“Actually—” Reena grinned at his niece “—Ashleigh does rule on the rope bridge. I’ve seen it firsthand.”

  “And I’ve seen a video,” Nathan retorted, bristling for no sensible reason. “A thick rope ladder anchored at the top and bottom are no comparison to tree limbs bending and moving.”

  Reena shifted her hips and Nathan caught the grimace.

  “I disagree,” Ashleigh countered. “The rope is tied to a small iron circle and steeply angled. It moves so much that that’s the point. You have to master balancing while climbing to the next rung.”

  “Vincent,” Reena said just as Nathan opened his mouth.

  “Straight-up truth time,” she demanded. “No lies or swagger. Do you truly believe you can climb up this, like the bridge, safely?”

  What the...? Nathan’s lips thinned. Reena could call for a vote but he was not done weighing in.

  The serious expression filling Vincent’s face impressed Nathan. The teen didn’t scoff or puff up with self-importance. Instead, he gazed up the length of the tree, then back to Reena. “Yes. I think it’s comparable. But I want to be next to Ash.”

  Oh, the boy was playing hardball, saying the right thing.

  Reena swished her hand. “Pick your branches.”

  “No one move,” Nathan ordered, taking a second to eye both teens.

  Vincent froze mid-hunch.

  “Uncle Nathan,” Ashleigh whined. “I can do this.”

  “Just like you could go on the scavenger hunt with no issues?” he shot back, the line out before he realized he harbored it.

  Ashleigh’s jaw slammed closed and her face flared red. “I said I was sorry.” She swallowed hard. “And this is different. I’ve done something like this before.”

  Nathan sighed. “You’re right. You have apologized and I accepted.” He tightened his grip on the branches, the bark digging in deep. “But this time you won’t have any cushiony mats or straw beneath you. You fall, you break something.”

  “Whether you’re beside her or not—” Reena waded in “—that principle remains.”

  And didn’t that statement shut down his argument? Nathan inhaled against the fight still brewing inside. His job was to protect Ashleigh, but the forest kept testing his ability to perform the role.

  “Keep going, Vincent,” Reena encouraged.

  The teen scratched his chin and warily eyed Nathan. “If you really object, we won’t do it, but I’m sure we can reach the top without hurting anything. Ash and I will help each other if we get stuck. Okay?”

  The earnestness on his face made Nathan concede. The kid knew how to present an argument. He logged that fact into a mental file to watch out for in the future.

  “Fine,” Nathan grumbled. “But don’t get crazy with this race. It’s better to tie and reach the top in one piece than break a leg and lose. Got it?”

  “Woot!” Ashleigh shouted and Vincent continued moving.

  While the teens were distracted, Nathan eased onto the same grouping as Reena. Turning sideways, he sat as best he could and used his legs as an anchor. The water and mud didn’t faze him anymore. The tent strapped to the bottom of his backpack actually gave him a wider base to spread his weight. “You can stop hiding the pain,” he whispered. “Lean on me. I can tell you’re about to pass out.”

  Three beats of silence later, she muttered, “Why do you have to be so observant?”

  “Survival skill growing up with an older brother who loved pranks.” Nathan grinned, remembering one that involved clear plastic wrap and the toilet seat. Scott had almost gotten him with that in the dead of night. If it hadn’t been for the moon casting a weird light through the bathroom window, Nathan would have made a mess.

  “Definitely some stories there,” Reena grumbled, maneuvering slowly.

  Vincent hunkered into position on Ashleigh’s other side.

  “You two discuss strategies for a minute, okay?” Nathan instructed, to give Reena more time to settle into position. “Take this seriously.”

  Receiving their agreement, he braced for Reena’s weight. She edged down beside him, her back divided between his arm and backpack. He bit the inside of his cheeks to stop a comment about her ragged sigh. As much as she frustrated him, confused him, and plagued his interest, she impressed him, too. She continued doing what had to be done without complaint or having a breakdown. Again, he wasn’t sure he’d be so gracious. And his last girlfriend wouldn’t have even offered to come on the trip, let alone search for teens in these conditions.

  “You two ready?” Reena asked, leaning heavier against Nathan.

  “It’s not exactly going to be an even race.” Vincent thumbed over his shoulder. “I’m wearing a backpack, but Ash needs all the advantages she can get.”

  Nathan snickered at his niece’s indignant scowl.

  “It’s on, Clarky.”

  “We’re going to keep watch from here,” Nathan responded. He wanted Reena to have as much time as possible to rest and if that coincidently put off his turn to climb, all the better.

  His niece shot him a thumbs-up. “You going to record this?”

  “No way.” Nathan shuddered. “I’m pretty sure this could get me blackballed in most parenting circles. No proof, it’s hearsay.”

  “That’s why you’re my favorite uncle.”

  “Ha. I’m your only uncle.” The slice of pain that slashed his heart competed with the warmth at the declaration. The past six months had been all about learning to swim in the deep end before he drowned. Sounded like he was doing something right.

  “On your mark,” Reena trilled.

  Their heads snapped forward, determination bristling.

  “Get set.” She waited a beat. “Go!”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Nathan’s heart lurched into his throat again.

  Ashleigh and Vincent began climbing. They hadn’t taken off like kamikazes, but he didn’t expect the complacent ascent to last long. He knew Ashleigh, and once she got her bearings, she’d turn up the speed.

  With every movement, the branches shook and bowed deeper, but held. For now.

  “Do you think Ashleigh and Vincent will ever figure out their mutual crush?” Reena asked with no hint of the white-knuckling he experienced.

  “Uh, yeah, I do,” he answered, dividing his focus. “It’ll happen way too soon for my comfort.”

  “Come on.” Reena pressed against him then eased. “Admit it. You like Vincent.”

  His gaze remained glued to the teens. Hand over hand, Vincent steadily climbed. He spread his feet at points to keep his balance, the backpack working against him at times. The torrential rain didn’t seem to be a factor for the teen. Nathan knew in his gut the exact opposite would be his fate. It seemed like God really wanted him to learn a lesson...the hardest way possible. He shut that thought down before the anger could take hold. Way too many “lessons” lately had God’s name all over them, and he couldn’t handle any more.

  To refocus his mind, he studied Vincent’s technique, trying to memorize every movement and shift. He also had to schlep a pack and needed the pointers.

  Huh. That was impressive. Ashleigh gripped a branch in her left hand while reaching for a new grouping on the right. She crab-walked over and continued climbing, keeping pace with Vincent. Neither seemed to falter and, outside of the hair-raising branch creaking and tree shaking, they were almost at the top.

  Reena bumped his calf. “You that stubborn to admit it?”

  Admit...? Oh. Yeah. Vincent. “I’m impressed, if I’m going to be honest. His and Ashleigh’s different personalities complement each other’s, but their realizing they like each other gives me an ulcer.”

  She glanced over her shoulder, her eyebrow lifting. “Why?”

  “Once Ashleigh and Vincent stop dancing around their attraction, they might want to do something about it.”

  “Oh.” Her cheeks flared a bright red and she ducked her head. “I get it.”

  He cleared his throat, scrabbling to change the uncomfortable topic. “I’ve noticed you’re a little overprotective of Vincent. Why is that?”

  She shrugged, running fingers over a set of needles. “I don’t know. Ever since he started attending church and eventually my classes, he’d always been so quiet and serious. He never talked back or fooled around like the other kids, but, man, when he smiled the first time, it lit up his face completely. Stole my heart then and there. I’ve been watching him grow up ever since.”

  An unexpected—unwanted—spurt of longing shot through him. He scratched at the scruff itching his jaw, trying to get rid of the absurd emotion. He didn’t want to have a special place in Reena Wells’s heart. Learning more about her only confused and fed the annoying, deep impulses...like the one pushing him now. Don’t ask—“Classes?” he asked despite himself.

  “Yeah. I have one starting next weekend.” She plucked a pine cone off the twig and fiddled with it. The bandages no longer protected her palms and the injuries looked angry and sore. “Twice a year I teach an art class at the community center. We meet on Saturdays, midmorning, for four weeks for an hour or two.” Parts of the pine cone fell between her bent legs to float away with the water. “To keep it interesting and fresh, I change the mediums, so we could be water coloring one class then photographing the next.”

  “That’s really cool.” Nathan pictured her in front of an easel, showing students how to paint with sun radiating throughout the room. “How long have you been teaching?”

  “About five years.” She tossed the destroyed cone. “When I moved back home after college, I opened my art gallery. To help advertise the studio and stay in touch with the community, I began offering the classes.” A new cone replaced the old. “My students range from middle-schoolers to retirees. That makes it fun.”

  “And Vincent?”

  “He’s got natural talent.” Reena paused mangling the latest victim. “Vincent’s father left a long time ago. His mother works two jobs to support them and rarely has money to spare. So, Vincent pays for my classes on his own.” Half the cone plopped into the water. “I wish he’d let me waive the charge but he won’t. After school, he rides his bike to the main tourist section of downtown and runs the cash register at a kitschy shop to earn money.”

  Nathan huffed a chuckle. “I wave the white flag. You don’t have to sell me on him anymore.” He pantomimed surrendering. “I like him. Okay? I admit it.”

  “Woohoo!”

  Nathan snapped his face up. Ashleigh had her fists in the air while straddling the top of the trunk. She leaned against an upright branch with Vincent facing her, mimicking the pose. Wow. When had he stopped paying attention to the teens?

  “Who won?” Reena shouted, then groaned under her breath.

  “Tie,” Ashleigh answered at the same time Vincent yelled, “I won.”

  “You did not!” Ashleigh’s arms dropped.

  “I had a backpack,” Vincent countered. “That automatically makes my route tougher. Ergo, I won when you didn’t arrive first.”

  “Oh boy.” Reena tossed the destroyed pine cone to the side. “We’re going to have to listen to this debate for hours.”

  Nathan’s stomach squeezed. “Guess it’s our turn to climb.”

  “Yep.”

  “Is it safe enough up there for you two to explore a bit?” Nathan yelled, wanting to prevent the teens from seeing Reena’s pain. “Are the rock ledges wide enough to walk on? See if there’s a better way down.”

  “I know what you’re doing,” Reena announced, leaning forward, breaking contact. “It chaps my pride, but thank you.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he lied, grabbing on to the limbs again. “I’m saving myself from endless teasing once my niece witnesses my humiliation.”

  “Great,” Reena chirped. She resumed her crouched position. “That means I get to do it all.”

  “Oh, ha, ha.” Nathan glanced at Reena’s eviscerated gauze and winced. “Wait.” He managed to swing his backpack around without falling off the branch and opened the large compartment. Leaning over to keep as much water out as possible, he grimaced as he reached inside. Dirtying everything in his search was low on his list of troubles, but it still bothered him. “Gotcha.” He pulled out a pair of white socks, then rezipped the bag.

  “What are you doing?” She eyed the socks with concern. “I don’t think changing now is going to help anything.”

  “They’re for your hands.” He offered them to her.

  Rain soaked into the cotton fabric as she stared at them.

  Rolling his eyes, he attested, “They’re clean.” He shook them. “You need something to cushion your palms and this is all I’ve got.”

  “Oh.” She slid them out of his fingers. “Good idea.”

  “So, how do we do this?” He studied the trial ahead, swallowing his pride at the question.

  Reena finished adjusting the second sock over her wrist. Lifting her hands, she held them by her shoulders and made sock puppets. “To climb the branches, you want to walk like a dog.” Her fingers moved in time with her words.

  “Cute.” And not distracting at all. “Wait. Did you say ‘walk like a dog’?”

  “Sure did.” She grinned, her sock puppets now pantomiming laughter, he suspected at his skeptical face.

  “Why?” Was she punking him?

  “Because you need to distribute your weight evenly across your body or you’ll lean too far to one side and fall.”

  “Ah.” Made sense...sort of.

  “When you step with your left foot, your right hand is moving up then vice versa.” Thankfully, she stopped the puppet show. “You want to keep moving your hand and foot at the same time.” She motioned to her left. “Move to that bunch.”

  He resituated his pack, then crab-walked awkwardly.

  “Grab on to two branches close to your shoulder width when possible,” she continued, showing him as she talked. “Since we don’t have the luxury of rungs like the rope ladder, we have to use what we can for our footing.”

  Oh boy. He already did not like this. “Gotcha.” Clearing his throat, he raised his butt and jammed his boots into a nest of branches tangled together. When they didn’t loosen, he grabbed on to two limbs; one three inches, the other two inches thick, with lots of poky needle heads.

  “Excellent.” Reena reached forward with her left hand and clasped another section of her branch inches above. “See how my right foot is moving in time with my left hand placement?”

  Now he got it. With all the grace of a newborn baby, he tried to imitate her. Wobbling and almost falling, he white-knuckled the limb to keep from going over.

  “Don’t overcorrect!” she snapped just as his hips went to counter his swing.

  He slowed his body and exhaled at staying upright-ish.

  “This is a lot harder than the game at the fair,” Reena grunted. “Trust me. But we’ll make it.”

  Seeing his socks protecting her hands, he wished he had donned a pair, too. Between the bark, needles, and pine cones, he’d be lucky if his palms didn’t look like hers by the time he was through.

  “Ready to try again?” Reena asked, peering at him.

  “Absolutely.” Not. He lifted his rickety right hand and left foot to try again.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Bark dug into Reena’s forehead, probably leaving an impression behind, but she didn’t care. She earned her reward for reaching the trunk. Resting against an upright branch, she dangled her legs over the tree. Agony speared her hips and thumped through every cell of her body. Dear Lord, please make it stop.

  Thunder rumbled, gentling its ferocity as it rolled.

  “If only I had my camera,” Ashleigh wheezed, laughing so hard, she hugged a tall, vertical branch near the rock wall edge.

  Reena’s lips twitched and she tried valiantly to restrain a giggle, but it broke through her pain haze and flew free.

  “You, too?” Nathan grumbled, pausing as he plucked pine cone bits and needles out of his hair. He was covered. Sitting sideways, facing the trail below they hadn’t been able to see before, he scowled. “I could’ve been seriously hurt, you know.”

  “But you weren’t, soooo,” Ashleigh chortled, “that makes it hilarious.”

  His expression flattened and he went back to plucking, his motions more pronounced than before.

  “If it makes you feel any better—” Vincent held on to the same support as Ashleigh with one foot on the rock top “—I didn’t think a squirrel would still be in the tree, either.”

  “It does not,” Nathan muttered. “But thanks for still talking about it.”

  “Like we could stop,” Reena answered, the mental video flaring in her head. “You should have seen your face when that squirrel popped his furry head through that clump.”

  Ashleigh threw her head back, howling. “Yeeesss!” She choked and slapped her chest. “I’m so glad we were here for the show.” Inhaling deep, she pointed at her uncle. “You were already teetering so hard, I thought you’d bounce Reena out of the tree, then bam! Squirrel head.”

  Nathan yanked a twig from the collar of his shirt and hurled it.

  Vincent shoved his face into his shoulder, his body quaking with silent laughter.

  “I’m impressed by your vocal range,” Reena gushed, then ruined it by snorting. “I never knew such a deep voice could hit a note that high.”

  Nathan’s arm froze mid-throw with a pine cone chunk near his ear. “He was going for my heart!” He launched the cone so hard, he had to grab a branch or sail with it.

  “Sure he was,” Ashleigh scoffed, nodding really large. “I mean, everyone knows squirrels love chowing on human hearts.”

  “Squirt.” Nathan glared at his niece.

  She beamed. “I’m amazed at how fast you moved.”

 

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