Free Alaska Adventure by Cynthia Baxter Page B

Cassie had helped herself to around six.
    It wasn’t until the caravan of canoes was nearing the edge of the lakeshore and the roof of the log cabin came into sight that Laurel realized how tired she was. She and the others had put in more than fourteen hours on the lake. Everyone was tired; she could tell from the silence that hung heavily over the group. The only sound, aside from the call of distant birds, the buzz of insects, and occasionally, the lonely cry of a loon, was that made by the paddles as they cut through the surface of the water.
    Yet as the six of them hauled the canoes on shore and began unloading them, Laurel was struck by the fact that Trip was moving particularly slowly. Glancing over at him, she saw that it was more than fatigue that made him so quiet.
    His face, neck, and arms were beet red.
    “Trip!” she exclaimed. “You’re burned!”
    “Oh, it’s nothing,” he mumbled. “I just got a little too much sun, that’s all.”
    But Dr. Wells wasn’t quite as casual. Peering at Trip, he said, “Whoa. You’ve got a bad sunburn, pal. Better plan on spending tomorrow indoors.”
    “No way!” he protested.
    “I’m in charge here,” Dr. Wells said, his tone unusually sharp. “The last thing I need up here is a bad case of sun poisoning simply because you weren’t willing to follow a couple of simple rules. I’ve got something you can put on that back at the cabin.”
    “I don’t need to—okay, fine.”
    Trip gritted his teeth as he applied the thick white cream Dr. Wells insisted he use. He seemed considerably more relaxed once the ointment covered his burned skin.
    “We’ll let you off the hook—this time,” Mariah informed him as she set the table. “Tonight, you’re off dinner duty. But as soon as you fade from fire-engine red to tomato red—”
    “You’re too kind,” Trip shot back from the couch, where he was sprawled out. “Heart of gold.”
    It wasn’t until dinner was on the table that Laurel realized how famished she was. She ate her fill of food that tasted better than any she’d ever had before. Afterward, she was still tired. Yet while her muscles were sore, knowing that she’d put in a full day of hard work gave her a feeling of great satisfaction. If her first day was any indication of what lay ahead, her stay in Alaska was going to be all that she’d ever hoped for.
    Dr. Wells had been correct in his assertion that it would take at least a full day for Trip’s sunburn to heal enough for him to go outside. The next morning, his skin was still dangerously red.
    “If I wear a long-sleeved shirt, I’ll be fine,” he insisted over breakfast.
    “Sorry, Trip.” Dr. Wells’s tone was firm. “I’m responsible for you while you’re up here. You’re staying indoors today, and that’s final.”
    “Don’t worry about being lonely,” Mariah said sweetly. “Russ and I are taking the sweep nets out into the woods to collect insects. I promise we’ll stop in every couple of hours so our specimens can visit.”
    “Trip won’t have to stay here by himself,” said Dr. Wells. “Laurel, I’d like you to stay in the cabin with him this morning—at least for a few hours. That burn is severe, and I don’t want him left alone. Besides, I want you to start keying out the plant specimens we collected yesterday.”
    “What does that mean?” asked Cassie, glancing up from her plate, piled high with eggs and toast.
    “It’s a system for identifying unknown aquatic species,” Russ explained patiently. “First you get hold of Hulten’s Flora of Alaska and Neighboring Territories. It’s kind of like a puzzle. The guide gives questions like, ‘Are the petals joined ... or not joined? If they are, go to A. If they’re not, go to B.’ Eventually, you decide what you think you’ve got and you compare it to the description for that species.”
    “Trip,” said Dr. Wells, “you can make yourself useful by reading the key aloud while Laurel checks the specimens.