Chapter 11

Sam was sitting on a rock by the stream when Jake went down to the water.

"Sorry," Jake murmured to her as he bent over to splash his face.

"It's okay," Sam shrugged, looking back up at camp.

"They should be down soon, then you can go change," Jake told her.

"Okay," Sam wrapped her arms around her legs.

"Cold?" Jake asked.

"No, not really," Sam shook her head. "I'm sorry I got cold last night."

"Don't worry about it, Brat," Jake sat down next to her. "You should have said somethin' earlier."

"I didn't want anyone to think I was a wimp," Sam told him.

"You are a wimp," Jake teased. "You're a girl, you can't help it."

Sam hit him and he laughed.

"That reminds me, Quinn promised to show me how to hit properly," Sam said with a grin.

"Just what we need," Jake rolled his eyes, chuckling when she hit him again.

"Good goin', Sammy," Quinn's voice made them both turn around. "We'll practice later."

"Go ahead and get changed, Sammy," Kit said as he came down to the stream. He was carrying the fishing gear. "We'll give you some privacy while we catch breakfast."

"And lunch," Bryan laughed.

"And dinner," Nate put in.

"Okay," Sam scrambled down from the rock and ran back to the camp.

"She's a good sport," Adam said as he watched her go.

"Yeah, she's a good kid," Kit agreed.

"For a girl," Quinn grinned.

"She's going to be cute when she grows up," Nate said.

Jake looked at him in surprise.

"I agree," Kit glanced at Adam who grinned.

"Why do you say that?" Bryan wondered.

Nate shrugged. Bryan looked at Kit.

"Just the way everything is put together," Kit shrugged. "Kinda like a horse. You can get an idea of what the horse will end up like by the way it's put together."

Bryan and Quinn nodded. Jake wouldn't look at his brothers. Adam and Kit noticed and their eyes met again.

"The guy who ends up liking her better speak up early," Adam tried to say nonchalantly.

"Why?" Quinn asked.

"She'll draw a lot of attention when she's about fourteen or fifteen," Kit predicted. "If someone doesn't stake a claim early, they could end up losing out."

Jake looked sharply at his oldest brother.

"You make her sound like a horse," Jake scoffed.

"She's going to be a beautiful woman," Kit said, knowingly.

"A beautiful woman who knows how to hit," Quinn laughed.

"Just don't teach her too much, huh?" Jake said to him. "I'm the one who will get hit most often by her."

The rest of his brothers laughed.

"Just enough to torment you," Quinn's grin widened.

"I figured," Jake murmured.

"You can count on me, Jakey," Quinn told him.

Jake ignored him, grabbing one of the fishing poles instead. He baited it and dunked the hook into the stream. Kit launched his hook as well.

"Think she's just about ready?" Nate asked, looking up at the camp.

"Don't go up there until she makes an appearance," Adam warned him.

"Yeah, we don't want to walk in on her still dressing or using the girl's bushes," Kit said, bringing a fish up on shore.

"Camping with girls can be a pain," Quinn complained.

Kit grinned.

"Just young girls," he told his brother. "Once they get old enough it can be fun."

He and Adam laughed, then they high fived.