Everlasting Love Read Free

least believe she had.
    Megan was far wiser than that. She’d had plenty of chances to find a mate in college, yet had managed to keep her distance. No way was she going to let fleeting romance jeopardize her opportunity for a formal education. That was what her mother had done, and look what had happened. The woman was alone, uneducated and working for minimum wage, while her ex was earning big bucks and starting a new family.
    As Megan saw it, marriage was the least likely way to find bliss, whereas independence meant living life exactly the way she wanted. She was no starry-eyed kid who thought she had to have a man in her life in order to be happy. Her happiness came from using her God-given talents to help others. That was plenty.

Chapter Two
    W ith Megan in the lead and Roxy hanging back to chatter at James, they passed cabin after cabin, standing vacant amid the oak, walnut and sycamore trees of the old-growth forest. The mountain air was fresh and clear. Birds sang and flitted above, and in the distance Megan could hear the soft rush of the Spring River. What she didn’t hear was children at play.
    Shading her eyes with one hand, she paused to peer between the trees, then looked to James. “Where is everybody, anyway?”
    â€œInside, catching up with schoolwork they missed. Our census is down. We’re licensed to take up to thirty wards of the court at one time. Fortunately, there are only six boys in residence now.”
    He pointed down the hill. “When we have girls to look after, they bunk in that cabin over there, usually with Inez Gogerty. She and her sister take turns cooking for us and staying the night if we need extra female chaperones. As long as there’s no open conflict between the boys, they all get to live in the same cabin.”
    â€œDoes that happen a lot? Fighting, I mean.”
    â€œNo. Not often. If it does, I take charge of the quarrelsome ones and assign the others to Aaron Barnes. He’s a college student who helps me out whenever I need him. I try not to call him too often, though. The more money I can save the taxpayers, the more kids I can afford to help.”
    Megan arched her eyebrows. She didn’t doubt the man’s veracity. It was just that her grant was going to provide extra help, at no cost to Camp Refuge or the state of Arkansas, and yet he wasn’t willing to accept her with open arms. Figuratively speaking, of course.
    â€œI want to help children, too, you know,” she said.
    â€œI know you do. Why don’t you take your project and sell it to somebody who really needs it?”
    â€œLike who?”
    He shrugged his wide shoulders, reminding Megan of a high school football player Roxy hadhad a terrible crush on. Only, James Harris didn’t need any extra padding to make his frame formidable looking, did he?
    Now stop that! Appalled at the way her thoughts kept straying to his physical attractiveness, Megan quickly reminded herself that appropriate Christian behavior did not include daydreaming about a man, let alone one she’d just met!
    James drew her back into their conversation by asking, “How about handicapped children?”
    â€œWhat? Oh…” She blinked rapidly to clear her head, happy to tell him more about her work. “Been there, done that. Actually, it was my undergraduate work with a special needs group that prompted me to do my thesis on using animals for emotional therapy. You may as well give it up, Harris. Your board of trustees is on my side, one hundred percent.”
    â€œSo I’ve gathered. Care to explain how you managed that? Those three idiotic old codgers haven’t agreed on anything in twenty years.”
    â€œThirty,” Megan said, watching the camp director’s face closely. “At least that’s what my college mentor told me when he suggested I propose my project to the other two.”
    â€œOther two? Your mentor is on the board?”
    â€œHe sure