just here a moment ago complaining about how hot it is outside. I think they’re a little bored today. I plan to take them swimming in the kiddie pool area at the new miniature water park when Aunt Meredith stops by. She said she’ll watch Christy while she’s napping.” Jill began walking toward the bedrooms as she talked, looking for Savannah, Micah, and Riley. She wasn’t sure where they’d gone, but intended to find out as soon as she hung up the phone. They couldn’t have gone too far. They had been in the living room only a few minutes ago watching Veggie Tales, or had it been longer than that?

  “Hold on a moment, Jill.” Her mom began speaking in French to a waiter. “Cinq francs? Un instant, s’il vous plaÎt.” She heard her mother ask the waiter to give her a moment, but she didn’t understand about Frank. “My purse, it’s gone. It had my passport and my money.”

  “Mom, your purse is gone?” Jill stopped looking for the children and shifted the baby into her other arm, turning all of her attention onto the phone. However, her mother didn’t seem to hear her or answer.

  Jill heard a commotion in the background of what sounded like a scuffle of chairs or possibly even tables knocking over and footsteps, possibly someone running. Was her mother running? A few seconds went by which seemed like forever. Then she heard her mother shout, “Stop! Stop that man! Arrêtez cet homme!” Then she heard a loud rumbling noise and her mother say, “Excuséz-moi, Monsieur. May I have a ride on the
back of your motorcycle? I need you to help me stop that man!”

  “Oh, Mom! Be careful!” Jill yelled into the phone, knowing her mother had stopped listening a while ago and couldn’t hear her. She started praying and held the cell phone closer to her ear as if it could somehow help matters. Dear Lord, help my mother. And I don’t know who Frank is, but why is Frank sinking? Help him too, Lord.

  Then she heard a voice reminding her vaguely of Bruce Willis. He had an American accent—speaking half in French and half in English—shouting as he revved a motorcycle. “Bien sûr! Hop on, Madame!”

  At that point, the phone call disconnected. All Jill could do was shake her head, roll her eyes, and pray while she imagined her mother flying through the streets of Paris on the back of a motorcycle with a complete stranger, possibly Bruce Willis. There wasn’t a thing she could do about it, either. She had to leave it in the Lord’s capable hands. Now, to find the children. Christy started whimpering. First, she needed to find the teething ring.

  LOGAN LEANED BACK IN his office chair with his hands clasped behind his head and stared out of the window located directly behind his desk. A few guests were crossing the parking lot to their cars, probably headed into Lander to visit a museum, do some local sight-seeing, or take in some shopping. A delivery van was driving up the lane toward the main house. He recognized it as one of the vendors for the pizzeria on The Sweetwater. Thank goodness the bakery was now in the capable hands of Miss Halston. Then he thought about the wild mustangs who could be roaming the property on his ranch. Not only his ranch, but they were likely wandering through a good many other ranches in the area.

  He didn’t have much time to ponder them. He’d spent all morning entering figures in the ledgers and had promised Buck he’d eventually be up at the barns to give them a hand with storing the early alfalfa harvest. They’d had a lot of snow that winter, a muddy spring, and now there was a rainstorm heading their way. He needed to remember to thank Jed for getting the tractor running when he returned from Jackson Hole. He swiveled the chair around to face the desk and added thanking Jed to his already long to-do list. However, staring up at him from his desk was a rabbit, its nose twitching as it sniffed the closed imitation leather-bound ledger.