directly across his trailer, effectively demolishing it and most everything he’d moved in for the month.
Rick was vaulted to reluctant hero status since Kenny would likely have been killed as the bulk of the tree tore through the bedroom end of the camper.
The remainder of the night had been spent letting the kids call their parents to let them know they were okay, salvaging anything of Kenny’s that could be saved from the debris left behind in the wreckage and dragging the fallen limbs and branches into piles.
A cold supper of sandwiches and chips seemed to satisfy the kids, who appeared to be walking in their sleep by lights-out. They’d cheered, though, when Rick announced no nature hike for Saturday morning and Ginny pushed breakfast up to nine so everybody could sleep in.
Despite her fatigue, Summer wasn’t sleepy. She’d hoped for a little time alone with Rick this evening, mainly to satisfy her curiosity, but Mother Nature had effectively squelched that.
She’d also heard Kenny and Rick discussing Kenny’s new living arrangements. He was going to share Rick’s cabin until insurance paid for him to get a new camper.
She thought back through the day, to Rick’s acts of selfless behavior. That she’d been wrong about him was obvious. She had a lot of making up to do and wasn’t even sure where to start.
A knock on her door startled her.
Please don’t be anybody needing anything else done tonight. She swung it open.
Rick met her startled gaze.
Without a word, he stepped into her cabin and swept her into his arms. His mouth closed down on hers, which was already open, and she found she hadn’t the slightest desire to close it. Instead, she brushed her tongue softly against his in invitation, feeling his muffled groan as he tightened his arms around her. Her arm slid across his shoulder and her fingers played in the hair at the nape of his neck.
His lips pressed firmly as his tongue swept into her mouth, releasing a need deep within her, making her breathing erratic.
His tongue retreated and his lips closed slowly, guiding hers closed as his hands glided from her back to cup the sides of her face. He placed two or three soft kisses on her still-puckered lips and then stepped back, leaving her in a blissfully dazed stupor.
“Good night,” he whispered before he disappeared into the darkness.
Summer stood watching for a few seconds, willing him to come back for a repeat performance.
When it was clear he was really gone, she closed the door and leaned heavily against it.
“Oh, my!” Her chest heaved in a contented sigh.
CHAPTER NINE
“SO...ANY INEXPENSIVE BUT fabulous ideas on ways to give this place more eye-appeal?”
His mom’s laugh on the other end of the line made Rick smile. “The place is really dated. It needs color,” she answered. “All that white and gray is...blah.”
Rick looked around and noticed for the first time the lack of color. Camp Sunny Daze was drab. It looked like the military barracks he was used to rather than a summer camp for kids. “What would you suggest?” he asked.
“I’d start with painting the buildings different colors. The colors wouldn’t have to be bright. Organic greens, rust tones, corals.” Rick scribbled the ideas into his folder as she talked. “Flower beds would add color and vibrancy, and they wouldn’t cost much because perennials go on sale for next to nothing in July. Window boxes would look great. Oh, and striped awnings would really spiff things up, but they’d be expensive.”
“I’m sure expense will be key in what gets done.”
“I can’t tell a lot about the property from the pictures you emailed, but it looks like it has plenty of potential and would be a great investment. It just needs to be brought back to life.”
Rick visualized how the place might look if his mom’s ideas were implemented. “Paint and flowers sound easy enough. I have that week off between sessions, so I could stay here in the cabin and work on that project myself.” Would Herschel and Agnes be interested in putting in a week of work? Or Summer? If she stayed and helped, maybe he wouldn’t need her parents. The thought of Summer and him alone at the camp for a week stirred up various and sundry ideas that were indeed colorful. Mostly red hot.
“I was hoping you’d come home that week.” When did his parents become so predictable? He knew his Mom would want him to come home. She never missed a chance to