mobile, what was to keep her from leaving while his back was turned?
No way could she get at her money in his safe. Would she be tempted to try to leave without it? He needed to find a way to keep her there. A job that would be necessary for the running of the camp. The first order of business had to be supporting her tonight when she called her parents. He certainly didn’t understand her family dynamics. Maybe he would have a better grasp of it after the phone call.
“Mac, you working with that horse, or is he training himself? You better get your head back in the game or you’re going to have some bad habits to correct,” stated Two Feathers, leaning on the fence. That snapped Mac back to the present in time to keep him from being run over by the horse.
For the next half hour, he worked the animal to correct what had gone wrong in the elapsed time he had been brooding over the problem of Sage.
As Mac brushed down the gelding, his mind veered back to Sage. Would she be willing to take over the office while he was out with the students? Help ready the cabins? Three cabins should do it. Only five men signed up. He’d put the truck driver from PA and the ranger from Yellowstone Park together. Both were outdoor types. Maybe the CPA from AZ and the bartender from FL would work well together. That left the high-priced lawyer with the high-profile clientele from San Francisco. He’d probably want to be alone. He probably would come with a briefcase full of work.
Would Sage be strong enough to do the physical work? Not that it was back breaking. She’d never admit it if she couldn’t. He scowled. But he had to do something to keep her too busy to develop a plan to leave.
Who was this Marcos Diego anyway? What was he? Mac knew a way to find out and that plan would be set in motion as soon as he got back to the house.
After helping with the evening feeding in the main barn, he left the men to care for the rest and load the sled with bales of hay to go out to the horses and cattle in the outlying pastures in the morning. A smile played about the corners of his mouth when he thought about seeing Sage in the next few minutes. Would she be as happy to see him? Life had left them both scarred, inside as well as out. And he had done his share of inflicting some of hers. Could he rectify it? Hopefully there was a way.
Mac entered the kitchen. He spotted Sage standing by the stove stirring a large pot. She looked comfortable, content, nothing out of the ordinary in her expression. Had she reconciled herself to staying? He could only hope. If he could get the information he needed, maybe he could ensure her safety.
“Two Feathers will be in shortly,” he said, hanging his coat and hat on the rack by the door. “I’ve got a couple things to take care of in the office. How soon till supper?”
“About ten minutes,” Little Mouse answered. “As soon as the biscuits come out of the oven. And don’t even think about scolding Sage. It’s time she started exercising that leg more.”
Mac quirked an eyebrow at her. Looking at Sage, he would describe her expression as smug. Fine. He would go along with the increased activity, but he would make darn sure she didn’t overexert herself. What he had thought of to keep her here might work out after all.
Mac retreated, but not before he noticed a thoughtful look from Sage. He heard the whispered ‘thank you’ from Sage to Little Mouse as he exited the kitchen.
A few minutes later he sat at his desk, rubbing his forehead and staring at the phone number he had brought up on his rolodex. Would it be right to ask Stewart’s help? If anyone could put together the info needed, it would be him. Mac pulled up the memory of the happy-go-lucky PFC in his recon unit. Until the day they got caught in an enemy crossfire in a village in Iraq. It had been nip and tuck getting Stew out alive. His injuries were bad enough to give him a medical discharge. But Stew refused to leave. His
No way could she get at her money in his safe. Would she be tempted to try to leave without it? He needed to find a way to keep her there. A job that would be necessary for the running of the camp. The first order of business had to be supporting her tonight when she called her parents. He certainly didn’t understand her family dynamics. Maybe he would have a better grasp of it after the phone call.
“Mac, you working with that horse, or is he training himself? You better get your head back in the game or you’re going to have some bad habits to correct,” stated Two Feathers, leaning on the fence. That snapped Mac back to the present in time to keep him from being run over by the horse.
For the next half hour, he worked the animal to correct what had gone wrong in the elapsed time he had been brooding over the problem of Sage.
As Mac brushed down the gelding, his mind veered back to Sage. Would she be willing to take over the office while he was out with the students? Help ready the cabins? Three cabins should do it. Only five men signed up. He’d put the truck driver from PA and the ranger from Yellowstone Park together. Both were outdoor types. Maybe the CPA from AZ and the bartender from FL would work well together. That left the high-priced lawyer with the high-profile clientele from San Francisco. He’d probably want to be alone. He probably would come with a briefcase full of work.
Would Sage be strong enough to do the physical work? Not that it was back breaking. She’d never admit it if she couldn’t. He scowled. But he had to do something to keep her too busy to develop a plan to leave.
Who was this Marcos Diego anyway? What was he? Mac knew a way to find out and that plan would be set in motion as soon as he got back to the house.
After helping with the evening feeding in the main barn, he left the men to care for the rest and load the sled with bales of hay to go out to the horses and cattle in the outlying pastures in the morning. A smile played about the corners of his mouth when he thought about seeing Sage in the next few minutes. Would she be as happy to see him? Life had left them both scarred, inside as well as out. And he had done his share of inflicting some of hers. Could he rectify it? Hopefully there was a way.
Mac entered the kitchen. He spotted Sage standing by the stove stirring a large pot. She looked comfortable, content, nothing out of the ordinary in her expression. Had she reconciled herself to staying? He could only hope. If he could get the information he needed, maybe he could ensure her safety.
“Two Feathers will be in shortly,” he said, hanging his coat and hat on the rack by the door. “I’ve got a couple things to take care of in the office. How soon till supper?”
“About ten minutes,” Little Mouse answered. “As soon as the biscuits come out of the oven. And don’t even think about scolding Sage. It’s time she started exercising that leg more.”
Mac quirked an eyebrow at her. Looking at Sage, he would describe her expression as smug. Fine. He would go along with the increased activity, but he would make darn sure she didn’t overexert herself. What he had thought of to keep her here might work out after all.
Mac retreated, but not before he noticed a thoughtful look from Sage. He heard the whispered ‘thank you’ from Sage to Little Mouse as he exited the kitchen.
A few minutes later he sat at his desk, rubbing his forehead and staring at the phone number he had brought up on his rolodex. Would it be right to ask Stewart’s help? If anyone could put together the info needed, it would be him. Mac pulled up the memory of the happy-go-lucky PFC in his recon unit. Until the day they got caught in an enemy crossfire in a village in Iraq. It had been nip and tuck getting Stew out alive. His injuries were bad enough to give him a medical discharge. But Stew refused to leave. His
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