Her Rocky Mountain Hope. Mindy Obenhaus

      Minutes later, Blythe directed a satisfied grin in Daniel’s direction. “Great! I’ll see you in a few weeks. Thanks.” Ending the call, she glanced at the ruggedly handsome camp director standing nearby. Daniel Stephens was definitely not a bum. On the contrary, he looked more like one of those action heroes in the movies. The type that managed to maintain his good looks even when the bad guy was getting the best of him.

      Not that Daniel’s appearance had anything to do with her decision to step in and take Felicia’s place as a camp companion. No, it had been an image of her younger self that did that. The one of the girl who couldn’t wait to go to camp, try new things and make new friends. If she’d had a counselor who was as determined to see to it that her charges had fun, then maybe Blythe’s camp experience would have turned out differently.

      While she couldn’t change the past, she could make a difference in another young girl’s life.

      “We are good to go.” Satisfaction filled her as she tucked her phone into the back pocket of her jeans. Serving as a companion would make her privy to all of the goings-on here at Camp Sneffels. Meaning it would be tough for Daniel to hide anything from her. Her goal, after all, was to make sure this camp was for the kids and that they were having fun. Daniel might clean up well, but he still had to prove himself and the camp worthy of continued funding.

      Returning to the chow hall, she and Daniel finished their breakfast in silence. A couple of surreptitious glimpses at the man had her deducing he was lost in thought, though she couldn’t help wondering what those thoughts might be. Was he contemplating his next move or whether or not she was cut out to be a companion?

      The latter had her steeling herself as they made their way to his office.

      “There’s some paperwork you’re going to need to fill out. I’ll also need your driver’s license so I can run a background check. And I’ll want to introduce you to the staff and volunteers. It’s important you know who to go to and for what. Then we’ll get you moved over to Felicia’s cabin later today. Companions lodge with their campers. Oh, and I still plan to give you a full tour of Adventure Haven.”

      “Sounds like we’ve got a busy day.”

      He held open the screen door to the camp office and waited for her to enter. “Yes, but nothing compared to when the campers get here.”

      Hmm... He was on point there. If the camp fulfilled its promise, anyway.

      The wood-paneled office was small with only a desk, a couple of tall metal file cabinets and four side chairs lined up against the wall to the right of the door. A long, green gingham curtain covered a doorway to her left, making her wonder what was behind it. A separate office, perhaps.

      “That reminds me...” Daniel stopped beside the old metal desk and gave her a once-over. “About your clothes.”

      She looked down at her outfit, self-consciousness tangling with annoyance. “What’s wrong with them?”

      “Nothing. I’m just not sure how appropriate they are for running around camp with a bunch of kids. We’ll provide you with camp T-shirts that all of the volunteers are required to wear, but did you bring any jeans that aren’t so...nice? Maybe some shorts, comfortable footwear? Things you don’t mind getting dirty.”

      She wasn’t sure she had anything in her wardrobe that she considered play clothes. Either here or at her apartment in Denver. For the most part, business casual was her modus operandi. However, she had brought some workout clothes. Yoga pants and leggings should be all right. And she had a couple of pairs of casual shorts and her running shoes.

      She gave herself a mental high five. “Yes, I have suitable clothing, so that won’t be an issue.”

      “Great.” He opened one of the desk drawers and pulled out a small stack of papers held together with a binder clip. “Then once you fill out these forms, you can change, and we’ll head over to Adventure Haven.” He handed her the documents.

      “For a tour.” She skimmed the first page, pleased to see it wasn’t much more than a job application.

      “Yes. And maybe a little fun.”

      Fun? Looking at Daniel Stephens she had a pretty good idea that his version of fun and hers were miles apart. Still, she wasn’t doing this for him; she was doing it for the kids.

      A little more than an hour later, she met Daniel back at the camp office, although this time she was wearing a pair of black leggings and a poppy-colored tunic that matched the colorful swoosh on her black running shoes.

      “Ready?” He slung a small backpack over one shoulder.

      “Yes, sir.”

      He led her onto a wide path blanketed with pine needles that seemed to muffle their footsteps. Aspen and pine trees stretched to their left and right with little to no undergrowth, and the forest floor was dappled with sunlight.

      “How far of a walk is it to Adventure Haven?” Blythe had to take two steps for every one of Daniel’s just to keep up with those long legs of his.

      “A few hundred yards. Far enough to be separate, but close enough for the kids to manage without wearing themselves out.”

      She could certainly appreciate that. As would the kids.

      “However, I think I’d like to give you an overview first.” His steps slowed as the corners of his mouth tipped up into a silly grin.

      “What does that mean?”

      “You’ll see.” The glimmer in his eyes did not inspire a lot of confidence.

      He led her onto another path that veered to their left and before she knew it, they were climbing. Nothing drastic, just different. The trail became rockier, dust replacing pine needles as they rose above the trees.

      The path went straight for a time before making a sharp right turn. Then straight again, followed by a U-turn left.

      She wasn’t a fan of switchbacks. Or hiking, for that matter. And even though they hadn’t gone that far, she found herself huffing and puffing.

      “Do you need to take a break?” Daniel called over his shoulder.

      “No.” She gasped for air. “I’m—” another breath “—fine.”

      He stopped and faced her. “No, you’re not.” Lowering his pack, he unzipped it, pulled out a bottle of water and handed it to her. “Sorry, I failed to consider how the altitude might affect you.”

      “How