Read Canyon Walls for Free Online

the dark.” Will’s voice boomed against the canyon walls as he shone the light in each of the four stunned faces. “This means I’ll be extremely grumpy in the morning when determining your punishment.”
    The guys groaned. Whitney’s lip quivered.
    â€œYou’re not going to call my mom are you?” Cooper asked.
    â€œOh man, my mom would kill me,” Seth said.
    He had found their weak points—Mom. He would remember that and use it to get through the week.
    Marcy stood from a rock and pointed at the boy in the cap. “You promised me we wouldn’t get caught.”
    Will looked down at the other teens sitting on the rocks. “I think this should be a lesson to you to make your own decisions and not let other people talk you into doing things you shouldn’t.”
    Cassie cleared her throat. Will turned around to see her swirling her finger. Time to wrap it up.
    â€œOkay, let’s head back to camp,” Will said. “You guys have been out too long as it is.”
    Will and Cassie followed behind the teens, like guards escorting prisoners.
    â€œI can’t believe the girls from my church would sneak out,” Will said to Cassie.
    Cassie shrugged. “I know, but at least we found them. We’ll get them back where they belong.”
    â€œDo you think Beth is still looking?” Will asked.
    â€œI’ll call her on her cell phone and get the girls back to their cabins,” Cassie said. “You can make sure the guys are back in their bunks. Then let’s meet at the pool just to make sure no one had any problems.”
    They parted ways at the tabernacle. The boys shuffled their feet as they walked.
    â€œSo, come on, guys. You have to tell me how you did it,” Will said.
    â€œHuh?” Seth asked.
    â€œHow did you sneak out?”
    The boys looked at each other and then at their tennis shoes.
    â€œWD-40,” Cooper said. “We sprayed the hinges on the door earlier today.”
    A few minutes later, after Will had returned the boys to the cabin and arrived at the pool, a slender hand dangled an ice cream sandwich in front of his face. Will looked up from where he sat at the edge of the pool. “You sure know the way to a man’s heart.”
    He moved his shoes to the other side so Cassie could sit beside him.
    Her bare feet slipped into the water, and she gave a satisfied sigh. Will studied her as he unwrapped his ice cream. Her face looked soft and smooth, and she finally acted more relaxed around him—not the same defensive girl she had been.
    He pointed to the plastic bag in her hand. “You’re eating carrots. . .instead of ice cream?”
    She smiled and held up another sandwich. “No, I have a sweet tooth, but Beth would hate it if I brought her ice cream and she had to turn it down. I didn’t want her to feel left out.”
    â€œThat was nice.” He took a big bite of the already-melting ice cream.
    She shrugged. “She would do it for me.”
    The camp was quiet except for the sound of their legs swishing in the water. He couldn’t remember the last time he had sat in silence, enjoying the evening. And he couldn’t have shared it with a better person. He liked Cassie. Sure, she could be brash and unpredictable, but she was also captivating. “I wanted to tell you thank you,” he said, crumpling the wrapper in one hand.
    â€œFor what?”
    â€œFor helping me tonight. I was pretty panicked when I knocked on your door.”
    Cassie laughed. “You did look white as a ghost.”
    He tossed the ball of paper into the trash can behind him. “I’m usually pretty calm under pressure, but I didn’t want to call someone’s parents and tell them their kid had been eaten by a mountain lion.”
    â€œYeah,” she said. “Wouldn’t be very good for my career either.”
    He nudged her with his elbow. “I’m serious. You really