“Maybe,” Archer said.
Lenni frowned.“That’s adult speak forno.”
“I’m driving,” I announced.“Because neither you nor Archer know where I’m taking you.”
Archer exited the horse stall and went to the wall hooks at the back of the barn.He grabbed a set of keys and a horse blanket.“Let’s go.”
Lenni bounded after Archer like a golden retriever puppy.When I was alone with Brooks, I looked at him.“Not a word.To anyone.”
ChapterThirty-Nine
The Hot Spring
The ride in the side-by-side was cramped and noisy.Lenni sat smushed between us.The road had several large rocks and deep holes and we were jostled about like popcorn kernels in a popper.
By the time I put the side-by-side in park, my stomach was queasy.
“That was fun,” Lenni said with a wide grin.
Archer opened the door and climbed out.“Where did you bring us?”
I took a few deep breaths, trying to calm my belly before getting out.“There’s a hot spring on Powell land.There’s a rumor that it has magical healing powers.”
Lenni held up her cast.“So, if I dunk this in the hot spring?—”
“You’ll have to get an entirely new cast put on,” Archer said, shooting me an amused glance.
“Legend has it,” I said, taking Lenni’s hand and began walking toward the hot spring, “that Hadley and Salem’s great-great grandfather who found this land cut his leg really bad.The doctor told him they were going to have to cut it off, but he soaked his leg in the hot spring andvoilà.Healed.”
“We don’t have swimsuits,” Lenni pointed out.
“I thought we could sit with our feet in the water,” I said.
Lenni shuddered and hunched lower in her coat.
“Sounds like fun to me,” Archer said.
He spread the horse blanket at the edge of the hot spring pool.We all sat on top of it and removed our shoes.Lenni rolled up her jeans to reveal her calves and then stuck her feet into the water.
“Oh, this is nice.”She wiggled her pink-painted toes in excitement.
Archer and I flanked her.We looked at each other over her head.
I nodded.
You sure,he mouthed.
I nodded again.I’d rather deal with the fallout now, before Poet’s wedding, so there was still time to piece Lenni together in time to be a flower girl.
“You came back too early,” Lenni said, shooting me a glance.“Poet and I never got to go shopping for my dress.”
“Sorry about that.”I tucked a strand of hair that had escaped one of her braids behind her ear.
“Yeah, about why we came back early,” Archer said.
“Because you missed me.You already said,” Lenni replied.“I am very missable.”
“Yeah, that’s true.”Archer smiled.
