Steven tossed the saw into the ATV and laid the ladder on top of the wood. He shrugged, then said rather sheepishly, “Oh, you know. I had the typical boyhood aspirations. Always thought I wanted to be a fireman. Well, specifically a forest firefighter. I think I’d have done that if I hadn’t been needed here. My folks always encouraged us to do what we wanted—but Mom turned pale every time I even mentioned an interest in smoke jumping. Then I got busy helping around here, and before I knew it, the years were passing. Don’t get me wrong, this is a good life. I’m crazy about my family. But you asked what I’d do if I wasn’t working here.”
Aaron had to admit he was surprised by Steven’s response to his question. Despite the qualifications, the answer hadn’t been impulsive. Steven had given a lot of thought to that abandoned dream. “You’re definitely still young enough to train for firefighting,” he said as he climbed back into the passenger seat. “You’re obviously in good physical condition, and you know your way around saws and shovels. I’d imagine you’d be hired immediately.”
“Yeah, well, that’s not going to happen.” Steven started the motor and drove onto the roadway, giving a friendly wave to some guests who’d been watching them work from a nearby campsite. “Like I said, boyhood dream. You probably had a few yourself.”
“A few.” And he’d experimented with several of them. Turned out they’d been better as dreams than reality. But at least he’d had the freedom to try them.
Steven parked in front of Cabin Eight. Aaron glanced instinctively toward the cabin next door. An expensive red sports car sat in the drive, next to the dark SUV that had been parked there since he’d arrived, which he assumed belonged to Terrence Landon. Steven followed his glance. “Haven’t seen that car before,” he commented. “The guy sure has a lot of company. Associates, he says.”
“So Shelby told me.”
Shelby’s brother chuckled dryly. “Yeah, we figured she’s got you checking him out. She’s been suspicious of him since he checked in.”
“I heard. I haven’t seen anything particularly bothersome, though I’ve been here less than a day.”
Steven hesitated a moment, then grimaced. “As much as I hate to give credence to one of Shelby’s unlikely theories, I have to concede the guy is strange. He won’t let the housekeeping staff in, just meets them at the door for clean linens. He says he’s OCD about having people touching his things, despite his parade of guests. Last week when we were working on the cabin you’re staying in, he kept spying on us through his blinds, like he suspected we were up to something besides our jobs. If he really is up to no good in there, he’s not exactly being smart about it.”
“Yeah, well, most criminals aren’t known for their intelligence. But could be he’s just weird.”
“I forgot to ask what you do when you aren’t on vacation. If you call helping with groundskeeping vacation,” Steven added with a grin. “Are you a P.I. like your brother, or do you focus on the security side of the firm? Andrew told us corporate security is the major emphasis of your business, with private investigation being secondary.”
“Actually, I’m between jobs, trying to decide what I want to do next,” Aaron confessed. “I haven’t mentioned that to Shelby. She seems to think just being Andrew’s brother qualifies me to figure out what’s going on in Cabin Seven.”
“Kind of hard to tell her no, isn’t it?”
Aaron laughed. “Yeah. It is. But I like her.”
“Don’t tell her I said so, but so do I.”
Aaron slid out of the ATV. “See you around, Steven.”
“Sure. Maybe we can take a couple of Jet Skis out tomorrow. I’ll have some free time tomorrow afternoon.”
The family certainly had been hospitable, Aaron thought, wondering again if they were like this with everyone or if their seemingly oversized gratitude toward Andrew influenced them toward him. “I’ll look forward to it.”
“So, uh—”
Having turned toward the cabin, Aaron paused to look over his shoulder. “Something else?”
“I was just thinking about what you said. About trying to decide what job to do next. No parental pressure, huh?”
Aaron had to laugh. “Trust me, there’s plenty of that—from my parents and my brother. Not to join the family firm, necessarily, but to do something productive and worthwhile. And to stick with it.”
Draping an arm over the steering wheel, Steven asked, “No boyhood dreams you still want to pursue?”
“That’s what I’m here to think about.”
Steven nodded and pulled his cap lower over his forehead. “We’ll make sure you have a good time while you’re thinking.”
“I have no doubt of that.”
Aaron wat
ched Steven drive off. Like Shelby, he seemed to be open and gregarious. Whatever career frustrations he suffered, he was more pragmatic than bitter. He’d admitted it was his choice to stay here, though it was obvious he felt the burden of obligation. Maybe it weighed more heavily on him as the only male in his generation. He’d seemed to enjoy having another guy close to his age to talk with for a little while.
He turned to his cabin, digging in his pocket for the key. Just as he reached the porch, Terrence Landon and another man, this one middle-aged and a little doughy, stepped out next door. Both of them looked hard at Aaron, then the older man hurried to the sports car, a couple of cardboard boxes in his arms. He threw the boxes in the passenger seat of his car and drove off without looking back. Landon slammed his door and Aaron could hear the click of the lock from where he stood.
The guy really was weird, he thought with a shake of his head. Didn’t mean he was concocting evil plots over there, of course, but he could see why Shelby’s suspicions had been raised. Speaking of Shelby...