Chapter 5
Tonka had been watching for Henley for at least an hour now.
He’d wanted to text her and ask if she was all right.
If her car was giving her any issues. To find out when she’d arrive.
But he also didn’t want to be a creeper.
He had to play things cool. He couldn’t go from basically ignoring her to wanting to know where she was every minute of the day.
After his morning chores, Tonka found himself doing something he rarely did…going up to the lodge for lunch.
“Tonka! Hi,” Alaska said when he entered.
His lips twitched over the surprise she’d tried to hide when she saw him. “Hey.”
“Is anything wrong? Is it Melba? Have the goats eaten someone’s shoes they left outside their cabin again?”
“No, everything’s fine. I just thought I’d come up and grab some lunch…and maybe have a word with Brick and the others, if they’re around.”
She stared at him in surprise for a moment before recovering and gesturing toward the other side of the huge open space.
“Drake and Owl are already at a table, eating and chatting with some guests. I think Stone and Tiny will be up later, and Spike and Pipe are on a hike with a few other guests. They went out to Table Rock and, if everyone’s up to it, they’re planning on continuing to Sitting Rock. ”
Since Henley hadn’t arrived yet, it was a perfect time to talk to Brick about her daughter spending some time at The Refuge that summer.
“Cool. You good? Need anything?” Tonka asked.
Now Alaska stared at him with an incredulous expression.
“What?” he asked.
“I just…nothing.”
Tonka sighed. He knew he barely spent any time in the lodge, but still, he hated that his being here was such an anomaly that it rendered Alaska nearly speechless. He made a mental note to try to be a little more social. He smiled at Brick’s woman before heading for the dining area.
There were four guests seated at the table, eating with Brick and Owl. Robert, their chef, followed behind Tonka, holding another tray of candied bacon, which was one of the favorites of the guests.
He snagged a piece as the man walked by and chuckled at the scowl Robert shot him.
“Sorry,” Tonka said, not sorry at all. “One of the best things we’ve ever done is hire your daughter as your assistant. She put this on the menu, right?” he asked, holding up the piece of bacon.
At the mention of Luna, Robert grinned. “If I’d known how easy it was to make you boys and the guests happy, I would’ve put these on the menu way before now.”
Luna hadn’t been working at The Refuge for long, just a couple weeks, but she was already proving to be a great addition.
She worked mostly part time in the mornings with her dad, before heading back to town to attend classes at the University of New Mexico-Los Alamos.
She was earning her Associates Degree, and had already decided she’d continue her schooling to get her four-year degree.
When her schedule allowed, she sometimes came back out to help Robert prepare dinner.
She was a beautiful young woman. In fact, with her long brown hair, prominent cheekbones, and long natural lashes framing dark brown eyes, she could easily be a model.
But she had no interest in her looks—or men, much to Robert’s relief.
She was focused on helping her father and continuing her studies.
Tonka headed to the buffet and assembled a hamburger, then piled some potato salad, fruit, and some more of the candied bacon onto his plate before pulling out the empty chair next to Brick.
“Hey, everything good at the barn?” his friend asked with a raised brow.
“Yup. Thought I’d come up and grab some lunch,” Tonka said.
“And?” Brick asked after a long pause.
“Can’t I just come up here to eat?” he asked, stuffing another piece of bacon into his mouth. He had no idea how Luna made the stuff, but it was literally irresistible.
“Of course. But since you hardly ever eat with us, I’m naturally wondering what other reason you might have to visit,” Brick said reasonably.
“I might have something I want to discuss with you and the other guys,” Tonka admitted after a beat.
“Of course. Stone and Tiny should be here soon. They’re giving our new housekeeper a tour of the place before leaving her with Carly and Jess to teach her the ropes.”
“We have a new housekeeper?” Tonka asked.
Brick smirked. “This is why you should come up and hang out at the lodge more often. Yes. Alexis quit because some great-uncle or something died and left her some money. She moved back home to Georgia.”
Tonka nodded. “Cool.”
“Yeah, but we needed to replace her quickly. Alaska put up an ad and we interviewed applicants yesterday. Ryan was clearly the best choice. Today’s her first day. Anyway, when they get here, we can talk…unless you want to wait for Spike and Pipe to get back from their hike?”
Tonka shook his head. “I can talk to them later.”
“All right.” Then Brick turned to the guests and said, “You might remember, but this is Tonka. He’s in charge of all the animals here at The Refuge.”
Tonka did his best to curb his impatience as he made small talk with the guests for the next ten minutes or so. When he finished his meal, he stood, and Brick told everyone he, Tonka, and Owl needed to get some work done, bidding them a good day before leading the way to a conference room.
He didn’t miss the way Brick immediately sought out Alaska as they made their way across the lodge, as if wanting to make sure all was well with her.
They smiled at each other, and even though he didn’t detour over to the desk, it seemed as if they had a whole secret conversation from across the room.
He was happy for his friend. Alaska was perfect for him, and vice versa. Not to mention, she’d been a huge help at The Refuge too, taking over the administrative duties.
The three men walked into a small conference room, where Owl leaned against the table. “Do we need to sit for this?” he asked.
Tonka shook his head. “No, I’ll be quick. It’s about Henley.”
Owl straightened. “Is she all right?”
“Yes,” Tonka reassured him, torn between being pleased at his friend’s concern…and somewhat worried that Owl might be reacting the way he was because he also had deeper feelings for her.
“It’s her daughter. Well, I mean, sort of. She’s fine. Jasna, that is…” Tonka sighed in frustration. He wasn’t explaining this well at all.
To his relief, Brick just grinned. “Take a breath, Tonka.”
“Right. So, we didn’t even know Henley had a daughter.
She didn’t tell us about her until recently.
And apparently her neighbor’s been helping with childcare, but the woman had a stroke yesterday and will be moving to Albuquerque to be closer to family.
With summer coming up, that leaves Henley without anyone to watch Jasna.
So…I told her that she could bring her here.
“You guys don’t have to worry about her,” he continued quickly.
“I’ll make sure she doesn’t get into any trouble, and when we have guests who’ve marked kids as a trigger on their intake form, I’ll keep her away from them.
I’m afraid if Henley doesn’t figure out something affordable, we’ll lose her.
And she’s too valuable to The Refuge and to our guests. ”
Tonka knew he was talking too fast, but he didn’t want to give either of his friends a chance to protest. This was important.
“And I watched her yesterday—Jasna, that is—and she was great. I mean, she was sick, so she slept for a lot of the afternoon, but still. Before that, when she was awake, she was polite and courteous and super-interested in the animals. I’m sure I can keep her busy when she’s here.
And Henley says she’s pretty self-entertaining.
She likes to read and stuff, so I don’t think she’d get in trouble. ”
Brick outright laughed now, and held up a hand. “Easy, dude. We aren’t disagreeing.”
Tonka stared at his friends, practically holding his breath.
“I think it’s a great idea,” Owl said with a shrug.
“There’re plenty of things around here to keep her busy.
She could go on hikes with guests, or even shadow the employees if she wants to learn what they do—providing they’re amenable.
She could help with the housekeeping, although I’m guessing that probably won’t be her favorite.
Help you out in the barn or hang with Robert and Luna in the kitchen.
I bet Hudson wouldn’t mind her tagging along while he does the landscaping, and if she’s interested, Jason could show her some of the simplest maintenance tasks. ”
“Alaska would love to show her some of the admin stuff she’s doing. And while Savannah’s accounting work might not be as exciting for a kid, I’m sure she also wouldn’t mind letting her help, as well,” Brick said.
Tonka let out the breath he’d been holding. “Thanks, guys.”
“No need to thank us,” Brick said with a shake of his head. “Henley’s one of us, and if she needs help with her daughter, we’re more than willing to step up. I’m still a little upset she didn’t even tell us that she had a kid. We could’ve been helping her long before now.”
Tonka agreed with his friend on that one. “I don’t know what the schedule will be for her summer, or how often she’ll be here. I think Henley said something about some camps she might sign Jasna up for as well, but I’ll find out for sure. And school’s not out for another week.”
Owl nodded. “We’ll figure it out.” He turned speculative eyes to Brick. “Besides, I think it would be good to have kids around…you know…in preparation.”
Brick rolled his eyes. “Alaska and I aren’t planning on popping out babies tomorrow, Owl.”
“I know, but eventually you might.”
Brick just grinned.
“On that note, I’m out of here,” Tonka said. “Henley should be here soon. She was going to go to the hospital to visit her neighbor then head this way. I’ll let her know that Jasna’s welcome to be here while she’s working. That we’ll keep our eye on her.”