Hidden Gifts (A Castle Mountain Lodge Romance) by Elena Aitken Read Free Book Online

to get fired up.”
    “Let’s walk for a bit.” Bo gestured down the path.  
    Jeff fell into step next to his friend, leading the horses behind him. Together, they walked in silence for a few minutes. They knew each other well, and just being outside together in the woods was enough to strengthen their friendship after a winter apart. But it wasn’t long before Jeff broke the silence.
    “So,” Jeff said as they approached the trail head. “Are you going to tell me about that sweet little girl you have?”
    Bo sighed and rolled his shoulders back, releasing some of the tension he’d been holding. “There’s not much to say. I didn’t really have much of a relationship with her mother.”
    “Do you with any of them?” Jeff quipped and Bo shot him a look. “Sorry,” Jeff added, “that was out of line.”
    “Anyway,” Bo continued, “she doesn’t have anyone else, and Tessa named me in her will. So, I got the call and a few days later, Ella.”
    “Wow, man. I can’t even imagine.” Jeff wiped his sleeve across his brow. “She’s pretty cute, though,” he said. “Must take after her mama, huh?” He dodged Bo’s punch and laughed. “So what are you going to do? I mean, you can’t keep her at the Lodge.”
    Bo stopped in his tracks and stared at his friend. “Why not?”  
    “It’s not much of a place for kids, is it? I mean, it’s good for holidays and all, but to live? That sucks, because rumor has it that they were going to offer you the full-time gig. You know, leading winter treks and all that. Isn’t that the one you were after?”
    Crap. With everything that had happened in the last few days, Bo’d forgotten all about putting in for the outdoor recreation manager position. He took a moment to digest what Jeff had said before he spoke again. “I don’t think I can keep her anyway.” At Jeff’s confused expression, he quickly continued, “I mean, what kind of father can I be? And like you said, the Lodge is no place for a child to live, even if I could.”
    “I thought you said there was no where else for her to go?”
    “There isn’t … but—“
    “You’d turn her over to Social Services? Your own daughter?”
    “No!” Bo’s response surprised even him. “No,” he said again, calmer. “I mean, I don’t want to. But they were looking into some family. An uncle, I think.”
    Jeff shook his head slowly. “Did I ever tell you I was a foster kid?”  
    Bo shook his head. Neither of them had ever really talked about their childhoods.  
    “It’s a hard life for a kid,” Jeff said. “Don’t get me wrong. It’s the right decision for some and I did end up with a really good family. Even got a few pesky little sisters out of the deal, but … ” He looked past Bo, staring into the woods for a moment, lost in a memory.  
    “Jeff?”
    His buddy shook his head, clearing the memory. “Sorry,” Jeff said. “I was just thinking.”
    “So what do you think I should do?”
    Jeff shrugged. “No idea. But you definitely need to think about it.”
    Bo kicked at a loose rock on the trail. “I’ve been doing nothing but. I mean, what if I keep her and screw it up?” Bo ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t know anything about kids, and my situation is less than ideal. Maybe she’d be better off with a nice family. People who can provide her with a stable home and like you said, maybe some sisters and—“
    “Is that really what you think?”
    “I don’t know,” Bo answered truthfully. “That’s the whole problem. I just don’t know.” But what Bo did know was that when he got back to the Lodge, he had a call to make. Maybe Clara Kersey could help him with an answer.

Chapter Six

    It was bad enough that she was late, but after her run-in with Bo, Morgan had to take a minute to compose herself before walking into the Cub’s Club. Sure, he was arrogant and full of himself, but there was something else about him that made her blood run hot and for the second