“So what’s for dinner?” Tiffany would have to be the one to ask.
“I thought it would be nice if we grilled something outside on the open fire,” Chance said. “Any ideas?”
Kylie saw the opportunity to make peace and seized it. She glanced over at Chance. “Anything but hamburgers,” she said softly, as a tentative smile touched her lips.
Chance met her gaze, immediately recognized their private joke and smiled back. “Okay, no hamburgers.”
“What about a hot-dog roast?” was Tiffany’s suggestion.
“That’s a great idea and we have plenty of hot-dog sticks to use,” Marcus chimed in.
“Okay, all that sounds good,” Chance said, as an amused grin eased up the corner of his mouth. “But because I need something a little bit more filling, I’ll throw a couple of steaks on the grill, too.”
He lifted the last box into his strong arms. “Come on, let’s go inside and get this show on the road.”
Kylie inhaled a deep breath as she stepped out of the bedroom she and Tiffany were sharing. More than a dozen candles were strategically scattered about and a couple of huge lanterns blazed in the corners of the living room.
She couldn’t help but smile, thinking of all the fun they’d had so far. Chance had given both her and Tiffany a quick lesson on camping and had shown them how to assemble a tent in case they ever needed to use one. Roasting hot dogs on the stick had been fun but she’d appreciated Chance’s idea of grilling the steaks when Marcus and Tiffany overcooked the weiners.
And then later, before it had gotten dark, Chance had taken her out in a canoe to the other side of the lake. The scenery there had been just as breathtaking with numerous trees, flowering plants and a catfish-filled stream. Kylie smiled and thought that a person could get spoiled by so much of nature’s beauty.
“Marcus is out like a light.”
Kylie’s smile froze when she turned and saw Chance coming out the bedroom that he and Marcus were sharing. She thought he had turned in for the night.
“So is Tiffany.” She gave him a curious look and said, “I thought you had gone to bed too.”
“Not without first putting out the candles and lanterns. Fire hazards, you know.”
She nodded. “I never realized there was so much to know about camping.”
“There is but it’s an excellent way to get back to nature. My mom agreed up to a point, which is why my parents purchased this place. She didn’t mind getting back to nature but wanted all the comforts of home while doing so.”
He grinned as he moved around the room to put out the candles and lanterns. “I hate to say this but we had more fun when we left her at home. Dad was too laid back to worry about us turning over in the canoe or eating berries off the bushes without washing them first. And the only reason we have hot and cold running water is because she refused to let us bathe in the lake. Good old Mom always came with a strict set of rules.”
Kylie chuckled. “Haven’t you figured out yet that’s one of the things we’re best known for? Your mother sounds like my kind of woman. I would love meeting her one day.”
And I intend for you to do just that, Chance thought as he glanced over at her. Mom would be happy to know that her oldest son has found love again.
All the candles were out but one, and the luminescent glow from that one candle seemed to focus on Kylie, making her skin shine with an ethereal radiance. Her hair had been up in a ponytail earlier but now she’d taken it down, and the mass of braids fell in soft waves around her shoulders.
“Well, I guess I’ll call it a night and—”
“Will you sit on the porch with me for a while?” he asked.
Kylie looked at him then shook her head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
The corner of his mouth tipped upward into a smile. “Has anyone ever told you that you think too much?”
“Possibly,” she said slowly. “But I won’t absolutely admit to anything.”
Chance chuckled. “I didn’t think you would.”
“Now who’s thinking too much?”
“Oh, that’s real rich,” Chance said, laughing. “Come on. I think you’ll get a kick out of watching the stars.” He reached out and offered her his hand and, only after hesitating briefly, she took it.
Chance was right. She was getting a kick out of watching the stars. Sitting here on the porch and rocking in the chair made Kylie realize all the little things she’d hadn’t taken time to do before.
“Sure you don’t want to come over here and share this swing with me?” Chance asked.