Free Aunt Dimity Goes West by Nancy Atherton

Christmas?”
    “I will.” Bill paused. “You really slept through the
    night?”
    “I really slept through the night, undisturbed by
    my creepy nighttime companion,” I told him. “You’re
    a genius.The mountain air is like a tonic.”
    “Yay,” he cheered softly, and went on to bring me
    up to date on affairs in Finch.
    Nell Harris had returned from France but wedding
    bells hadn’t yet chimed for her and Kit Smith, Peggy
    Taxman had made a ludicrously low offer for the green-
    grocer’s shop, and the weather had been drizzly. I tried to describe the Aerie and the view from my deck, but
    failed so miserably that I gave up in the end, and told
    Bill he’d simply have to fly over and see it for himself.
    “I wish I could,” said Bill. “I know you had doubts
    about the trip, Lori—”
    “And I was a fool to have them,” I interrupted.
    66
    Nancy Atherton
    “Your brilliant idea was truly brilliant, Bill. The only thing missing is you.”
    After promising to pay closer attention to the time
    difference when calling him, I rang off.
    “The snow’s all but gone,” Annelise observed, turn-
    ing away from the window wall. “And there’s hardly a
    puddle to be seen.There’s something to be said for dry
    air.” She strolled toward the sofa. “All’s well at home?”
    “I’ll fill you in while we fix lunch,” I said, getting to my feet. “The boys will be famished when they get
    back.”
    “I’m a bit peckish myself,” said Annelise. “And I in-
    tend to take a nap after lunch.”
    “We’ll all take naps after lunch,” I said determinedly. “Slow and steady wins the race.”
    We stayed in or near the Aerie for three full days, but
    no one was bored.We took long hikes after breakfast,
    naps after lunch, and slightly shorter hikes before din-
    ner. While we napped, Toby packed the Auerbachs’
    possessions and took the boxes to the Bluebird post
    office for shipping. He came back from town each
    day with something new to round out our wardrobes:
    wide-brimmed hats with ventilated crowns, shock-
    absorbing hiking poles, and lightweight headlamps for
    night hiking. Since my injured shoulder made wearing
    a day pack uncomfortable, I asked Toby to buy a waist
    pack for me; it came with pouches for two water bot-
    tles and a zippered compartment for small essentials.
    Aunt Dimity Goes West
    67
    Toby joined us for every meal and spent the
    evenings with us around the fire pit near the outdoor
    spa, singing songs, telling stories, and making beauti-
    fully gooey s’mores. It seemed a shame not to take
    advantage of the arcade games and the home theater,
    but no one wanted to stay indoors when the outdoors
    was so enticing.
    When I finally took the time to explore Mrs.
    Auerbach’s library, I found that it contained books on
    Colorado flora, fauna, geology, art, architecture, folk-
    lore, photography, and history, as well as biographies
    of prominent Coloradans. I selected a volume on
    Colorado pottery to read in bed, but I never made it
    beyond the first paragraph of the introduction because
    I couldn’t keep my eyes open long enough to read
    further.The thin air was like a narcotic.
    The trails around the Aerie were narrow, rock-
    strewn, and crisscrossed with tree roots, which made
    them far more challenging than the smooth, well-
    trodden paths surrounding Finch. Since I’d been all
    but bedridden for six weeks, I had trouble keeping up
    with the others, but Toby was never in a hurry and he
    always found clever ways to keep the twins occupied
    while I plodded slowly uphill, wishing I had an ice
    pack for my throbbing shoulder.
    Toby was the ideal guide, extending our hikes grad-
    ually each day as our stamina increased. He pointed out
    famous landmarks and repeated their names until we
    knew them by heart: Ruley’s Peak, Mount Schroeder,
    Chaney Canyon, the Bartos Range.We waded in Willie
    68
    Nancy Atherton
    Brown Creek, picnicked in Getty’s Gulch, and snapped
    photographs of mule deer grazing