against her vehicle, she peered down the wooded trail to her left. “The camp itself appears to be all right. Beautiful setting, but the director leaves a lot to be desired. Would you believe the guy wasn’t even expecting me?”
“Why not?”
“He thought I was coming tomorrow. And to make matters worse, he looks like something the cat dragged in.”
“Now Blythe, you know you shouldn’t judge someone by their outward appearance. It’s the heart that matters.”
She cupped her free hand around the microphone. “Jenna, not only is he dressed like a bum, he has a man bun!” she whispered emphatically.
Her sister chuckled. “He can’t be that bad.”
“Oh, yeah. I’ll send you a picture.” Movement out of the corner of her eye captured her attention. “Here he comes. I gotta go.” She ended the call and secretly snapped a photo of him walking toward her, hands shoved into the pockets of his baggy shorts while he looked the other way. A couple of screen taps and the image was on its way to Jenna.
“I apologize for the mix-up.” He stopped in front of her, appearing rather sheepish. “Can I get you anything? Some water maybe?”
She slipped her phone into her back pocket. “No, thank you.”
“Do you need to freshen up?”
Peering up at him, she instinctively smoothed a hand over her hair. Did she look like she needed freshening? Not that she should care.
She stiffened her spine. “I’m fine, thank you.”
“All right then. Since you’re going to be here for a while, why don’t I just give you a quick overview of the place for now? Then tomorrow we can cover things more in-depth.”
“That sounds reasonable.” After that five-hour drive, she could stand some downtime. Maybe do a little yoga to stretch her muscles.
He pointed toward the large structure opposite them. “That’s the chow hall and multipurpose building over there. It’s pretty much the hub of the camp. Aside from meals, it’s a general gathering place for events.”
“What types of events?” She wanted specifics, not empty promises.
“Skits, sing-alongs, a dance party...whatever we can think of. We’ll also use it for games or movies in the event that it rains.” He shifted from one flip-flopped foot to the other. “I’d take you inside, but the volunteers are doing some training with our medical staff today.
“If you’ll follow me this way.” He turned and started down the dirt-covered circle drive, then suddenly stopped. “Are you going to be okay walking in those?” He pointed to her shoes.
Noting his own footwear, she said, “I could ask you the same thing.”
His gaze lowered. “Okay then.” He moved in the direction of the red building with white trim. “This is the camp medical facility, but we refer to it simply as The Barn.” He continued onto the covered, rocking-chair-lined cement porch. “No point in throwing it in the kids’ faces that all of them have cancer, even if the building is state-of-the-art and ready to meet any need that could potentially arise, be it urgent or routine.”
Having fought her own battle as a teen, Blythe could certainly appreciate that. She was all too familiar with cancer and the stigma of being sick.
“What about the staff?”
“Some of the best in the region.” He escorted her inside where she was greeted by brightly colored walls and plenty of rustic wood doors and trim. After giving her a thorough tour of the facility, they moved on to the cabins where he explained that everything in the camp was accessible, including bathrooms.
Returning to where they’d started, Blythe found herself satisfied with the facilities, yet there was still one thing she needed to know. “What sorts of activities do you have for the kids? After all, you did promise them adventure.” Just like the camp she’d attended after her lymphoma diagnosis. Yet, instead of fun and games, she and the other campers had spent most of the week either in their cabins or doing nothing more than arts and crafts. Needless to say, she was not about to allow the kids coming to Camp Sneffels to face the same disappointment.
Beneath his bedraggled beard, the corners of Daniel Stephens’s mouth lifted, adding a gleam to his blue eyes. “I’ll take you to Adventure Haven tomorrow, but we’ve got zip-lining, a challenge course, fishing, canoeing, horseback riding—”
“And they’ll actually get to do all of those things?”
Seemingly confused, he stared down at her. “I sure hope so. I’d hate for the kids to leave disappointed.”
His response caught her off guard. Not to mention the sincerity in his tone. Did he really care about the kids having fun or was this simply a ruse?
Daniel may have been blindsided when he first saw Blythe McDonald, but by the next morning, he was ready for her.
When he tugged open the door to the chow hall, he had his plan all worked out. After breakfast, he’d take her over to Adventure Haven and show her all the outdoor events. He’d get the staff to demonstrate each one, and then she could try them out for herself. Well, if she chose to, anyway. He kind of doubted she would, but he’d at least give her the opportunity.
After that, he’d sit down with her and answer any questions she might have. Of course, how he’d handle the rest of her two-week stay, he had no idea. He hoped she wouldn’t be a thorn in his side, annoying him and every other staff member as she observed every detail of the camp.
The aroma of bacon awakened his appetite as he stepped inside the large space where staff and volunteers had gathered for their morning meal. Dressed in his green Camp Sneffels polo shirt along with a pair of khaki shorts, he ran a hand through his short hair as he searched the group. Throw in his clean-shaven face and he was looking and feeling more like a professional. A professional camp director, anyway.
After giving Blythe a tour of the camp yesterday, he’d shown her to the small, private cabin that would have been his had he not needed a place for her to stay. Then he promptly excused himself and hightailed it into Ridgway to the barber. Yet, while he’d given Blythe instructions that dinner was at six, her car was gone when he returned. And by the time she again rolled up the drive, he was too involved in a meeting with his adventure staff to check on her.
However, the fact that he didn’t see her here this morning had him wishing he had checked in. Or, at least, introduced her to some of the staff in case she encountered any problems.
She’s a big girl. And it’s not like you won’t be seeing her today.
True. But if she didn’t show up for breakfast, he’d be forced to knock on her door. And that was something he really didn’t want to do. Blythe McDonald struck him as a woman who appreciated her privacy.
Scanning the chow hall with its old stone fireplace, buckskin-colored walls and wood accents that stretched from the rafters to the wainscoting, he saw his old adventuring-buddy-turned-adventure-director, Levi Chapman, looking all kinds of weird as he drew closer.
“Dude, what happened to you?” His horrified gaze moved from the top of Daniel’s head to his hiking shoes and back again. “You look so...official.”
“Yeah, maybe you should try it sometime. Might help you find that special woman you keep looking for.”
“You got a woman?”
“No.” Daniel shot an annoyed look at his friend. “And I’m not looking, either.”
Levi peered past him. “Speaking of women, who’s that?”