Colorado Cabin in the Pines (Peakview series Book 3) (14 page)

“Sounds great. Now tell me what’s new. I saw Hank over at Violet’s. Have you made any progress there?”

Melanie joined her at the small reading table. “No. Peaktop has been full to capacity all summer, so he hasn’t been in town much. Even Sophie hasn’t been able to ride these past couple of weeks, not enough horses to go around. Maybe I only imagined that he showed an interest in me. It’s probably for the best. My relationships with men have never ended well.”

“Don’t give up. School’s starting and tourist season is winding down. He’ll need someone to keep him warm this winter.” Penny winked at her friend.

“Not counting on it. But thanks for putting that image in my brain. It only makes me want what I can’t have.” Melanie sighed.

“I know how that feels. Penny fought the tears welling up in her eyes. “I’m leaving—Luke’s staying. Enough said.” A lone tear escaped down her cheek.

“Hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you sad. What are the tears all about?”

“I don’t know. I’ve worked really hard to get to where I am. I’ve got an awesome job waiting for me in Chicago. Darrell’s there waiting for me, too. I should be so excited for my future. But when I’m around Luke, I start to question everything. Is the job what I really want? Or do I want to stay in Peakview and make babies with him?”

“You can’t have both? It is the twenty-first century, you know. We woman folk don’t have to choose between a man and a career.”

Penny smiled in spite of herself. “I know. It’s just that there aren’t any inner city schools within 200 miles of Peakview. I don’t see myself teaching at Peak Elementary. All of those kids have supportive families who love them. I want to do more.”

“What about Darrell?”

“I don’t know. I thought we had something. But the more I’m around Luke, the more I want passion, excitement, wild crazy sex. I just don’t have that with Darrell. He’s a nice guy, but is nice enough?”

“Don’t ask me. I’ve never dated a nice guy. I’d like to try it sometime. Maybe you’ll find what you’re looking for in Chicago. I’m sure there are a few sexy men in a city that size, if Darrell’s not the one.” Melanie handed her friend a tissue.

“I know. Luke just scrambles my brain. He’s nice, and supportive, and so very hot. He’s the whole package. Am I crazy to walk away from him again?”

Melanie looked over at her. “All joking aside, follow your heart. I followed mine here to find my dad and I’ll never regret it. Whatever you decide, I’m behind you one hundred percent.”

“Thanks, I’ll be fine once I’m back in Illinois.” Penny sighed again. “And then there’s Marissa.”

“Marrisa?”

“Yeah, a girl I met at the camp. You may have met her on the Fourth.”

“The one with the gorgeous long brown hair and the t-shirt that matched yours?”

“That’s the one.”

“What about her?”

“I just can’t get her out of my mind. I went to visit her in Denver. She’s in a foster home. Not much love there. I wish there was something I could do to help her.”

“That’s rough. Sophie was friends with a foster girl one year in Columbus. I always felt so bad for her when she was at our home. We didn’t have much, but at least we had love, and each other. Just when she and Soph were becoming close, she was moved to a different home in another part of town, and we never saw her again. Everyone needs to know someone cares. Can you email her? Skype?”

“No, she doesn’t have access to a computer. I’ll write her letters. I hope it brightens her day.”

“I know you’ll do what you can. Think of all those children in Chicago who need your help, too. Go and change the world. When will I get to see you again?”

“Hopefully at Christmas. I have a two-week break and plan to head home for the holiday. And by then, I want to hear all about your romance with Hank.”

Melanie laughed. “I doubt that, but I’ll love to sit down with some nice hot chocolate and catch up with you.”

“You deserve some romance in your life, too. I wish you luck my friend.”

The bell on the door dinged as a group of women walked into the tiny shop. Penny stood to leave. “I’ll let you get back to work. See you in December.”

Melanie walked over and gave her a big hug. “Good luck to you. Here’s hoping that you find your true path.”

When Penny walked out to the street, her parents were already loading supplies into the back of the pickup. She climbed in the front seat between them and enjoyed the comfort of being surrounded by those she loved.

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 advances. 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.