“What do you need?” she asked Boone, still tangled in her thoughts. Had Walker expected Elizabeth to come home, tell Sue no and let him off the hook?
She couldn’t square that with the take-charge man she knew.
“I’m taking Avery to join my crew,” he called back to Walker and the others.
“We’ll make sure you get there okay.” Walker and the others followed them to the back of the bunkhouse and stood watch while they walked.
“Is that really necessary?” she asked Boone, gesturing to them.
Boone didn’t bother to answer that. “Come and see what we’re doing.” As they drew near the greenhouses, she was surprised to see them empty. They kept going, and soon she saw a small group gathered where the ground began to slope upward. Several men were pounding in stakes, and beyond them a series of rectangles were laid out along the rising ground. Renata was directing a film crew to capture the activities. Jericho, Savannah, Clay and his father, Dell Picket, Angus, Win, Byron and Leslie were looking at plans.
“We’ll put in a geothermal system, of course,” Clay was saying when she drew near, speaking loudly for the sake of the film crew. “And the design for these homes will be slightly different from the first set we built.”
“We’ll add more wind turbines to our grid,” Jericho added happily. “And the homes will have solar, of course. There are some great new panels that integrate right into the roofing materials…”
They were talking about expanding Base Camp, Avery realized. Bringing in new people to grow the sustainable community once the show was over and they’d won. Everything would change around here. No film crews. More newcomers.
She hadn’t let herself think about that yet.
“We’ll need more greenhouses, too,” Boone called out as they approached the others. “I’ve got some new ideas for those.”
“Aren’t you putting the cart before the horse?” Renata asked. Even though she had married Greg Devon and was officially part of the cast of Base Camp now, she still helped to direct the show, and today she was acting as interviewer. “After all, Walker’s not married yet.”
“He will be,” Angus said confidently. “He’s got two women after him now.” He caught sight of Avery behind Boone and coughed. “I mean—sorry, Avery. That wasn’t a very good joke.”
She hoped her cheeks weren’t burning, but she refused to turn and run away, knowing all this would end up in the next episode. Besides, everyone would probably follow her.
“Come on, take a look.” Boone steered her to the rectangles marked on the hillside. “A whole new neighborhood. Look at the views from here. We’re taking all we’ve learned from building the previous houses and making these even better. Clay, show Avery the plans for one of your new houses.”
As the crew filming them turned to focus on her, a thought occurred to Avery. Boone had come to find her specifically; he hadn’t asked Walker or Elizabeth to come along—or even Hope.
Because Walker and Hope had tiny homes already, and Boone thought Elizabeth would soon share Walker’s?
“Why are you showing this to me?” she demanded.
Did Boone even care who Walker married? Probably not as long as he was able to stay at Base Camp, she decided. Boone would do anything to keep Riley happy, which meant he’d do anything to accomplish the goals set out by Fulsom.
Including accepting Elizabeth as Walker’s wife.
She looked around at the ring of faces watching her. They would all do that, if it came to it.
“Why?” she asked again. She wasn’t going to let Boone off the hook.
“Because—” Boone stopped.
“Because Walker is going to marry Elizabeth?” she prompted. “And you’re going to shunt me out here in the suburbs away from everyone else? Is that your plan?”
She couldn’t believe Boone had the guts to try to spin it as a good thing.
“I’m not shunting you anywhere. I’m trying to tell you you’re still part of Base Camp no matter what Walker does.”
Still part of Base Camp? Had that ever been in question?
Fury flooded her. She’d come to Westfield the same day he had.
“These new houses are roomier, for one thing,” Boone went on. “We’ve figured out a way to make them more efficient so we can up the footprint, and we’ve got an improved system for piping water to them, and—” He caught sight of her face, ran both hands over his short hair, then held them to the sky. “Look, I don’t want this either, but Walker’s ties to the reservation…” He shrugged. “I don’t understand how it all works. It’s like Sue has something over him.”
“If he wants to marry Elizabeth, he can.” She crossed her arms over her chest, struggling to contain the pain threatening to overtake her. She’d be damned if she was going to live in the new settlement away from all her friends, no matter what he said.
It’s just a few hundred yards away, she told herself sternly, but she knew it wouldn’t be the same. She’d be lumped in with the newcomers, and Elizabeth would take her place as a founding member of Base Camp. How was it fair that Riley, Savannah and Nora, who’d come here with her, were getting everything they wanted while she was being pushed aside? What had she ever done to deserve being treated like this?
“He wants you,” Boone said bluntly. “But want comes second to honor with Walker. You know that.”
His understanding surprised her. “What does Elizabeth have on him?”
“Wish I knew, but I don’t. There are some parts of his life he keeps zipped up.”
She took a ragged breath. “So you can’t help.”
“Not with that.”
“Hang on,” Renata interjected. She held up a finger, and everyone paused while she pulled out her phone and took a call. Avery exchanged a puzzled glance with Boone. Renata never stopped filming, especially in the middle of getting footage that would definitely land on the show. When she hung up, she was smiling. “I’m so glad you’re here, Avery. It’s perfect timing.”
“For what?” Avery didn’t think
