“All bets are off.” Her voice rose shrilly. In an obvious effort to control it, she drew a deep breath. “I’m dying here, Jim. I think the boys might be traumatized for life. You don’t want to be responsible for that, do you?” Because she wasn’t entirely sure of his answer, she jerked away to tuck each boy under her arms. “You hike it,” she said. “But I’ve got blisters, and I don’t think I’ll ever regain the feeling in my left leg.”

“Suze, if I’d known you felt this way—”

“Fine.” She wasn’t willing to give him time to finish a single sentence. “Now you do. Come on, guys.”

They crammed into the back of the Land Rover. After a moment, Jim settled sadly in with them, his youngest on his lap.

“It’s, ah, beautiful country,” Libby began as she directed Cal along the trail. “You’ll probably appreciate it more after you’ve rested and eaten.” And a great deal more than that, she was sure, when Susie discovered they had circled a couple of miles closer to Big Vista.

“It’s certainly full of trees.” Susie sighed at the luxury of moving without effort. Because she knew Jim was sulking, she patted his knee. “Are you from around here?”

“Originally.” Confident that Cal would find the way now, she shifted to face their passengers. “Cal’s from Philadelphia.”

“Really?” Susie debated flexing her foot, then decided not to risk it. “So are we. Is this your first time out here, Mr. Hornblower?”

“Yes, I guess you could say it’s my first time here.”

“Ours, too. We wanted to show our sons a part of the country that was still unspoiled. And we have.” She gave her husband’s knee another squeeze.

Resilient, Jim swung an arm over the back of the seat. “This is one trip they won’t forget.”

The boys exchanged looks and rolled their eyes but wisely kept silent. There was still a chance for that hotel.

“So, you’re from Philadelphia. What do you think of the Phillies’ chances this year?”

Cautious, Cal tried to be noncommittal. “I’m always hopeful.”

“That’s the ticket.” Jim slapped Cal on the shoulder. “If they tighten up the infield and beef up the pitching staff they might have a shot.”

Baseball, Cal realized with a grin. At least that was something he could relate to. “It’s hard to say about this season, but I figure we’ll take our share of pennants in the next couple hundred years.”

Jim gave a bark of laughter. “That’s taking the long view.”

When they reached the clearing, their passengers were all in a more cheerful state of mind. The boys leaped out to chase after a rabbit. Susie stepped out more slowly, still favoring her legs.