Nick saw Molly shiver. “Me, too.”
Around the trail they hiked, the woods fully immersed them. Everywhere they looked there were trees and underbrush and not a sign of life outside of nature. To Nick, this place was heaven, a refuge. He wished the same were true for Molly. He wished she would let him take her hand or give her a hug. But Nick didn’t dare try that now, not until he got to the bottom of her sudden mood change.
“Is this one of the paths you cleared?”
“Yeah, I started to do that before I found out I was camp director.”
“You’ve always loved camping, backpacking, being out in nature, haven’t you?”
“There’s nowhere else I feel closer to God. That’s one of the reasons I came back to Camp Hope Springs when I got out of the military. I knew this was the perfect place to reexamine my relationship with God.”
She shoved a branch out of the way. “How’s that worked out for you?”
“I thought it would be my time alone that made me feel closer to God, but instead it’s been the opposite. Seeing all of these young people getting excited about their faith has renewed my excitement.”
“That’s great, Nick. I’m glad that worked out for you.”
He grabbed her arm until she stopped and turned toward him. “Molly, what’s going on inside that head of yours? I want to help.”
Her gaze searched his for another moment before she finally licked her lips. “I heard what your mom said, Nick. I was coming to tell you the sheriff had arrived, but I overheard your conversation with your parents, instead.”
His heart sunk. “Molly, I’m sorry you had to hear that. Just because my parents feel like that doesn’t mean that I do. I think what my mom said was despicable. I’m so sorry that she hurt you.”
“I don’t like feeling that I’m so weak that she has that power over me.”
“Even the strongest person can crumble under harsh, undeserved criticism like that. What can I do to make things better?”
Molly looked in the distance for a moment before shaking her head. “Nothing. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
He didn’t know what else to say to her. He wanted to take away her hurt, but was uncertain how to do so. So instead they began walking silently again.
Maybe he should have taken her into his arms? Kissed away her insecurities? Just held her? He didn’t know, and not knowing made him feel a bit like a louse.
He sighed and moved forward. He had to think about Laura right now. That was the only thing that might help him keep his sanity.
* * *
Molly had hoped that Nick didn’t share his mother’s feelings. But based on his reaction, he did.
He didn’t try to comfort her. He’d only said, I’m sorry.
What had she wanted? For him to proclaim his feelings for the world to hear?
Of course not.
She cleared her burning throat. “Are there springs around here? Is that where the camp got its name?”
“No, actually, there aren’t. My grandfather named the camp. He chose the name because he believed you could always bounce back from whatever circumstance life handed you. He always said that hope could spring from the direst of situations.”
She nodded. “I like that. I can’t believe I never heard that explanation before.”
“My grandfather really lived that out, too. He grew up with nothing, but he worked hard and was able to purchase this property. He faced other obstacles—his wife died not long after my father was born, he lost two fingers in an auto accident, he eventually began having heart problems. But he always found the good in the bad.”
“I think I would have liked your grandfather.”
“I think you would have, too.”
The trail came to an end, and Molly sucked in a breath. What now?
Nick stopped behind her, nearly colliding with her.
“Do we turn around and go back?”
He glanced at his watch. “We still have an hour and half before we meet back with everyone. We could go a little farther, if you’re up for it.”
The thought of leaving the trail made her throat go dry. But she nodded. “You’re not going to get us lost, are you?”
“I wouldn’t do that to you.” He pointed in the distance. “It looks like someone has come this way recently. You can tell by the way the underbrush is trampled.”
Molly’s pulse quickened. “Laura?”
“Could be.”
Or it could be from one of the men who’d been terrifying anyone around these woods lately. Molly knew it was a chance they had to take. She couldn’t bear the thought of Laura being lost out here. The girl had come across as a bit flighty, the kind who didn’t think through things before acting out.
“It’s a little rocky right here. Let me help you.” Nick scrambled in front of her as the trail began to slope downward toward a dried creek bed.
Molly slipped her hand into Nick’s and scolded herself for the electricity she felt jolt through her at his touch. She wanted to get Nick out of her mind, to forget the idea that they could ever be together. Her body seemed to be reacting differently, though.
The ground slipped from beneath her and she felt herself falling, gravity pulling her downward. Nick’s strong arms encircled her before she hit the ground. Just his nearness caused her pulse to quicken uncontrollably.
“Whoa,” Nick mumbled as he pulled her up. “Easy does it.”
She quickly righted herself, scolding herself for enjoying her closeness to Nick. Get some distance, she reminded herself. Distance. She brushed some dirt from her shorts. “Thanks.”
“Anytime.” He released her and Molly instantly missed the feeling of his arms around her.
Ahead, more sunlight filtered in through the forest, as if the density of the trees eased some.
“What’s up ahead?”
Nick shrugged. “Not sure. Let’s go find out.”
Could they have found the part of the forest where trees had been cleared and some illegal substance was being grown? Was her theory correct?
They climbed over downed trees and through thick underbrush, heading toward the area. Finally, they reached the edge of the clearing. They both stopped and stared.
It appeared that six large trees had been cut down. From the pale color of the wood on the stumps, the trees had been cut recently. A makeshift road jutted from the other side of the area, perhaps where the trees had been pulled from the property?
“What do you think of this?” Molly asked, still perplexed.
“I’m not sure. Why is someone clearing this land—land that doesn’t belong to them?”
“Good question. Are they planning to build something? Grow something? Hide something back here in the woods?”
“I have no idea.” Nick stood with his hand on his hips, looking at the find before them and shaking his head. “This isn’t their property to do anything with. But now the chainsaws make sense. They weren’t just using them to scare us. Someone was using them to cut down trees.”
“I wonder where that road leads.”
“I intend on finding out—just not right now. We’ve got to get back to the camp before everyone gets worried. We’re going to have to hurry to make it on time.”
Molly’s leg was beginning to ache from walking so much, but she didn’t want her discomfort to show. Instead she nodded, dreading the walk back.
Suddenly, Nick stopped in front of her. She nearly collided
with his back. What did he see? Laura? One of the men terrorizing the camp? “What is it, Nick?”
Nick remained frozen. “Don’t move.”
Molly peered around him. Her skin crawled when she saw a snake directly in their path, its body coiled and fangs bared.
“That’s a cottonmouth snake, and she doesn’t look too happy.”
* * *
Nick watched as the snake showed its legendary white mouth to them, its fangs flashing in all their glory. One bite from the venomous snake could kill someone. He knew the critter was probably just as afraid of them as they were of it, but they still had to be cautious. Frightened animals responded defensively sometimes.
Molly gripped his arm but otherwise froze behind him.
“If we don’t bother the snake, it shouldn’t bother us,” he mumbled, his eyes never leaving the venomous creature.
“You sure about that?”
“Positive.” Ninety-nine percent positive, at least.
He stared at the creature, waiting to see its next move. Would it lunge toward them? Would it continue to block their path until they found another way? And if they did venture off the path, would they stumble into the snake’s nest, buried deep in the underbrush?
Finally, the cottonmouth recoiled. The creature slithered away into a nearby bush. Nick released his breath before turning toward Molly. Based on the way her hands fluttered and her eyes darted, she was scared.
“I’ve got to get out of these woods,” she mumbled.
For the rest of their walk, they each seemed lost in their own thoughts, and Nick didn’t have the energy at the moment to translate the silence. Was it a good thing? Or was Molly still hanging on to her hurts? Were those hurts irreparable? Did they have any hope for a future together? Perhaps God had brought Molly back into his life for closure. He tried to tell himself that he’d be happy with only her friendship—and, on one level, he would be satisfied with that. But suddenly he was beginning to think that he might want to be more than friends. Being around her these past few weeks made him realize what he was missing out on.
He turned his thoughts to the other matters at hand. They hadn’t located Laura, but Nick sure hoped that someone had and that the girl was okay. Every year they seemed to have at least one camper or staff member who liked to wander into the woods and got turned around. They’d never lost anyone yet. He hoped that record would stand, but as he thought about everything happening at the camp lately, he feared the worst.
As his feet pounded the dirt trail, his thoughts returned to the missing trees. He wanted to get to the bottom of whatever was going on in these woods. His mind raced through different possibilities, but none of them made sense, at least not given the information he had.
Certainly a conservation group wouldn’t cut down trees. Nor would hunters, who valued trees for their protection while searching for game. Wendell wouldn’t be foolish enough to begin clearing trees from land he didn’t own for a factory he had no right to build. So who did that leave? Could someone have cut down the trees to grow drugs out here? Certainly they could have found other locations that would have been more hospitable to growing the illegal plants. Nothing made sense. He only knew that these incidents were escalating, and he feared where that might lead.
Finally, they emerged from the wilderness. Molly immediately seemed to relax. Her shoulders sloped some, her arms didn’t look so tight.
“Thanks for coming with me, Molly,” he said. “You’re a real trooper.”
“I just hope Laura’s okay.”
Nick spotted a large group gathered by the cafeteria. He pushed ahead to see what was going on. He parted the college-aged students and saw a teary-eyed Laura sitting in the middle of the gathering.
Laura looked up at him, her entire face blotchy and wet. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to cause all of this trouble. I just wanted a moment alone. I had no idea...”
“What happened?” Nick knelt down beside her.
She sniffled. “I went down to the old campfire for a moment. When I came back up here, I found out that search parties had gone out looking for me. I’m so sorry, Nick.”
“Are you okay?”
She nodded, her chin trembling.
“That’s all I care about right now. That’s the important thing.” Nick squeezed her shoulder and handed her a bottle of water. “Drink up.”
He stood, one burden lifted. Now he had to find the sheriff and tell him what they’d discovered.
* * *
After most of the crowds had dispersed and Nick left with the sheriff, Molly wandered inside. She spotted Laura sitting at a cafeteria table apart from the rest of the people who had lingered, still obviously upset from the events from earlier today. Molly slid into a chair next to her. She softly placed her hand on the girl’s shoulder.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
Laura shrugged and balled up a tissue. “I feel so foolish.”
“Why?”
The girl wiped at her tears. “I thought Cody liked me. We’ve been flirting for the past few months, and I thought a relationship was just around the corner. But then someone told me he’s actually dating someone he met here at the camp.”
“Someone he met here?” Who would that be? Molly wondered.
“A camper, I guess.” Laura shrugged and sniffled again. “I just found out and I wanted to let the news sink in, so I decided to take a walk. I should have told someone. I know I should have.”
“You were hoping Cody would come after you, weren’t you?”
Her chin trembled again. “I guess. Isn’t that stupid? Why would I act that way to get a guy’s attention?”
“Guys can make girls go a little crazy sometimes. And, if it makes you feel better, Cody was really worried about you.”
Laura tossed a balled up tissue on the table. “I just need to get over him.”
Molly offered a half smile, half frown. “I know the feeling.”
Laura turned toward her. “How do you know the feeling? You have Nick. Even for an old guy, he’s pretty cute.”
Molly blinked, both from the insinuation that she had Nick and that twenty-eight was old. “I don’t have Nick. We’re just friends, Laura. Nothing more.”
“Anyone can see that you’re more than friends, Molly.” Laura’s bloodshot eyes took on a no-nonsense look that was so intense Molly almost laughed. Almost.
“Sometimes things aren’t what they seem.”
“You guys seem perfect together.”
Molly’s throat felt dry. “There’s no such thing as perfect.”
“What’s not perfect about the two of you together? You’re both nice, attractive, you love God. Sounds perfect to me.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence. But relationships are a little more complicated than that.”
“Tell me about it.” Laura stood. “I should go back home and end this misery. Maybe I’ll move, go out of state, do something to make the pain of rejection more bearable.”
“How about you just give it time?” But Molly knew that time didn’t always do the trick, either. She didn’t mention that, though. No need to add to the drama of young love any more than she had to.
The cafeteria door opened and both Laura and Molly snapped their heads toward the sound. Molly’s stomach sank when she spotted Derek grinning in the doorway.
“Who’s that?” Laura mumbled.
Molly sighed. “No one.”
“Wait, you have two g
uys after you? How fair is that?”
Molly ignored Laura as she stepped toward Derek. “What are you doing here?”
“I never thought I’d catch you here. You’re a hard woman to locate.”
“How’d you find me here?”
He shrugged and brushed a fly from his shoulder. “The camp director called one of my friends at the hospital to report that you were here. My friend let me know about the call. Lucky for me, huh?”
Nick had called to notify the hospital of her whereabouts? Had he not believed what she’d told him?
“Nick reported me?”
“He didn’t want a drug thief working for him, especially not after the medications went missing from your care. It was the only responsible thing to do.”
Hurt crashed into her heart. She’d known that Nick did a background check on her. But how could he betray her like this? He could have at least told her what he’d done. Or should she even trust Derek? He’d proven himself manipulative before. Still, a touch of doubt nagged at her.
“You know I’m not a drug thief. You were the one who implicated me and threatened me and tried to manipulate the situation in order that I would run back into your arms.”
His lips twitched. “Sure, I know you’re not a drug thief. I’m sure I could convince everyone else, if you’d let me.”
“What are you doing here, Derek?”
His eyes sparkled. “I want to talk to you about coming back to work at the hospital. I want to make things right.”
“I’m never going back there, Derek.”
“I miss you.”
“The answer is still no. I’ve closed that chapter of my life. It’s done. I’m here now.”
“If this is about the drug allegations—”
Molly’s gaze cut around the room to where everyone appeared to be listening now. “Do not bring that up.”
Ricochet Page 15
