Millie Comes to Visit - Part 4

Hello Friday Fiction Fans,
Am I glad I have a story all ready to post! There is so much going on right now that I don't have time to come up with something new. So I hope you are enjoying this story. :)

This morning, just before I got on here to post this, I approved the final copy of "Gift from the Storm." That means that it will be on Amazon very soon! Also, if you want that special discount (only good if you order through my blog) send me a note and I'll get the special code to you. There will be a kindle version of this book for those of you who like to get that version, but the converting of this file didn't go as well, so I have to see if I can fix it. Hopefully it won't be too long. And once it is available on kindle, it will be $.99 for the first week before the price goes up. If you want me to let you know as soon as the kindle version comes out, send me a note.

Not only have I been working on correcting "Gift from the Storm" this week, I've also been writing TCR-5. Since I won't be writing tomorrow night (we'll have my brother's kids all evening and probably rather late), I've been trying to get as much done as I can. If I want to reach 8k words again this week, I'll have to write 31 words tonight. Think I can do it? :) And just so you know, I'm over half way done with this book! I still find that hard to believe. How can I be over half way done with the next Triple Creek Ranch book in less than a month?!

My other news is that I was accepted to a local author's book signing at our public library next Saturday. It should be fun as I'll be able to have at least 10 different book titles there. I'm hoping my new book will arrive before then and I can have 11 book titles. I wish you all could come and chat with me then.

And now enjoy the next part of:

Millie Comes to Visit

Part 4

    At last they rose from the table, for all parties, even the most enjoyable ones, must come to an end. The girls, after taking off their dresses and hats, helped Mrs. Laningsburg carry the dishes and the tablecloth back inside.
    “Thank you, Mrs. Ladybug, for the wonderful time!” Ria hugged her old friend before they left. Millie and Allie echoed Ria’s thanks.
    “You are most welcome, my dears. Do be sure you come again, girls.”
    After promising they would, the three cousins turned their steps back to the Mitchell home. Lunch was waiting for them and, as they ate, they told Mrs. Mitchell all about their tea party.
    “And Mom,” Ria added, “she wants us all to come over again. We can, can’t we?”
    Smiling fondly at her daughter, Emma replied, “I’m sure you can, Ria, but not this afternoon.”
    “Oh, no, of course not this afternoon. I meant some other day. What should we do this afternoon?” Ria turned to her cousins.
    “Aunt Emma,” Allie asked, “are we going to go to Grandma’s today?”
    “That wasn’t in the plan, but if you would like to go, I’m sure we can find one of your cousins to take you. Tomorrow we are all going to go spend the day out at the farm.”
    “Even all the boys?” Millie still felt rather shy of all the many boy cousins she had.
    Standing up to carry the dishes to the sink, Emma laughed. “Even all the boys. They wouldn’t miss a time like this for anything. But don’t worry, Millie,” she came back to the table and paused to say, “you girls don’t have to join in their games if you’d rather not.”
    “We may want to play some games with them,” Millie ventured. “If Ria wants to.”
    Ria shrugged. “I play with them all the time, so I don’t mind if I do or not. But come on, let’s wash these dishes and then we can go play house out in the back yard.”

    The following day was another bright and sunny one. The entire Foster clan gathered out at Grandma and Grandpa’s farm in time for a picnic lunch. The three girls sat near their grandparents and listened to the conversation going on around them
    “Dad, that barn looks like it could use a new coat of paint,” David remarked eyeing the old barn. “When was the last time it got painted?”
    Grandpa Foster looked thoughtful for a few minutes. “Well, I think it’s been painted once or twice since the time we had some Indians paint it for us.” His eyes twinkled and the corners of his mouth twitched.
    “You had real Indians paint it, Grandpa?” demanded Ria in an astonished voice.
    “No, Ria, they were much too red to be real Indians. You’ll have to ask your mom for the story.”
    Quickly Ria turned around. “Mom, what happened?”
    Emma Mitchell laughed, though her cheeks flushed. “Some of your uncles and I painted the barn one time many years ago, or we were supposed to paint it. If I remember right, we got a bit distracted and ended up putting some of the red paint on ourselves and playing Indians instead. Perhaps I’ll tell you the story later,” Emma half promised, exchanging amused glances with her twin brother, Edmund.
    “I wonder if Georgie and Vincent remember that at all,” Edmund wondered. “Weren’t they the ones who started it?”
    Ria exchanged glances with Millie. That would have been something to see.

    After lunch the three girls wandered over to where the boys were gathered.
    “What are you all doing?” Ria asked.
    “Trying to decided what to do,” Jack told her. “Some want to play baseball, others want to walk to Codell, and another group wants to laze around and do nothing.”
    “Did you girls have something in mind?” Albert smiled at his three cousins.
    “No, but can’t you think of something we could all do?”
    “We could climb trees,” Chris suggested, but his older cousins and brothers shook their heads.
    “Let’s go fishing,” Walter purposed.
    This suggestion was met with approval by the others, provided they could borrow a truck.
    “Do you girls want to go with us?” Ed asked.
    Normally Ria enjoyed excursions with the gang, but this time she hesitated and looked at Millie and Allie, waiting for them to speak.
    “Do I have to put a worm on a hook?” Millie asked.
    “Not unless you want to.” Ed, Al and Jack had remained behind while the others went to see about the use of a truck.
    Millie hesitated and looked at her little sister. “Do you want to go fishing with the boys, Allie?”
    “No.” Allie shook her head, sending her braids flipping across her shoulders. “I don’t like fish. I’m going to go play with the babies.” With that she skipped away back to the house.
    “I guess the thought of fishing might not be too appealing to a six-year-old,” Al chuckled softly, watching the small figure. “But,” he turned to the two girls remaining, “what do you want to do?”
    “I’ll go if Ria will,” Millie answered.
    “Sure. It’s fun to go fishing with the gang. As long as Chris and Dave behave themselves.” She frowned darkly.
    “They’ll behave,” promised Ed.
    “Or else . . .” Jack’s brows drew together and he tried to look stern, but his merry eyes couldn’t fool Ria, and she knew it would have to be Pete who kept their younger brother in line. Of all her cousins, Dave was the torment. Not only did he love to tease Ria, but there was no one in the gang safe from his pranks. Most of them were harmless and no one minded, but now and then Dave would come up with something which brought on his head the wrath of the entire gang.
    All this Ria explained to her cousin as they walked hand in hand and followed the boys to the truck Uncle Edmund had said they could use.

Do you like fishing?

Do you like paper or kindle copies of books?