Reagan Graham pressed against her brother’s side, trying to avoid the crush of bodies. When Garrett had invited her to spend the summer on this crazy geocaching adventure, she hadn’t considered it because it sounded crowded. She needed time and space to recover from the chaos, stress, and intensity of tax season. Spending an extended vacation with hundreds of strangers did not strike her as a good time. At all.
But when an unwanted admirer showed up at her condo hidden in the shadows, accompanying her brother to Osage Beach seemed like a good idea. No, make that a great idea. If the police hadn’t arrived when they did … She shuddered at how close the stalker had gotten.
Her brother tightened his grip on her. She glanced at him, his athletic frame lending her comfort. He would do anything he could to keep her safe. She knew that. Then her glance landed on his roommate.
Colton Ryan was an enigma. Gorgeous, but an enigma. He seemed friendly, yet after a week she knew less about him than the day they’d met.
He stood apart from them, yet watchful, his gray eyes constantly surveying the crowd. He stood an inch or so shorter than Garrett, but erect and alert. And the way his dark hair curled around his ears made her fingers itch to brush it in place.
Colton was her age, a few years older than Garrett. He planned to start classes at Washington University School of Law in the fall along with Garrett. He called enrolling in law school “seeing the light.” She called it a sign that he still hadn’t decided what he wanted to be when he grew up if he was changing course a few years into his engineering career. He and Garrett had met through the admissions office and decided to room together during the year. But now he’d attached himself to their summer plans. She hadn’t wanted him as a tagalong for her summer away, but there he stood.
She didn’t need the complication.
His presence in the smaller, neighboring condo couldn’t be called anything but a complication.
All she wanted was a couple of months to forget about the fright that crowded her back home. A shiver shook her at the thought. If she got to do it with a camera in her hand, all the better. She’d leave spreadsheets behind and focus on finding God’s beauty and creativity in the midst of the Ozarks.
She sucked in a calming breath and closed her eyes. The crowd noise rolled over her until someone grabbed the microphone and started talking. Even then, she tuned out, the sun warm on her face. Garrett could take notes for both of them.
In fact, she’d let Garrett and Colton plot all kinds of strategies to win the race. She’d focus on her camera. Relax as she saw the world through the narrow focus of her lens. Avoid all the pressures and stresses of a life out of control. For two months she’d pretend she was someone else. Someone without a constant shadow.
The thought brought a smile to her face.
She’d try to relax and return to St. Louis ready to reenter her career. As long as she fixed real food a couple of times a week, Garrett would be thrilled. And if he didn’t let the condo disintegrate to a bachelor pad’s level of cleanliness, she’d make do.
She opened her eyes as the speaker stepped away from the microphone.
That’s all she had to do to survive the summer. Slip under her stalker’s radar and return home in August, ready to resume her life. Hopefully, she’d find herself energized from the time in nature, exercising her creative muscles. She touched the camera dangling around her neck. Maybe she should snap some photos of the crowd. She could document the entire hunt. A snicker slipped out at the thought of handing Garrett a photo book at the end of the summer.
“What’s up?” His eyebrows arched over clear blue eyes as he studied her.
“Nothing important. You ready to find your first cache?”
“Only if Colton gets that gizmo figured out. You’d think I could make it work without help from my buddy the engineer. Noooo.” Garrett rolled his eyes. “Should’ve known.”
Reagan had to laugh. Her brother had the simplest cell phone because he chose to remain “technology adverse,” as he called it. Yet he’d rushed out to buy an iPad the moment Apple released them. She couldn’t make sense of his quirk. Then her gaze landed on Colton. His eyebrows met over his nose as he studied the small GPS unit.
He must have sensed her gaze, because he looked up and smiled, the kind of smile that could stop the heart of a lesser woman, one hunting for romance. With his rugged movie-star looks, it wouldn’t be hard to lose perspective when he flashed the dimple in his chin.
Too bad for him, she didn’t want anything to do with men other than her brother right now. Not if there was the iota of a chance Colton could move into position as the next weirdo who fixated on her. She shivered at the thought of inviting anyone into her life right now.
Nope, it was safer to stay far away. His smile shifted as if he could read her thoughts.
What she wouldn’t do to get that adorable dimple back in place … if only.
Colton shook off his disappointment as he hit the power button on the GPS unit he’d picked up at the Communication Location. He still wasn’t convinced it was worth all the coin to buy it, but Garrett had bought the sales pitch. Too bad his soon-to-be roommate didn’t have any interest in figuring out how to operate the complicated device.
Guess he’d do that instead.
His gaze traveled back to Reagan.
Garrett’s sister wasn’t at all what he’d expected, and she left him decidedly feeling like a third wheel. Odd man out. The interloper on her summer. No matter what he did, she gave him a very cold shoulder.
It didn’t help that they’d spend practically every moment together except when they slept. His tiny condo barely had room to turn around, let alone cook the kind of meals he liked to prepare. Had Garrett filled her in that Colton hoped to eat many of his meals with them? Even cook, if he could talk them into it?
When Garrett requested he come to Osage Beach to help protect Reagan, Colton had agreed. Guess Garrett wasn’t convinced the small town was far enough from St. Louis, but it was all he could come up with to get his sister out of the city for a couple of months. He had to admire Garrett and his commitment to protecting her, whether or not she wanted it. Two months.
Colton fiddled with a couple more buttons, waiting for the machine to acquire a satellite signal.
The summer would extend like an eternity if he couldn’t break through Reagan’s reserve. It didn’t matter that Garrett said not to sweat it. It bothered him that she always seemed on edge. That wasn’t the way for either of them to live over the summer. With law school coming, he’d decided to invest the money to relax and recharge before the intensity of school hit. Now it looked like he’d have a summer of feeling on the spot, trying to balance Reagan’s expectations with his plans.
That’s the vibe he got off her.
The machine finally acquired a signal. Maybe Garrett hadn’t picked up a dud after all. He glanced up as Garrett and Reagan approached. There was something about her, something almost hidden that intrigued him. He could wait patiently for her to accept him if it meant he could uncover that spark.
The youth pastor stepped down from the stage.
Colton had to admit the hunt appealed to him. He loved the idea of competing with others to find a few secreted goodies. Sure, most of them would be silly trinkets. He had a pocketful of his own St. Louis Rams magnets to leave behind. His little mark that he’d arrived at each cache.
The crowd started to disperse, and Colton approached Garrett and Reagan. “Here you go, dude. Fully fired up.”
Garrett held his hands up in front of him. “I think you should operate that little doodad.”
Reagan shook her head. “Who are you trying to kid, Garrett?” She took it from Colton, pressed a couple of buttons, and turned it back to him. “Nothing to it. Here are the downloaded coordinates for the first cache you wanted to tackle.”
“Too bad we have to wait for tomorrow.” Garrett’s gaze followed a cute girl in short shorts and layered tanks. The baseball cap pulled over her ponytail couldn’t hide her bright-green eyes. “I’ll catch up with you later.”
“What about …” Colton tried to grab his attention, but the kid kept moving. Guess Garrett thought Reagan was safe if one of them was close. Well, the police did have a suspect they were talking to, so maybe Garrett was right. Who would follow her this far from the city even if he knew she’d left? He glanced at Reagan. “Want to grab a bite?”
She studied him, her sky-blue eyes seeing inside him. He resisted the urge to squirm under her directness. “Okay. We need to find a grocery store.”
“After we get food.” He patted his stomach. “Have to feed the beast first.”
She chuckled and fell into step next to him. “I’ve heard there’s a great custard place, Randy’s.”
“Does that qualify as food?”
“Every day, twice a day. Don’t tell me. You didn’t have sisters.” “Nope. Grew up in a house of boys.”
“Then you missed the therapeutic effects of ice cream. Covers a host of woes. That and nature.”
He knew he liked this woman. “Lead the way.”
They left the park, and after a few minutes he spotted a five-foot ice-cream cone posted above the sidewalk. “Let me guess … that’s our destination.”
“Of course.” Reagan’s pace picked up as she approached the small, green-roofed building.
A family of painted turtles marched across the front windows. Reagan pointed to the words underneath. “Think I’ll try the Ozark Turtle.”
“Size?”
“Small.”
Of course. The gal might want her custard, but he shouldn’t expect it to be supersized. He placed their order and, a few minutes later, carried two sundaes to the park bench where Reagan waited. A grin spread across her face as she accepted the caramel- and walnut-topped treat. He’d buy her an Ozark Turtle every day if she’d keep smiling at him like that.
This summer would be amazing if he could keep that smile on her face and the shadows at bay. Add in the Rainbow’s End Treasure Hunt with following GPS coordinates to remote locations around town to find the hidden caches, and he’d return to St. Louis rested and ready for school.
Reagan glanced at him, a shy smile turning his insides to goo. Yep, this could be a great summer.