A Braves player hit a fly ball that sailed over the outfield fence. The bar whooped and hollered as the team pulled ahead.

  As soon as the noise died down Gavin said, “I’m thinking about getting back into the contractor business again.”

  Cooper’s head snapped around. His family had waited more than a year for this. “You should. You totally should.”

  Gavin’s gaze flickered his way. “Settle down, Sparky. I haven’t made any decisions yet. Just mulling it over.”

  “So, you’d what? Move back to Asheville?”

  “No.” Gavin’s tone implied he’d never go back there.

  Cooper couldn’t blame him. Laurel was still there, as well as a lot of memories Gavin would probably just as soon bury.

  “I’m thinking about opening up shop here. I could do it on the side for a while, see how it goes.”

  “Sounds like a good plan. And there are always out-of-towners building up in the mountains. It’d be handy to have a contractor right here in town.”

  “That’s what I was thinking. Might be nice to be my own boss this time, decide which projects I want to take on. Have some control over my hours.”

  “You built a good name for yourself. I’m sure you have great references. Let me know if I can help with anything.”

  “It’s just a thought for now. Maybe you could keep it to yourself. I’m not ready for the family full-court press.”

  “Sure thing.” That was enough for Cooper. Miles ahead of where his brother had been mentally only a few months ago. And Cooper had a feeling this complete about-face had been single-handedly brought about by one Katelyn Loveland.

  9

  Katie shifted in the camp chair planted outside Gavin’s camper, the memory of last night’s dream hovering in her mind like a vulture over a carcass. The recurring dream happened all too often—she was outside a house and desperate to get in. The reason was never quite clear, but the fear and panic were palpable. She banged on the doors and windows, begging whoever was inside to be let in. She always woke, heart pounding, breaths heaving, eyes wet.

  The fire popped, startling her from her thoughts. She breathed in the smell of wood burning and resolved to enjoy her Saturday evening with Gavin. Muffled voices from nearby campsites joined the warbling trill of cicadas and the high-pitched chirp of crickets.

  Gavin added another log to the fire and settled back into the chair beside her. He lived in the small camper, situated at the back of the campground on the loop. It was only temporary, he’d said. He used to work for a builder in Asheville and had moved back here after his divorce. He hadn’t expounded much on his past and Katie hadn’t pressed.

  After all, she hadn’t mentioned her mother living here in Riverbend. So they were taking things slow—nothing wrong with that. He no doubt had baggage from his divorce. And she’d had enough therapy to know her childhood had left her with trust issues and a fear of rejection.

  “Dinner was delicious,” Gavin said. “Best mac and cheese I’ve ever had.”

  “Thanks. The burgers were good too.”

  “We make a great team.”

  She smiled at him, though the words made her uneasy. She wasn’t sure why and didn’t really want to unpack it tonight. “Your mom stopped by the clinic this week. She brought peanut butter cookies for Avery and me.”

  “She loves to bake.”

  “She’s so sweet.” Katie loved how affectionate she was. Lisa had hugged her on first sight and touched her arm once while they were chatting in the front office.

  “Don’t let her fool you. She ran a tight ship when we were growing up. There was a chore chart and everything.”

  “Oh no, not a chore chart.”

  “You laugh, but it was brutal. To this day I hate washing dishes.”

  “Poor baby. But seriously, it must’ve been hard blending a family like that.”

  “No doubt. Coop and I weren’t too happy about getting a new sister and a man who thought he was our dad. Especially since he was nine years older than Mom. But he eventually earned our respect.”

  “He looks a little like that actor, the one from Designated Survivor.”

  “Kiefer Sutherland? Mom says that, too, but I don’t see it. Anyway, we eventually figured out he wasn’t so bad. And Avery kind of grew on us too.”

  “Were you protective big brothers?”

  “At first we just kind of ignored her. But then this punk started giving her trouble, and we set him straight. Seems like after that things kind of changed.” He stirred the fire with a stick. “Jeff offered to adopt us when I was in seventh grade, and Coop and I took him up on it . . . You haven’t said much about your childhood.”

  She’d only told him she had foster parents. Cooper actually knew more about her past than Gavin did. But then Cooper had been there for what she’d thought might be her last minutes. That had a way of making one divulge things one wouldn’t ordinarily give up.

  “My early childhood wasn’t very stable, but I don’t remember a lot of it. Then there were a few foster homes. Jill and James took Spencer and me in when I was eight and treated us like their own. They have a biological son, and they took in a lot of other foster kids over the years.”

  “Sound like terrific people. You haven’t said much about your brother either. Just that he passed in December.”

  “He had a bad heart. He had to take it easy a lot.” Just thinking of Spencer made her heart twist painfully.

  “You mentioned you were going to hike up to Max Patch and spread his ashes this summer?”

  “That’s what he wanted. I’m doing it on his birthday—hard to believe it’s just a few weeks away now.”

  A log shifted and sparks shot into the night sky. A rowdy group from a nearby campsite heckled one another under the glow of their tiki torches. A group of girls giggled as they disappeared into the restroom.

  “Would you like some company? It’s a long overnight hike, and I’d feel better if you weren’t doing it alone.”

  On the one hand, she might like some privacy. On the other, she didn’t relish the idea of hiking in the wilderness alone. She wasn’t particularly savvy about wildlife, and a woman hiking alone presented its own dangers.

  She turned a smile on him, getting caught in his kind eyes for a long moment. “I think I’d like that. Thank you.”

  “Happy to do it.”

  Gavin was so handsome, especially when he smiled. He had straight white teeth that had surely seen braces once upon a time and eyes the color of worn denim. He really was a nice guy. He’d been a little melancholy at first, but he was coming around. Someone had drilled good manners into him. He came across as a tough guy, but he was ever the gentleman, pulling out her chair and kissing her on the cheek.

  He hadn’t kissed her properly until their third date. It was nice. Sweet and tender. Later he’d told her it had been his first kiss since the divorce.

  An engine hummed closer, and headlights swept across the campsite as a vehicle made the loop of the cul-de-sac. The dark truck slowed directly in front of them, and in the driver’s seat, elbow hooked out the window, sat Cooper Robinson.

  * * *

  Cooper bit back an expletive. He’d felt bad about putting off Gavin this week, so he decided to swing by for that poker game. Figured if Gavin had a date with Kate, he’d be out somewhere.

  But nope. He was here. And sitting right there beside him, face glowing in the campfire’s golden light, was Kate. No way out of this now. He had to at least stop and say hi.

  Cooper gave a wave and pulled into the slot next to Gavin’s Sierra Denali—literally the only thing the man had taken from his marriage. Probably would’ve handed that over to Laurel, too, if she’d wanted it. Guilt did terrible things to a person.

  Cooper got out of his truck and joined them by the fire, putting on his best fake smile.

  Gavin stood. “Hey, Brother.”

  “Hey.” Cooper’s gaze drifted to Kate. “Hi there.”

  “Hi. Just getting off duty?”

  “A while ago.”

  Gavin pulled up a camp chair. “Have a seat. Join us.”

  “I don’t want to interrupt. Just stopped to see if you were free for that game. Should probably head back to the office anyway, catch up on paperwork.”

  “Doesn’t sound like much fun on a Saturday night. Sit down. We were just about to make s’mores, weren’t we, Katie? You can give us the lowdown on the crimes and misdemeanors of Madison County this week.”

  “Well, just for a minute, I guess. Nothing out of the ordinary this week though. Everyone’s still talking about the girl on the edge of the cliff.” He smiled at Kate. “Clinic busy this week?”

  “Oh yeah. Summer’s in full swing, along with the accompanying hiking injuries. One poor girl had a compound fracture of the ulna. Pretty gruesome. Had to send her to the hospital.”

  “I guess that ended her hike,” Cooper said.

  “And then some.”

  “How’s the new nurse working out?” Gavin asked.

  “She’s doing great. Getting her bearings. I think she’ll take some pressure off Avery.”

  “That’s good,” Cooper said. “She’s had her head buried in that clinic for a year. What about you, Bro? Things been pretty quiet around here?”

  “I don’t know if quiet is the right word.” As if on cue the guys down the road let out some drunken whoops. “But everyone’s behaving so far.”

  It was mostly a family campground. But over the years Cooper had come here a time or two to break up a fight, arrest someone for drunk and disorderly. Mostly on weekend nights when the campers sat around drinking.

  “You get your plumbing taken care of?” Cooper asked Katelyn.

  “Yeah, I ended up calling a local company. They had it fixed in no time.”

  “What happened?” Gavin’s gaze toggled between them.

  “My kitchen faucet sprung a leak. Cooper happened over to return my phone at just the right moment and helped me shut off the water.”

  “Why didn’t you call me?” Gavin asked. “I do that kind of stuff around here all the time.”

  “I didn’t want to bother you.”

  “It’s no bother. Call me next time, okay?”

  “Okay.” Kate gave Gavin a slow smile.

  Cooper felt like a third wheel. He started to say he was taking off, but Gavin’s phone buzzed.

  “It’s Barbara Jean from the office.”

  “Go ahead,” Kate said. “I’ll run inside and get the marshmallows.”

  While Gavin took the call, Cooper watched her stroll toward the camper. She wore cutoffs and a white top that exposed her tanned shoulders and slender arms. He tore his gaze away.

  Soon as Gavin got off the phone Cooper would make his excuses and go. He’d continue to cut a wide path around Kate. He was already having trouble keeping his mind off her. If he stopped seeing her, eventually he’d stop thinking about her. Wouldn’t he? He never should’ve come tonight.

  Gavin pocketed his phone as Kate emerged from the camper. “I hate to do this, Katie, but the commode in cabin five is stopped up. I need to go take care of it.”

  “Of course. Go ahead. I’ll wait for you.”

  Cooper stood. “I’ll go with you.”

  “No, I got it. Would you mind keeping Katie company though? The guys down the way are a little rowdy, and they’ve been drinking a lot.”

  No way out of this now. “Sure.” Cooper sank back into his chair.

  “Be back soon.” Gavin kissed Kate on the cheek. “Save me a marshmallow.”

  “Will do.” She sat down next to Cooper as Gavin got in his truck and drove away.

  The cabins were on the far side of the campground, backing up to the French Broad River. The crackling sound of gravel under Gavin’s tires faded into the night, the rippling of the river and muffled sounds of nearby campers taking its place.

  Cooper’s heart ticked off the minutes like a time bomb.

  “You want to make s’mores?” She gave him that sweet smile. “It’s not Oreos, but it’s something. I know you don’t have much of a sweet tooth, but you can’t let a girl s’more alone.”

  His heartstrings gave a sharp tug at the reference to their conversation on the cliff. He ran a hand over the back of his neck.

  He returned her smile. “Uh, sure. Hook me up.”

  She grabbed two skewers, handed one to him, then poked two marshmallows into place and passed over the bag.

  “I keep thinking about that time up there on the cliff,” she said.

  Maybe he wasn’t the only one caught in this sticky web. His stomach tightened at the thought. He stuck two marshmallows on his skewer. “Oh yeah?”

  “It was a week ago today. I keep thinking how it can all end in an instant. How I haven’t been thankful for the people I do have in my life. How we never know when our last day will be. I don’t want to have regrets.”

  He put the stick over the fire beside hers. “I felt that way when my grandpa died—Jeff’s dad. Technically he was my stepgrandpa, but we were close. Death—or near death—has a way of reminding you of the brevity of life.”

  “I told my foster parents about what happened on the cliff. Sent them that note you helped me write.”

  “That’s good. I’m sure they were touched by that.”

  “I could tell they were moved. And I put something in motion I’ve been wanting to do for a long time.” She turned her blue eyes on him. “But I chickened out. I feel like such a coward.”

  He slowly rotated his stick over the fire. “What are you afraid of?”

  “I don’t know.” She huffed. “Yes, I do. I’m afraid of getting hurt. Getting rejected.”

  “Everybody’s afraid of that. Doesn’t make you a coward.”

  “It does when you let it stop you from doing something you need to do. What are you afraid of, Deputy Cooper?”

  “Me?” He chuckled. “I don’t know.”

  “You’re not afraid of dying. You would’ve gone down with my car if it had come to that. You’re probably not afraid of anything. You carry a gun and protect people even when your life is on the line.”

  “There are scarier things than death.”

  “Like getting hurt and being rejected?”

  He studied her for a long moment. Hated that she’d experienced those things and at such a young age.

  “Maybe Gavin already told you, but our dad was a drunk. He and Mom divorced when we were little, but he still lived here for years. He was the screwup always getting locked up in the tank. The sloppy drunk our neighbors would find passed out in the alley on their way to church. If his mouth was moving he was lying. He was pitied and judged and scorned. I’d rather die than have people look at me the way they looked at my dad. So I guess I’m afraid of being like my dad.”

  Her face softened. “He doesn’t sound anything like you. But that must’ve been hard in a small town like this.”

  “Everybody has stuff they have to deal with.”

  “And so you dealt with it by becoming a deputy—soon-to-be sheriff. After your father embarrassed you so badly, it makes sense you’d seek a position that offers esteem.”

  She was insightful, this one. It wasn’t like this thought had never occurred to him. But no one had ever stated it out loud to him. Or made him realize that this was the primary driving factor in his run for sheriff.

  “You’ve got me all figured out.”

  “You’re pretty open.” She slid him a fond look. “And you’re easy to talk to, Cooper.”

  Their eyes connected for a long moment. Something passed between them. Something warm that grew hotter with each second. No woman had ever said that about him. But he had been open with Kate. Maybe because she’d been so vulnerable with him.

  She forced herself to look away. A second later she jerked her stick from the fire. She blew on the flaming marshmallows, but it was too late. “Shoot.”

  He pulled his golden-brown marshmallows from the fire. “You can have mine. I like them burnt.”

  “You sure?”

  “Positive.” He switched sticks with her, then ate the marshmallows right off the stick. They were gooey and sweet with an ashen crust.

  “Don’t you want graham crackers and chocolate?”

  “No, this is good.”

  She worked on her own creation like Hershey’s was using it for a photo shoot. She made sounds of delight as she ate it, sucking the sticky bits off her fingers between bites.

  Cooper scanned the campground, trying to block out the sight and sound of her. Where was his idiot brother?

  When Kate finally finished the s’more, she pulled the second marshmallow off the stick and ate it plain. “Yum.”

  Cooper took her stick and set it in the fire beside his own to burn off the mess.

  “That’s an interesting place to live,” she said.

  He followed her gaze to Gavin’s camper. “Yeah, it’s got to be cramped. He won’t be here forever though. He had a great place back in Asheville. A modern monstrosity, all glass and angles. And white. Felt like I should shower before I sat on the sofa.”

  “I know the kind of place you mean. I guess his wife got the house in the divorce.”

  “Yep.”

  “At first I had second thoughts about getting involved with a divorced guy. But we all have baggage, right? He hasn’t said much about his ex-wife, but he doesn’t seem to harbor any resentment. I’m kind of surprised he moved back here though.”

  “With Laurel’s folks living here, you mean?” That hadn’t been easy for any of them. Made for some awkward run-ins.

  “No, I just meant there’s not much in the way of career opportunities for him here. Besides, Asheville’s a big enough place to coexist with your ex-spouse.”

  “It’s the memories mainly, I think—Jesse.”

  Her gaze sharpened on him. “Jesse?”

  Oh man. Cooper gave a slow blink, cursing his own stupidity. “He hasn’t told you.”

  “Told me what?” Her words sounded cautious.

  He’d already stepped in it, but he shook his head. “It’s not my place to say. He’ll tell you when he’s ready.”

  “Come on, Cooper. You can’t mention another woman’s name in relation to his divorce and not tell me. Did he cheat on his wife? Because I really don’t want to get involved with a cheater.”