Summer Nights

by Sanders, Jill

  In all her years attending camp, she’d never stumbled across any dangerous wildlife, though she knew there were more than just bears out there.

  “Did the bear do all that?” she asked, staying on the top stair of the deck.

  “I’ll go check it out,” Dylan said, turning to her. “Stay put.”

  She watched him approach the spot where all the construction material had been stored. A small trailer held the tools for Aiden and his men. The door rested open, and tools were strewn all over the ground, as if someone had thrown them around.

  A large construction dumpster sat next to it, full of building materials, only most of them now littered the ground. The place was a complete mess.

  Dylan approached the dumpster with caution; when he turned the corner and disappeared from her view, she instantly worried for him.

  When he came running back toward her, yelling, “Get in the cabin,” she moved quickly. Her fingers fumbled on the lock.

  When she glanced over her shoulder, she saw a black mass behind Dylan gaining speed and screamed as she fumbled again with the door handle.

  He was beside her before she could get the door opened and shoved her inside. They shut themselves in and quickly bolted the door as he leaned against it, breathing hard.

  “It was there,” he said between deep breaths, “near the dumpster.” He hung his head down with his hands on his knees to slow his pulse.

  “What are we going to do?” she asked, glancing around the cabin windows, worried that the massive bear would bust through one of them at any moment. “Do you have your phone?”

  He straightened up to pat his pockets, then groaned.

  “I was kind of in a hurry to close up shop yesterday—I think it’s sitting on the countertop at the zip line hut.” He leaned against the door. “Does that thing work?” He nodded to the telephone that each cabin had to contact the main building.

  She rushed over and picked it up. “No, not yet.” She set it back down and chanced a glance out the window. “The bear is lying down.”

  Dylan joined her at the window and looked out.

  “What’s it doing?” he asked. “It looks like it’s protecting the dumpster.”

  She turned to him. “You don’t suppose . . .” She tilted her head. “Did you ever see the video of the three bear cubs that got stuck in the dumpster?”

  He groaned. “Shit.” He ran his hands through his hair, tugging on it. “That makes sense. She’s pissed she can’t get to her kid, or kids.”

  “Does this mean we’re stuck here?” She sat down at the table.

  Dylan moved to a different window. “I think I could sneak out the back window. Then run and get help?”

  “No.” She shook her head. “It’s too dangerous.”

  “What do you suggest, then?” he asked.

  She thought about it. “Aiden and his crew are bound to come around.”

  “And what?” he asked. “Be scared away, or worse, surprised by an angry mama bear?”

  She hadn’t thought of that possibility and stood up to look at the bathroom window near the back of the cabin that he was talking about. “You can’t fit through that. Your shoulders are too wide”—she eyed the window—“but I can.”

  “No.” This time he shook his head. “No way.” He frowned at the small shoulder-height window.

  “Dylan, like you said, it’s probably our only choice,” she said. “Besides, I’m pretty sure I can run faster than you.”

  His eyebrows shot up. “Later, we’ll test that theory out, but not now.” He glanced toward the front. “If she’s still there.” She could tell he was battling whether to let her go. “Do you think you can head straight through the woods toward the back and get to the trail from there?”

  “I know this place better than you do,” she said as they looked out the front window. The large bear was still lying in the trash, its eyes glued to the dumpster.

  “Go,” he said as they rushed toward the back. “I don’t know who can help, but go fast and be quiet until you hit the pathway.”

  She was thankful she’d worn sneakers for the sail last night.

  It took her a moment to wiggle her way out of the window. Dylan hoisted her up, and she had to fall toward the ground outside, but the moment her feet hit the ground, she took off, trying to be as quiet as she could.

  Anytime she heard a sound, she glanced behind her, afraid to see a black figure crashing through the trees and brush after her. Finally, when she hit the main pathway, she relaxed slightly and made a quick decision to turn toward the nearest building.

  The horse barn stood less than a mile from the cabin, and when she rushed in, she ran straight to Carter, the vet from town who occasionally donated his time to help them out. He slowed her motion by gripping her shoulders, and he started to laugh at her until he saw the look in her eyes.

  “Bear,” she managed to get out in pants.

  Carter’s entire demeanor changed. “Where?” He dropped his hands and moved into his office.

  “Cabin, the new one. Dylan’s locked inside,” she said between breaths as Carter pulled a gun from a cabinet.

  “No, don’t shoot it—it’s just trying to get to its cub that’s stuck in the dumpster.” She grabbed his arm, feeling the scrapes from branches she’d gotten during her run.

  “It’s a tranq gun,” he said. “It will do for a bear until the wildlife service can come and relocate it. We can’t have one roaming the grounds while you have guests. Call up to the main house and have them put out an alert for everyone to stay inside until it’s handled. Tell Jules to call FWC. She has the number for emergencies.”

  She blinked and shook her head. “Who . . .” She was a little winded from her run, and her mind hadn’t cleared yet, as possibilities of the bear breaking into the cabin still held sway.

  “Florida Wildlife Conservation. Elle and I prepared for things like this. Remember: vets work with all animals, including bears,” he teased. “Now move.”

  She did as he’d instructed and told Julie to send out an alert and call the wildlife service.

  “I’m going with you,” she said and followed him out.

  “Okay, but you’re staying in the truck.” He motioned for her to get in.

  They drove the truck down the path that Aiden and the supply trucks had cut to get to the new cabin. When they approached it, the bear stood up and started pacing the ground in front of the bin as if it would pounce on anyone who approached.

  “Yeah, looks like Mama’s in protection mode.” He sighed. “Stay put. I’ll get only one good shot at this.”

  She held back as the man slowly climbed out of the truck and took a few steps closer to the bear with the gun aimed. She heard a small pop, and Carter moved back to the protection of the truck door.

  The animal went down in what seemed like an hour of terror, but in fact, it had only gotten a few steps toward them before it hit the ground. She held her breath, unsure if it was faking or not. Do animals fake it? she asked herself as Carter slowly approached the dumpster.

  “There’s two of them in here,” he sighed. “I’m going to keep them in here until FWC gets here. Nice morning,” Carter called out to Dylan and waved for him to come out of the house.

  “Yeah”—he smiled—“it is now.” Dylan gave the slumbering bear a wide berth and walked over to open the truck door.

  “Are you okay?” He pulled her halfway out of the truck for a hug.

  “Yes.” She touched his face.

  “You’re bleeding.” He frowned down at her legs and arms.

  “The bushes were thick.” Just then, another truck pulled up behind them, and Aiden and Elle cautiously peered out the windows.

  “She’s down,” Carter yelled. “Should be out long enough for the FWC to get here.”

  “Are you two all right?” Elle climbed out and rushed over to hug Zoey. “Julie said you outran a bear?”

  “I didn’t—I just snuck past her. Dylan was the one she chased.�
� The air in her lungs froze up for a moment at the memory.

  “It’s a good thing you two walked by this morning,” Aiden said, looking down at the bear from a few feet away. “I’d hate to think of what would have happened if a guest had stumbled upon this.”

  Zoey avoided Elle’s gaze and nodded. “It’s a good thing the place had a door and windows,” she said. “Otherwise Mama here would have joined us in the cabin.”

  “Mama?” Aiden asked.

  “Her two cubs are stuck in the dumpster,” Carter answered. “They look okay, but we’ll want to check them out to make sure. Which is probably why she made such a big mess last night.”

  “Damn it.” Aiden walked around the sleeping mother bear and glanced into the dumpster. “I told my men not to throw food trash in here. The smell of leftovers probably drew the bears in the first place.” He glanced over to Elle. “I’ll make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

  “Thanks.” She smiled at him.

  Just then another golf cart skidded to a halt in the dirt, and Owen and Liam leaped out.

  “You okay?” they asked Dylan. Zoey could see the worry in both brothers’ eyes.

  “Yeah.” Dylan shifted and looked uncomfortable with the worry they radiated toward him.

  Elle broke the silence. “If it’s okay, I’ll take these two back up to the main building in your truck.”

  “We can . . .” Liam started but stopped when Elle gave him a look. Zoey made a mental note to ask her friend what that was all about.

  “Go ahead. I’ll stick around here with Carter until they come and take the family away.” Aiden turned to Carter. “You do have more tranquilizers if we need them, right?”

  Carter chuckled. “Yes, but she should be out for more than an hour.”

  “Thanks,” Zoey said to Carter.

  “Anytime. Make sure you have those cuts looked at,” he replied.

  They drove back to the main building in silence, with Dylan’s brothers following behind them. When Elle parked the truck, Dylan helped her out. Zoey had been so numb with fear and worry that the pain of the cuts hadn’t hit her yet. Now, however, since her blood had cooled, she was feeling every scratch.

  “I’ll help you into the clinic.” Elle held on to Zoey’s arm.

  “I can . . .” Dylan started, but when Elle raised her eyebrows at him, he backed off, much like his brother had earlier. “Let me know how it goes.”

  “Thanks.” Zoey squeezed his arm.

  “So,” Elle said when they were a few feet away from the three brothers, who stood in the parking lot, no doubt getting the full story from Dylan. “Sounds like you two were very lucky you were there this morning.”

  “Shut up.” She nudged her friend but hissed as the motion brushed a deep scratch.

  “Come on. Let’s go get you cleaned up.” Elle hugged her. “I’m thankful you’re okay.”

  “Me too,” she added as they stepped in the front doors. A burst of cheers met her. More than a dozen employees and guests had gathered in the main entryway—locked in, since they were still on lockdown mode.

  Her mother rushed forward with a hug. “Hannah wouldn’t let us leave. Are you okay?”

  “Yes, I’m fine.”

  “We wouldn’t let anyone leave until we knew it was safe,” Hannah added, giving Zoey a hug too.

  “What’s all this?” Zoey asked, glancing around the crowded room.

  “I told them you wrestled a bear,” Scarlett said as she moved up for her own hug.

  “You did . . . what?” Zoey shook her head.

  “Stop it.” Hannah elbowed Scar. “They heard what you did—running through the forest to get help. That’s all. It was very brave of you.”

  “No,” Scar corrected her. “It was stupid of her.” The fact that her sister was smiling at her told her that she was proud.

  “How about I take a look at those cuts?” Dr. Val asked as she cut through the crowd. “Some of them look pretty bad.”

  “Yes, please,” Zoey added, letting Elle and Dr. Val lead her down the hallway toward the medical offices near the end of the hall.

  Zoey sat on the table and let the doctor clean each cut and place small bandages over some of the bigger ones.

  When Zoey stepped back out of the office, she found all four of her friends and her mother waiting for her.

  “I’m okay—no stitches.” She showed them her legs. Then she was engulfed as they all hugged her at the same time.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  It took a few days before talk of the great bear escape died down. Stories of Dylan’s heroics had been exaggerated, as had Zoey’s great trek through the woods. However, after seeing the bandages on her legs, Dylan quickly realized she hadn’t been given enough credit.

  All he’d done was hide out in a plush cabin until she’d brought the cavalry.

  Still, his brothers had given him shit about it until he was sick of hearing the same tired bear jokes from them.

  On the upside, his schedule was full thanks to all the guests wanting to hear the story firsthand. His days flew by quickly, and his nights seemed to drag, since all he could do was stare up at the ceiling listening to his brothers snore and wishing he were lying beside Zoey.

  He had scheduled his next days off so he could be with Zoey. They planned to drive into Destin to spend their two free nights at his place.

  As new short-term guests came and went, the long-term guests grew more comfortable with the camp and employees.

  There were a few rumblings from the cleaning crew about more parties in cabins, but the gossip never reached any of the ears of the “top five”—or so they were being called.

  Dylan was even becoming familiar by sight with most of the guests and employees he hadn’t met before. He knew which guests caused problems and which ones were in the swingers’ group. It wasn’t hard to tell them apart. Every time he walked by the pool, the swingers were always there, in a large group, hanging out together. Most of them didn’t utilize the zip lines or any of the other fun activities. For the most part, the pool/bar was their main hangout area.

  He’d even met the famous Barbara Collins. He’d seen and loved watching most of her movies and had taken a picture with her and her husband, Jamie, as they posed at the top of one of the zip line towers. They had been with another couple and acted as if they were best friends.

  It had shocked him a little to see how tightly Barbara, or Barb, as she liked to be called, hung on the other man more than she hung on her own husband. He thought about his relationship with Zoey and wondered how he would feel if he caught her flirting as much as Barb had with a man who wasn’t him.

  Jealousy wasn’t something he normally felt; even though he’d caught Amelia in bed with those other people, he’d never been the jealous type. Every one of his other long-term relationships had all ended on what he believed had been mutual terms. Still, being cheated on had stung.

  He doubted from Zoey’s experience with her father and mother that she was a cheater. After all, she’d seen the pain cheating caused firsthand.

  His father had never really settled down after losing his wife when Liam was born. So he could technically never claim to have cheated on any one person. His father had been with a long string of women, and for the most part, Dylan believed that all the women knew about one another.

  Owen had once compared their father to Hugh Hefner. The comparison was pretty accurate. Of course, thinking about his father set him worrying even more, since there hadn’t been a day that had gone by in the past six months that the three of them hadn’t tried to reach him. But his father’s cell phone instantly went to voice mail and then had been disconnected, which had them worrying even more.

  Their father’s longtime secretary hadn’t heard from him either. He knew that Owen was being pressured by the board of directors to get any information they could. The company had been counting on the large investment their father normally made at the end of the year, which was quickly approaching.


  The brothers had less than five months to find their father and come up with the lost money, or the board was going to vote their father out completely. Not to mention having to find outside funding to keep the current projects on time and on budget.

  Halfway through his workweek, after the last of his daily runs, he was making his way up to the dining hall to have dinner with Zoey when he collided with a very drunk Ryan. The woman practically fell at his feet. If he hadn’t reached out and steadied her, she would have landed on the pathway.

  “Oh”—when she noticed it was him, her smile grew—“my knight in shining sexy.” She slurred her words, and he almost sighed with annoyance.

  Since his last run-in with her, he’d been lucky enough to avoid her again. He’d heard from his brothers that they hadn’t been so lucky.

  At one point, she had cornered Liam at the woodshop building he worked in and had actually ripped his shirt off. Liam had been pissed because Elle had found them and had lectured them about appropriateness in the workplace.

  “Ryan.” He tried to release his hold on her, but she wasn’t stable on her feet yet.

  “No.” She pushed his shoulder as her other hand gripped his shirt and held him closer. It was almost as if she were fighting a battle within herself. Or trying to put on a show that he was somehow molesting her.

  He dropped his hands instantly, just in case someone was watching them.

  “I told you,” she said, and a wave of alcohol fumes washed over him.

  He recoiled. “Ryan, let go.”

  “No,” she shouted, “you let me go.” She shoved him again with one hand but still held on to his shirt with the other.

  He held his hands up in the air, fully away from her, yet she still tugged his shirt toward her, bumping their bodies against one another. He tried to take a giant step back, but she twisted and somehow managed to get her foot behind his, sending them both sprawling toward the ground.

  He landed on his back, causing all his breath to whoosh out of his lungs as a groan of pain escaped him when a rather large rock jutted into his ribs.