Evie's Awakening: A Sweet, Small Town Romance (Love in Holiday Junction Book 3)

by Tami Franklin

  Her eyes widened. “You have real reindeer?”

  “Sure.” He scraped the last of his applesauce out of a little plastic cup and licked the spoon. “It’s a big hit with the tourists around the winter holidays. We could take you on a sleigh ride, too, if you want.”

  “You could have her milk the cows,” Liam suggested.

  Evie turned horrified eyes on him, and he tried not to laugh.

  “I thought the point was to share the beauty of HJ,” Helene said, fluffing her short, brown hair. “Not scare the poor girl away.”

  “You’re right,” Liam said with a nod. “It’s not really something a city girl could probably handle.”

  Evie gave him a scathing look. “Really? Reverse psychology, Counselor? You think I’d actually fall for that?”

  “Course not,” he replied, chomping on a carrot. “But maybe I don’t want you in my stables.”

  “Ah, reverse reverse psychology,” she said slowly, tapping her chin. “I’d never see that coming. Maybe you’re smarter than you look.”

  Before he could respond, Joey and her friend Harry, a tiny, tow-headed boy with wide green eyes and thick glasses, approached the table.

  “We’re all done eating,” Joey said, shifting from one foot to the other. “Can we go now?”

  “Yes, we can,” Jerome replied, raising his voice to shout, “Everyone hit the restroom and then grab your packs. We leave in five!”

  It was a mad scramble as everyone rushed to comply, and soon, the group was once again hiking through the forest. They walked for about an hour, up hills and down, and Liam kept finding his gaze drifting to Evie. It was only natural, since he was supposed to be watching her, but he also couldn’t help thinking of her as a puzzle he needed to solve. And the more he watched her, the more he began to realize that she wasn’t what he’d expected.

  They came to a tight spot in the trail and she stumbled, tripping over a root. Liam’s arm shot out on instinct, and he caught her by the elbow, the warmth of her arm seeping through her sweater and into his palm. With a little gasp, she stared up at him, brown eyes wide and unblinking.

  What was he doing? He snatched his hand away like he’d been burned and took a quick step back.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, crossing his arms.

  “Yes.” Evie’s voice cracked and she cleared her throat. “I’m fine, thanks.” She didn’t meet his gaze when she asked, “How much farther?”

  “Just around that bend up ahead.”

  Evie nodded curtly and started up the path. Sure enough, as soon as they rounded the corner, the sound of rushing water drifted to them, getting louder with every passing moment. Before long, they emerged into a clearing with a small cabin on the far end, a stack of rafts against one wall. Beyond the cabin, a few cars passed on the main road, and Evie, the earlier uneasiness forgotten, shot a look at Liam.

  “You mean to tell me we could have driven here?” she asked.

  He smirked. “Where’s the fun in that?”

  She rolled her eyes, lifting her foot behind her and grabbing her ankle to stretch her thigh. “The fun is we could already be back at the camp site drinking hot chocolate right now,” she replied.

  “Eh, it’s good for you,” Liam said, not watching as she stretched her arms over her head, first to one side, then the other.

  “Is that so,” she said dryly.

  “Sure.” He leaned back, cracking his own spine with a little satisfied groan. “You walk around in three-inch heels all day. It’s got to be bad for your posture.”

  “And tromping around in the woods is the remedy for that?” She had a little laugh in her voice, and Liam couldn’t keep from glancing at her to find her watching him with an amused smile.

  “Of course,” he said, trying to look as serious as possible. “It’s all about spinal alignment.”

  She snorted a laugh and Liam felt a little surge of victory.

  The owner, Ray, emerged from the cabin and approached them with a wide smile. “Are you the Sunshine Scouts?”

  Excitement, laughter, and shouts ensued as they dragged the rafts to the edge of the water. The adults held them steady as the kids fastened on life jackets and piled in. When Liam waved Evie in, she frowned skeptically.

  “Are you sure this is safe?” she asked.

  Liam grinned. “Nothing really fun is a hundred percent safe,” he said.

  When she gaped at him in surprise, he laughed.

  “It’s perfectly safe.” He shook his head. “Do you think we’d take a bunch of kids down white water rapids?”

  She stepped gingerly into the raft, wobbling on her feet before collapsing into the bottom with a surprised yelp. Liam followed, shoving it away from the beach as he climbed in.

  The kids had a blast, splashing each other and screaming whenever they hit a fast spot in the current, but all in all, it was a relatively gentle ride, as well as pretty short. While it had taken them an hour and a half to walk to the cabin, it only took about thirty minutes to ride the river back to the camp site.

  The adults steered the rafts to the riverbank and helped the kids get out. They’d stack the rafts well out of the water’s reach, and Ray would pick them up the following day. As the others clambered up the bank to head back to camp, Liam held out a hand to help Evie disembark.

  She stepped out, a foot slipping in the mud, and she would have been fine if she hadn’t overcorrected, stomping down with her other foot. It slid to the side and she went down with a shriek, dragging Liam with her.

  He landed on her leg with an audible oof.

  “I’m so sorry!” Evie exclaimed as she sat up, trying to find her footing.

  “It’s fine,” he said, rolling over, but when he tried to stand up, his own feet slipped out from under him and he fell onto his backside, knocking Evie over again.

  She got to her hands and knees, kicking a blob of mud right at his face.

  “Okay, stop. Just wait,” he snapped, wiping it away. Evie froze, mud dripping down her neck as she sat on the wet riverbank.

  Liam slowly got to his feet and planted them carefully on some drier soil before extending a hand to help her up. She stood and held onto him as she steadied herself. Mud spattered her clothing and her hair hang in dank clumps on one side. She swiped at a streak on her face, but only made it worse.

  Liam snickered. “You have a little something,” he said, motioning toward her cheek.

  She narrowed her eyes. “You’re one to talk.” Evie reached up and peeled a lump off his cheek, dropping it to the ground with a splat. They stood, dripping, staring at each other for a long moment, then they both burst out laughing.

  Liam couldn’t believe the difference it made. The first time he’d seen her smile, it startled him, the hard angles smoothing out and her features taking on a softer edge. But when she laughed?

  The only word that came to mind was breathtaking.

  Her teeth gleamed, her eyes sparkled, and even covered in mud, he could see her skin take on a rosy hue. She looked younger. Easy-going and fun.

  “What?” she asked, her brow crinkling, and he realized he’d been staring, for . . . who knew how long?

  He swallowed and shook his head. “Nothing. Sorry. We should get back.”

  Evie nodded and gingerly picked her way up the bank while Liam dragged the raft to the stack. They walked back to the campsite in comfortable silence, and Liam tried not to think about how, for a brief moment, he’d actually forgotten that Evie Hart was, if not an enemy, at least an adversary.

  And that, Liam knew, was something dangerous to forget.

  Cleaning up in a campground restroom with a tiny metal sink and no hot water wasn’t easy. Evie frowned at her distorted reflection in the warped mirror and scrubbed at her hair with a wad of stiff paper towels. Fortunately, Lou had provided an extra set of clothes, so she was able to change into another pair of jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt. She’d wiped off her boots and washed up the best she could, but honestly, what she rea
lly wanted was a nice, hot shower.

  Unfortunately, that was not a possibility for at least another eighteen hours.

  She checked her watch. Seventeen hours and twenty-two minutes.

  Evie sighed and tossed the towels into the trash. This was as good as it was going to get, she supposed. Gathering up her things, she held her wet, muddy clothes away from her between a thumb and forefinger and walked back to the campsite.

  Everyone was gathered around the fire pit, and Evie caught sight of Liam over by the picnic table. It was unfair that she felt so bedraggled and disgusting when he looked fresh and clean. His sandy hair was damp, swept back and tousled, and as far as she could tell, there was not a speck of mud on him.

  He waved her over and before she could think the better of it, she blurted out, “Why are you clean?”

  Durant blinked at her. “Because I washed?”

  She narrowed her eyes. “With what?”

  “Uh, water?” When she continued to eye him suspiciously, he laughed. “I jumped in the river.”

  And that image of Liam Durant bathing in the river, scrubbing at his thick hair, golden skin gleaming under the sunlight—

  Evie blushed furiously. “Oh.”

  He tipped his head. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes!” She backed away quickly. “I’m fine. Good. Super. Right.” Evie searched for something to say. “Starving, though. When do we eat?”

  That launched the scouts on a repeated chant of “Food! Food! Food!” and Evie sighed in relief to have attention diverted from her.

  Dinner consisted of hot dogs roasted over an open fire. Evie couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a hot dog, but they were delicious, even though hers was a little burned.

  Following Liam’s suggestion, she took her muddy clothes down to the river bank and managed to rinse them out without falling in, a small miracle, and brought them back to lay out on a large rock to dry.

  As the sun set, they sat on logs around the fire, and someone produced a bag of marshmallows.

  “You ever have a s’more, Ms. Hart?” Liam asked, holding out the bag to her.

  “Oh, no thank you,” she said, tucking her hands under her thighs. “Seems awfully sweet.”

  He grinned, shaking the bag a little. “That’s the whole point,” he said. “Come on, give it a try.”

  “It’s really good,” Joey said from next to her. The little girl had a mouthful of marshmallow and chocolate, spitting out little graham cracker crumbs with each word. But she looked so hopeful, Evie couldn’t resist.

  Hesitantly, she reached into the bag and pulled out a marshmallow. She stuck it onto the end of her hot dog stick—which in any other circumstance would probably make her cringe in horror, but when in Rome, etc.—and stuck it into the fire.

  “Easy,” Liam said, grabbing her hand to guide the stick. “Put it in the coals, there. Not too close. And keep rotating it.” He finally released her hand, but she could still feel residual heat, thrumming over her skin.

  It was probably from the fire.

  Liam gave her a little smile and took a seat on the other side of Joey.

  “Mr. Liam is nice, isn’t he?” Joey asked.

  Evie glanced up, and Liam was watching her with an amused look.

  She wanted to say something flippant, to knock him down a peg or two, but Joey looked up with those wide eyes and all she could say was, “Yes.”

  “I think he likes you,” Joey whispered.

  This time when Evie glanced at Liam, he was looking decidedly in the other direction, his cheeks pink in the firelight.

  “I think Mr. Liam is nice to everyone,” she replied. And it was true. Despite his annoying tendencies, Evie had to admit that Liam Durant was a decent guy.

  “Ms. Evie?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Your marshmallow!”

  Evie looked down and, sure enough, her marshmallow was in flames. With a little yelp, she yanked it out of the fire.

  “What do I do?” she asked Joey.

  “Blow it out!”

  Evie huffed at the marshmallow, but it kept burning, panicked, she flicked the stick back and forth, trying to shake it out like a match.

  “Don’t!” Liam shouted, just before the blackened marshmallow flung off the stick and splatted right into the middle of his forehead.

  “Ow!” he shouted, swiping at the molten mess. It dripped down his face and Evie looked on, horrified.

  “Here!” Jerome shouted, leading Liam to the picnic table. He pushed the man to his knees, ripped off the cooler lid, and plunged Liam’s entire head into the melting ice.

  When he emerged, panting and wet, Liam pried the remnants of the now-stiff marshmallow from his forehead and swiped back his hair.

  “I’m fine,” he reassured the worried scouts. “Just a little reminder to be sure and watch what you’re doing around a fire, right?”

  “Right!” they shouted back, a few casting Evie rather reproachful glances.

  Perfect.

  She got up and approached Liam where he sat at the picnic table. “I’m so sorry,” she said, wringing her hands. “Are you really okay?”

  There was a large red spot on his forehead, and Evie winced. She was glad she hadn’t hit him in the eye.

  “Yeah,” he replied. “Don’t worry about it. It was an accident.” He froze, his mouth dropping open. “It was an accident, right?”

  She snorted. “Of course it was.”

  “Because there are probably better ways to get rid of me—”

  Evie smirked. “If I was trying to get rid of you, I’d use a pin.”

  When his brow creased in confusion, she finished sweetly, “to pop that overinflated ego.”

  Liam snorted. “Ouch.” Helene appeared with a tube of antiseptic cream and dabbed a little on his injury.

  “Ouch,” he said again.

  Evie’s stomach twisted. “I really am sorry.”

  He shrugged. “It’s okay. I’ll live.”

  He smiled at her, and she couldn’t keep from smiling back.

  Evie was exhausted when she finally crawled into her sleeping bag that night, even though it couldn’t have been later than nine o’clock. She listened to the sounds around her, the chirping of crickets, wind in the trees, the low chatter and giggles as the scouts settled down for the night, and drifted off to sleep without a thought about work for the first time in as long as she could remember.

  It was still dark when she awoke, uncertain what had torn her from her dreams. Then, as she shifted, she realized she needed to use the restroom. She checked her phone and saw it wasn’t quite four in the morning—sunrise was still hours away.

  Maybe she could wait it out. She closed her eyes and tried to go to sleep, tossed and turned a few times, then let out a heavy sigh and unzipped the sleeping bag. She put on her boots, not bothering to tie them, and slipped on her jacket, grabbing the flashlight and saying another silent thank you to Lou Chalmers for thinking of it.

  The campsite was quiet as she picked her way through it, and she made her way quickly down the path to the restroom. She breathed a sigh of relief when it came into view and she rushed inside.

  She’d just washed her hands and grabbed her flashlight to leave when she heard a noise. She paused with her hand on the door knob, listening carefully. The single fluorescent light flickered overhead, and her heart pounded, sweat prickling at the back of her neck. When she didn’t hear anything, she eased open the door, shining her flashlight out over the surrounding brush.

  Nothing.

  “Get ahold of yourself, Evie,” she muttered, tiptoeing out of the bathroom and letting the door slide shut behind her.

  She’d only taken a few steps when she heard a low growl. Evie froze, fear and panic paralyzing her. What was that? An animal of some kind for sure, but she couldn’t see anything. Could it be a mountain lion? A bear?

  Should she run or wait it out?

  Evie swept the light around her in a slow circle. She heard a
scratching sound . . . another growl . . . and a loud clatter. And suddenly, a pair of glowing eyes, glinting in the darkness.

  With a shriek, Evie dropped the flashlight and took off running down the path. Was that growling behind her? Was it chasing her?

  She stumbled on a rock as the campsite came into view, but she got her feet under her and pushed herself forward.

  “Bear!” she shouted, her breath heaving out. “It’s a bear!”

  Then, right as she got to the circle of tents, she tripped on her untied boot lace and went flying through the air, landing with a grunt on top of a bright blue tent. It collapsed around her in a cloud of puffy nylon, and as Evie rolled over to try to get free, she heard a loud grunt. The tent wiggled beneath her, and she realized she was half-lying on someone. With a squawk, she rolled back, only to see Liam Durant’s head poke out of the tent flap.

  Of course.

  “What in the world are you doing?” he asked, bleary eyed and confused.

  Evie got to her feet and backed up to the fire pit, picking up one of the hot dog sticks as a makeshift weapon. “It’s a bear,” she hissed. “I think.”

  Liam scrambled to his feet and grabbed a can of some kind of spray, moving in front of Evie.

  “Everyone stay calm,” he told the scouts, who were peeking out from their own tents. “Back in your tents and be very quiet.”

  The kids did as they were told, and Evie peeked over his shoulder. “What is that?” she asked. “Hair spray?”

  He glanced back at her with an incredulous look. “Yes, Evie. I’m going to take on a bear with hair spray.” He tensed at a rustling in the bushes. “It’s bear spray.”

  “Well, how was I supposed to know?”

  “Shh,” he warned. “Be quiet and don’t move. Hopefully, he’ll leave and I won’t have to use it.”

  The bushes rustled again, and Evie dropped the hot dog stick and grabbed Liam’s free arm, without even realizing it. She was vaguely aware of Jerome and Helene, standing nearby, and Sean McKenna positioning himself between the trail and the tents on the other side of the campsite, holding another can of spray.

  The bushes shook, and Evie heard that terrifying, low growl.