Their Family Blessing

* * *

Carly took as much time at breakfast as she could, hoping to postpone the tour of Longleaf Lodge with Mack. Despite her issues with him, he still had a way of stirring up feelings she didn’t want stirred. Her relationship with him had always been conflicted. She’d been drawn to him since the moment they’d met, but his close relationship with her dad had always filled her with resentment. She envied the closeness they had shared and the time they’d spent together. So many years away from the lodge and Mack hadn’t changed anything. It was a realization she had no idea how to process.

Carly pushed back from the table in the large kitchen. “Thank you for the breakfast, Thelma. It was wonderful as usual.”

“I’m loving cooking for you again, Cupcake.”

“Are you sure you don’t mind watching Ella while we’re gone?”

“No indeed. I plan on making special pancakes for the girls when they get up, and Dwayne is bringing the dogs over from our place. They’ll enjoy playing with them.”

“Dogs? Is Bully still around?” Her dad’s black Lab had been as much a part of the family as she was.

“No. Bully went on to his reward. Your dad got a German shepherd from a friend and called him Riley. He’s a good watchdog. Then Dwayne and I rescued two little Lhasa–shih tzu mix pups. Poppy and Petunia. Sweet little things. They like to cuddle.”

“Ella will love them. She’s always wanted a dog. Thanks again, Thelma. I don’t think we’ll be long.”

Thelma patted her arm. “Cupcake, try and keep an open mind, okay? Make sure you see everything the way it is, not the way you remember.”

Carly wasn’t sure what Thelma was trying to convey but she promised. Thelma was a wise woman, and it wouldn’t hurt to take her words to heart.

Mack was standing by the golf cart wearing that crooked grin of his when she stepped onto the wide front porch.

“Good morning, Carly. Are you ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.” She tried to halt the wave of appreciation that spiraled up unexpectedly into her chest. Mack had always been too handsome for his own good. A large part of his appeal was that he had no idea what his boy-next-door good looks and athletic build did to women. She recalled, as a teen, many of her girlfriends sighing loudly when he smiled in their direction.

Mack set the cart in motion as soon as she was seated. She pulled her old camera from her pocket and held it in her lap.

“Whatcha got there?”

“My old camera I found when I was in the apartment.”

Mack shot a glance in her direction. “You were in the apartment?”

Carly didn’t want to talk about that. “Where are we going to start?”

“I thought we’d go by the pool area first.”

Carly tried to keep her eyes forward and avoid the stunning beauty of her father’s legacy. If she started to look beyond her resentment, who knew what she might find. It was one reason she’d picked up the camera. It was easier to view things through a lens than experience it outright. A camera allowed you to see without getting emotionally involved.

Mack steered the cart through the pine trees and made a left turn, bringing them to the pool house and snack bar at one end of the large rectangular swimming pool. He pulled to a stop and glanced around.

“It looks like it’s in good shape.” A large cover was stretched over the water to protect it from debris and accidents.

“It is. Wade upgraded it a couple years ago—added the pool cover and renovated the kitchen in the snack bar. Of course we’ll need to clean the place and treat the pool water.”

“So we can have this up and running quickly?”

“Sure. It’s warm enough.”

“It’s early May. The pool should have been open already.”

“It would be if the lodge were open.”

“Right.” Even with all that had happened during the last two days, Carly found it hard to remember that the lodge was closed. Her dad never closed. For any reason. It was one of the things her mother had hated. She’d wanted to take vacations to other places, to go on a cruise, but her father had refused to leave the lodge for any length of time. She pointed her small camera and took a few pictures.

“Trying to recapture memories?”

Carly shook her head, avoiding his gaze. “I want to post pictures online to show prospective buyers all the amenities. The pictures need to evoke an emotion.”

“Do they evoke emotions in you?”

She ignored his question. “Where to next?”

Mack headed out toward the perimeter of the land. As far as she knew there was nothing there but piney woods, but in a few minutes Mack turned into a camping area with five large concrete parking pads. “What’s this?”

“Wade added RV sites. They were very successful. He was hoping to add more.”

When she’d lived here, the only camping facilities were for tents and small campers. They made a swing through that section, then Mack drove toward the lake and stopped near a grove of live oaks near the bank. He stopped the cart and stared out onto the water.

Carly waited for him to speak, but he seemed lost in thought. “Why did we stop?”

“This is where we said goodbye to your dad.”

“What do you mean?”

“We scattered his ashes right out there on the lake that he loved.”

Carly’s throat closed up. Tears stung the backs of her eyes in a swirl of mixed emotions. “The only thing he loved.” Mack looked at her, a deep frown on his face.

“That’s not true. He loved you.”

She didn’t want to argue with him, so she changed the subject. “We should keep going. We’ve only seen a small part of the grounds. I need to get back to Ella.”

“Ella and Lucy are just fine.” Mack started the cart with more acceleration than necessary, forcing them both back against the seat. He sped through the trees, slowing when they reached the two hiking trails. They began at a central point, each with a sign bearing the name of the trail, the length, and a small map etched into the thick wooden sign. The Piney Woods Trail, and the Rocky Creek Trail. But there was a third sign now. The Carly’s Hill Trail. “I don’t understand. When did he add this trail?”

“Shortly after you left one summer you returned.” He steered the cart down the narrow trail. The ground slowly rose with each turn until they perched on a rise overlooking the water. She recognized it as her favorite spot to think or read or just look at the lake. Her thoughts were full of old memories, and she tried desperately to understand what she was seeing. Mack’s soft voice intruded into her thoughts.

“The old fallen tree had rotted away, so that’s why he built the bench.”

Her gaze searched the area. She hadn’t even noticed the bench. A nice sturdy one with a slatted back and curved arms, and a slice of tree trunk on the side situated perfectly as a side table. She’d always complained that she had to sit her bottle of water on the ground.

Carly struggled to find words. It didn’t make any sense. Why would he construct a trail just for her?

“Why didn’t you come to the funeral?” Mack asked.

Her defenses kicked in. “It wasn’t a funeral. Only a memorial service.”

“You should have been here.”

“And my dad should have—” She snapped her lips shut. “We should see the rest of the property.”

Mack stiffened but kept silent, and he drove back down the trail and headed toward the five cabins. “The cabins need work. Two of them are in good condition, but the other three need electrical and plumbing work, and one of them is in need of major repairs.”

He drove past the row of cabins situated near the lake edge.

“Stop,” she said. Mack brought the cart to a halt. “Why is this cabin boarded up?”

Mack inhaled a slow breath before answering. “It’s not usable right now.”

“Why not?”

He leaned his forearms on the steering wheel. “The cabin was rented to a group of college students who got drunk and trashed the place. They left holes in the wall, pulled the plumbing from the bathroom, destroyed kitchen appliances and broke the windows. Everything inside needs to be replaced.”

Carly’s hopes sank. “We’ve never had anything like this happen before. Our guests were always respectful of the property. Did Dad report this to the police?”

“He did, and they were fined and ordered to pay for the damage. They were supposed to work on it themselves, but your dad got sick so the money came in handy, but the repairs are now on us.”

“Is there any way we can get this cabin ready to rent?”

“No.”

Carly’s hopes took another nosedive. How many other areas would have to be left untouched in order to get the lodge open by the deadline? She looked away from the damaged cabin, frowning at the empty landscape ahead. “Where’s the canoe livery? It was always right near the cabins.”

“It’s moved farther down the bank. It’s its own destination now.”

Mack drove down a new gravel path she didn’t remember. Pulling into a small parking area with a neatly laid out path leading to the triangle-shaped canoe stand. But instead of the usual eight, there were only two, and beside it was another stand that held four colorful kayaks. Beyond that, resting on the grassy bank, were three johnboats.

“Where are the canoes?”

“Several of them are in need of repairs. Wade never got around to fixing them. The kayaks are a new addition. The younger guests prefer them to the canoes.”

Carly tapped in canoe repair to her phone list of things needing to be done before they could reopen. Mack turned the cart around and headed back to the lodge. “The Piney Woods Trail needs clearing. They had a high-wind storm a month or so ago and the path is littered with limbs and debris. That was right after Wade got sick and closed the lodge, so it never got taken care of.”

Carly added that to her list. The number of areas needing attention was long and time-consuming, and they hadn’t even made a survey of the main lodge and what might need doing there. “I don’t know how we can open in a week.”

“Then we’ll open in two.”

“No. I want this place on the market as soon as possible.”

“Why are you in such a hurry to unload the lodge? This is your heritage.”

“I don’t live here. I live in Atlanta, and I have no desire to run the campgrounds. So there’s no reason to hang around and waste time. The sooner we sell the better.”

“So it’s all about the money with you?”

“Not in the way you mean.”

“What other way is there?”

“I need to get back.” She was not about to discuss the sad state of her financial affairs with him.

The muscle in his jaw flexed as he accelerated. They were halfway to the lodge before he spoke again.

“How did your husband die? Wade never told me.”

Reliving that moment never got any easier. “Heart attack. We were having a cookout with friends and he went inside to get more burgers and never came out. A friend went in to check on him and found him.”

Mack reached over and took her hand. “I’m sorry, Carly. I shouldn’t have asked. It must have been hard for you and Ella.”

“She was only three at the time, so she only has faint memories of him. I keep a picture in her room so she won’t forget what he looked like.” He’d been a wonderful father and husband. The perfect mate.

Thankfully they had arrived at the lodge. Carly got out and strode toward the lodge. Mack called her name, but she waved him off. “I’m going to check with Thelma. She has a list of things needing to be done in the lodge. We’ll get together later and prioritize.”

She could feel his gaze burning into her back. But she refused to get caught up in pointless sentiment and old memories. The goal was to get the lodge ready for the market. She was already thinking of how to photograph the areas to best advantage and upgrade the website to be more user-friendly.

The sooner she could attract a buyer, the sooner they could all go back to the way things were.

Chapter Three

Dwayne was waiting in the golf cart shed when Mack pulled up. He came over and rested a hand on the cart’s roof. “Well, how did it go?”

Mack leaned back, resting his hands on his thighs. “I’m not sure.”

Dwayne chuckled. “That’s a nice clear answer.”

“I showed her everything, even the new trail Wade laid out for her. I guess I was expecting some sort of emotional reaction, but she was cool and detached the whole time.”

“That doesn’t sound like the girl I remember.”

Mack nodded in agreement. “I think she was surprised by the changes, but I can’t tell if she approved or not. She took some pictures.”

“Really? Why?”

“She said to use them on the website and in the real estate listings.”

“She’s that anxious to unload the place?”

Mack rubbed his forehead. “It’s like she can’t stand to even be at the lodge.”

“I’m not surprised. Her mama did a number on her. You know she refused to stay in Wade’s apartment.”

“Yeah. I noticed. How can she be so blind to what a wonderful man her father was?”

Dwayne adjusted his cap. “Maybe because someone else was standing between her and the truth.”

“Her mother. I get it. I don’t know what happened, but I remember the arguments. They were loud and hurtful.”

Dwayne shook his head. “That wasn’t the only thing going on, you know.”

“What else could there have been?”

The older man patted his shoulder. “You’ll have to work that out with Carly. And if I were you I’d let her know what you actually want out of this arrangement, because when she finds out you weren’t serious about selling and were only agreeing to buy time, she’ll explode. Carly has many of Wade’s good qualities, but she got some bad ones from her mother—an explosive temper and the ability to carry a grudge. Especially when it involves someone she cares about.”

Mack made his way back to the lodge trying to decipher the things Dwayne had said. He’d had the feeling his friend was trying to tell him something important without actually saying it, which was very uncharacteristic of him. He was usually a straight-talking kind of guy.

Whatever had happened between Wade and his wife had been enough to turn Carly against her dad. Which made no sense because she’d always worshipped him, following him around, helping with all the work around the lodge. Her pride in the lodge had been inspiring.

Mack walked up the steps to the front porch, Riley trotting happily beside him as his escort. A glance at his watch reminded him that it was nearly time for a call from his sister. Inside the lodge he looked for Lucy. Thelma glanced up from the registration desk and smiled.

“Lucy and Ella are on the swings out back. I think that’s their new favorite spot.”

The girls had hit it off and Mack was grateful. The last six months had been hard on his niece, losing her grandma, her mom, coming to live with him, then moving to Hastings and meeting more strangers. He wasn’t sure how beneficial a call from Val would be, but it was the only thing his sister insisted on.

Mack stopped at the deck railing and watched the girls pushing the swing to the limits as they sang a song. He had no idea what it was, but Lucy had sung it often. Before he could call to his niece, Carly stepped onto the deck. The sunlight brought out the highlights in her brown hair.

She smiled as she watched the girls. “Ella has really bonded with your niece. I’m glad she has a friend here. Longleaf is very different from what she’s used to.”

“She seems to be adapting okay.”

“I’m surprised. She’s usually so shy, but things are different now.”

“Things?”

Carly broke eye contact and called out to her daughter. Ella pouted. She was a cute kid.

“Lucy—” he held up his phone “—it’s about time.”

Lucy jumped off the swing and ran toward him. “We’ll play later, Ella.”

She hugged her uncle, and he turned and steered her into the house and found a quiet corner to wait for the phone call. Lucy held the cell like a lifeline, never taking her eyes from the screen.

Mack settled onto the couch, trying to quell the rising tension in his chest. These moments were always so difficult. Lucy would become excited to talk to her mom, only to fall into deep sadness when it was over, and he was left to comfort her. He always felt like a failure and out of his depth on how to help.

His ringtone sounded, and Lucy punched the button before it finished. She sank onto the floor and spoke softly into the phone, her face aglow. He’d always loved his niece, and being her guardian had increased that tenfold. He had embraced the feeling and the responsibility. Now he would be lost without her. She meant everything to him, and he wanted to give her the world and protect her from any unhappiness. More than anything he wanted her to have a home.

When the phone call was over, Lucy sat with the phone in her lap, her eyes glassy with tears and her lips quivering. He braced himself for what was to come. Without a word he opened his arms and said her name. She jumped up and threw herself into his lap. He held her close as she cried.

“I want Mommy to come home.”

“I know, sweetie, I know.” He kissed her head and prayed for peace for her little broken heart.

As if sensing the child’s mood, Petunia came to the couch and jumped up, thrusting her furry head under Lucy’s arm. The warm puppy momentarily stopped the tears.

Ella strolled into the room, then hurried out calling for her mom. Mack didn’t have time to deal with Carly right now. Lucy was crying again. One hand gripped his shirt and the other hugged the little dog.

By the time Carly did enter the room, Lucy was regaining her composure. She had downgraded to sniffles, and her death grip on his shirt had eased.

Carly met his gaze, her expression asking if there was anything she could do. He made a slight movement of his head.

Ella broke away from her mom and came toward them. She stopped in front of his niece. “Lucy. Do you want to go swing? It always makes me happy after I’ve been sad.”

To his surprise, Lucy nodded and sat up. Petunia jumped down and stood by Ella. Lucy took Ella’s hand and the two walked slowly toward the back door, leaving Mack with a profound tenderness in his heart. Thank You, Lord, for sending this little girl to be a friend to Lucy.

Carly took a seat beside him, and he sensed she was bursting with questions. He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Val calls Lucy once a week. Lucy lives for those moments, but when they’re over, she’s crushed. I sometimes wish Val wouldn’t call.”

“Does Lucy ever visit her?”

“No. We both felt it wasn’t good for her to see her mom that way.”

“She’s blessed to have you. You were always good with kids. I remember that one summer when that big family stayed here, the one with the seven kids. You came up with all kinds of fun activities for them.”

Mack’s pulse skipped a beat at the affectionate expression on her face. That was the Carly he remembered. Happy, optimistic and always full of energy. Maybe she did remember the good times at the lodge. “That was a fun time. I think the family stayed an extra week.”

“They did, and I think they wanted to adopt you.” She giggled at the memory.

Mack couldn’t look away. At this moment, with her fawn-colored eyes lit with happiness and her sunny smile on display, that old dream he’d cherished about having Carly in his life was stirring again.

“I remember, but I already had a family right here with you and your dad.”

Like the flip of the switch, Carly’s good mood vanished. Her eyes darkened and the smile disappeared into a tight line. She stood. “We need to get together with the Thompsons and determine how quickly we can get these repairs done. If we’re going to have any hope of selling the lodge, we need to get it on the market ASAP.”

“What’s going on, Carly? What did I say?”

“Nothing. I told you. I don’t want this place or...anyone connected with it.”

Mack thought he saw a hint of tears in her eyes as she walked off, which made no sense. He ran a hand down the back of his neck, wondering if Lucy would be as hard a female to understand as Carly was.

Dwayne walked toward him and nodded to Carly as she hurried past him. He stared at Mack with a raised brow. “You have the look of a man with a dilemma.”

“That’s an understatement. I don’t even have a clue what the problem is so I can start fixing it.”

“You never did, kiddo.”

“What does that mean?”

Dwayne shrugged and grinned. “Wade left his life’s work to you and Carly. Think about it.”

Mack shook his head. He was in no mood to unravel riddles. Granted, Wade’s will was odd, to say the least, but Mack had always known his mentor would leave him something. Wade knew how much Mack loved the lodge, but he’d expected a sum of money or maybe a piece of the land to call his own. Dwayne’s comment suddenly loomed in his mind.

Why had Wade left the land to him and the lodge to his daughter? What was he hoping to accomplish? Mack had assumed it was his way of trying to remind Carly of her childhood here, the same way Mack was hoping to rekindle her love for Longleaf.

Could there be another reason? Nothing came to mind at the moment. Shoving the notion aside, he went in search of his niece to see if she’d recovered from the call from her mom. He found the two little girls on the yard swing under the giant live oak at the edge of the water. They had a book between them, oblivious to the world. He had a feeling Ella would be able to help Lucy more than he ever could.

It always helped to have a close friend who understood. Carly had been that friend for him after coming to work at the lodge. They’d enjoyed working together on the grounds and helping the guests in season.

All that mattered now was saving the estate. He had to get the Thompsons on board, and, God willing, the three of them could find a way to persuade Carly not to give up on the lodge.

* * *

Monday morning, Carly made an early escape from the lodge and headed out in her car. She needed to find some breathing space from all the memories and the pressure. Sunday had been filled with church and a nice dinner afterward. She’d managed to avoid everyone by taking Ella into Hastings for some mother-daughter mall shopping, then hiding in her room citing a need to catch up on work back home.

After putting on her blinker, she turned into the large parking lot of the Lake Hope Marina and parked her sedan. Situated five miles outside of Hastings, Lake Hope had become a thriving resort area. Along with the Longleaf Lodge and Campgrounds, there were rental cottages and fishing boats for hire. The Marina Village stores supplied not only the visitors but the local residents who lived and worked at the lake. Thelma had warned her the place had been completely redesigned and she hadn’t been joking. The rustic low-roofed building of old had been replaced with a charming multibuilding complex designed to resemble a small fishing village. Where the former structure had looked unsightly and unwelcoming, the new store invited everyone inside to explore and linger.

Carly started toward the main building, now named the Lake Hope Marina Store. She and Ella had been in Hastings four days now and if they were staying the two months required by the will she needed to do some shopping. She was hoping she could cut that time in half and get back to her life in Atlanta, though.

Mack had organized a meeting with the Thompsons last night, and they had started to lay out a plan for reopening the lodge. Dwayne and Mack would work on the outside, getting the livery up and running, and clearing the trails, while she and Thelma concentrated on preparing the lodge for guests. Carly was hoping to freshen up the decor, provided there was enough funds in the account her father had left. Thelma had already started contacting former employees and offering them their jobs back and calling vendors to get the kitchen restocked and operating.