Duncan tilted his head to one shoulder. “I might. The place does have some serious potential. To the right person.”
Maddox had known him long enough to know he never even hinted at something unless he was serious. Empty promises were too risky when money was involved. For Duncan Hawthorne to even imply interest was a milestone.
Maddox gripped his shoulder. “You won’t be disappointed.”
“I haven’t agreed to anything yet.” Duncan shrugged out of his grasp. “Why not start with a new brand? You find the right image to rep the park, and you might be turning me down.”
Maddox laughed. He couldn’t help the way his insides swelled like a hot air balloon. “Let me see how this rabbit stunt goes. It’s a scavenger hunt, and I’m sure it’s going to triple the numbers I usually get. I’m increasing publicity to spread the word. People are going to be all over this. Searching for the next clues to riddles? Finding the white rabbit at the end?”
“It is clever,” Duncan said with an obliging nod.
“Come on, man, it’s ingenious.” Or so he hoped. He muscled down the worry tying knots inside him.
“Where’d you come up with it, anyway?” Duncan asked.
Maddox winced. If it was anyone else, he never would have confessed as much. But this was Duncan. They’d been best friends since freshman year at UVM.
“It was Ruby’s idea,” Maddox said.
Duncan’s eyes widened. “Ruby, as in your ex?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you seeing her again?”
The insulting question stung. It didn’t help Maddox’s surly mood. “You’re seriously asking me that? Come on, man. You know what she did to me.”
Duncan knew just how much that breakup had rattled him. It was the sign of what a good friend he was, that he hadn’t gone public with as much detail as he’d been privy to. With the amount Ruby had invested in Wonderland, calling their breakup messy was the understatement of ever.
Ruby had backed out of both their engagement and his business when profits had begun to sink. Evidently, she’d only been interested in him if his park was successful.
Her version of success was different from his. He had a billion-dollar theme park that reflected his mother’s favorite book. He’d started it for her. It had made him a huge success and he couldn’t lose it.
Lately, the park’s appeal had all but vanished. The numbers weren’t coming. In fact, with the cost of operating rides, maintenance, electricity, and staff, profits were drifting into the fiction category right along with the book it was based on.
Duncan’s expression shifted from skeptical to apologetic. “Forget I said it. I just wanted to make sure this rabbit thing wasn’t some ploy to get her back.”
Maddox rammed away his uneasiness. Though his relationship with Ruby had ended badly, he did still hope to find someone to share his life with. But she would need to be someone he could trust, and Maddox wasn’t sure someone like that existed.
He shook his head. “This is my livelihood. My mom’s idea. I have to do this for her. I need investors.”
“Whatever you say,” Duncan said as a short, youthful associate with black hair and freckles made her way down the aisle toward them. “I’m going to go see if they have any turtles. There’s a mock turtle in the book. Why not set one of those loose?”
“It’s supposed to be a challenge,” Maddox said with a laugh.
Duncan whirled to walk backward as he spoke. “Right. A challenge. Because everyone loves those.”
“When I’m offering a cash prize big enough to feed a family for a year, they do,” Maddox said as Duncan turned his back to him and strolled toward the display of saddles.
“Can I help you?” the cute associate interrupted. She wore an Arbor Ranch nametag on her plaid blue shirt, and cowgirl boots climbed up the ends of her jeans.
Maddox rubbed the back of his neck. Maybe he was crazy to do this.
He could tell the associate no thanks. He could leave the furry cottontails behind and find where Duncan had strolled off to. Or he could step out of the box and take a chance.
He’d always preferred that option.
“Yeah,” he said. “I need a white rabbit.”
This is going to work, he told himself as the associate assisted him with the rabbit. Whether the park was set in Vermont or not, he’d issue his challenge everywhere he could. Bring in new customers. He’d get Wonderland back on its feet.
All he needed was the right girl.
CHAPTER TWO
Adelie stared at the gigantic F-word on the top of the letter that’d just been hand-delivered by a balding sheriff.
Foreclosure.
Her mind spun, her thoughts turning to mush.
“This can’t be happening,” she said, closing her front door.
“Who was that?” Suzie asked, trotting over in her bunny slippers, with a steaming mug in one hand. Adelie couldn’t form the words. Instead, she passed the notice to her sister.
Suzie’s blonde hair was piled in messy perfection on top of her head. Her eyes skimmed the contents while a little line appeared between her brows. “How can this be? I thought we were caught up.”
“We were.” Adelie huffed and followed Suzie past the floral couches and into their farmhouse kitchen. The smell of sizzling hash browns and eggs filled the small room. They’d eaten hash browns and eggs for days. Thanks to their chickens that roamed the yard willy nilly, it was a cheap meal. “Until I lost my job. I’ve been so stressed trying to find work, but I thought you said you were going to take care of our mortgage payments until I found something.”
“Right…” Suzie shifted, shuffling to place her mug on the kitchen’s tiled counter. “About that.”
Adelie blinked. “You haven’t been paying the mortgage?”
Her sister was silly and spacey, that was true, but Adelie never thought Suzie would neglect something as important as this.
“I forgot I had to,” Suzie said in a pleading tone. “All my money has been going toward school.”
Adelie sank onto a
