Chapter 17

CHAPTER

SEVENTEEN

Ella watched the kids leave her class through one of the open test kitchen windows. She shook her head at them. Still so orderly as they walked toward the vehicle they'd be piling into to head farther back on the Linear Tactical property.

No shoving. No goofing around. None of the obnoxious behavior normally expected from young teens. Just once, Ella would have liked to laugh with exasperation and tell them to calm down because they were acting up during a demonstration.

But she had to admit she saw more smiles now than she had four days ago when the kids arrived. They were loosening up, getting more comfortable. Finally starting to act a little more like kids.

She swallowed a yawn. One she felt like she'd been swallowing all week. She loved working with the kids; she truly did, but she also had a business to run in town. Fancy Pants seemed to be continuously growing. Ella loved her shop, loved coming up with new recipes and treats to surprise her customers. Plus, catering for parties and small events had really taken off in the past couple of years. It was exactly where she wanted to be as a small business owner, making it on her own.

But man, she was tired. She needed to finish cleaning up here, then hopefully, she could catch an hour-or-two nap before heading to the bakery to get more prep work and baking done tonight for what was needed tomorrow. Then make it back here for some more classes.

"Something smells pretty darn good in here." Dr. Annie Mackay stuck her head into one of the open classroom windows.

Ella smiled at the older woman she'd known all her life. Dr. Annie was Becky's mom and an emergency room doctor here in Oak Creek.

"Because I have some pretty fantastic students learning how to make naan bread. I wanted them to know that baking doesn't need to be just about sweet food."

Dr. Annie took another deep breath in. "Well, I think they definitely mastered that lesson."

Ella took some of the pans out of the industrial washer in the back corner and put them over to dry on the counter. "Plus, this will be bread that they can make and use in their wilderness survival training next week. Naan packs very well."

She looked around the classroom. She didn't have as much left to do as she had thought. The kids had spent a lot of time cleaning and straightening before they left.

Ella shook her head. "I sure do appreciate how helpful these kids are, but…"

Annie let out a low chuckle. "But also, you wish they would break some stuff and mouth off to you a little bit?"

Ella grinned over at her. "I know. That's ridiculous, right? But I so want to see them let loose."

"When Bear first told me about this plan and his vision, I have to admit I was a little skeptical. But meeting these kids and seeing how much of the load they carry… I'm a believer now. Just want them to have as much fun and freedom as they can handle."

Ella wiped down a countertop that was already pretty spotless. "I could see Bear's vision right away and felt connected to it from the beginning. Honestly, I feel even more connected to it now. Feel connected to these kids. "

Dr. Annie crossed her arms on the windowsill. "Because you are them, Ella."

"What?" She folded a towel and hung it neatly over a rack. "I've never had any terminally ill siblings."

"But terminally ill siblings are only a by-product of what we are trying to provide them relief from. It's actually the fact that these kids don't ever demand—or probably get—much attention. In a lot of ways, you grew up the same way. You had a famous dad and a genius sister, both of whom end up getting a lot of the focus from everyone."

Ella shook her head. "It's not the same."

Annie shrugged. "No, not the same, but similar. And you never acted out either. Like these kids, you just did what needed to be done to help your family. You never tried to make things about you."

"Maybe." The other woman was probably right. Maybe that was why Ella felt such a connection to these kids. She knew what it was like to feel invisible, but then to feel guilty for even having those feelings, given how many blessings she had.

"How did your workshop go?" Ella asked. A change of subject seemed like a good idea.

Annie stood back up and stretched her arms over her head. "Good. I was surprised they were as interested as they were. I was concerned that these kids had been around medical stuff for so long that learning CPR and a few first-responder basics would either be too simple or too much of a downer for them."

"But it wasn't?"

"For a couple, maybe, although they were still polite and attentive. But for a few of them…" The older woman smiled. "I saw the gleam ."

"Ah, maybe a couple of future doctors in our presence."

"Having a sick sibling certainly motivates young people sometimes. They either want out completely, or they want to be a part of the solution."

"It feels pretty damn amazing to work with these kids, doesn't it?" Ella's exhaustion had vanished, rejuvenated by Annie's insights. Maybe she could find a way to include a couple more cooking workshops for them, for at least the ones who were most interested. Bear had mentioned allowing the kids to specialize and hone in on some of the workshops for their last couple of days.

"Absolutely. I —"

Annie broke off from what she was about to say when they heard cheers in the distance. Both women looked out the window in that direction.

"What in the world?" Annie asked. "Are those our campers, squealing like…dare I say it? Kids ."

Ella broke out in a grin. "The obstacle course. It has to be. Come on, let's go over there."

They rushed to the truck and a couple minutes later were pulling up at the obstacle course that had been built on the far side of the Linear Tactical property. Ella had heard about it, and she knew that Colton had designed and helped build it. But she hadn't made it over here to see it yet.

"Wow," she whispered. It was amazing. Of course, it was amazing. Colton had designed it, and there was nobody who knew adventure better than Colton Harrison.

And it wasn't just the obstacle course itself that was so impressive. Colton was out there helping and demonstrating.

"Now, that is a man who knows how to command an audience," Annie said as they got out of the truck and walked over to observe more closely.

She was right. The kids were aptly focusing on Colton and what he was telling them, which right now looked to be how to get a stronger vertical jump from one of the ledges to reach a swinging rope.

He was demonstrating how to use muscles in the legs, but she couldn't stop thinking about those arms that had caught and held her so easily the other night. The same biceps that strained against his T-shirt now as he helped the campers.

Colton had never been overly muscular. His stunts required more than mere muscles. He needed balance, agility, and mental focus. Ella remembered a talk he'd given about that very thing to a sold-out auditorium in Denver a couple years ago. The need to hone the strength of your mind, not just your body. It had been a wonderful speech.

She hadn't let him know she would be there. Hadn't let anyone know. She'd just wanted to see his face and hear his voice in person. Admitting that to anyone just felt pathetic.

And now she had no idea where she fell on the patheticity scale.

She and Colton hadn't talked since that night when he caught her and they'd almost kissed. Yeah, she had been avoiding him a little bit. Because…what could she say? She had no idea where things stood between them or if he was interested in her at all.

But she'd definitely seen him looking at her. Like, all the time. Like, whenever she felt eyes on her and looked up, it was Colton.

"Now I'm seeing the gleam again," Annie said.

Ella tore her eyes from Colton. "Afraid I'm going to become a doctor also?"

"Not that gleam. The gleam you get when you look at Colton."

"It's not like that. We're not together." Dr. Annie probably didn't know anything about the one night she'd spent with Colton, but in a town as small as Oak Creek, Ella couldn't be one hundred percent certain of that.

"You are not together yet . Don't forget, I was once the near-invisible girl in love with the alpha warrior. So, I recognize that look when I see it."

Ella didn't even have it in her to deny her feelings to the other woman.

"Well, I'm very glad it worked out for you and Mr. Zac so that my best friend ended up being born."

Annie walked over and rubbed Ella's back gently. "I got my hero. Becky got hers. Neither of those were simple situations either. But I have a feeling when this is all said and done, you are going to have your hero too."

There was nothing Ella wanted to believe more desperately. "I wish I could believe that, but I just don't think Colton Harrison thinks of me that way, Dr. Annie."

Colton chose that moment to glance up from where he was standing on a ramp. He saw Ella and Annie looking at him and gave the handsome grin he was so famous for, before winking at Ella.

Dr. Annie laughed out loud, the sound pure and joyful.

"Oh honey, if that's what Colton looks like when he's not taken with you, then I'd hate to see the look when he is." She reached over and squeezed Ella's arm. "I'll catch you around later. I see my own hero right now."

Dr. Annie walked over to where her husband, Zac Mackay, and some of the other original Linear Tactical members were standing, watching the kids laugh and carry on on the obstacle course.

Ella couldn't stop watching Colton. Everything he did seemed to draw the kids in more. They were laughing and cheering and yelling more than she'd seen them since they'd gotten here.

She desperately wanted to latch on to what Annie had said about Colton's feelings for her, but she wasn't going to let herself. Colton was here, and yes, they seemed to gravitate toward each other more and more.

But in another week, the camp would be done and Colton would be gone. She didn't fit into his world. She couldn't let herself forget that.