Grant ushered Sunny into the restaurant, feeling a core of rotten clear through his middle. He felt miserable. It was all Dell’s fault, he was thinking, looking for someplace to park his anger.
No, it wasn’t. His conscience wouldn’t let him blame Dell. Not for this tangle.
He hid his sigh as the waitress showed them to a table. He just wasn’t used to feeling guilty.
He wished the situation over Nathan’s death could all be cleared up. He hated keeping secrets, much less becoming a part of them. It was a good thing she hadn’t asked to see Nathan’s grave or anything. Yet it was only a matter of time, he thought.
Deception wasn’t his thing. It only caused grief.
Besides that, he hadn’t counted on Sunny being so…so…
Glancing at her, he decided she wasn’t just pretty. She was beautiful in the way a sunny dawn began, with the soft light creeping ahead of the morning, then a burst of light. And looking at her was becoming an addiction. He just wished she wasn’t so attractive….
He liked her smile that reminded him of old Nathan, surprising as that was. And he hadn’t seen nearly enough of it.
He liked her name, too…Sunny.
Her mother had named her, she’d told him, and for the first time he wondered what she was like. He hadn’t heard the stories of Johnny’s escapades, either. He didn’t know near enough of Sunny’s background.
When this whole thing began a few months back, he’d asked about the mother. Old Nathan hadn’t known a thing about the girl, he’d said. Said his son, Johnny, in his wild, rebellious days of drag-racing and car chases, had known lots of girls. Nathan couldn’t know them all, even though Shirley tried to keep track of them.
When Johnny died in a car crash, the heart went out of Shirley. It did Nathan no good, either. Nathan said Shirley had grown quieter through the years. Not bitter, exactly. Simply…without heart.
Grant knew her only as the lady who worked on her flower beds and joked with her customers. He never observed the haunted look in her eyes that Nathan told him about. He’d been too young to notice, he supposed; he was in his teens when she passed away.
Nathan became grumpier along the years without Shirley. Grumpy as all get out, but he wasn’t mean with it.
Till now. Grant thought it a little bit mean to keep Sunny in ignorance.
It just wasn’t right to keep Sunny in the dark. He’d argued the point till he was blue in the face. But the old man insisted, and since Grant owed so much to him, Grant had gone along. But he didn’t like it.
He was tired of the deception now. Why, the old man had nearly blown it the night of the storm. Imagine, creeping about the docks in the middle of strong winds and hot lightning flashes that bounced around the hills like a child’s ball. How dangerous…
The storm had scared Sunny. Grant wouldn’t have dared going out in it.
“Is this all right?” the waitress asked, pausing at the far table by the window.
“It’s fine,” replied Sunny. They settled at the small table, and Grant picked up his menu, trying to decide what he wanted to eat. He’d been starved before arriving.
He tried to shake off their quarrel. Over Dell, that just-past-teenage ungrateful scamp. It made him mad to think he’d nearly let his temper get out of hand over Dell Jackson.
He hadn’t imagined Sunny was so stubborn.
Only her stubborn, quarrelsome streak was so like her granddad, that it suddenly made him grin.
His irritation vanished. He held the menu higher, to hide behind. All he needed were more questions from her that he couldn’t answer.
He bet her stubbornness got her in trouble sometimes, too. The way it did with her granddad.
He cleared his throat, trying to push down his laughter, thinking about families and what part inheritance played, but still amused by the fact she was like her granddad. Better to turn his mind on something else, or he’d lose it altogether.
“Are you hungry?” he said, trying to calm down.
She gave him a suspicious stare. “Sure. Aren’t you?”
“Yeah, starved.” They ordered, and Grant started talking of the local talent they were about to see. By the time their food came, he no longer thought about Dell.
Yet underneath, he knew he must tell Sunny the truth. Soon. This complicated situation couldn’t go on much longer.
On the drive home, he felt fine. Relaxed and good. The show had been funny and light and corny, and he’d chuckled uproariously.
Sunny must have felt it, too. More relaxed than he’d ever seen her, Sunny leaned back comfortably in her seat and chattered of the show on the way home. Imitating the comic who had performed, he started to sing a popular tune, lilting in an exaggerated way till she was bent forward with giggling. His left hand on the wheel, he placed his right hand flat against his chest, bellowing at the top of his lungs.
They hit a bump in the old rough road. The truck bounced hard.
Sunny laughed all the harder.
Then as the laughter died, he dropped his hand to take her fingers. They felt soft against his rough skin, used to doing barn work and taking care of the horses. She’d been a nurse before? That would account for the softness of her hands, he supposed.
He clasped her hand the last mile. He pulled into Sunshine Acres and, letting go her hand to park, he reached to turn off the motor.
He shifted in his seat, leaning back against the door and pulling his knee onto the bench. Her shapely mouth was relaxed as she let out a contented sigh.
Should he kiss her? He wanted to….
She didn’t immediately move to get out.
“I appreciate your taking me out, Grant,” she said quietly. “I didn’t know how much I needed time away from here. I’ve been on pins and needles trying to learn everything to run this place. Although it’s lovely, I must say. The lake, the cabins in this quiet cove and all. I can see why Granddad loved the place.”
“We both needed the break, I guess.” He reached for her hand again, wanting more than just to hold it. He wanted to feel her soft touch against his face. “I haven’t been to one of those shows in a couple of years.”
She turned her hand, running her fingers through his.
“Well, tomorrow is Sunday, so I’d better go in. Dell—”
She bit her lip, but he remained silent. When she saw her mention of the youth wouldn’t cause another quarrel, she continued. “Dell is going to come and sit in the morning to watch the phone. People don’t usually check out till they have to, around noon, but most of them leave sometime in the morning. I think he can take care of it. So I—I’ve found a church I’d like to attend.”
“A church? Where, in town?”
“Yes. Three Corners Community Church. They have an early service at nine. Would you like to go with me? Or do you…I mean…”
She’d asked him out? He stirred and sat straighter. “Mmm, I guess I’ve been lazy about finding a church to attend since I’ve moved here. Though there are a number to choose from. Yes,” he drew out the word. “That sounds good to me. Where is it? What time should we leave?”
“About eight-thirty, I think.”
“I’ll pick you up, okay?”
“That would be great!”
Well, the evening was at an end, he supposed, though he hated to say good night. He watched her lips, telling him about the church, while all he could think about was a good-night kiss.
Evening company had been a little scarce down at the stable, except for Buzz and the old man, and his company could be counted on lately only to stir up trouble. He supposed he was getting tired of only male companionship.
Grant got out and went around to help Sunny out of the truck. She switched on the flashlight she’d taken to carrying, and the pooling light made it easier to see as they went to her door.
She paused, gazing into his eyes.
“Thanks again for the outing, Grant. I had a good time.”
His stomach said this was it. He’d make his move…
“We’ll do it again sometime soon. There’s lots to do around the lake, and it’s not all connected to water.”
“Sounds like a good balance.”
“I hadn’t thought of it that way, but I guess that’s true. I want my riding stable to be one of the other things that this area can offer. It’s gaining a good reputation.”
“That’s good, then. Good night.” She suddenly stood on her tiptoes to reach, kissing his cheek. It took him by surprise. “See you in the morning.”
Then she was inside and her door was closing. He stood a moment, while his hand went up to cover where her lips had pressed for that brief moment.
Well, thunderation, as Nathan would say… All it was, was a kiss! A little peck on the cheek. He shouldn’t make such a big deal of it!
But it had been her move, not his.
Sunny woke, stretching fully. She did a few quick bends, touching the floor without bending her knees. It felt good. She felt rested and ready to tackle her day.
She showered, then fumbling in the back of the closet to find something to wear, she dislodged a stack of boxes from the top shelf. They came tumbling down all over the floor.
Kneeling to pick them up, she discovered a number of photo albums. Photo albums?
Her heart began to pound against her chest. These belonged to her grandparents…her family! There would be pictures of her father. And of her grandparents, too.
She glanced at the clock. Eight-fifteen. Fussing at the time, she placed the albums on her bed. She had no time to look at them now. She wanted to spend long hours over them, to study the faces, not to glance hurriedly and not recall what she’d seen. They were her grandparents’ precious memories…
Hurriedly, she found a cotton dress in lavender, a favorite from two years before, and slipped it on. Then she found her white sandals.
Tucking her denims into a drawer, she felt thankful her things had arrived from the Larsons.
Thinking of her date with Grant, she found herself grinning. The evening had turned pleasant, in spite of their rough start. Grant kept her laughing, something that had been scarce in her life of late.
But she’d avoid the subject of Dell with Grant. Better to let the boy’s work record speak for him.
Grant was very entertaining; he’d sung all the Country and Western tunes they’d heard on their way home. He had her giggling, and they’d said good night on a high note.
She’d kissed him. On the cheek, but still a kiss…
Walking into the office, she opened the front door, and stepped out. She paused to draw a deep breath. As she wandered around the back, she noticed one of the lawn chairs on her deck had been moved. Had Dell been back there?
She strolled down to the docks, noticing that the fishermen from cabin three were up early. They were fishing off the pier. She waved and smiled, but didn’t stop.
Returning to the office, she thought of her load of washing. Now that she had Dell, she’d go into town and arrange for a laundry service. The price would be worth the peace of mind that always having clean sheets ready would give her.
Her own clothes could do with a wash, too. She was tired of hand washing, and she had no real place to dry her things. But all that could be done on Monday. She was really getting the hang of this thing, running a resort.
She was hurrying back to the office when tall, skinny Mr. Davis from cabin five hailed her. He wanted an early checkout.
She walked into the office and pulled up his bill. As she did so, she heard male voices, and she glanced out. His buddies stood chatting against a red car: his brother and a second man, a rather husky old guy, with salt-and-pepper hair who stood with his back to her.
The door was open, and she could hear their voices.
She glanced down and counted bills quickly, paying them no mind, hoping she wouldn’t be delayed in leaving. She didn’t want to be late for the church service.
She hated being late for anything.
“I hope you had a nice stay, Mr. Davis.”
“Yeah, it was good. But say, miss, that cabin five, you ought to have the stove checked out. Two burners wouldn’t heat right and we could hardly get the fish done last night.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry. I’ll have it checked before I put someone else in there.” The voices outside moved away, and when she glanced outside, the men had gone. She placed the bills in the cash register and closed it. “Thanks for telling me. I am trying to update the cabins as I can.”
Dell came in while she stood talking. Behind him came a girl, about fifteen, who looked sulky and resentful.
Dell flashed her an annoyed glance, then led the girl toward the chairs, indicating she was to sit.
“Well, I hope to get down this fall for some deer-hunting,” said Mr. Davis. “Good thing you’re close to the state reserve. How late are you staying open?”
Privately, Sunny shuddered at the thought of hunting the sweet animals. But she’d been told the hunting was a necessity for population control.
“Oh, um, until the hunting season is ended, I guess. I’m not too sure when that is. But just call. I’m sure we can accommodate you.”
“Okay. Thanks a lot. See you then.”
As Mr. Davis left, she noticed him get in beside his brother in the blue van that had been parked for the weekend, and put the car into motion.
Where had the third man gone? And the red car? Wasn’t he with them?
Dell brought her mind back to the present.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I had to bring my sister. This is Tracy. She won’t be a bother.” His frown at Tracy said she’d better not be.
“I don’t mind, Dell.” This child had recently lost her father, too. Her sympathy went out to the child. Of course, she could stay. But would Dell be attentive to his work? “Hi, Tracy. Wouldn’t you rather sit down at the docks where you can get some sun? Or on the deck? Perhaps you’d like to swim. There’s a diving platform…”
The provisions for swimming were simple. A diving board and a ladder to climb out of the water, on the off-side of the docks where it was away from the boats. Sunny had inspected it the first time she’d looked around, but she’d seen it being used only a couple of times. Swimming in the lake was at the customer’s own risk.
Perhaps that wasn’t such a good idea after all, without anyone to supervise. Some time soon she was going to have to really investigate the swimming facilities.
“Nope,” Dell said, relieving Sunny of that worry. “She has to stay with me. She’ll be all right, right here. She brought something to read.”
Grant pulled up, and got out of his truck, walking toward the open door. Sunny sighed. He’d objected to Dell being around—what would he say when he found Tracy?
“All right.” Keeping her eyes on the door, she said hurriedly, “Well, will you be okay, Tracy?”
The girl glanced up, her face void of expression. “Uh-huh.”
“Okay.” She grabbed her purse and Bible, waiting on the counter. “I’m going now. I’ll be back after church.”
She met Grant at the door. He glanced in at the two younger people, but said nothing.
They pulled out, and Sunny resisted looking over her shoulder. Leaving the resort in the hands of a very young man wasn’t especially wise, she suspected. But it was only for a few hours. Surely, little could go wrong before she returned.
Grant refused to say a thing. Their quarrel the night before had said it all. She felt blessed that he chose to go to church with her.
He talked of his business, Grant’s Retreat. “I am doing a little better this year, and I still have half the summer ahead. In the fall, I’d like to try some Friday-night entertainment. Not only a sunset ride, but a cook-out after, with stories and such. Think it could work?”
“Well, yeah, I’d think it a natural around the lake. Is there anything else like it?”
“I don’t think so. I’d have to hire some additional help, too.”
They reached the town, and Sunny guided Grant down the right street. They found a place to park, and went in just as the service was about to start. They slipped into a rear pew.
The opening song was one Sunny knew, and her heart lifted with it. She sang the praise with all her might. Beside her, Grant had a creditable baritone, and he added a texture she thought wonderfully fine.
It was so very good to be among believers, she thought; she listened to every word the pastor said in his sermon, and felt renewed as she hadn’t been in a long time. Perhaps she’d been working too hard, she thought. Even before she came to the lake, her work schedule was way too heavy.
After the service, a short, balding man Grant knew greeted him enthusiastically, and started talking. Sunny, a few paces into the aisle, stepped aside to let people pass.
“Well, well,” said a masculine voice. She turned to spy Jim Lindberg, the Realtor she’d met here her first day. “If it isn’t Sunny Merrill. How do you like it out at Sunshine Acres?”
“Why, I like it fine, Mr. Lindberg.”
“That’s good,” he said and nodded. “Please call me Jim. I’ve been meaning to call you. There is so much to see down here. Are you busy these days?”
“Busy enough.” She’d been at Sunshine Acres only a month, but it seemed twice that long. It was nice of Jim to ask. “Haven’t had time to think much about it.”
“I guess summer is the busy time,” he said. “Does your place stay full?”
“Yes, most of the cabins are occupied. Most of the time.” She didn’t know how Sunshine Acres stacked up against other resorts, but she hoped they were competitive. “Do you know someone who can put new screens on the cabins?
“Hmm, that’s good, you have some loyal people. New screens, huh? I can’t think of anyone off the top of my head, but I’ll ask around. Say, I’d like to take you to lunch some time. How about now? Can you spare the time, by any chance?”
“I’d love to, really,” she said, glancing at Grant, still talking, but giving her a steady gaze over the short guy’s shoulder. “But I came with Grant, and I have to get back. I’m so sorry.”
“Well, maybe later this week,” Jim said, noticing her distracted glance. “Maybe lunch on Wednesday? I’d like to have your opinion on a development plan I have. I’ll call you Tuesday to firm up plans.”
“Certainly. I’ll be there.”
Grant was frowning at her again. What was his problem? Did he think she wasn’t able to take care of herself with a sharp land salesman?