by Cora Seton
“Hell.” That was going to set off some fireworks. But as long as they didn’t pack up and leave, it would work in his favor. He sure wouldn’t mind the extra time he’d get to spend with Nora. “Here’s to Fulsom.”
Boone laughed. “Yeah, well, I hope you’re right. I hope those women don’t cause too much trouble down here.”
“They won’t. I don’t suppose you can assign Nora to my tent? That would speed things up a bunch.” He stroked the mare’s silky flank. She’d do very well for someone like Nora, he decided.
“Sorry. She gets her own. It’s up to you to entice her to share yours.”
“Working on it.”
“I’ll make the announcement at lunch. Better go see to your men. Looks like Dell’s taking charge.” Boone jutted his chin in the direction of the distant building site, where a knot of men stood talking and gesturing to each other instead of working.
“Shit.” Clay made tracks to intervene before things got out of hand. He wasn’t quick enough, though. When he reached the building site and took in the way Dell was lecturing the other men, he lost his temper.
“What’s going on here?” He pushed his way among the men and faced his father.
“We’re just discussing the plans. You’re crazy if you’re going to build something like this. None of this is to code.”
“Actually, it is. I’ve gone over all of it with the county planner, and I’ve gotten it approved.” It had taken a lot of work, but he’d done it—partially thanks to Fulsom’s deep pockets.
“This house is three hundred square feet!”
“That’s the point. Living lightly on the land, Dad.”
“No one’s going to live in a house like that.”
“We’re all going to live in houses like that.” He was ready to snap. Didn’t his father see that? Or was that what Dell wanted—everyone to be as miserable as he was?
“That’s ridiculous. Why build a house at all? Why not buy a trailer? Better yet, you all can live in your cars—at least they move.”
Clay noticed the other men edging away. He needed to shut this down, fast. “That’s the whole point of this community, Dad. Doing things differently. Using fewer resources—”
“No one wants a house with a single bathroom, either. Not these days. Two bedrooms and two baths—that’s the minimum,” Dell countered. “Five and three—that’s what people really want.” His father was getting a stubborn look Clay knew all too well.
“Dad, I’ve got my orders for the morning; I need to build this house. But if you dislike the way we’re doing it so much, you don’t have to be here. Why don’t you go look for a job? That’s why you’re here, right? I’ll see you at lunch.”
Dell glared at him, opened his mouth to speak, closed it again and stalked off, cursing a blue streak. Clay took a breath and turned around. As he’d expected, his men’s expressions were mutinous.
“Someone better figure out the chain of command,” Curtis said.
“Let’s get it figured out right now,” Clay growled. “I designed these houses. I’m going to build them. You listen to me, not my father. If he comes around while I’m not here, tell him to bugger off.”
“He’s scared, you know,” Harris said suddenly.
“Scared?” Dell? Not likely. “How do figure that?” He forced himself to keep his cool. If this went on much longer, he’d end up as hot-tempered as his dad.
“Job outlook isn’t great for a man his age.”
Clay rubbed a hand over his chin. Yeah, he knew that. He knew, too, that Dell’s self-confidence was wrapped up in his work. “Nothing I can do about that.”
“Why the hell does he need an employer?” Curtis asked. “He’s got plenty of experience. Why isn’t he self-employed?”
“That’s a damn good question. I think it has to do with my grandparents losing their ranch way back when. He’s always said you should let someone else shoulder the risk,” Clay answered.
“I guess that didn’t work out for him,” Curtis said and got back to work.
Clay kept up a running argument with Dell in his mind all morning, so he was too distracted to think much about Boone’s plans until hunger pangs warned him lunch was imminent. When Kai rang the gong that signified a meal was ready, his men put away their tools and moved hastily toward the circle and fire pit, where they ate most days when the weather cooperated. As they drew close he smelled chili. His stomach rumbled, and for the first time that morning he relaxed a little.
When he caught sight of the women tramping down the hill from the manor, however, anticipation got the better of him. He knew Nora and the others wouldn’t like having to sleep in tents in Base Camp, but he figured it wouldn’t change things too much for them. They would work up at the manor in the daytime, and join the men in camp at dinner. Evenings with Nora would give him time to talk to her, woo her—and maybe ultimately change her mind about marrying him.
“Grab your food and gather round,” Boone called out when everyone was present. All the camera crews took their positions in the background. Clay knew they’d eat after lunch was over, when everyone was back at work. It took some minutes for the hubbub to subside as people lined up, got their chili and cornbread, and found seats on the logs and stumps around the area.
Clay took the opportunity to move close to Nora. “Sit with me.” He gestured to a log, and she did so, but she seemed preoccupied and didn’t return his smile.
“Do you know what this is about?” she asked. “We got a summons half an hour ago. Sounds like something big.”
It occurred to Clay that it was better to let Boone take the fall for Fulsom’s new demands. It was the coward’s way out, but there were plenty of obstacles between him and Nora without adding another one. He was saved from having to answer when Boone began to speak.
“Our goal is to demonstrate that a sustainable life is a good life,” Boone began. “Everything we’re doing here at Base Camp is arranged with that in mind. I don’t have to tell any of you how important it is that we succeed. We’re not trying to impose some Spartan lifestyle on the rest of the world because of some righteous, holier-than-thou attitude. We’re trying to show people that life doesn’t have to suck if it’s not as grandiose and consumption-driven as it is in America today. People can argue the whys and wherefores of living lightly on the land. Some are going to choose to do so because they think it’s right. Others are going to choose to do so when and if conditions change so drastically there isn’t any other choice. Regardless of how they get to it, we’re here to tell them—hey, it ain’t so bad here in sustainability-land.”
Clay found himself nodding. Boone had summed things up nicely.
“All of us here have committed to this goal, whether it was our reason for coming here, or we got roped into it after we arrived. So now it’s time for us to walk the walk. We’ve got a lot to accomplish in a very short time. When the rest of you men joined us four founders here at Base Camp, I told you it was going to be a dictatorship for a while. Well, that dictatorship starts today. If you don’t think you can follow orders, it’s time to leave.”
Clay caught the look Nora, Avery and Savannah exchanged. Riley was nervously pleating the fabric of her gown between her fingers. The men, on the other hand, seemed unconcerned; none of them were strangers to taking orders. Win was looking at Angus. Clay wasn’t sure she’d heard a word Boone had said.
“As for you women…” For the first time, Boone hesitated. “Here’s the thing. Like it or not, you’re part of the show, and Renata says they’re having a hard time filming interactions between all of us. So as of tonight…” He hesitated again, took a breath and went on. “You’ll need to sleep down in Base Camp. We’ve got tents and bedding for all of you—”
As he went on, Clay watched Riley watch her friends, her distress plain to see. Riley was already sleeping in Base Camp with Boone, but it was obvious she thought her friends would be angry.
Nora, Avery and Savannah exchanged a look Clay couldn�
��t begin to fathom. Nora nodded slightly, and the others looked thoughtful.
Boone wound down. “Well? What do you say?” He visibly braced himself against their reaction.
“Okay,” Savannah said simply when none of the others answered. “We’ll move down after lunch. But we’ll still run the B and B, and use the manor during the day.”
“Of course.” Boone looked nonplussed. “You… don’t mind?”
“Not if it’s for the show,” Avery said sweetly.
“The show trumps everything,” Nora agreed. “At least for now.”
Clay blinked. He wasn’t sure what had just happened, but something odd was going on. He told himself not to look a gift horse in the mouth, though. The women had agreed to sleep at Base Camp. That was a start.
But he’d expected a fight. So had Boone. The women’s reactions were… weird. Even Riley was regarding her friends strangely.
“Okay… good.” Boone looked around. “Right. So there’s one more thing. We need help down here. Riley’s going to start working with me in the gardens. Savannah, you’ll work with Jericho’s team on the energy grid. Avery, you’re on bison duty with Walker’s crew. Nora? You’ll join Clay’s group and help with the building.”
If he expected the women to accept these orders with the same equanimity with which they’d greeted his directive to sleep in Base Camp, he was sadly mistaken.
“Wait…you’re joking, right?” Nora said. Her face was slack with shock. “We don’t have time for that!”
“Two hours a day, that’s all we’re asking. From ten to twelve every morning. You’ll still have all afternoon for your writing. And of course when there are guests at the B and B, we won’t expect you to work at Base Camp—or sleep here.”
“But—”
Clay waited for the explosion he knew was coming. This was his fault. He’d asked for a mission and Boone had given him an obvious one. Working two hours a day with him would give Nora a chance to see who he really was. She’d see his skills, the way he led the other men, his dedication to the project. It was a perfect plan… except Nora would hate it.
“Look,” Boone said to her. “If we lose this contest, Riley loses the home she loves. The land her forefathers cleared from the wilderness. I don’t want that to happen. I don’t think you do, either. So how about it? Are you in or out?”
That was the Boone Clay knew. Not the one who hesitated and braced for an attack—the one who told people how things were going to be done. It didn’t hurt he’d played the friend card. How could Nora possibly complain now?
“I… Of course, but—” Nora stuttered to a stop. She turned to Clay, obviously wanting his support, and Clay saw her dilemma. She had taken on a part-time job. She had a B and B to run when guests came. She had her work to do around the manor—and she was trying to write a novel.
“We do our chores in the morning.” Nora turned back to Boone when Clay didn’t come to her aid.
“You’ll just have to get up earlier,” Boone said reasonably. “Come on, Nora. You’ll be working with one of the best. Watching Clay build a house is like watching an artist create a masterpiece. It’s different than anything you’ve done before. You might like it.”
Just when Clay thought Nora might lose her cool, Savannah stepped in. “I think it’s a good idea,” she said firmly. “We’re all trying to live together, and we should be able to work together, too. In return, I’m sure that when we have guests at the B and B, all you men will pitch in and help us get ready for them. Right?”
Boone scratched the back of his neck. “Well, that depends—”
“Of course we will.” Jericho spoke over him. “That’s what we’re all about here. Helping each other.”
“When I agreed to come to Westfield I had no idea I was going to live in a tent,” Savannah grumbled late that afternoon when they met up at the base of the staircase, each with a suitcase and a roll of bedding.
“You were the one who said it was a good idea,” Nora told her.
“I said working together was a good idea. Not sleeping on the ground.”
“Well, I feel like this is all my fault,” Nora admitted. “If I hadn’t kicked up such a fuss over nothing earlier, you guys wouldn’t have agreed to move.”
“I’m not sure we would have won that war anyway,” Avery said. “Besides, it’ll kind of be fun. It’s not like we’re leaving the manor, and this way we’ll get to spend more time with Riley.”
“And Walker,” Savannah teased her.
“There’s that, too.” Avery grinned.
“Ready?” Nora asked them.
“Let’s go.” Avery locked the front door, led them through the hall and kitchen and out the back, and locked that one, too. The hike down to Base Camp wasn’t long, but Nora was panting when they reached it. Maybe she’d packed a few too many things.
“Let me help you with that,” Clay said, coming to greet her when they arrived in camp. “I’ve got a tent for you. Why don’t you set up over here?” He led her to a space next to his own tent. “This is me,” Clay said. “That’s my dad’s.” He nodded at another one right beside it.
“Nora! Come set up over here,” Win called, striding over from the direction of the big garden the men had dug. “This is the women’s side. I don’t know about you, but I figure we need some privacy at night.” She pointed to her tent and a stack of other ones still in their rolls, a short but significant distance from where the men were camped.
“Be right there,” she called to Win.
Clay grunted. “This site is better.”
“I think I’d better stick with the women.” She headed toward them before he could persuade her otherwise. If she slept that close to Clay, she couldn’t answer for the consequences, which was probably why he wanted her there.
“You could just share my tent, you know,” Clay murmured as he kept pace with her.
“I don’t think so.” That would be disastrous. He’d have a ring on her finger in no time.
“You said we should spend as much time as possible together. You said you won’t marry me until you know me,” Clay reminded her with a grin.
She tilted her neck to look up at him. “And you think sleeping together is the answer to that?”
“I don’t see why not.”
“We’re not there yet, Clay.” She knew he was teasing, but she refused to lead him on. She didn’t think they ever would be. There simply wasn’t time. They reached the vicinity of Win’s site, and Nora picked a spot near where Avery and Savannah were setting up. “Here’s a good place.”
Clay pulled the tent from its bag and began to deftly set it up. “Listen. I know this isn’t ideal, but working together will give us more time to get to know each other, and even if you won’t share my tent, I hope you’ll spend your evenings with me.” He held up a hand to forestall her. “I know you’ll need to write. I’ll be making schedules and lists. No reason we can’t do that together.”
“In a tent?” They looked pretty small to her.
“A tent, or the bunkhouse, or at the fire pit. Wherever you want.”
“That depends on how the rest of the day goes.” She watched him snap the tent poles together. “Are you going to boss me around when we work together?”
A wolfish grin tugged at his mouth. “Hell, yeah.” He laughed at her reaction. “I’ve got to tell you what to do. I can’t leave you to guess.”
“We’ll be at each other’s throats in an hour.” When he was done with the tent, she unzipped the fly and stowed her suitcase and bedding inside.
“Why? Can’t you take orders?” Clay helped her up when she was done. “I think it’ll be fun.”
“You think so, huh?”
Maybe she and the others would be safer sleeping down here in Base Camp, but she was pretty sure all kinds of sparks were going to fly between her and Clay.
“Gather up, folks,” Boone called out. Nora turned to Clay for an explanation, but Clay shrugged. They joined the rest of the people s
treaming toward Boone. “I’ve got a surprise for you. Fulsom’s here with the first episode of Base Camp. Everyone in the bunkhouse for the showing.”
Nora groaned. No one else looked any more excited than she felt.
“Come on, let’s get it over with. The first one’s the worst, right?” Boone led the way.
There was nothing to do but follow.
For the first time since he’d been in combat, Clay found himself praying. If only he could persuade himself that Fulsom wasn’t about to toss a hand grenade into the mix, he would have found it fascinating to watch a show filmed about his life. He was curious how all the scenes the camera crews had covered would get patched together into a cohesive whole. Nothing had really happened so far, after all. They hadn’t even finished a house.
But knowing Fulsom, his people would take bits and pieces and concoct some monstrosity that didn’t have any bearing on reality. As Clay took his seat in the bunkhouse and watched Boone get a big screen up and running from his laptop, he couldn’t help pleading with God that somehow a miracle would happen and this would turn out better than he feared.
Fulsom paced the front of the room in his usual preening style. “Episode one of Base Camp airs tonight, and we expect a tremendous audience tuning in,” he announced. “We thought it only fair you get first crack at seeing it. Hope you all like it as much as I do.”
Clay doubted it, but he held his tongue.
“Here we go,” Boone said, and hit a key on his laptop. The Base Camp logo appeared on the screen, along with a swell of upbeat music. They watched the introduction in silence, although each person in the room shifted a bit when they were introduced on-screen. As on the website, the men all seemed larger than life, and the women hyper-feminine in their Regency outfits. Fulsom’s people managed to sum up the situation at Base Camp in a few short sentences, and a voice actor who sounded as posh as Renata explained the goals—and the consequences if the members of Base Camp fell short of them.
The show segued into a string of interviews Renata had done during the first couple of days. They introduced each participant and explained why they were there. Fulsom’s crew had spliced those interviews together with recent headlines about climate change, resource degradation, droughts, floods, storms and more. Clay found himself nodding along, and then he straightened when footage flashed by that he could swear was from their mission in Yemen. Clay blinked and looked again, but the images on the screen had jumped back to Base Camp.