“This is going to be so much fun!” Rilee propped open a couple of lawn chairs near the middle of the Alaskan Woodsman obstacle course. They were half an hour early, but Rilee insisted they had to be to get a decent seat. “Ted Maxwell always makes sure the crowd’s entertained.”
Bleachers lined the opposite side, and were already half-filled. But Riggs wasn’t exactly a bleacher-dog. He stretched out in front of their chairs with an exaggerated yawn and dropped to the ground. Without the promise of fallen food, a nap seemed in order.
“Who is Maxwell again?” Cadence asked.
“He’s the billionaire who owns that logging company. Maxwell something or other industries. He’s put on a competition every year since I can remember.”
“Billion?” Cadence repeated. “With a b?”
“Yep.”
“Why does he do it?”
Rilee shrugged. “I guess he likes the festival.”
Cadence tried to figure out the objectives of the course, shielding her eyes in the bright sunshine. But mostly she felt confused by the placement of the various piles of logs. The course spanned the length of a football field, with brightly colored ropes used to separate lanes from one edge all the way to a spot across the stream.
“Do you know how any of this works?” Cadence asked when she finally gave in and sank into her camping chair. She reached for her fountain drink, grateful that Rilee insisted on that pit stop. The two had met up shortly after Ford was pulled away by his buddy, and they spent that hour plus on their feet. It felt good to get off of them.
If Cadence was being honest with herself, it felt good to simply be in the moment. No work emails. No troublesome thoughts about the future of the lodge. No flight looming closer.
“The announcer will explain it, but from what the flyer said, I can kind of guess. Looks like they start off with wood splitting. Maybe stacking it too?” She tilted her head, studying the far obstacle. “Yeah, I bet he’ll make them stack it on those trailers.”
“Ford knows how to split wood?” She’d seen a lot of handiwork out of him this week, but trimming branches on a trail didn’t seem to equate to being a full-on lumberjack. And splitting wood for a competition? That seemed like a special skill one should practice, considering an axe and a timer were involved.
“Cadence,” Rilee said, tapping her hand. “It’s Alaska. EvenIknow how to split wood.”
“Oh.” If she stayed, would she have to learn how, too?
“Looks like they have to do that two-man race next, with one of those really long saws. You know, where they stand on either side of a log and cut through it.”
“That’s a lot of arm workout.” Cadence absently rubbed her shoulders, imaging Ford’s muscles worked to the point of failure. Or maybe he was stronger than she gave him credit for. She’d seen those muscles at work, after all. “So, what’s that last one?”
“I don’t know,” Rilee said, and she too raised her hand to her brows. “Maxwell likes to make the final one interesting.”
The colored ropes lifted from the ground, strung five feet or more above the water, all the way to the other side. Logs bobbed in the water. “Do you think they’ll have to get across it?”
“Ladies and gentlemen,” a booming voice came over the loudspeaker, momentarily silencing the crowd. Masses of people had moved in around their chairs in just those few minutes Cadence had been trying to figure out the course. Good thing they had a front-row view. “Welcome to this year’s Alaskan Woodsman competition, sponsored by Maxwell Logging Industries. Who’s having a great time at the Fireweed Festival?”
The crowd erupted in cheers, applause, and hoots. Rilee had to lean over and yell to Cadence, “This is the main event,” though she still barely heard the words. “Everyone comes out to watch this.”
“We have an exciting competition for you today! Ten different teams signed up to compete for a Super Cub!” The crowd roared for a full minute at that before the announcer could quiet them down enough to go on. “Each team has to work together through three main obstacles. The team with the best time will win the grand prize. Who’s ready?”
Cadence felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to find an elderly gentleman with snow-white hair and the largest mustache she’d ever encountered. “You have room to squeeze in an old man?”
“Of course,” she said, her small-town hospitality second nature to her now that she’d been in Sunset Ridge this whole week. She offered him her chair, but he declined. Considering the crowd around them, Cadence was impressed that the man had shimmied his way to the front.
“I prefer to stand. Just didn’t want to be in your way.”
“You like watching the competition?” Cadence asked now that she was standing, too.
He flashed her a smile. “It’smycompetition.”
She swallowed, suddenly choked for words. Had she ever stood next to a billionaire before? She’d worked with a handful of Janine’s wealthier clients, but to her knowledge, none of them had a net worth of abilliondollars. The feeling of inferiority came crashing back in a wave.He’s just a regular person. No one else in the crowd seemed to act any differently. But maybe they didn’t recognize him in cargo shorts and a Fireweed Festival T-shirt from last year.
“How do you come up with all this?” she finally managed to ask.
“I get bored.”
