Free Crossed Wires by Fran Shaff Page A

stolen from him. “I’m afraid I’m not sure what you have
in mind. Would you please explain?”
    She picked up a small duffle bag which had
been sitting on a chair near the door and slung it over her
shoulder. “I have a nice surprise for you,” she said as she joined
him on the porch. She closed the front door and locked it before
she faced him again. “I hope you like hiking.”
    “Hiking?” What was she talking about?
    “Yes. When Cynthia told me you’re an
outdoorsman, I figured you might enjoy the guided hike at Bear Lake
State Park.”
    “Bear Lake State Park? The park north of
town?” The job she wanted him to do was in a park? He could work in
a park, but why were they hiking to the job, and who the heck was
Cynthia?
    “Yes, I’m sure you’ve been there.”
    He shrugged. “Of course.” He just hadn’t
remembered the name of the park. He wasn’t remembering much of
anything since he’d looked into Miss Baker’s emerald green
eyes.
    As she stood looking up at him, she raised
her hand to his shoulder. “You seem a bit nervous. Please, don’t be
anxious, Hank. I know blind dates are difficult, but I think we’ll
have a great time.” She placed the hand she’d had on his shoulder
into the pocket of her white shorts. “Like you, I love the
outdoors. In fact, I’ve hiked in the state park dozens of times. I
go fishing and scuba diving there as well.”
    Date? She thought he was her blind date?
“Miss Baker, I think we have a misunderstanding.”
    She withdrew her hand from her pocket and
gave it a casual wave. “Oh, of course. I should have asked if you’d
rather do something besides hiking. It’s just that I hadn’t taken
the guided hike, and I’ve really wanted to take it. I am sort of a
botany enthusiast, and I haven’t identified all the plants on the
trails yet.” She gave him a sweet smile. “Would you rather go scuba
diving?”
    “Miss Baker,” he said, only half listening to
what she said, “I don’t think we--wait a minute. Did you say scuba
diving?” Her words finally began to register.
    “Yes, and, please, call me Melanie. A dive
shop opened last spring near the park. We can rent gear and a boat
there.”
    He’d been saving up for scuba gear ever since
Lizzie and Louise had talked him into getting his certification
earlier in the year. “I love scuba diving.”
    “You do?”
    “Absolutely!” What was he saying? What was he
doing? If he pretended to be this woman’s blind date, he’d be the
jerk of the year.
    But he loved scuba diving, and he needed an
afternoon off. He had the time, too, thanks to the mess Lizzie had
made of his schedule again.
    “It’s settled then. We’ll go diving instead
of hiking,” she said, giving him another of her man-melting
smiles.
    “Why not?” He placed his hand on her back and
urged her to cross the porch.
    She stopped half way between the front door
and the steps and turned round to look up at him. She quirked a
brow and gave him a puzzled look. “I thought Cynthia told me you
had black hair and blue eyes.”
    Busted!
    He swallowed hard and nervously drove his
fingers through his curly brown hair. But before he could begin his
explanation, she went on.
    “Don’t get me wrong,” she said, laying her
hand on his forearm, “I love brown eyes.”
    Hank knew her hand should not be on his arm.
He knew he should straighten out this mix up. But his sense of fair
play seemed to be out to lunch. His work facade had blown away, and
his date persona was taking over. “Emerald green eyes like yours
are true gems,” he said, giving her one of his most charming
smiles. Okay, sometimes he got a little corny on dates.
    “Oh, Hank,” she said, playfully tapping his
forearm. “You’re going to make me blush.” She linked her arm with
his and tugged him to the steps. “We’d better get going before all
the scuba gear is rented.” She took a few steps before she turned
toward him again, dropping his arm. “You know, I must be