Chapter 19

CHAPTER 19

“ T hat,” Archie announced when she visited his cabin to say goodnight, “was the best day ever.”

Paige’s feelings on the matter were the exact opposite. She was just relieved it was nearly over. All she wanted to do was crawl into bed and try to forget any of it had ever happened.

Archie, unfortunately, was far too keen to relive every detail. He hopped up and down his cabin steps in his pajamas, too excited to stand still, let alone go to bed.

“Did you see how far Ragvald hurled Conleth, Paige?” Archie swept a hand through the air in an arc, making a neeeeeeeooooommm-pow! noise like an exploding missile. “I’ve never seen Ragvald’s shift form before. I didn’t know wyrms were so big. And strong! He yanked Conleth off his feet so many times! Over and over! Did you see, Paige? Did you?”

“I was right there, Archie. I saw the whole thing.”

“Right into the mud, too,” Archie said with deep satisfaction. “Conleth should have given up right at the start. Or at least after the first time Ragvald sent him flying. If he’s so smart, he should have known he was never gonna win.”

“I think he did know that. But he couldn’t give up. Not when Beth had staked all those desserts.”

“Then I’m gonna give her all my desserts,” Archie said with feverish sincerity. “I’m so glad she made that bet. I never managed to get Conleth even half that dirty. Did you see how dirty he was, Paige? All covered in mud!”

Unbidden, the memory flashed through her mind yet again.

“Yes,” she said, somewhat hoarsely. She cleared her throat. “I saw.”

“I wish I’d been able to video it,” Archie said mournfully. “Then I could watch it whenever I needed cheering up. Maybe Buck recorded it, or at least got a photo. Can you ask him if he can send us a photo, Paige?”

She didn’t need to have a photo. That sight was going to be permanently etched into her retinas. Conleth bare-chested, streaked in mud, muscles flexing…

She thrust the mental image away. “Counselors aren’t allowed to take pictures on site, Archie. We have to leave our phones in our rooms while we’re working. Camp rules.”

“Oh.” Archie looked mildly disappointed for a moment, then perked up. “Hey, I know! Ragvald’s really fun, and always happy to help. I bet we could get him to challenge Conleth every day!”

“Archie Patrick Brown. You will not, under any circumstances, ask Ragvald to challenge Conleth to toga honk. Ever .”

Archie pulled a face. “Why not?”

Because if I have to watch that again, I’m going to spontaneously combust. “Because—because it’s not kind to Beth. You might have enjoyed watching Conleth lose, but she certainly didn’t. I’m pretty sure she pulled the fire alarm to save him. Didn’t you see how upset she looked after the game?”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Archie conceded, magnanimous in victory. “I mean, Conleth’s awful, but he is her uncle. She must be feeling pretty bad for him.”

“I’m sure she is.” Since the other boys had already gone into the cabin, she pulled him into a hug. “So be nice to her, okay?”

It was a sign of Archie’s high spirits that he didn’t squawk and try to wriggle away. He even hugged her back, briefly. “Okay. G’night, Paige.”

“Good night.” She released him. “And be good for the counselor on cabin duty. It’s Conleth’s evening off, and after today, he definitely needs a break. No inventing any excuses to interrupt his free time.”

Archie hesitated, eying her. “Is it your night off too?”

“Yes. And I don’t want my free time interrupted either.” Not that she had any big plans, unless you counted staring at the ceiling of her bedroom and trying not to think about mud-streaked six-packs. “So you get into bed and go straight to sleep, you hear me?”

Her brother screwed up his nose. “You aren’t going to hang out with Conleth, are you?”

“After today? Definitely not.”

His face split in a relieved grin. “Yeah, I thought so. He looked really stupid. There’s no way anyone would ever want to be his mate after that.”

“Right.” Her voice sounded hollow in her own ears. “Off you go now. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Say hi to Mom for me.” Archie bounced up the stairs, looking cheerier than he had all week. “And make sure to tell her everything about today!”

“I will,” Paige lied. “Good night.”

She sighed as she headed for her own cabin . She was only too aware that her mom was starting to suspect something was up. No matter how upbeat she tried to sound in their regular phone calls, her mother knew her too well to be fooled. It was getting harder and harder not to break down and confess everything.

But that would only make her mom worry. Which was the last thing Paige ever wanted to do. There was no need to burden her with this whole mate business, anyway. It wasn’t like her mom was ever going to meet him.

And that was a good thing. Definitely. She had far too many responsibilities to add any more complications into her life. And Conleth was all complication.

Astute, surprising, shirtless complication.

She groaned out loud, grinding the heels of her palms into her eyes to wipe out the vision of her mud-covered co-counselor . Thank God Beth had brought an abrupt end to the game.

Watching Conleth get hurled into the mud like that, over and over…it had awoken some deep, primal urge, and not just in her pants. She’d felt so angry, she’d almost stormed out and grabbed the rope herself. Taken Conleth’s side, in front of everyone. In front of Archie . That really would have been a disaster.

She’d almost reached her cabin, but the thought of going inside to her small, solitary room was about as appealing as scrubbing herself all over with poison ivy. She needed a distraction. Any distraction.

She’d go to the staff campfire, she decided. It would make all the senior staff happy if she finally put in an appearance. And if Conleth turned up…well, he could just take himself away again.

She’d only made it part of the way to the staff-only area when she ran across Leonie, heading the other way. For once, the head counselor was without her ever-present clipboard. Instead of a staff t-shirt, she wore a short floral sundress that emphasised her tanned curves.

“Paige!” Leonie waved her over. “Just the person I wanted to see. You’re not on cabin duty tonight, are you?”

“Nope,” Paige replied. “I thought I might head to the staff campfire. Want to join me?”

“I have a better idea.” Leonie looped an arm through hers. “You’re coming with me. Some of us are going into town tonight.”

She hadn’t realized the other counselors didn’t stay on site all the time. “Is that allowed?”

“What, you thought we’d lock you up all summer?” Leonie checked her watch. “Quick, go get changed into outside clothes. It’ll do you good to get away from this place for an evening.”

Paige had to admit, the prospect did sound appealing. Still, she hesitated. “Conleth won’t be there, will he?”

“Nope. Girls only.” Leonie shooed her away. “I told Moira we’d leave in fifteen minutes. Meet us at the parking lot, okay?”

Knowing her co-counselor, Paige couldn’t help wondering if there was something more to this sudden invitation. But there was no arguing with Leonie when she was in an organizational mood.

Returning to her cabin, she dug around for something that didn’t have the Camp Thunderbird logo. She’d become so used to wearing the staff t-shirt, just putting on a simple red top felt like getting dressed up for a date.

This had better not be a date.

Even jogging across the camp, she was still five minutes late. By the time she arrived at the entrance to the parking lot, out of breath, Leonie and Moira were already there.

And so was someone else. Paige’s heart did a weird, guilty leap before she recognized the tall, hulking figure.

“Hi, Ragvald,” she greeted the wyrm shifter. “Not that I’m not happy to see you, but I thought Leonie said this was girls only.”

“I’m afraid that as my bodyguard, Ragvald insists on escorting me wherever I go,” Moira said. “It’s impossible to convince him it’s not really necessary. Believe me, I’ve tried.”

“I swore an oath on my honor that I would protect you with my life, princess,” Ragvald rumbled. “And a wyrm does not break his word. But do not fear, friend Paige. I shall not intrude upon the bonding rituals between yourself and your shield-sisters. You will not even know I am there.”

Paige considered the giant Viking, and decided not to comment.

“Besides, noble Leonie has graciously declared that I am an honorary girl for the evening,” Ragvald continued. He spread his arms. “Can you not tell? I have dressed myself in your culture’s traditional female attire.”

Paige blinked at him. As far as she could tell, he’d only swapped his camp t-shirt for a sleeveless leather vest. “Er… you have?”

“Yes.” Ragvald pointed solemnly at his beard, now braided and tied at the end with a scrap of pink ribbon. “See? I am wearing a bow.”

“And you look very pretty, Ragvald,” Leonie said, mouth curving in amusement. She tossed her car keys into the air, catching them again. “Come on, everyone. I want a meal that doesn’t come on a plastic plate, and Paige definitely needs an adult drink. Let’s get this show on the road.”

It was strange to be driving out of camp. Paige watched the Camp Thunderbird sign recede in the rear-view mirror, feeling oddly like a teenager sneaking out after dark. Or at least, how she imagined that would have felt. She hadn’t exactly been that sort of teenager.

Moira leaned forward from the back seat, tapping Leonie on the shoulder. “You’re going the wrong way.”

“Change of plan,” Leonie said airily, not slowing the car. “I don’t feel like tacos. We’re going to Jimmy’s instead.”

Moira gave her a sharp look. “Jimmy’s?”

“Mmmhmm.” Leonie didn’t take her attention off the road. “I’m in the mood for a burger.”

Moira’s gaze flicked to Paige. “You do realize it’s Saturday, right?”

“Don’t they serve burgers on Saturday?” Paige asked.

“No, they do.” Moira hesitated. “Paige, we should warn you?—”

“Not to underestimate their cocktails!” Leonie sang out, cutting off her friend. She turned up the volume on the stereo. “They make them strong at Jimmy’s, and you don’t want to be dealing with a hangover on top of the campers. Oooh, Ragvald, I’ve been meaning to play this song for you. You’ll love it.”

From the way Moira’s lips compressed, Paige did not think she had been concerned about the strength of the cocktails. But with Leonie now belting out Taylor Swift at the top of her voice—with frequent pauses to try to explain the lyrics to Ragvald—there was no opportunity to push the issue. Her suspicions intensified.

“Here we are,” Leonie said, pulling into a parking lot. She cut the engine. “Ragvald, I expect your honor requires you to check the area for threats before Moira gets out?”

“That’s really not necessary,” Moira started.

“No, no.” Ragvald squeezed himself out of the car, unfolding to his full height. He scrutinized the brightly lit diner as though expecting a pack of assassins to leap out at any moment. “Noble Leonie is right to remind me of my duty. This place is new to me, and I can take no risks with your safety. Please remain here, Princess. I shall not be long.”

“I’ll wait with you, Moira,” Leonie said, now busy on her phone. “I’ve got to answer this text, anyway. Paige, can you get us a table?”

By now, the alarm bells in Paige’s head had turned into full-scale air raid sirens. When she walked into the diner, she was thus not in the least surprised to discover Conleth, sitting alone at a large table in the corner.

“You!” After days of having to maintain a strictly professional attitude in front of the kids, she couldn’t contain her emotions any longer. Letting the door slam behind her, she stormed over to him. “I knew this had to be one of your schemes!”

His look of surprise was so good, anyone would have thought it was genuine. “I’m sorry?”

“No, you aren’t.” She poked him in the sternum. “You aren’t sorry in the least. You put Leonie up to this, didn’t you?”

“Leonie?” His bewildered expression cracked. “Ah. I’m afraid there’s been a misunderstanding.”

“Oh, no.” She jabbed him again, harder. The breath left his lungs with a small ‘oof.’ “I’m sure you have some carefully prepared explanation as to how you just happen to be here. I don’t want to hear it. This is Paige talking time, not Conleth talking time.”

“It really isn’t,” he muttered. “Listen, ah, Paige. I really need to tell you?—”

“Zip it.” She wasn’t about to give him a chance to confuse her with that quick, clever tongue. “We’re going to have this out, right here and now. I know what you’ve been doing. You think you’re so subtle, don’t you? Going around being all attentive and understanding, and always so sweet with the kids.”

He blinked at her. “Did you say… sweet?”

Paige ignored this, warming up to her theme. “You always have a plan. Did you seriously think I wouldn’t figure out you were in cahoots with Ragvald? All that ripping off your shirt and getting dragged through the mud, that was all your idea!”

His eyebrows shot up. “That seems unlikely.”

Which wasn’t a denial. The whole toga honk thing had been part of some devious plot to drive her wild. It was almost a relief to finally have an excuse to get truly, properly angry with him.

“Well, you’ve overplayed your hand this time, Conleth.” She folded her arms, glaring at him. “You thought you’d softened me up with your little act, didn’t you? Well, I’m not falling for it. And I’m definitely not falling for you. So you can just take yourself straight back to camp and?—”

A toddler barreled past her, making a bee-line for Conleth. “Daddy!”

Paige’s train of thought derailed.

“Thank you for the rescue, Otis,” the man told the little boy. “Fascinating as that was.”

Paige gaped at the boy. The toddler looked back at her with big green eyes, pressing shyly against his father’s legs. His hair was black rather than red, but there was no mistaking the family resemblance.

“You have a kid?” she said stupidly.

“Actually, I have two.” He lifted the toddler onto his lap. “I believe you’ve already met the other one.”

“Honey, have you got Otis?” A woman hurried over to the table. “I swear, that boy is as fast as his uncle—” She stopped short as she saw Paige. “Oh, hello.”

Paige stared at the family. Then she looked toward the door, where Leonie was doubled over, biting her knuckles to hold back laughter. She looked at the man again.

“You’re not Conleth,” she blurted out.

“No. I’m his brother. Callum.” He flung Leonie a rather exasperated glance. “You might have warned her.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Leonie gasped, wiping tears from her eyes. “Well, no, I’m not. It was too good an opportunity to miss. Your face, Paige!”

The woman—who Paige now realized must be Beth’s mom—gasped, a hand flying to her mouth. “Oh, my goodness. You’re Paige? The Paige?”

At that precise moment, Paige would have preferred to be anyone else. She had a profound desire to sink through the floor. “I guess Conleth’s mentioned me.”

“Let’s just say there’s been a great deal of activity on the family group chat.” The woman’s dark eyes sparkled as she held out a hand. “Hi. I’m Diana, Beth’s mom. Callum here is my mate. It’s so good to meet you at last.”

Paige shook her hand, then Callum’s. He really did look just like his brother. “I don’t suppose we can all pretend the last few minutes didn’t happen?”

It was beyond bizarre, seeing a stranger’s smile on that familiar face. “I won’t tell my brother you think he’s sweet.”

“He wouldn’t take it as a compliment, anyway.” Diana claimed little Otis from her mate’s lap. “Your uncle Conleth is a very silly man sometimes, isn’t he? Yes, he is.”

The toddler looked around hopefully. “Uncaleth?”

“Sorry, kitten. No Uncle Conleth tonight.” Leonie held out her arms. “Can I get a cuddle, though?”

“I can’t believe you let me walk into that, Leonie,” Paige said as Diana transferred the toddler. “You are an evil, evil woman.”

The evil, evil woman rubbed her nose against Otis’s chubby cheek, making the boy giggle. “I regret nothing. Moira, Ragvald! You can come in now!”

Rolling his eyes, Callum raised his voice as well. “And the rest of you can stop hiding, too.”

Moira entered, Ragvald at her heels. To Paige’s surprise, they were followed by what seemed to be an entire horde of people—mostly muscular, and all grinning.

“I wish you’d let me film that,” a tall man said mournfully to Moira. “I could have played it at their wedding reception.”

“Joe!” A blonde woman elbowed him. “No spoilers!”

“What?” he protested. “They’re fated mates. It’s hardly a spoiler that they end up together.”

A stocky man with startling golden eyes chuckled. “Come on, people. We promised to be on our best behavior.”

Paige’s head spun at the sudden influx of new faces. There was something familiar about a number of them, though she couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was. “Uh… Leonie, what’s going on?”

“Sorry.” Leonie’s apology sounded more genuine this time. “I should have warned you about them, at least. Callum’s a firefighter on the Thunder Mountain Hotshots. When they’re not away working a fire, they usually come here on Saturdays for dinner with their families. They’ve been nagging me about bringing you along to meet everyone.”

“Not because you’re Conleth’s mate,” the blonde woman said earnestly. “Or, well, not just because of that. The kids have told us about you in their letters home.”

Now Paige knew why a number of them looked so familiar. She looked around the group with newfound understanding. Rufus’s golden eyes, Finley’s sharp chin, Estelle’s silvery hair… these were some of her campers’ parents.

“That’s my brother Rory and his mate, Edith,” Leonie continued, gesturing at a stocky man and the blonde woman. “The pair over there are Estelle’s mom and dad, Candice and Wystan.”

“I hope our daughter isn’t causing too much trouble,” Wystan said, offering her his hand. “Please accept my sincere apologies for anything she might do this summer.”

“And this is my brother, Joe,” Moira said, giving the tallest man a look that was equal parts exasperation and affection. “Along with his better half, Seren. Finley is their son.”

Paige shook both their hands in turns. “Does that mean you’re sea dragon royalty, too?”

“Crown Prince of Atlantis,” Joe said with an easy smile, as though this was no big deal. “But don’t hold it against me. And no need to introduce yourself. I’ve seen you before.”

“Uh…” Paige was pretty sure she would have remembered meeting a towering sea dragon firefighter. “You have?”

“Yep.” He winked at her. “In a dream.”

Seren let out a long-suffering sigh. “Joe, she’ll think you’re flirting with her. He means he had a vision about you, Paige. Some time ago, in fact.”

“Before the camp even opened,” Leonie clarified. “Joe’s the one who predicted that Conleth would meet his mate at Camp Thunderbird.”

“While wearing a suit,” Rory added, grinning. “Did you really see the suit, Joe?”

Joe rubbed his chin. “I suppose there’s no harm in being a bit less vague, now that it’s actually happened. Yes, I really did. Not that Conleth ever believed me on that point.”

“Of course he believed you,” said the blonde woman Leonie had introduced as Edith. “He wore a suit every day.”

“Yes, he did.” Joe’s penetrating sea-blue eyes lingered on Paige. “But that doesn’t mean he believed me.”

When Conleth had mentioned receiving a prophecy from a powerful sea dragon seer, Paige hadn’t pictured a man in a bright pink t-shirt that said HOT FOR FIREFIGHTERS in purple glitter. She wasn’t really sure what to say.

“Oh dear,” Diana said, looking at Paige’s face. She swept the rest of the group with a stern glare. “All of you, stop talking about that ridiculous prophecy. You’re making poor Paige uncomfortable. From now on, the topic of mates is strictly forbidden.”

“I apologize for my brother, Paige,” Moira said, shooting Joe a very sisterly glare. “Something which I have to do a great deal, alas. He will be on his best behavior from now on.”

Joe mimed zipping his lips.

“This isn’t some kind of intervention, I promise.” Leonie took a seat, settling Otis on her lap. “I just really wanted you to meet everyone. Speaking of which, no Fenrir or Blaise tonight?”

“Fenrir’s babysitting for us,” Wystan replied, holding a seat for his mate to sit. He cast a wry glance at Otis, now happily playing with the end of Leonie’s long braid. “Sadly, we don’t all have model toddlers who will sit through an entire meal without screaming the place down.”

“Your toddler sleeps,” Callum murmured. “For more than thirty minutes at a time.”

“And as for our glorious leader,” Joe said, “Blaise declined to join us tonight. Says it’s too depressing to go out when she can’t drink.”

Leonie made an amused sound. “She’s still cranky about being pregnant?”

Rory’s mouth quirked. “Let’s just say we’re all counting the days until she can rejoin us in the field rather than having to run the crew remotely. And not just because it’s a lot harder to fight wildfires without her special talents.”

Joe sighed wistfully. “I never thought I’d say this, but sometimes I really miss Buck. Compared to Blaise, he was a nice, fluffy pussycat.”

“Call Buck that to his face,” Candice said. “I dare you.”

Joe shrugged. “Seren would defend me. Wouldn’t you, my Champion?”

“From sea monsters and assassins, yes,” Seren said, not looking up from her menu. “Against Buck? Absolutely not.”

“Blaise will be sorry to have missed you, Paige,” Edith said. “We didn’t know you were coming tonight until Leonie texted us just now.”

“We barely had time to hide,” Joe said, grinning. “And speaking of eavesdropping, what’s this about Conleth getting repeatedly dragged through mud?”

Leonie did not need any more encouragement. She was soon deep into an enthusiastic and mostly accurate recounting of the Great Toga Honk Saga, calling on Moira and Ragvald to provide eyewitness details (all of which, Paige suspected, Conleth would not have appreciated).

Apart from offering the occasional half-hearted correction, Paige let the others relate the tale. She was still finding it difficult not to simply gape at Callum. He really was completely identical to Conleth.

Except he also… wasn’t. Over the course of the meal, Paige found herself studying him, trying to figure out the difference about the two men.

He was definitely quieter than his twin. Where Conleth would have taken charge of the conversation, Callum mostly just sat back and listened, letting the banter flow around him. He seemed more self-contained, too, with none of Conleth’s blazing drive or restless fidgeting.

But that wasn’t it either. Paige didn’t put her finger on the true difference until Diana got up to go to the bathroom. Callum had to pull in his chair to let his mate out from the corner, and Diana trailed her fingers across his back as she squeezed past. Just for a moment, their eyes met.

That was the difference. That look. She’d never seen those green eyes go soft and still, or that mouth curve in a way that spoke of deep, private joy. She’d never seen Conleth content.

“It’s been a long time since Rufus was this small,” Rory said ruefully as he bounced Otis on his knee, trying to settle the fussing toddler. “I’m losing my touch.”

Wystan raised his eyebrows. “Watch out, Edith. That sounded like a hint.”

Edith shook her head, smiling. “One’s enough for us.”

“And much as I enjoy babies, I enjoy being able to hand them back even more,” Rory said, hoisting Otis up. “Here, Paige, it’s your turn.”

Before she could protest, Paige found herself with an armful of Otis. It was hard to tell which of them was more startled by this development. The toddler’s grumbles cut off, possibly out of sheer indignation.

“Uh, hi,” she told him. “I’m Paige. I work with your uncle.”

Otis blinked up at her. “Uncaleth?”

“That’s right. Uncle Conleth. He’s my…” She stalled . Mate was right out, and co-counselor was a heck of a tongue-twister for a toddler. “Well, he’s your uncle, anyway.”

Otis considered this.

“Uncaleth’s,” he pronounced gravely. His small body relaxed, nestling into the curve of her arm.

It had been a long time since she had held a kid this young, too. She’d been barely nineteen when Archie had been born, desperate and terrified, doing her best to hold everything together as the foundation of her world crumbled under her feet. Given the trauma surrounding her brother’s earliest years, she’d never even imagined having a child of her own.

But now, with Otis’s warm, sleepy weight curled trustingly against her, she found her arms tightening around him. Without really meaning to, she rested her head on his head, baby-fine hair tickling her cheek.

“Will you look at that.” Joe’s deep, melodic voice broke her reverie. She looked up to find the sea dragon smiling at her. “He’s asleep at last. You’ve got the magic touch, Paige.”

She swallowed the strange lump in her throat. “I’m getting kind of tired too. And some of us have an early start in the morning. When were you planning to head back to camp, Leonie?”

The head counselor had been lounging next to Rory, occasionally stealing bites of his half-eaten cheesecake. She took her fork out of her mouth, looking a little crestfallen. “We can go if you really want, but I was hoping to stay a bit longer. Rory and I don’t get usually get many chances to see each other over the summer, what with me working at camp and the crew spending most of their time away on wildfires.”

“I don’t want you to cut your visit with your brother short just because of me.” Paige juggled Otis, fishing in her pocket for her phone. “I’ll call a ride.”

“No need.” Callum drained the last of his lemonade, rising. Paige had noticed he’d stuck to soft drinks throughout the evening. He must be the designated driver. “We’re heading home too.”

“The camp is on our way,” Diana said. She reclaimed Otis, propping the comatose toddler against her shoulder with the ease of long practise. “We’d be happy to drop you off.”

Paige’s first instinct was to refuse. True to their promise, no one had raised the topic of her being Conleth’s mate again, but she had still felt it hanging over the table like an ominous black cloud. The last thing she wanted was to be trapped in a car with her co-counselor’s twin brother.

But there was no way to decline without being painfully rude. Making her farewells to the others, she followed Callum and Diana out to their car.

She was braced for them to take advantage of the drive back to camp to press her for details of her feelings about Conleth, or try to persuade her to give him a chance. Instead, Diana kept up a light, inconsequential patter of conversation, mostly about Beth. Callum drove in easy silence, his hands steady on the steering wheel.

“We’re here,” were the first words he spoke. He parked the car outside the camp gate, leaving the headlights switched on. “Do you have the access code?”

Paige realized she didn’t. “No, but it’s okay. I can walk from here.”

Diana exchanged the briefest glance with her mate. “Callum, you go with her. I’ll wait here with Otis. It was nice to meet you, Paige.”

“You, too,” Paige said, meaning it. Despite the awkwardness of the situation, Diana had gone out of her way to try to put her at ease. Paige appreciated her kindness and tact. “And you, Callum, but I really don’t need an escort. I’m perfectly fine to find my way from here.”

Please, please don’t get out, she prayed. But Callum was already opening his door. She was left with no choice but to fall into step with him.

To her surprise, Callum didn’t seem in a rush to take this opportunity to speak either. He accompanied her in total silence, walking with the loose, measured strides of a man who was used to spending all day covering long distances by foot.

Despite her resolve to dissuade any attempt at conversation, Paige couldn’t help sneaking sidelong glances at him. Even the way he moved was different to his brother. She still found it hard to believe that two people who looked so similar could be such utter opposites.

“Well, here we are,” she said as they finally reached the edge of the camp buildings. A single dim lamp illuminated the way to the central square. “Thanks for walking me.”

Callum dipped his head in acknowledgement. “And thank you in return.”

She blinked at him. “For what?”

“Caring so much for the campers.” It was hard to read any expression in those still, calm features, but she had the impression he really meant it. “Beth has spoken highly of you in her letters home. I know this is a difficult situation for you, and I suspect my brother is only making things worse. Yet you are doing everything you can to give the children a good summer. I appreciate it.”

“Oh.” Her face heated at the quiet praise. “It’s no big deal. Conleth’s been surprisingly helpful with the kids, actually.”

“That is not quite what I meant.” Callum’s mouth curved up, just a little. “And I do not find it surprising. Good night, Paige.”

“Good night.”

She’d thought she’d be bolting for the safety of her cabin like a rabbit down a burrow, grateful to escape. Instead, she found herself lingering, watching Callum’s unhurried retreat. Right at the edge of the circle of light, he paused.

“Paige,” he said quietly, not turning. “You are right. My brother always has a plan. But I do not think he had one for you. Ask him why he never believed Joe’s prophecy.”