Hidden Gifts (A Castle Mountain Lodge Romance) Read Online Free PDF Page B

child and knowing she’d never have her own lessen? It had been months since the doctor gave her the news, but still, she struggled with it.
    She took a deep breath and let her lungs fill with air. She couldn’t let herself get worked up. The doctor said that after dealing with such a serious case of endometriosis, even after it was under control—with the scar tissue that she likely still had—there was less than a five percent chance that she’d ever carry her own child. The odds were way too small to even consider. She took a few deep breaths and reprimanded herself. She was being ridiculous. The sight of one child should not send her into an emotional tailspin.  
    After a few moments, her heart rate calmed down and she wrapped her arms around her waist, hugging herself in defense of the coolness of the night that was starting to descend. She’d have to go back to the fire if she wanted to stay warm. Morgan turned back to the party, where it looked like things were starting to pick up. To her surprise, she wanted to go back and have some fun. Besides, it wasn’t as if she could avoid children altogether.  
    She was just going to have to learn how to deal with her new reality.  
    ~ ~
    As it turned out, Morgan didn’t have to worry about running into the little girl again. By the time she returned to the fire, there was no sign of her. The little girl’s father, however, seemed to have traded in his marshmallow roasting stick for another beer and was holding court with a group of girls. Just watching the sight, a sense of distaste settled around Morgan. It wasn’t any of her business, but she couldn’t help wondering what type of guy would bring a small child to a bonfire party and then dump her on a babysitter so he could pick up women. She could only assume that he’d even bothered to find a babysitter.  
    But it wasn’t her business, and Morgan tried to remind herself of that as she grabbed another drink from the cooler and went in search of Astrid.  
    “Morgan,” a voice yelled over the crowd. She turned to see Carmen pushing her way towards her. Carmen looked a lot different out of her work uniform. Much less intimidating, and a whole lot more fun with her black hair pulled into a high ponytail and her t-shirt untucked from her jeans. The beer in her hand helped with the image of fun, too.  
    “Hey there,” Morgan said.  
    “Looks like you got settled in okay.” Carmen waved her arm. “I’m really sorry about earlier. That’s not how I usually like to handle staff orientation but Bo can be quite insistent and completely exasperating at times.”
    Morgan shrugged her shoulders and before she realized what she was doing, she scanned the crowd, hoping to catch a glimpse of the exasperating Bo. “It’s fine, really,” she said. “I met Astrid and she’s been great. She’s introduced me to lots of people and I’m sure I’ll have no idea what all their names are tomorrow.”
    “Oh, good.” Carmen’s relief showed on her face. “That’s one less thing for me to worry about. I can’t tell you what a transition this new position has been for me. I’m not complaining or anything, but I think it’s going to be a lot more challenging than I thought it would be.”
    “What do you mean?”
    Carmen took a long pull on her beer bottle. “Oh, just trying to get all the staff here ready to work, and happy, of course.” She took another slug on her bottle and Morgan raised her eyebrow in question. “Sorry,” Carmen said, “I just need a little stress relief. You wouldn’t believe how many last-minute openings I’ve had to fill.”
    “Really?”
    “Oh, yeah and it’s just the usual excuses. One got a job in the city, one guy got a position working in his field, and, oh yeah, now Patty’s getting married. I just found out about that one yesterday.”
    Morgan offered a sympathetic smile. “That’s terrible. And I can see how you might be a little stressed out. But at least you don’t