stables.â
âOf course you can, Roberta.â Eden rubbed her thumb and forefinger together, trying fruitlessly to rid herself of the goo. âAnd you donât even have to bribe me with marshmallows.â
âReally?â
âYes, really.â Attracted despite herself, Eden ruffled Robertaâs hair. âMiss Bartholomew and I will work it into your schedule.â
âGee, thanks, Miss Carlbough.â
âBut youâll have to work on your posting.â
Robertaâs nose wrinkled only a little. âOkay. But I wish we could do stuff like barrel racing. Iâve seen it on TV.â
âWell, I donât know about that, but you might progress to small jumps before the end of camp.â
Eden had the pleasure of seeing Robertaâs eyes saucer with pleasure. âNo fooling?â
âNo fooling. As long as you work on your posting.â
âI will. And Iâll be better than Linda, too. Wow, jumps.â She spun in an awkward pirouette. âThanks a lot, Miss Carlbough. Thanks a lot.â
She was off in a streak, undoubtedly to spread the word. If Eden knew Roberta, and she was beginning to, she was certain the girl would soon have talked herself into a gold medal for equestrian prowess at the next Olympic Games.
But, as she watched Roberta spin from group to group, Eden realized she wasnât thinking of the past any longer; nor was she regretting. She was smiling. As one of the counselors began to strum a guitar, Eden licked marshmallow goop from her fingers.
âNeed some help with that?â
With her fingers still in her mouth, Eden turned. She should have known heâd come. Perhaps, in her secret thoughts, she had hoped he would. Now she found herself thrusting her still-sticky fingers behind her back.
He wondered if she knew how lovely she looked, with the fire at her back and her hair loose on her shoulders. There was a frown on her face now, but he hadnât missed that one quick flash of pleasure. If he kissed her now, would he taste that sweet, sugary flavor she had been licking from her fingers? Through it would he find that simmering, waiting heat heâd tasted once before? The muscles in his stomach tightened, even as he dipped his thumbs into his pockets and looked away from her toward the fire.
âNice night for a bonfire.â
âCandy claims she arranged it that way.â Confident there was enough distance between them, and that there were enough people around them, Eden allowed herself to relax. âWe werenât expecting any company.â
âI spotted your smoke.â
That made her glance up and realize how far the smoke might travel. âI hope it didnât worry you. We notified the fire department.â Three girls streaked by behind them. Chase glanced their way and had them lapsing into giggles. Eden caught her tongue in her cheek. âHow long did it take you to perfect it?â
With a half smile, Chase turned back to her. âWhat?â
âThe deadly charm that has females crumpling at your feet?â
âOh, that.â He grinned at her. âI was born with it.â
The laugh came out before she could stop it. To cover her lapse, Eden crossed her arms and took a step backward. âItâs getting warm.â
âWe used to have a bonfire on the farm every Halloween. My father would carve the biggest pumpkin in the patch and stuff some overalls and a flannel shirt with straw. One year he dressed himself up as the Headless Horseman and gave every kid in the neighborhood a thrill.â Watching the fire, he remembered and wondered why until tonight he hadnât thought of continuing the tradition. âMy mother would give each of the kids a caramel apple, then weâd sit around the fire and tell ghost stories until weâd scared ourselves silly. Looking back, I think my father got a bigger kick out of it than any of us kids.â
She could see it, just