Page 12 of It's a Wonderful Knife

Maxwell said, “She seems like a very capable person.”

“She is. But Granddad planned to sell the farm instead of passing it down to her. When she married my dad, Granddad decided that he’d keep the farm in the family after all.”

“I’m glad it all worked out,” I said. “She’s a good businesswoman.”

Dakota laughed. “That’s putting it mildly. Mom is abrilliantbusinesswoman. Our business has grown exponentially over the years. She put ol’ Grandad to shame with the work she’s put into this place.”

We stopped in front of a yellow cabin with flower boxes filled with pansies and snapdragons. Dakota looked at a clipboard he held. “Hermina, this is you. You’re in the Marigold Cabin.”

Hermina looked thrilled. “I was hoping I’d get this one again.”

“Yep, Mom made sure it was available for you.” Dakota handed her a key that had a small wooden elf attached. “Need help opening the door?”

“No. Me and Mary Puppins can handle that.”

“Jax should be along in a minute with the luggage.”

“Sounds wonderful.” Hermina took the key from him. “Come on, Mary Puppins, let’s go rest before dinner. It’s been a long day.”

We continued on the gravel road, and one by one, Dakota handed out the keys. Max looked disgruntled when River and Lucas were placed in the cabin next to ours. I didn’t see the harm, seeing as each cabin had plenty of yard separating them. Apparently, just having River anywhere close annoyed Max.

“And last but not least,” Dakota said, “you two get the Deer Horn Cabin.”

I eyed the brown log cabin, wondering what Maxwell thought of it. When I glanced over, he was nodding. I smiled and turned back to the cabin, taking in the log steps that led up to the front porch and the barn-red rocking chairs. “This is nice.”

“The Deer Horn is a guest favorite,” Dakota murmured as he scribbled something on his clipboard.

“It’s very quaint.” Max moved toward the steps. “I like it.”

Dakota smiled. “I’m glad. It’s really nice inside too. It doesn’t have a fireplace, but it has a tiny kitchen, which most of the units don’t have.”

“Oh, that means we can make coffee in the morning.” Maxwell looked excited.

I laughed. “Life without coffee isn’t worth living.”

Blinking at me, Dakota said, “I like Coke.”

Jax and Jameson came huffing up the path. I’d expected them to bring the luggage in a golf cart like usual, but for whatever reason, they were hoofing it instead. That couldn’t have been an easy job. As Jax neared, I grabbed my suitcase from him, hoping to lighten his load.

“Thanks,” he said, breathing hard. “The last cabin always kills me.”

“What happened to the golf carts?” I asked.

Jax stood with his hands on his hips, breathing hard. “Both of the golf carts are out of service at the moment.”

Dakota grimaced. “One of them died last week, and then the other croaked this morning.”

“Damn.” I shook my head. “I don’t envy you boys this task.”

“No. No one would.” Jax watched Jameson wheeze to a standstill a few feet away. “I’m really hoping they can get one of the carts fixed soon.”

“Mom’s working on it. Dad insists we don’t need them, but I’m not sure about that.” Dakota frowned.

Jameson gave a breathy laugh. “Your old man doesn’t like parting with money.”

“No, he doesn’t. Mom knows we need to spend money to make money, but Dad…” Dakota shook his head. “He sees it differently.”

“I’d think making all of your jobs easier would be a good thing,” Maxwell said, taking his rolling suitcase from Jameson. He frowned when the little wheels didn’t work well on the stone-covered ground. With a scowl, he picked up the suitcase and strode toward the cabin.