“What about sunscreen?” Sissy Perkins protested.
“Seriously?” Cole whispered. “The hat she’s wearing is as big as an umbrella. She could shade a family of four underneath it.”
A smile moved through Grace’s eyes so swiftly that Cole thought he must have imagined it.
“Pay attention,” she admonished.
Rhoda moved from couple to couple. By the time she stood in front of them, the basket was weighted down with cell phones, cameras and an assortment of personal possessions that included tissues, a plastic container of breath mints, a miniature flashlight and a calculator.
Cole had locked his wallet in the glove box of the car but peeled off his waterproof Timex and added it to the spoils. Grace dropped her cell phone and a small tube of lip balm into the basket.
“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Cole raised an eyebrow.
Grace gave him a wide-eyed, innocent look. “No?”
He might have believed her if the word hadn’t come out like a question. Rhoda must have thought so, too, because she paused and looked over her shoulder.
“Gracie, was there something else?”
She frowned. At him.
“It’s only a few hours,” Cole murmured. “Hand ’em over.”
Grace opened her mouth to argue. And then closed it again, proving his hunch was correct. She still carried her favorite candy everywhere.
“Fine.” She fished around in the pocket of her skirt and deposited a brightly colored package into the basket. “Here you go.”
“Thank you, dear.”
“Doesn’t that feel better?” Cole whispered as the mayor’s wife moved on to Kate and Alex. “Your pockets are lighter and so is your conscience.”
“Our stomachs will be lighter, too,” Grace muttered. “Especially if we’re forced to rely on our hunting-and-gathering skills.”
“Keeping the Skittles would have broken the 1887 rule.” Cole smiled. “You could have gotten us disqualified.”
Chapter Eight
D
isqualified, Grace mused.
Now, why hadn’t
she
thought of that?
“Don’t worry,” Cole said. “If you get hungry, I have an apple in my car.”
Grace pulled in a breath when he winked at her, not the least bit repentant he’d made her turn over the contraband candy.
A part of her wished she could simply focus on the present and enjoy the company of an attractive man instead of getting tangled up in memories.
Maybe she should pretend they’d just met. Start fresh. Leave the past behind, the way Cole obviously had...
“Hey, you,” Kate whispered. “Are you paying attention?”
“Yes.”
Her friend shot a teasing glance at the man standing next to her. “I can see that.” Kate lowered her voice. “But are you paying attention to the
mayor?
”
Some comments, Grace decided, didn’t deserve a response.
“The section of woods by the shoreline has been divided into eight campsites, one for each couple,” Mayor Dodd was saying. “You will locate the flag marked with the number in which your names were chosen last night. You will be free to move around the park, but the majority of the tasks will be completed in your designated area so that our spectators will be able to watch your progress.”
“Or our humiliation,” someone farther down the row mumbled.
“Now—” The spark of mischief in the mayor’s eyes made Grace uneasy. He did have a flair for the dramatic. “Is everyone ready to find out what our brave men and women will be facing?”
The enthusiastic response from the crowd that had gathered to watch the competition sent a flock of mourning doves swirling into the air.
Grace watched them go, a little envious that they were able to escape.
“The first challenge will be building a campfire.” The mayor grinned. “When you have successfully completed that task, return to the general store—” laughter rippled through the crowd when Mayor Dodd pointed to a popup camper parked underneath the trees a hundred yards away “—where Faye McAllister, one of our dedicated volunteers, will be waiting with an envelope. Inside that envelope is a piece of paper that will tell you what you and your partner will be making for breakfast—over the campfire you started.”
“That—” Cole leaned closer and his breath stirred the hair near her ear, sending a shiver dancing up her spine
“—might explain the chickens.”
Grace clapped a hand over her mouth to seal off an unexpected—and totally inappropriate—burst of laughter. “This is a family-friendly event.”
“Yeah?” Cole winked at her. “Tell that to the chickens.”
Grace forced herself to look away.
Every one of his smiles, every comment laced with that warm, albeit slightly irreverent, humor wore away the walls she tried to keep in place. Grace had made up her mind she could survive the morning, but she hadn’t considered the fact she would
enjoy
Cole’s company.
“When is the next election?” Grace heard Alex mutter to Kate. “I’ll find someone to run against him.”
Cole slid a look at the couple. “We could always vote him off the island,” he suggested.
Grace couldn’t believe Cole wasn’t intimidated by Alex Porter like ninety-nine percent of the general population.
“Wrong competition, unfortunately.” Alex’s eyes narrowed. “But I appreciate the way you think.”
Cole inclined his head.
The two men didn’t exactly
smile
at each other, but somehow, Grace got the impression they’d just bonded.
Kate looked at Cole and then at Grace. “I like him,” she announced.
Grace didn’t return the smile. She didn’t want her friends to like Cole.
She
didn’t want to like Cole.
But the familiar tug on her heart when he looked at her, those sparks of electricity that made every nerve ending in her body hum whenever Cole was close by, made Grace wonder if it wasn’t happening already.
“A-
hem.
” Mayor Dodd gave them a silence-in-the-ranks frown. “Time is of the essence. When you complete one task, you will immediately go on to the next one. The first couple to complete all of the challenges in two hours will win the grand prize.”
Cole nudged her elbow. “You never said anything about a grand prize.”
That was because it happened to be dinner for two at Abby’s bed-and-breakfast. Alex had generously offered the services of his head chef from Porter Lakeside in Chicago for the event.
The thought of sharing a romantic evening with Cole conjured up equal amounts of hope and terror.
“When the whistle blows, head over to the general store. You may trade your coupon for the item you feel will help you the most during the competition.”
Oh.
No
.
“Cole.” His name came out in a squeak. “The coupon...”
“Is in the bucket,” he guessed. “In the backseat of your car.”
Grace could only nod.
“No problem.” One broad shoulder lifted and fell. “It will make things more interesting.”
“I like him, too,” Abby said, not bothering to hide the fact she’d been eavesdropping.
Grace hadn’t noticed her other friend had managed to sidle closer to her and Cole. Abby and Kate were a force to be reckoned with when they focused on a common goal.
A terrifying possibility suddenly occurred to Grace. Getting her and Cole together might be that common goal. As soon as she had a chance to speak to her friends, she’d set them straight.
“Your third and final task—” the mayor paused dramatically and everyone leaned into the silence, anxious to hear what he was going to say “—will be building a temporary shelter.”
Please, God, very temporary,
Grace thought, because she’d come up with a plan of her own in the last sixty seconds. To put as much space between her and Cole as possible. It was the only way she was going to make it through the morning.
“A couple of branches.” Rob Price grinned at Haylie. “That’ll be easy.”
The mayor heard him.
“The shelter has to be large enough for two and able to protect its occupants from the elements,” he announced. “And wild animals.”
“Should we be concerned about the chipmunks?” Cole frowned. “Because I thought they looked kind of friendly.”
Grace pressed her lips together to seal off a smile.
The mayor paused and nodded at Happy, who put two fingers in his lips and let out a piercing whistle.
No one moved.
Mayor Dodd leaned forward and propped his hands on his knees as he surveyed the couples lined up in front of him.
“That means
go.”
* * *
Cole grabbed Grace’s hand.
“Because we don’t have a coupon, we’re going need something to barter,” he said as they started toward the general store.
“Barter?”
“It was a common practice back then, so technically we won’t be breaking any rules.”
“My bonnet?”
Cole smiled at the hopeful note in Grace’s voice but shook his head. “No way. You’ll get sunburned.”
“What about this?” Grace touched the elastic band around her ponytail.
“Only if the owner of the general store is in a good mood.”
“I wouldn’t count on it. Faye McAllister doesn’t exactly have a reputation for her easygoing personality.”
“Maybe she won’t ask for the coupon.”
“It’s Faye McAllister,” Grace repeated. “She’ll ask. You should have let me keep the Skittles.”
Cole glanced down at her, saw the teasing light in her eyes, and the temperature in the air shot up another ten degrees.
“So, we have to make a fire, something to eat and build a shelter, but we’re allowed to choose only one item from the general store. What do you think?”
“I think the mayor just lost the next election,” Grace muttered.
“Hey, you two!” Emma Sutton sang out as she and her husband loped past. “The clock is ticking.”
That’s when Cole realized he and Grace had stopped in the middle of the park. And he was still holding her hand.
Grace stumbled away from him and they followed the couples making their way toward the camper. Jenna and Dev McGuire were already at the front of the line, with Esther and Daniel Redstone right behind them.
A woman with rooster-red hair handed Daniel a hatchet and then turned to Cole.
“Coupon,” she barked.
Grace eased in front of Cole. “I’m sorry, Faye. I left it at home,” she confessed.
The woman’s eyebrows began to slide together over her nose.
“But we can barter for an item, right?” Cole wasn’t going to let Grace take all the blame.
The older woman’s gaze shifted to him and Cole found himself being examined like a bug under a microscope.
“Merrick,” she declared.
“That’s right.”
“I knew it.” Faye shook her head. “You’ve got your grandpa’s stubborn chin.”
Cole didn’t know what to say. He’d assumed Faye had heard about his arrival. He and his grandfather shared the same last name, but he’d never considered the fact there was a family resemblance.
Probably because Sloan had never treated him as a member of the family.
* * *
Grace saw surprise—and some darker emotion—flared briefly in Cole’s eyes. The same expression Grace had seen there when Happy had recognized him at the square dance.
Cole didn’t seem to understand it didn’t matter that he’d never lived in Mirror Lake more than a few months. In people’s minds, his family had put down roots in the area a long time ago. No matter how Cole felt about Sloan or the town, he was a branch on the Merrick family tree.
“Does that mean we can trade?” Cole tipped his head. And unleashed the full power of his smile.
Grace didn’t have a chance to tell him that he was wasting his time. Faye wouldn’t fall for such blatant charm...
Or maybe she would.
Grace watched in astonishment as the woman...melted. One blue-veined hand fluttered—
fluttered
—to the spot just above her heart.
“And you’ve got your daddy’s smile,” Faye acknowledged wryly. “All right, what have you got?”
Cole shot Grace a questioning look. “What have we got?”
“I’m not sure.” Grace’s fingers crept to the collar of the white shirtwaist she wore and touched the gold charm below the fabric, a nervous habit left over from the days when she’d barely been able to look people in the eye.
Faye noticed.
“A necklace?” she harrumphed. “I suppose that will do.”
The air emptied out of Grace’s lungs. “I don’t—”
“That’s a great idea.” Cole looked so relieved that Grace didn’t have the heart to refuse. And it wasn’t as if they had another option.
“Don’t worry.” Faye held out her hand. “I’ll take good care of it.”
Grace’s heart began to pound as she carefully tried to extract the delicate chain until the tiny gold bird on the end of the chain was free.
Her fingers fumbled with the tiny clasp, which of course, because of the way things had been going the past twenty-four hours, ended up getting tangled in a strand of her hair.
“Let me help.”
Before she could protest, Cole’s hands brushed hers aside. The warmth of his touch sent tingles down her spine. For a moment, she felt him go still.
Did he recognize it?
Grace held her breath as Cole draped the delicate gold chain over his palm and presented it to Faye.
His expression didn’t change.
It was obvious Cole didn’t remember the necklace.
Or the promise he’d made when he’d given it to her.
Chapter Nine
D
on’t
read too much into it,
Cole told himself
.
The fact that Grace happened to be wearing a necklace he’d given to her as a gift didn’t mean she’d been pining away for him for twelve years.
It probably didn’t mean anything at all.
Faye McAllister cleared her throat and made a point of snapping open an ornate pocket watch. A not-so-subtle hint that he and Grace were holding up the line.
Cole scanned the eclectic collection of merchandise displayed on low wooden benches. Several cast iron skillets. A blue enamel coffeepot. A spool of twine.
The campfire would be the key to their success, especially given the fact the second challenge was making something to eat.
“We’ll take a flint if you have one.”
“Dev and Jenna already took it,” Faye informed him. “There aren’t any duplicates. The first couple gets first pick of the merchandise.”
“The mayor didn’t mention that,” Grace protested.
“The mayor didn’t mention I’m judging the cooking part of the competition, either.” Faye looked smug. “But I am. You have ten seconds and then, in the interest of time, I’m going to pick something for you.”
“What about that canvas tarp?” Grace pressed closer, and the scent of something light and sweet stirred the air.
Lilacs.
Cole was beginning to realize that even the smallest, most insignificant, things had the power to trigger a memory.
The way Grace fiddled with her necklace when she was nervous. Blushed when people teased her.
Read his mind.
He smiled. “You always knew what I was thinking, didn’t you?”
Instead of answering, Grace pivoted away in a swirl of white petticoats. “I’m going to start looking for kindling,” she called over her shoulder.
Cole was about to remind her that would violate the rule about working together as a team, but Faye rapped him on the back of his hand with a wooden spoon.
“Do you want my advice?”
He had a hunch there was only one correct answer to that question.
“Sure.”
“Keep your eye on the prize and don’t mess this up.” Faye plucked the tarp from the shelf and handed it to him.
“We’ll do our best to win.”
Faye’s eyes rolled toward the sky. “I wasn’t talking about the competition, honey.”
Cole was mulling over the woman’s cryptic words when he caught up to Grace a few seconds later. She was making her way toward the old-fashioned pump, the handle of the minnow bucket looped over her arm like a designer purse.
“McGuire might be a wildlife photographer, but I’m guessing those two are going to be the toughest ones to beat.” Cole nodded at Daniel and Esther Redstone. “They have age and experience on their side.”
Grace looked at him now, eyes wide with disbelief. “You’re actually enjoying this, aren’t you?”
“Aren’t you?” Cole tossed back.
Grace didn’t answer, which was, he decided, an answer in itself.
Was it the competition she wasn’t looking forward to? Or spending time in his company?
If Cole were honest with himself, he had to admit he was looking forward to the next few hours.
He also had to admit the spark of attraction was still there. It was tempting to blame the sudden, unexpected spikes in his heart rate on the heat. Or simple nostalgia. A reasonable response to being reunited—even temporarily—with the first girl he’d ever fallen for.
But Grace, the pretty but shy girl next door, had grown into a beautiful, confident woman.
A beautiful woman who was even more intriguing than the challenges the mayor had given them to complete.
“Should we fill our bucket first or find the flag?”
“The bucket,” Grace said. “But I’m
not
drinking from it.”
Cole shook his head. “Where is that can-do, pioneer spirit that’s going to help us win this competition?”
“I think it’s with our coupon.”
There it was again. That
almost
-smile.
Cole added another challenge to the list the mayor had given them.
Get Grace to laugh. Out loud.
“Cole Merrick!”
Sissy Perkins and Doug, wearing faded dungarees over a collarless shirt, were already in line at the pump when they got there.
The Realtor’s eyes lit up and she grabbed both his hands as if they’d known each other for years. “I thought you’d find a way to get out of this. Aren’t you supposed to be fixing up some things on that old place so we can get it on the market faster?”
Yes, he was. But strangely enough, Cole hadn’t thought of his to-do list for quite a while.
Right about the time he’d seen Grace standing at the front door.
“This is important, too.”
“You’re a smart man!” Sissy finally released him. “All these potential buyers in one place. I’m glad you’re taking advantage of the situation.”
* * *
Grace refused to look at Cole as he filled the bucket with water.
She hadn’t considered the possibility that no matter what Cole had claimed, he’d had an ulterior motive for agreeing to take part in the competition. But Sissy had raised a valid point. Ninety percent of the local population had gathered for Mirror Lake’s birthday party. It would be the perfect time to let everyone know his plans. Even in a struggling economy, property with lake frontage was always a sound investment. It wouldn’t be unrealistic to predict Cole would have interested buyers lining up to take a look at the property.
What was unrealistic was Cole changing his mind about selling.
And why would you want him to?
an inner voice chided.
He lied to you.
He
left
you.
It wasn’t the kind of foundation that would encourage her to trust him again.
If only her heart was in line with what her head knew to be true....
“Grace?” Cole had filled the bucket and was striding away from the pump. “Ready to find our flag?”
She was ready to forfeit, that’s what she was ready to do. But then she’d have to explain—to her friends and the mayor and all the people watching—
why
she wanted to forfeit. Which left her with no choice but to follow Cole.
They worked their way through the maze of lawn chairs and blankets the spectators used to stake their claim to watch the fun.
Abby smiled and gave Grace a thumbs-up behind Cole’s back as they passed the O’Hallorans bright yellow flag.
Grace gave her friend a warning look that only pushed Abby’s smile into a full-blown grin.
“There it is.” Cole pointed to a green flag emblazoned with the number eight. “Home sweet home.”
Grace’s gaze swept over their designated area. The small campsite was only steps away from
a natural curve in the shoreline, bordered with golden sand and patches of wild blue and pink forget-me-nots. Cattails swayed in time to the soft lap of the waves and the breeze that danced over the water.
Even though their designated area was only ten yards away and a small crowd had turned their lawn chairs toward the campsites to watch the competition, Grace was suddenly aware that for the next few hours, it would be just the two of them. Working side by side. Together.
Cole weighted down the tarp with a rock, brushed the dust from his hands and turned to look at her. “Well, come on, woman. We need a plan. And a fire.”
Grace parked her hands on her hips. “Did you just call me
woman?
”
The young couple that had spread a blanket on the ground several yards away snickered.
Cole shrugged. “I’m not wearing a costume. I have to do what I can to make things seem more authentic.”
“Except you’re supposed to be a lumberjack, not Cro-Magnon man.”
“Sorry.” Cole laughed and the sound went straight through her defenses and wrapped around her heart. Twice.
Focus, Grace.
She folded her arms across her chest. “Do you happen to have any idea how we’re going to start a fire?”
“You didn’t happen to bring a book along, did you?”
Grace had a flashback of the day they’d met and decided the only way she was going to make it through the competition was to pretend she didn’t know what Cole was talking about.
Pretend she hadn’t once been head over heels, hopelessly in love with him.
But that was a challenge Grace suddenly had her doubts she would win.
* * *
Cole watched Grace fiddle with the collar of her pristine white shirt.
Was he making her nervous?
Or simply uncomfortable?
Neither one had been his intention.
In some ways, the summer they’d met seemed like a lifetime ago, but it remained as clear in his memory as if it had taken place yesterday.
Cole wasn’t sure why it was so important that Grace acknowledge she remembered the time they’d spent together, too. Maybe because getting to know her had impacted him on so many levels. She’d corrected his homework. Shared her faith. Listened to him vent his frustration about his grandfather. Helped him through those difficult weeks following his father’s death.
Because Grace had given so much to him, he’d decided to return the favor the only way he knew how. By leaving her alone.
Cole convinced himself she would get caught up in the busyness of her senior year and forget about him.
Now that it seemed as if his theory had proven correct, the disappointment that surfaced didn’t make sense.
Unless you want to pick up where you left off.
He yanked the thought back in line. Better to take his cue from Grace and stick to a challenge that wouldn’t be as difficult.
Like starting a fire without matches.
It was sure a lot safer than thinking about rekindling a former romance.
And speaking of rekindling...Cole’s nose began to twitch.
He spun around and saw their closest competitors kneeling beside their circle of stones, feeding tiny sticks to the fire merrily glowing in the center.
A cheer went up from the crowd of teenagers nearby.
“I don’t believe it,” Cole muttered.
The girl, a willowy blonde with bright blue eyes, heard him and a wide smile broke out across her face. “Look, Grace!”
“You two have a good start, Haylie,” she called.
The teenager bobbed her head. “Dev and Jenna got their fire going right away, so Rob and I told them we would give them our cast iron skillet in exchange for letting us borrow their flint for ten minutes. We got the idea when we saw you give Faye your necklace.”
“Is there a penalty for stealing trade secrets?” Cole asked in a low voice. “No pun intended.”
Grace’s lips twitched. “Very ingenious, you guys! Keep up the good work and you just might win the grand prize.”
“I hope so.” Haylie beamed. “Rob used to be a Boy Scout, so we have an advantage.” The boy’s cheeks turned the same shade of red as the flag above his head when his girlfriend patted his hand. “Good luck to you and Cole, though.”
“How is it they know my name but I don’t know theirs?” Cole murmured.
“Haylie and Rob attend Pastor Matt’s youth group at Church of the Pines.”
“I’ve never attended a service there.”
“This is a small town, remember?
Everyone
knows your name.”
Cole wasn’t sure how he felt about that. If people knew his name, it meant they instantly connected him with Sloan. Even though his grandfather had been born and raised in Mirror Lake, he hadn’t been the easiest man to get along with.
Grace had mentioned once that her parents had tried to reach out to Sloan over the years, but he’d never accepted any help.
He’d never offered any either, Cole thought, battling the bitterness that crashed over him every time he remembered the months following his father’s death.
Bettina and his brothers had turned to him instead of their mother whenever they needed something. While the guys his age were planning the next senior skip day, Cole had lain awake in bed at night, wondering how he was going to find time to study for his calculus exam when the twins needed help with their science fair project. Bettina barely let him out of her sight, following him from room to room as if she were afraid he would disappear, too.
His father’s life insurance policy covered most of the bills, but his mother wasn’t able to work, so their modest savings account had slowly dwindled down to nothing as the months slipped away. It had been up to Cole to find a job and help make ends meet.
There hadn’t been time for hanging out with his buddies or going out on a date. It would have taken an understanding woman to share that burden.
Someone with a lot of patience and a sense of humor.
His gaze settled on Grace again.
At seventeen, she’d had both.
She also had plans of her own,
Cole reminded himself.
It wouldn’t have been fair to ask her to change them for you.
That’s why he hadn’t given her the chance.