sounded appalled. “You’re to have the time of your life, do you hear me?”
Ally couldn’t help but smile at her vehemence. “I hear you.”
“Maybe you’ll have such a good time, you’ll want to stay forever.”
Ally’s amusement at the both of them quickly vanished. Slowly, she set down the poker. “Forever?”
“You don’t have to sound so shocked.”
“But…” She didn’t have forever. She was here because…
Darn it.
Being here had nothing to do with obligation or family loyalty. It had nothing to do with her old life. She no longer had an old life—well, except for the apartment that she still had to get back to in order to close up, thanks to Mrs. Snipps, landlady from hell.
No, she was here because she’d wanted to do something purely for herself. She’d wanted to live, really live.
Still, it was temporary. When Lucy was better, Ally would go back and figure out what exactly to do with the rest of her life.
Forever wasn’t an option.
“Ally? Would it be so terrible?”
She sounded a little down, and a horrible thought occurred to Ally. “You’re not sick or anything, right? It’s just your hip and ankle—”
“No, I’m not secretly dying and trying to prepare you, if that’s what you’re asking. I’m going to live to a ripe old age. I’d just like to do that with some family around, that’s all.”
“But…why me? I know the family is small, but there’s my sisters and my parents—”
“Your sisters would never enjoy it here, they’re far too spoiled for this life, though I do have hopes that’ll change one of these days.”
“It already has,” Ally said grimly, thinking about how she’d told them just that morning, again, that they needed to work more hours to help pay for their own tuition. “They’re going to grow up, whether they like it or not.”
“Glad to hear it. And as for your parents, delightful as they are, they’re just not interested in Wyoming, and I can’t blame them for that. Look, honey…all I’m asking is for you to think about it.”
As if she’d be able to do anything else. But fun as this may be, Wyoming wasn’t her home.
“Oh, and if you want to jump Chance’s bones while you’re at it, that’s fine with me, too.”
Ally pulled the phone from her ear and stared at it in shock. “Lucy!”
With a loud cackle, she disconnected and Ally was left staring at the receiver, Lucy’s laughter still ringing in her ears, and the words “jump Chance’s bones” echoing in her brain.
It embarrassed her to admit just how much she’d thought about doing exactly that.
5
T HE NEXT MORNING WAS cool and drizzly. Despite the weather, Chance decided to go ahead with the chair evacuation training he’d planned.
It meant everyone was going to be cold and wet for the next few hours, but in his opinion, this was a good thing. If he could have, he’d have trained everyone in a full-blown blizzard in order to simulate the worst possible conditions, but he’d settle for what he could get.
The faux evacuation was routine, performed throughout the year, and because he expected everyone on his staff to have hands-on training, all staff members participated.
He’d long ago learned the key to his success as a manager. Make it fun. Make it an adventure. Never let on that what they were doing was work, and hard work at that.
So he grinned in spite of the rain running down his neck, and rubbed his hands together. “Who’s up for a ten-mile run to warm up?”
Everyone groaned.
“Good, everyone then.”
More groans, and he laughed. “See? Chair evacuation training is a piece of cake.”
“We’re going to get hit by lightning,” Jo grumbled, stuffing her wild red hair beneath a beanie knit cap.
“Nah, you’re too ornery for that.”
“There’s a ton of paperwork to be done.”
He flicked the tassel on her silly cap. “It’s barely raining, and there’s no lightning in sight. Besides, you hate paperwork.”
“Oh
Ally couldn’t help but smile at her vehemence. “I hear you.”
“Maybe you’ll have such a good time, you’ll want to stay forever.”
Ally’s amusement at the both of them quickly vanished. Slowly, she set down the poker. “Forever?”
“You don’t have to sound so shocked.”
“But…” She didn’t have forever. She was here because…
Darn it.
Being here had nothing to do with obligation or family loyalty. It had nothing to do with her old life. She no longer had an old life—well, except for the apartment that she still had to get back to in order to close up, thanks to Mrs. Snipps, landlady from hell.
No, she was here because she’d wanted to do something purely for herself. She’d wanted to live, really live.
Still, it was temporary. When Lucy was better, Ally would go back and figure out what exactly to do with the rest of her life.
Forever wasn’t an option.
“Ally? Would it be so terrible?”
She sounded a little down, and a horrible thought occurred to Ally. “You’re not sick or anything, right? It’s just your hip and ankle—”
“No, I’m not secretly dying and trying to prepare you, if that’s what you’re asking. I’m going to live to a ripe old age. I’d just like to do that with some family around, that’s all.”
“But…why me? I know the family is small, but there’s my sisters and my parents—”
“Your sisters would never enjoy it here, they’re far too spoiled for this life, though I do have hopes that’ll change one of these days.”
“It already has,” Ally said grimly, thinking about how she’d told them just that morning, again, that they needed to work more hours to help pay for their own tuition. “They’re going to grow up, whether they like it or not.”
“Glad to hear it. And as for your parents, delightful as they are, they’re just not interested in Wyoming, and I can’t blame them for that. Look, honey…all I’m asking is for you to think about it.”
As if she’d be able to do anything else. But fun as this may be, Wyoming wasn’t her home.
“Oh, and if you want to jump Chance’s bones while you’re at it, that’s fine with me, too.”
Ally pulled the phone from her ear and stared at it in shock. “Lucy!”
With a loud cackle, she disconnected and Ally was left staring at the receiver, Lucy’s laughter still ringing in her ears, and the words “jump Chance’s bones” echoing in her brain.
It embarrassed her to admit just how much she’d thought about doing exactly that.
5
T HE NEXT MORNING WAS cool and drizzly. Despite the weather, Chance decided to go ahead with the chair evacuation training he’d planned.
It meant everyone was going to be cold and wet for the next few hours, but in his opinion, this was a good thing. If he could have, he’d have trained everyone in a full-blown blizzard in order to simulate the worst possible conditions, but he’d settle for what he could get.
The faux evacuation was routine, performed throughout the year, and because he expected everyone on his staff to have hands-on training, all staff members participated.
He’d long ago learned the key to his success as a manager. Make it fun. Make it an adventure. Never let on that what they were doing was work, and hard work at that.
So he grinned in spite of the rain running down his neck, and rubbed his hands together. “Who’s up for a ten-mile run to warm up?”
Everyone groaned.
“Good, everyone then.”
More groans, and he laughed. “See? Chair evacuation training is a piece of cake.”
“We’re going to get hit by lightning,” Jo grumbled, stuffing her wild red hair beneath a beanie knit cap.
“Nah, you’re too ornery for that.”
“There’s a ton of paperwork to be done.”
He flicked the tassel on her silly cap. “It’s barely raining, and there’s no lightning in sight. Besides, you hate paperwork.”
“Oh
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