Chapter Eight - Julianna

As soon as Julianna saw Scott leave, then Penny in tears, she knew her own job training could wait. She rushed down the steps that would lead her out of the barn, ignoring Sandra’s calls of “Where are you going?”

By the time she made it outside, it looked like Scott and Penny were going to have a standoff. Both had their hands on their hips, only missing the guns and holsters.

“That’s ridiculous,” Scott was saying. “Just because you got a little freaked out up there—”

“I was more than a little freaked out,” Penny said. “Everyone thinks because I try to be happy and find the best in everything that I don’t get scared or mad or wish I could murder a rock star. I feel everything, I just don’t usually show it.”

“There’s nothing wrong with not being happy all the time, and there’s nothing wrong with being scared. Besides, you don’t even have to climb the wall with the guests.”

“You think four-wheeling or the zipline is going to go any better? I can’t do this.”

Scott raised an eyebrow and put on his serious face. “Yes, you can. I saw the way you moved up the wall. You just need time to gain confidence.” When Penny didn’t respond, Scott said, “You need me to hang you midair again until you start believing me? I’ll do it.”

Penny folded her arms over her chest and scowled. “Not helping. Per your usual.”

“Hey, hey, hey.” Julianna jumped in between the two before anything else could be said that they’d regret later. She placed a hand on Penny’s shoulder. “Let’s walk this off and reconvene in an hour, yeah?”

“That will be kind of difficult when she won’t be here in an hour,” Scott said.

Julianna whipped toward Penny. “What is he talking about?”

When Penny’s gaze dropped to the ground and she didn’t answer, Scott did it for her.

“She quit.”

Julianna studied Penny. She looked nothing like the girl Julianna had come to know over the past few days. Quiet. Withdrawn. “That can’t be true.” Julianna’s words were for Scott, but her gaze didn’t leave Penny. “She would never quit. It’s not in her nature.”

“How would you know?” Penny asked, her gaze snapping up and meeting Julianna’s. “You don’t know me.”

“I know that you are—”

“You know what I want you to see,” Penny interrupted. She paused, a guilty look flashing across her face, and she sucked in a long breath. “When they said I would be an activity guide, I didn’t know what that meant. I didn’t realize I’d need to do all of the activities myself. I don’t mind belaying. I don’t mind teaching people gun safety or helping guide hikes. But I’m freaked out by almost everything we’re doing here. Heights included. The only way I made it here on the airplane was by sitting in the very middle where I couldn’t see out the window. And I… I just can’t do it.”

Moisture welled up in Penny’s eyes, and Julianna didn’t know how to respond. What did you say to someone who appeared to have more confidence than you’d ever known, and then you find out they are just as fragile and broken as you are? She looked to Scott for help, but he seemed to be just as lost as she was.

“I’m sorry. For not bringing you down right away,” he finally said.

Penny’s lips turned up, and a flicker of the girl Julianna had first met returned. “You were right. You were trying to help, and I was freaking out on you. All I had to do was let go. It’s me who is sorry. And I promise not to murder you.”

Scott snorted. “Thanks.”

“Oh, and for the record, it did feel a little like flying.” Penny was at least smiling now. She pulled in a shuddered breath and placed her hands on her hips. “I know I was only here a few days, but I’m going to miss this place.” She turned toward the field, her gaze taking in the area, as if she were already saying goodbye.

“No,” Julianna said, the word bursting from her lips. “No. You are not quitting.”

Penny seemed to have gotten out whatever emotions had needed to escape, and she turned back to Julianna with a sad smile. “I can’t be what they need me to be.”

Jimmy burst out of the barn just then. His gaze settled on them, and he hurried over. “You are not quitting.”

“That’s what I said,” Julianna said, shooting Penny a triumphant smile.

“But I—”

Jimmy held up a hand. “I can put you on duties that don’t involve rock climbing.”

“But it’s not going to be just that. I’m scared of most of the stuff you provide for your guests. I thought I could handle it. I thought it wouldn’t be a big deal, that I was just assisting. And I saw it as an opportunity to do better—be better. Overcome things. But I was wrong.”

Penny was getting that sad look again. But this time it was accompanied by something worse. Desperation. And it appeared to be desperation to get out—to get as far as she could from the ranch and her place in it.

“Have her trade with me,” Julianna said abruptly. She didn’t know where the idea came from, but as soon as she said it, it made sense. Penny would be able to stay, and Julianna wouldn’t have to work with Sandra. The past two hours had been torture. Sandra was nice enough—almost too nice—but that was the problem. Julianna didn’t want to like her. And Sandra was trying to become friends. Julianna knew her feelings for Blair weren’t Sandra’s fault. But it still hurt. “I’ll be an activity guide. I’ve never done most of it, but I can learn. Penny can do kids’ camp.”

Penny’s lips parted in surprise, and her gaze whipped to Jimmy. “Is that possible? Could I do that?”

Jimmy was silent for a moment, taking in the three of them. “I have to make sure Kassandra is okay with it, but I don’t see why not. Although I still think we can work something out for you, Penny, to be an activity gui—”

“I’ll do the camp,” she said quickly, and then a grin broke out across her face. “I’ll absolutely do it. I love kids. I think. I’m an only child. But I’m sure I’ll love kids more than rock climbing.”

Jimmy laughed. “Well, you are going to get a really quick lesson in kids, because our first guests arrive in ten days.”

“As long as they don’t string me up on the rock-climbing rope, I think I’m going to be just fine.” She shot a smirk in Scott’s direction.

Penny was back.

Scott threw out his arms and gave an exasperated sigh. “I. Was. Trying. To. Help.”

Penny smiled. “I know.” And then she ran toward the barn and called over her shoulder, “I’ll tell the goth girl about the change of plans.”

Jimmy gave a rare smile and then extended an arm toward the barn. “Shall we? I guess we need to train you how to put on a harness properly and see if you can get up the rock wall.”

Julianna’s stomach suddenly felt queasy, but she shoved it down. She had chosen this, and from the look Scott was giving her, she could tell he wasn’t disappointed by the change of events. In fact, he seemed quite happy about it. Which made her wonder if the queasiness had to do with the rock wall or the fact that she was going to be able to work with Scott every day for the rest of the summer.

Blair. She had meant Blair.

Because really, Scott was ridiculous and self-centered and… She stopped herself. That had been the old him—the one who had arrived in his cowboy hat. Or so she had thought. Now, she wasn’t so sure who the real Scott Dallenforth was.

“As long as you don’t have Scott belaying me. I saw how the last one went down,” she told Jimmy, moving toward the barn.

“Hey,” Scott protested, following her. “I was in complete control.”

Julianna threw a grin over her shoulder. “That’s what worries me.”

* * * * *

It turned out that Julianna hadn’t needed to worry how she’d do as an activity guide. She could clean a gun just as well as any of the guys, she could rappel faster, and she could get the hook out of a fish and toss the fish back into the stocked pond cleaner and quicker.

“Guests start arriving tomorrow,” Scott said, walking up beside her, paintball coveralls hanging over one arm. “Going out four-wheeling with your friends is one thing. Being responsible for strangers not dying is a completely different animal.”

Julianna threw him an amused smile as she balanced on one leg and slipped her other leg into her coveralls. “You trying to get into my head, Dallenforth?”

“No, no, just trying to prepare you for things to come.” He returned her smile as he began to get his own coveralls on.

“What I think is that you’re scared.”

Scott’s mouth dropped open in mock offense. “How could you say such a thing? I’m the best thing out there since…anything.” His gaze whipped around like he wanted to make sure no one else had heard that, then he dropped his voice to a whisper. “I don’t really think that, you know. Even if everyone else thinks I do.”

Julianna studied him as she zipped up her coveralls. They were probably three sizes too big, but she’d been one of the last to get hers. “I know.” She looked down and shook her legs. The excess material bounced up and down. “Think I could win any beauty pageants in this thing?”

He looked her up and down. “Absolutely. Stunning.”

She felt heat rushing into her cheeks, and she tried to cover it up with a laugh. “Really. Coveralls do it for you, huh?”

“If you’re the one wearing them.” As soon as the words left Scott’s lips, he froze, as did Julianna.

There he went again, falling into old habits, acting like Scott Dallenforth, the rock star. She’d made it very clear to him that he was not to flirt with her—that his usual tactics didn’t work on girls like her. Nor did she want him to try. It was apparently too much effort for him to restrain himself, because casual flirtation was what Scott Dallenforth did best.

And it was the type of thing that broke the hearts of girls like Julianna.

“I didn’t mean...” Scott didn’t seem to know how to finish that sentence.

“I know,” Julianna said, her words coming out much too quickly. She picked up a paintball gun from the activity counter in an attempt to cover up how flustered Scott made her. “I’ve never been paintballing. Shooting things never seemed like the type of thing I’d enjoy. Making those clay pigeons explode last week was strangely satisfying, though. I’m thinking this could be fun.”

Scott eyed her warily. “Yes, it is. And I’m starting to think it will be a good thing if we are on the same team.”

“Gather up,” Jimmy yelled, and everyone in their blue striped coveralls approached the front of the barn. “The instructions I give you today are going to be the same instructions you will need to give the guests, so pay attention.”

Julianna tried to catch everything, but she was distracted by Scott, who seemed unable to stop watching her. When she’d meet his gaze, his attention would return to Jimmy, but it didn’t take long for his focus to meander back to her.

“Pay attention,” she whispered, her gaze remaining on Jimmy.

“I am.”

“To the instructions.”

“I am.”

“Then why do you keep looking at me?”

“Because you’re a better view.”

Julianna’s gaze shot back to Scott. He smiled, then turned back to Jimmy.

Okay, she could write off the first compliment as an off-hand remark. One that he’d already started apologizing for. But this—this was completely different and deliberate.

And Julianna didn’t know if she liked that or not.

“I really need to stop wearing coveralls,” she muttered.