felt as if sheâd known them forever and could count them as friends.
Meggie had spent most of the time watching an animated movie with Danny, but once everyone had said good-night and gone, Ally told her to go upstairs and get ready for bed.
âNot yet,â Jackson vetoed from behind, having followed her in from the front door after seeing Linc, Kansas and Danny off.
âWhat?â she asked, glancing over her shoulder at him.
âThere are some people the two of you have to meet and then Iâll show Meggie the chores sheâll need to do tomorrow while weâre off working.â
It took a moment for all of that to register and for Ally to choose which to take issue with first. âWhatever work I do, Meggie will need to be with me.â
âNo, maâam, she wonât. The people youâre about to meet are Hans and Marta. Marta does the housekeeping here and Hans takes care of the grounds and the handiwork close to home. Theyâll look after the girl while weâre gone, make sure sheâs doing what sheâs supposed to.â
Issue number two.
Ally turned to face him. âIâll do what you feel is necessary to earn our keep, as you put it, but Meggieââ
âItâs okay, Mom,â Meggie interrupted, suddenly at Allyâs side, sounding worried and as if she were feeling responsible for smoothing the waters. âI can do chores. I fed Grandmaâs cat before, remember?â
Ally put her arm around her daughterâs shoulders and hugged her close, besting Jackson with a glare fiercer than heâd given her all night. She didnât say anything else. Not then, with Meggie there. But Jackson Heller had not heard the end of this. Not by a long shot.
He ignored what her expression conveyed and turned toward the kitchen, saying as he went, âHans and Marta went into Cheyenne today but I saw them coming back as Beth and Ash left. Weâd best get over there before they turn in for the night.â
Apparently that meant Ally and Meggie were to follow him, which Meggie was quicker to do than Ally. Ally might have just stood there staring daggers at his broad back except that her daughter took her hand and dragged her along.
The small cottage Ally had thought was a guest house was where the two caretakers lived. Marta and Hans were well into retirement years and seemed more like resident grandparents than employees.
Hans was thin, wiry and bald on top; he slipped his dentures in as Marta welcomed them into their home. She was as wide as she was tallâbut agile in spite of itâwith rosy red cheeks, white hair cut like an inverted bowl, and kind, jolly eyes.
There was an underlying tone of joyousness to her high voice as she asked Meggie what kind of things she liked to eat for lunches when Jackson informed her she was to look after the little girl during the days while he and Ally worked.
The older woman seemed to view the news as a gift that delighted her and Meggie responded to that, warming up to her, and to Hansâs teasing, too.
Ally only hoped her daughter wasnât just putting a good face on things to keep the tension with Jackson down to a minimum.
They didnât stay but a few minutes before leaving Hans and Marta to go to bed. From there Jackson led the way to the chicken coop while explaining to Meggie that one of her daily chores would be to feed the chickens, gather eggs and bring them to Marta.
âMeggie is just a little girl,â Ally warned from behind the two of them, trying again to make it clear she didnât want her daughter to have to do this.
âOn a ranch even little girls work,â Jackson informed in a tone of voice more even and equable than Allyâs had been.
Meggie shot her a look that begged her not to make waves, and again Ally put off further argument as Jackson showed her daughter what to do.
Ally watched like a hawk, staying close to Meggie, ready to swoop should
Learning to Kill: Stories