Here We Come (Aggie's Inheritance) (44 page)

He
rolled
to
climb
out
of
bed
and
saw
a
box
wrapped
in
blue
paper
with
gold
balloon
stickers
all
over
it.
Had
Aunt
Aggie—Without
waiting
to
see,
Tavish
grabbed
the
box
and
tore
open
the
wrappings.
He
was
just
about
to
cry
out
in
excitement
when
his
eyes
slid
toward
Ian’s
crib.
Guilty.

The
little
bump
of
blankets
in
the
crib
didn’t
move; there wasn’t
even
a
hint
of
a
rise
and
fall of breathing
.
Just
when
Tavish
grew
nervous,
he
grinned
again
and
turned
his
atte
ntion
back
to
the
telegraph
kit.
Ian
was
sleeping
in
Aunt
Aggie’s
room.
They’d
wanted
him
to
sleep
as
long
as
possible
.

A
quiet
knock
startled
him.
The
lid
of
the
box
skittered
off
his
knees
and
onto
the
floor,
but
Tavish
hardly
noticed.
“Luke!”

“Happy
Birthday,
man!”

“That
was
yesterday!”

“We’re
celebrating
as
if
it’s
next
year
already
and
your
birthday
falls
on
a
Wednesday.
Now,
are
you
going
to
stay
in
bed
all
day,
or
do
you
want
some
amazing
cinnamon
rolls.”

Tavish
snickered.
“Amazing?
Have
you
had
Aunt
Aggie’s
rolls?”

“No…”

“Well…
they’re
not
rocks,
exactly,
but…”

“Good
thing
my
mom
sent
these
over
then,
eh?”

Before
Luke
finished
speaking,
Tavish
jumped from the
bed
and
dashed
out
the
door,
the
kit
abandoned.
Downstairs,
the
decorations
were
all
gone.
In
their
place,
balloons
were
clustered
anywhere
they’d
work—as
a
centerpiece
on
the
table,
a
“bouquet”
in
the
corner,
and
tied
to
Ellie
and
Tavish’s
chairs
at
the
table.

The
big
bay
window
in
the
dining
room
had
been
emptie
d
and
now
looked
odd.
“Where
are
the
pillows
and
the
table
and
stuff?”

“We’re
going
to
put
the
Christmas
tree
there.”

Luke’s
voice
at
his
shoulder
made
Tavish
jump.
“How
do
you
do
that?”

“Do
what?”

“Sneak
up
on
people
like
that.
I
try
,
but
they
always
know
I’m
coming.
”

A
shrug
was
Luke’s
initial
reply.
After
several
seconds
he
added,
“Perhaps
the
difference
is
that
I
don’t
try
to
do
it.”

~*~*~*~

“Stop!”

Luke slammed on the brakes as Aggie
glared at Tavish in the rearview mirror.
“This had better be good…”

“Sammie’s out!”

Luke and Aggie exchanged frustrated glances before
he
threw the van into reverse and backed it into the drive again.
“Ok, everyone out.
Try not to get filthy—aaand they’re gone.”

“Never say out until after the instructions are complete.
Trust me on this.”

“Now he tells me,” she muttered as Luke jumped out of the van, calling for the children to stop chasing the dogs.

Ian babbled happily in his seat
while
Aggie watched the melee with a mixture of irritation and
amusement.
The kids were going to be frozen and likely a mess.
Miner dashed into the street and spun around in a frenzy, chasing his tail.
Three children raced into the street without even a glance to see if anyone might have decided to use
it
as a thoroughfare to their homes.

“Ian, that dog will—wait!
Is that Kenzie’s snow boot?”
Aggie rolled down the window and shouted, “Drop it, Sammie!”

The dog obediently dropped the half-chewed boot and bounded to join her brother.
Luke strolled past with an apologetic expression on his face.
Children flew past him on their way to capture their escape artist pooches.
She didn’t hear what he said
,
but disappointed faces turned toward the van and soon it filled with chattering Stuarts. Without half a dozen playmates making the chase into a game, Sammie and Miner followed Luke into the back yard.

“Was that your snow boot, Kenzie?”

“Yeah, I wondered where it went.”

“How did the dog get it in the first place?
I can’t imagine that you took it off while you were playing outside.”

The answer was written across the child’s guilty face.
“Well, it was cold
,
but I wanted to pet the dogs, so I closed the door to the house and let them come in the mudroom.
One of them must have taken it with them when they went back to their pen.”