Page 8 of Merry Mended Hearts
“Who’s your cousin?” I asked.
“Oh, Boone?”
Bingo.
“He’s a repairman here. Fixes all kinds of things. He works in the barn a lot, tends the horses, you know. And he’s one of the sleigh drivers, so if you want a sleigh ride while you’re here, you’ll maybe ride with him.”
“And…he won’t like that I’m here?”
She stopped at the door right next to the one with all the twinkly lights around its doorframe. “Pfft. He won’t even know.”
“That’s a relief,” I said. “This is seriously so incredible of you. How long can I stay?”
My flight didn’t leave until the day after Christmas. I hoped she’d grant me this space for the duration of my stay. I really didn’t want to go home yet.
Junie turned the knob but didn’t go in. A few inches shorter than I was, she glanced up at me with a serious expression. “If you keep your nose clean, I’m sure you can stay until then. But not a word.”
“I got it.”
She could count on me. I was as count-on-able as a number line. Even as I had the thought, a sinking feeling entered my stomach, but I pushed it away.
Junie opened the door and flicked on the light. The room was ordinary, as far as rooms went. A twin-sized bed was pushed up against the wall. It was nicely made with an old quilt covering the top. There was a bedside table with a lamp, a dresser to my right, and the closet doors to the left were closed.
Hanging above them along the ceiling were dozens of ribbons.
“Horses?” I asked.
“That’s Boone. Anyway, here you go. The bathroom is just down the hall. I keep it pretty clean, so I hope you will remember that we’re sharing it.”
“Got it,” I said, realizing just what a huge outreach this was.
Junie was sweet, there was no doubt about that. Offering her personal space to a total stranger?
She backed out of the open door. “You saw when we passed the dining hall? Mason is amazing. You’ll have to use those tickets I gave you and get some dinner.”
“Thank you so much. And I want to pay you for this room,” I hurried to add before she left.
Junie waved this off. “We can work that out. I wasn’t about to leave you stranded.”
“Thank you,” I said again, and then Junie left the room.
I crept slowly around the room, introducing myself to the space. I mean, not literally. But in that way a person does when you’re completely new and not sure where anything is.
Wheeling my suitcase toward the dresser, I laid it on its side and looked at the pictures on the walls. Most were of horses, though there was one of a beautiful blonde woman.
Who was she? Did she have something to do with whoever this Boone person was? Would he really be that upset that I was here?
Thinking fast, I pulled out my phone and crossed to sit on the corner of the bed.
Me: Good news. They found a place for me.
Mom: I’m so glad! That receptionist was super nice.
Me: You have no idea.
This wasn’t the way I imagined this trip going, but I wasn’t going to balk at that. The fact was, I washere.Away from work and from the frustrations and discouragement that had slammed me down after querying my book.
I’d just wanted to escape.