LITMIR.BIZ

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Frank wasn’t her favorite person in the world, but she didn’t say it out loud, for which Alex was grateful.

      Suddenly a lovely blonde woman in a blouse and jeans came walking around the side of the building where Alex could see half a dozen vehicles of different kinds were parked. “There you are, Johnny. I was just coming to look for you.”

      “I’m afraid it’s our fault.” Alex smiled at her. “Jenny and I needed to get showered and dressed while he waited for us. You must be Johnny’s mother.”

      “Yes. I’m Tracy Lundgren and you have to be Alex Wilson. Welcome to the ranch.” They shook hands.

      “Thank you. Your son makes a wonderful guide. We’re thrilled to be here.”

      “No more than we are to have you.” She walked over to Jenny. “Buck told us you just had your seventh birthday. Johnny’s turning seven next week. It’s an amazing coincidence. You’ll have to come to his party. We’re going to go into Jackson to the Funorama. They have all kinds of slides and games, and you can eat all the pizza you want.”

      Johnny eyed Jenny. “Do you like pizza?”

      She nodded. “It’s my favorite food.”

      “Mine, too.”

      “I like pepperoni.”

      “Me, too.”

      Alex and Tracy exchanged amused glances. Johnny’s mother was probably in her late twenties and seemed so friendly. Christy would have liked her. Alex’s heart ached for what her daughter was missing, but today wasn’t the time to be sad. Johnny’s arrival at their front door had brought its own brand of sunshine, something they badly needed.

      “Which tree does Moppy live in?”

      Johnny looked surprised. “How do you know about her?”

      “Buck told me last night.”

      He ran over to a big fir. “See that hole?”

      Jenny moved closer. “Do you think she’s inside?”

      “I don’t know. When she hears voices, she hides. We’ll come back after breakfast and sneak up on her.”

      “Okay.”

      They rounded the corner to enter the main doors of the lobby. Suddenly Jenny cried, “Look, Nana—”

      Alex turned in time to see what had to be the biggest moose head ever. It was mounted above the door frame. “My heavens—he’s enormous.”

      Johnny tilted his hat back. “Dad calls him Mathoozela.”

      “Mathoozela?” At this point Jenny’s eyes had rounded. “I never heard that name before.”

      “It’s because he was so old when he died.”

      By now Tracy’s shoulders were shaking along with Alex’s. She put an arm around her granddaughter’s shoulders. “The Bible says Methusela was the oldest man who ever lived.”

      “Yep. Dad says he lived to be 969 years. He thinks maybe that’s how old this moose got to be.”

      “Maybe he’s even older,” sounded a male voice behind them.

      “Dad!”

      Alex watched as the attractive dark blond Stetson-wearing cowboy gave his stepson a bear hug before picking him up. “So, introduce me.”

      “This is Jenny Forrester and that’s her nana, Alex. My dad’s name is Carson.”

      Carson Lundgren smiled, his eyes a bright blue. “Welcome to the ranch.” He coughed. “We’ve been waiting for you, especially when we found out your granddaughter was the same age as Johnny. The more kids around here, the better.”

      Alex agreed. “We’re very excited to be here.” What wasn’t there about these people to like?

      “Our other partner Ross would be here, but he’s on an overnight pack trip with some of our guests. You’ll meet him tomorrow.”

      After the greetings were over, Carson put Johnny back down and curled an arm around his wife’s waist. They appeared to be crazy about each other. Alex remembered being in love like that with Christy’s father once, but once she told him she was pregnant, she never saw him again.

      Jenny looked up at him. “Is Buck here?”

      “Did I hear someone say my name?”

      At the sound of the deep, familiar male voice, Alex spun around to see the former marine walk toward them from a doorway beyond the front-desk area. Last night he’d been wearing a jacket and chinos. This morning he was dressed in cowboy boots, a Western shirt and jeans that molded his powerful thighs. His rugged good looks caused her pulse to race for no good reason.

      “I did.” Jenny smiled up at him. “But we didn’t see Moppy this morning.”

      “Don’t worry. We’ll catch her after dinner when she doesn’t think anyone is watching. Have you had breakfast yet?” Jenny shook her head. “Are you hungry?” She nodded. “Good. Then let’s go in the dining room. We could eat the three big trout I caught early this morning.”

      “You did?” Jenny looked amazed.

      “Do you know what a trout is?” Johnny asked her.

      “Yes, it’s fish.”

      Alex was glad her granddaughter could hold her own on something. Mirth filled Buck’s green eyes as he lifted them to Alex, bringing on an unexpected rush of adrenaline. What on earth was wrong with her? “How about you?”

      “One medium trout sounds delicious.”

      His low chuckle traveled to her insides. “I caught a couple of those, too.” He turned to Carson. “Are you going to join us?”

      “I’m afraid I’ve got a meeting with the stockmen, but I’ll try to catch up with you at the barn later in the day.” Alex remembered reading that the dude ranch was also a cattle ranch. These men led busy lives. He hugged Johnny again. “Have you got a pony picked out for Jenny yet?”

      He whispered to his father. Carson nodded. “Good choice.”

      “Hey, Dad? Jenny wants to know what Teton means.”

      Suddenly both men broke out in wide grins. “I’ll leave that to your mom to explain. Got to run.”

      “Coward,” Tracy said to her husband with a grin as he kissed her. “Come on, everyone. We need to eat breakfast while we still can.”

      The five of them walked through the great room with its floor-to-ceiling fireplace and entered the main dining room. Wagon-wheel chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Alex saw several families seated with older teenagers. Only one table was empty. All of them were covered in red-and-white-checked cloths with white daisies forming the centerpieces. Alex loved the decor.

      Once they were seated and had been served their orders, Buck looked at Alex and Jenny. “Last night you were too tired for me to tell you much about the ranch. Carson Lundgren’s great-great-grandfather purchased this land in 1908 and turned it into the Teton Valley Ranch where they ran cattle and we still do, today.

      “His grandparents raised him and he became a rodeo champion known as ‘King of the Cowboys.’ Since I went into business with him and Ross Livingston, we’ve also begun operating the ranch as a dude ranch for tourists who make reservations with us and are paying guests. But once a month we use part of the money to invite one war widow and her children to stay with us. You two are our honored guests for this week and have access to all the facilities free of charge.”

      “We’re thrilled to be here,” Alex exclaimed. “Jenny and I read the brochure. You offer so many activities we can’t believe it. I think it would be impossible to do them all.”

      He chuckled. “Most everyone wants to try horseback

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