The Ride of Her Life Read Free

said she could take care of the lad just fine.”
    “She certainly thinks so anyway.” Nick gave a halfhearted chuckle. “But the boy wants to be friends, so I might stop by from time to time and keep an eye on him for myself.”
    “No denyin’ it, Nick Perrin. Yer a rare character.”
    Nick squeezed the older man’s shoulder. “And so are you, my friend. So are you. I’ll catch you before supper.”
    As Nick crossed the grassy area, he checked on the progress of the other workers. Already this week, they’d drilled holes and built sturdy wood forms for each point of the concrete foundation. It would take until the end of the week to finish this preliminary work for the coaster.
    Nick stopped and pushed against one of the thick Douglas fir posts already set in hardened concrete. It didn’t budge. Perfect. This roller coaster had to be the best in the West—and the safest. The last thing Nick wanted was his name attached to an accident.
    Taking a deep breath, Nick leaned against the beam and looked out over the choppy waters of Lake Manawa. He’d seen bigger lakes while traveling with Fred Ingersoll’s company, but he hadn’t seen many other places that rivaled the splendor of this resort. From his vantage point on the lake’s southeast shore, he could see two large pavilions, one on each side of the water, and a host of other buildings. Off to his right, the resort’s Midway lay quiet, waiting for the park to officially open in another month. And along the shore’s edge, a few rowboats lay upturned like turtles on the shore.
    “Perrin!”
    He turned and spotted Avery Nash approaching. Nick’s long legs covered the distance between him and the manager of Lake Manawa’s development in seconds. “Good afternoon, sir. To what do I owe the privilege?”
    “I’ve got investors worried you won’t get this monster done in time for the park’s opening.” Nash, a wisp of a man who stood a good foot shorter than Nick, tried to sound authoritative.
    “And as I told you before, we won’t be done by the opening, but we will be ready for business soon after.”
    Mr. Nash hooked his thumbs in his vest pockets. “They were hoping you could speed things up.”
    “I’ll keep on schedule, sir, but safety has to be a priority. We can’t rush or lives might be at stake, which wouldn’t do well for your business or mine.”
    “Are you sure you can handle this job, Mr. Perrin? I know you’re new at this.”
    “Sir, this may be the first roller coaster I’ve personally designed, but it’s the fifth one I’ve built. And my designs were approved by Fred Ingersoll himself.”
    “So you said.” Nash sighed. “I’ll take the news to the investors, but I expect you to do everything in your power to hurry the construction.”
    Nick met the man’s beady eyes. “If I can speed things up safely, I will, but I don’t take unnecessary chances with my coasters or my workers.”

3
    Tears whitewashed Levi’s dirty cheeks. Lilly turned from the dishes she’d been washing and squatted in front of her son. “What’s got your face all scrunched up like a roly poly?”
    “I lost him.”
    “Who?”
    “Mr. Wiggles.”
    Lilly snagged a damp rag from the sink and dabbed at his face. “Your snake?”
    “No, Mama. My snake’s a gardener snake. Her name is Flower.”
    “So Mr. Wiggles is a worm?” Lilly stood and dipped her hands back in the sudsy water.
    “No, silly Mama, he’s a spider.” He held up his hands, making a big circle with his thumbs and forefingers. “And he’s not in his tin anymore.”
    Lilly glanced at the coffee tin lying upturned by the front door and shivered. Lord, have mercy. “Did you lose him before or after you came inside, Levi?”
    “If I left him outside, he mighta got away.” Levi wiped his nose on his sleeve. “And he was happy because he had friends.”
    “Friends?” Lilly bit her lip. Did she even want to know?
    “Four daddy longlegs.”
    She spotted one of Mr. Wiggles’s