Grandkids Gone Wild (The Garden Girls Book 2) Read online

  Grandkids Gone Wild

  Garden Girls Series Book 2

  Hope Callaghan

  FIRST EDITION

  PUBLISHED BY:

  Orlando Home Solutions, LLC

  Copyright © 2015

  All rights reserved.

  This book is a work of fiction. Although places mentioned may be real, the characters, names and incidents and all other details are products of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or actual persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.

  No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced in any format, by any means, electronic or otherwise, without prior consent from the copyright owner and publisher of this book. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

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  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Gloria’s Blissful Baked Macaroni ‘n Cheese

  Chapter 1

  Gloria Rutherford grabbed her broom off the side porch and began sweeping the small pile of brown leaves out of the corner. She stared up at the clear blue sky. Fall was a beautiful time of year to live in West Michigan. The changing seasons and cool fall days were something Gloria would never, ever tire of.

  But today there was no time to reflect on how much she was enjoying the new season. She was trying to get ready for her much-anticipated company. Her grandsons Tyler and Ryan were coming for the weekend. The fact that they hadn’t been over in quite some time and that her daughter Jill seemed overly-anxious about the visit made Gloria wonder if perhaps they would be a little too hard to handle…

  She swept the last few leaves from the porch and shuffled over to prop the broom in the corner when something caught her eye. The tall weeds next to the edge of the barn were swaying back and forth, as if blowing in the wind or being moved by an unseen force. Which was more than a little odd considering there wasn’t even the slightest of breezes.

  She took a step down as her eyes wandered to the small set of doors on the far side of the barn. The door wasn’t completely shut. It was open a good six inches.

  Gloria was certain she hadn’t left the door open. In fact, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d actually used the side door. She grabbed her cell phone off the chair, shoved it into her back pocket and began walking in the direction of the barn. The boulder she used to keep the door closed had been rolled back. She side-stepped the boulder and pushed the door open, just far enough to stick her head inside. She stood there for a brief moment waiting for her eyes to adjust to the dim interior when she heard a faint creaking sound coming from inside, as if someone was stepping on a wooden floor. The only wooden floor in the barn was the loft.

  She grabbed the shovel by the door, pushed the door open a little wider and squeezed through the narrow opening. Another hollow creak was followed by a distinct ping, as if a coin or small metal object had been dropped on the cement floor.

  Gloria took a tentative step inside. “Hello?” She strained her ears. A second small creak echoed from the direction of the loft. She took another step forward. “Who’s there?” She paused. A third creak closely followed the second. This one was even louder.

  She stopped in her tracks. The thought of someone being inside the barn with her freaked her out. It was at that precise moment she began to have second thoughts about confronting a potential intruder.

  Tires crunching on the gravel saved her from having to decide the best plan of action. She whirled around in time to catch a glimpse of her daughter’s familiar blue Buick as it pulled into the drive.

  Gloria cast a wary glance down the long center, past the milking parlor in the direction of the loft before turning back. She quickly pulled the door shut and rolled the boulder back to its original spot.

  By the time Gloria made it across the yard, the boys were already out of the car and barreling towards their beloved Grams. She wrapped them in a warm hug as she stared over the tops of their heads at her daughter, Jill.

  After a quick hug, the boys took off in the direction of what used to be the pumpkin patch. Jill followed her mother inside the house, carrying the boys’ backpacks as she went. She dropped them in the spare bedroom and made her way back out into the kitchen. “I hope they aren’t too much of a handful,” she fretted.

  Gloria put her arm around her daughter’s shoulders. “Now don’t you worry about them one little bit. Go. Have a good time. We’ll be just fine,” she reassured her.

  Moments later, Gloria watched as Jill’s car pull out of the driveway. She turned around just in time to see Ryan bash one of the pumpkins on a nearby rock. He grabbed a handful of slimy pumpkin guts in his fist and then smashed them in his older brother’s face. Tyler didn’t take too kindly to the gooey globs of seeds and slime clinging to his forehead and hair. He grabbed Ryan by the back of the neck and shoved his younger brother’s face into what was left of the rotting pumpkin.

  Gloria darted across the uneven garden as fast as her sneakers would allow, but it was too late. By the time she reached the battling boys, both were covered in the stringy, stinky substance. Tyler warily watched as his Grandmother approached. He leaned over to wrap a sticky arm around her when she took a small step back. “If you so much as lay a single finger on me with that goop,” she warned, “I’ll tie you to that big oak tree over there and leave you out here overnight.”

  Tyler’s eyes widened in horror at the thought of being left outside all night by himself. He instantly dropped his arm to his side.

  Gloria stuck a hand on her hip and pointed in the direction of the house. “Now get in that house and wash up,” she commanded. “Both of you!”

  The boys lowered their heads and shuffled towards the door. When Grams used that tone, they knew she meant business.

  She slowly followed them inside. The uneasy feeling someone was in the barn returned as she cast a wary glance over her shoulder.

  By the time the boys emerged from the shower with clean clothes and freshly scrubbed faces, Gloria had two glasses of cold milk and a plate of homemade chocolate brownies waiting.

  The boys rushed to the kitchen table and were barely in their seats before they started scarfing down the entire plate. Ryan took a big gulp of milk as he studied his grandma. He could see she wasn’t mad about the pumpkin smashing any longer so he thought he’d ask her what he’d been thinking about for days now. Ever since his mom told him they’d be staying at Gram’s farm for the weekend. “Can we go play in the barn?”

  Gloria’s eyebrows furrowed. Only days earlier, she found odd items in the barn loft. As if someone had been hiding out in there. After seeing the side door open earlier today and hearing strange noises coming from the loft, she wasn’t sure that was such a good idea.

  But the boys were experts at wrapping their grandmother around their little finger. She just didn’t have the heart to tell them no. Boys and barns just seemed to go together.

  “Let me go check it out before I say yes.” She threw on her sweater as she headed for the door. Hopefully whoever was in there was long gone…

  She slowly made her way across the drive. She nervously wrapped her sweater around her thin frame. Never in her life had she ever been afraid of the barn but just the thought of a stranger taking up residence inside was downright frightening.

  She unhooked the rusty metal latch and shifted her weight as she pushed on the heavy wood
en door, forcing it down the weather-worn track that had been used for decades.

  By the time the door was pushed all the way open, Gloria’s heart was pounding loudly in her chest. She nervously rubbed her hands on the front of her jeans as she stepped inside.

  Her silhouette cast a long shadow across the barn floor as the late afternoon sun poured in behind her. She stood for a moment. Not a sound could be heard except for the faint rustling of leaves that danced on the ground just outside the barn walls.

  She took another step forward as her eyes scanned the interior of the barn. The faint smell of dark, rich earth and decades-old straw filled the air. The last time her husband, James, had been in the barn was almost two years ago – just days before he died unexpectedly.

  The memory of that last time James ever stepped foot in the barn came rushing back. The strong smell of diesel filled the inside of the barn as Gloria waved a hand across her face. “How long are you going to keep that old bucket of bolts?”

  James closed the cab door and slowly lowered himself to the barn floor. He patted a giant, mud-coated tire as he turned to his wife. “As long as old Bessie still runs and they haven’t put me six feet under.”

  Gloria wrinkled her nose and shook her head at her husband. He didn’t really farm the fields anymore. Hadn’t in years, but she knew he loved to take the tractor out and wander over the acres of land as he reminisced about the old days. Every once in a blue moon Gloria would ride with him just so she could watch his eyes light up as he told her about the year the corn was knee high a month early. Or the time his beans grew ten times larger than that braggart Norman, whose farm was just down the road.

  Yes, James loved the old farm even more than Gloria. He loved it with all his heart and lived there from the day he was born until the day he died.

  Tears sprang up in her eyes as she reached out and put a worn hand on the side of the old Massey Ferguson.

  “Grandma! Are you in here?”

  Gloria quickly wiped away the lone tear that trickled down her cheek before turning to her grandson. “Over here Tyler.”

  Two sets of energetic feet pounded the barn floor as the boys raced over to where she was standing. A small hand reached up and grabbed hers. “So can we play in the barn?” She stared down at the bright green eyes that gazed up at her imploringly.

  She nodded her head. There was no way she could tell them no. Not when Tyler looked at her like that.

  “Before I let you play out here, I want to take a look around.” Her gaze shifted to the loft. “Just to make sure there’s nothing you shouldn’t be getting into.”

  She took a step forward before turning around. “Stay right here until I’m done,” she ordered firmly.

  Gloria checked the loft first. At the top of the wooden ladder she stopped and studied the area carefully. Nothing appeared to be out of place. Nothing that is until she spied a clear spot on the middle of the floor where the straw had been swept aside.

  She took a quick glance down to make sure the boys were still waiting where she left them before crawling over to the center of the loft. The old wooden boards were charred, as if someone had started a fire and then quickly put it out.

  She made her way back down the narrow steps. She passed by the boys on the way to the milking parlor where she thoroughly checked every single stall. Next was a trip around the big metal tanks. She even lifted the wooden plank that ran down the center of the room.

  Satisfied that everything was as it should be, she gave the boys the all clear to play inside. After instructing the boys not to jump from the loft, stab each other with pitchforks or try to crawl into the big metal milking tanks, she made her way back to the house.

  Certain that there was no one inside the barn and that they couldn’t get into too much trouble out there, Gloria began making supper. It was always so much more fun when she had someone to cook for.

  Her phone rang just as she finished pushing a pan of homemade meatloaf and her famous baked macaroni and cheese into the oven. For a brief second she thought about not answering but what if it was Jill and she needed something?

  “Hello?”

  “Hi Gloria. How’re you doing this afternoon?”

  Gloria smiled as she recognized Andrea’s voice on the other end. “Remember when we drove by that abandoned house in town on our way to lunch the other day?”

  How could Gloria forget? “Yeah. The old Johnson mansion.”

  Andrea’s voice bubbled with excitement. “Well, I started thinking about it. I did a little research and that house is for sale!”

  That was news to Gloria. She’d never noticed a for sale sign in the yard…

  “I did a little research on line,” she went on. “I tracked down the owners and I’m thinking about putting an offer in on it.”

  Gloria had encouraged Andrea to move out of the city since she really seemed like a country girl at heart – but buying a major fixer upper? Not only that, but a fixer upper that was rumored to be haunted?

  “Are you sure you’re ready to take on a project like that, Andrea? I mean, that place needs a lot of work.” She didn’t want to burst her bubble but that place was in rough shape.

  Andrea was bound and determined to at least take a look at it. “I was wondering if you had time, maybe we could go look at it together in the next day or two.”

  “How’re we going to get in?” Gloria wondered aloud.

  “Believe it or not, the owner sent me the keys – told me to go ahead and let myself in.”

  Gloria was shocked. “You’re kidding.”

  “They seem like nice people and pretty desperate to get rid of the place. So can you?”

  Gloria pulled the curtain aside as she glanced out the window. “My grandsons are staying with me for a couple days.”

  “Oh, they can come, too…” she interrupted.

  “I don’t know about that. These two can be a handful…” Gloria argued.

  But Andrea would not take no for an answer. She was too excited. “Maybe we can go tomorrow after church?”

  Gloria quickly caved. There was no reason to tell her no. Not only that, she was curious to see the inside of the house herself. After all, it wasn’t very often you had a chance to check out a haunted house. “Yes. Yes, we can do that. But don’t get your hopes up too high, Andrea. You haven’t seen this place yet.”

  Gloria’s warning went in one ear and out the other. “Great. It’s settled then. We’ll go check it out tomorrow.”

  At that precise moment, Gloria caught a glimpse of Tyler through the window. He was rounding the corner of the barn. There was a long, squirming snake dangling from his hand. Just ahead of him was his younger brother, Ryan, running for his life and screaming bloody murder.

  “Look, I gotta go. My grandson’s running through the yard holding onto what appears to be a rather large snake.” And with that, Gloria was gone.

  Andrea shook her head as she stared at the phone in her hand. Poor Gloria. Sounds like she has her hands full!

  Gloria shoved her feet into a pair of nearby flip-flops, flung open the door and raced down the steps. Her first thought was I need to put a pair of running shoes on with these two around. Her second thought was, I hope that snake is long gone by the time I reach the boys. By the time she rounded the back side of the barn, it was close to what she’d hoped for. Tyler was no longer taunting his brother with the slithering reptile. The boys had somehow managed to find a large plastic bucket. The snake was inside with the lid safely on top.

  They calmly looked up as Gloria approached. “Hey Grams.” Ryan pointed a small, grubby finger at the bucket. “We found a pet. Can we keep him?”

  Gloria shuddered as she stared down at the bucket. The outline of a rather large snake was clearly visible. There was no way she was going to let the boys keep the snake and she was certain that Jill would never allow it.

  It was time to figure out if the snake was poisonous. “What does the snake look like?”

  He’s
blue and he’s this long.” Ryan stretched his arms to about 3 feet.

  Tyler shook his head. “No he’s not, Ryan. He’s shiny and gray!”

  None of that sounded good, especially if Tyler was right.

  “And he was slippery.” Tyler held out a filthy palm. “He almost slipped right out of my hand.” Forget the fact that he was racing across the field at the time…

  Now Gloria was really frightened. She crouched down and placed both hands on the lid, making sure it was securely in place. She grabbed the handle and made her way over to the edge of the garden.

  The boys followed right behind her, keeping a close eye on the bucket and their grandma, not completely convinced she wasn’t just going to let their new pet escape.

  She cautiously placed the bucket on the ground and turned to her young grandsons. “Here’s what we’re going to do. First we’re going to get cleaned up – again! After that we’re going to eat dinner,” she went on. “And when we’re done eating, you two are going to get on Gram’s computer and find a picture of the snake. We need to know exactly what kind he is before we decide what to do with him. Agreed?”

  Two small blonde heads bobbed up and down in unison. She shooed them inside. “Now get going!” The boys raced into the house taking the steps two at a time.

  Gloria shuddered at the ominous white bucket perched in her yard before slowly following them indoors.

  The boys couldn’t wait for dinner to end as they argued about what they were going to name their new “pet.”

  Ryan shoved a fork full of baked macaroni and cheese in his mouth. “I think we should call him Slinky.”

  Tyler swung his feet back and forth under the table as he contemplated the snake’s name. “What about Barney since we found him in the barn?”

  Gloria didn’t have the heart to tell them that there was no way on earth their mother was ever going to let them keep a snake but she had a feeling she wouldn’t have to worry about that soon enough. If Tyler was right in describing the snake, they had a Blue Racer on their hands. They weren’t venomous but they did have a nasty bite. Gloria had no idea what she would do then but no sense in worrying about it until she had to.