Hidden Gifts (A Castle Mountain Lodge Romance) (11 page)

“Wow,” Morgan said. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think that you were an expert with how to handle kids.”

“Well, I may not have a lot of experience,” he handed her the stick, “but I do know that no child can resist the allure of potato chips.”

She laughed and it was the best sound he’d heard all day because she was so relaxed and at ease with him. It had been great to see her in the woods today. She was so far out of her comfort zone, yet so determined to learn and enjoy it. And from what he’d seen, she had. Bo liked to think that he’d had even a little bit to do with that enjoyment.
 

“Okay,” Bo said. “I’ll give you a crash course in weenie roasting. First,” he waved his stick in the air, “you stick it in the fire.” He stuck his roasting stick into the flames and looked expectantly at Morgan.

She raised her eyebrows at him but followed his lead.
 

“Great,” he said. “Now you wait. And
…
that’s it.”

“That’s it?”

“You expected more? It’s a hot dog, not filet mignon.”
 

Morgan laughed again and they fell into easy silence, both watching the flames licking at the logs. Occasionally, Bo would turn his hot dog, and Morgan would follow his lead. By the time they were done cooking, the kids had grown tired of waiting for seconds and had followed Lisa a few feet away to a grassy, open space where she was leading them in games.
 

It may have been the company, but Bo couldn’t remember ever tasting a better hot dog. He snuck a look over at Morgan, who had also devoured hers. “Good, right?” he asked.

“So good.” Morgan licked a stray drop of ketchup off her finger. The innocent action filled him with an intense longing to be on the receiving end of her mouth. He had to stop. Lusting after Ella’s teacher, or caregiver, or whatever she was, was not even a little bit appropriate. Especially considering his focus had to be on Ella. At least until he decided on a plan. He owed her at least that much.
 

“I had fun today,” Morgan said. “Thank you for doing this.”

He risked another glance towards her. Fortunately for Bo, her hands were clasped together in her lap and nowhere near her mouth. “You were great, a total natural. Oh,” he added. “I forgot to tell you how much I liked your hiking boots.” He pointed to her feet. “I thought you said you’d never been hiking before.”
 

She blushed a little and ran a hand through her hair. “I haven’t. These were a gift. Otherwise, I might have been out there in sneakers or worse.”
 

“Sneakers?”

She nodded. “It’s true. I was that unprepared. But my friend Andi gave me these. She’s actually the one who told me how amazing it was up here. As you can tell, I don’t usually venture very far from the city limits. If it wasn’t for her, I probably wouldn’t be here at all. Thank goodness for friends.”
 

“Yes,” Bo agreed with a smile. “Thank goodness for friends.”

~ ~

“Thanks for the hike, Miss Morgan.” Zak wrapped his arms around Morgan and squeezed tightly while Bo watched from the side of the Cub’s Club room. It amazed him how good she was with the kids, and how much they loved her.

“I’m glad you had fun, buddy,” Morgan said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” She waved Zak and his parents out the door and then it was just the three of them. Lisa had left after the hot dog roast, her shift done for the day, and Zak was the last child to be picked up.
 

“I guess it’s time to go,” Morgan said, walking toward him. “You didn’t have to stay.”
 

“Didn’t I?” Bo pointed to Ella, who was fast asleep on the cushions under the treehouse, her clay "horse" in hand. “She looks pretty comfortable. I wouldn’t want to be responsible for ruining what looks like a perfectly good nap.”
 

“True, but we’re going to have to wake her up.” Morgan shrugged apologetically. “I have to lock up for the day.”

Bo looked again at Ella and took a few steps in her direction. She’d had such a big day hiking through the woods, she needed her rest. All the kids had enjoyed themselves, but it was Ella who stuck close to him all day, hanging on his every word and pointing at plants. She still wouldn’t say much to him, but the fact that she’d enjoyed the time with him outdoors spoke volumes to Bo. He probably shouldn’t be thinking too much about his future as a father, at least not until something was decided, but he couldn’t help it. He wanted to take her on another hike. Maybe a longer one next time. And maybe—he glanced over at Morgan who was stacking books on the shelf—Morgan would come, too.
 

“Well?” Morgan asked, coming to stand next to him. “Do you think we can wake her?”

“No,” Bo said, “but I’ll carry her. Maybe I don’t have to disturb her at all.” He bent down and slid his arms under her. With a quick motion, he lifted her easily, surprised at how little she weighed. Ella stirred a little and snuggled into Bo’s chest. The feeling was foreign, but nice. In the short time Ella had been with him, she hadn’t hugged him. Surely she would have had hugs from her mother? How long had it been since she’d had cuddles from someone who loved her? He had no way of knowing and the thought made him sad. He pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her.

“Bo?”
 

He jerked his head up. Morgan was watching him with a small smile. He tried to return her smile, but instead his gaze was brought back to Ella. He bent his head and inhaled her fresh little girl scent, mingled with the earthy smells from outside. She was perfect. And the mere thought took his breath away.
 

“Are you ready, Bo?”
 

He nodded and as carefully as he could with her in his arms, got to his feet.
 

Together, they walked down the hall of the Lodge in silence. Bo managed to quit looking at Ella long enough to focus on where he was going. When they reached the main lobby, Bo paused. “I guess I should get her to bed,” he said.

A look of disappointment flashed across Morgan’s face. But as quickly as it appeared, it was gone. “She’s had a pretty big day for such a little girl,” she said. “You’re going to have to take her out again, she really seemed to take to it. Must be in her blood.”
 

“I don’t —“

He’d been about to say that he didn’t know where the love for outdoors came from, when he realized that Morgan had been talking about him. He was her father. He looked down at the sleeping child again. It still didn’t feel real.
 

He looked up. “I guess maybe it does. I was thinking earlier how much she liked the hike. Do you know it was the first time she actually seemed to want to be with me? I mean, she doesn’t run away from me or anything, but
…
”

“She doesn’t know you,” Morgan finished for him.

“No. She doesn’t. But she doesn’t know you either.”
 

“It’s only because I’m a woman,” Morgan said. “Like I said before, I think I probably remind her of her mom. It’s hard to know why she trusts me. But it’s a good thing.”

Bo nodded and shifted Ella’s weight in his arms. “It is a good thing. I’m so grateful that you stayed. I don’t know where I’d—“

“Hey there, buddy.” Jeff came up behind Bo and slapped his shoulder in greeting. “I’ve been looking everywhere for-“

“Jeff!”
 

Bo absorbed the jostle, but it wasn’t enough to keep Ella’s eyelids from fluttering open.
 

“Dammit, Jeff,” Bo muttered under his breath.

“Oh, man. I’m sorry.” His eyes widened when he saw Ella in Bo’s arms. “I didn’t know.”
 

Ella stared up at Bo, but she didn’t pull away from his chest. The fact that she stayed so close, even when awake, made him inexplicably happy.
 

“It’s fine,” Bo said without looking at Jeff. “Did you have a good nap, Ella?”
 

Ella nodded and stuck her thumb in her mouth.
 

“I’ll get you to bed soon, okay, kiddo?”
 

She nodded again.
 

“It’s been a big day,” Morgan said, by way of explanation.

“Ah,” Jeff said with a nod. “By the way, hi, Morgan.” Jeff waved his hand sheepishly. “I’m really not usually so rude.”

“Yes, he is.” Bo shifted Ella so she could see what was going on.

“Hey,” Jeff said, turning to Bo, “I really am sorry. I was just so excited to find you.”

“Why? What’s up?”
 

“It’s overnighter time,” Jeff said excitedly. “We have our first booking for tomorrow night. A small group, just a couple and their teenage daughter. I was telling them about Stanley’s Cabin, and they thought it sounded great. We leave in the morning.”
 

A million thoughts flashed through Bo’s head. An overnight excursion meant good money and that didn’t even include the tips. Plus, he was itching to get up on the mountain; it had been too long since he’d been surrounded by nothing but the wild. But a small sneeze, and the growing ache in his arms, gave Bo a whole new type of awareness. Ella. He had more than just himself to consider now. He couldn’t leave Ella behind. Besides, who would he leave her with?
 

Bo’s eyes flicked to Morgan. Of course.
 

Before he could say anything, Morgan beat him to it. “It’s a trip with horses?” she asked Jeff, who nodded. “So you take people on a horseback ride into the mountains? Overnight?”

“That’s about it,” Jeff said. His eyes gleamed. He lived for the overnight trips as well, the chance to take the horses out for a really good trek. He was like a little kid who’d been given a pass to an amusement park. “It’s great. Out there with nothing but the wilderness surrounding you. The quiet is so intense that it’s almost a religious experience. You’d love it, Morgan.”

Bo swallowed a laugh. The idea of Morgan, who until today, had never even been on a hike, participating in an overnight trek was pretty funny.

“What?” Morgan turned to face him, her hands on her hips. “Is something funny?”

Bo bent down to put Ella, who was now completely awake and listening intently, on her feet. He took a moment to regain his composure before standing. “It’s just that you’re not so much of an outdoorsy type of girl. An overnight trip might be a little much.”

“I wasn’t saying I wanted to go,” Morgan said. She was trying to look put out, but he could see the smile in her eyes. “But,” she said, “I bet I can think of someone who would want to go.” Morgan looked pointedly down at Ella.
 

He followed her gaze and sure enough, Ella was looking up with a wide grin on her face. He raised his eyebrow in question and Ella held up her ever-present clay “horse”. Of course. Horses.

“Oh,” Bo said. He looked to Jeff for help. “I don’t know
…
it’s a pretty big trip.”

Ella’s face fell.
 

“Are you sure?” Morgan asked. “Ella did such a good job hiking today, and the horses…I’m sure it would be fine.”

“I don’t-“

“It’s a great idea,” Jeff jumped in. “It’s the perfect time to take her out, Bo. The MacDonalds are a great family, and because it’s just a small group, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

Bo looked at his partner, still unsure. “It would be okay with the MacDonalds?”
 

“I’ll run it past them, but I know they’ll be cool with it. The only thing is
…
” Jeff drifted off, his eyes flicking between Morgan, Bo and then Ella.
 

“Oh,” Bo said, picking up on what Jeff was thinking. “That’s a good point.”

“What?” Morgan asked warily. “He didn’t say anything.”

Bo looked at Morgan and gave her the most charming smile he could muster. “It’s just that—we might need a little help.“

“Help?” She looked between them and Bo saw in her eyes the exact moment that she realized what he was asking.

“Oh no.” She held her hands up to defend against the request. “You said yourself I wasn’t the outdoorsy type.”

“You’re a natural,” Bo said, before lowering his voice and adding, “I don’t think I can do it alone.” It was a risk, being so vulnerable, but Ella had really enjoyed the hike earlier and she was clearly excited by the idea.
 

As if he’d planned it, Ella grabbed Morgan’s hand and asked in her tiny voice, “Please?”
 

Chapter Twelve

Morgan didn’t know the first thing about camping or trail rides, let alone combining the two. For the hundredth time that morning, she wondered how on earth she’d been talked into going on the trip to Stanley’s Cabin. It was Ella. She couldn’t say no to those sad eyes. And even if she could have said no, it would have meant that Ella wouldn’t have been able to go and Morgan refused to be responsible for that disappointment. Even if it meant that she’d have to go way out of her comfort zone. Besides, she wasn’t going to deny the fact that spending all that time with Bo wouldn’t be a draw as well.
 

“What else do I need?” Morgan asked Astrid, who was sitting at their kitchen table with a variety of yarn and fabric and was making what looked to be like a half-finished miniature bag in front of her.
 

“Did you pack the stone I gave you?” Astrid didn’t look up as she began to expertly weave a piece of fabric onto the bag.
 

“I can’t take a rock into the woods—there are tons of rocks out there.”

“It’s not a rock. It’s a stone.”

Morgan sighed and picked up the crystal from where she’d tossed it on the bed. “Fine. I’ll take it.” She tucked it into the outside pocket of her backpack. “But seriously, what am I really going to need out there?”

Astrid turned around, a smile on her face. “Trust me. You’ll be glad you have it. The powers of sunstone are strong. It will keep you safe.”

“It is pretty,” Morgan admitted. “But I’m pretty sure it won’t do me any good. Besides, do I need protecting?”

She’d been trying not to think about all the dangers that were waiting for her in the forest. Let alone the fact that they were taking a small child into that danger zone.