“Really?” Rather than being annoyed, Max looked intrigued. “How many kids are we talking about here? I picture you guys with five of them … and they’re all just as annoying as Ivy.”
“If I had five more Ivys I would be a happy man,” Jack shot back. “It’s little Maxes we are terrified of getting.”
Ivy heaved out a sigh and held out her hands. “Knock it off. I don’t like that you guys are at each other’s throats.” In a moment of desperation, she focused on Amy. “What about you? Do you want children someday?”
Amy clearly wasn’t expecting the question because her eyes went wide and half the color drained from her face. “Oh, well, I haven’t given it a lot of thought. I mean … probably one day I will. It’s not a concern for right this second.”
That was the most she’d said to Ivy in one speech to this point so the pink-haired peacemaker decided to run with it. “But … you’ve probably thought about it a little, right?” she pressed. “Jack and I have been talking about it a lot lately. We both want kids, although we’ve agreed we’d like to wait a year or two.”
“That’s smart,” Amy offered. “I mean … you guys are just starting out. You should enjoy each other for a few years, get to know one another even better than you do now. A child changes things. Right now, you’re the center of each other’s worlds. If you add in a baby, then the infant will be the center of both your worlds. I think you guys will be fine when that happens but not everyone feels the same way.”
Ivy found the response mildly disconcerting. “Do you speak from experience?”
“Oh, not mine.” She was firm as she shook her head. “Before I moved to Shadow Lake I was friends with a girl in college. She got married before we graduated from high school and thought it was the greatest thing that ever happened to her. She accidentally got pregnant a few months later and her husband kind of melted down, said he wasn’t ready for that sort of responsibility.
“He stuck around, which she thought was good at the time, but he resented her for bringing someone into the household who supplanted him from being the center of their world,” she continued. “He turned into a mean guy after that. She didn’t even recognize the monster he became.”
Ivy opened her mouth but no sound came out. She legitimately had no idea what she was supposed to say. Thankfully, Jack picked that moment to swoop in.
“That’s a big deal,” he said. “She was young. That had to be frightening. Did he hurt her physically?”
“Some.”
“Did she call the police? If she’s still in trouble, I can offer some assistance.”
“What? Oh, no, this was several years ago and they’re no longer together. Besides, it was in Minnesota and not here. Everything has been handled.”
“I’m glad for that.” Jack moved his hand to Ivy’s slim back. “How about I handle the burgers and your … soy thing … and you help Amy with the pasta? That way, if there are any complaints about the thickness of the burgers, your brother can take it up with me.”
Ivy was thrilled with the suggestion. “I think that’s a marvelous idea.” She scorched Max with a dark look before moving over to the table. “I’m glad your friend managed to get away from that situation.”
“I am, too.” Amy’s smile was small but heartfelt. “So, how many kids do you want? You must have some idea.”
“Well, we’ve thought about it a lot.” Ivy glanced over her shoulder and met Jack’s steady gaze. “I think we’ll be happy with two. We would prefer a boy and a girl, but I can’t see us being bitterly disappointed if we have two boys or two girls.”
“I don’t know,” Jack countered. “I want a little you to spoil. If we have two boys, I won’t be disappointed, but I’m still going to want a little girl.”
“You can always get another cat,” Max suggested. “I’ve often thought Ivy has the personality of a cat. She’s skittish when strangers are around and she likes to keep to herself while constantly glaring at interlopers.”
Jack shot him a dirty look. “You just can’t help yourself, can you?”
“Not even a little.” Max offered him a haughty smirk and reached for the skillet. “I’ll handle grilling duties for the evening, if you don’t mind. It’s not that I don’t trust you but … you’ve never cooked meat over an open flame.”
“I grill in the backyard all the time.”
“That’s different.”
“Jack is doing the grilling,” Ivy interjected, fixing her brother with a pointed look. “Why don’t you help Amy with the pasta salad, huh?”
“I think that’s probably safest,” Amy agreed, giggling when Max made a face behind his sister’s back. “I think it’s best if you let Jack handle the grilling tonight … since he’s the one who bought the food.”
“See. Your girlfriend is a wise woman.” Jack slid around Max and headed for the fire. “I have no idea what she’s doing with you, but she’s wise all the same.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Max made a derisive gesture as Jack strolled away. “I never get the respect I deserve. I wonder why that is.”
“I think it has something to do with your attitude,” Ivy replied. “Now … help. I won’t feed you if you don’t help.”
“You’ve turned mean since you started dating Jack. You used to be so nice to me. Where did the love go?”
THE FOOD WASN’T PERFECT, BUT the group was so hungry that it didn’t matter. Everyone inhaled everything on their plates and then set about as a group to clean up.
“Are there bears up here?” Amy asked nervously as Jack stoked the fire and Max grabbed a bag of marshmallows. “I mean … is that why we have to be so careful putting the food away?”
“There are bears up here,” Max confirmed. “You don’t need to worry about that, though. They’re not aggressive. As long as we handle food properly, they won’t even come around.”
“If you do see one, just stay away from any babies you might see,” Ivy suggested, opening one of the bags on the table and coming back with graham crackers and chocolate bars. “I think we have everything for s’mores. Where are the marshmallow roasting things?”
“They’re stacked on the end of the table,” Jack replied, his eyes lifting to the sky. “It got dark quick. I didn’t even think about the lack of light since we’re not by an illuminated highway. We should probably get those lanterns we bought and light them up.”
“I’ll get them,” Max offered. “Where are they?”
“I think they’re still in the back of the truck,” Ivy replied after a moment’s consideration. “I don’t remember grabbing them.”
“I’ve got the kerosene here,” Jack offered. “We just forgot the lanterns.”
“I’ll get them.” Max pressed a kiss to Amy’s cheek as she slid the pasta salad into the cooler. He took a moment to whisper something to her that caused a small giggle to escape.
From across the table, Ivy watched the interaction with a mixture of trepidation and excitement. She’d often wondered what would happen to Max if he never settled down. In her head, she pictured him turning into a fifty-year-old gigolo with a plunging neckline, more gold-nugget jewelry than any one person should own, and a penchant for hitting on barely-legal girls. The fact that he seemed so enamored of Amy, a normal girl who was a few years younger but still age-appropriate, was a relief. Unfortunately, Ivy wasn’t sure how she felt about Amy. The woman wasn’t exactly outgoing, and Ivy couldn’t help but wonder if Max would grow tired of constantly trying to draw her out of her shell and go back to his old ways.
“What are you thinking?” Jack asked, keeping his voice low as his breath tickled against her ear. “Are you wondering if we can steal all the s’mores ingredients and mess with your brother, too?”
Ivy snorted and shook her head. “No, I was just … thinking.” She flashed a smile for Amy’s benefit. “Tell me about yourself,” she prodded. “I know you grew up in Minnesota and graduated from a high school there, but I don’t know anything else about you.”
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“What would you like to know?”
“I don’t know. Um … Max mentioned your parents died in a car accident.”
“Yes, a few years ago.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“I am, too,” Jack added. “That must have been rough on you. I lost my father years ago, but it still hurts when I think about him. It must have been ridiculously difficult for you to lose both parents at the same time. Do you have any siblings you keep in contact with?”
“I’m an only child,” Amy replied. “My parents had me late in life. They’d essentially given up having children. I enjoyed being an only child, though. They both doted on me.”
Ivy felt a rush of sadness for the woman. “What about aunts and uncles? I know I would be devastated to lose my parents, but I’m especially close with my aunt Felicity. She’s almost like a third parent.”
“No. I don’t have any aunts or uncles either. Er, I guess I have a distant aunt on my mother’s side, but I don’t know her. My grandparents died before I was born. It’s just me.”
Ivy swallowed hard. Even though there was something off about the woman – she was convinced of that – she hated to think of her feeling alone. “You have us as family now,” she offered. “It’s not just you any longer.”
The look of profound gratitude Amy shot Ivy had her re-thinking her earlier opinion. There was every chance that Amy was simply shy, something that Ivy wasn’t familiar with so she didn’t understand how to grapple with the emotion.
“I think I’m going to take a bucket down to the spigot to get some water,” Amy offered. “I won’t be gone long, but I thought we might want it for cleaning up after eating the s’mores.”
“That’s probably a good idea,” Ivy agreed. “You should wait for a lantern, though, just to be on the safe side.”
“Oh, that’s okay.” Amy waved off the suggestion. “I’ve been down there twice. I won’t be gone long. Tell Max where I went, okay?”
“Sure. No problem.”
Jack continued to rub his hand over Ivy’s back until he was certain Amy was out of earshot. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure Max hadn’t returned and then asked the obvious question. “What do you think?”
Ivy held her hands out and shrugged. “I don’t know. I feel sorry for her. I don’t dislike her. She’s just really closed off.”
“Yeah. I think she’s just nervous. Give her time to warm up. Hanging out with you and Max is daunting to some people. I know I felt a little weird the first few times we were together as a group.”
“You did?” That was a surprise to Ivy. “You never showed it.”
“That’s because I’m macho.”
She snickered. “Good to know. Do you want to help me take the s’mores ingredients to the fire and get comfortable while we’re waiting for Max and Amy? If you’re a good boy, we can sit on the ground and have two blankets – one for the top and one for under our bottoms – so no one will be able to see your wandering hands.”
“You had me at s’mores.”
“Somehow I knew that.”
IVY AND JACK WERE ELBOW DEEP in s’mores when Max finally returned with the lanterns.
“They were buried under a tarp,” he complained, dropping them on the ground next to the blanket Ivy and Jack shared. “They shouldn’t have been that hard to find.”
Ivy rolled her eyes. “Please. You were barely gone five minutes. It’s not as if you worked yourself to the bone.”
“Hey, it’s more difficult than you might think to root around in the back of the truck without being able to see what you’re touching. I kept imagining horrible things … like spiders.”
Ivy snorted. “I see you made it without being eaten by a Daddy Long Legs.”
“I’m traumatized and need some attention.” He furrowed his brow as he glanced around. “Where is Amy?”
“She volunteered to get water,” Jack replied. “She left a few minutes ago. She shouldn’t be gone long.”
“You let her go by herself?” Max’s eyes were accusatory when they locked with those of his future brother-in-law. “What were you thinking?”
“I was thinking that the spigot isn’t far away,” Jack replied blankly.
“It’s dark,” Max protested.
“It’s only a little ways.”
“Okay, let’s swap out the women involved,” Max snapped. “Would you have let Ivy walk down there alone?”
Ivy bristled at her brother’s tone. “Don’t yell at him.”
“It’s okay.” Jack patted her hand. “He’s right. I shouldn’t have let her go alone.” He moved to stand. “Let’s go get her.”
“And leave Ivy here?” Max made a comical face. “We both know that’s not going to happen.”
“Then we’ll all go as a group,” Ivy offered.
“No. I’ve got it.” His eyes flashed with annoyance as he swiveled. “I’ll find her … and then we’ll talk badly about both of you on our way back. Be prepared for the infamous Morgan stink eye when I return.”
Jack snickered. “We look forward to that.” He turned his attention – and lips – back to Ivy, but froze in place at the sound of a scream. He whipped his head in the direction of the main property office and narrowed his eyes. It was too dark to make out any movement, but when a second scream split the air, he hopped to his feet. “That doesn’t sound good.”
Max was several feet ahead of them when he broke into a run. “Amy.”
Ivy read the panic that rippled off him in waves and scurried to keep up. “Wait. Max … we’ll go together.”
“We’ll all go together,” Jack agreed, collecting Ivy’s hand as they began to jog down the trail. “Everyone be careful you don’t trip. We can’t see if there are rocks or branches jutting out from the ground.”
“Who cares about that?” Max was beside himself as he scanned both sides of the trail for movement. “Amy?” He screamed her name into the night. She didn’t respond, though, which caused Ivy’s heart to drop to her shoes.
“What do you think happened?” she asked Jack, breathless. “I mean … she was only gone for a few minutes.”
“I don’t know, honey.” Jack slowed his pace and stared hard into the dim light surrounding them. “No matter what, you stay right next to me. You can’t see more than a few yards in any direction and we didn’t bring the lanterns. Just … don’t wander.”
Ivy solemnly nodded. “I’ll stick close.”
“Thank you.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead and then increased his pace to catch up with Max. “Don’t panic yet,” he ordered. “We don’t know that anything has happened. It could be kids playing around … or people drinking … or you know, other shenanigans.”
“Or Amy.” Max was forlorn as he caught Jack’s gaze. “Where is she?”
“I … .” Jack didn’t get a chance to finish because the sound of raised voices caught his attention. He immediately pointed himself in that direction. “Both of you stay close,” he instructed, his cop face firmly in place. “What happened here?”
“There’s a body,” one of the men replied. He had a small lantern in his hand and it only cast off enough light that his features looked somehow ghoulish. “Someone is dead.”
“What?” Jack grabbed the lantern from him without asking and turned so he could see in the direction the man gestured. There, on the ground, was a woman. Her features weren’t identifiable because they were covered by a mass of blond hair … the same color hair Amy boasted.
Ivy’s heart dropped to her stomach. “No way.”
“Amy!” Max barreled forward, his voice ragged. “Omigod! Oh, my … .” He let loose an anguished wail Ivy had never heard before and dropped to his knees.
Helpless, Ivy turned to Jack. “I don’t understand.”
That made two of them.
Five
Ivy’s mouth was dry, her hands shaking, and she had no idea what to do.
Jack, however, was in his element.
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��Everybody stand back,” he ordered, lifting the lantern as he edged closer to the woman. He was careful not to touch anything but her neck when he pressed two fingers to her pulse point, his heart shuddering when he couldn’t detect even the faintest of heartbeats. He exhaled heavily and met Max’s gaze. “She’s gone.”
“No, no, no.” Max moved to stride forward, but Ivy regained her senses fast enough to grab her brother around the waist. “Let go of me!”
“I can’t,” Ivy gritted out. “Let Jack do his job.”
“No!” Max ripped himself from Ivy and stumbled in the direction of the body. “I can’t even … I … this isn’t happening.”
Jack extended a hand to keep Max back, but the older Morgan sibling slapped it away, fury rippling through him.
“Max, you can’t touch her.” Jack’s voice was calm, no-nonsense. “I need more light to look her over. Also, we need to call for the authorities.”
“You’re a cop,” Max reminded him, his voice dead.
“This isn’t my jurisdiction.”
“You’re a cop?” One of the men standing to the side, a stocky individual with brown hair and a thick mustache, appeared impressed. “I guess that’s lucky for us, huh?”
“It’s … something.” Jack was grim. “Ivy, can you check and see if you have a signal? If not, Max will walk you to the road to see if you can find a better one. We need to get the state police and the medical examiner in here.”
Ivy nodded dumbly. “Yeah.”
“I’m not walking her anywhere,” Max hissed, his voice dangerously close to violent. “She can walk herself … just like you let Amy walk herself.”
Jack tugged on his limited patience. He understood Max had gone into shock or something – and he couldn’t blame him – but there was no way he intended to let Ivy wander away without someone watching her back. “Max, I know you’re upset—”
“You don’t know anything. This is all your fault!” Max exploded with enough rage that he caused Ivy to take an inadvertent step away from her brother.
Ivy Morgan Mystery Box Set 5 Page 24