“I know. I thought I’d get a head start on organizing supplies and planning the first few days.” And maybe pulling myself together so I didn’t make a fool of myself around him and freshening things up a bit based on what I’d seen.
His brow twitched. Just barely. “Rhonda runs a tight program. You won’t have to stray from the curriculum she’s already prepared. The kids know what to expect and what’s expected of them.”
He made it sound like a program for juvenile delinquents instead of a summer camp that was supposed to be fun and get kids excited about nature. Before I had a chance to ask for clarification, he turned and walked down a side hallway. “Come on. I’ll show you the storage closet. Try not to move too much around until you see how things work around here.”
I followed, biting my tongue. My best chance of survival was to smile, be agreeable, and don’t rock the boat. Filling in for Ranger Rhonda should be easy peasy. The work was alreadydone, I just had to see it through. Oh, and not piss off Grumpy Ranger Ramsey. Make that hot-as-hell, GrumpyDistrictRanger Ramsey.
The supply room was bigger than I expected, packed to the gills with bins, posters, first aid kits, animal track molds, and what looked like a hundred rolls of caution tape.
“This is all yours,” he said as he handed me a set of keys. “There’s a key on here for the closet, the park office, and the cabin we reserved for you for the summer. It’s down the trail about a quarter of a mile. Just lock up when you leave. I have to go pick up my kids.”
“You have kids?” The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. Despite his lack of warmth and uptight personality, it shouldn’t come as a shock that someone would be physically attracted to him enough to want to reproduce with the man. With a muscular build, thick dark hair, and eyes the same dark green as the pine needles on the tall trees right outside, he wasn’t exactly hard to look at. The dangerous combination had my heart pounding and thighs clenching and we’d just met.
“Wren and Eli. They’re ten-year-old twins and have been participating in the summer program for years.” His expression didn’t change. I bet he was a real barrel of laughs at parties.
“Twins, huh? Double the fun, right?” Like he’d never heard that before. Inside, I cringed.
“My number’s in your paperwork if you need to reach me over the weekend. I’ll be working at another site, but we’ll have volunteers staffing the office that can answer any questions you might have. You’ve already met Janice. She’ll be here tomorrow too.”
“Great. I’ll get settled, then start going over the info Ranger Rhonda left to see if I need to make any changes.”
His eyes narrowed slightly, and he tilted his head. “Ranger Rhonda’s been running the summer program around here forthe past thirty years. I doubt there are any changes that need to be made.”
“Right.” The last thing I needed was to start off on the wrong foot with my new boss. So, I back pedaled as quickly and gracefully as I could. “I just meant I’ll look it over so I can get comfortable with the material.”
He nodded, apparently appeased for the moment. Then he turned and left, his heavy boots echoing on the worn wooden floorboards.
Close call. I’d almost messed up before I even started. Exhaling slowly, I turned my attention back toward the overflowing supply closet and stared at the stacked bins and dusty trail maps.
This wasn’t what I’d planned. It wasn’t the job I’d trained for. But for the first time in months, I felt a flicker of excitement.
Instead of spending my summer as a grunt at the whim of someone with a higher pay grade, I had the chance to take what Rhonda had started and put my own stamp on it. I just needed to stay out of Jace Ramsey’s way. Fumbling to keep myself in check around my hot new boss wouldn’t get me any closer to my goals.
“Okay, Big Wood,” I whispered to the empty closet. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”
CHAPTER 2
JACE
I stoppedat the edge of the curb in front of the twins’ school. Meeting Rhonda’s replacement had thrown me off schedule, and I was running a few minutes behind. Scanning the group of kids waiting for their rides, I didn’t see the twins at first. Then Eli waved and ran to the truck, a huge grin on his face. Wren took her time pushing off the side of the building, then closed her sketchbook and shuffled over.
“Hey, how was school?” I asked as they climbed in, Eli in the front and Wren taking her usual spot in the back.
“Good. Only one more day until summer vacation. I can’t wait. Do you think we can work on the new trail signs after dinner tonight?” Eli was a ball of energy while Wren quietly secured her seatbelt and tucked her backpack between her feet.
“How about you, Wren?” My eyes met hers briefly in the rearview mirror. “Did you do okay on your math test?”
“It was fine,” she mumbled.
I pulled away from the curb, wishing I knew what to say to my daughter to get her to come out of her shell. Eli was easy. He liked to do the same kind of things I liked. We bonded over installing trail cams, survival training, and spending entireweekends deep in the woods. But Wren seemed to take after her mother, and that scared the shit out of me.
She used to want to hold my hand when we went on nature hikes. Now she barely made eye contact. I was losing her one small step at a time and I didn’t know how to reach her.
“Can we work on the signs, Dad?” Eli pressed. “You said I could try out the new post digger.”
Wren rolled her eyes and shifted to look out the window. I needed to find a way to reconnect with my little girl before she became someone I didn’t recognize.
“Not tonight. The guys are coming over for poker.” Tonight was my turn to host, and I’d been looking forward to it all week.
