Page 64 of Daddy, Take Me Away
Laughing, she twirled in a circle, tilted her head back and opened her mouth. Not to cry out in glee, but to try to catch an actual snowflake on her tongue. Tasting one, she swallowed and then threw her arms around Stone as he stood beside the Jeep shaking his head.
“This is fabulous!”
“This is ridiculous. I mean, snow? In Texas? In March?”
“I know! That’s what makes it magical! We went from being hot while climbing over rocks in Terlingua to snow! It’s like taking two vacations in one!”
“True enough, but I don’t think all this trembling is due to excitement. You’re not exactly dressed for an Arctic exploration.”
Laughing again, Micah rubbed her hands up and down her arms. The shorts thankfully had remained dry, but they were definitely not warm. Neither was the short-sleeve t-shirt she was wearing. The only plus was that her Daddy had nixed the idea of wearing sandals for their day trip and had insisted she put on a pair of socks and tennis shoes, so at least her toes wouldn’t freeze.
“Maybe we should go?—”
“To the gift shop!” she interrupted before he could even suggest they go back to the house. “I’m sure they have a sweater or maybe a blanket or something.” When he still looked unsure, she tugged on his hand. “We’ve come all this way. If I get too cold, I’ll just stand close to you. You’re always a furnace.”
Giving in, Stone allowed her to pull him along. “It is pretty,” he admitted as they walked across the parking lot toward the buildings on a slight rise.
“It’s beautiful,” Micah corrected, lifting her hand to catch another flake. “I wonder if you can see where snowflakes come from if you look through one of those gigantic telescopes.”
“Only one way to find out,” Stone said as he reached over her head to push open the door to the gift shop. “But first, let’s hope we can find you something warmer.”
It turned out the staff at the McDonald Observatory weren’t as caught off guard as their tourists were. Micah had her choice of not only long-sleeved t-shirts and sweaters, but hoodies of all kinds as well as sweatshirts, fleece-lined pants, thick socks, gloves, mittens, hats, and jackets. She was a bit overwhelmed and stood watching choices go by as her Daddy turned the rack.
“Maybe instead of a wetsuit, you should have packed a snowsuit,” he mumbled as he paused the spin long enough to look at a sweatshirt that would likely come down to her ankles.
“I don’t need much,” Micah said. “It’s only snowing because we are so high up. Just grab something, but perhaps a bit smaller. I want to sign up for the telescope before there aren’t any slots left.”
“Don’t fret, I’ve already made reservations, but you are not going back outside until I’m positive you won’t catch pneumonia.”
While there were definite pros being married to a doctor, there were certainly some cons as well. If she so much as coughed, he was certain she was coming down with the Bubonic plague. Feeling a sneeze threatening and wanting to ward off any such concerns, Micah stepped around a corner only to discover an alcove where neatly folded hoodies were arranged by size on shelves. She found a pink one with a patch of the observatory’s domes and a beautiful photo of the night sky on the back. Glittering rhinestones depicted constellations winking across that sky as well as down the sleeves and across the front. She added a pair of pink sweatpants sporting their own glittering groups of stars.
“Daddy, I’m going to go try these on, okay?”
Stone looked a bit startled to find her standing with her choices in her arms. “Where did you find those?”
“Right around the corner,” she said, nodding toward the shelves. “If I wear anything you pick out from that rack, I’ll look like the marshmallow man with all the rolls it will take to make anything fit.”
“Okay, I’ll come with you.”
Micah freed one hand to hold it up. “Um, I don’t think that’s a good idea. We’re not alone in here.” When he looked about to protest, she added, “I’ll come out and show you so you can approve anything before we buy it, okay?”
Stone looked around and then gave her a nod. “That’ll work. Do you have socks in that pile?”
“Daddy, I have socks on already,” she said, lifting a sneakered foot to waggle it.
“That reminds me, you’ll need some boots,” he said, totally ignoring the fact she also already had shoes on. “You change and I’ll have some ready for you to try on when you come out.”
Not wanting to waste time in an argument she’d have no chance on winning, Micah agreed and joined the line of ill-dressed tourists waiting for the changing rooms. She stood behind a tall woman with a gorgeous braid the color of burnished copper hanging down her back. But it was the smile she gave Micah that turned her from pretty to stunning.
“Hi, I’m Laurie. Let me guess, you’re not from around here?” she asked, nodding at the clothing Micah was clasping.
“Well, I’m Micah and I’m from Texas, but all the way across the state in Houston. I’ve seen it snow maybe twice in my entire life and never in March. How about you?” She nodded at the sweatsuit hanging from a hanger the woman was holding.
“Louisiana, and I can’t even remember it ever snowing there. It’s pretty cool if you ask me.”
“Definitely! I’ll probably only wear this a few times, but my Dad… um, husband, is a bit of a hypochondriac. ”
“Mine too, and I’m the one who’s the nurse,” Laurie said, rolling her eyes.
