Page 82 of Theirs to Treasure

“Josie, I couldn’t believe how many trees there were when we flew over, and that mountain was gorgeous! What’s the name of it?” Sarah asked.

“That’s Mount Rainier. I love living here. I can’t wait for you to see where I live and meet everyone.”

“Where are Chance and Sam?” Becca asked, looking around.

“They didn’t come. I wanted to have you all to myself for a while.”

Becca perked up. Sarah just shrugged and rolled her eyes. Josie spotted one of their suitcases and reached for it, and Becca slapped her hand.

“Little sister, we’ll handle the luggage. You just point us to the car.” It had been a running joke in the family to call Josie the little sister since the girls were thirteen and outgrew Josie’s height of five foot one. Protective of Josie, they were always conscious of her bad back, and rarely let her carry anything. They made their way to the parking garage, where Josie led them to the Audi.

“Very fancy,” Becca crooned. “Who does it belong to?”

“It’s Chance’s. He insisted I drive it since it was raining,” Josie explained as the girls put their luggage into the trunk.

“I dibs the front!” Becca shouted.

“Hey, I wanted to sit up front,” Sarah protested.

“You don’t like cars as much as I do,” Becca said. Sarah nodded in agreement and climbed into the backseat. Becca played with all the dials and buttons and soon had everything figured out, showing Josie features that she hadn’t even been aware of. “So, Chance has money, huh?”

“Yep.”

“What about Sam?”

“I know he gets disability from the Marines and he gets a bunch of stock statements in the mail that he throws in a drawer. But he hasn’t disclosed his financial status to me, and I haven’t asked him.”

“He was a Marine? How long?” Becca asked.

“He was a lieutenant. He did two-and-a-half tours in Afghanistan.”

Becca turned on the radio to a country music station, and after a while, Sarah asked when they would be meeting the Hutchins and where they were staying.

“You’re staying in the apartment above Sweet Dreams Desserts, while I stay with Sam and Chance at their house. I’ll leave my car with the two of you. I have some bad news, though. On Thursday and Friday, I have to put in some long hours for the town festival and dance on Saturday. But today through Wednesday, I’ve taken off, so I’m all yours.”

“Don’t you have to spend time with Sam and Chance?” Sarah asked.

“Well, I was hoping the five of us could spend some time together. I’d really like you to get to know them.”

“Are you in love with them?” Becca asked bluntly.

“I was pretty close to it when I came down to Florida. Now it’s a done deal. I can’t imagine my life without them. But—” Josie stopped herself.

“You’re not letting Becca stop you, are you?” Sarah exclaimed.

“What Becca thinks, and feels, is very important to me.” Josie softly answered. “But this is my life, and I’m going to do what makes me happy.”

Becca smiled. “Good. I’ve been thinking. I want you happy, too. After what went on with that asshole Russell, I got pretty protective.”

Sarah gave a half-laugh from the backseat. “You think?”

“He wasn’t good enough for you,” Becca snarled. “Anyway, I really was out of line in Florida. The only thing that’s important is that you have the best life possible and that they treat you with all the respect and love you deserve.”

Josie’s heart lurched.

“But—”

“Here it comes, Josie.” Sarah warned from the backseat.