Persuaded (11 page)

“Collin!” the old man shouted. He smiled at us before capturing Carson up in the tightest bear hug I had ever seen. “Good to see ya, my boy! Nice to see you finally got some sun on ya!”

Carson chuckled good-humoredly and jerked his thumb behind him. “Actually, I’m Carson. Collin’s right behind me. But it’s nice to see you too.”

“Oh? You aren’t Collin?”

“No, sir.” He grinned.

“Well, what in the heck are ya doin’ huggin’ me like that, boy? Don’tcha know it’s not good to go around huggin’ complete strangers? Ya dang fool kid!”

“Oh, I guess I couldn’t help myself!” Carson laughed.

“Well, I suggest ya don’t ‘help yourself’ anymore. You’re lucky I’m so nice. Ya never know out here in these parts—the next ol’ geezer you try to hug just might thump ya. Goin’ around huggin’ people like that, well, I’ll be!”

Collin looked as if he’d die of apoplexy because he was trying so hard not to burst out laughing again.

“You Collin?” The old man pointed his finger right at Ethan.

He quickly sobered up his countenance. “Uh, no, sir.”

“You gonna try and hug me too, like I’m some pansy?”

“Uh, maybe.” Ethan’s eyes sparkled. “If you chew me out as much as you did Carson, it just might be worth it.”

“You’d like that, wouldn’t ya? That’s the problem with you young folk these days— you’re never gettin’ put in your place. So when ya do, you think it’s funny. But don’t worry, I’ll be watching you. I’m sure you’ll get plenty of talkin’ to while you’re here. Now, move outta the way so I can see.” The old guy pushed Ethan into Collin and came flush up to Gregory. “There’s no way you’re him. You’re way too tall. So that leaves you.” He swung around and pointed right at Collin.

Collin looked nervous. “F–Frank,” he stuttered.

“Well, get over here and give me a hug afore your friends try and give me a heart attack. What kind of a game are you playing at anyway, hiding behind everybody so I couldn’t see ya?”

“I–I was standing right n–next to Carson.”

“Don’t talk back to your elders, boy. It’s rude. Now come and give me and my wife a proper welcome.”

“Kind of puts a damper on exploring the house,” Gregory whispered right above me, causing my heart to race. I glanced up, but he was watching Collin.

“I don’t know.” I looked back at the old guy. “He kind of reminds me of my uncle. I bet I could win him over.” When I glanced back up, my smile froze. Gregory was staring right at me.

His eyes glittered into mine intensely as he murmured, “You know, I think you’re right. I think you could win him over. You could win over anyone, couldn’t you?”

My breath caught in my throat
.
Is he saying what I think he’s saying? He couldn’t mean I’ve won him over, could he?
“Gregory?” I whispered disbelievingly as I searched his eyes for some sort of clue.

“Now, are ya’ll just gonna stand there like a bunch of idiots, or are ya actually gonna come in?” Frank brusquely interrupted.

I was jostled slightly by Madison, who moved past on my right. “Sorry,” I murmured to her, but I don’t think she heard. Carson was next to her in an instant and they were both laughing as they entered the house.

I glanced back up, but Gregory was gone. I found him walking through the door with Kylie’s arm wrapped possessively around his waist.

Sighing to myself, I picked up my bag and crossed over the threshold. I smiled at Frank’s wife as she closed the door behind me. Then I looked up into Gregory’s chocolate gaze from across the room. Quickly, I glanced away and focused my attention on a bright red floral painting that covered a large portion of the wall behind him. I could feel his eyes as they stubbornly traced my features, tempting me to peek at him. My heart frantically rammed within my chest as I wondered what he was thinking. I looked at him again. We were ten, maybe fifteen feet apart, and I could still feel the force of his magnetic gaze pulling me like a moth to a flame.

“Amanda?” Madison called, forcing me to wrench my gaze from Gregory’s. She had started to walk toward me, her feet sinking into the plush Turkish carpet.

“Yeah?”

“I was wondering if you’d like to share a room with me.”

“A room?”

“Yeah. It looks like Kylie and Lilly are going to be together. And Sydney has already claimed the single bedroom. So what do ya say? Are you up for it?”

How did I miss that conversation?
I glanced over at Kylie and watched as she laughed at something Lilly had just said.
So, they’re sharing a room. Maybe Kylie wants to get the dirt on Gregory.
“Sure.” I smiled up at Madison and tried not feel offended.

“You don’t have to worry—I don’t bite or anything. Of course, I can’t guarantee that I don’t snore.”

“Snore?” My smile grew. I answered sarcastically, “That oughta be fun.” Frank’s wife, whose name I learned was Anna, directed us to a really cool room. It had two queen-size beds set against the wall, with just a small nightstand and lamp separating them, kind of like what you would see in a hotel. Except that’s where the hotel part ended and this “guest” room began. There were French doors that led to a large bathroom with double vanity sinks and an even larger walk-in closet. The bathroom was full of all the amenities, including makeup samples, curling irons, and hair supplies. In one cupboard we found loads of miniature perfume samples. It was every girl’s dream. There was a linen cupboard supplied with oodles of fluffy towels, deodorants, shower gels, shampoos, and feminine supplies.
Is there anything these people haven’t thought of?

That wasn’t all. When we returned to the room, we saw on the large dresser a huge basket full of all sorts of snack foods and drinks. In the basket we found a note that read:

Dear guests,

We hope you enjoy your stay here in Moab and come to love it as much as we do. Please help yourself to anything you see in your room. It is our tradition to supply each guest room with its own “survival kit.” As you see, it is full of all sorts of yummy snack foods to help tide you over if you find you are hungry in a strange house late at night. It is your gift, so enjoy. If you have any questions or need anything, please do not hesitate to ask Frank or Anna. They love guests just as much as we do!

Sincerely,

Roger and Darlene Hadley

P.S. All of the cosmetics are samples from the beauty company that we own. They are yours to keep.

“Okay, seriously, I have to meet these people face to face one day and thank them personally,” exclaimed Madison. “I had no idea Collin’s aunt and uncle were this generous. I knew they were stinkin’ filthy rich because they own like twenty companies, but this is way more than generous.”

“I know, I can’t believe it.” I was still stunned at all the chips, crackers, cookies, and bottles of juice and water spilling out of the basket. “We couldn’t eat this much food if we were here for a month.”

“Look. Check out these bookshelves. They are loaded with all kinds of books and magazines. Holy cow, this place rocks!”

I turned to my right and gasped at the huge floor-to-ceiling white bookcase packed with books.
Okay, I will never, ever leave this room.
I quickly stepped up and scoured each shelf. There was a separate row for some of the greatest mystery books, one row full of all my favorite fantasy authors, a romance shelf, a shelf packed with famous biographies . . . and the list went on and on. It was like my home away from home.

“Okay, so the Hadleys have got to be the coolest people in the world,” Madison said.

I laughed. “I know. What good thing did we do to deserve all of this?”

“I don’t know, but whatever it was, it kind of makes me wish Ethan’s competition lasted a whole lot longer.”

“Oh, me too.” I placed my jacket and my purse on the bed closest to me.

“Well, it’s 3:00.” Madison put her suitcase on the other bed. “What do you want to do? I heard there’s a swimming pool.”

“I was hoping to poke around the place first.”

“You mean like go on an adventure?”

“Well, sort of . . . just really peek into some of the rooms and see what they’re like.”

“Cool. That sounds like fun. Let’s do that. We can totally go swimming later tonight.”

“Okay, let me grab my camera and I’m ready to go whenever you are.”

“I’m ready.” She dropped a small makeup case on the bed. “Let’s go.”

It only took me a moment to get my camera from my bag, and then we were out the door. In the hallway, we nearly ran into Frank as he was coming out of the room opposite us.

“Hi, Frank.” Madison smiled and gave a little wave. “I’m Madison and this is Amanda.”

Frank grinned and clasped her hand in what looked to be a firm shake. “You girls didn’t believe that nonsense out front, did ya?”

“Nonsense?”

“Yeah.” He reached over and shook my hand, too.

Yep, a very firm grip.

“You really don’t think I’m a crazy ol’ man, do you?

“I don’t know,” I said, loving his contagious grin. “What’s your definition of crazy?”

He laughed out loud before brusquely thumping me on the back. “You know, I like you.”

Madison giggled. “So if you’re not crazy, then what were you doing at the front door—trying to scare us away?”

“You liked that, did ya?” He chuckled again. “Nah, just years ago—when Collin was a li’l tyke—he used to go around asking people if me and my wife were crazy. We’ve been helping him keep that illusion up ever since.”

“Wait!” Madison gasped. “You’ve been acting like you’re looney to Collin for years?”

“Yep. But don’t tell him. We’ve spent too much time getting him to believe us. Don’t wanna go and spoil it all now, do ya?”

“No, sir.” I grinned.

“Promise me you’ll disregard anything either Anna or I do or say from here on out, all right?”

“It’s a deal.” Madison laughed. “I love practical jokes. Seriously, this has got to be the funniest one I’ve ever heard.”

“Good.” Frank winked and rubbed his hands together. “So, where are you two girls headed? Maybe I can show you the way.”

Nervously I glanced over at Madison. “We were going to explore the place a bit. Do you mind?”

“Mind? By Jove, that’s the best idea I’ve ever heard. Let me show you some of my favorite places. You girls would be amazed at the secrets this house holds.”

“Really?” Madison and I echoed together.

“Yep.” Frank winked again. “Don’t let me forget to tell you about the treasure, either.”

“Treasure?” I’m sure my eyes bulged right out of my head.

“Of course. Now, come on. And I’ll be sure to tell you some of the stories of things we’ve done to poor Collin all these years, too.”

I couldn’t think of a better way to spend an afternoon in a sprawling mansion—following an old guy, legally exploring for treasure, and hearing hilarious stories.
Yep, right up my alley.

Ten: Unexpected Treasure

We never did find any treasure, and about halfway through our little tour I began to wonder if that was one of the things Frank told us not to listen to for the rest of our stay. It was really fun to see the house, though. The rooms were each just as unique as our hosts and their caretakers seemed to be. Every room had a theme. The library was the safari room and had really cool knickknacks, end tables, and lamps in shapes of exotic African animals. They were mixed in with leopard-print throws, mock animal-pelt rugs, and loads of leather-bound books in curio cabinets. At least I thought the rugs were fake.

There was a really pretty cream, plum, and gold sitting room with fairies scattered everywhere, and a blue and white “nautical” room that had an awesome collection of ships, lighthouses, and fish tanks. But my favorite was a black and white music room with loads of different instruments on display. The walls were strewn with autographed photos of famous musicians and artists. The focal point was a large black grand piano sitting on a slightly raised platform on the right side of the room. It was so beautiful! It reminded me of the one my parents auctioned off a couple of years ago.