Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 95712 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95712 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
“You did?” I asked, bending down to look at him. “Did you have fun fishing at the lake?”
He nodded. “So much fun! And we’re getting ready to go do archery!”
I glanced past him to see Lynn, one of the volunteer counselors, guiding the rest of Rhett’s cabin to the meeting spot. “You’d better go join your cabinmates, so you don’t get left behind.”
He turned, saw everyone lining up, and took off running. He stopped and looked back at me. “Are you riding with us later?”
“I sure am. It’s the River Falls Summer Camp’s famous dinner ride, I can’t miss it!” I called back.
Rhett fist-pumped then ran over to his group.
The dinner ride was a tradition we’d started a few years back. The last night, we had a dinner ride where the kids either got to ride on horses alone up to the site, or rode with one of the adults on their horse up to a site where we had a chuckwagon cookout. The kids loved it, and everyone on the ranch was involved. Everyone, even Caden, who was our designated campfire cook.
I couldn’t help but smile as I glanced around the camp. Kids from each cabin were lining up at their meeting points. We had the schedule down to a finely tuned machine, with some kids going to do archery, while others were heading for fishing or candle-making with Lilibeth. Later, Levi would give a presentation on one of our pregnant mares. The kids had been talking about it all day, most of them hoping she’d have the foal during the presentation.
“Emeline?”
Hearing my brother Caden call my name, I turned to smile at him. “Hey, what brings you to the other side of the ranch?” I teased.
He looked like he was in a bad mood, which was pretty common for Caden. He walked up to me, glanced around to make sure little ears weren’t about, then said, “I’m going to strangle that friend of yours.”
“Which one?”
“The overly peppy one who likes to get into other people’s business!”
“Did you forget her name?”
He nearly growled. “Lilibeth.”
I tried not to smile. The fact that Lilibeth riled my brother so much was amusing to me. “What happened?”
He crossed his arms over his broad chest. “She asked what we were serving at the chuckwagon cookout. I told her we were having grilled steaks, cowboy beans, cornbread, and coleslaw, plus the veggie chili and baked potatoes. Then she asked about dessert.”
“So? Did you tell her the kids will have dessert waiting for them back at the cabins when we return?”
My mother and grandmother, along with other volunteers, always made the kids what they called mud cups. It was chocolate pudding in cups, topped with cookie crumbs for “dirt” and candy worms. They were adorable, and the kids loved them. They’d be brought to the cabins while we were at the cookout.
“Yes.”
“You told her about the mud cups?”
He frowned. “Yes, Emeline, I told her about the mud cups.”
“And…what? She didn’t like that idea?”
“She thought it would be fun to make a dessert over the open fire. I informed her it was too late to add anything to the menu.”
“What kind of dessert is she thinking?” I asked.
“Peach cobbler!” He practically shouted it at me.
“Why are you yelling?”
Caden closed his eyes and appeared to be counting. When he opened them again, he said, “Peach cobbler, Emeline.”
“I heard you the first time when you yelled it out. I don’t see what the big deal is. We can make two fires and use a couple of Dutch ovens for the peach cobbler. The kids would probably love that.”
“I’m not making peach cobbler. Not tonight, not next month, never.”
“Oh my gosh, why are you being such a jerk about this?”
“Did you tell her?” he asked.
“Tell who what?”
“The peach cobbler. Did you tell Lilibeth?”
The look of hurt that passed over my brother’s face nearly took my breath away. It was then that I realized why he was throwing such a fit. It actually had nothing to do with adding the dessert. It was because peach cobbler was Rachel’s favorite…and the day he proposed, he’d made it for her.
The day she told him she could never marry him.
My hand slowly came up to my mouth. I shook my head before dropping my hand. “I didn’t tell her, Caden. I wouldn’t do that to you. And I totally forgot. I’m so sorry.”
He pushed a hand through his hair and let out a frustrated sigh. “I thought she was doing it on purpose. I got so angry with her. I told her to mind her own damn business, that she probably shouldn’t even come tonight.”
I put a hand on my hip. “I know Lilibeth, and she’d never purposely cause anyone harm or intentionally try to hurt them. She probably just thought it was a cute idea for the kids, Caden. I’m sorry, but…not everything revolves around you. Lilibeth’s been having such an amazing time this week, and she’s doing me a huge favor by volunteering so much.”