He blinked, joining her again. “Of my childhood. This used to all be wild and unkempt. Such a secret place. Back then you had to jump a fence to get here. There were cows everywhere, and it was fun to play around them as we threw rotten guavas at each other. By the time we’d get to the water, we’d be covered in mud and smelly fruit and would race to the highest rock to be the first to jump in.”

Quinn smiled. She couldn’t even imagine a magical childhood immersed in such a tropical paradise and enjoying it with siblings. Her heart always longed for that kind of connection when she heard stories like his.

“Aww, shut your mouth!”

They both turned toward the insult that had broken the special moment.

A group of teenagers had come up and were talking to a woman who appeared to have just gotten off an ATV. She was pointing at the top of the falls and looked to be giving them a lecture.

“I asked you not to do that today. It’s not safe due to the rains we had this week,” she said.

“Who the hell made you queen for a day? You can’t tell me what to do,” the teen said.

Liam stood, and as he approached the small group, Quinn could see the sudden stiffness in his shoulders.

“Is there a problem here?” he asked, using a low, calm tone of voice that Quinn had yet to hear from him.

The three boys and the woman turned to him. The teen who was the main talker lifted his chin stubbornly and pointed at the woman.

“This crazy old bat is trying to tell us where we can and can’t go,” he said. “She doesn’t own this place.”

“It’s too dangerous for rock jumping today,” she retorted.

Quinn stood but stayed where she was. They didn’t need to make the scene any bigger than it was. Already the dad carrying his toddler was getting out of the water, worry on his face as he joined his wife on the bank. The other couple was watching quietly.

“Lady, this is a public place,” the teen said. “And you can kiss my—”

“Don’t say it,” Liam interrupted, taking another step, putting himself between the woman and the teenagers.

The atmosphere went from serene to electric.

When he spoke again, it was almost too quiet to hear, but Quinn strained.