When Love's Gone Country - By Merri Hiatt Page 0,6
the schedule in fifteen minute increments.”
“All right, no more schedule.”
“We need a schedule,” Purity said. “Without your planning, we’d all still be at home twiddling our thumbs saying, ‘Yeah, someone ought to do something about that.’”
“Beautiful place here. How old is it?” Alex asked.
Everyone looked at Meg.
“You’ll have to find out for yourself. Ms. Organization is taking a vacation, too.”
Courtney laughed. “I love you, Meg. Come on, everybody, let’s go do some research ourselves, then we’ll really appreciate Meg’s gifts.”
“You can say that again,” Purity said.
“Let’s go do some research—”
“No! Don’t say it again.”
“You said!”
“Since when does anybody listen to me?”
They entered the lodge to find handcrafted items placed on shelves around multiple seating areas. Leather couches faced opposite each other to make square conversation areas. Beautiful stained glass lamps were on individually carved end tables.
“Is everything in here homemade?” Courtney asked.
“It is,” a gentleman with long, black hair tucked neatly in a braid said. He wore a denim shirt with embroidered trees on the collar and a vest made of suede embedded with beads.
“Do the beads mean something?” Jacob asked.
“They do. We wear our story on our bodies, in the clothes we wear, the walking sticks we use, even our footwear. Each piece is chosen with care and customized according to our tribe and the path we’ve chosen for our lives.”
“I’m suddenly feeling very much like a boring white person with no history,” Purity said.
“Our culture is different. No better, no worse.” Courtney said. “It’s all about honoring each person’s journey. That’s why I love art so much, there’s no wrong way to express yourself.”
“Is it possible to get a tour of the tree houses?” Meg asked.
“Of course. Most of them are already spoken for, but we do have two left. I’m happy to show them to you.”
“What’s your name?” Jeremy asked.
“Michael. What’s yours?”
“Jeremy, and this is my brother, Jacob. That’s our Mom and Dad, Meg and Bobby. And their friends, Courtney and Brad and Purity and Alex. We’re sort of like a gang.”
“I can see that,” Michael smiled broadly, his teeth seeming even whiter against his dark skin. “There are quite a few stairs to climb. There are resting places, but if you need to stop and sit, please feel free to do so at any time.”
“Are you up for this?” Alex asked Purity.
“Are you kidding? Just try and stop me.”
Chapter Five
Lights highlighted each stair and wooden handrails on both sides made climbing easier.
“How high up are we?” Jeremy asked, looking over the edge.
“This one is about forty-five feet. The other one is sixty feet.”
“Seems like we’re up higher than that.”
“That’s because the land slopes on either side. That adds another ten to twenty feet, depending on which tree house you’re looking at.”
“You okay?” Meg asked Purity.
“I’m good. It’s so beautiful up here, and quiet.”
“We’re about to pass the last rest area, if you’d like to sit down and rest.”
“I’m going to sit,” Meg said.
“Don’t sit on my account.”
“I’m sitting on my account.”
“Then I’ll join you,” Purity said.
Meg suppressed a smile. She hadn’t really needed to sit, but she figured Purity might be too stubborn to admit she needed to rest for a minute.
“Nice ride you and my brother snagged for the trip.”
“I had no idea he was going to get a convertible until he pulled up in it. When the boys saw it, they went ballistic.”
“I still remember the day he rented the Mustang and showed up on Mrs. Cravens’ doorstep in that stupid knight get-up.”
“I loved it. The roses and the key to Mrs. Cravens’ house, well, our new house. It was such a romantic gesture.”
“We’re really lucky, you know.”
“I know. I’m so glad we’re taking this vacation together. The last one was so crazy. I’m looking forward to a quiet, relaxing time.”
“Me, too. Ready to climb again?”
“Yep.”
The duo met up with the rest of the group in short order as they explored the three-bedroom tree house.
“Did you see all the rooms, Mom?” Jeremy asked, running from level to level.
“Slow down there, sport,” Bob said.
“I love how each room is set apart. Is there a bathroom up here?”
“Two, actually,” Michael said. “We tried to make all the elements blend in so they’re an extension of nature, but I don’t think anyone really wanted to go down all those stairs just to use the bathroom.”
“You’d have a lot of empty tree houses then,” Jacob said.
“Exactly.”
“There are more windows than wood in each structure. We figured the whole purpose for being up in the tree was the view,