Читать книгу Special Delivery - Judi Lynn - Страница 8

Chapter 2

At night, in her motel room, Karli called other motels around the area, hoping to find a place to stay, but Keagan was right. Mill Pond was a happening place. Every room was taken. Seems tourists came in November to buy handcrafted items for their Thanksgiving tables and to hike the trails in the National Forest before the snows fell.

She’d never been to the shops in Mill Pond. When her parents came to town, they drove straight to Axel’s farm, stayed as short a time as possible, and then left. Even at its best, the farm had been nothing to brag about. Eloise kept the house clean, raised her children, and cooked food that filled bellies. End of story. Karli wondered if her grandmother had always been so dispassionate or if being married to Axel had drained her of all hope and stamina.

When hunger struck, Karli drove to a McDonald’s. She usually avoided fast foods, but she didn’t have the energy to engage with anyone at the local diner, and she had a feeling people around here were friendly. Probably far friendlier than she was.

Her room at Nick and Meg’s Hotel had a pamphlet that listed local attractions, and she was amazed to read about the trendy resort on the lake, Harley’s Winery, a microbrewery with specialty hot dogs, and the many shops on Main Street. Art’s Grocery caught her eye with a long list of local offerings available in his Olde Time Store. The butcher’s counter stocked ducks, Guinea hens, and fancy cuts of meats—all organic. She paused when she saw Handmade Dinnerware on display by Keagan Monroe. How many Keagans could there be in Mill Pond? Was it Grandpa’s neighbor, the mailman? He did strike her as artistic.

She glanced at her watch and was surprised to see that it was already eight-thirty. It had been a long day. She called her mom on her cell. “Axel hasn’t improved with age,” she told her.

Her mom sighed. “I didn’t expect him to.”

“You never told me what a nice, little town this is.”

“Mill Pond? We hardly ever interacted with anyone, except for school. Even there, we were sort of the odd kids out.”

“I can see that. Is that why you always drove home to see your youngest brother?”

“I felt sorry for Charlie. Everyone left as fast as we could, and he was stuck there with Dad until he graduated. Then he left, too.”

Karli wondered if Axel would be worse or better to the last kid in the family. She’d bet on worse, since Charlie wouldn’t have anyone to defend him. “How did that go for him?”

“Charlie’s a sweetheart. Everyone loves him. People had him spend the nights at their places most of the time. He wasn’t home any more than he had to be.”

The word “sweetheart” made her think of Keagan. “Your neighborly mailman’s sure a decent guy. Do you remember him?”

“Never met him. I went to school with his mom, though, a wonderful woman. She’d smile at me whenever we passed in the halls.”

Karli shook her head. “That’s as good as it got for you?”

“We wore clothes about twenty years out of date, hardly ever left the farm, and everyone cringed when they saw our dad. My older brother, Kurt, and two of my sisters had Dad’s temperament but worse. Kids avoided us.”

Karli’s heart hurt for her mom. “I’m sorry.”

“Hey, it made me a stronger person, but don’t let Dad bully you. He won’t make anything easy about making arrangements for him.”

“I’ll manage. I don’t have to take his crap, and he knows it.”

There was another sigh on her mom’s end of the phone. “Thanks for doing this, Karli. He won’t appreciate it, but I do.”

“I’m used to uncooperative patients.” She didn’t have to live with them, though. “Let me take care of this, and I’ll see you before you expect it.”

“If you need help, call me,” her mom said. “I can drive to Mill Pond in half a day. We’ll miss you in Indy.”

“Miss you, too. ‘Night, Mom.”

With that, she turned off the bedside light and nuzzled into her pillow. She was tired. There was nothing to do but clean a room for herself at Grandpa’s house tomorrow and get things settled as fast as she could. She’d wake up early and get a fast start. And since she was stuck here for a while, she might as well look around the town. It seemed as if Mill Pond had a lot to offer.