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
