Just before dinner, Gabi was in the kitchen helping Piper when she heard giggles coming from behind the admin cottage. Pausing with a potato half peeled, she looked up at Piper, who’d paused as well.
Piper cocked her head. “That’s an odd sound from this crew.”
“I know,” Gabi answered, setting down the potato and wiping her hands. “I’m not sure it’s a good one.”
She walked quickly through the dining area and pushed open the screen door, heading for where she’d heard the laughter. When she came around the corner of the cottage, she stopped fast, her eyes widening at the sight. Hanging from the trees were all four girls, tied into rope harnesses Luke must have taught them to make themselves.
Piper came up behind her, laughing when she caught sight of the girls. “Well, this is different.”
“He’s tied my students to trees.” Gabi tried to make her voice sound imperious, but when all four girls broke into laughter at once, she stopped bothering.
“They’re only three feet off the ground,” Piper pointed out.
“Yes, but … trees. They look like monkeys.”
Just then, Luke tossed a beach ball into the air. “Score is three to two. Go!”
The girls scrambled to get hold of the ball and toss or kick it to—well, she had no idea what the goal was, but they seemed to know. They bounced and swung and grabbed the ball, aiming it at each other and cheering randomly. A minute later, they all dissolved in laughter when Madison got her foot caught in her rope and spun in two full circles before she was able to get it freed.
As Luke held Madison’s rope steady, he seemed to realize for the first time that Gabi and Piper were there.
“Hey, ladies. Want to play?”
Piper stepped forward. “Calvinball? You bet I do.”
“Gabriela?” Luke reached down for a rope. “Remember the harness I showed you?”
She crossed her arms. She was not getting tied to a tree. No way, no how. “Yes, I remember. And no, I don’t want to play, but thank you.”
“Oh, come on. It’s fun.” Piper’s fingers flailed as she tied her rope into a series of knots that would probably keep her from executing an embarrassing splat, but Gabi was far less convinced of her own knot-tying skills.
Sam tipped back in her harness, to the point where Gabi started to reach for her so she didn’t topple out and land on her head.
“Come on, Gabi,” she said. “Let Luke tie you up. It’ll be fun.”
Gabi’s eyes flew to Sam’s, but the imp had already fixed her gaze elsewhere. Luke’s shoulders were shaking, however, as he knotted a rope.
“You know what?” Gabi lifted her chin. “Fine. I will.”
Waverly and Eve smiled, but Madison assumed her trademark bored face, even though she’d been laughing just minutes ago.
“Come here.” Luke motioned to her, his eyebrows up, and Gabi struggled to keep her mind focused on an innocent game of Calvinball, whatever the hell that turned out to be. She walked the ten steps to him, then stepped into the harness he’d fashioned. He drew the ropes up her legs, and she swallowed hard as his fingers skated slowly upward.
His eyes met hers, and in that moment, she knew that he knew exactly what he was doing, torturing her. She narrowed her eyes, but he just smiled. He spun her around and checked the knots, then took the end of her rope and climbed up one of the pine trees.
“Climb up on that stump and I’ll tie you up,” he called from above her.
She was going to kill him.
She stepped up onto the stump, then felt the rope pull hard as he looped it around a thick branch and tied it securely. She hoped.
“Okay, test it.”
She pulled with her hands and it didn’t give. “I think it’s fine.”
“Just jump, Gabi.” Sam rolled her eyes. “You’ll fall, like, two feet if you dump.”
She held on to the ropes tightly, sure she was about to make a spectacular flop, but to her surprise, instead she sailed a few feet one way, then swung backward. It was kind of like flying.
“See? No crash and burn.” Luke smiled from above her, then caught Piper’s rope when she tossed it up to him.
After he’d tied Piper in, he climbed back down the tree, and Gabi couldn’t help but think about the range of muscles it took to scale a tree without looking like it was taking any effort at all. She also couldn’t help but think about what those muscles would look like with less clothes on, but shook her head before that distraction did her in.
One minute later, the ball was bouncing, the girls were laughing, and Gabi and Piper were right in the thick of things. Before long, Gabi’s stomach and cheeks hurt from laughing, and an hour later, when Luke called the game in favor of Eve and Waverly, Gabi’d forgotten why she ever thought his baiting technique was a bad idea in the first place.
The girls had learned to tie their ropes, they’d learned to make their own harnesses, and they’d spent a couple of hours getting comfortable with hanging in them … all without realizing Luke had very clear goals for what seemed like just a silly game.
As Piper disappeared into the dining hall with the girls, Gabi finished untying her knots and coiling her rope.
“Have fun?” Luke raised his eyebrows, obviously already knowing the answer.
“None.” She shook her head. “Clearly.”
“Want to help me get this stuff put away in the shed?” Again with the eyebrows. “Girls will be busy for a bit.”
Gabi felt her cheeks flush, so she turned to grab a few ropes before he could see how easily she blushed.
“You know what I love?” His voice was low and close to her ear, and shivers enveloped her whole body as he spoke.
She swallowed nervously. “What?”
“I love that your face doesn’t let you hide your feelings. You’re like an open book, Gabriela.”
“That is not at all comforting.” She stepped away from him. “Has no one ever told you that a woman prefers to be a mystery?”
He shook his head. “Mystery is overrated. I like you just the way you are.” He leaned toward her, and she automatically closed her eyes, already longing for his kiss.
But just then, a shriek from the dining hall had Gabi springing away from him and sprinting up the hill, Luke hot on her heels. When they banged open the screen door, they stopped fast.
First they saw the girls huddled together on top of a table.
Then they saw the bear cub.