Gray Prentiss didn’t arrive until Tuesday afternoon. He looked a lot like Grant, but weary, with stronger, more clear-cut features. He had the same wide smile, showing strong white teeth, as his father and Grant…
But Grant’s smile was cuter.
Gray didn’t come out of his cabin until late the next day, and he lounged on the deck in only a pair of cut-off jeans.
Nice legs, Sunny thought. But then Grant had nice legs, too—strong and shapely. Grant had appeal…
Now why was she doing that again? Thinking of Grant? She shoved the thoughts behind her with a vengeance; just because Grant’s smile was more attractive than…and his eyes held a gleam sometimes…
That was all she needed, she scolded herself. After only one kiss, she had feelings she didn’t plan to pursue. The trouble was, she didn’t know exactly what to do with it. It was no use becoming accustomed to Grant being around all the time, when in less than a year…
Only a year? Why couldn’t she…no, it was better not even to think it. She’d learned never to count on anything.
Sunny didn’t like letting Grant have too much of her, know her too well, it wasn’t…wise. Not wise for her, anyway. And she’d been letting him in since—since day one, when she’d first met him. She didn’t want to know too much of Grant, either. People seemed to die, or go away somehow when Sunny loved them.
Well, she wouldn’t love Grant. She only liked him a lot. There wasn’t anything wrong with that.
The sun was hot this morning. She went to close the office blinds and turn on the overhead fan.
She turned to study her registration list for next week. How many were there? Enough for the moment. She’d been at Sunshine Acres long enough to know that some customers came in at the last moment.
When her year was up, and she sold the resort, what then?
She’d go back to Minneapolis. Perhaps.
That gave her pause. She’d never given thought of going anywhere else to live. But she had only the Larsons as a tie. They were important to her.
Dell and Tracy would have to find somewhere else to live—but they would be one year older and more likely to be able to cope with life on their own.
Grant would remain…his riding stable would continue.
She’d have to get another job if she went back to Minneapolis. Her old position was filled by now.
But with both Dell and Tracy at the resort to look after the daily things, why couldn’t she get a job in town? That would be the thing.
She hadn’t taken the time to look at the local hospital yet, she reminded herself. But hospitals could always use nurses. If she took a part-time position, she could pay for those appliances in a jiffy on monthly installments. After all, she was paying no rent here.
Why not? After the Prentiss clan left, she’d do that.
True to his word, Grant took some of the crowd riding on Tuesday morning, and a second group on Wednesday morning. Some of the men discovered the horseshoe court down by Grant’s barn, declaring in Sunny’s hearing how great the game was.
Gray was too tired to go horseback riding. But on Friday, Grant urged his brother to come see his resort, and Gray eagerly consented.
Grant asked Sunny to ride at the same time.
“Do you have room for Tracy to go, too?” Sunny asked tentatively.
Grant’s smile was lopsided with acceptance. “Sure, why not. Even Dell, if he wants to. But you’ll have to follow orders, since I’ve five riders who are paying customers. With Gray, Tracy, and you, that’ll make eight. We can accommodate as many as ten if need be.”
Sunny had only ridden twice in her life, Tracy never. It took some coaxing.
“Come on, Tracy. It’ll be fun.” Sunny tipped her head. Sunny didn’t want to be the only one to go along with the two Prentiss men.
“For who?” Tracy was dubious.
“For you and me,” promised Sunny. “Come on, honey, you’ve been to the ranch and seen the horses. And you’ve been holed up here at Sunshine Acres for a few days now. You need to get out and have some fun. Those horses are all broke to ride.”
“She doesn’t have to come if she doesn’t want to,” said Grant, leaning against the counter. “But it would be very cool if you came, Tracy. Another accomplishment to add to your résumé. You can even tell your friends about the ride. Think of it as advertising for me.” He finished with a grin.
“Okay, but you have to give me the gentlest horse,” Tracy said, tossing a doubtful look at him. “That’s Coyote, isn’t it?”
“Yep. You learned something the other night, didn’t you?”
Chuckling, Sunny told Grant, “I hope you know you’re taking a bunch of amateurs out.”
“Oh, I know, all right,” Grant said with amusement in his eyes. “Happens all the time. Most of my horses are gentle for that reason. But it’ll be a good ride, I guarantee you. I’ve got customers to satisfy.”
“That’s good, I suppose.” Underneath it all, she felt more than a little excitement. It must be an accumulation of all that was going on in her life, she decided.
“We’re going late in the afternoon,” Grant continued. “The customers wanted to get a ride in about four, just before suppertime. It’ll be a short ride. We’ll only be out an hour or so.”
“All right then,” said Sunny. “Sounds perfect. I suppose Dell will be home by then. He’s sure putting in his applications.”
Dell not only came home by two o’clock, he came home with a job.
“I knew you could do it!” Tracy was jubilant.
So was Sunny. She chuckled. “I did, too. There’s no moss on you, my friend.”
“I start tonight,” Dell said with a bit of pride. “I’ll have to leave Tracy at night though,” he said worriedly. “I’ll be stocking shelves at the grocery store. It’ll bring in a steady income, but… Could you keep an eye on Tracy for me, Sunny?”
“I’m old enough to keep an eye on myself!” Tracy protested.
“Sure,” Sunny said. “But I think you’ll need to sack out for a time this afternoon, don’t you?” Sunny pointed through to the apartment. “You can take the sofa, in there.”
“Are you sure?” An uncertain, incredulous light entered Dell’s eyes. “Don’t know what we did to deserve all the kindness, Sunny. But I—I’m grateful.”
The parable of the little children coming to Jesus loomed up in her mind, suddenly large and unmistakable. Dell and Tracy were no longer children, yet in her mind they were. By taking them in, she was following Jesus’ teachings.
“Yeah, I know.” Sunny said softly, inwardly groaning for the dozenth time. How did she get herself into these things?
But she knew… She really knew.
Sunny and Tracy left the resort soon afterward, leaving Dell asleep, tiptoeing out so they wouldn’t wake him. Sunny set the alarm clock and placed it on the table near his head. In the normal scheme of things, he’d be gone by the time they returned.
Excitement bubbled along her veins at the prospect of sampling Grant’s business firsthand. She and Tracy wore jeans and long-sleeved shirts. Neither had hats against the late-afternoon sun, but Sunny didn’t think that necessary; as she understood it, they’d be in the woods a good deal of the time. They were ready to ride.
When they reached Grant’s Retreat, Sunny and Tracy stood back and watched the scene. Gray was already there, leaning against the corral. The horses waited, saddled and ready. The customers arrived within minutes of the stated time, talking together excitedly.
Grant was purely professional as he checked each horse, each saddle, then assigned riders. He moved with quick assurance, never missing a step. Buzz helped the customers into the saddle, checked the length of stirrups, and then lined up the horses one by one.
Grant turned his attention to Tracy and her. Oh, my! Sunny felt her heart pick up its beat. He looked like a real cowboy: boots, hat and cool demeanor.
She noticed Gray, dressed in jeans and long-sleeved checked shirt, quietly observing the scene as each member of their party mounted. Then he came forward with slow, lanky strides and mounted Pepper, a horse speckled around the flanks that Grant had assigned him.
“Thanks, Grant,” Gray said graciously. But he wasn’t nearly as compelling as Grant.
“Tracy, here you are,” Grant called the girl over to the old brown mare with the black mane. “Coyote, per your request.”
Tracy tentatively walked forward, and Grant helped her up into the saddle. Buzz adjusted her stirrups.
“Now, Sunny,” Grant said, indicating the horse she would ride. His mouth curved slightly, as though teasing her, warm and personal. “Her name is Ginger,” he said, slapping the horse’s neck. “And you’ll bring up the rear, if you don’t mind, so you can keep an eye on Tracy. I want to watch that couple up front. If I’m not mistaken, they’re not beyond mischief.”
“Sure, Grant.” She carefully mounted, and the ginger-colored horse sidestepped a bit.
“Whoa, there, Ginger.” His grin came and went in a flash. “Can’t have any of that playfulness.”
Grant then mounted a dappled gray, a bright-eyed gelding, and took the lead. Sunny reined her horse back to follow Gray and Tracy.
They entered the forest at the bottom of the pasture, then began to climb. The trail led around a hill, ever climbing. They passed hickory, maple, oak and walnut trees. Everything was green, and smelled of moist earth from the slight rain they’d received the night before. The ground was mostly covered in old leaves and green brush, with the occasional fallen tree.
An oak leaf drifted down; she watched it land in front of her. She gazed up. It wasn’t autumn yet, but they were in the last month of summer. She could see the tops of the trees, some forty feet high.
Sunny looked to see if Tracy were enjoying the ride. The dreamy expression answered the question, but she was holding on for dear life.
They came to a stop at the top of the hill, resting for five minutes, and then started down. They came upon a wide gash in the earth, and Sunny felt Ginger plunge down the side of it at a good clip and then bounce back up again. Coming down was a different experience than going up, Sunny mused.
They came out of the woods into the same small meadow, sunny and peaceful, surprising Sunny with its beauty. The back of the barn showed in the distance. Another ten minutes, and they’d be in the home corral.
Buzz was on hand to help the riders dismount. They were laughing and calling back and forth. “Thanks a lot, Mr. Prentiss,” the young woman called. “We had a good time.”
“Glad you liked the ride…and come again.”
“Oh, we’ll come again when next we come to the lake,” the dark-eyed woman promised. “And we’ll tell our friends about you. Bye now.”
The riding company, one woman and four men got in their cars and left while Sunny eased off Ginger, patting her after she dismounted.
Behind her, Tracy slid off Coyote. “That was cool. Wait till I tell my friends at school.”
All her apprehensions gone, Tracy talked a blue streak. She chattered as Buzz took the reins.
“Good ride, Grant. I’d like to do the longer trail sometime,” said Gray. He dismounted and approached his brother. “Your idea for developing this into a full working ranch is a good one. Let me know if I can help out.”
“Thanks, Gray. I appreciate that,” Grant said, starting to unsaddle the horses. Standing next to him, Gray unsaddled his own mount.
Grant continued. “But that remains to be seen. I want to expand, but…” He glanced Sunny’s way, then lowered his tone. “I hope to develop more of the trail by the end of two more years. Add some cattle as a sideline, too. I should have enough trade by then to warrant longer rides.”
Grant still wanted the land she held, Sunny thought. He needed it; it would make a good package.
She sighed deeply. Nothing had really changed, and his kiss hadn’t meant nearly as much to him as it had meant to her.
Somewhere inside her, just a little something twisted. Did Grant like her for herself, or did he like her for what she could do for him? Such as sell him the land….
Saturday dawned bright and hot, the last day for the Prentiss clan. Already some of the men showed an anxiety to get back to civilization…and their wives and daughters, mothers and girlfriends. The kids didn’t, but then kids never did, Sunny thought with amusement.
Along about three o’clock, Grant drove in and came into the office. He eyed the stacked linen on the desk chair. A basket holding cleaning products, scrub brushes and rags were on the floor.
“Sorta eager for the family to be gone, eh?” he remarked.
“Not at all, Grant.” She smiled at him, hoping he knew she’d welcome his family any time. “They’ve been great guests and I hate to lose them. But since some of them will leave at first light, we want to be ready. It’s the last week before school starts for some families. For Tracy, too.”
“Um, sorry.” Grant appeared somewhat shamefaced. “That sounded kind of…oh, you know. I didn’t mean it to be grumpy.”
Sunny sighed and rose from her chair to hang over the counter, facing him. She played with a string she’d found on the floor. “I suppose you hate the idea of your relatives leaving. It’s been fun. I’m sure you like having them all down and hanging about each day.”
“Yeah. Except for Mom. I miss her and my sis, Ginny. But I’ll take a run up to Kansas City soon and see them.”
“What did you come by for, anyway?”
“Oh, um, well, um,” he said as he leaned his arms on the counter, running his finger against the edge of it. “I just…I sorta wanted to suggest that you and Tracy might like to go to a movie this evening. Have dinner out, and shop or something.”
“I don’t know, Grant. I don’t think we should.”
Sunny turned to glance through the door to the apartment. Out of sight, Tracy sat out on the deck, reading.
“Well, you really should go, Sunny. It’s…you haven’t been out in a while.”
Only inches away, Sunny’s fingers curled the string. “Only down to your stable.”
Shifting his feet, he grinned as he leaned closer. “Well, that doesn’t count. You should really get out.”
“Well, there’s church tomorrow.”
“That doesn’t count, either.”
“Okay, then. Why? What’s going on?”
Grant cleared his throat, reaching for her fingers. “Okay, guess I’ll have to tell you straight out.”
“That might be nice,” she said as his fingers played with hers. “The truth always works.”
“Well, it’s this way. The Prentiss men always celebrate their last night with a swimming party.”
“Oh, that’s no problem.” She withdrew her hand.
“It is if you hang around.” He turned his hands to lay them flat on the counter.
“Why? What have I got to do with a swimming party?”
“Nothing. Er, you’re a woman. Tracy is, too.”
“Oh, only men allowed, hmm?” She folded her arms.
“Yes, that’s it. But I think it might be better if you’re off the premises altogether.”
“But why?” She raised a brow.
He looked very serious. He drew a deep breath and took the plunge. “Okay, okay. They like to swim in the raw.”
She stood with her mouth open for five full seconds before bursting into laughter. A faint flush stole up Grant’s cheeks.
“Glad you think it’s funny,” he muttered.
“Is that all?” She dropped her hands. “You think that I’ll peek? Or Tracy will? Why, that’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. Besides, as a nurse, I’ve seen my share of bodies. I’m not one iota curious.”
“But the men will be happier if you’re not here.”
“Oh, I see.” She twisted her mouth, trying not to laugh further. “Well, then, I guess Tracy and I will find some entertainment in town.”
“That’s what I hoped you’d say.” A huge sigh escaped from him. Now that Grant was off the hook, he relaxed. “You ought to try it sometime.”
“What, swimming in the nude?”
“Nah, I—I didn’t mean that.” He recovered quickly. “I meant take a swim at dusk, while the sun is sinking. You haven’t been swimming yet, have you?”
“No, I haven’t. I’ve been too busy, and it seemed kind of intrusive to swim with the guests.”
“Well, yeah, I can see it that way myself. But you have the perfect spot, rather secluded and not in the main part of the lake. In August when the water is warm, the nights can be soft. Swimming just before bedtime… It’s great, better than a sauna! You even sleep better.”
“I’ll have to try it sometime.”
“Not alone, though. You shouldn’t ever swim alone.”
“No, I wouldn’t. I’ll be sensible.”
“Okay, then. Can I tell the fellas, hmm…about what time?”
“The time Tracy and I will leave?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, I think soon after four. Tracy and I can find something to do for those hours between four and supper, and then a movie. The movie will be out, oh, say nine-thirty or so, then if we get an ice cream, we could be home as early as ten, ten-thirty. Will that do?”
“Great!” He gave a short, decisive nod. “Yes, okay. Ten-thirty. They usually wrap up by ten. Bye for now.”
He swivelled on his heel and left. Sunny saw him head for the cabin his father occupied.
Sunny stood where she was for a full moment, inwardly laughing at the great awkwardness of Grant in asking for the privacy the Prentiss clan needed.
Traditions!
She walked through the apartment to the deck. “Tracy…how would you like to go to dinner and a movie tonight?”