Imagination was Katie’s strong suit. She’d needed a good one growing up in a house where children were considered more trouble than they were worth. Her grandparents had been good people at heart, but if they’d ever known much happiness it had died with her father and there was simply none left over to give to her. Living with them, she’d had the basic food, clothing and shelter, but any joy she found in the lonely hours and minutes that made up her days, she had to create on her own. So she taught herself to anticipate every pleasure, savor the sights and sounds she could imagine every bit as much or more than the reality when it came. But as accomplished as her imagination was, Braddock Hall was nothing like she’d thought it would be.
From her first glimpse of the house through the smoky tint of the car window to the moment Adam had basically abandoned her in a foyer large enough to hold an orchestra, Katie had been almost afraid to blink for fear the house would vanish in a poof of unsettling reality. But in the hour she’d been strolling from room to room, unchallenged and undisturbed, the place had only improved, taken on a touchable, livable type of charm—if a home as elegant as this one and the size of a small hospital besides, could correctly be called charming.
She’d seen pictures of New England estates, of course, the huge multi-story dwellings that were rightly called the castles of America. She’d even caught glimpses of some of them when she’d lived a few months on Long Island. But she’d never actually seen one up close before and to be turned loose on her own reconnaissance…Well, her imagination was taking a back seat to reality today, that was for sure!
It would have been nice to have a guide on her excursion, someone to give her a bit of history on the house, but Adam had made it clear to her in the presence of a poker-faced butler named Abbott that he had pressing matters of business to attend, and she should wander the house and grounds at will. He’d instructed her to inform Abbott, who would, in turn, inform Benson, when she was ready to return to the city. Then he’d walked off, asking questions of Abbott as he went, dialing a number on the cell phone at the same time, his attention already tuned in to the problematic buyout, and oblivious to the considerable merits of her most appealing smile. He and the butler had disappeared behind a pair of heavy wooden doors before she could ask either one of them to point her in the general direction of the ladies’ room.
But according to Rorie, who talked as if she knew, there wasn’t much need for a ladies’ room, this being strictly a household of men. No female had lived within the walls of Braddock Hall since Adam’s grandmother had died two years before. There was a housekeeper, Ruth, but she lived in Sea Change, rode her bicycle back and forth on pleasant days, was picked up by Benson the rest of the time and, according to Rorie, wouldn’t open her mouth to say hello to those who were dying to find out what went on behind the great walls of the estate.
Apparently the Braddocks were much talked about in the village of Sea Change. At least by the womenfolk there. Not that there was—also according to Rorie, who had proved to be a veritable fountain of gossip—much information forthcoming from those who worked on the estate, a closemouthed bunch, the lot of them, though it wasn’t from lack of effort on the part of the townspeople. In addition to Ruth, there was a quartet of women from Providence who came Monday through Friday to clean and there were also a couple of female gardeners among the mostly male crew of groundskeepers, but by and large, Braddock Hall was an enclave of males. Adam’s grandfather and Adam, along with his two younger brothers, Bryce and Peter, all resided at the Hall…more or less. The father, James, visited from time to time but almost never stayed more than a night or two. Usually, he brought his current wife—a position that changed, according to Rorie, as regularly as the season. But if other women ever spent the night at Braddock Hall, it wasn’t reported to the local folks. The family was zealously protective of their privacy.
And so, the Brothers Braddock formed a mysterious fraternity, a hotbed of speculation, a source of endless fascination for the residents of the town, and they were the embodiment of every wish Rorie Reynolds had ever made on the evening star. That much Katie had figured out for herself within the first ten minutes of their chat.
But now that she was seeing the place firsthand, she could understand the level of interest. If she lived in Sea Change, she’d probably spend a disproportionate amount of time discussing the Braddock men, too. There was a great deal of history in the house, the synergy of power and traces of a family life. Hard to believe that Adam Braddock had a family life, but there were photographs all around declaring that he did. Katie looked at everything without compunction and tried to imagine the family that had created Adam, the automated businessman. She was tempted to open the doors he’d disappeared behind and ask him flat-out what it had been like to grow up in this wonderful house, but a set of open French doors and an expanse of greenery called her outside, instead.
This, she decided after a few soft breaths of fragrance, was where she would like to retire. Maybe Braddock Hall could use a female statue. She’d spent one week as a live mannequin in Marshall Field’s Houston store. She could put the experience to good use here—just stand perfectly still in this beautiful flower garden and be decorative. Not that Adam would notice…unless she attached a cell phone to her hip. Katie sighed, wishing it didn’t bother her so much to be ignored by him. It wasn’t as if she wanted his attention. Well, okay, so she wouldn’t mind a little flirtation, a yin and yang kind of conversational exchange. He was a very attractive man and it was only human to want to believe he found her at least somewhat attractive, too. But then, inevitably, he’d want to know what she had planned for his grandfather’s party and she’d have to explain that she was not a party planner. Never had been. And from there…well, things could not come to a good end.
A low, tuneful whistling of “Baby, Let Your Hair Hang Low” drew her around a maze of shrubbery to a hothouse formed of frosted glass panels. An elderly man in bright blue coveralls was just inside the open doorway, mixing potting soil and enjoying his work, if the whistling was a good indication. “Hi,” she said softly, not wanting to startle him by her sudden presence.
He looked up, and his green eyes took in her appearance in a spry glance. Then, he straightened and dusted his gloved hands against his coveralls. “Well, hello,” he said. “Who might you be?”
“I might be a water sprite in search of a lily pond or a butterfly looking for a garden,” she answered blithely catching a glimpse of the extensive flowerings inside the greenhouse. “But I’m actually just a pseudo party planner who was told to tour the grounds, so that’s what I’m doing. And thoroughly enjoying it, too.”
“Told by whom?” The gardener inquired.
“Adam.” She thought she recognized a fragrant waxy bloom and couldn’t believe it would prosper so far from its tropical habitat. “Is that a plumeria?”
He glanced behind him and nodded. “Fragile, but doing its best to give me the blooms I’m after. You say Adam told you to look around?”
“Yes. Adam Braddock. The owner.” She frowned. “Or one of them, at any rate. Do you know him?”
The old man smiled. “Oh, yes. I know him.”
“Well, of course. I didn’t mean you wouldn’t. I’m sure he’s a very, uh, hands-on employer.”
His laugh was aged with life and mellow, like a good wine. “I don’t think I’d go so far as to say that.”
She laughed, too, glad they had a basic understanding already. “He thinks I’m an events planner,” she said confidingly. “He wouldn’t believe me when I said he’d dialed the wrong number and he wouldn’t take no for an answer, so here I am, roaming the place at will. You’d think he’d be a little more careful.” She realized how that might sound. “Not that I’m a threat to anybody. But he really should pay more attention to what people are trying to say to him.”
“He has a great deal on his mind and doesn’t always listen as well as he ought to, that’s true.” The old man reached beside the door frame, picked up a polished-wood cane to aid in balancing as he stepped over the threshold and out of the greenhouse. “So he dialed your phone number by mistake and that’s how you wound up here today?”
She felt a little embarrassed at her runaway tongue, but she’d always had a knack for recognizing a kindred spirit, and besides, it was a bit late for scruples now. “Actually, he thinks that a mutual friend gave him my number…and well, she probably did. But it had to be by accident, not design. I mean, no one who knows me would ever mistake me for an events planner.”
His smile widened at that. “This mutual friend…may I ask her name?”
It was an odd question for him to ask, but there seemed no good reason not to tell him. “Ilsa Fairchild.”
“Ilsa,” he said, his voice softening with pleasure. “Then you must be….?”
“Katie,” she said, extending her hand. “Katie Canton.”
“Katie,” he repeated with a soft, slow regard, as if her name, itself, pleased him in some intangible way. He braced his weight with the cane as he stripped off one of the dirty canvas gloves and grasped her outstretched hand. “Archer Braddock,” he said.
Katie’s grip faltered. “B-Braddock? You’re one of…?”
“The family, but I hope you won’t hold that against me.” His eyes twinkled with delight at her chagrin. “As it happens, I’m the best listener of the bunch…even though I can be quite deaf when it suits me.”
She laughed in spite of her embarrassment…or perhaps because of it. “I’m sorry if I—”
“Don’t give it a second thought. You didn’t say anything I wouldn’t say myself. My grandsons don’t listen to me either, if that’s any consolation to you. And Adam’s the worst of the lot. He never listens when he ought to, or maybe I should say, especially when he ought to.” He tossed the gloves on top of the mound of potting soil. “So, Katie, let’s talk about you, but first, please tell me you’ll be staying for dinner.”
“Oh, I don’t think my invitation runs that long.” She fell into a slow, but steady walk beside him. “I’m to let Abbott know so he can let Benson know as soon as I’m ready to return to Providence.”
“Surely my grandson offered you some lunch?”
“No,” she said, realizing she was hungry. “I’m sure it never crossed his mind. He’s a very busy guy, as I’m sure you’ve noticed.”
Archer Braddock shook his head. “I worry about that boy, but never mind, my dear, you’ll have lunch with me. Then Adam can take you out for dinner this evening when you both get back into Providence.”
“I don’t think that’s very likely,” she said. “I accused him of being a closet eater on the way down here and he didn’t deny it.”
Archer looked startled, then he laughed. “And my grandson didn’t take the hint and invite you out for dinner?”
“Oh, it wasn’t a hint,” Katie said, wanting to ensure this nice man didn’t think she was making a play for his grandson. According to Rorie, every woman who met Adam Braddock fell panting at his feet and, if that were true, Katie wanted to be sure to abstain. “Just an observation.”
“And an astute one at that.” He nodded toward the house. “It’s such a lovely day, would you enjoy having lunch on the terrace?”
“Looking out on these wonderful gardens? I’d like that more than anything,” she said and meant it.
ADAM HEARD the laughter all the way in his office. It drifted across his conversation with Lara as a dim distraction and then settled vaguely, but pleasingly into his consciousness. Eventually, the sound and a persistent empty sensation in his stomach drew him out to the terrace, where his grandfather and Katie were looking relaxed and happy, seated at a table which bore the traces of a leisurely lunch.
“I see you two have met,” he said, pulling out a chair and thinking the gardens looked especially nice this year. Katie looked especially nice, too, the red of her blouse making a nice spot of color against the lush green backdrop of the gardens, her cheeks flushed, her eyes sparkling, a rather fascinating trace of laughter lingering in her smile. He had another fleeting sense of recognition, a déjà vu wisp of knowing, but couldn’t place it before it slipped away. “Got the party plans all worked out?”
“We’ve been talking about Shakespeare,” Archer said. “And salmonella.”
Adam raised his eyebrows. “Neither, I hope, are on the invitation list.”
“Believe it or not,” Katie said, “the party hasn’t been mentioned.”
“Except in the beginning,” Archer pointed out with the alacrity of easy friendship. “When you were explaining how you came to be wandering alone in my gardens.”
“Oh, yes, except for then.” She smiled at him and he smiled back, as if they shared a delicious secret. Her big blue eyes shifted reluctantly, it seemed, to Adam. “Did you get the company?”
He frowned. “Company? Oh, you mean the Wallace Company. Not yet. The deal is still cooking, but things are looking less grim than they were this morning, thanks to your suggestion.”
“You made a suggestion?” Archer asked her, as if she’d done a very brave thing indeed. “To my grandson?”
She shrugged. “It was just a thought.”
Archer raised a trim white eyebrow at Adam, although his words were addressed to Katie. “And he took it?”
Adam reined in a twinge of impatience. He didn’t mind giving Katie credit for her insight, but he didn’t think his grandfather should make it sound as if just considering her idea was some sort of once-in-alifetime honor. “Katie overheard a conversation I was having with Lara and suggested Wallace might be concerned about his employees. The idea seemed plausible to me. It’s a family business, you know. He promotes it that way. We’d made some provisions for the transition period, of course, but recompense for his employees wasn’t specifically addressed when we put together the original deal.”
“And you’re considering compensating the employees? Isn’t that going to make the buyout prohibitively expensive?”
“It’ll cost us less in the long run, as we hope most of the employees from middle management levels down will stay with us.”
Archer nodded approvingly. “So this little lady saved your bacon.”
Adam wouldn’t have put it quite like that. “She had a good thought on the matter,” he said, hearing how stiff and priggish the admission sounded. “It remains to be seen whether that will solve Wallace’s problem with the deal, although Lara believes that only a slight compromise from us will have a good effect on the deliberations.”
“Good thinking,” Archer said, but he addressed Katie, bestowing on her a goodly share of genteel charm. “Where did you learn about company takeovers?”
“You’ve just heard pretty much all I know on the subject.” She ran her fingers through her dark hair and Adam noted the way the curls bounced and shone in the aftermath. She wasn’t beautiful, but there was something quite striking about the ivory sheen of her skin set off by the rich, nearly black luster of her hair, and the Hawaiian-blue of her eyes. Or maybe it was the thick smudge of dark lashes that set off those eyes. Or maybe it was the bright red of her shirt. Or maybe he was just out of his head with hunger. Leaning forward, he pulled a leftover grape from its stem and popped it into his mouth. “You’re being falsely modest, Katie. You said you used to work in a brokerage house.”
She tipped her head to the side, the furrow of a frown edging onto her forehead. “It was only for about six months, just long enough to pick up the gossip around the water cooler.”
“You have insight into what makes people tick and that kind of understanding can’t be taught in business school,” Archer said, a glimmer of interest in his eyes that hadn’t been seen there in quite a long time. “Too few people have it these days, as it is.”
“Thank you, Mr. Braddock, but I really can’t take too much credit. I’m sure Adam and his corporate team would have secured the Wallace Company without my, very, offhand observation.”
“Correct,” Adam said. “We certainly would have. But it’s possible your idea has speeded the process along.”
“So what kind of reward are you giving her?” Archer wanted to know.
Adam frowned meaningfully at his grandfather. “My thanks, possibly yours.”
“You should take her out to dinner, Adam. To show your appreciation.”
Adam caught the subtle What-do-you-say-to-that? arching of her brow. “A delightful idea, Grandfather, but the thing is, I don’t eat dinner.”
Her lips curved with sudden—and surprised—pleasure at his response and something went wrong with his pulse. It raced, jumped track and filled his head with totally inappropriate thoughts. He made a show of glancing at his watch, suddenly anxious to escape before he said something he’d regret like, Why don’t we have dinner together? “I’ve got to go into town for the council meeting,” he said instead. “Please excuse me. Grandfather.” He nodded to Archer, smiled noncommittally at Katie. “Whenever you’re ready to leave—”
“Tell Abbott to tell Benson. I remember.”
“I thought you were returning to Providence tonight, too, Adam,” Archer said.
“I am, but I practically kidnapped Katie today. You know how unpredictable these meetings can be and I don’t want her to waste her entire afternoon waiting on me.”
“I don’t mind,” Katie said, shooting his escape in the foot. “I’m having a wonderful time and—” she paused, looked down, then met his gaze again “—I’d really like to talk to you before I leave.”
“Good, she’ll wait for you.” Archer declared, settling the issue with a heavy hand. “I’ll show her around. Give her the twenty-five-cent grand tour. Tell her more than she could ever want to know about the family history. And if we run out of interesting topics of conversation, maybe we’ll talk about my birthday party.”
“Excellent,” Adam said, because there was never any point in arguing with Archer. “Lord only knows when this meeting will end, but I’ll hurry it as best I can.” He stood, wishing he could just stay on the terrace and watch the flowers grow or perhaps, just watch Katie. “I may suggest your flag idea, Katie, and see if that speeds things along.”
“Flag idea?” Archer asked, looking at Katie with a question.
“It was nothing,” she said. “Just a thought that decorative, seasonal flags would look really nice hanging from those wonderful, old-fashioned streetlight poles.”
Archer laughed aloud, a sound too often missing in the two years since Grandmother had died and one Adam was only too happy to hear again…even if it came at his expense. “Old-fashioned? Do you hear that, Adam? She thinks your newfangled streetlights are old-fashioned.” He leaned confidingly closer to Katie. “He convinced the town council to put in those lights last year. Funny thing is, they look exactly like the ones they replaced.”
“They are, however, energy-efficient and safe, now,” Adam pointed out. “I still think I pulled off a major coup when I got that past the council.”
“I can’t imagine anyone in town would ever argue with you,” Katie said.
“Hard to imagine, perhaps, but true,” he replied, intrigued by the subtle flash of a dimple in her cheek.
“The people on the council keep me humble.”
“I’m sure they have to work very hard at it.”
She smiled a smile that could launch a thousand ships and Adam caught his breath, deciding he needed to get going now, rather than later. “You and Katie work out the arrangements for your party, Grandfather, and I’ll be home as quickly as town attitude allows. Sooner, if a miracle occurs.”
“Maybe it already has,” Archer said. “You know, now that I’ve met Katie and discovered how imaginative and creative she is, I’m beginning to look forward to my birthday party with great anticipation.”
“So am I,” Adam said, realizing as he turned to walk away that it was true.
Unsettlingly, undeniably true.
A DOOR SLAMMED with a far-off, muffled thud and several minutes later, Katie heard quick, no-nonsense footsteps in the hallway. She looked up from the book she was reading in time to see a young man with windblown blond hair stride purposefully past the open library doors. “Hi, Ruth,” he called as he passed. A moment slipped by before he skidded back to the doorway to take another look. “Whoa, Ruth,” he said. “You’ve slimmed down since yesterday. Changed your hair color, too.”
“Grapefruit diet,” Katie said with a grin as she tousled her new hairdo. “And a trip to the beauty salon.”
He grinned, too. “Whatever you paid, it was worth it and then some. You look fantastic.” He came into the library where she’d been investigating a bit of Rhode Island history and extended a friendly hand. “Hello, I’m Bryce and, unless you’re in a really great disguise, you’re not our housekeeper.”
“I’m Katie Canton,” she said, returning his handshake.
He stepped back and regarded her with frank admiration. “You’re not by any chance the new upstairs maid, are you?”
“Not the downstairs maid, either.” So this was Adam’s brother, Bryce. The resemblance was unmistakable. The men shared similar facial features and the same strong bone structure still visible in Archer’s wrinkled face. Only in Bryce there was less intensity, a more easygoing, what-you-see-is-what-you-get, openness than in either his grandfather or his older brother. He had blond hair, blue eyes, was perhaps slightly shorter, but overall more athletic in appearance than Adam. Where Adam seemed cool and reserved, Bryce was all warmth and devilish charm. Katie had met men like him before and knew it was best to take the flirtation they offered like a breath mint, enjoyable for short bursts of flavor, but not something one should depend on for the long haul. “I’m just here for the twenty-five-cent tour, which lasted almost an hour and a half and ended about,” she glanced at her serviceable Seiko wrist watch, “forty-five minutes ago. Your grandfather had to stop for his afternoon lie-down.”
“Hard to believe any Braddock worth his salt would take a nap with you in the house, but Grandfather has to have his lie-downs. Can I get you a lemonade? Water? Soda? Champagne? Caviar?”
“No, thanks. I expect Adam will be back any time and then we’ll be returning to Providence.”
Bryce waved the information aside as if it were a pesky mosquito. “Forget Adam. I’ll take you anywhere you want to go. Fresno, Santa Fe, Amsterdam?”
She laughed. “I’ve already been to the first two and Amsterdam is still pretty far down the list. Baton Rouge is actually next on my agenda.”
“No, no, no,” he said, flirting all the more persistently. “You do not want to visit Louisiana in the summer. Trust me on this, Katie Canton. I would never lie to you about heat and humidity. Everything else, well, I might be tempted to stretch the truth on other topics, but weather? No, I’ll always be straight with you about that.” He smiled easily and sank into the chair opposite her, leaning forward, his attention all for her. “Are you staying for dinner?”
“I’ve already stayed through lunch.”
“Doesn’t matter. Dinner will be better with me here to entertain you. I was only stopping by to pick up something, but I’ll stay if you’ll stay. I’m nothing if not flexible when the situation involves a beautiful woman.”
She imagined that was most certainly true. “I’m afraid it’s up to Adam to decide whether or not we stay for dinner, but thanks for offering to change your plans for me. It’s not necessary.”
“Necessity is in the eye of the beholder,” he said. “And I will be greatly beholden to you if you’ll ditch my unimaginative big brother for me. He won’t have noticed how beautiful you are because of all those stock quotes rolling across his corneas from morning to night. I can see by the look on your face that you’ve noticed his vacant and bemused stare.”
“Disparaging me behind my back, Bryce?” Adam asked from the doorway. “That’s unworthy of you.”
Bryce greeted his brother with a cocky smile. “Just holding your place for you, big brother.”
Adam walked into the library as quietly as he’d approached the doorway. If he’d been a mouse, he’d have had her cheese and gone before she’d known he was in the room. “Have you had a pleasant afternoon, Katie?” he asked. “I’m sorry the meeting lasted as long as it did, but you’ll be happy to know your flag idea has been taken under consideration and the mayor appointed a committee to research the possibilities. I don’t hold out a lot of hope, but your suggestion met with less initial opposition than the tinsel reindeer or the jingle bell wreaths, which are also being considered.”
“Is that why you’re here and not in the office keeping our family fortunes compounding?” Bryce asked, looking rather unconvincingly offended. “Christmas decorations? And just Saturday you canceled our handball game because you were too busy to get away from the office for an hour. Admit it, Adam, you were just afraid I’d whip your ass…ets into shape on the court.” He covered nicely and treated Katie to a saintly smile. “I beat him regularly at handball.”
“Only because I have all those stock quotes scrolling in front of my eyes all the while I’m playing,”
Adam said, stopping behind an elegant little wooden chair and resting his arms along the curve of the back, leaning into the triangle of their conversation, looking casually intrigued and quite remarkably attractive. “And I’m here because as chairman of the town council, it is my responsibility to be at the meetings.”
“Oh, well, if we’re talking about responsibility, I completely understand.” Bryce waved a hand dismissively. “Nothing should interfere with the high calling of responsibility.”
The tension was palpable for a moment. Katie felt it like a morning fog, thick and disorienting, but then as quickly as it came, it was gone in the sunny flash of Bryce’s smile. “Personally, I was just taking the responsibility of persuading Katie that dinner at the Hall is mandatory, now that I’m home.”
“I thought you were crewing for Holden Locke this week,” Adam said.
“I am.” Bryce continued to court Katie with his eyes. “I’m due in Newport to hook up with the rest of the Andrea Cara crew about six.”
“Doesn’t that preclude having dinner here?”
“Don’t sweat it, Adam. Holden won’t sail without me.”
Adam’s jaw tightened. Katie watched the muscle flex with his tension and decided he was biting his tongue to keep the family peace. But whether for her benefit or his own, she couldn’t tell. “Did Grandfather show you all you wanted to see?” he asked her. “Any problems present themselves?”
“Problems?”
“About the setup for the party.”
“The party?” Bryce asked.
Adam glanced at his brother. “Katie is the events coordinator I’ve hired to plan Grandfather’s birthday celebration. That’s why she’s here.”
Bryce’s frown chastised her. “And I thought you’d wrangled an invitation from Adam just to meet me.”
While it was flattering to be the object of Bryce Braddock’s attention, Katie had a sneaky suspicion that Grandma Moses would have gotten the same treatment had she been the only available woman when these two brothers were in the same room. There was competition here and a lack of understanding between the two men. Katie could see it, feel it and right or wrong, she thought the major fault was Adam’s. “If I were that clever, I’d have already figured out where I’d be having dinner.”
Bryce’s smile was quick and triumphant. “Good, it’s settled, you’re staying.”
“Great.” Adam curved his hands over the chair back as he straightened. “I’m hungry. I’ll let Abbott know there’ll be four of us for dinner.” He turned, then glanced back. “I don’t suppose Peter will surprise us by coming home tonight.”
“I spoke to him this morning,” Bryce said, standing. “He’s staying in Atlanta until Thursday, but he’ll be here this weekend. Since we’ve got an hour or so before dinner, mind if I take Katie for a quick spin in the Ferrari?”
Adam’s jaw worked again, but his smile was pleasant enough. “That’s something you’ll need to ask her. As far as I know, she’s a free agent.”
Katie felt like she’d just been handed over, from brother to brother, à la carte. “I’ve never ridden in a Ferrari before,” she said. “On the other hand, I’d never ridden in a Rolls-Royce before today, either.” She shot Adam a challenging glance. “What an adventure for me, huh?”
“He drives too fast,” was Adam’s only comment.
“He doesn’t drive much at all,” was Bryce’s reply.
“It would be difficult to drive and conduct business at the same time,” Katie said neutrally. No way was she putting herself between these two powerful personalities. “I’d love to take that drive, Bryce. If you’re sure you don’t mind, Adam?”
The flicker in his gaze told her he did mind, but wouldn’t dream of admitting it. “Why would I? If you’re satisfied with your tour of the house and grounds, I certainly have no reason to object.”
Which meant, probably, that he did have reason. But this wasn’t her battle and Katie figured if she had to stay for dinner—and it looked like she did—then she might as well add ride in a Ferrari to her list of the day’s adventures. “Great,” she said and smiled at Bryce as she laid the history book aside and rose to her feet with an eager bounce. “Can I drive?”