Chapter 15

CHAPTER

FIFTEEN

"I don't think I was ever this quiet and well-behaved my entire life."

Bear chuckled and looked up from his clipboard. "Well, we've always been rowdy, so no surprise there."

They looked around at the twelve boys and girls between the ages of ten and fourteen who had arrived for the camp. They were truly so well-behaved, it was a little unnerving. Polite, quiet, and respectful.

"Our parents used to send us to camp because they wanted a little peace and quiet." Colton shook his head. "And we just got wilder once we arrived there. These kids could do a workshop on politeness and maturity. Honestly, I'm a little intimidated."

Bear chuckled again. "This is the very reason why I wanted to have a camp for these particular kids. Some of them have spent their whole lives in the shadow of their terminally ill sibling. And instead of acting out to get attention, they just learn to be muted and take up as little space as possible so that their parents don't have to worry about one more thing."

"That makes them pretty damn amazing."

Bear nodded. "That was exactly why I wanted to do the camp."

The campers had shown up right after lunch, politely and calmly said goodbye to their parents and then maturely waited to be told what to do.

Today, they were highlighting many stations, giving the kids a taste of what they would be doing for the next ten days. Becky and Eva, since they were both vets, had shown them the different therapy animals used at Linear Tactical—everything from horses to rabbits and even a llama that had been acquired in the past few months.

Admittedly, that had almost gotten a kid-like reaction out of the campers.

Lilah and Theo, both of whom worked atLinear, talked about wilderness survival and what they'd be learning—how to make shelters, how to start a fire, and even how to track wild animals.

Lincoln was going to be teaching anyone who was interested about coding—mumbling under his breath the whole time about no hacking. A couple of kids were obviously going to gravitate to him. Bear was going to teach them basic mechanics. The tiny adults had appreciated the usefulness of that also.

And Ella had brought treats around for everyone. Not cupcakes or cookies as one would expect for this age group, but perfectly designed macarons in different colors and flavors. When she told them they'd be learning how to make these, quite a few of them had definitely perked up.

Colton wasn't sure exactly how to relate to these kids, but Ella didn't have that problem at all. She basically sat down in the middle of them and incorporated herself into their little circle as they ate. At first, they'd kept their distance, but Ella hadn't let that deter her. She just stayed there and kept talking to them. She hadn't demanded anything, hadn't tried to be cool, hadn't tried to fit in unnaturally.

She'd just been Ella, and the kids had responded to her authenticity. Colton wasn't surprised at all.

Bear's phone chimed, and he looked down at it. "Perfect timing. Now, we get to show these kids a little excitement."

That meant Bear's brother Derek was on his way with the helicopter. They hadn't wanted to mention it to the kids as a possibility until they were sure that the Teton Helitak crew wouldn't be in the middle of an emergency, making the helicopter unavailable. These kids had probably been disappointed enough over the course of their lives with plans and activities constantly having to change due to their siblings' illnesses.

But there would be no canceled plans today. Derek and the helicopter were on their way.

"We'll split the kids into three groups so they can all have window views. I'll catch you later."

Clipboard in hand, Bear headed toward the Linear Tactical helicopter pad.

Colton walked back toward where the kids were still going through the multiple stations. They'd decided to keep the obstacle course as a surprise for later in the week. So today, he was moral and physical support as needed—as a matter of fact, he was wearing a ball cap pulled low on his head in an effort to blend in and not be recognized. Not that any of these kids were likely to be extreme sports fans anyway.

Not being recognized wasn't a problem for Colton. It was refreshing.

He spotted one of the campers standing over by himself near the snack table and went to talk to him—a boy, early teens.

"Hey. You over here picking up more of the macarons?" Colton asked the boy. "In my book, that makes you the smartest person out here."

The kid studied Colton with serious eyes. "They are good. I'm looking forward to learning how to make them."

"Is baking your thing?"

The kid shrugged, looking out at the rest of the campers. "I haven't really done much baking, but my little sister would really like all the different colors. So, I'd like to learn how to make them."

"Your little sister—she sick?"

The kid nodded. "Leukemia."

Damn. "That sucks. I'm sorry. But you know, the next ten days is supposed to be about you enjoying yourself and not having to worry so much about your sister."

He shrugged. "Maybe. But that doesn't change the fact that she's still going to have leukemia when I get back, and if I can do anything that helps take her mind off that for a little while, I'll do it."

Shit. This kid was more mature than most adults Colton knew. Being the sibling of a terminally ill child caused someone to grow up quickly.

"I'm Colton."

"Marshall. And yeah, I know who you are. I recognized you right away. I'm a huge fan."

Colton raised an eyebrow at him. "No offense, kid, but you don't act like a huge fan. I met quite a few of those, and they tend to be a lot more ridiculous and obnoxious."

Marshall shrugged again, looking more like a forty-year-old than a kid. "Honestly, there's not a lot of room in my life for ridiculous and obnoxious."

"How old are you? Thirteen?"

"Fourteen."

Kid was fucking fourteen years old. At that age, Colton and his brother Tucker had still been playing outside and almost blowing themselves up with fireworks. Their biggest concerns had been whether they could talk their mom into letting them have two desserts and whether girls thought they were cute.

"Well, Marshall, I'm honored that you know who I am. Maybe we can spend some time together this week. Sometimes fans have questions about some of my stunts, and I'd be happy to answer anything for you or maybe teach you some things if you're interested."

Marshall's eyes lit up for a second, the first age-appropriate response Colton had seen. "Yeah, okay. I mean…if it works out. I know sometimes things don't work out."

Kid was obviously used to disappointment. "How about we make sure it works out? "

Marshall nodded, but Colton could tell he was still slightly skeptical. He'd obviously learned to manage his expectations at a young age.

They both took another of the bright cookies and turned to look as the helicopter appeared in the distance, making its way closer. Marshall studied it silently until it became obvious it was going to be landing nearby.

"Is someone being evacuated?" Marshall asked.

Of course that's what he would think. Probably the only time the kid had ever seen a helicopter was when it was medically transporting someone.

"Nope. That's Derek Bollinger. He's Bear's brother and one hell of a pilot. He works for a helitak team. Do you know what that is?"

Marshall shook his head, eyes still glued to the helicopter.

"Basically, search and rescue and firefighting. They do a little bit of everything."

"That's so cool."

Finally . Finally, the kid was acting like a kid.

"Derek's not here to do any sort of rescue or transport. He's here to take you guys up in the helicopter."

Marshall's eyes got big. "Really?"

"Yep. And you better strap in, because I'm sure Derek's going to show you some of the rescue moves he has to do sometimes."

"That's awesome! I'm going to go ahead and get in line." He started to run off but then stopped and turned back to Colton. "Unless you needed to talk to me about anything else."

Colton grinned. "Not at all. You and I can touch base later. Right now, go do some really cool shit."

The corners of Marshall's mouth rose at the curse word, just like Colton had hoped they would. Kid needed to learn how to be a kid.

As he ran off, Colton knew he had a new mission in front of him: helping Marshall let loose over the next ten days.

It didn't take long for the rest of the kids to figure out that the helicopter was for them too. The excitement was contagious. Colton and the other adults helped get them situated. He looked over and found Ella grinning from ear to ear. She wasn't the least bit offended that riding in a helicopter was more exciting than her macarons.

Although Colton would've chosen the macarons if he had to choose.

Her green eyes met his before quickly looking away. That had been happening all day. She was keeping her distance but, like him, couldn't ignore this spark between them.

It was there, and it wasn't going away.

Between that and working with the kids, he realized his system felt calmer than it had since the accident. No shaky hands. No feeling like the pressure on his chest would stop him from breathing.

He wasn't focusing on himself, and that felt really fucking good.

Right up to the point where Tony and Rick showed up on the Linear Property. Immediately, tension flooded Colton's body. He beelined toward their car.

"Was I unclear about something last night? Today is not about me or filming or fans." He pointed over at the last set of kids, including Marshall, who were getting into the helicopter. "I thought you guys were going back to Denver."

Tony shook his head. "We are, I promise. We stopped by your cabin to drop off some stuff so you would have it."

Now, Colton felt like a jerk. "I'm sorry. I should've asked what you were doing here rather than just assume. I just don't want to make today about me."

And damned if his hand wasn't starting to tremble just slightly.

"It's not like this would be very exciting to film anyway," Rick muttered. "Kids petting horses and going for a ride in a helicopter isn't exactly going to go viral."

Tony ignored the younger man. "When we went by the cabin, there was a problem."

"What? Look, whatever that place lacks in luxury doesn't matter to me. I'll handle it. It's not something you need to worry about."

The cabin was simple, containing only the very basics. No TV, no computer. But Colton didn't care. And while he wouldn't expect his team to live that way, he had no problem with it. Liked it, actually. He might be used to certain luxury, but there was something satisfying about living much more simply.

"Unfortunately, it was another letter from the stalker," Tony said. "It was on the door of your cabin."

Now, they definitely had his attention. "What? How the hell did that woman know I was here?"

"I don't know, but she does," Tony replied.

Rick slapped him on the back. "And now, it's starting to look like she's pissed. So, you better watch your back."

Colton looked between the two other men. "How do you know she's pissed?"

Tony crossed his arms over his chest, his face pinched. "Because this one contained a picture of you and had a knife stuck through it."