Page 8 of It's a Wonderful Knife

“You don’t suppose rats live in there, do you?” he asked softly.

“I doubt it. Don’t worry, the hayride isn’t that long,” I said.

“I’m prepared for anything.” He lifted his chin, looking determined.

I laughed. “Settle down there, fella. We’re not going into battle.”

“You sure about that?” he murmured, still suspiciously eyeing the hay.

“If you have an open mind, Max, you just might have some fun.”

He sighed. “One man’s fun can be another man’s torture.”

“Nah, it’s going to be great. When we get to the farmhouse, the staff will be waiting with hot chocolate. We also have the option of adding a shot of whiskey if we want.”

Max perked up a bit. “I certainly won’t turn down a shot of whiskey in mine.”

“Nor will I.” I grinned.

Girdy smiled at Max. “They’ll show us to our rooms as soon as we get there, Max. You and Royce will be able to unwind.”

Looking hopeful, Max asked, “So, it’s just the hayride and we can go to the room?”

“Yep. Then we don’t have to do anything until dinner,” I said.

“I wasn’t sure if the arts and crafts would begin immediately.” Max grimaced.

I said, “No. That torture starts tomorrow.”

Girdy laughed. “Aww, come on. It’s fun to make ornaments.”

“Is it?” I smirked. “Is it really, Girdy?”

Todd snickered. “To each his own, I guess. I think it’s kind of fun.”

Girdy linked her arm with his. “He’s so well trained.”

Grinning, Todd said, “But what I’m really looking forward to is dinner. As I recall, the cook Elle feeds us like kings and queens.”

“She sure does.” I nodded. “Her biscuits and gravy are legendary.”

Max sighed. “Oh, I’d love a hearty meal. All I’ve had today was a bag of corn nuts and an apple.”

I frowned. “That’s it? I thought you grabbed a turkey sandwich when we stopped at that convenience store at the halfway point.”

Max sniffed. “I did. But when I opened it up, the bread was hard as a rock and the meat slimy. It was inedible.”

“It really was.” Todd shuddered. “I’m pretty sure the meat was actually moving.”

“Why didn’t you return it and get something else?” I asked.

Grimacing, Max said, “I didn’t notice until we were back on the bus. Girdy insisted I take a bag of corn nuts she had in her purse because I was famished. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have had anything but that apple.”

“You should have said something. I’d have shared my burrito with you,” I said. “It was huge.”

“Next time I’ll speak up,” he said. “I know you have a big appetite, so I was reticent to take any of your food.”

“Don’t be silly.” That hesitancy about asking for things he needed was something I hoped Max would get over eventually. He didn’t seem to grasp that people who cared about youwantedto help. Probably a result of never having had anyone actually care about him in the past.