Connections were impossible. What if he got so happy he forgot what he’d done? What if he stopped making payments on his debt to society?

He’d never thought to ask the question before. Izzy claimed peace could be found, or maybe made. But he didn’t believe her. Life wasn’t that easy. He’d been wrong and he had to pay. There was no way around it. However much he might want that to be different.

THE EARLY MORNING WAS cool and clear, with almost no humidity. Practically a miracle, Izzy thought happily as she drove with Aaron to the guesthouse to set up for their corporate retreat. Norma had spent most of the previous day working with the caterers on food prep, the housekeeping service had been through to get the rooms ready and boxes of folders, pens and notebooks had been delivered.

“I want to be outside,” Izzy whined when they came to a stop in front of the large guesthouse building. “Don’t make me stay inside.”

“Work this morning, play this afternoon,” Aaron told her.

“I want to play now.”

He got out of the Jeep and looked at her. “You sound like you’re five.”

She got out, raised her arms so they were level with her shoulders and spun. “I want to see things, do things. I’m not blind anymore, Aaron. Give me a break.”

“Putting together the notebooks is doing something. Don’t make me use my stern voice. You won’t like it.”

Izzy slowed and looked at him. “If I’m bad, will you spank me?” she asked, mostly to make him squirm.

Aaron wrinkled his nose. “I am so the wrong person to have that conversation. Didn’t Nick tire you out last night?”

“No. I slept alone.”

“While I want to hear all the details, I have a very busy morning.” He pointed to the back of the Jeep. “Take those boxes inside to the conference room and set everything up. We have thirty people due here at ten-thirty. We are going to be ready. Don’t make me get crabby.”

“All right.” She sighed heavily, then started taking boxes into the conference room. At least she would spend the afternoon outside, demonstrating the rope bridge. She couldn’t wait to see how it really was and what it would be like now that she could see everything.

She went inside the conference center. There were several smaller rooms and one large one with tables set up in a square so everyone could see everyone else.

“Very corporate,” she murmured as she opened the boxes and began setting out a notebook filled with very technical financial information, a pen and a pad of paper on the desk in front of each chair.

When she was done, she went exploring. The so-called media room was more of a theater, with raised seating, an industrial-size popcorn maker, a huge fridge and a remote control to turn down the lights. Heaven forbid anyone should get up and actually walk to the switch on the wall.

She went upstairs and looked at the guest rooms. They were all beautifully decorated-a lush combination of upscale hotel and cozy B and B. The baths were spacious and well stocked and light filtered in from large windows.

She returned downstairs and made her way to the kitchen, where Norma was hard at work directing the catering staff.

“Nice place,” Izzy said, glancing around the restaurant-size kitchen. “It inspires me to cook.”

Norma barely looked up. “Don’t even think about it. I’m having enough trouble as it is. Did you see what was delivered? They’re not going to care if I serve them steak or dog food.”

Izzy looked in the corner. Cases and cases of beer sat ready to go in the massive refrigerator.

“There’s only thirty guys,” she said. “They can’t drink all that in three days.”

“I guess they’re going to give it a try. Can you put those in the refrigerator? At least as much as will fit on the bottom two shelves. We already have three cases on ice in the main living room and two more out back.”

Izzy admired dedication to a cause, but this was too much even for her. “Somebody’s going to be really sick by the end of the day,” she said.

“Just what we need. A bunch of finance guys puking all over the furniture,” Norma muttered. “Why didn’t I become a plumber? That’s what my mom always told me. People always need plumbers, you can overcharge folks who annoy you and are mostly out of the heat. But did I listen? Of course not.”

Izzy hid a smile. “You’re a fabulous cook. Aaron worships your biscuits.”

“I know. He’s a good boy.”

Words that would make him shudder, Izzy thought.

When Izzy had finished with the beer, she went outside. It was after ten and cars were already pulling up in front of the main building.

There were three and four guys to a car. They were all in their twenties, most wore glasses. They looked smart and geeky and the first words out of their mouth were, “Where’s the beer?”

“What company is this?” she asked Aaron as he walked by looking nervous.

“One who won’t be using these facilities again. They’re already annoying me. Did you see how much beer there is? They’ll be drunk by noon. I can only hope they all fall off the rope ladder.” He waved toward the building. “Go be flirty. Keep them busy and away from me.”

Izzy turned back, only to feel a prickling along the back of her neck. She searched until she found Nick by the back of the building. He was walking toward her, looking far too handsome and sexy in the sunlight.

She knew there were other guys around and under other circumstances she would be cruising the group to pick out any who interested her. But not right now. Maybe not for a long time. There was only one man who occupied her thoughts these days. Unfortunately, he was the most annoying person on the planet.

He walked up to her.

“You were a serious jackass yesterday,” she said by way of a greeting. “We were only trying to help. I’ll accept that everyone has issues, but we shouldn’t have to pay for yours. And it’s fine if you want to keep on punishing yourself for what happened in the past, but not having kids here more is punishing them and they don’t deserve that.”

He stared at her for a long time. His eyes were an impossible shade of green. Dark and rich and more appealing than she could have imagined. His mouth was even more tempting. Looking at it made her want to kiss him, which she couldn’t. Not until he was done being a jerk. It violated her principles. Oh, but she was tempted.

“You about done?” he asked.

“Maybe. Are you willing to admit you were wrong?”

“Maybe.”

She smiled. “Someone needs to beat you with a stick.”

“It would take several someones.”

“You think you’re so tough?”

“I know I’m tough.”

“Want to prove it?”

Fire flared in his eyes. “When and where?”

Here and now seemed like a good answer. Except…“You haven’t said you were sorry or that Aaron and I were right.”

“Do I have to?”

“Yes. Admit it. My point’s a good one. It’s one thing to beat up yourself, but keeping kids from getting better is not the road to recovery.”

He didn’t say anything, but then he didn’t have to. She knew what he was thinking-that there was no road to recovery. But she didn’t deal with that. Instead, she waited, hoping, believing he would see that she was right. That helping other kids, more kids, was the best thing to do.

“I’m sorry,” he said slowly. “And having more kids here makes sense.”

She grinned. “See? That wasn’t hard. Just accept that you can’t resist me and your life will be much easier.”

“Thanks for the update.”

His mouth twitched as he spoke. She had a feeling that he was doing his best not to smile.

“About that when and where,” she said. “Tonight?”

“Your room or mine?”

“I’ll come down to your room.” She turned to leave, then glanced back at him. “Don’t piss me off between now and then.”

“I’ll try not to.”

“As you’re a man, I guess that’s the best I can hope for.”

IZZY LOVED EVERYTHING about the rope ladder, except the harness Ethan, Nick’s mountain-climbing friend, had insisted she wear.

“But I’m not blind anymore,” she whined.

Ethan, a fortysomething tanned hunk, shook his head. “Until you can prove you bounce when you fall, you’re wearing a harness.”

“But it takes away from the experience.”

“What my seventeen-year-old son says about condoms. Do I look like I care?”

“Fine,” she muttered and started to climb.

The afternoon was warm, there was a slight breeze and if she ignored the very drunk finance guys and their tacky comments, she was fine.

“Baby, I’ll catch you if you fall,” was acceptable, but “Nice ass” made her want to practice a nice knee-to-the-groin move.

She reached the ladder. Ethan was already on the other side, waiting for her.

“I can do this,” she called, walking across without slowing. It was a whole lot easier with actual vision. She loved being level with the leaves on the trees and watching birds fly by.

“Can I go again?” she asked when she reached Ethan.

“I doubt it’s going to be a problem. They’re all too drunk to climb.”

“Maybe they’re afraid of heights and it was their plan.”

“You’re giving them too much credit.”

Izzy made her way down the tree. Nick stood with the manager of the group, probably explaining they wouldn’t be testing their courage anytime soon.

Sure enough, Ethan was already down and putting away harnesses.

She walked toward Nick.

“…take them for an easy hike,” he was saying. “They can burn off the alcohol.”

“They work hard. They deserve to party.”

“No one needs to party this much.” Nick sounded frustrated.

Izzy moved closer. “I’ll go on the hike with you,” she said. “I can make sure there aren’t any stragglers.”

The manager looked unconvinced. “They’re fine.”

“For guys at a frat party,” Nick said. “I want everyone out of here by sundown.”

“What? We’ve paid for the whole weekend!”

“You’ll get your money back. We don’t want a group like this around.” He glanced at his watch. “I’m cutting off the beer as of now. They have five hours to sober up, then get out of here.”

The manager muttered something Izzy couldn’t hear, then stalked off.

“Now what?” she asked.

“We wait until they stop acting like idiots. If they want to continue without the beer, they can stay. Otherwise, I’m throwing them out. I need to go see Ethan. I want him to stick around and help me make sure no one does anything stupid.”

“What are the odds of that?”

“Tell me about it. You okay?”

“I’m fine. They’re harmless. I’ll stay out, too. Maybe I can shame them into better behavior.”

“Interesting plan.”

He headed toward Ethan. Izzy did a quick head count to make sure everyone was still in the area, then frowned as she realized four guys were missing.

She hesitated, trying to figure out which way they’d gone. She heard male laughter off to her left and walked in that direction.

“Get it! Get it!”

“You get it. Man, look at it.”

“It’s pissed, bro. You are so dead.”

Izzy couldn’t begin to imagine what the four guys were up to and she didn’t much care. She would herd them back to the main group and count the hours until they were gone.

She stepped around a bush, only to find four very drunk men had trapped a rattlesnake between a tree and a fallen log. They were taunting it by jabbing it with sticks. The snake was fair-size, maybe six feet long, coiled, rattling its tail like mad and, from the crazed look in its little snake eyes, out for blood.

“Are you insane?” she yelled.

The guy closest to the snake dropped his stick and leaped back when the snake lunged.

“Jeez, lady,” the guy complained. “You nearly made me drop my beer.”

“And what a shame that would have been.” Izzy kept her attention on the snake, telling herself not to panic. While she wasn’t technically afraid of snakes, she didn’t have any as close friends. “Step away from the rattler and head back to your group. No sudden moves, just a general easing back.”

“We’re not afraid,” a guy said, poking the snake again.

“Then you’re really stupid.”

“I’m wearing boots. It can’t bite through boots.”

“Great. Did you know rattlers can jump nearly as far as they are long? Hmm, let me think. If that snake took a flying leap, by my calculations it would hit your balls. You wearing boots there, too?”

The men moved back.

She drew in a breath. Everything was going to be fine. She just had to stay calm and speak firmly. Pretend the guys were actually four-year-olds, although in her opinion the average four-year-old showed a whole lot more sense.

“All right, gentlemen. If you’ll follow me.”

“You think you’re so smart,” one of the guys said and grabbed her arm. “Let’s see how you like the snake.”