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  You can't tell what a person's like by her looks, Elizabeth reminded herself. You of all people should know that. Beneath Nicole's wholesome good looks and sporty, upbeat style, the girl was pure snake.

  Elizabeth shifted nervously. She was certain that it would be only a matter of time before Nicole struck again. Being a junior counselor was exhausting enough without having to guard her back constantly against a sneak attack. Plus she was carrying a heavy load of guilt for cheating on Todd—and now she was losing sleep over Jessica. How long can I go on like this, she wondered, before I go completely nuts?

  I love Todd . . . I'm worried sick about Jessica. Lying in her bed, pretending to be asleep, Nicole mentally mocked Elizabeth's pathetic whining. What a big show-off! Nicole couldn't stand the fake worry in Elizabeth's voice.

  Elizabeth Wakefield deserved to be punished for all the things she'd stolen from her—Joey, Maria, and the play. Nicole was the one who should have been taking the bows for writing Lakeside Love. And Maria was her best friend in the whole world. Elizabeth had no right to move in and steal her away.

  But the real kicker was Joey. She'd met him three years before, when she'd first started coming to Camp Echo Mountain. Joey had been a junior counselor back then, and as a camper, Nicole hadn't stood a chance; dating between counselors and campers was strictly forbidden. She'd waited so long for this, her first summer as junior counselor, because it meant that she and Joey could finally get together. Or so she'd thought. Until Elizabeth-the-wonder-twin Wakefield had come along and shattered her dreams.

  Nicole's jaw clenched. She wasn't beaten yet, not by a long shot. Dizzy Lizzie was going to be very sorry for what she'd done. Nicole ducked her head under the covers and laughed softly. Revenge was so much fun. Get ready, Dizzy Lizzie, Nicole thought cheerfully as she drifted off to sleep. It's payback time.

  Chapter 2

  With only a flashlight to penetrate the dark, Jessica Wakefield followed Paul Mathis down a deserted country road. "We must've walked at least ten miles already," she complained.

  Paul turned to her and smiled. He was devastatingly gorgeous, with wavy black hair and muscular shoulders—and well worth any punishment Lacey Cavannah might throw at Jessica for sneaking away from camp. Except, of course, being sent home. That was the one threat that kept Jessica focused on getting back to camp.

  "Come on, Jessica, don't wimp out on me now," Paul teased.

  She raised her chin defiantly and glared at him. "I don't 'wimp out'—ever. Besides, if I were a wimp, would I be here with you now, wandering around in the dark in the middle of nowhere?"

  He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. "We aren't wandering around," he said, his dark eyes twinkling with amusement. "I know exactly where we're going."

  "Yeah, right. You said you had a plan to get me back to camp, but if it's so great, why won't you tell me what it is?"

  "Trust me," he said.

  Jessica gave him a crooked smile. "Seems I don't have much of a choice, do I?"

  Paul chuckled softly and tucked a lock of her long blond hair behind her ear. "Nope. You're all mine tonight."

  His words sent an unexpected thrill up and down her spine. Standing on tiptoe, she reached up and kissed him, then playfully shoved him onward. "OK, let's see this brilliant plan of yours before Lacey discovers I'm gone and kicks me out of Camp Echo Mountain for good."

  Paul entwined his fingers with hers and brought her hand up to his lips. "I won't let that happen," he said.

  Jessica sighed. Her hand felt so right in his. After Christian died, she'd assumed she'd be alone for a long time. It was as if something inside her had died with him and she'd never be able to love again. So when she'd first arrived at Camp Echo Mountain, she had planned on having a no-boys summer.

  Giving up the roller-coaster ride of falling in love, she'd been content to stand back and watch as Elizabeth tortured herself over Joey Mason and Lila made a fool of herself over Bo. The no-boys plan had worked like a charm, keeping Jessica's heart safe—until Paul had come to camp to pick up his little sister, Tanya. With one look into Paul's dark, sexy eyes, Jessica's resolve had melted away like ice in the desert.

  Jessica looked up at the huge expanse of stars in the night sky. Thanks to Paul, her heart had healed. And once again the wild, fun-loving Jessica Wakefield was back in full force. The downside was that she'd lost her good standing with Lacey, but that couldn't be helped. The camp rules that kept Jessica and Paul apart had to be broken. It was as simple as that.

  "Can you at least give me a hint?" Jessica asked.

  "Think of it as a surprise," he said.

  "This had better be good, Paul. I'm already on Lacey's last-chance list." The week before, Jessica had "borrowed" Lacey's Ford Bronco to drive into town to see Paul. Unfortunately, Lacey had hinted that she was aware of Jessica's late-night drives, forcing Jessica to come up with a different means of transportation.

  That evening she'd pedaled into town on an old camp bicycle. It had been a long, strenuous ride. If she hadn't been in such good shape from cheer-leading and surfing, she'd never have made it.

  When she had arrived at Matties, the restaurant Paul's parents owned, he'd already gone home. One of the waiters had offered her a ride to Paul's house, so Jessica had left the bike at the restaurant. Hours later, after a wonderful time with Paul, she'd found herself stranded at his house, which was miles from town and even farther from camp. She hoped Elizabeth had been able to cover for her in the camp play without being caught—otherwise Jessica's summer in Montana might come to an abrupt end.

  The wind whistled through the trees, sending a wave of pine fragrance into the cool night air. From somewhere in the darkness, a low, guttural moan startled her. "What was that?" she shrieked.

  Paul laughed. "It was a cow, Jessica. We have a lot of them in Montana."

  "Oh," Jessica said with a shrug. An instant later, she started laughing, too.

  Paul slipped his arm around her shoulders and hugged her to his side. "You seem jumpy tonight," he said.

  "It's probably all the ghost stories they tell at camp. Lacey told us about a woodsman who used to work at the camp years ago. He was fired when they discovered he'd been fooling around with the head counselor. A few days later, the two of them disappeared, leaving all their stuff behind. No one ever saw them again. But sometimes, late at night, you can still hear the sound of the woodsman's ghost chopping wood deep in the forest." Jessica stopped and turned to him. "Isn't that weird?"

  "Yeah," he said, feigning a serious tone. "And you think they're hiding in the dark, impersonating cows?"

  She punched his arm. "Would you forget about the cow? It just startled me, that's all. Anyway, Elizabeth used the story in her play. I was supposed to play the part of Cassandra, the heartbroken head counselor who chooses to give up her whole life to follow her banished lover into the woods. Then, realizing their love is doomed, they eat poison berries and die in each other's arms."

  Jessica swooned dramatically. It had been a great role, and she was disappointed that she'd missed the play—especially considering how hard she'd rehearsed over the past few days. But it was worth it to he with Paul, she reminded herself.

  Paul whistled as if he was amazed. "I have to warn you, Jessica. There is a chance that Lacey will catch me tonight and banish me from Camp Echo Mountain. I hope you're not planning to eat poison berries if that happens."

  Jessica punched his arm, laughing. "You're pushing it, Paul."

  After they'd walked a bit longer, he shone his flashlight on a low barbed wire fence. "We have to climb over this," he said softly.

  Several dark, shadowy buildings loomed just up ahead. Jessica frowned. "Where are we?"

  He touched his finger to his lips, gesturing for silence. "It's a surprise, remember?"

  With an exaggerated sigh, Jessica followed him over the fence. "We have to kill the lights now," he whispered. "Watch where you step."

  "Great," she grumbled sarcastically as Paul led her to one of the buildings. "Can you tell me now?" she asked.

  "This is my neighbor's horse barn," he answered proudly.

  "What are we—" Her question hung in the air as she watched him open the double doors. "I don't know about this, Paul," she said with a giggle as she followed him inside.

  The barn smelled of hay and horse manure. Paul turned on the light, a bare lightbulb with a short pull chain mounted on the wall, and led Jessica by the hand to the first of several stalls. A reddish brown horse with huge dark eyes stared at her. "Meet Phil," Paul said with a proud smile.

  "A horse?" Jessica shrieked. "This is your brilliant plan—stealing a horse? Don't they hang people around here for stealing horses?"

  He winced. " 'Stealing' is such a harsh word. I like to think of this as . . . taking my old pal Phil out for some healthy exercise. Besides," he added, his eyes twinkling with contained laughter, "I don't think a car thief has any right to act so high and mighty all of a sudden."

  Jessica raised her eyebrows and glared at him. "I did not steal Lacey's car. I borrowed it."

  "And now you've graduated to 'borrowing' horses. I'll have to keep an eye on you, Jessica. Next thing we know, you'll be 'borrowing' cash from First Bank of Montana."

  "Very funny, Paul. And to think you were such a grouch when I first met you." He'd had his reasons, as Jessica had learned. A relationship he'd had with a former JC had left him heartbroken and wary of trying again.

  He laughed and kissed her swiftly. "I guess I just couldn't resist your brand of magic."

  A warm glow surrounded her as she watched Paul deftly saddle up the horse. "It's not going to be a fast ride," he said, leading Phil out of the stall, "but at least you'll be back at camp by morning."

  "I'd better be," she said.

  Paul hopped into the saddle and reached his hand down to help Jessica. She settled in behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

  "You all right back there?" he asked over his shoulder.

  Jessica leaned forward and snuggled against his lean, broad back. "This isn't so bad," she murmured. A minute later, when Phil broke into a steady gallop, she decided it was terrific. The wind was in her hair, and she was riding though the moonlit night on horseback with her arms around a gorgeous guy. What could be more romantic? she thought.

  She was running through the black woods, her heart pumping as if it were ready to explode. The path disappeared . . . something crashed . . .

  Elizabeth awoke with a start, a soundless scream lodged in her throat. Afraid to move anything but her eyes, she studied her shadowy surroundings. An ugly knot in the plywood ceiling above her head seemed to have taken the form of a grotesque, leering face. For a moment she didn't know where she was.

  A nightmare, she realized, sighing with relief. Something had been chasing her, but she couldn't remember the details. She sat up, moaning at the stiffness in her muscles. Her neck was especially sore, having been bent at an odd angle while she slept.

  Elizabeth rubbed her eyes and noticed she was still fully dressed, sitting on top of the covers. Then she remembered why—Jessica. She glanced over at her twin's bed, which was still empty.

  Elizabeth grabbed her flashlight and wristwatch from her nightstand and ducked under the covers to check the time. "Three-fifteen!" she whispered. Jessica, where are you? her mind screamed. The eerie silence of the night made Elizabeth's skin crawl. She was sure there was something wicked brewing out there. She wrapped her arms around her knees, grateful for the soothing comfort of Joey's warm sweatshirt, and closed her eyes.

  Suddenly Elizabeth heard a crash outside the cabin, the same sound she'd heard in her dream. Her eyes flew open, and her heart jumped to her throat.

  The door opened, and Jessica tiptoed into the cabin. Flooded with anger as well as tremendous relief, Elizabeth jumped out of bed. "Where have you been?" she hissed.

  Jessica giggled. Elizabeth's bossy, big-sister attitude was completely wasted on her. Still glowing from her fabulous time with Paul, Jessica crept over to her sister's bed and plopped down on the mattress. "Wait till you hear about the night I've had," Jessica whispered dreamily, pulling Elizabeth down by her arm to sit next to her. "I was stranded at Paul's house because his parents had taken his truck. He brought me back on a horse named Phil. It was fabulous. I'm in love."

  "With a horse?" Elizabeth said wryly.

  Jessica ignored the snide comment. "It was so much fun, Liz. You wouldn't believe how romantic it is to ride a horse through the night . . . ." She sighed with delight just thinking about it.

  "I can't believe you left me to act your part in the play," Elizabeth said, her voice indignant. "It was a stupid move, Jessica."

  "I know," Jessica agreed with remorse. "I'm sorry about missing my chance to be in your play I was so excited about it, and I worked so hard getting ready for it." Her daily rehearsals had been squeezed into an already full schedule of teaching dance workshops, looking after her group of seven-and eight-year-old Wanna-bes, and doing her share of camp chores.

  But any regret she might have had was wiped away by the joyful memory of her body snuggled against Paul's, the wind whipping through her hair, the way it had felt to laugh. "Seeing Paul was a hundred times more important, Liz. And I knew you could handle playing me for a few hours." She shrugged. "So, did we get caught?" she asked.

  "No," Elizabeth admitted.

  "See, no harm done," Jessica replied flippantly. "By the way, I see you're wearing Joey's sweatshirt. Seems your night was also a great success." She started to get up, but Elizabeth pulled her back down.

  "Please, Jessica, you have to promise me you'll never do something like this again."

  Although she'd expected a lecture sooner or later, Jessica was surprised by the urgency in her sister's voice.

  "I have this odd feeling," Elizabeth explained. "Something is going on in this camp—something bad."

  Jessica waved her hand, dismissing Elizabeth's concerns. "Oh, come on, Liz. I know things haven't been going very well for you, but—"

  Elizabeth gripped her arm. "I mean it, Jess. You have to promise me you'll be careful and that you'll never leave camp alone, like you did tonight."

  Jessica saw the frantic look on Elizabeth's face and knew it was pointless to argue. "Sure, whatever," she said to appease Elizabeth. But even as Jessica spoke the words she crossed her fingers behind her back—just in case the opportunity for another marvelous, thrilling, romantic adventure with Paul Mathis happened to come along.

  "I think I'm getting used to Bernard's cooking," Maria said to Nicole at breakfast the following morning. She plopped herself down at Nicole's table, squeezing in between Nicole and Lara O'Mally, a fifteen-year-old camper in Nicole's group. Lara made a face at Maria and mumbled something rude. Nicole glared at the redheaded girl, letting her know that her behavior wasn't acceptable. Lara's attitude instantly changed, and she went back to talking to her friends. You have to show these kids who's the boss, Nicole thought.

  "Have you tried the corn muffins?" Maria asked. "They aren't too bad."

  "They're probably store-bought," Nicole answered flatly. She didn't care if Bernard, the camp's head cook, made everything taste like poison. Her day had already been ruined. She'd woken up that morning to see Elizabeth stalking around the cabin wearing Joey's Yale sweatshirt. Nicole was still fuming over the smug look the wonder twin had given her.

  Anyway, her friendship with Maria was probably all over, thanks to Elizabeth Wakefield and her meddlesome twin sister. One of Jessica's campers, Maggie, an eight-year-old brat with brown pigtails and freckles, had secretly videotaped a conversation in which Nicole had been teasing Elizabeth about having stolen her play. OK, so maybe Nicole had been mean to Elizabeth, but the girl deserved it. Everyone knew Nicole was supposed to have written the camp play.

  But Jessica had discovered Maggie's tape and played it for the entire camp to see, embarrassing Nicole in front of everyone who mattered. Sure, Maria was still speaking to her, but that was probably because she felt sorry for her. Nicole resented being a charity case. "Don't you think you should go sit with your campers?" Nicole asked in her best haughty-sounding voice.

  Maria shrugged. "They're all right for a few minutes." She kept chatting cheerfully, but Nicole wasn't listening. She was distracted by the disgusting sight of Elizabeth fawning over Joey in the food line. It wasn't fair that Dizzy Lizzie had ar identical twin to help fight her battles.

  As she glared at Elizabeth and Joey, Nicole felt a little of her usual strength springing to life. I'm not defeated yet, she thought. There's no way I'd ever let a sneaky do-gooder like Elizabeth Wakefield get the best of me. Even with both Wakefield twins ganging up on her, Nicole was determined to win back everything she'd lost.

  An all-camp color war was planned for the last Saturday of camp, which was less than two weeks away. Two days before, Lacey had drawn Nicole's and Elizabeth's names as captains of the two opposing teams. It's as if the wonder twin and I are fated to battle each other, Nicole mused. Thinking about it made her smile.

  If only Joey were on my red team, Nicole thought. She wondered if Lacey had assigned the campers and counselors to teams yet. I'd sure love to get my hands on that list.

  "You're not listening, are you?" Maria asked.

  Nicole put on a sweet, innocent smile. "I was thinking about the color war."

  "Are you excited to be a team captain?" Maria asked,

  "Oh, yes, I am," she said. "I just hope we win." To herself she added, I guarantee we'll win. My red team is going to heat Elizabeth's blue team—and Elizabeth's blond head—to a pulp. She shoveled a forkful of dry, tasteless scrambled eggs into her mouth.

  Maria looked at her with a searching expression. "I think you and Elizabeth would get along if you'd just try."

  Nicole swallowed and glared at Maria. "Oh, so now it's all my fault?" she said indignantly.

  Maria shook her head and sighed. "Forget it. I guess it's a lost cause. But it's really hard on me."