Chapter 10
Ten
Twenty Years Earlier
Bronwyn checked her watch.
Mo was late.
She scanned the trail that led into the forest, then turned back to the book she was pretending to read.
She was on The Haven property, but since Mo had shown her how to get to her house from Catherine’s Falls, they’d figured out a way for Mo to sneak onto her family property, then skirt the side and into The Haven grounds.
It was a security failure, to be sure. But she wasn’t about to say anything. And it wasn’t like anyone from the public could access the path from Quinn land. Quinn land was almost as protected as Pierce land.
Except, apparently, at the border.
“Excuse me, miss.”
Bronwyn dropped her book as the voice pulled her from her thoughts. She looked up into a face that was . . . interesting. And one she recognized immediately. Corbin Driscoll.
Her parents had been giddy when he’d first come to The Haven a few years ago. He was a regular now, and while every guest at The Haven was a VIP, something about this man put everyone on their best behavior.
He knelt and picked up her book. “My apologies, Bronwyn.”
“You know my name?” The question popped out before she could stop it.
He winked. “I make it a point to know all the important people wherever I go.”
“I’m not important.”
He glanced over her shoulder, then leaned closer. “Something tells me you’re important to that young man lingering in the trees.” Another wink, and he walked away without a backward glance.
Bronwyn clutched her book to her chest as he left, and when Mo joined her a minute later, her mind was still reeling.
“Who was that?”
“You know I can’t talk about the guests, Mo.”
“I can figure it out.”
He could. Mo could figure out anything. But, “No. Don’t ask me. You know I can’t.”
Mo glared in the direction Mr. Driscoll had gone. “Why was he talking to you out here?”
“How should I know? He’s a guest. He goes where he wants to go. He walks a lot. I heard him tell someone that walking gives him ideas.”
Mo’s stomach growled loud enough to wake the dead, and Bronwyn tucked her arm through his. “I guess your walk gave your stomach ideas. Let’s go hit up the kitchen.”
“You promised me a waterfall.”
“Food first. Then the waterfall.”
“How are you going to get me to the kitchen without being seen? If your uncles see me, we’re toast.” Mo glanced around. Was he nervous?
Not that she blamed him. She was nervous too. “We’ll go into the small kitchen. It’s on the edge of the property. No one will be in there right now.”
“Bronwyn—”
“Come on. This is our opportunity. My parents are out of town and my uncles are in a board meeting. We won’t have another day to do this until next month. Or maybe even the month after that.”
“Good point.” Mo grinned at her, and whatever had been bothering him when he walked up seemed to fade away. “And it’s not like arguing with you would make any difference.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Mo’s smile deepened. “Once you decide to do something, you’re going to do it. Even if it’s risky.”
He wasn’t wrong.
They raided the kitchen and packed snacks into a small bag before slipping back into the forest. The walk to the waterfall was clearly marked for guests, but they had to be on alert in case any guests decided today was the day they were going to visit as well.
The thought had Bronwyn stopping to turn in a circle before continuing on.
“You have a weird look on your face.” Mo took a bite of an apple.
“No I don’t.”
“One hundred percent weird.”
Bronwyn rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”
“What’s going on?”
Bronwyn shrugged. “I was thinking about what you said, about me being determined to do something even if it’s risky. If we get caught . . .”
“If we get caught, your parents will probably have me arrested for trespassing.” Mo took another bite.
“That’s my point! The risk is for you, not me.”
He grinned. “My parents would be so ticked. But Granny . . .” He chuckled. “I think Granny would bail me out. She’d be furious with me, but I think she’d do it just to frustrate your parents. She does not like them.”
“No one who really knows my parents likes them.”
“True.”
They talked about everything and nothing until they came to the waterfall. A small sign declared it to be the Emerald Cascade. Mo studied it with a small smile on his lips. “This is beautiful. I can see why your family wanted to make it accessible to the guests. Do many come see it?”
“A good many during the summer and fall. Not as many in the winter. But I think winter is the prettiest time for any waterfall.”
“We’ll have to come back in the winter, then.”
They stayed at the base of the falls for an hour.
Mo pulled their travel Chinese checkers from the backpack he carried, and before long, they each won a game.
They tried to find a way to climb to the top of the waterfall but gave up when Mo slipped on a rock and slid ten feet before catching himself.
Getting hurt was a one-way ticket to getting caught. And neither of them wanted that.
The trip back took longer than the trip there, with neither of them in a hurry to say goodbye. At some point, Mo took her hand, and they walked with their fingers entwined.
“Do you think our families will ever get along?” Bronwyn leaned her head on Mo’s shoulder and felt him shrug.
“Does it matter?”
“Of course it matters!”
He stopped and looked at her. “Why? I’m not, um, I mean, they aren’t the ones I . . .” Mo dropped her hand and took a step away from her. “I don’t care if they get along. I just care if you and I get along.”
Bronwyn felt heat flooding through her skin. “We’re forever. That isn’t the issue.”
“Then why does it matter what our families think of each other?”
“Don’t you think it would be easier if we didn’t have to hide?”
Mo turned back to the path, and she jogged a couple of steps to stay with him. It was a full minute before he said, “It’s okay now, but, eventually, we won’t hide. We won’t let them do that to us.”
Bronwyn wanted to believe him, but she’d known him too long.
She heard the doubt.
Her family was a problem. They would always be a problem.