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“That doesn’t mean they don’t care about each other,” Kayla pointed out. “And I’ll bet her sister would love to see Montana, but Keri gets to come because you’re friends.”
DeeDee brightened as she nodded in agreement. Kayla tugged the end of her daughter’s thick braid. “There’s always give-and-take in a family. You’ve been very understanding about everything going on here in Montana, but Alex cares about you, too. That’s why he told me you might be upset about something.”
Alex stuck his head through the door. “Yeah, you may be a squirt, but you’re my squirt.”
“Alex, you shouldn’t be eavesdropping,” Kayla scolded him mildly.
“I just got here, so I didn’t hear that much.”
“It’s okay,” DeeDee said.
“You can be a pain,” Alex told her, “but you’ll always be my ‘oldest’ sister.”
DeeDee giggled.
Kayla smiled at her daughter. “If you don’t want to go to the family gathering tomorrow evening, we can—”
“I want her to come,” Alex interrupted quickly. “Okay, DeeDee?”
DeeDee grinned. “Sure.”
* * *
MORGAN OPENED THE Facebook message from Alex. He said that DeeDee was worried people thought she was in the way.
She knew how DeeDee felt. It was crummy to feel as if someone wished you weren’t there.
Grabbing her cell phone, she texted DeeDee and asked if she and Alex wanted to go on a ride before the grown-ups got there and outnumbered the kids. She didn’t want DeeDee to feel bad or left out.
DeeDee texted back: Can we go 2 HMdow?
Yes. CU.
One of the things Morgan liked about DeeDee was how much she loved Halloran’s Meadow. Alex thought it was fun, but Morgan didn’t think he understood how she felt when she sat and listened to the water falling and the breeze rustling through the quaking aspens.
The first time they’d gone to the meadow together, she’d gotten out of the pool and sat staring at a wildflower, feeling mellow in the sun and wondering if the door to another world could be nearby...maybe behind her, or to the left or right. And if she stepped through the door, there was a chance she might find hobbits or elves or unicorns.
After a few minutes, DeeDee had dropped down next to her and whispered, “I like it this way, but I wish I could come sometime in the rain. It’s the kind of place where fairies might wash their hair.”
Morgan had opened her eyes wide. Could DeeDee have read her mind?
“It’s great in the rain,” she’d whispered back.
Then DeeDee had looked embarrassed. “Don’t tell Alex I said something about fairies. He might tease.”
Morgan knew how DeeDee had felt. Alex was a geek who loved Star Trek, but he was still a guy, and guys didn’t always understand. Besides, it would feel silly talking about fairies and unicorns out loud—she sure couldn’t tell any of her new buddies from the past year about the things she imagined. They’d laugh their heads off.
Another message came from Alex; he’d forgotten to tell her Sandy was coming in a couple of days. Morgan didn’t know what to think about that. It had been nice having him and DeeDee to herself.
They wouldn’t be in Montana for much longer, then they were going home. Morgan didn’t want to think about it.
* * *
THE NEXT MORNING Morgan got back from her run and slumped into a chair in the kitchen. How could Kayla do it alone every day? It was much more fun running with her.
Her dad came in from the ranch office. He was looking at some papers but set them aside when he saw her at the table.
“Still running, I see,” he said.
“Yeah,” she mumbled.
“You took Cory?”
“As if I could stop him from coming.”
His jaw tightened. “Morgan, can’t you talk to me like a normal person?”
“Jeez, sorry for disappointing you.”
“I didn’t say you disappointed me.”
“That’s what you meant,” she muttered.
Her dad rubbed his forehead. “Morgan, do you miss your mom? Is that the reason for this attitude? Tell you what, I’ll call her and ask her to come for a visit.”
The last thing Morgan wanted was her mother coming to Schuyler. “No.”
He closed his eyes the way he did when he was angry or didn’t want her know what he was thinking. “Do you want to visit her in New York?”
“No, I don’t,” she almost yelled, the misery swelling up terribly all at once. “I just want someone to be glad I’m around.”
Then, afraid of what she’d said, Morgan lunged up and ran outside to the barn. It usually made her feel better to spend time with the Black, but she wasn’t sure anything would help now.
