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who actually taught her things. But she’d never been able to do the really fun stuff like arts and crafts or play games with other children, and she found herself more than enjoying her time with the children’s program.
    If the other staff members thought her continued presence strange, they didn’t acknowledge it, maybe because she was a “guest of Mr. Andrew” or maybe because she played so hard with the kids, it actually made their jobs easier. And the one nice thing about racial stereotyping was that most of the parents seemed way more comfortable with the strangely dressed black woman in a service position as opposed to as a fellow guest. A few of them even gave her friendly hellos at dinner that night.
    Mrs. Garcia informed her during their lunch together that Andrew made it a point to eat with the staff in the main lodge on Wednesdays. “But I can stay and cook you dinner again if you want.”
    “No, no,” she said. “I can eat at the main lodge, too.”
    However, when she got to the staff table with her plate filled with all sorts of yummy-looking food from the country-style buffet, she began to see the holes in her plan. The rest of the staff greeted her warmly and assured her it was totally fine to sit with them. They even made room for her on the bench, so she could sit between Andrew and Elena, the woman who ran the children’s program.
    However, for quite a few moments after she sat down, Andrew looked like he was fighting the impulse to take his plate and get up from the table. But then he blinked hard, apparently having made the calculated decision to act like he wasn’t repulsed by her presence. Instead, he proceeded to ignore her for the entire meal.
    But strangely enough, Roxxy didn’t mind because that was how she finally came to meet the other Andrew, the one everyone at the ranch had been raving about. Over dinner he was charming and engaged, asking after many of the staff-members’ children and listening attentively to any problems they were having in their positions. By the time he had cleared his plate, he’d agreed to stop by the stables to make a hard decision about one of the older horses and also speak with a guest who kept insisting on pinching the butts of the female wait staff whenever they brought him drinks.
    When he got up to leave, so did Roxxy, but he chose that moment to speak to her for the first time that day. “No, stay. Try the peach cobbler. It’s the best in Montana. Best in the nation I think, but officially it’s only been awarded the prize for best in state.”
    The staff around the table laughed at his little joke, and they called out a chorus of hearty good nights as he left. But Roxxy knew better. The invitation to try dessert had been another slight on his part, even if no one else could see it.
    Still, she rallied after he was gone and got to talking to Elena about the children’s program.
    “I’d loved to have come out here when I was kid,” Roxxy told her.
    “Me too,” Elena said. “I’m just sad more kids can’t afford the opportunity. But that’s why Andrew’s headed to Washington D.C. in a couple of weeks. He’s got a few grant meetings about turning the old Hagstead farm into a summer camp for underprivileged kids. But he’s have a heck of time getting ready for them. Last week he said just getting through the paperwork to get non-profit status for the farm has been a way bit more complicated than he expected.”
    Roxxy’s eyes lit up. “Really? I was actually thinking about going to school for public administration, which involves a lot of non-profit course work.”
    Jeb frowned. “I thought you were a physical therapist. That’s what all the newspapers said.”
    Roxxy lifted her eyebrows. Oh, so that was what the mysterious Layla did for a living.
    “Um, yeah, I am,” she said. “But lately I’ve been thinking about changing career paths.”
    Jeb, accepting that answer. “Was a lawyer myself in Helena, before I accepted the call