I Can See for Miles (3 page)

“Maybe, just maybe, depends on whether or not you pay attention this time and don’t try to head off anywhere on your own,” Charlie said mock sternly.

“Me?” Davey replied, the picture of innocence. “I can’t help it if you can’t keep up, man.”

There was general laughter all around, and Charlie hugged Davey to him. He was a good kid, and Charlie liked him immensely. “Is everyone else here?” He turned to glance at Mike over his shoulder. “Do you want to round them up and we’ll have the meeting on the porch? It’s way too nice out there to stay inside.”

“Are you going to help your mother?” Sharon said from the doorway. “I’ve got enough peach cobbler here to keep Davey busy for a week.”

Charlie smiled and bent down to kiss his mother on the cheek, breathing in the scent of her perfume, warm, familiar, and comforting. “Hey, Mom.” Charlie took the tray of peach cobbler from her hands and placed it on the large table in the center of the room.

“Hello?” Mario’s voice sounded a little uncertain as he walked into the room, followed by Greg and Josh, with Greg’s guiding hand on Josh’s elbow. “Sorry we’re late,” he said ruefully, prodding Josh in the ribs and making the big man flinch. He ducked Josh’s arm as he tried to return the favor and grinned. “Gigantor here wanted to stop and pick daisies. He’s going to make me a necklace later.”

“Please ignore my vertically challenged friend,” Josh drawled, his sunglasses hiding his eyes. “We’re late because he doesn’t know how to read a signpost. I had to rescue him.”

“Well, you’re here now,” Sharon said, casting a glance at Maggie and winking at the younger woman, much to Charlie’s embarrassment. “If I get lost, will you rescue
me
?”

Charlie’s face flushed, and he tried not to pay too much attention to the curve of Josh’s lips when he grinned at Sharon. “Ahem…
Mother,
if you could put your tongue back in, maybe we can get the meeting started?”

“Of course, let’s all go outside, shall we?” Sharon said in her soft voice, ignoring the glare Charlie threw at her when she moved to Josh’s side. “Why don’t you sit by me, young man, and you can tell me all about yourself.”

Charlie groaned inwardly, not knowing who to feel sorrier for… Josh… or himself.

Chapter Three

C
HARLIE
waited until everyone had arrived and then took up pole position, using his arms to lever himself up onto the railing that ran all the way along the porch. He looked around at the party of people before him, all seated on the comfy chairs on the porch, and the four children staying this week, all squashed into the swinging bench, their little feet dangling inches from the floor. He pushed his glasses farther up on the bridge of his nose and smiled at the assembly.

“Okay, well, I think we can all smell that Pop’s got the barbecue going,” Charlie said with a chuckle as he unfolded the piece of paper he had printed off the computer. “So why don’t we get this show on the road, and then we can get to the important stuff—”

“Yeah, peach cobbler,” Davey crowed, blushing when his mother shushed at him. “What? Sharon’s cobbler is the best.”

“I totally agree, Squirt,” Charlie chuckled. “So I’ll try to do the boring stuff as quickly as possible. But not everyone has been here before like you, so I need to make sure they know how to be safe around the camp. I tell you what,” Charlie said, holding out his hands, “since you’re such an old hand at this, why don’t you come on up here and help me?”

Davey smiled brightly as his father lifted him up onto the railing, and Charlie pulled him to his side, keeping his arm around his waist to prevent him from falling.

“Okay, now that me and Davey are ready,” Charlie began, “I’m Charlie Cooper, and I would like to welcome you all to Camp Aisling. Aisling means vision in Gaelic, and I couldn’t think of a more apt name because, although some of us are sightless or partially sighted,
none
of us will ever be visionless. We can all strive to make our dreams a reality. I’d like us all to start by introducing ourselves by name and telling a little of our story—whether you have always been hard of seeing or how you lost your sight.” He looked at the little boy beside him. “Davey, you wanna start?”

He nodded eagerly. “I’m Davey, and I’ve been blind four years now. My mom, Judith, and dad, Peter, are here with me and so is my big brother Kevin, who says he’s the best-looking seeing-eye dog anybody ever had.” He chuckled as his brother whooped in response. “I love it here, and I can’t wait to get on the back of a horse and go see those eagle nests again.” He turned his head in Charlie’s direction hopefully and smiled when he felt Charlie’s answering squeeze. One by one, the other four children introduced themselves and their families, and then it was the turn of one of the three older guests.

“Hi, I’m Kim. I’m twenty-four, and I lost my sight three years ago when I got thrown from my horse,” a slender young woman with a short blonde cap of hair said softly. “A friend of mine came to Camp Aisling last year, and she raved about Charlie and the camp and, of course”—the smile in her voice was audible to everyone—“Sharon’s cobbler. So I decided to check it out for myself. My boyfriend, Chad, is with me this week, and we’re hoping to get me back on a horse, because I’ve been too nervous since the accident.”

“Don’t you worry, honey,” the blond-haired, blue-eyed man who sat beside her said reassuringly, the love for his girlfriend obvious in his actions as he slipped an arm around her shoulders. Charlie liked him already. “We’ll get you back up on it, won’t we, Davey?”

“You betcha, Chad.”

Charlie couldn’t keep the smile from his face, and he nodded at Chad warmly. The man had obviously made a hit with the younger element of the camp already. Raising his eyebrows at his mother, Charlie drawled derisively, “Momma, maybe your new
friend
would like to introduce himself to the group.”

“Yes, her new
friend
would,” Josh replied easily, not missing a beat. “If her
son
would ask him nicely.”

Charlie ignored his mother’s hastily swallowed snort of laughter and cleared his throat. “I apologize. Would you like to introduce yourself to the grope? I mean group!” Charlie corrected himself hastily. Where in the hell had that come from?

Mario coughed loudly and nudged Greg with his knee, both men exchanging a look that Charlie couldn’t miss, even with his limitations.

“I’d love to,” Josh drawled. “I’m Josh, and I lost my sight eight months ago in a kayaking accident. I’m here with my best friends, Mario and his partner, Greg, who are undoubtedly the two biggest rednecks you will ever come across.” He nudged Sharon’s shoulder with his own. “Don’t worry, Sharon; if they start humming the theme from
Deliverance
, you’ll be safe with me.”

“Oh, you,” Sharon cooed, smiling widely at the young man beside her. Turning her gaze on her embarrassed son, she dropped him a very obvious wink.

God, please save me from matchmaking mothers
, he thought to himself before turning to the last camper to introduce herself. “And you are?” He watched as the older brunette seated beside the young redhead nudged her arm to indicate that Charlie was speaking to her.

“Pissed off and would rather be anywhere else but here listening to the irritating platitudes of some do-gooder mountain guide, who couldn’t possibly understand what any of us have been through or are going through,” she replied, her tone cold and abrasive.

“Sophia!” the woman, obviously her mother, hissed, blushing at her daughter’s rudeness.

“It’s okay,” Charlie said, smiling at Sophia’s mother. Turning his attention to Sophia, he began to speak softly. “I noticed the first clouds across my vision six years ago. Cataracts, the doctor said, and I had surgery to have them removed. Everything was fine until they returned, eight months later. Another surgery followed, then another and another. So here we are, eight surgeries later, the last one just eight weeks ago, which was pronounced a success at my six-week checkup.”

“Good for you,” Sophia bit out, folding her arms across her chest stubbornly.

“It was,” Charlie agreed. “Until three days ago, when I woke up and I could see clouds. So, yeah, my platitudes may be irritating, but believe me, I do understand exactly what you’re going through, because I’m headed down that road myself.” He waited a few minutes while his words sank in for everyone around him, and then he said quietly, “Would you like to try your introduction again?”

The young woman kept her arms folded across her chest like a shield, but she nodded begrudgingly. “I’m Sophia. Brain tumor. Benign, but pressing on the optic nerve. Surgery to remove tumor was successful, but it left me blind. This is my mom, Greta.”

“It’s very nice to meet everyone,” Charlie said, smiling at the campers around him. “As you know, I’m Charlie, one of your guides, and we also have Tom, Jason, Mike, and Maggie. We are all here to help you and make your stay here as enjoyable as we can. This week is supposed to be about fun, people, but, as with most things in life, there are a few rules.” Charlie laughed at the resounding boo from the small ensemble as Maggie handed schedules to the sighted partners. “Here are some of the activities for the week. Davey will be ecstatic to know we will be taking a pony trek up to Eagle Ridge tomorrow morning, followed by some swimming in the lake—and that’s just day one. Now for the really boring part… the rules.

“First and foremost, this may be pretty country, but don’t be fooled—it’s treacherous. Please do not wander off by yourselves.” He nudged Davey pointedly with his elbow. “If you wander off, we have to come look for you, which disrupts everyone’s good time, so please, make sure you are with your partners or a guide.

“Secondly, keep your pagers on you at all times, just in case you get separated from the group for any reason, and then simply punch in 911 and stay put until we find you.

“Thirdly, and probably the most important rule at Camp Aisling—enjoy yourselves. No one here is going to judge you or complain that you can’t keep up. We’re all here to have fun and get to know one another better.” Charlie looked down at Davey as the small boy patted his knee. “What’s up, dude?”

“Can we get barbecue now? My tummy’s making a lot of noise,” Davey said, his blue eyes mischievous.

“Sure, let’s all go round to the yard and get some food and a beer.” Charlie jumped down off the railing and turned to help Davey down. “Make that root beer for you, Squirt.”

J
OSH
sank his teeth into the burger Bill had handed to him, moaning low in his throat as the “special sauce” Bill had told them about slid over his tongue. “Oh my God, Bill, what the hell is in this, man? You have to tell me.”

Bill chuckled, patting Josh on the back. “Sorry, son. No can do. Family recipe, passed down through the generations. You’d have to become family for me to give you the info.” He reached out a hand and grabbed Charlie’s forearm. “And since
Charlie
is the only unmarried Cooper left… you’d have to take him on.”

“What?” Charlie asked, confusion evident in his voice.

“What do you say, Josh…? Think you’re up to it?” Bill joked.

Josh tilted his head and smiled, having already realized Charlie wasn’t as immune to him as he would have Josh believe. He scratched his chin in deliberation. “I dunno, Bill. You’d have to talk him up a storm. Can’t say I’m that impressed so far. What am I looking at?”

“Well, I know I’m his mother, so I’m a little biased, but he’s real pretty.” Sharon’s small hand warmed Josh’s skin through his thin shirt as she cozied up next to him. “Big green eyes, eyelashes to die for, blond hair, and he has these freckles…
everywhere
.” The last word was a stage whisper with extra emphasis.

Josh could practically taste Charlie’s embarrassment as the other man was subjected to his parents’ meddling. For a split second, he felt sorry for him. He had, after all, been in the same position time and again with his own family. But he was enjoying the fact that he rattled the other man far too much to stop.

“Well,” Charlie said sarcastically. “As much as I’m enjoying being the fatted calf, I think I’m going to mingle with the guests.”

“But I am a guest,” Josh retorted, a wicked smile curving his lips. There was something about this shy man that intrigued him. Whenever the guy spoke, his voice conjured up all sorts of images in Josh’s head that were not entirely welcome. “How tall is he, Sharon?”

“He’s six two, well built, although he could do with a little more meat on his bones,” she replied, as if Charlie wasn’t even there, Josh noted.

“And he’s pretty, you say?” Josh frowned and tapped his chin with his forefinger. “See, you could just be trying to get rid of him, so you would say that just so I’d take him off your hands. I mean, the special sauce is good, but I can’t say yes based on your say-so.” He lifted his hand and let it hang in the air between him and Charlie. “So I guess the only way to be sure is to see for myself.” His voice held a challenging note. “Do you mind, Charlie?”

Sharon mumbled something Josh didn’t quite hear, and Charlie made a noise between a sigh and a growl as he shuffled closer to Josh. “Knock yourself out,” Charlie snapped.

“Well, since you put it so nicely,” Josh countered. He closed his eyes and lifted his hands, feeling warm fingers curl around his, instinctively knowing they were Charlie’s as the man placed Josh’s palm to his cheek.

Josh tried to keep his shoulders relaxed while his fingers traced across the long sweep of Charlie’s lashes.
Jesus, Sharon wasn’t kidding. They are definitely eyelashes to die for
. His fingers trailed down the straight plane of Charlie’s nose and across his cheeks, trying to imagine the freckles Sharon said were there. He couldn’t prevent his own lips from parting when he traced the outline of Charlie’s, and when he felt the other man’s slight gasp against his fingertips, it unfurled dark heat in his belly—heat he wasn’t sure he was ready for. Josh dropped his hands from Charlie’s face as if he were suddenly hot to the touch and hoped his shrug was nonchalant. “He’s not
bad
-lookin’.” Josh was relieved to find his voice didn’t tremble as he’d been sure it would. “I guess I wouldn’t have to keep him locked in the basement when we had visitors.”