Maggie K. Black - Silent Hunter

Oh, Lord, I don’t even know what to pray right now.

Footsteps crackled in the brush behind her. She jumped up. It was Luke. The sport’s reporter had changed into jeans and a plaid shirt, but somehow still managed to look as though he’d just stepped out of a magazine. Clouds reflected in the sunglasses hiding his eyes. Faint soot still traced the deepest lines of his face, as if someone had just sketched him out of charcoal.

It had to be him! How else would he have known where to find her?

“Hey!” Luke started toward her. “How are you feeling? You okay?”

She nodded. “Yeah. I’m fine.”

He reached out as though unsure whether to shake her hand or to hug her. Then he stopped and shoved his hand into his pocket. “How’s George?”

“He’s okay. The doctors only let me talk to him for a few minutes. But he seems good. They’re just worried about his heart and want him to rest in the hospital for a couple of days. Canoe trip is still going ahead tomorrow, though. His son, Trevor, is going to alternate between camping with us and being back here for his dad.”

“Glad to hear it. I filed a police report. I think I might have seen someone in the woods just before I called 9-1-1.”

She rolled her shoulders back, like a duck shaking off water. “Thanks. But, honestly, I’m not ready to believe anyone would have set this fire intentionally.”

Luke paused, then ran his hand over his jaw. His index finger brushed over his bottom lip as if trying to summon words he wasn’t sure how to say.

“We need to talk.”

She pressed her lips together and took a deep breath.

“Told you we’d find her here!” a voice boomed.

Neil Pryce, the director of Ace Sports Resort, came crashing through the underbrush. The former quarterback jammed a very large smartphone into his jacket pocket. “Sorry to leave you back there, Luke, but I had a quick email to sort and I knew that I’d probably lose our Wi-Fi signal once I left Ace Sports territory.”

So much for their moment alone to talk.

Neil reached for Nicky’s hand and squeezed like clamped-on jumper cables. “I’m so sorry to hear about what happened. A fire. Wow. Well, I guess that’s the danger you run with those rustic older buildings.”

She smiled politely and pulled her hand away. “I didn’t realize you two knew each other. Though unless I have him mistaken for someone else, I think Luke used to be a counselor at Ace Sports? Back when we were both teenagers?”

Neil’s grin grew so wide and toothy it reminded her of a shark. “Really? I didn’t know Ace Sports actually had an alumni working as a Toronto sports reporter.”

Luke pulled off his sunglasses. Gray eyes searched her face. “Sorry, I never actually went to Ace Sports or worked there. I’ve never been a camp counselor kind of guy. In fact, my first legit job was actually stacking newspapers in the warehouse at Torchlight News . George helped me get it.”

Nicky felt her heart drop a couple of inches. Did that mean he wasn’t who she thought he was?

“Well, it’s never too late to get the Ace Sports experience,” Neil said. “Me and Luke met at the hospital. I could hear the sirens all the way from the tennis courts, so figured I’d follow the ambulance to the hospital to see if there was anything I could do to help.”

She nearly snorted. It was more likely Neil had hoped to take advantage of George’s enfeebled state to snag a few of their potential donors for his latest vanity project. Neil might be the boss of the shiny camp next door, but he wasn’t an owner. He simply reported to a whole boardroom full of money-minded shareholders who’d probably love to snatch up Camp Spirit’s land to build another luxury sports complex. If the lodge fire did turn out to be arson, would police be questioning Neil and his staff? Neil might be both competitive and smarmy, but she hated to think he was actually capable of stooping that low.

“When I discovered Luke here was a sports reporter, I offered to put him up in one of Ace Sports’ deluxe chalets,” Neil added. “Just finished moving him in. In return, we’re hoping he’ll give us some positive press on our new facilities. An hour in our heated pool and he won’t be able to help himself from giving us a full spread.”

No surprise there. Nicky’s smile stiffened. Here George had assured her that Luke was a good friend, not the kind of person who would run to their competitor in exchange for a comfier bed and hot towels. Now she just had to hope she could keep the prospective donors from deserting them, as well.

* * *

Luke felt something twist in his chest as he saw the disappointment flicker in Nicky’s dark eyes. Not that the rest of her face gave that much away.

“Well, then, I guess Camp Spirit’s loss is Ace Sports’ gain.” She flashed him a crisp, professional smile, which somehow managed to make him feel even worse. What else had she expected him to do? George was in the hospital. The closest hotel was an hour away.

Luke ran his hand across the back of his neck. “Actually, Torchlight News has a policy of never exchanging publicity for perks. The paper will pay for my stay.”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll find it quite comfortable.” Nicky’s smile never faltered. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m taking a group canoeing this weekend and need to take a boat to the campsite to make sure everything is in order.” Before he could say anything more, she turned on her heel and disappeared into the woods.

Neil chuckled. “She’s a pip, isn’t she? I pity the poor fool who ever tries to tame her. Now, how about you and I go take a tour of Ace Sports’ new facilities? Maybe try out the pool? Or are you more of an archery man?”

Luke blew out a hard breath. Shooting off a few arrows sounded like exactly what he could use right now. In fact, he had his wooden bow stashed in the back of his car, just in case he was able to get some target practice in at the archery range. But, between the admission that he’d never actually been an Ace Sports counselor and where he was crashing overnight, he’d somehow just managed to make Nicky even more upset than she was already. He had to fix this.

“Maybe later.” He glanced down the hill, searching for some sign of her among the trees. “Thank you again for your help. I’ll find my own way back in a bit and check in with your front office later.”

Luke started down the hill, half jogging and half climbing. She’d been in such a hurry she’d just run off straight through the trees instead of bothering with the winding path. Same old Nicky. Sure, the past decade had softened some of the angles. But that fire in her eyes hadn’t dampened for a moment.

He lost sight of her at the beach, behind a rack of canoes, but saw her again by the docks. She disappeared into the boathouse. He followed, took a deep breath and slid the door open. The boathouse was built like a barn with thin docks forming two separate channels. Faint light filtered through the windows, bouncing off the water and sending refracted light across the walls. Two identical four-person speedboats sat side by side. The door swung shut behind him. “Hello? Nicky?”

A figure rose from the back of the nearest boat. A dark raincoat now engulfed her body. The hood framed her face, casting shadows down the curve of her neck. Dark curls trailed along her cheeks. His heart caught in his chest. All these years, Nicky had been like a phantom at the edges of his memory—and here she was even more beautiful than he’d remembered.

How much did she remember? Did she remember the long conversations on top of the cliff? How he’d opened his heart to her? How close they’d gotten? Or had everything they’d shared been destroyed by how he’d left, then been lost under an avalanche of time?