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“I’m coming, but I’ve got to get my suit back on!”
“Okay. Hurry!”
Off came his clothes. Soon he was ready. “Aren’t you coming, Mom?”
“In a minute. You go on.”
In case Carson was up for more play time in the lake, she decided against going swimming again. Grabbing her hairbrush and Johnny’s beach towel, she left the tent and walked toward the others. Monica and Ralph waved to her. They were already in the water with the inner tube. “Come on in!”
“I just barely got out! How was the balloon ride?”
“Fantastic! You should try it before you leave the Tetons.”
“Maybe I will!”
The children were clustered around Carson and Buck, who were handing out life jackets. She sat down in a camp chair, ostensibly to keep an eye on the children. But it was hard to focus when there were two tall, well-built ex-marines ready to enter the water. She finally closed her eyes and gave her damp hair a good brushing while she soaked in the heat.
* * *
THE COLOR OF Tracy’s hair shimmering in the sun was indescribable. The fine strands could be real silver and gold intertwined. While the kids played with the Harrises, Carson kept his eyes above the waterline to take in the curves of her exquisitely proportioned body.
Buck emerged from the depths next to him, coughing up a storm. “I agree she’s quite a sight,” he whispered when he’d caught a breath. “When are you going to do something about it?”
“Is it that obvious?”
“Not to anyone but me and Ross.”
“We didn’t invite her family to the ranch for me to make a pass.”
Buck scowled. “Hey, it’s me you’re talking to. I damn well know that. Tell me the truth. You haven’t gotten any signals from her that she’d like you to?”
“I don’t know. It’s hard to read her. She’s warm and friendly enough when she’s with Johnny, which is most of the time.”
“Maybe we need to arrange something this evening so she isn’t with him. Time is fleeting. Saturday will be here before you know it.”
Carson threw back his head. “Thanks for making my day, Buck.”
“Just trying to help things along for a buddy.”
“Sorry for snapping.”
“Forget it. There’s only one cure for your problem. I’ll tell ghost stories in the kids’ tent after everyone goes to bed. No adults allowed. While the Harrises retire to their tent, you and Tracy can sit around and talk. That ought to give you plenty of time to get creative.”
“She’ll probably go to her tent.”
After a pause Buck said, “Like I said, get creative and follow her.”
“That’s been my idea since the moment we set up camp.”
“Then I don’t see a problem.”
“I wish I didn’t.”
“Don’t let me down, buddy. You take first watch tonight and see where it leads. Wake me up when it’s my turn.” Buck did a backflip away from him and swam underwater to surprise the kids.
That was easy enough for his friend to say, but Carson intended to follow through, all the same. The hourglass was emptying every second. He needed to mind his grandfather’s advice when he’d been teaching Carson how to wrestle steers. “Put your fear away and seize the moment without hesitation, otherwise the opportunity is lost.”
Tonight might be one of the few opportunities left to find out what was going on inside her. Armed with a plan, it helped him get through the rest of the evening.
While Carson and Buck explained why they were wearing canisters of oxygen and masks, Ralph Harris volunteered to build a small fire along the shoreline away from everyone. It would help them to avoid breathing too much smoke.
Instead of rainbow trout, they served roasted Teton hot dogs and Snake River marshmallows. The menu was a huge hit and met with Johnny’s wholehearted approval.
With their meal finally over, Carson put the food away. Ralph volunteered to douse the fire and make sure there’d be no sparks. Now that it was time for bed, Buck made his exciting announcement and the children scurried to the big tent for stories.
The Harrises eventually said good-night. Before Tracy could say the same thing, Carson told her he’d walk her to the latrine. “In case Bigfoot is lurking.”
“Carson!”
He stood chuckling at a distance until she came out. “Maybe you’d better sit with me and have a soda until you’re not so jumpy.”
“Are you intentionally trying to frighten me?”
His pulse rate sped up. “Is it working?”
“Yes.”
“That’s good. I don’t feel like being alone on a perfect night like this.”
“It’s incredible.”
He liked the sound of that. They walked back to the camp in companionable silence. Carson waited for her to tell him she really was tired and needed to go to bed. Instead she sat down near him, staring out at the water.
Before dinner she’d put on a navy pullover with long sleeves over her jeans. Everything she wore suited her. Earlier, while she’d been roasting her hot dog and the flames from the fire were turning to embers, they’d cast a glow that brought out the creamy beauty of her complexion. She’d left her hair free, flowing to her shoulders. It had a lot of natural curl. He’d never met a more feminine woman.
“Tracy?”
Her gaze swerved to his. “What is it? I can tell something’s on your mind.”
He’d been about as subtle as a sledgehammer. “How would you like to go into Jackson with me tomorrow night?”
“You mean me and Johnny?”
“No. Just you. I want to take you dancing.”
After a slight hesitation, she smiled. “I don’t recall that being listed on your brochure.”
He took a deep breath. Damn if it didn’t always cause him to cough. “It isn’t. I’m asking you out on a date, strictly off the record. If the answer’s no, tell me now and we’ll pretend I never brought it up.”
She looked pensive. “I’m afraid I’m not a very good dancer.”
Carson still hadn’t been given the right answer. As far as he was concerned, this evening was definitely over. He got to his feet, too filled with disappointment to sit still. “Do I take it that’s a no?”
“No!”
His heart gave a big kick at her emphatic response. “So it’s a yes?”
“Yes, but let me warn you now, I’m out of practice.”
“It’s been a while for me, too.” He studied her classic features in the near darkness. “If you remember, we listed babysitting on the brochure. Do you think Johnny could handle that?”
“I think he could, but I’d rather feel out Monica. Maybe we can trade nights. If she’s willing to let Johnny stay at their cabin tomorrow night, I’ll tend her children at mine the following night.”
It thrilled him that Tracy was so ready with a solution. He was beginning to get the impression she wanted this date as much as he did. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have agreed to go out alone with him. “Sounds like a plan that will make our little cowboys and girls happy.”
A gentle laugh escaped. “Johnny really likes them.”
“They’re great kids.” He reached for the flashlight on the table. “Plan on wearing something dressy.”
“I only brought one outfit that would qualify, but I didn’t think I’d wear it.”
“I’ll wear something a little dressier, too. Come on. It’s late. I’ll take you to your tent.”
“I’d appreciate that.” She got up and started walking. “Will you shine the light inside to make sure Bigfoot’s brother isn’t waiting for me?”
He smiled to himself. “I’ll do that and one better. Buck and I are taking turns tonight keeping watch so everyone’s safe.” Once they reached her tent, he made a thorough inspection. “It’s all right to go in.”
As she stepped past him, their arms brushed. It was all he could do not to pull her to him.
She turned to him in the darkness. “Thank you for everything, Carson.” Her voice sounded husky. “With two ex-marines guarding each other and all of us, I won’t have a care in the world tonight.”
He needed to get away from her now. “Keep the flashlight with you. If Johnny wakes up and wants you, one of us will bring him to you. See you in the morning, Tracy.”
With the adrenalin pumping through him, Carson headed for the food tent and grabbed another flashlight from the box. Needing some exercise, he took a walk to check on the horses and make sure all was well.
Their little group had been making enough noise all day to scare off any bears. But on the off chance that one was hungry enough to come around and investigate, he was taking every precaution to safeguard their guests. The thought of anything happening to Tracy or Johnny in his care was anathema to him. He’d never had such intense feelings before.
With time on his hands, he got on the phone and chatted with Ross. They talked about plans for the rest of the week. There were bookings for regular guests extending into August already. It appeared their brainchild was showing the promise of success.
This kind of news should make Carson happy. It was making him happy, but he had two people on his mind who were sleeping in tents very close to him. He was going out of his mind thinking about them leaving so soon and told Ross as much. That’s when he heard a child’s voice cry out, “Mom—”
It could have been any one of the three children. “Ross? One of the kids is awake. Got to go.”
He took off for the bigger tent and almost ran into Buck who was holding Johnny’s hand. The second the little guy saw him, he cried Carson’s name and ran into his arms.
Carson got down on his haunches to hug him tight. “It’s okay, Johnny. You were just having a bad dream.”
“Mommy and I were at this big airport looking for you, but we couldn’t find you. I kept calling for you, but you never came. Then I couldn’t find my mom.”
Carson looked up at Buck who’d heard everything. They’d both assumed the ghost stories had given him nightmares. Maybe they had. But Carson had featured in this one and Johnny had been looking for him.
It seemed Carson wasn’t the only one hating the thought of Johnny and Tracy leaving the Tetons this coming weekend. The implication sent a shockwave through his body and wasn’t lost on Buck, either.
Mercifully, the other kids stayed asleep.
“I’ll take over now,” Buck murmured.
Carson nodded. “Come on, Johnny. Let’s go find your mom.”
The boy put a trusting hand in Carson’s and they walked to her tent. “Tracy?” he called to her from the opening. She stirred and sat up. “Johnny had a bad dream and wants to sleep with you.”
“Oh, honey, come here.” Johnny ran to her. Carson turned to leave, but Johnny’s cry stopped him. “Don’t go, Carson!” He sounded frantic.
“Johnny, Carson needs to go to his tent and get some sleep.”
“He can sleep right here by me. Please, Mommy. I don’t want him to leave.”
In order to avoid a bigger disturbance he said, “Tell you what, partner. I’ll stay here until you fall asleep. How’s that?”
“You promise you won’t go away?”
“Not until after I hear you snoring.”
“I don’t snore. Do I, Mom?”
She laughed softly. “Sometimes.”
Tracy turned on the flashlight to find the blanket. “I’m not using this, Carson. Why don’t you put this down next to Johnny.” She was wearing pajamas with little footballs on them and looked adorable.
As Johnny might say, this was the funnest sleepover in the whole world.
Carson arranged the blanket into a pillow and stretched out. Their close quarters made everything cozy.
Tracy kissed her boy who’d climbed into the sleeping bag with her. “Do you want me to leave the light on?”
“Heck, no. Carson’s here.”
Tears stung Carson’s eyes.
Tracy turned it off. “What kind of a bad dream was it?”
Johnny told her exactly what he’d told Carson.
He heard her deep sigh. “I’ve had dreams where I couldn’t find somebody.”
“You have?”
“Me, too,” Carson interjected.
