RAINBOW’S END: FOUR-IN-ONE COLLECTION

by Valerie Comer, Annalisa Daughety, Nicole O’Dell

  Her first love stood at the front of the crowd and introduced himself as Pastor Noah Spencer. She should have known. He looked much more comfortable behind the mike than he had in front of the cash register. And no more black socks. Phew.

  “… let’s kick off this hunt with a prayer—”

  “Well you can order anything. Come on. I won’t take no for an answer.”

  “Shh. I want to listen.” Hadley held a finger up to her mouth and nodded her head toward her old friend. “Besides I don’t have out-to-lunch clothes with me, and I don’t have a car,” she whispered.

  “No sweat. Come as you are, and I’ll pick you up.”

  Hadley squinted against the sun. He sure was handsome. It had been years—thirteen, actually—since she’d been on a date. Might as well give it a try. “Okay. But I’ll meet you there at noon.” Before he could argue about picking her up, Hadley turned her attention to the front. She wanted the information, even if salt-n-pepper guy didn’t.

  While Noah spoke, Hadley searched the crowd. A couple of chubby girls, but no one seriously obese. Lots of twenty-something enthusiasts, by the looks of their equipment. After all, they couldn’t all be posers like her. Fake it till you make it, Hadley.

  She pulled a wisp of blond hair from her mouth and tucked it into her ponytail. She was used to Chicago winds, so this light breeze was refreshing through the mugginess of the June Missouri morning. Hadley pulled on her sun visor and peered around the little park, cordoned off for the event. Across the yard she spotted the registration table. Time to commit.

  As she approached the picnic table, a pretty, dark-haired girl grinned at her. Bet she’d never had to diet. “Hi, I’m Lyssa. Welcome to the Rainbow’s End Treasure Hunt. I just need you to fill out an information sheet and sign a waiver of liability. You know, in case of an accident or heat stroke.” Lyssa laughed and handed over a clipboard.

  “Thanks.” Hadley ignored the picnic tables with the pens strewn across the tops, likely designated for filling out papers, and walked away from the crowd, up a slight hill to a weeping willow, where she settled beneath its enveloping boughs. She could just stay there, nestled safely in the background, like always.

  No!

  Hadley gripped her pen and scratched her name and pertinent info onto the forms. Enough was enough. She was there to complete the change she’d been making all year. She strode to the table and thrust the pack of papers at Lyssa. “Here you go.”

  “Great”—Lyssa peered at the papers—”Hadley. You can join the others over there. Pastor Noah hasn’t begun the instructions yet, so you’re just in time.”

  Hadley made her way to a huge boulder at the back of the crowd and scrambled to the top, where she huddled like a mountain goat. She could see everything and everyone from atop her perch—and, better yet, no one was looking at her.

  Chapter 3

  Focus, Noah. Why did she have to sit right in his line of sight, like a gazelle, delicately perched on that boulder? He’d noticed her blond hair and dimples the minute she’d arrived on the scene. He’d barely been able to peel his eyes from her since. Good thing he wore sunglasses, or the rays glinting off the gold in her hair might blind him. She’d hardly aged a bit.

  Just then, the tree sheltering the rock parted in the wind, and the sun shone directly behind her like a beacon from heaven. Oh, come on! That only happened in movies and stupid romance books. This was real life. Trees didn’t part. God didn’t send a beam from heaven. Did He? Noah shook his waves from his shoulders and fanned himself with his clipboard. His heart raced. He’d never experienced such an immediate attraction to someone—but Hadley was no stranger to him, and neither were the feelings stirring in his heart.

  She lifted a bottle of water to her lips. No wedding ring. Then there was hope.

  But why had she been talking to Brad? Brad Hopper was up to no good—if history offered any indication, anyway. If she liked that type of guy now, no way she’d be interested in Noah.

  Then again, after the way she’d left him years ago—well, she had some serious explaining to do.

  Lyssa caught his eye from the registration table. She nodded at the crowd and gestured for him to talk. How long had he been standing there like an ogling fool? Had anyone noticed?

  “Okay, folks.” He took a deep breath to keep his voice from shaking. So this was what nervous felt like? “You’ve all got your registration packets—hopefully you’ve obtained a GPS unit from Communication Location—but if not, they’re ready and willing to outfit you with whatever you need and are offering hunters a great discount. Directions to the store are included in your packet.” He held his plastic cup between his teeth while he turned to a new page of notes. He reclaimed the cup and held it up. “One other thing I want to mention before I kick off the hunt is that Common Grounds, a local favorite, is offering all registered hunters free coffee beverages with the purchase of a sandwich or a bakery item between five and six o’clock on Tuesday evenings. This is a great way for y’all to mingle and catch up on hunt stories.”

  Noah grinned as many in the crowd lifted their Common Grounds coffee cups in salute.

  “I should tell you guys, this is special coffee—it’s the best you’ll find in all of Osage Beach. It’s”—Noah looked at his notes—”estate-grown, unfiltered Arabica, custom blended and microroasted. I used to think coffee came from a metal can with a plastic lid—start to finish—until I found Common Grounds. Now I don’t settle for anything less than the finest.” He took a well-timed sip from his steaming cup.

  Hadley smirked. Was his shameless plug that obvious? A sponsor was a sponsor. What could he do?

  Come on, Noah. Focus.

  “The hunt itself will last two months, ending with the final ceremony right here when we announce the winner, which will be decided by the accumulation of points. You’ll find the point sheet in your registration packet, and you can refer to that whenever you have questions.

  “I want to point out that everything is worth one point except for the official Rainbow’s End geocoin.” Noah held up a coin the size of a silver dollar. “It’ll be planted in a secret cache—no one will know which one contains the coin—and it’s worth five points. The finder can choose to keep it, preventing other hunters from finding it and receiving five points. Or he or she may return it to the church office so it can be rehidden and so that someone else might earn five more points, too.

  “Please, folks, we’re human beings, and we’ll do our very best to keep track of points and award what is due. But don’t rely on us. Keep good records and be diligent about your details so there’s no confusion at the end.

  “Now, other than the unofficial meetings at Common Grounds on Tuesday nights, we won’t meet up again until our midpoint rally, at which time the big prize package will be unveiled. Donations and prizes are still coming in, so all I can say is—it’s going to be a whopper!”

  He shielded his eyes from the sun and scanned the crowded audience. “Okay. Here we go folks. If you have any questions about the hunt, the caches, the use of your GPS units, hit up any of these folks up front wearing yellow Rainbow’s End T-shirts.”

  Noah closed in prayer then climbed down from the picnic bench and searched the crowd for her. He just had to see her. He’d made it the entire thirteen years since Hadley took off with no warning without getting sucked into romance or rushing in and out of relationships like all his friends had. Who knew? Maybe now was the time for them. Noah shook his head. He’d better settle down and remember how much she’d hurt him.

  There she was. Noah gasped as his heart fluttered to the ground. She flipped her gorgeous ponytail over her shoulder, and it hung down her back between her tan shoulder blades. He had to talk to her. She laughed at—Brad? Noah’s stomach churned. If her eyes were going to turn from the flashy Brad, who always got the girls, and onto Noah, who never did, it would take a miracle.

  Hadley settled into a seat at a table for two, waiting for … what was his name? How could
she have agreed to go on a date with someone whose name she didn’t even know?

  The door jangled as it opened, and a handsome figure filled the frame.

  Oh, that was how. Hadley chuckled quietly. She’d fallen for the first gorgeous guy who’d hit on her. Why not—he would be a diversion and a good experience for her. He seemed nice enough, after all.

  Flashing a full set of veneers, what’s-his-name turned the wooden chair backward and straddled the seat. He reached forward and engulfed Hadley’s left hand in his huge paw and dusted the back of it with a light kiss. Hadley watched the scene unfold as though it were happening to someone else—but the tingles up her spine and on the back of her hand brought her down to reality.

  She pulled from his grip. “I don’t even know your name.”

  “Yeah. That’s how true love works, baby. Names are nothing but a formality.”

  “Not to me. I’m Hadley Parker.” She reached out her right hand to shake his.

  He wiggled his eyebrows as he kissed the back of it, electrifying yet another part of her body. “I’m Brad Hopper. Nice to meet you, um, Hadley Parker. That’s an interesting name.”

  Wait until he heard the middle name. “Yeah. Hadley Emmerson Parker. Sounds like a law firm.” “Sounds sexy when you say it.”

  Hadley picked up her menu and tried to hide her reddening cheeks. Brad was hot, and her blood pressure was on the rise. He might be more than she could handle. But it sure was fun trying.

  Alone in the dark church after planting the special cache with the Rainbow’s End coin under the night sky, Noah leaned his shovel against the wall then picked up the stack of registration forms and rifled through them.

  Where was hers? Hadley Parker. Age: twenty-nine. Birthday in a few days. Employment: drug company sales rep. That was her.

  Noah felt for his desk chair across the room without taking his eyes off the paper in his hands. He spun the chair around and rolled it over to his laptop and touched the mouse pad. Feet bouncing, Noah waited for it to spring to life.

  Going straight to Facebook, Noah entered “Hadley Parker” into the search bar on the top of the page. It brought several Hadley Parkers up right away, but he found her easily by the picture of herself as a little girl that she used as her profile image.

  Noah scanned her info page. A graduate of Loyola University in Chicago. A sales rep for a major drug company based in Chicago. Not married, no kids. She had no pictures posted, no other personal information at all. Why, with all of her many Facebook friends, wasn’t she tagged in any photos? She’d left her profile public, so they’d show up there if they existed—but hadn’t anyone ever taken her picture? If he were her friend again … or more, Noah would take a new picture of that face every single day of his life.

  Religious views: Christian. Well that was an absolute plus. Wonder if that meant American Christian—like by association—or a follower-of-Christ type of Christian. Time would tell.

  Political views: Conservative. Hmm. Reagan Republican? Or Colin Powell conservative? Big difference.

  Favorite Quote: The one thing that matters is the effort. It continues, whereas the end to be attained is but an illusion of the climber, as he fares on and on from crest to crest; and once the goal is reached it has no meaning. ~Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

  Music: Carrie Underwood. Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert, Third Day, Maroon Five, Casting Crowns, Sugarland, Chris Daughtry, Kelly Clarkson, Stephen Tyler, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi.

  Movies: Steel Magnolias, The Devil Wears Prada

  Television: American Idol

  Interesting information, but too basic. Noah wanted more. There was a big piece to the Hadley Parker puzzle missing. Time for good ol’ Google.

  Hadley Parker.

  Search.

  Did this make him a stalker? He didn’t feel like he was doing anything wrong. Just checking things out. That was okay, right? It was all public information. It wasn’t like he paid for one of those background checks. Should he do that? No! That was pushing things a little too far. The search results popped up. Noah glanced over his shoulder to make sure no one had come in the office then scrolled through the Hadley Parker entries. Some celebrity stuff came up, lots of businesses, and other types of pages. Nothing that appeared to point to her until the third page.

  Noah clicked on the link for Impressa Drugs. Ah-ha! A page for sales representatives. He scrolled through the two pages of images; none were her. Then he looked to the left where the names were listed in alphabetical order. Parker, Hadley. How had he missed her photo? He’d recognize those dimples anywhere. He clicked her name.

  The page opened slowly to the image of a Hadley look-alike … if you added about a hundred pounds.

  Chapter 4

  One foot in front of the other. Hadley plodded along the lakefront trail, following the coordinates for the first cache, which she’d downloaded from the website that morning. Walking on the uneven terrain in the muggy Missouri heat hit her body a lot harder than the hours and hours she’d logged on her treadmill over the past year. Her body wasn’t used to regulating itself against natural elements—it liked air conditioning and fans, lots of fans.

  She lifted the tube extending from her hydration pack and took a long drink of water. She’d have to make the hundred ounces last several hours, judging by the location of this first cache. Why had she started with one so far away instead of the easy ones like most of the others probably had? Because she wanted to avoid the crowds. Because she had something to prove—at least to herself. And because she liked the clue poem:

  Only the strong survive

  Get ready like you’re going to dive

  Perch atop the stone

  Make sure you’re all alone

  No idea what it meant, but the first line had intrigued Hadley. She figured the rest would make sense when she arrived at the location—at least that’s what her information packet had promised. She glanced at her GPS unit, at least an hour to go. After seeing the poem, Hadley was even more glad she’d declined Brad’s company on the hike. It was something she needed to do alone, at least for a while. Who knew how she’d feel as the summer drew on? But for now, she needed to rely on herself and not get distracted by Brad’s charm and good looks.

  Yet here she was, distracted.

  Hadley adjusted her pack and picked up the pace.

  The trail was noisier than she’d expected. Not background, filler noise like her MP3 player—more like the sounds of life. Rustling of leaves in the wind. Fluttering of wings as birds startled from their hiding spots. Chipmunks, squirrels, and rabbits foraging in the underbrush. Birds and crickets chirping in harmony. Fish jumping in the lake that ran beside her path. Hadley filled her lungs with the fresh air. She felt invigorated—much more than after a five-mile trudge on her treadmill.

  So this was why people teemed the Chicago lakeshore bike path every day? Hadley had wanted to try a run over there since her birthday last June when she embarked on this personal journey toward health and fitness as a gift to herself. Her apartment overlooked the mayhem of people running and biking while Rollerbladers weaved between them all, and there was no mistaking the freedom they felt. But she just couldn’t bring herself to put on her shoes and join them; she was too afraid of running into someone she knew. She didn’t want to see the judgment in their eyes. Whenever she happened on someone who hadn’t seen her in a while, she could read their thoughts, which always seemed to go one of two ways. Either they gazed at her with pity at how much she’d had to work to take the weight off, assuming she’d put it right back on before year’s end, or they eyed her in wonderment that she’d ever let herself get to the point where she had to work so hard. It was much easier to exercise at home than to endure that scrutiny.

  Ava said Hadley was crazy, that she wouldn’t accept a compliment if it was handed to her on a silver platter with a big red bow. She tried. It was hard, though.

  At least here Hadley was a stranger. Brad had no idea who she really was. If he sa
w the driver’s license picture in her wallet, he’d probably run away out of fear she’d look like that again, and Hadley wouldn’t blame him. Maybe that would be for the best anyway. Would she ever escape the demons that chased her?

  The time passed quickly, and Hadley realized she must be near her target. She checked her GPS, examined her latitude and longitude coordinates, and grinned. She broke into a slow jog up the hill to her destination—the approximate location of the first cache. Now to pinpoint the exact spot with the clue poem.

  Only the strong survive. Did that mean only the strong could make it that far? Maybe. She could go with that for a minute.

  Get ready like you’re going to dive. A swimming pool? No there wouldn’t be a pool out here. Hadley scanned the horizon but saw no water access. She could hear it, though. A dive … a dive? Where was the lake? It had been at Hadley’s right during the hike up, so it had to be over the rise in front of her. She trudged up yet another hill and peeked over a huge rock.

  She gasped at the sight. The boulder led to a steep drop-off overlooking the lake. Did people dive from the rock? How could she know if the water below was deep enough? She looked for evidence of that but found none. She scrambled up and stood atop the stone, searching the water below for assurance. Surely the hunt people wouldn’t ask her to take a blind dive into uncertain waters if it wasn’t safe. Was she supposed to trust they knew what they were talking about? What if she dove in but that wasn’t what the clue meant at all? What if she came this far only to break her neck on day one?

  Perch atop the stone. Wait. What? That’s exactly what she was doing. How did the cache’s creator know she’d do that? She stared at the rugged rock beneath her feet as though it had magical properties.

  Make sure you’re all alone. She glanced in every direction. Alone.

  Okay. Here goes nothing.

  Noah couldn’t believe his luck. Hadley had chosen this cache as her first hunt. The one he’d written and added just minutes ago. He watched her eyes dance in the sunlight as she reasoned the clues until her face shone with excitement at having figured it out.