She pursed her lips. “He’s the one with the freckles. He goes to Whitmore. I know the family and let’s just say, I don’t think little Logan gets many hugs at home.”
“Really? I was ready to pummel the kid.”
She chuckled and shook her head. “Try not to do that. We like to keep the kids pummel-free here at Bergen Adventure Summer Camp.”
He gave her a wry grin. “I guess I can see how pummeling kids may become problematic.”
She glanced at the children, all sitting with their legs crossed, in a neat row. “How about I introduce us to the kids, and we’ll go from there.”
He nodded, excited to see her in teacher mode.
“One, two, three,” she called, in a much sweeter tone than she’d used with the teen this morning.
“Eyes on me!” the children replied in unison.
Cadence clapped her hands. “Good morning, boys and girls, I’m Ms. Lowry and this is Mr. Bergen. We’re the people in charge of the Bergen Adventure Summer Camp. If you see us walking around, just know we’re always here to help you stay safe and have fun. Now, we’ve got two big activities coming up this summer. The Bergen Cardboard Boat Regatta the first week in August and the Father’s Day Bike Parade coming up very soon!”
“Bodhi doesn’t have a dad. Last year, he did the bike parade with his mom and he still had training wheels on his bike,” blurted the kid with freckles.
Logan Klein.
All the kids except Bodhi and his little fire truck buddy laughed. Cadence started to speak when Bodhi cut in.
“I don’t have training wheels anymore, Logan. Camden Bergen taught me how to ride without them, and he’s going to do the Father’s Day bike parade with me, right?” Bodhi said, meeting his gaze, his little lip trembling.
Camden glanced from Bodhi to Cadence. Her posture had gone rigid. Her expression, one of stunned silence.
He looked at Bodhi as a protective instinct as fierce as any emotion he’d ever known coursed through his veins. “Absolutely, Bodhi, I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
Little Logan Klein hugged his knees to his chest and sulked.
Scoreboard: Bully, zero. Nice kid without a dad, one.
“Okay, campers!” Cadence said, finding her voice. “Your counselor is going to help you put on a life jacket. I’ll be right back. There’s something I need to check on in the boathouse, and then we’ll get a look at an example of a cardboard boat just like the one you’ll be making at home this summer for the regatta.”
Cadence smiled at the children and gestured toward a rack of orange life vests then high-tailed it through the doors leading to the storage space below the boathouse.
He turned to the camp counselors. “I’m going to see if Ms. Lowry needs any help. Don’t touch the canoes until we get back.”
The teens nodded, and he strode past them and entered the darkened space.
Arms crossed tightly, Cadence paced along the worn wooden planks. “I want to pummel that kid.”
“You just told me that was a big no-no here at camp,” he replied gently.
“I’ve changed my mind. At the Baxter Park location, we pummel the creepy kids.”
He stood in front of her, stopping her frantic movements, and rested his hands on her shoulders. “Okay, wait here. I’ll go kick that seven-year-old’s ass right now.”
She met his gaze, held it for a beat, then started laughing. It was a tired little laugh, but at least the sadness had vanished from her eyes. She rested her forehead on his chest, and he wrapped his arms around her.
“I knew there would be days like this. I know kids can be cruel. I figured, I’m a teacher. If this happens, I’ll be measured and composed. I’ll treat it as if Bodhi was just my student.”
He stroked her back. “But he’s not.”
“He’s not,” she echoed. “He’s my baby. I’d do anything for him.”
Cam tightened his hold as the realization hit him.
So would he.
He pressed a kiss to the crown of her head. “What can I do to make it better, Daisy?”
She pulled back and looked up at him. “What did you call me?”
Oh shit!
“Daisy,” he said, both wanting her to know that he was Mac and terrified about the prospect at the same time.
“Did Bodhi tell you that Daisy is my middle name?”
His heart dislodged from his throat. “Yeah, and you’ve got daisies growing all over your yard, and then there are the stickers I saw on your bike. It’s a pretty name, Cadence Daisy.”
She sighed against his chest. “The shopkeeper who sold me those glass daisy doorknobs I had with me that first day we met told me that the daisy was one of the strongest flowers. He called it a thunder flower because they’re able to survive terrible storms.”
“Then it suits you perfectly,” he whispered.
All that time they’d talked, he’d never realized the pain and worry she shouldered all on her own.
“I’m glad you’re here, Camden. I know that you can’t stay. But, I’m grateful to have you here now.”
With her words, he felt the weight of his father’s watch, and he was transported back in time. He could hear his father’s footsteps, checking the house before he went to bed. The creek of his bedroom door as his father went from room to room, looking in on him and his brothers.
Could he be that kind of man? A good man. A responsible man. A man worthy of Cadence and Bodhi?
He closed his eyes.
He’d never be that man. He proved that ten years ago.
He pulled back.
“What is it, Cam?”
“Cadence, I need to tell you something.”
“You can tell me anything.”
He tried to think of where to begin when cries and screams from the waterfront stopped him from speaking, and he heard the counselor yell five words that sent adrenaline rushing through his body.
“Bodhi, Porter, stop! You’ll drown!”
11
Camden
“What’s happened?” he yelled, bursting out of the boathouse with Cadence by his side.
A terrified camp counselor turned to face him. “The squirrels!” she shrieked.
Squirrels?
Jesus! Not again!
“What are you talking about?” he asked as two squirrels darted past him.
“I told them not to get into the boat!” the frantic counselor continued.
He frowned. There were no boats, only canoes. “You mean, canoe? Take a breath. Just tell us what’s going on.”
“Not a canoe,” the counselor replied, shoulders slumping just as Cadence gasped and pointed toward the lake.
“Camden, they’re in the sample cardboard boat. It’s the one they send over for the kids to look at. It’s just an example, and it’s not waterproofed,” she said, panic lacing her words.
“Should I call nine-one-one?” the counselor asked.
He watched the two boys jostling around inside the cardboard boat—without life jackets.
What the hell were they doing?
“There’s no time!” He turned to Cadence. “Grab a paddle.”
She nodded as he lifted a canoe from the rack and set it in the water.
He got in and checked the cardboard boat’s location. It hadn’t started to sink yet, but with the boys flailing around, they didn’t have much time.
“Here,” Cadence said, throwing him a life jacket as she strapped one on. “I’m going with you.”
He glanced from her to the cardboard boat. “All right! Come on.”
She hurried onto the canoe, and within seconds, they paddled in quick punctuated strokes, gliding through the water.
“Bodhi! Porter! We’re coming!” she called, panic replaced with determination.
“We’ll pull up alongside them. You can hold onto the cardboard boat, and I’ll lift them into the canoe,” he called to her.
“Got it! I just can’t imagine why Bodhi would do something like this?”
she answered.
He increased his pace. “The counselor mentioned squirrels.”
“Squirrels?” she repeated.
“Yeah, I don’t know,” he answered.
“It couldn’t be the same squirrels we caught in my house, could it?” she asked just as he was thinking the same damn thing.
Maybe he should have killed those squirrels. Ahh shit! No, he shouldn’t have! But if the same two squirrels had something to do with this catastrophe, they were seriously pushing the limits of his squirrel patience—if that was even a real thing!
“Camden! Mommy!” Bodhi called.
“Sit tight! We’re going to pull up alongside you,” he called.
“Mommy, Porter and I had to save the squirrels!” the boy called back.
“We’ll worry about the squirrels later,” Cadence answered, reaching out and clutching the side of the soggy boat.
Camden set his paddle in the canoe.
“Mommy, it’s sinking!”
“We don’t have time. You grab Bodhi. I’ll get Porter!”
He hooked his arm around the little boy, still clutching a fire truck, as Cadence pulled Bodhi onto the canoe, and cheers erupted from the waterfront.
“Are you a fireman?” the boy asked.
“No, I’m the campsite leader.”
The boy grinned. “Is your job to save people?”
Cam released a relieved sigh. “It certainly is today.”
The boat, now just a heap of soggy cardboard, floated in pieces around them. He turned to Cadence.
“Is Bodhi okay?”
She cradled her son in her lap and nodded.
“What happened, Bodhi?” he asked. “Why would you and Porter get in the cardboard boat, especially without a life jacket?”
“The squirrels,” the boys answered in unison.
“Squirrels told you to get into the boat?” Camden asked, picking up his paddle and steering the canoe toward the shoreline.
“No! Two squirrels jumped into the boat. Porter and I didn’t want them to get hurt or float out onto the lake, so we tried to get them out. But when we got in, they jumped out, and the boat started drifting.”
Camden chuckled under his breath.
Damn squirrels.
He paddled with measured strokes toward the children, cheering and jumping up and down in front of the boathouse. It wasn’t long before they hit shallow waters and he hopped out of the canoe and dragged it safely to shore.
Cadence helped the boys out, then handed him her paddle. “I’m going to take the boys to change into dry clothes. I’ll be back as soon as I get them situated with their group.”
“Are you okay?” he asked.
She gave him a weary yet grateful grin. “Yeah, it looks like you saved the day again.”
“I’m good with bikes and rodents.”
She chuckled. “It’s more than that, and you know it. Thank you, Cam.” She turned to the boys. “All right, you two, let’s grab your backpacks and get you changed into your spare set of clothes. You’ve got extra shorts in your bag, right, Porter?”
“Yep, they’ve got fire engines on them,” the boy answered.
“Perfect,” Cadence said, ushering the boys toward the rec center.
Camden took a deep breath and exhaled slowly as the adrenaline surge tapered away.
“You’re like a superhero, Mr. Bergen!” a boy called as the counselors led the children away from the waterfront.
He nodded and went to work, placing the canoe back on the stand when a pair of squirrels darted out from under the rack.
He watched the bushy-tailed bandits skitter up a tree. “This is your last warning, squirrels! You cause any more trouble, and you can say goodbye to your stash of acorns!”
“Yelling at squirrels. So that’s what happens when you live alone in a secluded cabin for a decade.”
Camden stilled. He’d know that voice anywhere. The voice that taught him how to tie his shoes. The voice that guided him down the trickiest ski runs when he was just a boy.
The voice of his oldest brother, Jasper.
“It’s not that odd, Jas. I met a shaman who regularly sought out the counsel of his spirit animal, and many cultures believe in the connection between man and beast. You should try it,” came a woman’s voice.
“What’s my spirit animal?”
The woman laughed—a warm, flowery sound. “No, my love, you’re the beast.”
Camden turned to find his brother standing next to a woman who looked remarkably like Brennen’s fiancée.
“I’m Elle Reynolds,” she said and shook his hand.
Jasper cleared his throat, and the woman bit back a grin.
“I’m Elle Reynolds-Bergen. I’m your sister-in-law.”
Camden glanced from Elle’s hand to Jasper’s. They were both wearing wedding bands.
“You’re married, Jas?”
“It was a spur-of-the-moment decision we made yesterday.”
Camden frowned. “You made a spur-of-the-moment decision?”
Jesus! A lot had happened since he’d been gone!
It had been years since he’d seen his brother, but the last phrase he’d ever use to describe the oldest Bergen was spur of the moment. Jas was the most methodical person he’d ever known.
Elle looked up at Jasper. “It would literally take a two-hundred-and-fifty-page book for me to explain everything I had to do to turn your brother into a human, but we don’t have time for that. We have a more pressing item to address.”
Cam frowned. “What pressing item?”
“Public relations,” his brother answered, pulling a piece of paper from his pocket. “And by the way, welcome home. I see Gram put you right to work.”
Camden glanced between the pair, his head spinning. “It’s just for the summer.”
“Well, summer or not. We’re here so we can get ahead of the story,” Elle replied.
“The story?” he parroted back.
“Yes, the story of your return,” Jas replied.
“But I’m not staying. I made that clear to Gram and Grandad.”
Jas glanced at the piece of paper. “But two days ago, you returned, looking like someone who’d lived on a deserted island, visited Mom and Dad’s graves, ran through Denver like a madman, broke into the botanic gardens, then crashed a wedding before busting through the gate of a local residence—otherwise known as the Bergen estate. Oh…and you demolished a cake.”
Camden parted his lips to speak.
Shit! That was exactly what happened.
“I could eat a cake,” Elle said and rubbed her belly.
Double shit! He forgot she was pregnant.
He gestured to a bench. “Would you like to sit? I know you’re…”
“Knocked up with twins?” she supplied with a wry grin.
“Twins?” He glanced at his brother.
“If you’re going to do something, you might as well do it right,” Jas said, sharing a look with Elle.
She glanced at her husband and shook her head. “Listen, Camden, I’m a writer, and I’ve done some work with Bergen Enterprises, helping them with their recent rebranding efforts. There are pictures of you floating around out there. People looking to cash in on your name. I have some experience with this.”
He nodded. “I know who you are. I’ve read your books.”
Elle shot a pointed glare at Jasper.
He put up his hands. “I’m reading your books now, babe!”
“Between board meetings and ogling over spreadsheets,” she replied with a teasing grin.
“Still counts,” he answered.
Elle sighed. “Damn, he’s right. It does.”
“Hey!” came Cadence’s voice as she joined them. “I wasn’t expecting to see you both here. How are you feeling, Elle?”
“Great! Good enough to go skydiving. But, of course, I wouldn’t do that with these two on board.”
Cadence chuckled. “What brings you to camp? Did Camden tell you about our
exciting morning?”
Jas shook his head. “No, when we found him, he was yelling at rodents.”
“What happened this morning?” Elle asked.
“A little squirrel mishap, that turned into a cardboard boat rescue, then Camden saved the day.”
“Is everyone all right?” Jasper asked.
“Absolutely, we’re ready for anything here at Baxter Park,” Cadence added with a wide grin.
Jasper glanced at the park. “I can tell. I’ve visited several of the camp locations over the years. None of them are as organized as this one.”
Elle patted Jasper’s arm. “Leave it to my husband to zero in on the logistics.”
“Are you following the camp protocol?” Jas pressed.
Cadence blushed. “Yes, but I’ve tweaked a few things here and there. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Mind? This place is run with military precision. I want to know how you do it. We’ve had some personnel turnover in our Mountain Education Department. It’s not as robust as it used to be.”
That sweet blush still colored Cadence’s cheeks. “I’d be happy to share the changes I’ve implemented.”
“Do you have time now?” Jasper asked.
Cadence checked her watch. “We have about twenty minutes until the next group of campers cycles through to the waterfront.”
Camden watched the exchange between his brother and Cadence and felt…pride. He was so damned proud of Mountain Daisy—of who she was, of everything she was.
“Jas, you chat with Cadence, and I’ll take Camden,” Elle said, cutting into his thoughts as she threaded her arm with his.
He glanced down at the no-nonsense woman who had clearly smoothed out his brother’s rough edges.
“How about a walk? Jas and I just got back from the Caymans last night, and I could do with some exercise,” Elle offered.
“Sure,” he answered, five steps into their walk.
This woman didn’t mess around.
“Tell me about Switzerland.”
Lonely. Isolated. Walled off from hurting anyone. Daisy was my only joy.
He cleared his throat. “I worked at several of the local resorts.”
“But not the Bergen Resort.”
“No.”
“Did you have any Bergen gear? Coats, gloves, boots, snow pants…”
Man Find (Bergen Brothers Book 3) Page 14
