Every Move She Makes. Jannine Gallant

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СКАЧАТЬ Ivy pushed a heavy burlap sack off the backseat floor. “Jade moved it up here so Daisy wouldn’t eat it while we were driving.”

      Rachel smiled at her daughters. “That was smart thinking.”

      “I didn’t want her to throw up on me.”

      Jason laughed. “That would motivate me. If we have everything, I’ll load your gear onto a couple of the mules.”

      Ivy climbed out of the backseat, clutching a dark-haired doll to her chest. “I can’t believe I almost forgot Samantha.”

      “Mom, she’s not taking a doll with her, is she?” Lark rolled her eyes. “How embarrassing is that?”

      Rachel rested a hand on her youngest daughter’s head. “I don’t mind as long as she carries her.”

      “Geez, Lark, she’s nowhere near as big as your guitar.”

      “I can’t leave it. I have to practice.”

      Their guide smiled at her. “Sometimes at night we sing around the campfire. Maybe you could play for us one evening.”

      Lark responded with a shy smile of her own. “I’d like to, but I’m not a professional or anything.”

      “Don’t worry. We aren’t picky. Jed plays the fiddle, and you can accompany him. Jed’s the owner of Granite Lake Retreat. He’s a great guy, but be careful.” His grin was teasing. “Most of the single girls fall crazy in love with him before they leave.”

      “He must look like his brother.” Rachel grabbed two suitcases and followed Jason toward the corral.

      “Do you know Kane?” He turned to look at her.

      Her face heated. She hadn’t meant for him to hear her comment. “I met him once.”

      “Kane’s great, too. He’s been terrific about helping out. Right now it’s just me, Jed, Hillary and Ozzie, but we have more staff coming before the holiday.”

      They made a return trip for the last of the bags, and Rachel locked the car. “Does everyone have their day pack and water bottle?”

      The girls nodded.

      Jason secured their gear to the mules. “Who wants to lead the second one?”

      Jade volunteered. “What’s his name?”

      “Dozer. This one’s Mandy.”

      “Cool. Are the horses coming with us?”

      “No, a man down the road owns them. He boards them in our stable and feeds the mules for us in exchange.”

      “Too bad.” Ivy sighed. “I’d love to ride one.”

      “I’m afraid we don’t offer trail rides, but don’t worry. There’re plenty of other activities to keep you occupied.”

      They followed a beaten dirt path through a thicket of trees out onto an open hillside and walked for a half hour before Jason stopped his mule.

      “Check out the view.”

      An open vista stretched before them with towering granite peeks and dense conifer forests reaching to the horizon. A crystal clear lake rested at the bottom of the bowl.

      “Wow, it’s really pretty,” Ivy called. “Come look at the lake, Jade.”

      She handed the lead rope to Rachel and ran over to stand next to her sister. “This is so awesome. Are we on top of a mountain?”

      Their guide shook his head. “Not really. We’re on a ridge above the camp. The trail leads down from here.”

      “The cabins sure look tiny.” Lark started down the slope behind the others.

      “They aren’t very big, just a room lined with bunks and storage space for your gear underneath.”

      Lark stopped. “And a bathroom.”

      Jason grinned at her. “I’m afraid we don’t have indoor plumbing at Granite Lake. That path at the far end of the cabins leads to the outhouses. We use a lot of lime, so they don’t smell too bad, as outhouses go.”

      She gave her mother a horrified look. “You didn’t mention anything about outhouses. What about showers? Please tell me there’re showers.”

      “We jump in the lake, right, Mom?” Jade pushed on the mule to get him moving again.

      Their guide took pity on Lark. “We have solar showers. The water is pretty warm after hanging in the sun all day.”

      “Super. It’s practically five star accommodations.” Lark wrinkled her nose as one of the mules stopped to lift its tail. “Gross. That’s so disgusting.”

      “Pee-yew.” Ivy waved her hand in front of her nose. “What do you feed him?”

      “Hay and the occasional bologna sandwich. Dozer loves bologna.”

      “You might want to think about changing his diet.”

      Lark frowned at her sister. “Your doll is going to lose its shoe.”

      Ivy screamed and grabbed the dangling shoe. “Thanks. I wouldn’t have liked fishing it out of that steaming pile.”

      Jade shrieked with laughter, her braces flashing in the sunlight, and even Lark was smiling as they entered the camp.

      A tall man with brown hair, blue eyes and a strong resemblance to Kane jogged up the slope from the lake to greet them. “It sounds like you enjoyed your hike.” He extended a hand. “I’m Jed Lafferty, your host.”

      Jason introduced Rachel and the girls to Jed and Ozzie Thompson, a short man with sparse white hair. The cook was probably in his mid-seventies. He shook Rachel’s hand and then went back to the campfire he was tending.

      “Kane took some guests on a hike, and Hillary drove into Truckee for supplies. You’ll meet them both later. Kane’s my brother.”

      Rachel opened her mouth to say she was already acquainted with his brother but closed it when Ivy interrupted.

      “Is this our cabin?”

      Jed nodded. “Go ahead and settle in. Ozzie should have lunch ready shortly. I imagine you’re hungry after your hike.”

      Jade peeked inside. “Starving.”

      “Come out to the central picnic area when you’re ready. That’s where we eat all our meals. Toilet facilities are at the end of this path, and there are a couple of shower stalls over near that grove of trees.” He pointed to a bucket of water by the door. “This is just for washing. We keep a supply of bottled water to drink.”

      Jason had unloaded the mules while Jed talked, and both men left them to get organized. Her youngest daughters claimed the upper bunks.

      “This СКАЧАТЬ