Chapter Twenty-Five

Storm pulled his car into an open spot along a side road next to the beach. After slamming the transmission into Park, he didn’t bother turning off the engine. He jumped out and sprinted toward the glow of firelight and production lights down on the beach.

He pushed away thoughts of Colleen already at the finish line. A singular motivation kept him running faster than he ever thought possible—Harper. Even if he didn’t win, he’d finish for her, giving his best effort. Storm jumped down the wooden steps three at a time. The deep sand didn’t slow his pace. He dug in, and the remaining strength pushed him along.

Ahead at the bonfire, Burt Blackstone waited. Burt’s face held no emotion.

Storm halted to a stop on the red mat. Where was Colleen? As he stood by the fire and waited for judgment, he breathed in and out in deep gulps. Soon, he’d either be pronounced the winner or walk away under the weight of disappointment.

Burt’s serious face brightened with a large grin. “Congratulations on finishing The Great American Scavenger Hunt.”

Three cameramen stepped closer.

Exhaustion and nerves trembled through his body.

“And also on being the first to arrive. You are the winner.” Grinning, Burt extended his arm and shook Storm’s hand.

The ground underneath his feet tipped and spun. Had he heard right? How had he beaten Colleen? Was he really the winner, or just the victim of a cruel joke? Storm vaguely felt Burt slap his back. He blinked, clearing his vision. This moment is real. I’ve just won one million dollars. His dream of owning land for a farm would come true.

Placing his hands on his knees for support, he bent over and closed his eyes. The sound of rushing blood in his ears muffled all other noise. He needed time to calm the whirl of emotions before forming words.

“Congratulations,” a feminine voice sounded.

He instinctively pulled Colleen into his arms, needing a connection to something real and familiar. The wonderful sensation of her arms wrapped tightly around his neck sent his heart soaring. After several long seconds, he regained rational thought and released his hold.

She stepped away and toward Burt.

“Colleen, you have arrived in second place,” Burt announced. “Congratulations on finishing The Great American Scavenger Hunt.”

“Thank you.” Smiling, she gave Storm a kiss on the cheek then walked back to the small team of crew members assembled by the dunes.

His heart soared in victory, but while he watched Colleen leave, a small part of him grieved for what he had lost.

****

Colleen didn’t regret her decision—not after watching Storm win and become overwhelmed with emotion.

On the way to the beach, she’d driven in the slow lane until she saw him pass by. Would the video from the camera in her car show her strategy that insured she’d lose? Maybe. When the show’s producers put together the final episode, they might highlight her hesitation for added drama. But she really hoped not. Storm deserved an unblemished win. He should believe he’d won, because he was a better player, not because Colleen had thrown the race.

After shaking hands with the cameramen and producers in the hotel lobby, she went to the room the show booked. A room with a view of the ocean. She took a long shower, and then sat on the patio and listened to the crashing waves. A small bottle of champagne chilled on the counter—a gift from the show. Colleen pulled the bottle out of the ice-bucket, popped the cork, and poured herself a glass, then another, and another. The bubbles tickled her mouth and throat with each sip. When she went back for a fourth refill, she found the bottle empty.

A loud knock on her room door sounded. Suppressing a yawn, she shuffled over and opened it. Storm stood on the other side, looking disheveled and very sexy.

“I want to know why?” He leaned in with a forearm resting on the door frame.

Colleen stepped aside. “What are you talking about?”

“Why you gave me bad directions on the ship?” He stood in the center of her room, arms folded across his chest.

Why the attitude? “Huh? I told you where to find the clue.”

His scowl deepened. “No, you sent me on a wild goose chase.”

“I told you the clue was in the Executive Quarters.” She poked a finger into his chest. “And that’s where I found it. So, what’s the problem?”

Storm’s eyes narrowed. “The clue wasn’t in the Executive Quarters.”

“You’re kidding me, right?” Her buzz evaporated, and her temper flared. “You’re accusing me of lying? I found my clue envelope in the EXO’s room, and I assumed the second one was there, as well, although I didn’t take the time to look. I should have kept my mouth shut and not helped you at all.” She moved away. Why had the producers switched the rules for the clue location during the last challenge? Jerks.

“Yeah. You should have.” His gaze dropped to her lips.

“Get out.” Colleen pointed to the door. After everything she’d done to help him win, she still was accused of misdeeds. “When we get home, we can go back to avoiding each other.”

“Fine.” He marched out of her room and into the hall, before facing her again. “You had me fooled. I thought we had something real. I planned on asking you out. Guess falling for you makes me an idiot.”

He couldn’t have hurt her anymore if he’d slapped her. “Don’t you dare act like I’m the bad guy. We were both competing. I gave you directions on the ship, because I honestly wanted to help you.” She inhaled to steady her voice and said a quiet good-bye for any hope of a relationship. “I understood how much winning meant for you and Harper, and I felt something growing between us, too. But relationships take trust, and your accusations just killed any hope.”

Storm opened his mouth but then closed it before speaking. Shaking his head, he marched across the hall and closed the door to his room.

With him out of sight, Colleen leaned against the wall. Fat tears rolled down her cheeks. How could he accuse her of purposely misleading him? He still thought she was the same mean girl she’d been in school.

After a build-up of courage, she’d shown her true heart, and he’d ripped it to shreds. She remained an insecure girl, desperately searching for unconditional love. Neither her dad nor Storm found her worthy. Did a man exist who’d ever give her such a treasured gift?

Totally drained and with a splitting headache to boot, Colleen slipped on an old T-shirt and climbed into bed. A mattress, sheets, and a blanket had never felt so good. Tomorrow, she’d conduct her final show interview and head home—back to Liberty Ridge.

She’d lost the competition and, in doing so, didn’t gain the money to start her retreat. Her choice was an act of love for a man who refused to see her value.

Move on.

She’d find a new way to finance her dream, which would take longer. Despite the setback, she’d see her retreat become a reality, one way or another.

****

Storm’s plane ride back to Austin was quiet. He ignored Colleen, and her matching avoidance made her feelings about him clear.

Before leaving San Diego, he’d signed an affidavit, stating he wouldn’t disclose the results of The Great American Scavenger Hunt until after the finale aired. How could he keep silent for two months about one of the biggest moments of his life?

Luckily, the show’s producers planned on fast editing, and the first episode would air without much delay. By the time Val left for Brazil, he’d have a big fat check deposited in his bank account, assuring her Harper would be well taken care of without breaking the confidentiality agreement.

Across the aisle, Colleen closed her paperback book and slipped it into her purse.

He still hadn’t concluded if she’d purposely mislead him on the ship. Up until that challenge, all the clues were hidden in the same spot. Why would the show change the set-up at the end? Then again, he’d learned enough about manufactured TV drama to have no doubt the producers were capable of anything.

The fact she’d left the ship before him but arrived at the Crystal Pier afterward also confused him. She wasn’t the type to get lost. Not Colleen Gardner, super-planner. Well, maybe the one time she got turned around in New Mexico but to be fair, driving across dark, unmarked roads had been the culprit.

A week ago, in the middle of the competition, he believed she was different from the girl he’d known in school. Colleen acted like she’d cared about him, about his mom, and his daughter. In her career, she was devoted to helping veterans struggling with PTSD. Was her caring attitude all an act? A strategy to win? Wasn’t he just as guilty of doing the same?

The plane jolted as its wheels touched the ground. At the sight of familiar landscape outside the window, Storm relaxed, his tension easing. He was back in Texas. The Austin skyline in the distance welcomed him home. What happened between Colleen and him during their time away was a creation built for a TV show. Time to face reality.

He powered up his cell, which had been returned after the completion of filming, and checked his email to verify his driver had arrived. Once back in Liberty Ridge, he’d go to the psychiatric hospital and inquire about discharging his mom. Since he’d been out of communication for several weeks, he hoped she hadn’t already left on her own.

Then, he’d take her home. Soon, he’d build a large house on the perfect plot of farmland he’d found, with enough room for Harper and his mom to live comfortably. Harper wouldn’t grow up with the stigma he’d endured. Thinking about his baby girl calmed his jittery emotions. Soon, he’d have her back in the safety of his arms.

While Colleen exited the plane, Storm remained in his seat. Obviously, they both found simply ignoring one another easier than attempting another conversation. Since they lived in Liberty Ridge, someday he’d deal with the drama between them. But not today.

Today, he’d savor victory.

****

The driver from the car service Colleen hired made good time from Austin to Liberty Ridge. After he dropped her off at her lonely apartment, Colleen tossed her suitcase inside then drove out to True Horizon Ranch. When she rolled down the gravel drive, she noticed Grace standing on the front porch of the white farmhouse. Resting on Grace’s hip was baby John, a chubby version of the infant Colleen had seen only a few weeks ago.

Colleen exited her car and stepped onto the porch. “He’s gotten so big. What are you feeding him?”

“Hello.” Grace pulled Colleen into a hug, and then pointed to the rocking chairs set out on the porch. “He’s such a little chunk. I told Heath to ask his buddy, Reagan Harrison, for football pointers. Our little John might grow up to be a lineman someday.”

“I’m so happy to be home.” Colleen inhaled a lungful of fresh, country air. Ever since she and Grace became friends, True Horizon felt like an extension of home.

“So, spill.” Grace set down John on a blue blanket spread out on the porch.

The little boy started hitting two plastic blocks on the wood-plank floor.

“Tell me as much as you can.” She rubbed her hands together. “I still can’t believe you actually competed on a TV reality show.”

Colleen angled her body to face her friend. “I had the experience of a lifetime and saw parts of the country I’d likely never visit otherwise. During the competition, we took two flights and one bus ride, otherwise, I drove the remainder of the time.” She wanted to say more but bit her tongue. Keeping quiet about the details was tricky.

“You must be exhausted.” Grace rested her head on the back of the rocking chair and blew out a breath.

“I’ll take off tomorrow before jumping back into work. Dr. Ertle was kind enough to cover for me while I was gone, but I need to return to my clinic schedule.”

“How did you and Storm get along?” Grace’s mouth formed into a grin.

Storm—the one person she couldn’t get out of her head. “Let’s just say our interactions were interesting. Some things changed, and others will always stay the same.”

“Like how much he loves you?” Leaning forward, Grace handed a fussy John a rattle, which he then stuck into his mouth.

“I’m positive love is not the emotion he’s carried for me all these years.” A tight lump formed in her chest, and she folded her arms over her body. She would not allow her unreturned feelings turn her into a gooey mess—again. “I wish I could take back every mean thing I did and said when we were younger.”

“Hey, he was no angel either.” Grace pressed together her lips and frowned. “I might have been a few years younger in high school, but I could tell he cared about you. All the pranks he played were to get your attention. Why do you think the guys teased him so much? He was mooning for you—a girl far out of his league.”

A tingling sensation across her skin caused her to shiver. “Storm used to hang around the water fountain by my locker, but I never gave it much thought.” Colleen blinked. Along with the multitude of times he walked past the bleachers during every cheer practice. Holy cow. Storm hadn’t hated her. Was his gruff behavior, both then and now, simply a way of protecting his heart?

“You didn’t know?” Grace smiled. “But then again, why would you? You two didn’t exactly hang out in the same circles.”

“Storm didn’t hang out in any circle.” Why hadn’t she paid more attention to all the people outside the popular group she’d called her friends? She bent over and held her head in her hands. “I’m a horrible person. I was so awful.”

“Give yourself a break. You were a teenage girl.” Grace patted her back. “We all had our differences in high school and still found a way to forgive and forget. I’m sure you and Storm can make amends, too. Especially after you spent so much time together during the competition.”

As pain rippled in her heart, Colleen straightened in her chair. “I stupidly fell in love with him.”

“That’s great.” Grace’s eyes brightened. “I’ll start planning the wedding.”

With soft laughter, she shook her head. “No one is getting married. Especially not myself and Storm. He’ll always think the worst of me, and I’m done making amends. He can hold his grudge forever. I don’t care.” In reality, she did care—very much. Her pain felt too deep to share.

“Storm’s a stubborn fool.” Grace reached down to wiggle one of John’s chubby toes. “He doesn’t deserve you, then.”

She gazed off into the distance, at the herd of Longhorn cattle munching in the field. Throughout school, Colleen acted mean to Grace, and Grace found a way to forgive and move one. Over the last year, they’d become good friends. Colleen confided in Grace about her childhood, her mother’s death, and her alcoholic father. Grace told her that one day, she’d find the courage to forgive herself.

During the competition, Colleen discovered an inner strength she hadn’t known existed. She’d learned forgiveness didn’t come with a price tag. No one could force her to pay for things she didn’t owe. Storm’s issues were his own, and Dad numbing his grief with alcoholism was his responsibility alone. She was done feeling badly for other people’s actions.

A new fire lit in her heart. Moving forward, her veterans’ retreat would take every ounce of her attention. She would raise the remaining money to open the doors and work her tail off to make sure the date was soon.