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.That was, until she’d met Priscilla.According to Bobby, Daisy had been the woman’s constant companion whenever she was at the house, which had been daily as they worked out the details for the auction.The auction.Jeez, he really needed to come up with something—Dean heard a door to the dining hall slam and then a quick bark.He turned, smiling, as a blur of golden-brown fur raced toward him.“Hey, girl!” Kneeling, he welcomed his dog’s enthusiastic greeting as Daisy launched into his arms.“Yes, I’m happy to see you, too.”He scratched her behind her ears and accepted lots of doggy kisses, finally rising when Bobby joined them.His friend had a grin on his face and Dean suddenly remembered the other news Bobby had shared when they spoke earlier.“Congrats, Daddy.” He stuck out his hand.“I’m guessing you’re going to be sporting a goofy grin until the rug rat arrives sometime around.when?”“The New Year.” Bobby laughed, a look of pure joy on his face as he returned Dean’s handshake.“And you bet I am.”Bobby and Leeann had been trying for a baby since they’d married on New Year’s Eve a few years ago.His buddy had confided his concerns that his racing accident might be the cause of their inability to conceive, but tests had proven otherwise.The doctors’ advice had been to relax and keep trying and it worked.Dean was genuinely happy for them.“So, does that make me an honorary uncle?”“Uncle? Hell, Lee and I want you to be our child’s godparent.”Stunned, Dean could only stare at his best friend.He and Bobby had met many years ago while serving in the army overseas.Their friendship had been born in the blood, sweat and tears of hellish duty long before the current conflict that was still going on over there.They’d stayed in touch after leaving the army, back before the attacks on the World Trade Center.When Bobby had needed Dean’s services as a physical therapist after his crash, Dean had quit his job and followed his buddy to Destiny.Thanks to his two married sisters, Dean had four nieces and nephews back in New Jersey, but so far hadn’t been asked to take on the title of godparent.He was humbled.“Wow, I don’t know what to say.”Bobby’s grip tightened.“Say yes.”“You sure you want me having such influence over your baby?” Dean tried to go for humor as the responsibilities that went along with the position filled his head.“There’s no telling what kind of trouble I could lead them into.”“Your job will be to keep him—or her—out of trouble.” Bobby let go of his hand and gave him a hearty thump on the back.“And give good advice, like always listening to their parents, obeying the rules.”“Aw, what’s the fun in that?” He smiled, suddenly feeling a lot better than he had just a few moments ago.“I’d be honored.Thanks for asking.”Bobby returned his grin, then turned to stand next to him as they looked out over the camp.“Boy, it sure is quiet around here with the kids gone.”Dean took in the view from this spot, loving how he could see all the way down to the lake and then the stables just off to the right.“Yeah, I’m sorry I missed the bonfire Saturday night.”“The kids missed having you there, too, not to mention your ghost stories.”“Have you guys been working on anything new while I was gone?” Dean asked.“Yes, we have, and you’re here just in time to help.” Bobby pointed straight ahead.“See that area staked out across from the arts-and-crafts building?”Dean spotted the patch of land cordoned off by ropes tethered to a series of evenly spaced stakes.“What’s going in there?”“A performance pavilion.”He looked at his friend.“A what?”“An outdoor stage.Nolan was here on Wednesday to discuss the design and dimensions.Since Murphy Mountain Log Homes built the original camp buildings, we want any new ones to match.We decided to go with a three-sided structure, with a roof of course, and leave the area in front for seating, probably with the same type of benches we have at the campfire.You want to go down and check it out?”“Sure.” Dean walked next to Bobby while Daisy tagged along, trotting between them.“Is a stage really something the camp needs?”“Well, we use either the dining hall or the campfire area whenever we do anything like a talent show or the skits the counselors come up with, but this way we’ll have a set location for those things.We won’t have to shuffle things around as much.It was one of Priscilla’s ideas.”Just hearing her name had Dean scanning the camp again, looking for any sign of her.Nothing.Maybe she was inside the office.Or maybe she’d grown tired of the place after a week.Hanging around a kids’ camp was a far cry from the European holiday she’d originally planned.She’d claimed at bingo she’d bought more casual clothes, but that night she’d looked just like she always had.Rich and beautiful and way out of his league.“The plan is to clear the area for the foundation.We want to get it poured tomorrow [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]