Page 69 of Landon

When he disconnected, he glanced up to find the other Keepers grinning at him, their expressions unashamedly amused. Shaking his head, he barked, “Back to work, all of you.”

Laughter sounded out in the room, and even though everyone got back to what they were doing, he couldn't keep the smile off his face.

30

PENNY

Penny walked out of the barn and hurried to catch up to Tad as he strolled toward the house. Glancing ahead, she whispered, “Looks like we have an audience.” She nodded toward the patio, where her grandparents and dad stood watching them with a quiet intensity.

“Did you know Grandma almost slept in my room last night?” she whispered.

Tad snickered, rolling his eyes. “Dad kept waking me up, checking on me. And I’m pretty sure Grandpa did, too.”

Penny fell silent for a moment, thinking it over. “I know they’re scared after what happened to us,” she said softly, kicking at the ground as they walked. “But I don’t feel scared. Not since Landon and Noel got us out of there. It’s weird, though, right? You’d think that I’d have nightmares and wake up crying. But everything happened so fast. And you were with me, so I never felt alone.”

“Yeah,” Tad agreed, shrugging. “I was scared, but I kept telling myself they wouldn’t hurt us. They just wanted their money.”

“I thought you were brave,” she admitted, twisting her head to glance up at her twin.

A snort erupted. “No more than you. I mean, other than being scared of what might happen, when I think back, we were kind of badass the way we did what Landon said to do to escape.”

Her eyes widened as she nodded. “Once he got to us, it was like being in the middle of an action movie!”

By then, they’d reached the patio. Penny noticed her grandma holding a platter of cookies, and her stomach did a happy flip. Within moments, she and Tad were seated outside, bathed in sunlight, munching on chocolate chip cookies with glasses of cold milk. Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something serious was about to be said—the way her dad and grandparents kept looking at each other with those deep, worried lines on their faces. A small twist of nervousness tightened her stomach.

She exchanged a glance with Tad, and finally, she couldn’t keep it in. “Daddy, you’re making me nervous. It’s like you want to say something, but… you’re scared to.”

Stan chuckled, shaking his head slightly. “You always were good at picking up on things,” he said, his voice soft. His gaze moved from her to Tad, his expression pained yet relieved. “These past few days… they’ve been harder than I can even put into words. At first, we were angry with your mother for taking you without my consent and making all those demands. But when we heard you’d been taken from her…” His voice cracked, and he closed his eyes, swallowing as if to steady himself.

Penny felt a surge of emotion she wasn’t used to seeing in her dad. She’d seen him happy, angry, even sad once or twice, but this raw fear was something new. She looked over at Tad and saw the same realization mirrored in his eyes. Their family was relieved they were back, but she didn’t understand just how deep the worry had run.

Stan opened his eyes, his expression determined. Leaning forward, he clasped his hands on the table. “Ms. Lennoxsuggested you both might benefit from talking to someone—a counselor. She talked with you about it already, but your grandmother made some calls, looking into her recommendations. We found a group nearby that we think might be a good fit. But since you’re both old enough to have a say in this, we want to involve you in the decision. You might feel more comfortable talking to a woman or a man, someone younger or older. You can see the same person or choose different counselors.”

She exchanged another look with Tad, nodding in silent agreement. “That sounds good, Daddy. I liked talking to Noel… I think I’d be more comfortable with a woman. Someone not super young, but not, you know, super old, either.” She paused, then gave her grandma an apologetic smile. “Grandma, I know you were checking in on me last night. I’m sorry you were so worried.”

Margaret sighed, reaching over to squeeze Penny’s hand. “Oh, sweetheart. I couldn’t help it—I had to be sure you and Tad were safe and sound. And don’t you apologize. None of this was your fault.”

Tad nodded, turning to his grandmother. “I didn’t even hear you, Grandma. But I knew Dad was checking in on me a lot.”

Stan’s lips curved into a small smile. “Guess I’m not as stealthy as Grandma.” He looked over at Tad, his gaze gentle. “Do you have any thoughts on a counselor?”

Tad shrugged thoughtfully. “I liked talking to Noel, too. I don’t think it needs to be a man. I have you and Grandpa for that. But maybe it’d be nice to talk to the same person as Penny, so they only have to hear the story once, you know?”

Stan let out a deep sigh, visibly relieved. “Good. That’s good.”

“Daddy?” Penny asked hesitantly. She bit her lip, feeling a lump form in her throat. “What will happen with Big Mike? Will there be… a funeral?”

“Of course, sweetheart,” Thurston answered, his voice warm and steady. “We’re taking care of everything.”

Penny nodded, exhaling slowly. “It felt… I don’t know, good, I guess, to have him there when we got back to the resort house. By then, we already liked Landon and Noel a lot. But seeing Big Mike felt like having a piece of home with us.” She looked down, her eyes stinging as memories of Big Mike flooded back.

Margaret squeezed her hand again. “It’s all right to talk about him, sweetheart. He was like family, and he loved you both dearly. Losing him hurts deeply, but… we’re all so grateful to have you home. That joy keeps us going.”

Penny glanced at Tad, and he nodded in silent agreement, his face serious. “That was the first time I’ve ever seen anyone… die,” he murmured.

Margaret winced, and both Stan’s and Thurston’s faces tightened. Penny nodded, not saying anything, but she could feel the weight of his words.

“I know it was terrifying,” Margaret said softly. “We would’ve done anything to keep that from happening or to shield you both from it.”

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