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  “Don’t worry about it.” Ivy found she was glad to have the woman on her side. “He’s just … worked up. We really did think that was you. He fell apart.”

  “I can see that. It’s not okay for him to take out his anger on you, though. If I felt I needed someone to walk to the spigot with me, I would’ve asked.”

  “Yeah, but we shouldn’t have let you go. Our lives are weird enough that we knew better. I’m sorry I didn’t volunteer to go with you.”

  “It wouldn’t have changed anything. Literally. I wasn’t hurt. I don’t plan on being hurt. I’m fine.”

  “I’m really glad you are.” Ivy reached over and clasped the woman’s hand. “I know I don’t know you well, but my brother really likes you. I mean … really likes you. Please forgive him for acting like a fool this evening.”

  “There’s nothing to forgive. I understand that he’s upset. I would be upset in his shoes. I’m going to see he gets some sleep and hopefully he’ll be back to his normal self in the morning.”

  “That would be nice.” Ivy released her hand. “Sweet dreams.”

  “You, too. Although … are you okay sleeping alone? You’re more than welcome to come inside with us if you’re afraid to sleep alone.”

  “No, she’s not,” Max called from inside the tent.

  For the first time in hours, Ivy found herself laughing. “I’ll be fine. Jack won’t be long. Someone would have to be crazy to stick around with all these cops on site.”

  “Good point. Goodnight.”

  “Goodnight to you, too.”

  IVY WAS CONVINCED SHE WOULDN’T be able to sleep, but she slipped under within a few minutes of crawling between the sleeping bags. She was out cold when Jack finally joined her well after midnight. He stripped down to his boxer shorts and slid in beside her, wrapping his arms around her waist as she murmured and shifted.

  “I’m sorry I woke you,” he whispered, kissing her on the forehead when she wrapped herself around him, resting her head on his chest. “I didn’t mean to be so long.”

  “It’s okay,” she said, struggling to make her brain catch up. “Do you know anything?”

  “Very little. Her name is Stacy Shepherd. She’s twenty-five, was here with her husband, and her neck was snapped.”

  Ivy’s eyes flew open. “Was it an accident?”

  He shrugged. “We don’t know yet. The medical examiner seems to think that’s unlikely but there’s always the chance that she tripped headfirst going down that little hill. He won’t know more until he has a chance to really get in there and look at things.”

  Ivy wrinkled her nose. “That’s … lovely.”

  “I’m sorry.” He gave her a soft kiss. “The husband showed up not long after you left. His name is Gordon Shepherd. He said he was out night fishing in the creek and had no idea anything happened. Trooper Winters opted to take him in for questioning. I don’t know if his story will stand up.”

  “It sounds a little weak, huh?”

  “It does, but no one saw them together in the two hours leading up to her death. Everyone who saw her right before and after dinner said she was up there alone. He could’ve gone night fishing. It’s an actual thing.”

  “Yeah.” Ivy kissed his strong jaw and wrapped her arms tightly around him. “Max is still angry. He didn’t stop complaining the entire way back to the campground. Amy promised to talk to him but … I don’t know. I don’t like that he blames us.”

  “I’m not exactly happy about that either. That being said, if you’d walked down there alone and he hadn’t gone with you, I would be put out. He has a right to his anger.”

  “Even though he’s only here because he pushed his way into our vacation?”

  “I’m trying to be the bigger man.”

  Ivy laughed despite herself. “You’re definitely the bigger man.”

  “Thank you.” He gave her another kiss and snuggled her close. “Now I think we should go to sleep. We’ll know more about what happened tomorrow. I mean … it’s still possible that it was an accident.”

  Ivy could tell by his tone that he didn’t believe that. “Yeah. Sleep sounds good.” She brushed her lips against his. “I love you, Jack. I’m not angry with you for anything that happened … and I’m sorry that this vacation is already going like the last one.”

  “Don’t remind me. I’m starting to think we’re not meant to camp.”

  “Don’t give up just yet. Tomorrow is another day.”

  “And I’m looking forward to it.”

  Six

  The sun shining through the tent window Ivy forgot to close the night before woke her and Jack several hours later. Jack made a groaning sound as he shifted and brought his arm up to cover his eyes.

  “Can someone turn off the light?” he groused.

  Ivy chuckled as she rolled to her knees and grabbed the hanging piece of canvas. She slipped it back into place, which immediately made the tent ten shades darker, and flopped back onto the sleeping bag with Jack. “Better?”

  “I have you. My life is perfect.” He slipped his arm around her back and nestled her close. “Did you sleep okay? I was down for the count so fast I didn’t even check to make sure you were out before shutting down.”

  Ivy furrowed her brow. “Do you always wait for me to fall asleep first?”

  “Not always. Just when I think there’s a chance you might be upset.”

  “I’m not upset.”

  Jack cocked an eyebrow and forced open an eye. “You’re not upset, huh?” He didn’t believe that for a second. He knew her too well. “So, that means you’re going to throw your arms around your brother and give him a long hug when you see him this morning, right?”

  Ivy wrinkled her nose. “I don’t know if I would go that far,” she hedged. “It’s not because I’m upset, though. I’m simply not much of a hugger.”

  He snorted, genuinely amused. “Yes, you withhold affection with the best of them.” He poked her side and grinned. “Do you know why I fell in love with you?”

  “Because I’m sugar and spice and everything nice.”

  “I know you meant that as a joke, but in a way, it’s true. You are one of the sweetest women I’ve ever met. You’re also feisty. Your heart is bigger than a skyscraper, too.”

  “Oh, geez. You’re laying it on a bit thick.”

  He chuckled. “I fell in love with you because you have a giving heart and you love freely. I saw the way you were with Max — the way you joked and adored him without giving it a thought — and I knew I wanted to be loved by you, too.”

  Ivy stared hard into his eyes. “Please.” She let loose an inelegant snort. “You fell in love with me because I cooked for you and we started sharing dreams. We were connected from the start. This little manipulative thing you’re trying here to get me to make up with Max isn’t going to work. I know darned well my relationship with him didn’t have a thing to do with why we bonded.”

  Jack was philosophical. “I had to try.”

  “Well, it’s not going to work. I’m still mad at Max. I can’t help it. The way he treated us last night ... it was unfair. We didn’t earn his wrath.”

  “Ivy, when someone you care about is in danger, sometimes human reactions don’t follow a set plan,” he hedged. “Max thought Amy died. That had to shake him. Heck, it shook me and I barely know her.”

  Ivy thought back to the way her heart pounded and her stomach threatened to revolt. “Yeah. I didn’t know what to make of it. I felt as if I was mired in quicksand and there was no way out. It was like I was trapped in an echo chamber and I didn’t know how to comfort my own brother.”

  “Your brother is not a perfect man. He’s still your best friend. He was upset last night. He was manic. How do you think I would’ve responded under the same circumstances? If I thought you were dead on the ground and then you turned up, you couldn’t pry me off you with a crowbar. I would be angry at the people who let you walk alone in the dark and created the situation, too.”


  Ivy immediately balked. “We didn’t create the situation. I’ll agree that we probably shouldn’t have left her alone to walk to the main building by herself. That wasn’t smart. She’s okay, though, and Max is treating us like criminals. It’s stupid ... and I don’t like it.”

  “I’m sure he doesn’t like it either.”

  “Why are you taking his side?”

  “Because I know how crushed I would’ve been if that had been you and I’m open to giving him the benefit of the doubt. I happen to think he’s going to be better this morning — maybe not apologetic, but definitely better. You can’t hold this against him. Do you have any idea how awful I would be under the same circumstances?”

  Ivy could’ve lied. She thought about it, although only briefly. She knew exactly how Jack would’ve reacted because she would’ve responded in the same way. She would’ve been a mess. The fact that Jack had a point about letting Max off the hook bothered her, though. “I’m not playing nice until he apologizes.” Her tone was firm. “I mean it.”

  “Well, then it should be a stressful and uncomfortable day.” He kissed her forehead. “I, for one, am looking forward to it.”

  Ivy ignored him and snuggled closer. “Five more minutes and then we can go out and greet the day. I’m as eager as you to hear more about Stacy Shepherd.”

  Jack doubted that was true, but he let the comment pass. Ivy was as keyed up as Max. She just didn’t realize it.

  It was going to be a long day.

  IVY AND JACK WERE ALREADY sitting in front of a fresh fire drinking coffee and tea when Max let himself out of the tent he shared with Amy. She was still inside waking herself up — she was a slow starter in the mornings — and she insisted Max greet his sister and future brother-in-law sans her watchful stare. Max had a feeling that was because she wanted them to get any residual arguments out of their systems before she joined them.

  Honestly, he didn’t blame her. He wasn’t exactly proud of his reaction the previous evening.

  “Hey,” he muttered as he shuffled closer to the fire. “Is that coffee?”

  Ivy hiked an eyebrow as she slid him a sidelong look. “I don’t know. Do you think it’s coffee?”

  “Oh, geez.” Jack pinched the bridge of his nose and stared at the sky. “If you guys are going to start fighting, tell me now because I need to add bourbon to my coffee. I can’t take a morning of snarking.”

  “You live with Ivy,” Max pointed out. “She snarks at you over breakfast every single day.”

  “Yes, but she’s cute when she does it,” Jack shot back. “I don’t happen to find you as cute as I find her.”

  “That’s probably a relief.” Max, uncomfortable, shifted from one foot to the other. “So ... um ... about last night.”

  Ivy’s expression never changed as she focused on her tea. She wasn’t a coffee drinker so she brought tea bags to fuel her caffeine habit. “If you start yelling at us, I’m going to wrestle you down and fill your mouth with dirt,” she muttered.

  Jack shot her a quelling look. “Don’t pick a fight with your brother. He’s trying to apologize.”

  “I’m not trying to apologize,” Max argued hurriedly. “It’s just ... I might have been a little loud and obnoxious last night. I stress might.”

  Jack maintained his cool. “And that’s not an apology?”

  “No.” Max was firm as he shook his head. “I’m not sorry for what I said. Not even a little. I happen to believe that you were in the wrong for letting her leave the campsite without an escort.”

  Jack sighed. “I actually agree with that. If you’d done the same to Ivy, I would’ve melted down and been a lot worse than you were last night. I acknowledge that and apologize. I shouldn’t have let Amy go alone. I honestly wasn’t thinking.”

  “You couldn’t have known what would happen,” Max offered. “It’s just ... I’ve never felt that way before.” His expression was earnest enough that it melted some of the icy resolve surrounding Ivy’s heart. “I never felt fear like that before. I guess that’s probably how you felt when Ivy was shot, huh?”

  Jack’s smile dipped. “I wish people would stop bringing that up. It gives me nightmares.”

  Ivy absently patted his arm. “We’ll stop talking about it.”

  “I didn’t agree to that.” Max held a straight face for an extended beat and then his lips curved. “I didn’t mean to take out my frustrations on you guys last night. I realize now that wasn’t fair. It’s just ... I was afraid.”

  Ivy took pity on him exactly the way Jack knew she would. “It’s okay to be afraid, Max.” Her voice was soft. “I’ve been afraid numerous times in my life. You can’t turn on the people who are on your side, though. That’s not fair ... or smart. And, for the record, I’ll always be on your side because that’s who I am.”

  “I know.” Max was relieved as he stepped forward and pressed a light kiss to the top of his sister’s head. The tension that had been dragging at both of them since they woke drifted away. “I’m sorry about everything. I just ... I fell apart. I’ll try not to let it happen again, but I can’t guarantee I’m capable of doing that.”

  “Don’t worry about it.” Jack waved off the apology. “I’ve melted down a time or two when it comes to your sister. It happens. I don’t think we need to dwell on it.”

  Max’s grin widened. “Great. I’m glad we’re all in love with each other again.”

  “I wouldn’t go that far,” Jack countered.

  Max ignored him. “So, I was thinking we would have some breakfast and then take a hike past the waterfalls. Amy has never seen waterfalls and she seems a bit antsy this morning. I think what happened last night affected her more than she’s willing to admit. I already told her it was a plan so ... let’s get to breakfast, huh?”

  His expression was so hopeful that Jack couldn’t slap him back, even though he really wanted to. Instead, he waited until Max returned to the tent to speak. “I’m never going to get you alone this trip, am I?”

  “What are you talking about? You romanced my socks off yesterday and we spent five minutes snuggling alone in bed this morning.” Ivy snickered as he pinned her with a dirty look. “Oh, wait. Are you insinuating you wanted to romance me on a private hike?”

  “No, I’m flat out saying it. You made these waterfalls sound as if they were magical. I wanted them to be magical for both of us.”

  “And you don’t think they will be if we bring Max and Amy along for the ride?”

  “I don’t think they’re going to be anywhere near as magical as I initially anticipated. Let’s just leave it at that.”

  “It’s important to him.” She kept her voice low. “He apologized. I can tell he’s still a little nervous. As for Amy, she might actually be traumatized from what happened last night. She got lucky that she didn’t run into Stacy on that hill ... or get mistaken for her ... or accidentally stumble across a kill in progress. She might be a little shaky and prefer a bigger group.”

  Jack narrowed his eyes. “You’re just making excuses because Max was right about everybody being in love again ... mostly you and your brother.”

  “You make it sound gross.” Ivy leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. “Don’t make my relationship with my brother sound gross. I don’t like that.”

  “Fair enough. I want time alone just the two of us this afternoon to make up for the morning hike, though. I insist.”

  “I believe I can make that happen.”

  “You’d better or I’m going to beat the crap out of your brother.”

  “Duly noted.”

  EVEN THOUGH HE WAS INITIALLY reticent, Jack found he enjoyed the hike. The park’s main draw wasn’t one big set of falls. It was hundreds of small sets, and he found that he enjoyed watching the waterfall more than he initially envisioned.

  “It’s really gorgeous here,” he noted, shifting. He expected to find Ivy standing next to him but instead he found Max. “You guys must’ve really enjoyed visiting th
is place when you were kids, huh?”

  Max enthusiastically nodded. “We really. We found it by a fluke, too.”

  “How’s that?”

  “Mom was supposed to book a specific campground that’s farther north when we were kids. She was late even though Dad warned her it would fill up quickly. She found this place on the map and booked without telling him until we were basically on top of the campground and then she pointed and said ‘oh, that’s where we’re staying.’ My dad was confused but pulled in. Then she told him the whole story. He was completely irritated but ended up falling in love with this place. After that we came every year.”

  “I can see why.” Jack bent over and picked up a stone so he could skip it against the slow-moving water. “I’m glad you made up with your sister. She was more upset about what happened than she wanted to let on.”

  Max turned sheepish. “I shouldn’t have yelled at her the way I did. It’s just ... it’s like I lost control of my head. I couldn’t make sense of anything that was happening.”

  “I get that,” Jack acknowledged. “I’ve felt that way about Ivy a time or two. That’s why I didn’t take it personally. Still, she’s your sister. She would never purposely hurt you.”

  “Do you think I don’t know that? I was just overwrought. I don’t know any other way to explain it. I didn’t mean to hurt her feelings. I’ll apologize again if you think it will make her feel better.”

  “You don’t need to do that. She’s fine. She’s over having a good time with Amy.” He inclined his chin toward the two women, who had taken off their shoes and were splashing in the shallow water as they conversed. “Just keep it in mind for the future. As for what happened, I was in the wrong. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s over.” Max made a dismissive hand gesture. “Amy is here and whole. She’s still shy — and I’m working on drawing her out — but she’s here. That’s the most important thing.”

  Jack fixed his eyes on the two women and smirked. “It might be good that she’s spending time with Ivy. If anyone can beat the shyness out of her, it’s your sister.”