Kitabı oku: «Her Rocky Mountain Hope», sayfa 2

Chapter Two

Daniel may have been blindsided when he first saw Blythe McDonald, but by the next morning, he was ready for her.

When he tugged open the door to the chow hall, he had his plan all worked out. After breakfast, he’d take her over to Adventure Haven and show her all the outdoor events. He’d get the staff to demonstrate each one, and then she could try them out for herself. Well, if she chose to, anyway. He kind of doubted she would, but he’d at least give her the opportunity.

After that, he’d sit down with her and answer any questions she might have. Of course, how he’d handle the rest of her two-week stay, he had no idea. He hoped she wouldn’t be a thorn in his side, annoying him and every other staff member as she observed every detail of the camp.

The aroma of bacon awakened his appetite as he stepped inside the large space where staff and volunteers had gathered for their morning meal. Dressed in his green Camp Sneffels polo shirt along with a pair of khaki shorts, he ran a hand through his short hair as he searched the group. Throw in his clean-shaven face and he was looking and feeling more like a professional. A professional camp director, anyway.

After giving Blythe a tour of the camp yesterday, he’d shown her to the small, private cabin that would have been his had he not needed a place for her to stay. Then he promptly excused himself and hightailed it into Ridgway to the barber. Yet, while he’d given Blythe instructions that dinner was at six, her car was gone when he returned. And by the time she again rolled up the drive, he was too involved in a meeting with his adventure staff to check on her.

However, the fact that he didn’t see her here this morning had him wishing he had checked in. Or, at least, introduced her to some of the staff in case she encountered any problems.

She’s a big girl. And it’s not like you won’t be seeing her today.

True. But if she didn’t show up for breakfast, he’d be forced to knock on her door. And that was something he really didn’t want to do. Blythe McDonald struck him as a woman who appreciated her privacy.

Scanning the chow hall with its old stone fireplace, buckskin-colored walls and wood accents that stretched from the rafters to the wainscoting, he saw his old adventuring-buddy-turned-adventure-director, Levi Chapman, looking all kinds of weird as he drew closer.

“Dude, what happened to you?” His horrified gaze moved from the top of Daniel’s head to his hiking shoes and back again. “You look so...official.”

“Yeah, maybe you should try it sometime. Might help you find that special woman you keep looking for.”

“You got a woman?”

“No.” Daniel shot an annoyed look at his friend. “And I’m not looking, either.”

Levi peered past him. “Speaking of women, who’s that?”

Daniel turned as the door closed behind Blythe. Her light brown hair was again in a tighter-than-tight bun that practically screamed control freak. Was that how she always wore it? Kind of intense, if you asked him. And her bright pink cardigan over a white T-shirt with trendy jeans had her looking like she was ready to hit the mall, not the adventure course.

Leaning toward his friend, he responded, “Someone neither of us would ever be interested in.”

He watched her for a moment, noticing that she looked kind of lost, tugging her sweater around her midsection as though she was uncomfortable. Her gaze moved past him, then quickly returned as recognition dawned. Why had he not noticed how strikingly beautiful her eyes were? Not brown, not green, not blue. But an interesting blend of each.

Giving himself a shake, he moved toward her. “Good morning.”

She lifted her chin. “Good morning.”

“I was just about to grab some breakfast,” he said. “Care to join me?”

“Thank you.”

They continued toward the kitchen at the far end of the room.

“For now, we’re keeping things simple,” he said. “But once the campers arrive, meals would be served family style, with platters and bowls of food being delivered to the tables.”

“That’s good.” She considered the space. “Avoids making anyone stand out if they have trouble walking or managing a tray.”

“Exactly.”

Inside the commercial-style kitchen, Juanita, the camp’s cook, waited beside a warming table to serve them. “Good morning, Mr. Daniel.”

“Juanita, I’d like you to meet Blythe McDonald. She’s going to be visiting with us for a couple of weeks.” He groaned inside. Two very long weeks.

“Oh...” Juanita hurriedly wiped her hands before extending one toward Blythe. “I’m so happy to meet you, miss.”

Blythe smiled as she shook the woman’s hand. “The pleasure is mine, Juanita. And please, call me Blythe.”

“Juanita is one of the best cooks on the Western Slope.”

The middle-aged Hispanic woman with short black hair and compassionate dark eyes waved a hand through the air. “You flatter, Mr. Daniel.”

“No, I tell the truth.”

With a wink, she added two extra pieces of bacon to his plate of scrambled eggs and white toast, and handed it to him before addressing Blythe. “What you like, Miss Blythe?”

“Scrambled eggs are fine. Do you have any whole wheat toast?”

“Yes. I’ll have it ready in just a minute.”

“Perfect.” Accepting her plate, Blythe followed him to an empty table. “What a sweet woman.”

“Yes, she is.” He set his plate on the wooden tabletop. “And her food is amazing. We’re blessed to have her.”

“How did you find her?” Blythe eased into her chair.

“She was a friend of my mother.” He sat, too.

“Was?”

He set his paper napkin over his lap. “My mother passed away four years ago.” He met that stunning hazel gaze. “Breast cancer.”

“Oh.” She looked down at her food. “I’m so sorry.”

“Your toast, Miss Blythe.” Juanita set the small plate with two slices on the table, saving them from what could have been an awkward moment. All anybody ever said when they learned a loved one had died was “I’m sorry” or “Sorry for your loss.” And while he knew it was out of respect, it just felt...weird.

Blythe looked up then. “Thank you, Juanita. Thank you very much.” After the woman scurried away, Blythe eyed him, one perfectly arched brow raised in question. “Has she always called you Mr. Daniel?”

“No, that’s something new. I guess because I’m her boss. She never used to do th—”

“Excuse me, Daniel.” Teri, one of the female counselors, or camp companions as he preferred they be called, looked from him to Blythe. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I thought you should know that Felicia is sick.”

“Oh, no. What’s wrong?”

“Nausea. Vomiting.” Teri glanced at their plates. “Sorry.” She wrinkled her nose. “The doctor is with her now.”

He looked at Blythe. “I need to go check on her.”

“Yes, of course.” She set her napkin on the table. “I’ll go with you.”

Not exactly what he’d had in mind, but he wasn’t about to argue.

He burst out the door into the cool morning air and half jogged across the grass, heading in the direction of the cabins, until he noticed Blythe couldn’t keep up. Yes, she was speed walking, but her legs were considerably shorter than his. Though those heeled booties weren’t helping.

He slowed his steps to match hers.

“What if she’s contagious?” Blythe glanced his way as they continued onto the tree-lined path. “We can’t risk any of the kids getting sick. What if she has to leave? Do you have backups? Someone you can call on to fill in for her?”

Now he wished he’d kept running. “You sure ask a lot of questions.”

“The board needs to know how you intend to handle these sorts of issues.”

“Fine, then, I’ll let you know after I find out what’s going on with Felicia.”

Blythe didn’t respond, and he wasn’t about to look at her to see her no doubt annoyed expression.

Fortunately, Felicia was in the nearest cabin.

He knocked, waiting until they were invited to enter. When they did, it was Joel Brandt, the camp doctor, known to everyone as Dr. Joel, who met them.

“Daniel, the good news is she isn’t contagious.” The doctor looked down at Felicia who was lying on the bottom bunk, her face pale against her dark blue pillow case. “She’s pregnant.”

The young wife sent Daniel a sorrowful look. “I had no idea. I mean, we’re not even trying.”

“Based on her symptoms, we did a test.” Dr. Joel turned Daniel’s way. “The bad news is that this morning sickness is apt to keep her down for a few weeks. I’d recommend you find someone else to fill her position.”

“Yes, of course.” Daniel smiled at Felicia. “Don’t be upset. This is happy news.”

“I know.” She pouted. “I guess I should call my husband.”

“For sure.” Daniel stepped forward, reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. “You concentrate on yourself and that baby, and don’t worry about us. We’ve got you covered.” Or they would just as soon as he made some phone calls. Then whoever took her place would have to be brought up to speed and undergo a crash course with the medical staff, but he wasn’t about to tell her that. She’d only feel worse.

“Thank you.”

With that, he escorted Blythe outside.

As they started up the path in the direction of the chow hall, he could feel Blythe watching him. Wait for it...

“Do you have someone who can take her place?” she finally asked.

“We have a list of alternates, yes.” Overhead, wind blew through the trees as he looked down at her. “I’m going to have to make some phone calls, though. So, if you’ll excuse me—”

“I can do it.”

Call him clueless. “Do what?”

“Serve as counselor in Felicia’s stead.”

He knew it was wrong to judge, but Blythe didn’t strike him as the outdoorsy type. On the contrary, she came across as a city girl through and through.

Clearing his throat, he said, “Actually, I prefer to call them camp companions, not counselors. And each companion is assigned to two campers.”

“All right, then, I’m willing to serve as a camp companion.”

Blythe as a camp companion. Just the thought made him cringe, making him eager to find a way out of this dilemma.

“Are you allowed to do that? Wouldn’t it be a conflict of interest or something?”

“I don’t see how. I’m here to make sure Camp Sneffels is worthy of the Ridley Foundation’s ongoing support. Serving in this new capacity would only expand my knowledge. I’ll simply tell Jack you were short a couns—companion, so I’m stepping in.” As if it were that simple.

“Do you realize what that will entail? Campers will be arriving in three days. Everyone else has already completed extensive training. You’ll be looking at an intense couple of days just to get caught up.”

Her steps slowed, her gaze narrowing on him. “You think I can’t handle this?”

While he had no doubt she was smart, how would she manage all of the adventures? After all, there was no spa at the camp.

“I guess we’ll find out soon enough.” He started to walk away, then thought better of it.

“But you’d better get the okay from Jack first.” And if the man happened to nix the idea, then that would be fine with Daniel, too.

Minutes later, Blythe directed a satisfied grin in Daniel’s direction. “Great! I’ll see you in a few weeks. Thanks.” Ending the call, she glanced at the ruggedly handsome camp director standing nearby. Daniel Stephens was definitely not a bum. On the contrary, he looked more like one of those action heroes in the movies. The type that managed to maintain his good looks even when the bad guy was getting the best of him.

Not that Daniel’s appearance had anything to do with her decision to step in and take Felicia’s place as a camp companion. No, it had been an image of her younger self that did that. The one of the girl who couldn’t wait to go to camp, try new things and make new friends. If she’d had a counselor who was as determined to see to it that her charges had fun, then maybe Blythe’s camp experience would have turned out differently.

While she couldn’t change the past, she could make a difference in another young girl’s life.

“We are good to go.” Satisfaction filled her as she tucked her phone into the back pocket of her jeans. Serving as a companion would make her privy to all of the goings-on here at Camp Sneffels. Meaning it would be tough for Daniel to hide anything from her. Her goal, after all, was to make sure this camp was for the kids and that they were having fun. Daniel might clean up well, but he still had to prove himself and the camp worthy of continued funding.

Returning to the chow hall, she and Daniel finished their breakfast in silence. A couple of surreptitious glimpses at the man had her deducing he was lost in thought, though she couldn’t help wondering what those thoughts might be. Was he contemplating his next move or whether or not she was cut out to be a companion?

The latter had her steeling herself as they made their way to his office.

“There’s some paperwork you’re going to need to fill out. I’ll also need your driver’s license so I can run a background check. And I’ll want to introduce you to the staff and volunteers. It’s important you know who to go to and for what. Then we’ll get you moved over to Felicia’s cabin later today. Companions lodge with their campers. Oh, and I still plan to give you a full tour of Adventure Haven.”

“Sounds like we’ve got a busy day.”

He held open the screen door to the camp office and waited for her to enter. “Yes, but nothing compared to when the campers get here.”

Hmm... He was on point there. If the camp fulfilled its promise, anyway.

The wood-paneled office was small with only a desk, a couple of tall metal file cabinets and four side chairs lined up against the wall to the right of the door. A long, green gingham curtain covered a doorway to her left, making her wonder what was behind it. A separate office, perhaps.

“That reminds me...” Daniel stopped beside the old metal desk and gave her a once-over. “About your clothes.”

She looked down at her outfit, self-consciousness tangling with annoyance. “What’s wrong with them?”

“Nothing. I’m just not sure how appropriate they are for running around camp with a bunch of kids. We’ll provide you with camp T-shirts that all of the volunteers are required to wear, but did you bring any jeans that aren’t so...nice? Maybe some shorts, comfortable footwear? Things you don’t mind getting dirty.”

She wasn’t sure she had anything in her wardrobe that she considered play clothes. Either here or at her apartment in Denver. For the most part, business casual was her modus operandi. However, she had brought some workout clothes. Yoga pants and leggings should be all right. And she had a couple of pairs of casual shorts and her running shoes.

She gave herself a mental high five. “Yes, I have suitable clothing, so that won’t be an issue.”

“Great.” He opened one of the desk drawers and pulled out a small stack of papers held together with a binder clip. “Then once you fill out these forms, you can change, and we’ll head over to Adventure Haven.” He handed her the documents.

“For a tour.” She skimmed the first page, pleased to see it wasn’t much more than a job application.

“Yes. And maybe a little fun.”

Fun? Looking at Daniel Stephens she had a pretty good idea that his version of fun and hers were miles apart. Still, she wasn’t doing this for him; she was doing it for the kids.

A little more than an hour later, she met Daniel back at the camp office, although this time she was wearing a pair of black leggings and a poppy-colored tunic that matched the colorful swoosh on her black running shoes.

“Ready?” He slung a small backpack over one shoulder.

“Yes, sir.”

He led her onto a wide path blanketed with pine needles that seemed to muffle their footsteps. Aspen and pine trees stretched to their left and right with little to no undergrowth, and the forest floor was dappled with sunlight.

“How far of a walk is it to Adventure Haven?” Blythe had to take two steps for every one of Daniel’s just to keep up with those long legs of his.

“A few hundred yards. Far enough to be separate, but close enough for the kids to manage without wearing themselves out.”

She could certainly appreciate that. As would the kids.

“However, I think I’d like to give you an overview first.” His steps slowed as the corners of his mouth tipped up into a silly grin.

“What does that mean?”

“You’ll see.” The glimmer in his eyes did not inspire a lot of confidence.

He led her onto another path that veered to their left and before she knew it, they were climbing. Nothing drastic, just different. The trail became rockier, dust replacing pine needles as they rose above the trees.

The path went straight for a time before making a sharp right turn. Then straight again, followed by a U-turn left.

She wasn’t a fan of switchbacks. Or hiking, for that matter. And even though they hadn’t gone that far, she found herself huffing and puffing.

“Do you need to take a break?” Daniel called over his shoulder.

“No.” She gasped for air. “I’m—” another breath “—fine.”

He stopped and faced her. “No, you’re not.” Lowering his pack, he unzipped it, pulled out a bottle of water and handed it to her. “Sorry, I failed to consider how the altitude might affect you.”

“How high are we?” She unscrewed the cap.

“The camp itself sits at just over eighty-five hundred feet.”

She almost choked on her water. “A little higher than I’m used to.” By more than three thousand feet.

“The good news is, it’s not far. Here.” He motioned for her to take the lead. “Why don’t you go first?”

Why would she do that? She had no idea where they were going. Yet she did it anyway, assuming he would stop her if she was about to lead them off a cliff.

With few trees to provide shade, she began to sweat. How unattractive was that?

Not that she was concerned about being attractive. Except it annoyed her that Daniel was still as cool as a cucumber. He wasn’t huffing. Nor puffing. And he definitely wasn’t sweating.

At the next turn, she reached to steady herself on a spindly tree. “Ouch.”

“Are you all right?” He was at her side in an instant, something she found rather sweet.

“I broke a nail.” She stared at her ragged index finger.

“Hmm, that is unfortunate. I have good news, though.”

She looked up at him.

“You’ll live.” He urged her forward.

Annoyed with both him and her fingernail, she forced herself to pick up pace. Dust puffed beneath each footfall. Then she stepped on a rock, losing her footing. She slipped, her whole body tightening as she prepared for impact.

Yet before she hit the ground, Daniel’s strong arms caught her. “I gotcha.”

Staring up into his mega-blue eyes she swallowed hard. “Yes, you do.” She righted herself. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He glanced left then right. “Stand by. I think I can help.” Next thing she knew, he started back down the trail.

Where was he going? He’d already helped her, now he was leaving her?

A minute later he returned with a long, rather substantial stick. “Here. Use it as a walking stick. It’ll help you keep your balance.”

Looking up at the towering adventurer, she simply blinked. The fact that he’d gone out of his way to not only protect her, but to help her, warmed her heart. Perhaps he wasn’t such a brute, after all.

“Thanks.”

“We’re just about there,” he said. “But I promise, it’ll be worth it.”

Strange, but she actually found herself believing him. Quite a feat for someone who was prone to pessimism.

His words kept her going. And only a few minutes later, they came to an outcropping.

“Oh, my.” She held a hand to her chest as a view of the entire camp stretched out below her. “It’s so beautiful.”

“Isn’t it, though? From here we can see both Mt. Sneffels—” he pointed to their left “—and the Cimarron mountain range.” He moved his hand to the right.

Eyeing the jagged peaks, she said, “This is stunning.” She lowered her gaze again to check out the camp. “I can see the cabins and the chow hall. Look—” she pointed “—there’s a lake.”

“That’s where the fishing and canoeing will take place.”

“What’s that over there?” She homed in on an area just east of the lake, tucked within the trees. There seemed to be a lot of stuff going on, though she couldn’t tell exactly what.

“That’s the zip line and challenge course.”

“In the trees? How is that even possible? And is it safe?”

Daniel laughed. “Safety is our biggest concern here. And yes, everything has been inspected and approved.”

He really had thought things through. Too bad she hadn’t. Could she really pull off being a camp companion? She wasn’t exactly the outdoorsy type. And her black running shoes were now covered in dust. This was so not her.

Lord, how am I going to do this?