“Did you fix my car yet?”
“I’ll look at it tonight.”
“Okay.” Though Rilee had spent plenty of time in her ungrateful teenaged state, she was growing more into a reasonable adult every day. “There’s anNCISmarathon on today. I’ll be preoccupied anyway.”
Ford wished he could send his baby sister to college with a car, but they had discussed it at length and decided it was unnecessary. Good thing too, because the pitiful beater car she drove would never make it to Alaska’s state line, much less through the Canadian Rockies and all the way to Boston. “I’ll get it running by tomorrow.” It was a promise Ford wasn’t sure he could keep. But he’d do his best.
“You have to work today?”
“Yep.” His sister didn’t know about his deathbed arrangement with Patty. If she found out what lengths he’d gone to lately to save the tuition money, she’d pretend she didn’t want to go to Boston anymore. Rilee was selfless, just like their mother had been. And smart. He found brochures for three other less expensive schools in the trash just last week. “A few odd jobs. Then I need to stop by the lodge to mow the lawn.”
“The lodge? But I thought—”
“I’m still on the payroll for now.”Unless they decide to sell it. Ford shook the thought. That wasn’t an option. Sending his sister to Boston was the only way he wouldn’t feel like he failed as her legal guardian.
Cadence loved the lodge as a little girl,Patty had reassured him.She just needs to bereminded of its magic.
He hoped it was that simple.
“Finish your paperbeforeyour binge marathon,” Ford said as he pulled up to the cabin. Ed was nowhere to be seen. Sometimes the moose hung around all day; other times, he went weeks without a sighting.
“Fine. Can I take Riggs with me?”
“Not today.” Ford needed Riggs to help win over Cadence. He had it on good authority that she was only planning to stay for two more nights. That didn’t leave him much time to work with. At the very least, Ford needed to convince her to extend her stay.
“Someone renting your cabin?” Rilee nodded toward the rental car in the neighboring driveway.
“Yeah. For a few days.”
“It’s not some creeper, is it?”
Ford laughed at that. “You know I wouldn’t allow that to happen.”
Rilee hopped out of the truck after giving Riggs a hug. “K, just checking.”
He waited until she closed the front door behind her before he pulled away. Ford knew each and every one of their neighbors well, but time was ticking for him to remain the protective caretaker. As much as he wanted all of Rilee’s dreams to come true, it would be hard letting her move more than forty-five hundred miles away.
“On to the first job, Riggs.”
Willamina’s Big Dipper—easily the most popular lunch spot in town—had a leaky kitchen sink pipe. Ford pulled into a spot right out front so Riggs would be able to see inside the glass-front café and not get too concerned over his absence.
“You gotta stay here, boy. Health inspector’s due this week.”
Riggs tilted his head to the side, his big eyes fixed intently on his owner. Ford offered him a helpless shrug. The dog wasn’t used to being left in the truck, but the job would be a quick one. “Your window’s down. And I’ll bring you a biscuit, don’t you worry.”
Ford walked a straight line from the jingling front door to the kitchen before he could be stopped by any number of people with more than a nod of hello. He spotted Cadence in a corner booth without having to scan the room. She lifted her head, meeting his gaze. Papers lay scattered over one side of her table, and a bowl of Willamina’s soup of the day sat on the other. Ford gave a quick wave, then turned his attention away.
There was a fine line, he supposed, between fulfilling a dying woman’s request and being labeled a stalker. The ridiculous notion caused him to snort a laugh as he entered the kitchen.
He found Willamina stirring a caldron, frizzy strands of hair escaping her bun to stand on end. The aroma of cooked bacon filled the dining room, and his stomach growled. The lone bagel he snagged this morning was no longer enough. “What’s the special today?”
“Baked potato soup. Wanna try a bowl?”
“Love to.” Setting his carrier of tools on the floor, he crouched down to see what was happening below the sink. A deep bucket sat beneath the sink trap, half an inch from overflowing.
“I’ll fix you some when you’re through.”
This job would only take a few minutes. Ford suspected tightening the compression bolts would do the trick; hopefully, Cadence would still be in her booth when he finished. He was counting on it anyway. The lodge was several blocks away, and those last couple were up a steep hill. Since he was headed there next, Ford hoped to give her another ride.
