Destiny's Last Bachelor?

by Christyne Butler

  “No, I was thinking—what did you say?”

  “I said I volunteered you to help the crew get the foundation in place.” Bobby grinned. “But I think the only thing you heard was that the idea came from Priscilla.”

  His friend was right about that. “Why does she figure the camp needs an outdoor stage?”

  “The kids held an unplanned talent show after lunch on Friday. I wasn’t there to see it, but I guess Priscilla was a good sport about joining in. She said when one of the counselors used a table as a makeshift stage to play his guitar, it came to her that a real stage area would be a good addition to the camp. And a whole lot safer than a table.”

  Boy, what he wouldn’t give to know what Priscilla’s contribution to the talent show had been. “You said ideas. As in plural. What else did she come up with?”

  “An organic garden and—”

  “A what? A garden?”

  Bobby nodded. “We used the area behind the dining hall. Already have the soil turned over and it’ll be ready for the next group of campers to do the initial planting. Not sure how many vegetables we’re going to get seeing as how we’re starting this late in the summer, but the kids will have fun. That’s what really counts.”

  Dean guessed he was right about that. So, a performance stage and a garden. He wondered what else she’d come up with. “Anything else?”

  “You know that blank interior wall between the office and the camp store? The one where we talked about having a mural painted?”

  Dean remembered. “Didn’t Leeann mention getting someone local to do it? Please don’t tell me Priscilla suggested something along the likes of a Picasso or a Renoir?”

  “Very funny. No, she thought we should cover that area with chalkboard paint and allow the campers to provide the artwork instead. We can assign each cabin a set number of days when their work would be displayed, take photographs of whatever design they come up with to keep for the camp’s photo albums and then wash it off so the space is ready for the next masterpiece.”

  Dean had to admit the idea was a good one. A great one. What kid wouldn’t like to walk by and see his artwork on display for the entire camp to enjoy?

  “You should’ve seen her and Leeann yesterday when they painted the wall. By the time I got here, I think they had more paint on themselves than anywhere else.” Bobby laughed. “Priscilla readily admitted she had no experience with a paintbrush outside of an art class here or there, but— Ah, there she is, and looking paint-free today.”

  They’d stopped beside the area for the outdoor stage, but Dean’s gaze was already centered on the tall woman leading a horse from the nearby stable into the smaller of two attached corrals. He immediately picked up on the rider as being Holly Warren, a sweet kid and one of Dean’s favorite campers. Her mother was the camp’s nurse, meaning Holly was often here even during the off weeks. Due to a neuromuscular disease that left her right leg weak, she wore a brace full-time but she never let the impediment stop her from being fully involved with all camp activities.

  The girl’s infectious giggle could be heard clear over where he and Bobby stood, but it was Priscilla who captured Dean’s attention.

  Holding the reins of the pony with ease, she seemed to be speaking to both the four-legged creature and to Holly. Priscilla looked just like any other member of the staff, but was stunningly beautiful in an outfit far different than her usual style.

  Jean shorts made her long legs look even longer, while a plaid shirt, sleeves rolled back to her elbows, hung loose and unbuttoned—he guessed she had a T-shirt on underneath. A straw cowboy hat of all things sat perched on her head with her blond waves pulled back into a low ponytail at the nape of her neck.

  It seemed she’d also captured Daisy’s attention, too. The dog took off toward the corral, trotting straight for her friend.

  “Daisy, halt.” Dean’s voice was low, but the command was firm. “Stay.”

  This time his pet actually listened, stopping just outside the wood fencing and planting her butt on the grass. Her tail wagged hard, but she stayed put. Both Holly and Priscilla looked their way when Dean called out, and offered a quick wave in their direction before turning back to their lesson.

  “Hey, buddy.” Bobby waved back but then snapped his fingers a couple of times in front of Dean’s face. “You still with me?”

  He was, but he couldn’t take his eyes off Priscilla. Her ease with the animal was evident, but what he couldn’t get over was how right the princess looked in that getup. He couldn’t tell what she wore on her feet from this distance, but he’d bet it wasn’t the sexy heels she’d claimed to be able to run a marathon in.

  “Hey, I forget to tell you,” Bobby continued. “A bunch of the guys are coming over to the house tonight for barbecue, beer and to watch the ball game. I know you’ve had a long week, but you’re welcome to join us.”

  If Bobby was talking about the usual crowd, that would be at least five or six men. “You sure Lee is going to be up for all that company?”

  “Oh, she’s going out with the girls tonight to the Blue Creek.” Bobby’s grin widened. “They’re taking Priscilla out for her birthday.”

  And the surprises just kept coming. “It’s her birthday?”

  “The actual date was a couple of days ago, I guess, but she let it slip this morning to Lee and soon a girls’ night out was in the works. Lee gets to be the designated driver, of course.”

  As hard as he tried, Dean just couldn’t picture Priscilla knocking back a few beers with Leeann and her friends at the local saloon, even though he’d offered to take her to dinner at to the Blue Creek—what, two weeks ago?

  Wow, had it really been that short of a time since they’d met? How had she so easily found her way into his daily thoughts? Sure, he’d been attracted to her from the moment he’d seen her, but how much did he really know about her?

  She took her job seriously despite obviously rolling in dough. She wasn’t afraid to join in and get her hands dirty. She had a sense of humor that she tried to hide after her clumsiness during the tour had him saving her from spiders and taking a dunk in the lake.

  He also knew a couple of people very close to her had hurt her deeply. She was obviously nursing a bruised heart.

  “So, you interested in tonight?” Bobby asked.

  “Yeah, sounds good. Count me in.”

  “I’m heading back to the office to check on my wife. You coming?”

  Dean glanced at his friend, not surprised by the smug grin on his face. “Yeah, I think I will. I want to congratulate the new mama with a big hug.”

  The arrogance disappeared from Bobby’s expression as he glanced over at the corral for a moment. “Okay, well, I should warn you. Priscilla’s dog, Snake, is in the office with Leeann. He seems as infatuated with my wife as Daisy is with your—with Priscilla.”

  Yeah, and Dean was finally realizing Daisy wasn’t the only infatuated one around here. The question was, what was he going to do about it?

  The answer: nothing.

  She was only in town for another few weeks and then she and her dog would hop into her sporty little convertible and drive off into the sunset. Alone.

  * * *

  He’d walked away.

  After hearing Dean call out to his dog, Priscilla had been sure he’d come down to the corral to at least say hello to her and Holly. Instead, he’d whistled for Daisy to join him, but the dog had given her owner a quick glance over one shoulder and stayed put just outside the corral as Dean headed for the dining hall with Bobby.

  Not that his leaving had stopped Holly from chatting about “Mr. Zip” throughout the rest of the lesson.

  “I think that young lady has a pretty big crush on your master.” Priscilla sat on one of the benches that lined the back porch of the dining hall, Daisy at her side. She gave th
e dog a quick scratch behind the ear, noticing her fingers were long overdue for a manicure. “Not that it’s hard to see why. Holly might only be nine years old, but she can list Dean’s attributes better than any dating website. Smart, caring, good-looking, funny—”

  Daisy gave out a quick bark.

  “And he’s got a great dog.” Priscilla laughed when she nodded in agreement. “You know, Daisy, I think you’re a bit misunderstood when it comes to your aversion to females. You were very nice on the walk back from the barn with Holly.”

  This time Daisy dipped her snout, but looked up at Priscilla with sorrowful eyes. “What happened, girl? Was someone not nice to you once upon a time?”

  This time Daisy looked away and let out a sigh as she laid down, her paws hanging over the edge of the bench.

  “Don’t want to talk about it, huh? That’s okay. Girl to girl, I understand.” Priscilla stretched out herself, crossing her legs at the ankles. “Sometimes talk is overrated. Sometimes it’s best to let actions speak louder than words. And boy, have we had an active day.”

  It’d been a long day—a long week—but a very fulfilling one. She’d worked harder physically this past week than she’d done in years. Daily yoga classes and a few miles on the treadmill had her thinking she’d been in great shape, but the things she’d been doing around Camp Diamond had really given her a workout. And it felt good.

  Not just the idle muscles that were slowly getting used to being active again, but deeper, in her heart and in her mind, where it counted even more.

  She’d felt more useful digging in the dirt, painting walls and working in the stables with the horses than she had in the past few months at her office at the foundation. Even the bachelor auction was coming together nicely, mostly because everyone involved—from the committee members to the bachelors—all believed in the end goal of helping the camp.

  Not that the organizations she worked with back home didn’t aspire to the same thing, but there always seemed to be at least two or three people who excelled at cageyness and gamesmanship that would often make pulling together an event more difficult than it needed to be. It’d been happening so frequently that Priscilla had felt only relief once the fund-raisers were over.

  Not this time. She was enjoying her stay in Destiny, enjoying being here at the camp. Which was something she’d never expected that first day when she’d arrived—

  “Boy, you must be a million miles away. Dreaming of a sun-soaked beach or shopping on Rodeo Drive?”

  Startled, Priscilla looked up to find Dean leaning against one of the porch posts. Her breath caught in her chest. What had Holly called him? Oh, yes. A cutie-pie. Yes, he was that. “Oh! Hello. I didn’t hear you come up.”

  “So where’s your watchdog?”

  She grinned. “Snake is with Leeann. He rarely leaves her side anymore. Especially after she announced her pregnancy— Oh! I hope I didn’t ruin the surprise. Did you know?”

  “Yes, Bobby told me earlier today.” He pointed to the bench. “Mind if I join you?”

  A thrill raced through her that seemed so silly she ignored it. “Please do. I’m just waiting for Leeann to finish up a phone call.”

  “I heard about your plans for tonight.” Dean sat on the other side of Daisy, who propped her head on his thigh. “So you’re finally going to visit the famous Blue Creek Saloon.”

  “I’ve already been there.”

  “Really?”

  “Last weekend. Checking out the setup for the auction. Of course, it was the middle of the afternoon, so I’m guessing it won’t be as quiet this evening.” She smiled, remembering Leeann’s plans for tonight. “It seems Leeann and her friends are determined to teach me to line dance. But I must say, you were right. The burgers there are wonderful.”

  Dean leaned back and propped his elbow on the back of the bench. “Well, look at you. Manual labor, hanging out in bars...” He tapped the curved brim of the straw cowboy hat she wore. “Even your clothes are looking a bit different these days. Has the city princess turned into a country girl?”

  She’d forgotten about the hat, an impulse buy while shopping last week. Yanking it off, she pushed back her hair, which had fallen free of the ponytail and into her face. “It helps protect my skin from the sun, especially when I’m outside with the horses.”

  “You looked pretty comfortable down there.”

  Priscilla kept her gaze on the hat resting in her lap. “I’ve loved horses since I was a little girl. I’m more used to an English saddle—”

  “Gee, now, there’s a surprise.”

  She looked up. He was teasing her, but instead of getting defensive—her standard operating procedure—she returned his smile. “I know, right? But I do have some experience with Western and, well, a horse is a horse. You know, Holly was disappointed you didn’t come down to say hi earlier.”

  “Yeah, she made that pretty clear when I saw her head out with her mom.” Dean leaned in close and lowered his voice to whisper, “Personally, I think she was looking for someone else to help with her barn duties, like dishing out the horses’ grain.”

  Priscilla laughed. “You’re probably right about that. But we were able to handle it, which means I am in desperate need of a bath before I go out tonight.”

  “You’ve been working hard around here this week.”

  She nodded. “Yes, I’m exhausted, but it’s a good kind of tired.”

  “I wanted to tell you that I think you’ve come up with some pretty good ideas for the camp. And it’s not just me. Bobby and Leeann are impressed as well, since they put them all into action.”

  His approval made her go all soft inside. She’d only attended the weekly staff meeting as an observer, but once again found herself unable to stop from offering up her ideas. “Even the performance pavilion?”

  Dean laughed. “Yes, even that. But I’ve got to ask you, what was the talent you performed at the show with the kids?”

  A hot blush flooded her cheeks. “Oh, it was nothing. Just something silly. I wasn’t even going to join in, but the kids dared me.”

  “You have to tell me now.”

  She rolled her eyes but saw the determination in his, so she said, “I peeled the skin off of an apple with a sharp knife in one continuous piece.”

  “One complete length? No breaks? That is pretty impressive.”

  “It’s a skill I acquired one summer from our cook. I used to sit at the kitchen counter for hours and peel the apples she needed for her pies.” Priscilla smiled as the long-ago memory came back to her. “My mother always said the only thing she ever made in the kitchen was menus for her dinner parties, but Adelina had insisted my sister and I know our way around the stove.”

  “I’m guessing this is the same sister who—”

  Priscilla stood. Talking about Jacqueline, even thinking about her, was the last thing she wanted right now. “I should probably go find—”

  “Hey, hold on a minute.” Dean laid a hand on her arm, stopping her escape. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

  “It’s okay.”

  “No, it’s not, but please don’t go yet. I have something for you.”

  His tone was so sincere, she sat back down.

  He patted Daisy on her rump and the dog jumped down from the bench and sat at his feet. He then stretched out his right leg and, reaching into the oversize side cargo pocket of his shorts, pulled out a cellophane-wrapped cupcake. He quickly unwrapped the packaging and held the treat out toward her in the palm of his hand. “Sorry if it’s a little squished. I know it’s not much, but it’s the best I could do under such short notice.”

  She looked down at the chocolate cupcake with its familiar white loopy scroll across the top. “I don’t understand.”

  “Bobby told me that it’s— And, well, you’re going out
to celebrate—” He broke off and gave a halfhearted shrug. “Hell, everyone deserves cake on their birthday, even if it’s a small one.”

  Stunned, Priscilla stared at the snack and blinked back sudden tears.

  When she and Leeann had been talking earlier about the baby’s due date, somehow the discussion had gotten around to zodiac signs, with Priscilla revealing she was a moon child and her birthday had been just two days ago. Leeann had then insisted that they go out tonight to celebrate, and she would get her friends—a few of them whom Priscilla had already met—to join them. Other than a beautiful bouquet of flowers from Lisa that had arrived for her at the inn on Wednesday and an electronic greeting card from her assistant, no one else—meaning neither her father nor Jacqueline—had acknowledged her special day.

  “Oh, Dean. You didn’t have to do this.”

  “It’s no big deal. Just don’t expect me to sing, okay?”

  She laughed and looked up at him. “Hmm, it’s just not a birthday cake without the song.”

  Dean reached into another pocket of his cargo shorts and, with the flick of his thumbnail, ignited the wooden matchstick he held in his hand. He then stuck it into the top of the cupcake. “How about a candle? Will that do?”

  Priscilla didn’t know what to say.

  “Well, come on, before it burns out.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Dean moved the cupcake closer. “What’s a birthday cake without a wish?”

  “I haven’t made a wish on my birthday in years. I wouldn’t— I don’t have any idea what to wish for.”

  “Anything your heart desires. That’s what makes wishes so cool.” A grin tugged at his mouth. “And since it’s been so long, you better make it count.”

  Priscilla returned Dean’s stare for a moment, then closed her eyes. She never did get to make that request in the church that first Sunday, but this time she wished on the first thought that came to her. She then opened her eyes, puckered her lips and blew out the makeshift candle.

  Dean smiled and gently placed the snack cake in her hand. “I hope your wish was a good one.”