Page 104 of First Bride to Fall
So demanding.“What? Now?”
“No. You’re right.” He stared down at her plate. “You’d better finish eating your fish first. You’re going to need all your energy. It might take you a while, since you’re new at it, but no worries,” he said. “Most of it is intuitive. Plus, the tent comes with instructions.”
At least that was something. All she had to do was follow what they said. It would be like reading a recipe. Just one she hadn’t tried before. She was going to do this—enhance her skill set even more. Then when she went off to England to marry Aidan or whatever, she’d be that much more of a capable person. “Okay, good.”
He leaned toward her and thumbed her nose. “I can’t wait to eat those hot dogs.”
Wait. She was supposed to do that solo, too? “You want me to make a campfire?”
“Ooh, yes. Great idea.”
Nell felt like she’d shot herself in the foot. That wouldn’t have occurred to him if she hadn’t suggested it.
“But you can use the camp stove instead if you’d like. Either one could be fun. Though it would be nice to have a fire going for us to make those s’mores later. In any case, you’ll have plenty of time to get things organized before it gets dark.”
She blinked, and he continued.
“Instructions for the tent are in the bag. Easy-peasy. You shouldn’t have any problem at all. And here’s the great thing: I got an extra-large tent for us to test out. Sleeps up to six people.”
“Six?” She gulped. Maybe this wouldn’t be as simple as she’d hoped. She drew in a deep breath. Things would be all right. This would be great. She wasnotgoing to let Grant prove her a failure.Far from it, bucko.
“Yep.” He grinned. “That way, we can take along your sisters sometime.”
“Oh,great.” There he went with that again. He was so incredibly annoying.
“Lucas, too, if he wants to go.”
“Ah. Super.”
“I don’t suppose your folks would be interested?”
“Er, nope. Probably not.”
He scraped the remaining morsels of the food off his plate and into his mouth, then stood, leaving his plate on the table. “If you don’t mind cleaning up, I’d better make tracks.”
“Wait.” Her heart pounded. “Where are you going?”
“Fishing,” he said like she should have expected it—and maybe she should have.
If they’d actually been working on their compatibility skills, she might have been irritated that he was constantly running out on her. But she got what he was doing, acting like being absent was his standard MO. No woman would like that. Especially not when she was the one left holding the laundry bag. And he clearly knew it. What a prince! Not. She couldn’t believe she’d actually thought he was one once. If hindsight were foresight…
Whatever.
He stopped by the back door and winked. “Don’t worry. I’ll be back in time for dinner.”
I just bet that you will!
Fortunately—for himandthe floors—he slipped out the door before she had a chance to throw her plate at him.
Chapter Eighteen
Grant chuckled as he got into his waders and boots. There was no way on earth Nell could pull off today’s tasks. The tent he’d picked out was complicated even for experienced campers. Poor Nell would be completely flummoxed. He almost felt sorry for her, but not quite. He hadn’t exactly appreciated her extended interrogation about Robby this morning over breakfast. The breakfast that he’d so nicely made her. She’d probably suspected the whole story was made up and she’d been trying to get him to admit it, but if anyone was going to break down with true confessions at his cabin, it was going to be Nell and not him. She’d likely reach her breaking point today. There’d be no workaround for her failing to put up that tent.
Camping was his number one thing. He owned a camping store, even. If she couldn’t prove herself with that—and he knew she wouldn’t—they could never be a team. In another world, her lack of experience with outdoorsy adventures wouldn’t have mattered to him in the least. He could have helped her learn, sure. And he would have loved to do that if she’d been a genuine person with a good heart who was honestly interested in him.
Instead, she’d invented the charade that they were going to get married and now had evidently perpetuated it with her sisters. So fine. She could run straight to them and crocodile-tear cry on their shoulders when she told them the engagement was off. And, if by some miracle the camping challenge didn’t work, he had a few more tricks up his sleeve.
One way or another, today would be the end of it. Grant could drive her home after dinner, or even before, if that’s what she wanted. It was another beautiful fall day, and he intended to spend it engaging in his favorite stress-reducing hobby. He grabbed his fishing gear and headed down the hill, eagerly anticipating a peaceful and productive couple of hours away on his own. He’d deal with the fallout from Nell’s camping catastrophe, and their impending “breakup” or whatever, when he returned.
