Lost Valley Box Set, page 42
part #1 of Lost Valley Series
Kate McGrew walked in carrying a bag of groceries and a rolled up newspaper still in its plastic cover. “Did you guys miss me?”
“Of course,” Luc said. And he and the children had missed her, as she had been away with Chuck for several days making flights to and from Manatuk delivering a backlog of packages.
Kelly untangled herself from the blanket, ran to Kate, and hugged her around the legs. “Did you bring any donuts?”
Sam took the bag and newspaper and looked down at his daughter. “Kelly, that’s not polite.”
Kelly pouted slightly.
Kate grinned at her. “What do you mean donuts? I thought you and Stuart wanted to try chocolate covered ants.”
“Yuck,” Kelly said in an exaggerated voice.
“You’re just teasing right?” Stuart asked, looking at her suspiciously.
Luc set the bag down on the dining room table, peered inside, and then looked at Kate in mock confusion. “I don’t see any chocolate covered ants in here, just this box of donuts.”
“I knew you’d bring donuts,” Kelly said knowingly as she walked alongside Kate to the table.
Luc pulled the donut box out of the bag and sat it on the table. He went into the kitchen, poured two cups of coffee, and brought them back with him. He handed her a cup. “Hungry?” he asked and opened the box of donuts, sliding it over to her.
She pulled out two chocolate donuts and handed one to Kelly and the other to Stuart. They ran back into the living room, got under their blankets, and went back to their cartoons.
Kate looked back in the box and pursed her lips. “Umm.., what to have?” After a moment’s consideration, she chose a cinnamon crumb donut and pushed the box back to Luc.
Luc pulled out a maple bar, took a bite, and laid it on a nearby napkin. He picked up the newspaper and slid off its plastic cover. After a sip of coffee, he unfolded it and stared in surprise at the front page. The lead story showed a picture of the President of the United States and the Secretary of Energy at a podium in front of the White House. He skimmed the article quickly and then glanced at Kate who was enjoying her donut. “Have you read today’s paper?”
“No, I haven’t had a chance. Why?”
“It appears the news is out about the valley. The Secretary of Energy is asking the President to declare it a restricted area until they can determine the exact nature of the ore and its future impact on the country.”
“You’re kidding,” she said with a frown.
“Not only that, but several countries are already insisting that the United Nations intervene and grant them equal rights to the discovery.”
“That’s ridiculous. The native Americans who’ve lived in the area for generations should get those rights,” she said.
Luc opened the paper to the second page and was surprised to see a picture of Christie. Under it was the caption, “Seattle Paleontologist Makes Major Discovery.” He glanced at Kate. “There’s an article about Christie on the second page.”
She cast him a sour look. “I can’t wait to read it.”
He skimmed the first half of the article. “It looks like Northern Energy is giving her full credit for the discovery of the animals in the valley.”
Kate raised her eyebrows. “That’s big of them. As I recall, you were the one that found the tooth and almost got killed bringing it back.”
Luc continued reading. “Now, this is strange. Northern Energy is claiming they signed a contract two weeks ago for all energy producing reserves in the areas around Manatuk, extending well into the northern mountains.”
Kate put her donut down. “So let me get this right, while we were risking our lives in that valley, Roland and his company was busy tying up the rights to the ore.”
Luc nodded. “Looks that way, but if I have anything to say about it, the villagers will be getting a good team of lawyers to represent them. Northern Energy knew about the ore and didn’t say a word about it. It was a totally unfair contract.”
Kate closed the lid of the donut box and took another sip of coffee. “Luc?”
He glanced over the paper at her.
“I say we focus on the things we have control over. That’s the best thing you can do in situations like this,” she said and then rose from the table and walked into the living room.
Luc threw the paper down on the table and stared out the dining room window as a red squirrel scampered up the trunk of the large tree in his backyard. “One thing for sure, I won’t rest until the truth comes out about how Roland’s men tried to kill us.”
He waited for her to respond, and when she didn’t, he glanced over at her and noticed she was no longer listening, but was looking around the living room.
“Luc, what do you think about painting the place?” she said.
“Painting?” he said, caught off guard by the sudden change in subjects.
“Yeah, a light peach and put some pretty curtains on the windows.”
He glanced around the room. “I don’t know about pretty curtains. I kind of like the brown ones.”
“Some pretty, light-colored sheers would be nice,” she said, ignoring his comment.
Luc began to feel a bit off balance. “Don’t you think we should wait until we get married?”
She glanced back at him. “You do remember we talked about me moving in?”
“Yes, of course I remember, but…”
“It never hurts to get an early start when you have a big design job ahead of you,” she said energetically.
He stood up and walked into the living room. “A big design job?”
“Luc, this place is screaming for a woman’s touch.” She walked over to the front windows and smacked the brown curtains. A cloud of dust flew into the air. “When is the last time you washed these?”
"Washed the curtains?” He looked around the room for a moment and realized he had never changed anything since he had first moved in, and he certainly hadn't thought to wash the curtains. “You know you’re right. This place could use a little more color and style.”
She walked toward him, shaking her head as a smile spread across her face. “What would you do without me, Mr. Moon?”
He gazed into her beautiful green eyes and took a step toward her. Pulling her close, he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her. “I don’t think I ever want to find out,” he said, realizing he felt truly content and happy for the first time in a very long time.
The End
Luc Moon Will Return.
About the Author
One of J.T. Cross’s favorite things to do is to sit at a nearby lake with his laptop, working on his next novel. He also composes and records music, and enjoys building custom cabinetry. Readers can connect with him on Facebook.
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J T Cross, Lost Valley Box Set
