Jackie Harlan Mystery Box Set by Marti Talbott

Author:Marti Talbott
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: women's fiction, romance, clean romance, mystery, Young Adult
Publisher: MT Creations
Published: 2018-04-05T00:00:00+00:00

TAKING THREE LITTLE girls to the zoo was not as easy as Maggie expected. As soon as they were parked, Jim got a two-seat stroller out of the trunk and set it up. All of them wore shorts and tank tops, and his wife, Hanna, insisted on suntan lotion for everyone, especially those with red hair like Jim. That included the three girls. Hanna also insisted on a layer of a white paste on Jim’s nose.

He wrinkled his nose twice before Hanna scolded him. “Stop that, you’ll rub it all off.”

“It itches.” He set the two youngest girls in the stroller, and then pulled the top forward to offer them some measure of shade.

“When do we get to ride?” Maggie asked, trying not to laugh at Jim’s white nose.

“Never,” Hanna admitted, “not until we are rich enough to rent an electric cart.”

“Walking is very good for the health,” Jim said, pushing the stroller toward the welcome sign. “Coming?”

Hanna laughed, took the oldest girl’s hand, and hurried to catch up with him. Jim bought tickets, and the gang of five females and one male paused inside the gate to read the signs.

“Here’s the deal,” Jim said. “We can go anywhere you want except Predator’s Ridge.”

“Why not there?” Maggie asked.

“Because that’s where Nicole lives.”

Maggie nearly doubled over laughing.

First, they went to the underwater viewing windows to gawk at the polar bears as they dove beneath the surface of the water. Next, they saw cats of every size, and then they went to admire the bears. The girls especially liked the bears.

“Bathroom break,” said Hanna, as they approached the duck pond and the public restrooms.

“Ah, my favorite time,” said Jim, taking the little ones out of the stroller.

“Why?” Maggie asked.

“Because,” Hanna answered, as she ushered the girls toward the restroom door, “we have to take the girls with us and he gets a rest. I should have had boys.”

Maggie lowered her voice, “I want to tell you something anyway.”

“What?” Hanna asked, as she opened the door to the restroom.

“Jim very much loves and adores you. I never knew a man could be so devoted.”

“Oh,” Hanna cooed. “Thank you for saying that. I know he loves me, but it is nice to hear it from someone else.” She took the littlest ones into a stall and kept talking. “Do you have brothers and sisters?”

“No.” Maggie answered. When it looked like the oldest girl couldn’t wait much longer, Maggie took her into a stall.

“None at all? What about your parents; are they still in England or did they come to America with you?”

Maggie puffed her cheeks, waited to answer until she flushed the toilet. “They are...”

“What?” Hanna asked, “I couldn’t hear you.”

“I wanna go see daddy,” the eldest girl said as soon as they came out of the stall.

“And so you shall,” Maggie said, happy to get away from Hanna’s questions. She opened the door and walked the child back to Jim. By then, he was sprawled out on the lawn.

“That looks heavenly,” said Maggie, as she sat down not far from him.

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