argued.
He grinned at her. “Yeah, but I bet Mary O’Reilly did.”
“Who are you, my mother?” she grumbled.
He hovered close to her, his expression now serious. “No, I guess I’m just another dead guy in your life.”
“Wait… Mike,” she said, but it was too late. He had already faded away.
“Well, crap,” she muttered, and climbed the stairs to go take a shower.
Chapter Nine
“You’re moving a little slow, Mary,” Ian taunted. “Get up on the wrong side of the bed?”
As Mary pulled her sled back up the hill at Lake Le-Aqua-Na, her leg muscles screamed in pain. “You’re a cruel man, Ian,” she said.
Laughing, he ran past her, dragging his own sled quickly. “Only when someone interrupts me sleep.”
“Hey Mary, want to go down on the toboggan?” Andy asked. “There’s lots of room.”
Seated in the bright red plastic toboggan was Bradley at the back, Andy in the center and Maggie at the very front. Bradley’s long legs were shielding both children from any dangers on the sides.
“No, you go on without me,” she called. “I’ll just watch.”
Bradley smiled at her. “We’ll be back up in a few minutes and then you and I can go for a ride.”
He pushed off and the sled started down the hill.
“Faster, faster,” Maggie called from the front.
“It can’t go faster,” Andy yelled. “Chief Alden is making it go slow.”
“What?” Bradley asked.
Andy turned back to him and grinned. “You’re making the sled go slow because you’re heavy.”
“Are you calling me fat ?” he asked in mock outrage.
He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around both of the children and the toboggan started to accelerate. “How’s that for speed?” he yelled into the wind as they whipped down the hill.
“This is so cool!” Andy called, his breath coming out in gasps. “I don’t think I’ve ever gone this fast.”
They slid past the end of the run and out into the snow covered field.
“Look out, a tree’s coming,” Maggie called.
Bradley looked up and saw a large old oak was just where they were going to be in a few moments. He threw his weight to the side and the toboggan flipped over, dumping the occupants into the snow.
“Are you both okay?” he asked.
Maggie sat up, a huge smile on her face. “Let’s do that again.”
Andy rolled over in the snow and looked at Bradley. “Yeah, it’s much faster when there’s a fat guy at the back of the sled.”
Bradley scooped up some snow and threw it at Andy. “Brat.”
Andy laughed and threw a snowball back at Bradley, hitting him in the chest. “Ah, you got me,” he called out, rolling back into the snow.
In a moment, both children were on him, tossing snow in his face, while he grabbed handfuls and plopped them on their stocking capped heads.
“We’re winning,” Maggie called, her little mittened hands holding onto Bradley’s cheeks. “He can’t move his head.”
Andy climbed up next to her, both hands filled with loose snow. “Now you’re going to get it.”
Bradley wrapped his arms around both children and rolled over, dropping them into the snow. “Now, who’s the winner?” he asked.
“We are,” Maggie yelled, stuffing a handful of snow down Bradley’s shirt.
He yelled and jumped up, tugging at his jacket and his shirt, trying to get the frozen ice away from his skin.
“Looks like Maggie got her training from you,” Ian commented to Mary.
“You’re just upset because I’m a better aim than you,” Mary replied, her eyes not leaving the scene at the bottom of the hill.
“He’s a good man,” Ian said, following her glance. “And if it’s so, Maggie couldn’t ask for a better father.”
She nodded. “And if it’s not, we’ll keep looking and we’ll find her.”
“You’d do anything for him, wouldn’t you?”
She smiled and sighed. “Yes, I’d do anything he’d ask me.”
*
“I am not going to do it,” Mary said emphatically.
“Come on,” Bradley argued,
He grinned at her. “Yeah, but I bet Mary O’Reilly did.”
“Who are you, my mother?” she grumbled.
He hovered close to her, his expression now serious. “No, I guess I’m just another dead guy in your life.”
“Wait… Mike,” she said, but it was too late. He had already faded away.
“Well, crap,” she muttered, and climbed the stairs to go take a shower.
Chapter Nine
“You’re moving a little slow, Mary,” Ian taunted. “Get up on the wrong side of the bed?”
As Mary pulled her sled back up the hill at Lake Le-Aqua-Na, her leg muscles screamed in pain. “You’re a cruel man, Ian,” she said.
Laughing, he ran past her, dragging his own sled quickly. “Only when someone interrupts me sleep.”
“Hey Mary, want to go down on the toboggan?” Andy asked. “There’s lots of room.”
Seated in the bright red plastic toboggan was Bradley at the back, Andy in the center and Maggie at the very front. Bradley’s long legs were shielding both children from any dangers on the sides.
“No, you go on without me,” she called. “I’ll just watch.”
Bradley smiled at her. “We’ll be back up in a few minutes and then you and I can go for a ride.”
He pushed off and the sled started down the hill.
“Faster, faster,” Maggie called from the front.
“It can’t go faster,” Andy yelled. “Chief Alden is making it go slow.”
“What?” Bradley asked.
Andy turned back to him and grinned. “You’re making the sled go slow because you’re heavy.”
“Are you calling me fat ?” he asked in mock outrage.
He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around both of the children and the toboggan started to accelerate. “How’s that for speed?” he yelled into the wind as they whipped down the hill.
“This is so cool!” Andy called, his breath coming out in gasps. “I don’t think I’ve ever gone this fast.”
They slid past the end of the run and out into the snow covered field.
“Look out, a tree’s coming,” Maggie called.
Bradley looked up and saw a large old oak was just where they were going to be in a few moments. He threw his weight to the side and the toboggan flipped over, dumping the occupants into the snow.
“Are you both okay?” he asked.
Maggie sat up, a huge smile on her face. “Let’s do that again.”
Andy rolled over in the snow and looked at Bradley. “Yeah, it’s much faster when there’s a fat guy at the back of the sled.”
Bradley scooped up some snow and threw it at Andy. “Brat.”
Andy laughed and threw a snowball back at Bradley, hitting him in the chest. “Ah, you got me,” he called out, rolling back into the snow.
In a moment, both children were on him, tossing snow in his face, while he grabbed handfuls and plopped them on their stocking capped heads.
“We’re winning,” Maggie called, her little mittened hands holding onto Bradley’s cheeks. “He can’t move his head.”
Andy climbed up next to her, both hands filled with loose snow. “Now you’re going to get it.”
Bradley wrapped his arms around both children and rolled over, dropping them into the snow. “Now, who’s the winner?” he asked.
“We are,” Maggie yelled, stuffing a handful of snow down Bradley’s shirt.
He yelled and jumped up, tugging at his jacket and his shirt, trying to get the frozen ice away from his skin.
“Looks like Maggie got her training from you,” Ian commented to Mary.
“You’re just upset because I’m a better aim than you,” Mary replied, her eyes not leaving the scene at the bottom of the hill.
“He’s a good man,” Ian said, following her glance. “And if it’s so, Maggie couldn’t ask for a better father.”
She nodded. “And if it’s not, we’ll keep looking and we’ll find her.”
“You’d do anything for him, wouldn’t you?”
She smiled and sighed. “Yes, I’d do anything he’d ask me.”
*
“I am not going to do it,” Mary said emphatically.
“Come on,” Bradley argued,
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