by Cora Seton
“Hope doesn’t have a fiancé,” Raina added helpfully.
Boone’s eyebrows shot up.
“She’s never watched Base Camp. She knows nothing about any of this,” Raina went on.
Hope watched the two men share a look. Without a word or even a gesture, they seemed to exchange a whole host of information. She wished she knew what the undercurrents running through the room were about. Boone nodded. “We’ll talk about it again in the morning.”
That seemed to pacify Curtis.
Speaking of the morning… if they were going to make an early start, they needed to rest.
Hope stood up. “Where are we going to sleep tonight?”
When the room fell silent and Curtis looked away, Hope turned to Raina. “Now what did I say wrong?”
“Anyone who isn’t married sleeps right here, now that it’s winter. Before the weather turned, we slept in tents outside.” Avery was the one to answer.
“Here?” As far as she’d seen, this building possessed only three rooms: the kitchen, bathroom and the main room they were seated in now.
“On the floor. You don’t get a tiny house until you marry one of the men,” Raina said, as if that made all the sense in the world.
Why should it? Hope wondered. Nothing else had since they’d arrived at this crazy place.
To her credit, Hope hadn’t complained once she understood the sleeping situation, and Curtis was impressed by how she’d gone along with the arrangement without asking questions. She and Raina had quickly got to work setting up their air mattresses and sleeping bags. Curtis gave Hope her planner back and helped them, and when things were settled, he wished them good-night.
He couldn’t pretend the situation in the bunkhouse wasn’t awkward. There were five unmarried men at Base Camp, all of them Navy SEALs who’d joined the project after they finished their service. There was only one unmarried woman living here currently. Avery had arrived with three friends around the same time Boone came to set up Base Camp last spring. Riley, Nora and Savannah had married already, but Avery was still waiting her turn. Per Fulsom’s rules, each man was supposed to begin dating only when his 40 days came up. Curtis figured that was part of why Walker and Avery didn’t act on their obvious attraction to each other.
There were rumors that something else was holding Walker back, though. Some kind of promise either he or one of his relatives had made long ago. Walker had never opened up about it to Curtis. Curtis hoped he sorted it out soon.
The men set up their bedrolls on the opposite side from the women, and soon the lights were out. All the men were used to primitive conditions from their years in the Navy and tended to fall asleep quickly. Curtis had suspected it took Avery longer to settle in most nights. He could never tell if Walker slept or not.
He’d long felt for the two. So close to each other… and yet so far.
Now he really sympathized.
It was more than distracting to know Hope was only a dozen feet away from him—and that he couldn’t do anything to bridge that gap.
“Good night, Anders,” Avery called out from the women’s side of the room.
Curtis chuckled. He’d wondered if she’d go through her nightly ritual with two strangers here.
“Night, Avery,” Anders called back.
“Good night, Greg.”
“Night.”
Curtis heard someone turn over in their sleeping bag. Was it Hope? It was dark in the bunkhouse, especially on this moonless night, but there weren’t any curtains on the windows, and he could see the outlines of the others lying down around him.
“Good night, Angus.”
“Good night, lass.” Angus, who’d arrived back at the bunkhouse shortly before bedtime, always laid his Scottish accent on thick during this ritual.
“Good night, Curtis.”
“Good night, John-Boy.”
A woman’s laugh greeted this reference to the old television show that had run long before Curtis was born. He’d only seen episodes on the internet. Was it Hope who had laughed?
He had a feeling it was Raina.
There was a long pause before Avery finished her nightly ritual by singing out, “Good night, Walker!”
Another long pause. So long Curtis swore he could tell Hope and Raina were holding their breaths.
“Night.” It was one short, guttural sound, dragged out from the taciturn Native American just like always, but Curtis knew it made Avery’s day.
It kind of made his, too. He didn’t understand what was keeping those two apart, and he hoped like hell they figured it out soon.
Curtis didn’t think he’d sleep a wink with Hope so close by, but everyone at Base Camp worked hard, and when he opened his eyes again, it was morning, and several of the men and Avery were already up and about. A glance at the women’s side of the room told him Raina was still sound asleep, but Hope, who’d slept in a T-shirt and yoga pants, was sitting up in her sleeping bag, her arms wrapped around her knees, contemplating the scene around her. Avery appeared from the bathroom, where she’d gotten dressed—with Walker’s help. Avery had demanded he learn how to lace her in and out of her Regency outfit when all the rest of the women married, overriding all his protests with a temperamental, “By the time you lace me up, I’m already wearing a shift, which is more clothing than most women wear outside! Get over yourself!”
“Hope? The bathroom is free if you want to change,” she said now, bending down to roll up her sleeping bag. Raina opened her eyes and sat up.
“Thanks.” Hope hesitated. “Should I shower later when everyone else is done?”
“Go ahead now. Everyone else can wait.”
“Morning,” Hope said to Raina.
“Morning.” Raina climbed out of her bag and began to root around in her suitcase. “Hurry up in the bathroom. My turn next.”
The door opened again, and Kai and Addison Green walked in. Once again, Curtis made the introductions.
“Two more for breakfast,” Kai noted, heading for the kitchen now that he’d stripped off his coat and gloves. “We’ll have it ready in a jiffy.” Addison greeted Hope and Raina and followed her husband.
“You’d better hurry up and take that shower,” Avery said to Hope.
“I’ll be fast,” Hope said.
“I won’t,” Raina said cheerfully. “I’m going to see my fiancé today. Have to look my best.”
It was like being in college again, Hope thought. If your college dorm was being filmed for a reality television show.
By the time she’d finished her shower and dressed, Byron the cameraman had his equipment ready. “We’re going old-school today,” he announced cheerfully, patting a video camera that rested on his shoulder. “It’s just me, so let me know if you’re going to do anything interesting.”
As the other members of Base Camp filed in, Avery gave her a rundown of their names, jobs at the ranch and marital status. As far as Hope could tell, there were five married couples, five single men and Avery. All the women wore Regency gowns and were laughing about the difficulties of navigating through the snow in them.
The men were dressed like you’d expect men to dress on a ranch, but they mingled with the women as if they didn’t even notice the stark contrast in clothing styles. They were all at ease with each other, which made sense if they’d been living in close quarters for over half a year, as Raina had explained.
The more Raina told her about the show these people were participating in, the more Hope had to admit she probably should be watching it. She was interested in many of the things they were trying to put into practice. She tagged along to the kitchen and listened with interest as Raina quizzed Kai and Addison about the way they cooked and helped to raise the food they’d be eating for breakfast, and then grilled Jericho on the various alternative energy systems they were using to power Base Camp. Raina moved on to Walker and Avery next, and Hope was treated to an expansive explanation of the care and feeding of bison from Avery, with about five additio
nal words from Walker.
Savannah and Nora, two of the other women who lived here, finally explained to Hope about their dresses. “We came to get away from our busy lives so we could pursue artistic endeavors we’d put aside after college. We needed a way to guarantee we wouldn’t start socializing with people in town instead of getting down to work, so we decided to get rid of our normal clothes and just have Regency things,” Savannah told her.
“Of course, it didn’t quite work the way we expected,” Nora added. “But now we have the B&B, and it keeps us solvent while we write and paint and so on.”
Next, Raina cornered Curtis. “You build tiny houses.”
“That’s right. Hope’s already seen my handiwork.”
“That was your work?” Hope was surprised into saying. Thinking back, she realized he’d mentioned it last night, but she’d been too busy looking at all the details to take that in. Her estimation of Curtis rose. “It was a beautiful house,” she said truthfully. “Did you and Boone figure out how to get us to Bozeman?” she added.
Curtis had smiled at her praise, but he turned serious at her question. “We’ve got a plan, but I’m going to be blunt: it’s going to be a slow journey. We’ve got a plow on our truck, but it’s windy out there, and I expect there’ll be drifts on the highway out of town.
Raina, who’d been flitting around like a butterfly all morning, wilted into a sad human being. “We have to make it! I promised Ben just this once I’d be on time!”
“I promised him, too.” Hope didn’t want to say what Ben had promised her in return. It was Raina’s wedding that was important.
“It’s going to take me about an hour to load up,” Curtis said.
“An hour? What are you bringing?” It was only a two-hour drive to Bozeman from here, from what Hope had been able to glean from the internet. Maybe double if the snow slowed them down. They should be able to make it for a late lunch.
“I’m bringing everything,” Curtis said firmly. “This is Montana, and we’re in the middle of a blizzard. I’m not taking the two of you out there unless I know we can survive everything Mother Nature might decide to throw at us. Got it?”
Unease crept into her belly. She nodded but for the first time wondered if they were doing the right thing. A glance at Raina’s face reminded her how important it was to her friend not to let her future husband down. While the rehearsal dinner wasn’t until Saturday, tonight they were supposed to dine with Ben’s grandparents. It was the first event of the weekend.
“We’ll be ready,” she promised him. “Thank you,” she added. He might be a desecrator of planners, but if it wasn’t for Curtis, they wouldn’t stand a chance of making it through.
“I’ll be ready, too,” Byron said.
“You’re not serious.” Curtis straightened up until he towered over the younger man, who was all arms and elbows, not quite grown into his lanky body.
“You know how this works,” Byron said with a shrug. “Renata’s orders. I go where the excitement goes.”
“No. Absolutely not. If something happens out there, I’ll barely be able to get the women to safety. I can’t single-handedly save three of you.”
“I won’t need saving!” Byron put his hands on his hips. “I’ll have you know I was an Eagle Scout!”
Curtis heaved a sigh. “You’re not coming.”
“Am, too.”
“Better call Ben and tell him we’ll be leaving soon,” Hope told Raina quietly, urging her away from the men.
“Okay.”
Hope bent to pack up her things, a quick task since she hadn’t taken much out from her suitcase. Raina joined her a few minutes later.
“I can’t get through.” She showed Hope her phone. “I’ve got no signal anymore.”
Hope pulled out her phone and checked. “Me, neither.”
Avery, close by, checked hers, too, and shook her head. “This always happens during storms,” she said.
“I texted him earlier just to check in. I hope he isn’t worried,” Raina said.
“We’ll get service once we’re out on the road,” Hope assured her. Curtis and Byron were still arguing.
“I wish you two could stay longer,” Avery said wistfully. “It’s no fun being the only woman here who’s single.”
“I wish we could stay longer, too. I’m going to make Ben bring me back as soon as I can,” Raina said. “We won’t be too far away, living in Bozeman.”
Hope’s heart squeezed as Avery and Raina swapped contact information. Raina would live closer to Avery than her now. A lot closer—at least until Hope scored a job at Yellowstone.
She’d simply have to impress Scott Leahy, she told herself. She’d hardly ever see Raina if she stayed in Skokie. She frowned at all the changes she’d need to make in her planner.
“Hope? Can I get your contact information, too?” Avery asked.
“Of course.” Gratitude rushed through her. Hope had to admit that when it came to making friends, Raina far outshone her. She wouldn’t have been surprised if Avery hadn’t asked.
“You’ll have to come visit. A lot. I think you belong at a place like this,” Avery said.
“Really? Why?” Hope snapped her mouth shut, realizing she’d been rude, which was exactly why people preferred Raina to her. Raina would have agreed and been making plans to move in already. Her problem was that she always held back.
“Aren’t you interested in sustainable living?”
“Yes.”
“There you go. You’re smart. Hardworking. You were fine with sleeping on the floor last night. You’d fit right in.”
Hope couldn’t account for the glow Avery’s words touched off inside her. To fit right in here—that sounded heavenly. Base Camp was just the kind of place she’d love to live.
But it wasn’t in her plans. Curtis and Byron must have sorted things out. Curtis was leaving the bunkhouse, his jaw set, his mouth a thin, hard line. Had Byron won?
“I’ll come visit,” she said without really meaning it. As much as the place intrigued her, it would kill her to be on the outside of something like this looking in. Avery pursed her lips, but she didn’t push.
It was past eight o’clock by the time they were loaded in one of the big, powerful trucks the inhabitants of Base Camp shared. Hope opened her planner and looked sadly at the list for the day. She wouldn’t be able to tick off any of these tasks until they made it to Bozeman.
Whenever that was.
The men and women of Base Camp crowded around to tell them goodbye and to wish them well. Hope had already given Avery a hug. “Thanks for everything; you made us feel at home. I promise I’ll watch the show from now on.”
“Good. You make sure to come back and see us soon. I loved having you here.”
Daisy sat in the footwell next to Hope’s feet. Hope scratched the yellow dog behind her ears absently, wondering if they were doing the right thing setting out in all this snow. It was falling lazily now, but it had been coming down quite quickly just a half hour ago. Maybe it would ease up and stop altogether.
Curtis seemed to know what she was thinking. He reached over, took her gloved hand in his and squeezed it before returning his to the wheel. “I’ll get you there. I promised, right?”
“Right.” Hope turned to smile encouragingly at Raina, who sat in the back seat of the extended cab with Byron, all the man’s equipment between them. “Here we go.”
“I can’t wait to see Ben!” Raina bounced excitedly.
“Shoot, I forgot the hot coffee Kai made for us,” Curtis said. “Byron, go grab it off the desk in the bunkhouse, would you?”
“Sure.” Byron sprang out and hotfooted it toward the building.
Curtis reached back and pulled shut his door. With a roar of the engine he backed up, executed a quick three-point turn and drove down the lane.
“What about Byron?” Raina cried.
“Hey!” Byron yelled faintly, running after them. Everyone else watched them go in shock.
Hope wasn’t sure what to think about the way Curtis had left the young cameraman behind. “Won’t your director be mad?” Byron had made a fuss about coming, after all.
“Renata isn’t my priority. You are.” He glanced in the rearview mirror. “You and Raina,” he amended.
“There’s plenty of room back here for Byron.” Raina didn’t sound pleased. She tended to get attached to anyone she met—especially strays and those less fortunate. Byron had the youthful recklessness of a puppy, so Hope wasn’t surprised Raina had latched on to him.
Speaking of puppies, though… “Daisy, go see Raina,” she told the dog at her feet. Maybe that would distract her.
Daisy climbed over the seat into Raina’s open arms good-naturedly. Curtis sent Hope a smile. “Good idea,” he said in a low voice.
She only nodded, distracted by the view through the windshield. As soon as they’d turned at the end of the lane onto the country highway, the wind had begun to drive the snow nearly sideways across the road ahead of them.
“How can you see anything?” This was going to be harder than she thought.
“I’m used to bad weather, but I’m going to take it slow. Settle in; it’s going to be a long day.”
Hope quickly realized Curtis was right. The falling snow made visibility nearly impossible, and when they reached the main highway what seemed like hours later, the snowdrifts became the real issue, rather than the accumulation. It looked like a plow had been by at some point, but in places Curtis had to veer into the left lane to get through.
She thanked their lucky stars Boone had helped Curtis put chains over the truck’s winter tires, but still they slipped and slid as the truck pushed forward along the road. They were crawling down the highway, and more than once Curtis braked and turned the wheel quickly to get back on track. Hope gripped the armrest—she was having trouble seeing where the road ended and the shoulder began.
They didn’t speak much. Hope was impressed by Curtis’s concentration. Now and then he asked her or Raina a question, but even Raina seemed to understand that it was important not to distract him.