Maddie smiled. “Actually...that’s not a bad idea.”
Three—no, make that four—pairs of eyes widened in disbelief.
“Skye is creative and has an artistic eye,” she said. “She could put together a video collage of the competition and work it into your senior presentation.”
Skye twisted a strand of lilac hair around her finger. “I don’t know...what if it doesn’t turn out well? I’ve taken pictures, but I’ve never done anything like that before.”
“Figuring out how becomes part of your research,” Maddie told her.
Skye slanted a look at Aiden. “Like he did for survival camping?”
“Exactly like that.” Maddie smiled. “In fact, Aiden’s senior project inspired the idea that you form a team for River Quest.”
* * *
For some reason, Aiden’s plan to scare the teenagers out of participating in the competition was failing miserably. And he had a pretty good hunch that reason was a five-foot-two, green-eyed pixie. A pixie who, as crazy as it seemed, had been inspired by him.
If only Maddie knew the idea for Aiden’s senior project had been born out of desperation, not inspiration.
Because his personality was more suited to wide-open spaces than a classroom, Aiden had struggled to maintain a C average all through high school. The required senior project, which involved reading, note taking and organizing those notes into something that made sense, had seemed so daunting that Aiden had announced at supper one night that he was going to quit school.
Sunni had listened like she always did, and Aiden knew from experience his adoptive mom would take time to pray before she shared her thoughts about his decision. His older brothers weren’t that patient. Over the next few days, Brendan and Liam had badgered Aiden until he’d finally gone to Sunni and told her that he wanted to take a weekend camping trip so he could think. For Aiden, thinking always came easier when he was moving.
His mom had agreed with one condition. That Aiden research winter camping first and come up with a plan so she would be able to sleep at night.
Aiden was so thrilled she’d said yes, he’d spent another week preparing for the challenge.
After he’d successfully survived and returned home with stories about his adventures that had lasted long into the night, Sunni had casually mentioned over a cup of hot chocolate how interesting it was that Aiden had not only had fun, he’d combined everything required for his senior project. Research. Critical thinking. Sharing information. And the most important ingredient—one that couldn’t be contained on a note card—passion for his topic.
Moms. So wise. So sneaky.
Kind of like someone else Aiden knew.
Maddie claimed the teenagers wanted to participate in River Quest, but even after Aiden had given them a reality check along with their permission forms, he doubted they knew what they were signing up for.
Tyler definitely had a competitive streak, but from what Aiden had seen, his skills were limited to the games he’d downloaded on his cell phone. And while Tyler wasn’t afraid to voice an opinion or a complaint, Justin was the exact opposite. He rarely spoke at all. Aiden could tell Justin was listening, but he wore the hunted look of someone who’d stumbled into unfamiliar territory where he didn’t belong.
Like Dodger.
Aiden glanced down at the dog, who’d planted himself on the floor next to Maddie’s feet.
While he watched, she reached down and idly scratched the bare spot behind Dodger’s misshapen ear. Dodger’s eyes drifted closed, and Aiden felt an unexpected tug of jealousy.
Jealous. Of a dog.
What was happening to him?
Aiden deposited Maddie’s money into the cash box and shut the lid with a little more force than was necessary. “Once I get Justin’s permission form, you’ll be all set.”
“Thank you.” Maddie didn’t move.
“Unless...” Aiden almost hated to ask. “There’s something else you need?”
“As a matter of fact, there is” came the bright response. “We’ll need a canoe.”
“Sure—”
“And a coach.”
Aiden stared at Maddie. She didn’t mean him. But the dimple in her cheek clearly said that yes, she did.
“I think that’s a great idea.”
Aiden—who thought the opposite—shot a glare at Liam. He hadn’t realized his brother had been on the other side of a very thin door, working in the shop.
Eavesdropping.
“It would be a conflict of interest,” Aiden argued. “I designed the course.”
“All the challenges are posted on the website,” his brother pointed out. “It’s not like you’d be giving away any secrets. And like you said, some of the teams have been getting in shape for a month.”
“And speaking of in shape—” Aiden waved the hand that worked instead of the one cradled in the sling. “Does it look like I can help them?”
He hated to use his injuries as an excuse, but when a guy was backed into a corner, he had to use whatever weapons were in his arsenal. “You drove me to my last doctor’s appointment. You heard him tell me to take it easy.”
Maddie joined Team Liam. “You’d be the boys’ instructor. You don’t have to go out on the river with them. Couldn’t you instruct from the shoreline instead of in a canoe?”
Except that Aiden never stood on the shoreline. He used the clipboard to check off names, and the rest of the lesson took place on the river.
He flicked a look at the teenagers.
They needed a coach...and Aiden needed one more chance to get them to change their minds.
“All right, then. I’ll let you get a look at the course first thing tomorrow morning. Come back at eight,” Aiden said.
The expressions on the teenagers’ faces were almost comical, but Tyler, naturally, was the first one to question their instructor.
“Why? Isn’t it on the map?”
“Yes, it is.” The map showed the river as a thin blue line with no current, downed trees or protruding rocks. Xs marked the obstacles but didn’t show the rugged terrain around them. “But trust me. It isn’t the same as seeing it up close.”
“They’ll be here,” Maddie promised.
Aiden unleashed a slow smile. “And so will you.”
“Me?”
“You said you needed a coach...” Aiden patted his knee. “And I need a driver.”
Chapter Nine
“Wow.”
Connie Donoghue, who occasionally filled in for Maddie at the library when she needed time off, almost dropped a copy of Shakespeare’s Greatest Works on her foot when Maddie came around the corner.
“What’s the matter?”
“Um... I don’t think I’ve ever seen you wear that before.”
Maddie plucked at the zipper of her jacket. “It’s new.” It was also a bright canary yellow, the only color on the rack in her size because she hadn’t had time to order one online. “What do you think?”
“I didn’t know there was a vintage fleece line.”
Maddie narrowed her eyes. “Are you laughing at me?”
“Not until you walk out the door.”
Maddie didn’t take offense. Her outfit was an eclectic fusion of practical and thrift shop chic. A handmade fisherman’s sweater, knit from yards of soft, cream-colored yarn. Slim tweed pants cuffed at the tops of a pair of hiking shoes she’d found on clearance at the same time she’d purchased the jacket.
She could only imagine Aiden’s reaction when she arrived.
Aiden had had a diabolical gleam in his eye when he’d drafted her to be his driver. Come to think of it, the gleam had appeared when he’d suggested they take a look at the course.
What had she gotten them into?
No, what had she gotten herself into?
The
plan had been to convince Aiden to take the teenagers under his wing, not serve as his wingman. Or, more accurately, his wing girl.
Maddie wasn’t supposed to be part of this at all. She was supposed to be helping the teenagers prepare for their senior presentations at the library while Aiden prepared them for River Quest.
“Thanks for coming in on such short notice.” Maddie grabbed her purse from the shelf behind the circulation desk. “And for locking up this afternoon.”
“Unpacking a box of books is a tough way to spend a few hours,” Connie teased. “But I’ll take one for the team.”
Maddie cast a longing glance at the cardboard box packed with new fiction. No matter how skilled the authors, the many twists and turns those stories would take weren’t as unpredictable as the ones waiting outside the door.
Loud voices carried through the window.
And speaking of team...
Maddie had told the teenagers to meet her at the library if they needed a ride out to Aiden’s, but she was surprised to see that Skye and Tyler had actually taken her up on the offer.
The teenagers stood a few feet apart on the sidewalk. The conversation they’d been having was clearly over, and they were scowling down at their cell phones instead of each other.
Back to square one.
When she stepped outside, the teenagers returned Maddie’s greeting with a mumbled hello and climbed into the back seat of her car.
Maddie glanced at her watch. “I think we’ll wait a few minutes to see if Justin shows up.”
“He isn’t coming.”
“At all?”
“I don’t know.” Skye shrugged. “He didn’t say.”
Disappointment arrowed through her. Out of the three teens, there was something about Justin that tugged at Maddie’s heart. The boy didn’t say much, but she had a feeling he didn’t miss a thing. Tyler was always connected to his phone, Skye to her notebook, but Justin...he always seemed to be on the outside looking in.
Oh, how Maddie could relate. She’d felt like the odd man out when she was that age, too.
Maddie’s parents, who’d discouraged her from participating in any activities that would have put a strain on her heart, hadn’t realized the strain that had put on her social life instead. Dances, slumber parties, school-sponsored events. Maddie had declined so many invitations her classmates had eventually stopped extending them. And in a high school where athletes were treated like small-town royalty, a girl who’d spent four years helping the school librarian shelve books had been practically invisible.
She waited until they were settled before she put the car in gear.
“How is everyone doing today?”
Tyler grunted, and she caught Skye’s eye roll in the rearview mirror.
Okay, then.
“Did you—” Maddie’s foot stomped the brake as someone darted into the street.
Justin.
Maddie pressed her hand against her heart to hold it in place as he scrambled into the back seat.
“I could have hit you!”
“Sorry,” he mumbled, the word barely audible over the click of his seat belt.
Maddie glanced in the rearview mirror, but Justin wouldn’t meet her eyes. She was tempted to ask if something was wrong, but she didn’t want to put him on the spot in front of Tyler and Skye.
Lord, you know them. You know what they need. Show them how valuable they are in your eyes.
When they arrived, Aiden was already waiting for them outside. Instead of his usual flannel, he wore a windproof jacket with multiple pockets over a black T-shirt, and had switched out his jeans for loose-fitting Gore-Tex pants.
His gaze swept over the teenagers as they bailed out of the car before it settled on Maddie.
She lifted her chin. “I know. I know. I’m the color and shape of a marshmallow Peep.”
“I’m not saying a word.” Aiden’s lips twitched, and he held up a key fob. “Let’s go.”
Maddie looked from Aiden to the mud-spattered side-by-side parked a few yards away. “You want me to drive that?”
“It handles like a four-wheeler...” Aiden stopped. “You’ve never driven a four-wheeler?”
Maddie shook her head. The only vehicles she’d driven came equipped with standard features. Like windows. And doors.
“Okay. Not a problem. Think of it as a Kia. With roll bars.” Aiden paused. “And beastly tires.”
“If you’d like, I can pull up a satellite image of the area on my laptop to see the course.” Maddie didn’t know why she hadn’t thought of that before. “That way, we wouldn’t take up as much of your time.”
Aiden stared at Maddie as if she’d just offered to fly him to the moon.
No, everyone was staring at Maddie as if she’d offered to fly them to the moon.
“It’s very accurate,” she murmured.
The twitch Maddie had seen playing at the corners of Aiden’s lips turned into a full-blown grin. “But not as much fun.”
The expressions on the teenagers’ faces told her they agreed with their guide.
And because Maddie was the team sponsor—and Aiden’s designated driver—she sent up a silent prayer that she wouldn’t make a complete fool of herself, then took the key from Aiden’s hand.
“Hold on a second!” Sunni emerged from the house and bustled toward them, holding up a large insulated bag and a thermos. Her smile expanded to include the teenagers. “All this fresh air is guaranteed to make you hungry, so I thought you might need a midmorning snack.”
It looked like Sunni had packed enough food to feed the entire senior class, but Maddie didn’t hear any complaints.
“That was really nice of you, Mrs. Mason.”
“I like to cook...and it’s a good thing, because I had to feed three boys who liked to eat!” Sunni tucked the cooler and thermos into a separate compartment in the back of the utility vehicle. “It’s a perfect day to be outside enjoying God’s creation. The color is going to be beautiful for the fall festival this year.” She gave Aiden’s shoulder an affectionate pat. “I’ll let you get on your way.”
Sunni took a step backward, but Aiden caught hold of her arm. “Can you do one more thing for us, Mom?”
“Of course, sweetheart.”
“Take care of the cell phones until we get back.”
A chorus of groans instantly rose from the ranks.
“Why?” Tyler demanded.
“Where we’re going is a dead zone.” Aiden looked at Justin, and the boy’s ears turned red.
“I don’t have one,” he muttered.
For a moment, Tyler looked as if he was going to refuse to comply with the request, and then he reluctantly turned it over.
Skye didn’t look convinced. “What if there’s an emergency?” she asked nervously.
Aiden grinned. “You’ll get some great footage for your video?”
Skye laughed, but Sunni swatted his arm. “Aiden! Don’t tease the poor girl!”
No, keep teasing her, Maddie thought. Because Skye’s laughter sounded sweeter than the wind in the trees.
Did Aiden even realize that simply by being himself—his audacious, funny, adventurous self—he was giving the teenagers the freedom to be themselves, too?
“I’ll take good care of them.” Sunni sealed the promise with a wink as Skye, too, relinquished her phone.
“Thanks, Mom.” Aiden turned to Maddie. “Ready when you are.”
Suddenly, Maddie didn’t feel ready at all.
She slid behind the wheel and waited for Aiden to climb in beside her. The dashboard didn’t look anything like that of a compact car, but at least the gas pedal and the brake were in their proper places.
“Where are we going?”
“Just follow the trail.”
Maddie didn’t see a trail, but sh
e put the UTV in gear and it shot forward like a bull released from a chute.
Her passengers, taking a page from Aiden’s playbook, let out a cheer. As if Maddie had done it on purpose.
“I should have warned you. I tinkered with the engine a little,” Aiden whispered. “To give it more snort.”
He could have mentioned that a little earlier.
The vehicle began to crawl forward, and just when Maddie was starting to get the hang of it, Justin let out a yelp.
Considering the sound came from a boy who barely spoke above a whisper, Maddie reacted with a quick stomp on the brake.
Aiden slid sideways into the metal frame and groaned. “Are you kidding me?”
“I’m sorry!” Maddie’s gaze bounced from the cast on Aiden’s wrist to his injured knee as he tried to turn around in his seat.
“I wasn’t talking to you. I was talking to him.” Aiden pointed at the dog limping along behind them.
Without a word, Tyler jumped down, scooped Dodger up in his arms and deposited him in the back.
Dodger responded to the help by baring his teeth, and then promptly wedged himself in the space between Justin and Skye’s feet.
Maddie took that as her cue to continue on their journey.
This was Aiden’s world, not hers. But she felt a shiver of anticipation, wondering where it would take her.
* * *
Aiden usually felt more at home, more at peace, here in the woods than he did in his own living room.
But not today.
Today he felt frustrated and...guilty.
“According to the map—” Skye leaned over the seat “—one of the obstacles is pretty close.”
“Just around the corner,” Aiden said.
“Corner?” Maddie murmured.
“Just pretend that stump up ahead is a stop sign and hang a quick right.”
“I’ll turn right,” she said. “But I make no promises that it will be quick.”
Aiden grinned. It seemed the fresh air was stirring up a little spunk in his librarian.
No, not his librarian.
The librarian who’d agreed to help Aiden find his sister.
The librarian whose plan he still intended to sabotage.
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