" Dad said to me as I shouldered my pack. "The actual adventure begins now. Are you ready?" I'm ready." I replied, looking up the slope in front of us... "Lead on, oh Fearless Leader!" At once my Able Assistant!" Dad answered back.Another important McKesson family ritual completed, at least one important to this branch of the family, it was now safe, at least as safe as anyplace in the universe where the reach of Murphy and his Law was known to be enforced. We had done our best to assuage Murphy. They both discussed it in such a way that although Icringed when she first mentioned it, quickly set me at ease. Jessetold us that it was the sort of situation that she dealt with almostevery day. I had little input, but that saved a lot of my blushes asShirley and Carla both had a pretty good idea of what they wanted. Atone stage I even allowed my attention to wander to a nearby rack ofshort dresses."We decided that we should try to make looking after the house as muchfun as possible for. He looked amazing and a part of me wanted him.“Dad?” I said in a questioning tone as he hugged me. I want to hate him and push him away but he felt so good pressed against my body. Instead of wanting to push him away. I wanted to pull his body closer to mine. I wanted him to never let me go, to keep me in those big strong arms forever.“It is so good to see you,” he said as he pulled away from me, “I have missed you for so long, and have been wanting to see you got just as long but your mom said. She shared her thoughts so freely, as if they’d been friends for a long while.“Talk to me,” he said gently. “If it’s a secret, Lizzie, I’ll keep it. I won’t turn you out.”“What if I’m a murderer on the run?” she asked, looking up. Her eyes were sad, but her tone was playful. It almost hurt to look at her. She was deflated but failing miserably to hide it.“See, I don’t think you are,” he said carefully. “I think there’s a good reason you’re here and it hasn’t got anything to do with you killing.