Free Count Me In by Sara Leach Page A

are you doing?” a voice called from behind her.
    Tabitha jumped and almost fell in the lake. She spun around and was blinded by a spotlight. She threw an arm in front of her eyes. “Turn that off!”
    The spotlight snapped off, and Cedar came into view. Tabitha realized she was standing in her underwear. She crouched, trying to keep her butt out of the water.
    â€œSo?” Cedar asked.
    â€œI felt like going for a skinny-dip.”
    Cedar crossed his arms, reminding Tabitha of Bruce. “Right.”
    She waved her arm at the island. “I heard something over there, and I think it’s Max. I’m rescuing him. If you don’t mind, I’ll get back to it.”
    He turned the headlamp back on and pointed it out at the lake. “All I see is a duck. You sure it’s worth swimming after in the freezing cold?”
    â€œHow do you know it’s a duck?”
    â€œI see a long skinny neck and a beak. Don’t think Max has either of those.”
    Tabitha shuffled around, still crouching, and shone her light near Cedar’s. She couldn’t see anything.
    Quack . There was a small splash and then silence.
    Tabitha’s shoulders drooped. How could she be so dumb? “Can you turn off the light while I get dressed, please?”
    Without a word, Cedar did as she asked and turned away from her while she pulled on her shirt and pants.
    â€œAre you totally out of your mind?” he asked, his back still to her.
    â€œWhat do you care?”
    He whipped around to face her. “What do you mean?”
    â€œYou and Ashley hate me. Now that I’ve lost Max, you’ve both ignored me all day. If I was lost or hurt, the only reason you’d care is because you’d have to spend your precious time looking for me.” She pulled on her boots and stomped down the trail. As her headlamp swung past his face, she caught a glimpse of his stunned expression.
    He grabbed her arm and spun her around. “I don’t blame you for losing Max.”
    She tried to look into his eyes to see if he was telling the truth, but his headlamp was back on. She pulled her arm out of his grasp. “Why not? I lost him.”
    Cedar began walking beside her. “It could have happened to anyone. Max has a mind of his own.”
    â€œThen why’ve you ignored me all day?”
    He sighed. “I was scared.”
    â€œHuh?”
    â€œMax was my dad’s dog. It’s kinda like losing my dad all over again.”
    Tabitha couldn’t think of anything to say. She nodded in the dark.
    â€œWhen Dad died, it felt like…like a crevasse opened inside me. You know, like the one he fell into. Except it was a crevasse that opened to all the dark, depressing feelings of the world, and I kept falling into it day after day.”
    Cedar paused. Tabitha nodded again, hoping he’d go on. “The only way to keep myself on the mountain, out of the crevasse, was to work hard…to do everything he used to do…be strong for Mom and Ashley.” He took a deep breath. Tabitha held hers, not wanting to spoil the moment.
    â€œMax started sleeping on my bed after Dad died. Like he knew that I could take his place.”
    Tabitha shivered. “You don’t have to take his place, Cedar. Your mom and Ashley are strong too.”
    She sensed him pulling at his ponytail. “Maybe I need to do it for me, not them. Anyway, with Max gone, I feel like I’m sliding toward the crevasse again.”
    They walked a few paces in silence.
    â€œDid you come out here just to look for him?” Cedar asked.
    â€œYeah.”
    â€œThanks. Even if it was stupid.”
    â€œWe’d better go in,” she replied.
    Tabitha didn’t bother sneaking around when she entered the hut. If Ashley or Tess woke up, she’d say she’d been at the outhouse. She crawled into her sleeping bag, happy to be cozy and warm.
    â€œNight, Tabitha,” Cedar