Wagonload Of Trouble

by McDonough, Vickie;

  Evan felt as cornered as his video character when it had stumbled into Daniel’s lions’ den after making a wrong move. Without Daniel’s level of faith, his character hadn’t survived. Evan wanted to help his sister and niece, but could he give up two weeks and still finish his project on time? Maybe he could work on the game in his free time, and if the guest ranch had Internet access, he could still turn in his progress reports and contact the others on his team if he had a question. “When is this trip?”

  His sister’s lips pursed, and she seemed to be studying something fascinating on the wall. “Uh. . .ten days from now.”

  Evan’s eyes widened, then he schooled his expression. When didn’t really matter. Anytime this summer was a bad time. Erin didn’t know he wanted to quit teaching and work permanently from home for the computer company so that he’d have more time to help her out with the kids. There was no way of escape without disappointing someone. It might as well be himself. “All right, I’ll do it.”

  Erin’s tense expression morphed into a smile that made him glad he’d agreed. He’d have to remember that grin when he was knee-deep in wildflowers and bugs, and stuck with a cranky teenager with a Teton-size attitude.

  Two

  A familiar warmth tugged at Bethany’s heart as she drove up the mile-long dirt road leading to the main lodge of Moose Valley Ranch. Home. So familiar, but so vastly different from the city where she now lived. An array of wildflowers painted the meadow on her left yellow and white, while conifers, aspens, and lodgepole pines rose up on her right, creating a natural windbreak. She hadn’t been back to Moose Valley since last year’s Christmas holiday. She should have come home on spring break, but instead she’d gotten a job and worked. The excuse had felt legitimate at the time. Rolling her head, she tried to work loose her tight shoulder muscles.

  “Why should I feel guilty? Wasn’t that the whole reason for going to college?” So I could get an education and support myself—and leave Moose Valley behind?

  If nothing else, she should have returned sooner just to see her dad. But it wasn’t as if he were all alone. Anywhere from six to twelve employees helped with cleaning the guest cabins, cooking, caring for the horses, and managing the wagon tours and trail rides. Bethany heaved a sigh and honked her horn at the small herd of Black Angus moseying across the dirt road. Leaning out her window, she yelled, “C’mon. Move it.”

  Taking out her frustrations on dumb cattle and rationalizing that her dad had plenty of help didn’t drive away her guilt. The bottom line was that she had neglected him. If only he’d step into the twenty-first century; then she could have e-mailed him. A lot of good it did to have a Web site for the ranch and e-mail contact if he wouldn’t learn to use it. Maybe he’d be more willing once she hooked up the new state-of-the-art computer she’d brought home with her.

  As the last calf bawled and trotted after its mother, Bethany pounded her fist on the steering wheel and stepped on the gas. She topped the final hill, and Moose Valley spread out before her, mountains jutting up high on her left and in front of her, and the forest on her right. The sight certainly was magnificent and rivaled anything Colorado had to offer. So why wasn’t she content to stay here?

  Shaking off her nostalgic melancholy, she sped down the dirt road and parked in front of the main lodge. The near-empty parking lot, which should have been packed with the vehicles of summer visitors, captured her attention. Where were all the cars? Summer was their busy season—the time they earned enough money to run on the rest of the year. Trying not to worry, she slipped out of the Jeep, lips pursed, and jogged up the steps to the main entrance.

  Inside, nothing had changed. The woodlands decor of the three-story building was the same, but no one stood at the registration desk to welcome her. Maggie Holmes had occupied that job last summer and was supposed to be back this year. “Hellooo. . .Maggie? Dad?”

  No reply. “Weird.” Bethany slipped behind the counter and into the back office. Her father sat at his desk, one hand forked into his hair, studying a ledger book. She didn’t want to startle him, so she edged beside him, shuffling her shoes.

  He lowered his hand and looked up at her, his dark eyes staring blankly for a moment. Then he blinked and suddenly focused on her. A smile tugged at his lips. “Beth, you’re home. At last.”

  He stood, and she fell into his arms, just as she’d done so many times before. Why had she stayed away so long?

  After a warm moment, she stepped back, crossed her arms, and leaned against the desk. “So. . .where’s Maggie, and why is the bank account so low?”

  A smile tilted one corner of her dad’s mouth. “Always one to get right to the point, huh?”

  Bethany shrugged. “And while we’re at it, why aren’t there many cars in the lot? I thought we were booked solid for the summer.”

  Rob Schaffer ran a hand through his thick silver hair, which contrasted nicely with his Wyoming sun-baked skin. Tiny lines crinkled in the corners of his dark brown eyes, and she realized for the first time that he was starting to age. When had that happened?

  He sighed and dropped back into his chair.

  She lowered her hip to the side of his desk. “You told me last time I talked to you that we had a full slate of customers lined up—even had to turn some folks away.”

  He fiddled with a pen but didn’t look up at her. “We were booked solid, but the past couple of weeks a lot of people have called and canceled their reservations. Almost like an epidemic. I don’t know if it has to do with the economy or something else.”

  He ran his hand through his hair. “I had to refund so many deposits that I had to let some of the workers go.” He glanced up, then his gaze darted away. “Maggie, too.”

  Bethany felt her eyes widen. They had never laid off employees before. “How many?”

  He huffed a sigh so heavy that it fluttered the papers on the desk. “Eight.”

  She tried to wrap her mind around how they could function with so few remaining workers. She stood and paced to the wall that held pictures of past guests then turned and walked the few feet to the other wall. “What about the customers who came the past few weeks? What happened to their payment money?”

  “Bills. Payroll. You know the routine. I’m sorry you had to come home and find things in such a mess. Your mother never would have let things get like this.” He rubbed his hand across his jaw. “I know you’re planning to start work at that new job soon, but I didn’t know what else to do except to call you home. I can’t run this place by myself anymore and tend to the cattle, too.”

  Concern washed over Bethany in waves, mixing with the confusing thoughts assaulting her. Was he sick? Was the ranch too much work now that he was getting older? “Dad, you’re not sick, are you?”

  His head jerked up, eyes wide. “No, of course not.”

  She eyed him, but he looked sincere. “Are we in any danger of losing the ranch?”

  He shook his head. “The ranch has been paid off for years, but things may be lean for a while.”

  Bethany flipped through the pages of the receipts ledger. Income was definitely down. “I don’t understand. We had plenty of money in the bank when I left here at Christmas. What happened to it all?”

  Her father looked away. A muscle in his jaw tightened.

  “Dad?”

  “I suppose you’ll find out anyway.” He glanced up and stood. “I probably should have just made payments, but I wanted to get those loans off my books and off my shoulders.” He looked out the office door as if gathering his courage then faced her again. “It went to pay off your college loans.”

  Her head swirled with thoughts as she tried to grasp what he’d said. He’d paid off her student loans? She’d never asked him to cover them. She’d planned to pay them off herself. Sure, it would take a while, but she’d get it done. But now there were no loans, only a ranch—a family legacy—on the brink of financial disaster. The floor seemed to shift under her. Bethany reached out to a nearby bookcase to steady her
self.

  The deplorable state of the ranch’s finances was all her fault?

  ❧

  Evan eased up on the gas and guided the SUV around a pothole the size of his bathtub. He’d saved for years to buy his new vehicle, and he wasn’t going to ruin it driving on a gravel road at a ridiculous speed just to please his niece.

  “We’ll never get there at this rate.” Taylor stared out her window, arms crossed, and slouched back in the seat. “I don’t know why we couldn’t have caravanned with my class.”

  “We should be there any time now, and then you can see your friends. The sign where we turned off said it was just another mile.”

  They crested a hill, and an eye-catching valley spread out before them. He wanted to take a moment to savor the panoramic view, but he had a restless teenager prodding him on. He steered the SUV toward the largest building, an Alpine lodge with a parking lot out front. A sign identified the place as the dining hall and registration building. He parked, climbed out, and looked around as he stretched the kinks out of his stiff back. A large barn sat off to his left with tall mountain peaks jutting up behind it. As much as he’d dreaded coming on this trip, he had to admit the place looked like it was straight out of an Old West movie, all except for the alpine architecture.

  “Nice, huh?” Taylor stopped beside him and leaned against the SUV.

  “Yep. Not as rustic as I’d expected.” Evan glanced at her, hoping the snaps on the back of her jeans didn’t scratch his paint.

  “Should we unload?”

  He shook his head. “Let’s check-in first. We may not be staying in this building.”

  Taylor used her foot to push away from the vehicle, and Evan winced. He followed her up the steps and into the lodge. Fragrant scents of something cooking greeted them.

  “Too cool! Look at that moose head.” She pointed over the registration desk. “You think they shot that here? I wonder if we’ll see a live moose.”

  Evan shrugged. A pretty blond walked through a door behind the counter and smiled.

  “Welcome to Moose Valley Ranch. I’m Bethany Schaffer.”

  Evan held out his hand. Warm brown eyes captured his and sent his pulse skyrocketing. The woman’s honey blond hair draped around her shoulders in pleasant waves. She scowled, and Taylor nudged him in the side. He realized he still held the woman’s hand and released it.

  “And you would be?” Miss Schaffer’s brow lifted, making those chocolate eyes look larger.

  Taylor cleared her throat. “I’m Taylor Anderson, and this is my uncle, Evan Parker. I’m part of the Oak Hill Junior High class.”

  Evan shifted his feet. He should have introduced himself instead of letting Taylor do it, but his tongue didn’t want to work for some strange reason. Must be the fresh mountain air.

  Miss Schaffer pulled out a thick ledger book and ran her finger down a list of names. “I have a reservation for an Erin, Jamie, and Taylor Anderson, but not a Mr. Parker.” She looked up without raising her head.

  Evan forced his voice into action. “Erin’s my sister, but she had to stay home with my nephew—Jamie—who has chicken pox.”

  “Hmm. . .well, that may create a problem.”

  Evan’s gaze wandered to the huge moose head on the wall behind the counter; then the woman’s words registered. “What kind of problem?”

  Miss Schaffer straightened and tapped her pencil on the counter. “Miss Anderson requested a single room with a king-size bed and a rollaway. I assume you would prefer a room of your own rather than sharing one with your niece. Am I wrong?”

  He digested her words and suddenly realized what she meant. Heat warmed his face as he thought of sharing a single room with his cantankerous niece. He wouldn’t get a lick of work done, not to mention it didn’t seem proper. “Uh. . .do you have a two-bedroom suite by chance? With wireless Internet?”

  The young woman’s pink lips puckered as she checked a file box filled with colored index cards. “I have a two-bedroom cabin available with a kitchenette. It doesn’t have Internet service but has a color TV. The cost is more than what you were charged for a room in our Muskrat Lodge.” She waved a hand over her shoulder. “That’s the wide, two-story building behind this lodge. Of course, your niece will be farther from her friends, since they’re all staying at Muskrat.”

  Evan considered what she said. It was logical that a cabin would cost more, but since Jamie wasn’t here, they should still get a refund. He couldn’t expect full reimbursement at this late date, but surely they should grant a partial one. Maybe he could get the cabin and still get back some money for Erin. But then the cabin didn’t have Internet service.

  “Since my brother couldn’t come, shouldn’t we get back the money we paid for him? It was an awful lot.” Taylor lifted her chin and boldly spouted the very words that had crossed Evan’s mind, although she used less tact than he would have. She tapped her neon blue nails on the counter.

  Miss Schaffer’s brown eyes widened, and a look of panic dashed across her face before she schooled her expression. She gazed at him. “Surely you can’t expect a refund at this late date, Mr. Parker. We reserved a place for your nephew, and while I’m sorry that he got sick and couldn’t come, it isn’t our fault.”

  Evan straightened. He hated confrontation, but it was Erin’s money that was on the line. “I think some kind of reimbursement is in order. You won’t have to feed a growing adolescent.”

  “And can Jamie ever pack away food! Consider yourself lucky.” Taylor nibbled at the nail on her index finger then looked down at it.

  Myriad expressions passed over Miss Schaffer’s pretty face.

  “We can wait if you need to check with your supervisor,” Evan said.

  The woman narrowed her eyes. “I don’t have a supervisor, Mr. Parker. My father and I own this facility.”

  Evan swallowed, feeling thoroughly put in his place. Why hadn’t he considered she might live here?

  Her expression softened. “How about I let you have the cabin and not charge you extra, and we’ll call it even?”

  Evan shook his head. “I’ve got to have a room with an Internet connection. Don’t you have any at all? My sister said you have a Web site and e-mail address, so you have to have a Web connection somewhere.”

  She pursed her lips. “Part of the reason people come to Moose Valley is to get away from things like the Internet. You’ll only be in your room two nights before the wagon train starts. Surely you can do without the Internet for that short amount of time.”

  For a resort owner, the gal sure wasn’t very hospitable. Evan straightened. The fragrant aromas wafting from the direction of the dining hall tugged at his attention and made his stomach grumble. His mouth watered, but he forced his mind back to the business at hand. “I’m on a short deadline at work. I hadn’t planned to make this trip, but I did it to help out my sister.”

  “Humph.” Taylor glared at him then walked over to a rocker facing a large picture window with an inspiring view and plunked herself down.

  “And to help my niece.” Too little too late to pacify the finicky teen, but he had to make the effort. He didn’t want her to think that he didn’t want to be here, even though she already did.

  Miss Schaffer rummaged through the file box again. The buildings at the ranch looked fairly up-to-date, but the place was so backward they hadn’t even computerized their registration information. So much for twenty-first-century living. The woman pressed her lips together until they turned into a thin line. She was pretty, in an earthy way, with her sun-kissed tan and golden hair.

  She looked up and caught him watching her, and her brow crinkled. “I do have a luxury suite available that has two bedrooms and Internet. It’s on the second floor of this building. I suppose I could let you have it—if we called things even.”

  He wouldn’t get any money back for Erin if he agreed. He looked around the lodge as he considered the offer. The inside was filled with thick pine furnishings with woodland animal decorati
ons. Off to his right was a small gift shop and snack bar with a sign on the window that read Moose Valley Mercantile. The door was open and the light was on, but nobody was inside. Maybe he could get a caffeine fix in there.

  Miss Schaffer cleared her throat. “Will that do, Mr. Parker?”

  Taylor stopped rocking and glanced over her shoulder. “You have to give him a minute to think things through. You know that Bible verse that says to be slow to speak? Well, that was written for my uncle.”

  Evan scowled. She made him sound like an idiot. He couldn’t help that he had to look at things from different angles before making a decision. His brain functioned more like a ten-year-old PC than one of the new quad-core processors now available on computers. Since the woman didn’t seem willing to grant Erin a refund no matter what, and he did need Internet service and two bedrooms, he might as well accept the offer. It sounded like the best he was likely to get. He nodded. “All right. It’s a deal.”

  Miss Schaffer stared at the hand he’d extended in her direction for the second time and finally reached out and shook it. Evan felt as if a power spike surged through his body at her touch, and he stared at the woman. Her curious gaze captured his; then she frowned and tugged her hand away.

  “Yes. . .well. . .I’ll need to make sure that suite is ready since we didn’t have anyone booked in there. Let me get the key, and I’ll check it while you two have a look around. Would you like to purchase a snack to eat while you wait?”

  Evan looked over his shoulder at Taylor, who stood and faced him. She nodded.

  “Sounds good.”

  They followed the young woman into the tiny store, and Evan couldn’t help noticing her shapely figure and easy gait. He forced his attention on the glass refrigerator, which held a variety of pop and bottles of juice. He and Taylor each selected a can, and she snagged a candy bar while he chose a granola bar. Evan noticed several packages of computer cables hanging on the wall and selected one. Obviously, he wasn’t the first to show up expecting wireless Internet. Miss Schaffer rang up their purchase, and he paid her.