Page 89

She grinned. “As a scientist, I’ve seen so many miracles of nature, but you’re my personal miracle, too.”

Knox broke their moment, and the twinkle in his eye said he knew exactly what he was doing. “Hey, Rissa. Any chance you have a scavenger hunt up your sleeve for today?”

Her face flushed as Burke’s arm tightened around her. “You do, don’t you?”

“I didn’t know if it would be too silly.”

Wyatt grinned at her. “Not a chance. We’ve heard so much about the scavenger hunts you and Burke used to make; we feel like we missed out on something special. Bring it on, Rissa.”

Jayna cried out at that moment, making them all laugh. Amber smiled. “Even Jayna wants to participate. Let me feed her, and then we’ll all be ready to join in.”

Joy flooded through her at the enthusiasm around her. Rissa nodded. “I didn’t print out copies, but I’ll email you the list when we’re ready.”

Burke leaned in and whispered in her ear. “Before you send it, add an extra item telling them to look for the group gift Santa left in the yard for everyone.”

She knew they’d easily figure out the gift was from Burke, but it would be fun to see which group figured it out first.

Rissa pulled up the list and added the final item. Santa left matching gifts for everyone who lives at the No Phailed Apples farm somewhere outside. Bigger than a breadbox, lighter than Bibi, the gifts are together and excited to explore the farm. Can you find them?

Burke read the clue over her shoulder and nodded. “I’m betting Charlie figures it out first.”

That wouldn’t surprise her, as the boy was full of ideas.

Burke brushed his thumb over the ring he’d given her that morning. “Okay, fiancée, let’s organize the group into teams. Then we’ll start another No Phailed Apples tradition.”

Another tradition she would love. Her past hadn’t been filled with traditions, but her future was going to be full of them. She blinked back happy tears as Frizzle licked her chin. “We’ve done it, my friend. We’ve found ourselves a home and a family.” Life couldn’t be better.

Chapter 26

Questions And Answers

Burke grinned as he snapped a picture of Frizzle and Bibi for clue number four. Oggies was Ella’s word for dogs, and Rissa had included it on the list.

The group had broken up into teams, with him and Rissa working with Lawson and Dani. So far, they’d knocked off more than a dozen items. Like the scavenger hunts they’d made as kids, this one contained a lot of nature prompts and some that weren’t objects at all—peace, friendship, something silly, something old, family.

The physical ones were fun. Maki leading the way. It had taken some work to get the other chickens to line up behind the curious hen.

For a mutated plant species, they’d headed to Wyatt’s greenhouse and taken a picture of the apple and peach tree blend Charlie was attempting with Wyatt’s help.

Finding a bird that’s not a chicken or a duck was trickier. Many of the native species flew south during the winter. They’d heard a few jays calling, but hadn’t spotted any. They recorded the song, hoping the others would accept it, while keeping their eyes open for the birds themselves.

They used Lawson’s truck, Bonny, for the fender picture and made a snowman that resembled Olivia’s new lagula species.

Rissa had included items that reflected every person on the farm. Your favorite guest room at the inn, numbers in action, apples, a simple machine in action, something hashtag-worthy, a unique Worminator photo, and even carrots and a bubble for Ella Mae.

Dani grinned at Rissa. “No wonder the Malssums remember these scavenger hunts so fondly. The items are creative and unique. It’s so much fun.”

Rissa smiled. “I’m glad. We always had a blast watching the younger ones figure them out.”

Lawson laughed. “Or not figure them out. Without phones, we had to get creative to figure out some words. But I never forgot invertebrates, exoskeletons, and the three states of matter. Science was so much easier in school because we’d learned so much from you.”

Her heart filled. “I’m glad to hear that.”

Burke looked at an item they hadn’t checked off yet. “For winter fun, we should organize a snowball fight with everyone. Well, everyone except Jayna.”

Lawson nodded. “How about we use the garden between the farmhouse and the inn? The trees and bushes will provide some cover.”

Dani frowned. “Will we ruin Gray’s garden?”