Taylor Lynne: The Women of Merryton - Book Two (24 page)

I played along while
sipping my water and reading my book. I probably wouldn’t have been so relaxed
had I known what they were angling for—I thought they were angling along the
lines of what they wanted as far as school clothes went. We had planned a
shopping trip to Denver during dinner for that coming Saturday.

They pulled out all the
stops when they returned with a small basket filled with my pedicure kit, right
down to the foot massage cream.

I eyed them warily as
they each took a foot to massage. “What are you ladies up to?” I asked.

“Nothing,” they replied innocently.

“Uh-huh. So what do you
want?”

They both cracked a
smile. It reminded me so much of their dad.

“Okay, so we were
thinking that it would be so much fun if …” Ashley looked at Emmy who was
trying her best not to look at me.

“If what?” I asked.

Ashley looked up at me
and batted those beautiful brown eyes of hers. “Momma, you know, soon I’m going
to be off at college and I know you want to spend as much time with me as
possible, and when I was little, you promised some day you would take me camping
and you never did.”

I pulled my feet away
from the sisters. “When did I promise that?”

“I don’t remember the
exact date and time, but it happened.”

I narrowed my eyes at
her. “Nice try, darlin’.”

They weren’t done.

“Dad knows you don’t like
to camp, so he rented this really nice cabin for you to stay in. Come on,
Momma. It will be so much fun.”

“You can have so much fun
without me.” I was not taking trips with Easton.

Ashley looked at Emmy and
mischievously smirked at her. It must have been their signal to switch to plan
B. Before I knew it, they each took a side and cuddled up to me. I was
surrounded by manipulative cuteness.

“Momma, I love you,”
Ashley sang.

“That’s sweet,” I said
with a tad of sarcasm.

Ashley giggled.

But it would be Emmy for
the win. “Taylor?”

“Yes, honey,” I
responded.

“I get scared sleeping in
a tent. I have to leave a flashlight on all night, but if you come, we can
sleep in the cabin together. Please?”

Her little please got to
me. If it wasn’t Emmy, I would be worried that she was going to grow up and be
a world-class con artist, but she was nothing but pure and simple sweetness.

I tried my best to think
of a way to say no without crushing her, but was coming up blank. She dug her
way into my side and whispered, “Please?” again.

“Okay … fine,” I sighed.

Okay, so it wasn’t fine.
I was nowhere near fine. The Friday we were supposed to leave for our camping
trip I was kind of a wreck. I could barely concentrate at work. I decided I
needed to call Grams or down some of Jessie’s orange rolls. I went with the
less fattening option.

“Grams, it’s me, Taylor.”

“Yes, darlin’, I know who
this is.”

“Sorry.”

“Everything all right?”

“Yes?”

“What’s wrong? I thought
you were leaving for your camping trip today?”

“We are after work, but
that’s the problem. I don’t want to go.”

She laughed. “It will be
good for you. A little nature is great for the soul.”

“It’s not the nature I’m
worried about.”

“Attractive men are even
better for the soul.”

“Grams!”

“I don’t know why you two
don’t kiss and make up already. It’s obvious you both still care for each
other.”

“Be that as it may, it’s
not a good idea.”

“So you admit you have
feelings for Easton?”

“I’ve never denied it.”

“That’s not the same as
admitting it,” Grams said wisely.

“Regardless, Easton and I
aren’t getting back together. I shouldn’t have agreed to go on this trip, but
the girls are sneaky.”

“Sounds like they may be
smarter than their parents.”

“You know, I called so
you would make me feel better, not worse.”

“Sometimes the truth
hurts, but I love you.”

“Thanks for that. I’ll
talk to you later,” I said irritated.

“Bye, darlin’. Don’t be
afraid to have fun this weekend. It won’t hurt. I promise.”

I hung up feeling like I
should have gone the fat-filled route.

When I left the hospital
several of my coworkers wished me a good weekend—implying I should make it a
really good weekend with my ex-husband. It was already all over town that we
were taking this little trip together, and the nurses in the women’s center
were getting a lot of mileage out of it. I wasn’t sure how it got out, but there
was no denying, this town had its evil ways. Easton wasn’t helping the
situation, either. He kept dropping by my office whenever he was at the
hospital. His patients really needed to stop getting sick. We never talked
about Rachel again, but Jessie and Rachel had made sure to tease me about it
for at least a couple of weeks. I still thought it was a good idea.

I drove home as slow as
possible, which wasn’t saying a lot. I lived three minutes away from the
hospital. When I pulled up, Easton was already there. He said he would be there
at six and it was barely fifteen minutes past five.

Easton was walking out of
the house carrying Ashley’s duffle bag when I walked back around after parking
in the detached garage. We were all driving up together in Easton’s truck, not
by my choice. Easton looked good in his faded blue jeans and Colorado Bears
t-shirt. He was all smiles.

“Tay, you’re home,” he
said with too much pleasure.

“Yep. And you’re early.”

He grinned. “Excited to
get the weekend started.”

A little too excited.
“I
need to change.”

“No rush. I’ll be here.”

Yeah, that was the
problem.

I walked in to find a
double dose of perfection. The girls were unloading grocery bags and packing a
cooler, though I wasn’t sure why. The cabin had a refrigerator and it wasn’t
that far away.

Easton had promised me I
wouldn’t have to lift a finger or worry about any preparations other than for
myself. It looked like he enlisted the help of the girls.

“Hi girls,” I said as I
entered.

They both looked up and
beamed at me. I supposed they were worth going for, even if they
were
little schemers.

“I need to change my
clothes,” I informed both of them. “Don’t forget bug spray and sunscreen,” I
reminded them as I walked back toward my room.

“Dad already packed it,”
Ashley called out.

Sometimes I forgot I
wasn’t the only responsible adult around. I had to admit it was nice to have
backup.

I changed into my own
faded blue boyfriend style jeans. I put on a tank top, but wrapped a
long-sleeved flannel shirt around my waist. I knew once we got up into the
mountains and the sun went down, it was going to get cooler than I liked. I
looked through my suitcase one more time to make sure I hadn’t missed anything.
We were only going for a couple of nights, but the temperature fluctuated so
much this time of year, I wanted to make sure I was prepared for anything.
Besides, if I knew Easton, we could be doing anything from hiking and fishing
to exploring caves. He loved these mountains.

By the time I made it
back out, Easton was reorganizing the cooler. I wasn’t sure where the girls had
gone to.

Easton looked up when he
heard me approach. He tilted his head and grinned. “You look great.”

“For my age, right?”
That’s what everyone said now.

“For any age. Even better
than when we met.”

“I already agreed to go.
You don’t have to lie to me.”

“I’m not lying. I didn’t
think it was possible, but you’ve only gotten more beautiful over the years.”

I shook my head at him.
“I think you may need to get your eyes checked, Dr. Cole.”

He looked directly into
my eyes. “No. I’ve never seen things more clearly in my life.”

I didn’t get to ask him
to elaborate because the girls walked in the front door, eager to leave.

Why did I have a feeling
this was going to be a weekend I would never forget?

Easton’s truck had a dual
cab, so the girls sat in the back and I was up front with Easton. If anyone
were to look at us, we would look like a happy family. And maybe, in a weird
way, that’s what we were becoming. I thought, for ex-spouses, we were doing an
okay job co-parenting. I looked back at the smiling girls. They certainly
seemed happy, even Emmy.

“So here are the rules
for this weekend,” Easton announced as we drove out of town.

I raised my eyebrow at
him. “Rules?”

He glanced my way. “Yes,
rules,” he replied lightheartedly. “First rule, no cell phones. We are
unplugging. Not even my office or the hospital will be contacting me.”

“What?” Ashley exclaimed.
“I told Spencer I would text him.”

“You can text him now and
tell him you’re turning off your cell phone,” Easton replied without hesitation.

I waited to see how
Ashley reacted to that. I wasn’t planning on going against Easton’s wishes,
only smoothing it over if I had to. This was kind of new territory for us.

“Fine,” she said with an attitude
that was unusual for her, but not unheard of.

I saw Easton breathe a
sigh of relief. I had a feeling he didn’t want to rock the boat with her, but
he wanted her to listen to him.

“Rule two,” he continued,
“Have fun. That’s it.”

“Wow, you’re really
tough,” I teased him.

He reached over to, I
think, hold my hand, but at the last moment he came to his senses and pulled
back. I watched him grip the steering wheel with both hands. I couldn’t tell if
he was embarrassed, frustrated, or maybe some of both.

“I don’t want any distractions,”
he replied to my teasing.

“I agree,” I said, in
hopes of easing the mild tension.

I saw his shoulders
relax.

“I still don’t think it’s
fair,” Ashley commented from behind us.

“Next week you’ll be in school
and you can see Spencer every day. Two days without communication isn’t going
to kill you,” I reminded her.

“We’re going to have a
great weekend,” Easton added. “I’m looking forward to taking you camping for
the first time.” Or at least the first time she would remember.

I could hear the regret
and plea in his voice. It was almost heartbreaking. I turned back to look at
Ashley. I was trying to convey with my eyes that she needed to give her dad
this chance.

Her features softened as
she shut down her phone. “Me too,” she admitted.

I winked at her and Emmy.
Emmy didn’t care about the rule; she didn’t have a phone yet.

Easton looked at his
daughters in the rearview mirror. “I love you guys.”

They both repeated back,
“I love you.”

“Now that that’s settled,
let’s get this party started,” Easton said and cranked up the radio.

Ashley’s favorite country
music came blaring out of the speakers and she began to sing along. For not
being around her much, Easton knew his daughter well.

I turned toward the
window and enjoyed the scenery as we wound our way up the mountain. Wildflowers
dotted the two-lane road and the aspen leaves shook in the light breeze. I
could see why Easton fell in love with this place. I never appreciated its full
beauty because of the memories the place held. It had skewed my perception. It
was as if I was seeing it with new eyes today. It was much different than
living in the south—definitely not as green and lush—but the mountain landscape
was majestic.

“You’re quiet over
there.” Easton pulled me out of my thoughts.

“I’m enjoying the scenery
is all.”

This time he didn’t
hesitate. He reached over and squeezed my hand before I could barely register
that he had. “Thanks for coming.”

I didn’t say anything in
return. I still wasn’t sure this was the best idea, but I was trying to give
the girls good memories they could hold on to. I tuned into what the sisters
were chatting about in the back. Emmy was filling Ashley in about the silly
campfire songs their dad sang and how he could make chocolate cake in an
orange.

“No way,” Ashley said to
that piece of information. “Can you really, Dad?”

I saw Easton smile,
pleased with himself. “I sure can. We’ll do it tonight after dinner.” He
glanced my way. “Don’t worry, I won’t be offended when you don’t try it.”

“I appreciate that.”

“Anyway, I brought your
weakness.”

I looked at him
curiously. “What weakness?”

“Oreos.”

“Mom doesn’t like Oreos;
she says they are the worst food on the planet,” Ashley said, joining the
conversation.

That was close to true.

Easton smirked. “You’ve
been keeping it a secret, I see.”

I tried my best not to
smile.

“Is that true, Mom?”

“Maybe I used to like
them—a long time ago.”

“I think it went beyond
like,” Easton said.

“It did not,” I
countered.

“Really? Because I
remember a trip to Chicago where someone ate a whole package by herself on the
way home.”

“What!” Ashley yelled.

“It’s true,” Easton said
with way too much enjoyment.

“Okay, first of all, it
wasn’t a whole package—you ate some, too.” I eyed Easton. “And secondly,
someone made us leave way too late and I had to eat them to stay awake.”

Easton laughed. “Excuses,
excuses.”

“I feel deprived now,
Momma. You never let us have those at home.”

“It’s probably because
she would have eaten them all,” Easton teased.

“You know, I could still
go home.”

“No,” Emmy cried from the
back. I think she thought I was serious.

I turned and reached for
her. “Honey, I was kidding. I’m not going anywhere.”

She visibly relaxed.

Ashley put her arm around
Emmy to comfort her.

I looked to Easton for
guidance. He looked uncomfortably concerned as he glanced in the rearview
mirror at his daughters. I could see the tone of his skin change from tan to
red.

This time it was me who
reached for Easton. I rested my hand on his leg for a few seconds.

He gave me a sort of half
smile, but I could see the thank you in it.

I worried about Emmy. She
was better than when we first arrived, but something haunted her.

I was glad when we
arrived at our destination. Even more glad when I saw how gorgeous it was. The
secluded cabin was off a small private lake with a bubbling brook nearby. The
cabin itself was newer, but designed to look rustic. It resembled a barn with a
sliding barn door for a front door and there was a beautiful square picture
window above the door. Large slabs of stone acted as the steps that led up to
the wood and stone porch that encompassed the front of the whole house. It was
truly brilliant.

“Where did you find this
place?” I asked Easton as we unloaded our gear from the back of his truck.

“My partner, Debbie,
recommended it. Her family has stayed here.”