Ghost Town (22 page)

“Dad! You scared me. I was just leaving the twins a note about the wolf pups,” she explained. “You're not mad that I snuck out for a few minutes, are you?”

“No. I heard the door open, and I just wanted to make sure you were all right,” he said.

“I'm fine.”

“Look, honey, I wanted to apologize for what happened yesterday,” Mr. Ramsey began.

Charlotte wanted to tell him that apologizing wasn't necessary; she was fine. But the truth was, having her father and Lissie laugh at her worries had hurt—even if
it was silly. The words gathered in her throat, but all she could do was swallow hard.

Charlotte's dad enfolded her into a warm, comforting hug that immediately calmed her down.

“You shouldn't have to apologize,” Charlotte told her dad, surprised at how casual she sounded. “I know you probably want a girlfriend someday. That's totally normal.”

Mr. Ramsey held Charlotte at arm's length and studied her face. Slowly, a bright smile spread across his face.

“Maybe someday,” he said as he ruffled her hair.

The two turned and slowly walked back toward the suite where the rest of the girls were waiting.

“Dad, what's going to happen to the wolf pups?” Charlotte asked.

“Well, as you know,” Mr. Ramsey started slowly, “Lissie is going to be working here at Big Sky Resort for a while.”

Charlotte nodded.

“Lissie and JT contacted a wildlife rescue group right after the helicopters landed. The rescue team will pick up the wolf pups tomorrow,” Mr. Ramsey informed her.

Charlotte breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh, good! I've been thinking about those poor little guys. And what about JT?”

“He's going to stay in one of the staff bunkhouses here on the ranch for a few months. Lissie talked to her boss and arranged it so that JT can help out on the ranch in exchange for his room and board,” Mr. Ramsey explained. “It'll give him time to decide what he wants to do in the long run.”

“Lissie's grandmother, Amaryllis, and JT have talked by phone a few times, haven't they?” Charlotte asked.

Mr. Ramsey nodded. “I think they're both a little taken aback by the turn of events. But also very happy.”

Charlotte couldn't help but smile. What a reunion it must have been! “Do you happen to know what they said to each other? Maeve was begging for me to find out EVERY detail,” Charlotte told her dad.

Mr. Ramsey put his arm around Charlotte. “All I know is that they've been talking about the past and the future, and it seems they're enjoying talking after all these years. I think you detectives have done enough snooping into JT's life. It's best to let him be now.”

Charlotte knew her dad was right. Still, she wished she could have been a fly on the wall during one of the conversations between JT and his long-lost Amaryllis.

Mr. Ramsey inched the door to the suite open, assuming that all the girls had crashed for the evening, but the light was on and they were all watching TV on the huge leather couch.

“Can't sleep?” Mr. Ramsey asked.

“Nope,” Katani answered. “This has been a whirlwind few days. We need some time to chill!”

“Have fun,” Mr. Ramsey said, “but don't stay up too late.” He retired into the master bedroom, leaving the girls to catch up.

“This has been one crazy trip,” Isabel said. “We missed you guys so much!”

“We missed you, too,” Maeve said. “I can't believe how much has happened in the past few days. How are we ever going to go back to our normal lives? Someone should totally make a TV movie about us.”

“Well, I think I'm at least going to write an article about it for the
Sentinel
,” Charlotte told them, pulling her diary from her backpack. “I have plenty of notes to work from. Maybe someday I'll even write a short story about Amaryllis and JT. I'll have to change their names, of course.”

“Dry Gulch was awesome! Someone should make that place a museum or something,” Avery said. “Hey, Char, maybe you could get your article published in some Montana newspapers too. It might get people interested in preserving Dry Gulch so people could visit it without having to sleep on the floor and eat beans three times a day.”

“Bannack became a Montana State Park!” Charlotte exclaimed. “Why couldn't something like that happen to Dry Gulch?”

“Yeah! Why not? Especially with an
original
Dry Gulch resident still alive. Maybe JT could run ghost tours or something!” Avery suggested.

“Maybe,” Charlotte said thoughtfully. “But I'm not sure JT will want to be involved if it gets to be really big. He kind of likes to keep to himself, remember?”

“I guess.” Avery shrugged.

“So . . .” Maeve said to Katani and Isabel. “You have to tell me every single thing you learned about Nik and Sam this week.”

“Well, we were really worried about you. But once we heard the message from Mr. Ramsey that you were okay, we were able to relax a little. And have some fun with our new friends!” Katani grinned.

“Life in Montana is totally different from Boston or Detroit,” Isabel surmised. “I like this place. It's very relaxed, and everyone is so friendly.”

“But a little wild, too,” Avery added. “Yee HAW!”

“Come on! Nik and Sam?!” Maeve demanded. “Did you get celebrity treatment all week? I am so jealous. I can't stand it!”

“Katani and I were talking about it this morning. We were really surprised at how Nik and Sam are just like regular girls,” said Isabel.

“What do you mean?” Maeve asked.

Isabel tried to explain. “When I first met them, I was thinking it'd be all about the celebrity treatment too. But Nik and Sam just wanted to hang out and do normal stuff.”

“Yeah,” Katani agreed. “The twins love to sing, but they seemed to have just as much fun singing in the car as they did at the concert.”

“That means they're
classy
celebrities. That's the kind of star I'm going to be,” Maeve promised. “I'll never forget my true friends.”

“My grandmother was right,” Katani decided. “Seeing different places is good research. I can't wait to work some western style into my new designs. But chilling out with my best friends is so much more important right now,” Katani admitted.

“This has been the best week!” Charlotte enthused.

Maeve let out a giggle that turned into a hiccup.

“You giccupped!” Avery cried. “Awesome.”

“What's so funny anyway?” Katani asked.

“I was thinking about supersleek Kgirl meets laid back ‘Home on the Range' style. It's a brand new concept.” Maeve giggled again.

The other girls started humming “Home on the Range” as Maeve continued. “So, are you going to spring for a new pair of boots to go along with your cowgirl attitude?”

“Hmmm.” Katani thought for a moment.

“Maybe a pair of pink boots? We could match!” Maeve clapped her hands together.

“No way!” Katani shook her head.

“But I thought you broadened your fashion horizons!” Maeve teased.

“Not as far as matching pink boots! And anyway, I just decided. I'm going to buy bright red ones. For Kelley.”

The girls all nodded in approval.

“Kelley will love red cowboy boots!” Maeve exclaimed.

“So what about you, Maeve?” Charlotte asked. “What did you learn in the last few days?”

“Well, I can't say I'm convinced there aren't ghosts out there somewhere. And I'm so glad to be sleeping in a real cozy bed tonight. I NEVER want to eat a can of beans for breakfast again. But mostly I'm happy because I got to see a real, live storybook romance unfold before my very eyes,” Maeve sighed. “Imagine thinking you were all alone in the world and then finding a granddaughter . . . and discovering that your long-lost love is still alive after all.”

Charlotte looked around the room and realized what she'd learned during the trip. That no matter what—even if he got a real girlfriend someday—her dad loved her to pieces, and that she'd never be alone in the world with her four amazing friends by her side.

To be continued . . .

BOOK EXTRAS

Book Club Buzz

Trivialicious Trivia

Charlotte's Word Nerd Dictionary

Montana-Rama

The Big Bad Truth