When Love's Gone Country (Sequel two of the Embracing Love Trilogy) (4 page)

Bobby put his arms around Meg and held her close. “I love that you have the biggest heart of anyone I’ve ever met.”

“Hey, where’d he go?” Jeremy asked.

They all looked at where the man had been standing. There was nothing there but an old bench made of gnarled tree stems.

“He was right here a second ago,” Jacob said. “He’s really cool. Wish I could come and go like that.”

“I wanted to ask him more about the tree houses,” Jeremy said.

“I’m sure they can tell us more inside,” Bobby said.

“But I want to hear it from him.”

“And I want to know where we can find maps to the caves.”

“Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, guys, but we’re just eating here, then we need to hit the road if we’re going to get to the Double Y Ranch by nightfall,” Meg said.

“Oh, Mom, come on. We want to go on a hunt. This place is awesome!”

“It is pretty spectacular,” Bob said.

“Throw your damn schedule out, Meg. We want to explore,” Court said.

“If Pure and Alex want to, then I’m okay with it.” Meg shrugged. “Don’t know why I made a schedule in the first place if no one was going to follow it.”

“We love your organizational skills, but we’re also on vacation. We have to allow room for spontaneity,” Bob said.

“I suppose. I would like to get a peek at the tree houses. Do you think you can stay overnight in them?”

“You mean you don’t already know?” Court asked.

Meg gave Courtney a glance that she was all too familiar with. So were the boys.

“You’re pushing it, Court. If I were you, I’d zip it,” Jeremy said.

“Wise advice,” Courtney said with a grin. “Come on, let’s go inside and see if we can find that man again.”

Purity and Alex pulled up, joining Bobby, Brad and Meg.

“Hey, you made it,” Brad said, opening the car door for Purity. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m good. Didn’t puke once.”

“Glad to hear it.”

“We met this cool Indian guy and he was telling us about the history of this place. There are caves to explore and houses up in the trees. Look!” Courtney said, pointing up into the trees.

“Is there time in the schedule to look around?” she asked Meg.

“We’re making time.”

“Oh, good. I know it’s hard to be flexible sometimes, Meggie.”

“Does everyone think I’m a hard-ass?”

“I think you have a very soft ass,” Bobby said.

“That’s not what I meant.”

“I know. No one thinks you’re a hard-ass, but you did make the schedule in fifteen minute increments.”

“All right, no more schedule.”

“We need a schedule,” Purity said. “Without your planning, we’d all still be at home twiddling our thumbs saying, ‘Yeah, someone ought to do something about that.’”

“Beautiful place here. How old is it?” Alex asked.

Everyone looked at Meg.

“You’ll have to find out for yourself. Ms. Organization is taking a vacation, too.”

Courtney laughed. “I love you, Meg. Come on, everybody, let’s go do some research ourselves, then we’ll really appreciate Meg’s gifts.”

“You can say that again,” Purity said.

“Let’s go do some research—”

“No! Don’t say it again.”

“You said!”

“Since when does anybody listen to me?”

They entered the lodge to find handcrafted items placed on shelves around multiple seating areas. Leather couches faced opposite each other to make square conversation areas. Beautiful stained glass lamps were on individually carved end tables.

“Is everything in here homemade?” Courtney asked.

“It is,” a gentleman with long, black hair tucked neatly in a braid said. He wore a denim shirt with embroidered trees on the collar and a vest made of suede embedded with beads.

“Do the beads mean something?” Jacob asked.

“They do. We wear our story on our bodies, in the clothes we wear, the walking sticks we use, even our footwear. Each piece is chosen with care and customized according to our tribe and the path we’ve chosen for our lives.”

“I’m suddenly feeling very much like a boring white person with no history,” Purity said.

“Our culture is different. No better, no worse.” Courtney said. “It’s all about honoring each person’s journey. That’s why I love art so much, there’s no wrong way to express yourself.”

“Is it possible to get a tour of the tree houses?” Meg asked.

“Of course. Most of them are already spoken for, but we do have two left. I’m happy to show them to you.”

“What’s your name?” Jeremy asked.

“Michael. What’s yours?”

“Jeremy, and this is my brother, Jacob. That’s our Mom and Dad, Meg and Bobby. And their friends, Courtney and Brad and Purity and Alex. We’re sort of like a gang.”

“I can see that,” Michael smiled broadly, his teeth seeming even whiter against his dark skin. “There are quite a few stairs to climb. There are resting places, but if you need to stop and sit, please feel free to do so at any time.”

“Are you up for this?” Alex asked Purity.

“Are you kidding? Just try and stop me.”

Chapter Five

Lights highlighted each stair and wooden handrails on both sides made climbing easier.

“How high up are we?” Jeremy asked, looking over the edge.

“This one is about forty-five feet. The other one is sixty feet.”

“Seems like we’re up higher than that.”

“That’s because the land slopes on either side. That adds another ten to twenty feet, depending on which tree house you’re looking at.”

“You okay?” Meg asked Purity.

“I’m good. It’s so beautiful up here, and quiet.”

“We’re about to pass the last rest area, if you’d like to sit down and rest.”

“I’m going to sit,” Meg said.

“Don’t sit on my account.”

“I’m sitting on my account.”

“Then I’ll join you,” Purity said.

Meg suppressed a smile. She hadn’t really needed to sit, but she figured Purity might be too stubborn to admit she needed to rest for a minute.

“Nice ride you and my brother snagged for the trip.”

“I had no idea he was going to get a convertible until he pulled up in it. When the boys saw it, they went ballistic.”

“I still remember the day he rented the Mustang and showed up on Mrs. Cravens’ doorstep in that stupid knight get-up.”

“I loved it. The roses and the key to Mrs. Cravens’ house, well, our new house. It was such a romantic gesture.”

“We’re really lucky, you know.”

“I know. I’m so glad we’re taking this vacation together. The last one was so crazy. I’m looking forward to a quiet, relaxing time.”

“Me, too. Ready to climb again?”

“Yep.”

The duo met up with the rest of the group in short order as they explored the three-bedroom tree house.

“Did you see all the rooms, Mom?” Jeremy asked, running from level to level.

“Slow down there, sport,” Bob said.

“I love how each room is set apart. Is there a bathroom up here?”

“Two, actually,” Michael said. “We tried to make all the elements blend in so they’re an extension of nature, but I don’t think anyone really wanted to go down all those stairs just to use the bathroom.”

“You’d have a lot of empty tree houses then,” Jacob said.

“Exactly.”

“There are more windows than wood in each structure. We figured the whole purpose for being up in the tree was the view, so why hide it.”

“It’s amazingly beautiful. What’s it like when the moon comes out?” Meg asked.

“Stunning. There are four tree houses by the waterfall. You feel almost like you’re part of it.”

“I can’t believe we’ve never heard of this place,” Purity said.

“We don’t advertise much. There’s a sacred beauty to the area, we don’t want to disturb that. If it became a tourist trap, we’d lose part of the essence of who and what this place was meant to be.”

“Are the tree houses always booked?” Court asked.

“Most of the time. We may have one or two available, but once someone stays here, they want to come back.”

“Do you provide room service to the tree houses?” Jeremy asked.

“We do.”

“You carry food all the way up here?” Jacob said.

“Absolutely.”

“I hope you get good tips.”

Michael chuckled. “We generally do.”

“How much does a room like this go for?” Brad asked.

“Three bedrooms are around six hundred dollars a night, depending on the location. Tree houses near the waterfall are higher.”

Purity looked up through the glass ceiling, watching the sky as streams of light poured down through the trees. “I don’t think I’d ever want to leave.”

“Would you like to see the other tree house? It is a one-bedroom near the waterfall. It’s quite a bit higher.”

Purity and Alex said they’d like to stay where they were while the rest of the group followed Michael to the second tree house. They laid down on one of the beds and watched the sky above them as leaf patterns changed with the blowing of the wind.

“You want me to build you one of these?” Alex asked.

“Yeah. In the back yard.”

“It won’t be forty feet up in the air.”

“I’d settle for twenty. Can you imagine as a kid having a tree house like this?”

“I’d never want to leave.”

“I know, right?”

Alex laced his hand with Purity’s. “Maybe we should add a couple days onto our vacation and stay here on the way back.”

“I’d love that. Can you get away from The Kids’ Place?”

“We don’t have any big events going on ‘til the Back To School Carnival in September.”

“Sheila’s taking the lead on that, so I’m not responsible for much. Let’s do it. Should we get rooms for everyone else, too?”

“I love our friends, but I was hoping to have you all to myself.”

“I like the sound of that.”

Alex ran his thumb across her cheek. “I love you so much. I can’t imagine my life without you.”