Since talking with Blythe in his office the other night, Daniel felt as though he had a better understanding of her, yet that didn’t keep him from wanting to know more. Especially after watching her on that zip line just now. And the way she interacted with the kids... She not only cared about them, it was important to her that they have fun. Something he appreciated more than she would ever know.
“We meet again,” he said as he stepped onto the pine-needle-covered dirt path. He eyed little Evie, recalling her hesitation. “So, what did you think of the zip line?”
“It was awesome!”
He couldn’t help laughing. “Where’re you headed?” His attention returned to Blythe.
“Back to our cabin to clean up for dinner.”
“Mind if I walk with you?”
“Of course not.”
He fell in alongside her as the girls skipped ahead. “So what adventures have you done today? Aside from the zip-lining, that is.”
“Well...” She moved at a leisurely pace. Unhurried, which was fine by him. He was in no rush to get away from her. “We went horseback riding with your brother this morning.”
“Oh, yeah? How’d you like it?”
“Are you kidding? With all of this scenery?” She waved an arm through the air. “It was as fun as it was relaxing. And your brother made sure to keep things exciting for the kids, telling them stories and pointing out interesting things.”
“Did you know he’s a former rodeo champ?”
Her stunning eyes grew wide. “No way.”
He couldn’t help chuckling. “One of the best there ever was.”
“And he lived to tell about it.” She shook her head, sending her ponytail swaying. “That’s amazing.”
“Yeah, he has some pretty interesting stories.” He glimpsed the rustling leaves overhead.
“Sounds like you’re not the only one in your family who enjoys adventures.”
“I never thought about it before, but I guess you’re right.” His gaze fell to hers. “Though I can safely say that you will never find me riding a bull.”
Her laughter reached into his heart, awakening something strange and unfamiliar.
“What does he do now?”
Clearing his throat, Daniel ignored the unwanted sensation. “He opened a rodeo school last fall.”
“A rodeo school? I didn’t even know there was such a thing.”
“Well, there’s nobody better to learn from than the best.”
Moving from the trail into the main part of the camp, they paused as the girls came to a stop in front of them.
“Aw...look at the cute little bears,” he heard Evie say.
He jerked his attention to the child and followed her line of sight. Sure enough, two young cubs were playing just beyond the chow hall. And while they might be cute and generally harmless, where there were little bears, there was usually a mama. And if she felt her babies were being threatened in any way...
“Blythe, take the girls back your cabin. And tell any other companions you see to do the same.”
“Okay, but for how long?”
“Until I radio the all-clear. Now, go.”
As she scurried away with the girls, he pulled the radio from his hip and brought it to his mouth. “I need all campers and companions to report to their cabins immediately. Companions, take a head count to make sure everyone is accounted for. I repeat, all campers and companions to their cabins now.”
Slowly, he moved in the direction of the chow hall, never taking his eyes off the cubs even as the voices of kids and companions increased behind him. He thanked God they were doing what they were told.
Nearing the back side of the chow hall, he saw the mama bear circling the dumpster. With the drought, food was probably getting scarce, so they were on the hunt. Lord willing, they’d simply meander back up the mountain. Unless they were desperate.
A moment later, Levi moved alongside him. “They’re looking for food.”
“Yeah, and we’ve got a bunch of kids likely leaving crumbs and who knows what else behind.” Despite their instructions to dispose of everything properly.
“Bears see that as an open buffet,” said Levi.
Minutes ticked by as they continued to wait, and the camp grew eerily silent. If these creatures didn’t leave soon, he’d be forced to call the game warden.
Finally, as dinnertime approached, the bears turned to leave.
“Daniel.” Allison’s voice crackled through the radio on his hip. “We need you in the office immediately.”
After instructing Levi to make sure the bears had, indeed, gone, he hurried to his office to find Jacob, one of the male companions, waiting outside.
He moved with determined steps. “This had better be important.”
“Micah is missing.”
Daniel’s gaze narrowed. “What do you mean missing?”
“I thought Zack had him, he thought I had him. But we’re both back, and Micah is nowhere to be found.”
“You lost a camper?” He couldn’t keep the incredulity from his voice.
“How is that possible?” The sound of Blythe’s voice had him cringing.
Turning, he saw her storming toward him, anger flashing in her eyes.
“Sorry, I can’t answer that right now, Blythe. I have to find Micah.” He looked at Jacob. “Where were you when you last saw him?”
“Challenge course.”
“All right. You get back to your cabin and don’t let anyone leave.”
Daniel threw himself into the golf cart parked beside the office. Unfortunately, Blythe hopped into the passenger side before he could get away.
“Shouldn’t you be with Chloe and Evie?”
“They’re with Teri. You, however, should keep better track of your campers.”
He shot her a glance. “That’s exactly what I’m trying to do.”
He floored the gas pedal, hating that Blythe held the camp’s fate in her hands. This one event could be enough to blow the whole deal.
This was his fault. He should have trained Jacob better. Neither he nor Zack should have assumed that the other had one of their campers, especially in an emergency.
As the cart approached Adventure Haven, he could see that the space was empty—a far cry from what it had been only a short time ago.
He circled the challenge course. Empty. He eyed the zip line. Also empty.
Where are you, Micah?
Canoeing is my favorite thing in the world. Micah had told him just this morning at breakfast.
Making a sharp right turn, he nearly toppled Blythe as he raced toward the lake.
“Where are you going?”
Wishing she wasn’t with him, he remained silent for fear he’d say something he’d regret.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” she ultimately continued. “Don’t these people know they’re not supposed to let these kids out of their sight out here?”
His blood boiled. He was almost ready to let her have it when he came to the edge of the woods and saw the lone canoe in the middle of the lake.
Releasing the breath he’d been holding, he eased the cart into the meadow and pulled up to the dock. The moment his foot hit the ground, he thanked God for giving Micah the good sense to put on a life jacket.
He made his way to the end of the dock with Blythe right behind him.
Cupping his hands around his mouth, he hollered, “What are you doing out there, dude?”
“I don’t know how to paddle.” While Micah didn’t appear to be scared, he did look perplexed.
“How did you get out there, then?”
The kid simply shrugged.
“Stand by. I’ll be there in a sec.” Fortunately, the mountain lake wasn’t that big.
Daniel climbed into the nearest canoe.
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“Don’t you need a life vest?” Arms crossed, Blythe watched him from the dock.
Again, he didn’t bother to answer. He simply maneuvered the canoe away from the dock and toward Micah.
The still water rippled beneath his paddle and within minutes he was beside the kid. “You know you’re not supposed to be out here alone, right?”
The kid lowered his head. “But I was having so much fun.”
“I understand, but there’s a reason we have rules.” He gripped the side of Micah’s canoe. “To keep you safe, for starters.”
“I put on my life vest.” Micah tucked his thumbs in the armholes to proudly show Daniel.
“And I’m glad you did. That doesn’t make coming out here alone okay, though. Nobody knew where you were.”
Micah frowned. “That’s cuz I snuck away from Zack and Jacob.” Water lapped at the sides of the canoes as Daniel waited for him to continue. “They told us we had to go back to our cabins, but I didn’t want to go.”
“Did you ever stop to think there might be a reason we were making everyone go back?”
He shook his ball-cap-covered bald head.
“Micah, there was emergency back at the camp, and we needed to make sure everyone was safe. That’s why you were told to go to your cabin.”
The boy’s wide eyes jerked to Daniel. “What kind of emergency?”
Daniel hesitated, but the bears were probably long gone by now. “We spotted some bears in the camp.”
The kid straightened. “Bears? Cool.”
“No, it wasn’t cool. Bears can be very dangerous.”
Micah’s smile faltered again. “I guess I’m in big trouble, huh? Are you gonna call my parents? Am I going to have to leave camp?”
Funny, Daniel wanted to ask Blythe similar questions. Would this cost him any future funding? Would she give him a bad report? Would she be on the phone with Jack before they ever made it back to camp?
“Your parents will be informed, yes. But no, you shouldn’t have to leave camp.”
The boy’s face brightened.
“However, we will be discussing an appropriate punishment for your behavior.”
“Oh.” The boy’s shoulders slumped.
“You will likely lose some activity time and have to do some work instead. Right now, though, we need to get you back to shore.” He reached for the line at the front of Micah’s boat and tied it to the back of his. “Now you just sit tight and leave the paddling to me.”
* * *
Blythe was an idiot. Unfortunately, it wasn’t until Daniel was out on the lake with Micah that she realized how stupidly she’d been behaving. She felt horrible for coming down on him so hard. She wasn’t able to face Daniel when he and Micah returned to the shore. Instead, she silently took a seat on the rear-facing bench of the cart, out of Daniel’s line of sight, then hopped off as soon as they returned to the camp and hurried back to her cabin.
Even during this evening’s scavenger hunt, embarrassment had her making sure she was nowhere near Daniel. Yet now, as she lay in her bunk, staring at the ceiling while Chloe, Evie and the other ten girls were sound asleep in the adjoining rooms, she knew she had to talk to him. To apologize for her wretched behavior. Because if she didn’t, she’d never get any sleep.
Glancing toward the opposite bunk, she saw Teri staring at her phone. So, after hauling herself out of bed, Blythe exchanged her sleep shorts for some yoga pants and asked her friend to monitor the girls while she stepped out for some fresh air. “I’ve got my phone, if you need me.”
Outside, the night air was cool, making her wish she’d at least grabbed a sweater. Goose bumps erupted on her bare arms, but her T-shirt would have to do because there was no turning back now.
Hugging her arms to her chest for warmth, she moved as quickly as possible in the direction of the office, pleased when she saw the light was still on. But a sudden case of nerves had her stopping in her tracks. Daniel truly cared about each of the kids at camp. He would never do anything to endanger them. Hadn’t she seen how emphatic he was about her taking the girls to the cabin after spotting those bears?
And yet she’d blown up at him like Hurricane Blythe. All because she’d come in here with a chip on her shoulder, believing Daniel was trying to take advantage of the Ridley Foundation, when nothing could be farther from the truth. He wasn’t anything at all like those people who’d run the camp she’d attended. Yet she’d assumed the worst. Even after she knew better.
Now it was time to correct that mistake.
Continuing to the office, she quietly eased onto the porch. Through the screen door, she could see Daniel hunched over the desk, writing something. She’d probably startle him if she knocked.
Not as badly as it would if he looked up and saw you staring at him.
With a bolstering breath, she rapped her knuckles against the door.
Daniel’s head shot up instantly, and he looked straight at her. “Blythe?” Pushing away from the desk, he stood and started toward her. “Let me guess.” He pushed the door open “You’re in need of some tea.”
Still hugging herself tightly, she moved inside. “No.” Her teeth chattered uncontrollably. “I need to talk to you.”
“Couldn’t it have waited until morning? You’re freezing.” Closing the door, he retrieved a jacket from a hook on the wall. “Here.” He held it up behind her. “Put this on.”
She shoved her arms into the sleeves, grateful for the warmth. “Thank you.” The fragrance of fresh air and masculinity enveloped her, and she couldn’t help wondering if this was what it would feel like to be held in the arms of man like Daniel.
“What did you want to talk to me about?”
Shoving her crazy notions aside, she looked up to find his uber-blue eyes fixed on her. “I owe you an apology.” At least her teeth no longer chattered.
He crossed his arms over his chest then, his bulging biceps straining the sleeves of his T-shirt. “Go ahead.” If he was trying to intimidate her, it was working.
But she hadn’t trekked through the chilly night air to stop short of her mission. “I gave you quite a tongue-lashing earlier when I heard Micah was missing. One you didn’t deserve. I’ve seen you with these kids. I know how much you care about them.”
“Yes, I do. However, that was a pretty scary situation.” His brows lifted ever so slightly. “I am curious why you reacted so strongly.”
She could chalk it up to fear or tell him the truth. And while she had, indeed, been afraid for Micah, Daniel deserved the truth.
Tugging the jacket tighter, she said, “Remember when I told you that I had gone to camp once?”
“Yeah, you said you’d made a good friend.”
“Yes. Her name was Miranda.” Blythe swallowed the lump that tried to form in her throat. “We met at a cancer camp that had promised us fun and adventure, except the directors failed to deliver on that promise.”
He lowered his arms then, appearing confused. “You mean you didn’t have fun at camp?”
“Other than my time with Miranda, no.”
“Was it because of the whole fear thing?” His probing gaze remained fixed on her.
“Actually, I had been looking forward to doing all of those fun things they’d promised us kids. Including the zip line.”
“So, what happened?”
Needing to put some space between them, she turned and moved toward the counter that held the microwave. “Basically, the people who ran that camp didn’t care about anything but the money. Our counselors were nothing more than glorified babysitters, so we spent most of the time in our cabins.”
“Disappointing all of you kids?” He sounded as shocked as he was irritated.
She nodded. “The experience left me rather jaded. I came to Camp Sneffels expecting you to fail. Instead, you’ve not only exceeded my expectation
s, you’ve blown them out of the water. What you’re doing here is...pretty amazing.”
“Now I get why you kept challenging me that day you arrived, wanting to know about the activities.”
She lifted a shoulder. “Camp has to be about the kids.”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
“I know you do. Which is why I wanted to apologize. And, going forward, I promise to judge you and the camp based on your merits, not someone else’s failures.”
The corners of his mouth tilted upward a notch. “I appreciate that.”
An awkward silence fell between them then, and she was about to head for the door when she realized she’d never asked about Micah. “So, what was the story with Micah?”
“He purposely snuck away from his companion because he didn’t want to go back to his cabin.”
Recalling all the time she’d had to spend in her cabin at camp, she said, “Can’t say as I blame him.”
“I made sure he understood the severity of his actions, and I called his parents.”
“What did they have to say?”
“They were pretty cool about everything. His mom said it sounded like something Micah would do and apologized for not warning me.”
“Do you plan to punish him?”
He leaned against the desk. “That’s a tough one because I really can’t blame the kid for wanting to have fun. Still, he did put himself in danger and caused trouble here at the camp, so I know I’ll have to do something, like take away a day of activities, but it’s what to have him do instead that has me stumped.” He looked at her. “Any suggestions?”
“What if you gave him a chore around the camp? Nothing rigorous, of course.”
“I could have him pick up trash. That would still keep him outdoors.”
“What if he helped you with something? I mean, you have a good rapport with him, and he’ll need supervision.”
“Good point. Maybe he should have to be my right-hand man for the day. Whatever I have to do, he’s right there with me. And I’d try to find jobs for him to do along the way.”
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