Always the diplomat, Win thought. She made a good counterpoint to Boone, who tended to get a little autocratic now and then.
Were Avery, Nora and Riley still at odds? Win knew from watching the show it had hurt Avery when her friends believed she had stolen a family heirloom from Walker. Win had assumed they’d patch things up, but maybe she was wrong.
She’d better get used to telling her story, Win decided, but the cameras were rolling, and she couldn’t expose her parents’ lies. Not if she didn’t want her parents to come after Base Camp itself.
“It’s complicated, and I’m tired. Can we talk more about that later?”
A long pause told her putting off the conversation was a mistake, but Win wasn’t ready to try to explain her past. She needed to have that conversation with Angus first.
“You’re back for good?” Nora asked.
“Yes.” She was sure about that. “My parents…” She glanced over her shoulder at the cameras. “Don’t need me anymore.” She had to leave it at that for now.
She got the feeling no one was satisfied with what they’d heard, but the conversation turned to more general topics until they reached Base Camp.
As they got out of the truck, Avery hesitated. “You know about the backup bride, right?”
Win nodded, swallowing her pain. She couldn’t believe she’d have to spend the next month watching Angus with another woman.
“Would you… like to stay with me tonight rather than at the bunkhouse?” Avery ventured. “That might make it easier.”
“Where are you staying?” Win asked in surprise.
“In Walker’s tiny house. I wasn’t going to sleep in the bunkhouse after what Walker did.”
“We’d better get back to our chores,” Riley said. She and Nora kept going, leaving the two of them alone with the camera crew.
“Have you really given up on him?” Win asked tentatively as she followed Avery past the bunkhouse toward the cluster of little houses built into the side of the hill nearby.
“I don’t know.” Avery shrugged. “Honestly. I just don’t know. I loved him so much for so long. I was so patient—and he believed the worst of me without even questioning where his information was coming from. Meanwhile, he’s been waiting on some other woman. He still is. He hasn’t explained who she is, or what she means to him, or what he’ll do if she holds him to whatever promise they made each other.”
“Or his grandmother made for him,” Win corrected her as they reached Walker’s house and Avery opened the door. “I’ve watched all the episodes several times,” she explained when Avery turned to her questioningly. “In one of them Walker’s grandmother says he’s promised to someone else. Not that he promised himself to someone else.”
Avery just shook her head, ushering Win inside. “Does it really make a difference in the end?”
“Maybe. Don’t give up until you know for sure.” Win took in the half-finished interior. Avery must have really wanted out of the bunkhouse to set up camp here, but at least it was private, and they were both used to sleeping on the floor, after all. Win wasn’t looking forward to that. Her first trimester had gone smoothly after only a few days of morning sickness, which she’d been able to cover up as stress-induced when the housekeeper caught her throwing up one morning. Since then her belly had grown, and now the baby was big enough that sleeping was sometimes uncomfortable. She liked to prop herself up with pillows. Would she be able to find enough to do that here?
Avery was silent a moment. “Well, I don’t think you should give up, either, so I guess we’re even.” She fished something out of her pocket. “He’s giving me gifts.”
“Angus?”
Avery made a face. “You know darn well I’m talking about Walker.”
“What kind of gifts?”
There was a knock on the door, and when Avery opened it, Boone stood outside, a thin pallet, pillow and sleeping bag in his hands. “Here you go.” He handed them to Avery. “Look, Win. About that backup bride. I’m sorry—”
Avery slammed the door in his face. “Where were we?” she asked Win without skipping a beat. She crossed to the living room and dumped the bedding on the floor.
Win nearly laughed. Nearly. She couldn’t quite pull it off even if she heard chuckles behind her from the camera crew who’d followed them inside. “Gifts.”
“Oh, right. Yesterday it was rabbit fur mittens. Today it was a rock.” She fished it out of her pocket.
“A rock?”
“It’s a pretty rock,” Avery admitted, holding it up.
It was. “Looks like agate,” Win said. “What did he say when he gave it to you?”
“Walker? Give me a break, you think he actually said something?” She pocketed the rock again, unrolled the mat, arranged the sleeping bag on top of it, scooped up the pillow, plumped it a little and added it to the makeshift bed. “The world could end before you got a peep out of him.”
“What did you say?”
“I told him it was cold and hard, like his heart.”
“He’s trying,” Win pointed out.
“Not nearly enough,” Avery said firmly. She straightened. “So, you and Angus.”
“Me and Angus,” Win repeated. “God, it’s going to be hell watching him date someone else.” She didn’t even want to think about it, especially after how he’d reacted when she’d told him about her parents’ threat to disown her. He thought all she cared about was money, and that wasn’t true.
“I’ll be the one doing that next, I suppose. Watching Walker with someone else,” Avery said.
“Maybe. Maybe not,” Win said. “Not if he’s showering you with gifts.”
“He’s showering me with rocks,” Avery retorted. “Rest a bit,” she added. “It’ll be lunchtime soon enough.” She returned to the kitchen, got herself a glass of water and poured one for Win as well, then climbed the ladder to the loft sleeping area, where Win figured she’d stored most of her things.
Win appreciated the chance to catch her breath, but as she nudged the sleeping mat nearer to
