.
part of me could sit here and watch the sun rise every morning and set every night and never tire of it. I remember reading books up here a time or two. I do miss how peaceful it is. Out here you can actually feel the day end,” she said.
“I know what you mean. Whenever I stay in the city, I have trouble winding down. It’s kind of true when they say cities never sleep. All that nightlife.”
The idea of Pip never winding down was borderline scary. A chuckle escaped him. He was answered with soft laughter.
“Okay, you two. Game over.” He climbed the weathered, wooden ladder and crossed his arms on the edge of the platform. “You left your radio behind again, Pip.”
The last remnants of light reflected off her auburn curls, bringing out golden highlights. Every year, the sun seemed to make it lighter.
“I never really left camp, did I?” She gave him a cheeky grin. “Besides, I knew you’d come and rescue us. I can’t climb down if you’re on the ladder.”
He backed down a few steps, then jumped to the ground. Pippa backed down fewer and jumped farther. He didn’t comment. Maddie turned onto her knees, carefully found her footing and looked down at the rungs each time to be sure she didn’t miss a step. He figured she wasn’t planning on any jumps. She was almost there. Her hips were level with his shoulders. Pippa had jumped from much higher than that. Maddie stopped altogether and began tugging at her waist.
“Something wrong?” Haki moved to the side of the ladder.
“Nope. I’m fine. My pants snagged on something. Just give me a second.” She sucked on her lower lip as she held on to the ladder with one hand and tried stretching and tugging at her waistband with the other. Her cheeks took on the colors of the sunset, but since the sky had darkened, he knew reflection had nothing to do with it.
He pulled a flashlight off the back of his belt and shone it at the rung in question. The wood had split and she’d managed to fishhook a thick shard through the empty belt loop of her khakis.
“What is it?” Pippa asked.
“These rungs need to be replaced as soon as possible,” he said. “Guess you’ll have to stay here all night, Maddie-girl.”
“I don’t think so. Besides, you’d never leave me here. Unless you plan to sleep under me.” Her face turned even redder. He kept a straight face. He knew what she meant. Her poor pride needed rescuing.
“I could cut you loose with my knife, but I don’t think we have to ruin your clothes. Stay still a minute and move your hand. Hold on to the ladder with both.”
The bottom of her shirt lifted just enough for the moonlight to touch her skin as she reached for the rung above her head and held on. He stepped behind her, put his hands around her waist and felt for the snag. Her shirt brushed against his cheek and the subtle scents of citrus and fresh soap filled his next breath. He closed his eyes just for a second. He needed to focus. He needed to visualize. He needed to be standing right where he was to keep her from falling backward.
“I’m going to break off the piece of wood at the base of where it splintered. I don’t want it to hurt you, so I’m going to put my hand against your waist to protect your skin. Okay?”
“Should I hold a flashlight for you?” Pippa asked.
“Nah, I’ve got this.” At Pippa’s height, she’d be flashing the light up in his face and his hands would block most of it anyway.
“Do whatever you need to do. If it’s too much work, just cut my pant loop,” Maddie said.
He slipped his fingertips barely below the waistline of her pants and pressed his palm against her, so that the belt loop and jagged end of the piece of wood were against the back of his left hand. With his right, he broke off the shard in one quick move.
“All done. I’ve got you. Let go of the ladder.” He held her by the waist, set her feet on the ground, then immediately let go and took several steps back.
“Thank you,” she breathed. Her long hair shielded her face as she looked down, unhooked the piece of wood from her loop and tossed it into the grass. Pippa hurried to her side and put her arm around her.
“I told you he’s a hero around here. You okay?”
Maddie pushed her hair behind her ears and smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“Of course. I’m totally fine. Thank you again, Haki.” She nodded one too many times.
“No big deal. Stuff like that happens pretty much every day around here,” he said. And by “around here” he meant somewhere in the vast wilds of Kenya. Not that he’d witnessed it, but surely she wasn’t the only woman in the region to hang from an observation platform by her belt loop. Maddie’s color seemed to fade back to normal in the moonlight and her shoulders relaxed. Good. “We should go eat before Huru and Noah clear the table. And I don’t mean the dishes. The appetite of teen boys—surpassed only by the appetite of teen elephant bulls.” He motioned for them to walk ahead of him; then he curled his fingers into his palm and pressed against the stinging abrasion on the back of his hand.
He could handle the sting. In fact, he needed it right now. He deserved it. Justice. Pain for punishment. You have a future, here, with Pippa. Where’s your sense of honor? He closed his eyes and took a grounding, cleansing breath of night air, and then another...but it failed to clear Maddie from his senses.
MADDIE WAS RELIEVED that she wasn’t seated close to Haki and Pippa at dinner. She couldn’t bring herself to look either of them in the eyes. God help her, she’d always been told she wore her emotions on her sleeve. One of her law professors had even warned her that she needed to work on a poker face if she ever hoped to catch a witness off guard on the stand. She projected with her face. She couldn’t help it. She didn’t do it consciously.
Her mom often reminded her that her facial expressions had been a key part of how she’d communicated back when she couldn’t speak as a child and that she thought it was a beautiful part of her. That it showed honesty. But Hope had a way of finding the positive side of everything. At the moment, the last thing Maddie needed was honesty plastered all over her face. If Haki or Pippa could see what she was honestly feeling or thinking...she’d die. Plain and simple. It would destroy them.
She put another bite of mango in her mouth. Dinner had been a delicious, savory stew with homemade flatbread, and dessert was an array of fruits—so much healthier than mandazi—but she was full. The only reason she kept eating was so she could listen instead of talking. Talking when she still felt confused and guilty and couldn’t focus...yeah, that wouldn’t be good.
The conversation rolled from Jack’s latest findings in his genetic research to the steady flow of donations coming in to help support the orphans, to how Huru and Noah were doing with their studies. Haki said something and his voice seemed to be the only one she keyed into.
She rubbed her hand along her arm where the rough stubble of his jaw and warmth of his breath had inadvertently caressed her skin earlier, at the tree. Even the vibration of his deep voice, when he’d gotten permission to touch her before unsnagging her, had made the hairs along her arms dance. And now...just listening to him... What was wrong with her? No guy had ever had this effect on her, and she wanted the feeling to go away. It was overpowering. It was dangerous. It betrayed Pippa.
She set down her fork and took a drink of water. Maybe she needed a shower or maybe she was still jet-lagged. That had to be it.
“I know what’s on your mind, Maddie,” Pippa called out from the far end of the table. Maddie’s stomach churned.
“You do?”
“Tomorrow? You probably want to sleep because I know you didn’t last night and we need to talk about what time you need to head out, who’s