Read Online Rocky Mountain Rebel by Vivian Arend - Free Book Online Page A

talk.”
    Joel nodded, but felt a bit of a fool. “Is Beth around? I kinda have a question for her first.”
    Daniel raised a brow. “Sure. You can take lunch into her office.”
    He passed over a plate filled with finger foods and pointed down the hall.
    “It’s nothing bad,” Joel started, but Daniel waved him down.
    “Don’t be stupid. You want to talk to Beth, talk to her. I don’t need to know the details ahead of time. Ass.”
    “Daddy. You’re not supposed to call your brother an ass. Mummy said so.” Robbie was all wide-eyed as he worked on the sandwich he held in a two-handed death grip.
    “You’re not supposed to call your brothers an ass until they are adults. Then you can pick the best words for the occasion, okay?”
    The older two nephews snickered as the littlest one puzzled over that explanation.
    Daniel pushed Joel down the hallway. “Go, before you get me in more trouble.”
    The continued spirited conversation behind him regarding the use of the words ass , jackass and butt had Joel chuckling by the time he knocked on the office door.
    “Yes?”
    “Lunch delivery by Six Pack Express.”
    The door swung open and his sister-in-law Beth appeared, her dark curls more tousled than usual, as if she’d been dragging a hand through them or something. “Hi, Joel. Good to see you. Again.”
    “I know, it’s been less than twenty-four hours. I’m a terrible burden.”
    “Oh, stop it, you’re family.” She took the plate from him and returned to her chair, pointing across from her to a recliner tucked into the corner. “Sit. I’m nearly done, to be honest, but sometimes it’s better to stick to the routine so the boys stay on track.”
    Joel glanced around, noting the piles of organized paper on the desk and side table. “Marking for school?”
    Beth nodded. “And planning. I used to ignore everything until late Sunday night, and dread it all weekend. Daniel finally convinced me it would be better to get the work out of the way, so we have a lazy Saturday breakfast then he and the boys take care of things until I’m done sometime after lunch.”
    “Sounds like a plan.”
    She leaned forward and whispered. “Once? I finished early and read a book for a bit. It was heavenly.”
    He loved his nephews but, yeah, a break from their wild energy every now and then could be a good thing. “I won’t say a word.”
    She picked up a carrot stick and waved it. “So, what’s up?”
    “Since last night?” Holy hell. How to answer that question? The last twelve hours had been mind blowing. “Mostly, I wanted to ask you something as a teacher.”
    “Really? Sure.”
    “What’s the best way to teach someone something new?”
    A laugh burst from her. “Summarize four years of schooling? Nice one, Joel.”
    “Okay, maybe not quite that. I mean, I remember how the teachers at college and high school covered stuff, but frankly? Most of it was…” He paused. Boring wasn’t a great word to say to a teacher, was it? Not when he was looking for a favour.
    “Dry?” Beth suggested.
    He nodded reluctantly. “The only reason some of the information was interesting was that I was interested. The actual way they taught was painful, most of them. I had this awesome teacher back in fourth grade, and I can still tell you the longest rivers in the world according to length, but that’s too far back to remember how he did it.”
    “Ahhh, okay. Now I have an idea. Teaching 101. You ready?”
    “You want me to take notes?”
    Beth shook her head. “I think you’ll get this. Joel, most people have a learning style that works best for them. Some people read for information, some listen, some have to do it. The best teachers use all the methods. The class you remember so well must have hit your style. Boom, you retained it better.”
    That kind of made sense. “So some doing, some talking, a mix of stuff. What else?”
    She smiled. “Start at the beginning and make sure the basics are there. Even if you