Right Here Waiting by Tarra Young Page B

York and the
lights of the big city. Not much changed. She could almost swear she could
smell her father’s aftershave lingering in the air. She felt wrapped in a sense
of comfort and she embraced it welcomingly, but she was still unsure about
being in this room. Was she ready? Regardless, she was here now.
    She took a deep breath and sat down on the bed. It was a
lot for her to take in all at once. She missed her parents deeply. The tears
she was holding back rolled down her cheeks like identical waterfalls. She was
grateful Blade brought her into the house, up the stairs, and into her parents’
bedroom and left without so much as a word after depositing her suitcase on the
king size bed sitting in the center of the room. She needed this private moment
to herself to reflect on the past and memories she treasured of her parents.
    The bed was made of the same cherry colored wood as the
night tables, the dresser, the rocking chair, and the chest sitting on the
floor at the foot of the bed. Not long after her parents were married, her
father built this furniture with little more than his bare hands. He worked on
it late into the night after putting in a full day’s work on the ranch. They
didn’t have much money in those days, but her father always saw to it their
family was well provided for.
    It didn’t matter what they needed, her father always
worked hard to get the money to buy it if he couldn’t make it himself. She
remembered the tree house her father built for her in the big oak tree in the
backyard. She wondered if it was still there. She wiped the tears away and
pulled herself together before jumping up and running over to the window to
look out.
    Sure enough, it was there. So was the tire swing her
father put up for her the summer she was ten. She was still mad at Blade for
the way he treated Josh. She knew she should be helping Josh get settled in and
helping him set up their equipment, but the old tree house of her youth seemed
to be calling to her. What would a few minutes hurt to take a walk down memory
lane?
    Like the child she once was, she ran down the stairs,
taking them two at a time in a rush to get outside. She continued running,
heading for the back door. She nearly knocked Martha down in the process when
she literally ran into her. This brought her to a halt.
    “Whoa!” Martha said as she skidded to a stop. “Where are
you off to in such a rush?” Breathless, Megan grinned up at Martha.
    “I just wanted to go out and see the old tree house,” she
said as soon as she caught her breath.
    Martha’s eyes lit up. “Hey, I know, why don’t you and I
have a tea party up in the old tree house for old time’s sake?” It sounded like
a lot of fun. It was something she and Martha often did when she was a small
child.
    She hated to disappoint Martha. She would love to have a
tea party with Martha and reminisce about the past right now, but she couldn’t.
“I’m sorry, Martha, maybe another time. I don’t have time right now because I
need to help Josh get settled in and set up our equipment.” The expression on
Martha's face changed. She seemed worried about something. What could it be?
    “Blade was just in here, telling me about your friend
from the city. You run along now, and remember to be careful.” She could tell
Martha was serious and meant what she said.
    “I will,” she said as she walked out of the house. She
was puzzled. Was Martha warning her to be careful out in the tree house? Or was
she warning her to be careful with Josh? It must be the latter. Josh was the
least of her worries. He was safe as far as Megan was concerned. The one she
needed to worry about was, in fact, Blade Thorne. He seemed to be able to work
his way into her heart at the drop of a pin.
    * * *
    B lade just finished moving the last
bale of hay and stepped out of the barn to be greeted by the bright afternoon
sunshine when he noticed a lone figure emerge through the back door of the
house. He raised his hand to