Swept Away. Kristina Mathews
over an exciting rapid. “This is living.”
“The next one is a swimming rapid,” Cody told her. “You up for it?”
“A swimming rapid?” Her voice squeaked.
“It’s one with a deep channel, few rocks, and big waves,” Carson explained. “It’s kind of like nature’s waterslide.”
“Sure, why not?” Lily tried to sound like she was up for anything. Here in the safety of the boat, she felt perfectly safe. Out there? She wasn’t so sure.
“You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.” Carson meant to be reassuring, but instead she took it as a challenge. She was through being treated like a delicate flower.
Cody steered the raft to the side of river. He wedged his paddle under the tube behind Lily. He stood and grabbed the straps of her life jacket, picked her up and tossed her overboard.
“Keep your feet downstream!” he shouted. “Relax and have fun.”
After spitting water from her mouth and shaking her head, Lily leaned back to enjoy the ride. It was such a rush to be carried over the waves with just her body. “This is awesome!” she cried out with her arms outstretched. Much better than her last trip downstream. This time, she was in control. She was wearing a life jacket. And this time, she knew the Swift brothers would be there to keep her safe.
The raft came alongside her as the current slowed. Carson leaned over and grabbed the shoulder straps of her life jacket.
“Just kick as I pull you up,” he instructed. “Kick hard.”
She kicked with all her might as he lifted her into the boat. She must have kicked a little too hard because they fell together to the bottom of the boat. She lay on top of him, breathless, both from her swim and from the feel of his hard body beneath her.
Their eyes locked and Lily felt a connection that made her heart stop. For a moment, it was just the two of them, floating in a world all their own.
Carson groaned.
“Damn it, Cody, you could have avoided that rock.” His voice was as sharp as the pain she remembered from hitting a rock or two yesterday. “Don’t tell me you didn’t see it.”
Lily picked herself up and returned to the front of the raft.
“Oh, if you think you could do better…” Cody stood up. “Come get the big paddle.”
“Fine.” Carson switched places with Cody for the rest of the trip. There were several more rapids, some calm stretches, and an overwhelming sense of peace as they made their way down the rest of the river.
“That was amazing!” Lily exclaimed once they brought the boat to shore. The trip ended at their campground, so there were plenty of guides around to help with the equipment. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”
“Anytime.” Cody helped her out of the raft. She was trembling all over. From the excitement, from working her muscles, from the cold water temperature.
“It’s our pleasure.” Carson helped remove her life jacket. His hands brushed her skin and it burned. Like a sunburn, only deeper. And no amount of SPF could protect her from his touch.
He tossed the jacket on the ground and went to gather the rest of the gear from the raft. Lily followed to grab the water bottles and spare paddle.
“I’m hooked,” she said with a big smile on her face. “You may never get rid of me.”
“Glad to hear it,” Carson said. She could hear the pleasure in his voice. “I knew you’d conquer your fear.”
“Of the river? Sure.” Lily was still a little afraid of the feelings that had been growing since she met him. He was like the river. Rugged, wild, yet never completely out of control. He could be exciting and reassuring at the same time. And she suspected he had depth, hidden parts that she wanted to explore.
Cody promised a shallow adventure. What you see, is what you get. He’d be pure fun—nothing more. She’d felt his gaze on her as they’d floated down the river. When he caught her eye, he made sure to smile, showing off a world-class set of dimples. He said all the right things, the kind of lines she’d only wished had been thrown at her when she was younger. And as flattering as his attention was, she didn’t quite react to him the same way. He may look just like Carson, but he didn’t make her feel that bone-deep longing that his brother did.
The question was, what was she going to do about it?
Chapter 4
Lily followed the guys to the equipment shed. The barnlike building housed the rolled-up boats, spare paddles, life jackets, and various equipment she was sure had names and purposes, but none she could think of. She hung her damp life jacket on one of the drying racks and tried to make herself useful, but even with the neatly labeled shelves, she had no idea what most of that stuff was.
Cody dropped hints about going someplace called the Argo—a restaurant or bar of some sort. He’d talked it up like it was the place to be after a day on the river. But spending more time with the two of them probably wasn’t such a good idea. As much as they made her feel welcome, she wasn’t really a part of their world. She was really more of an indoor girl. She belonged in an office.
Today had been a nice escape. But it wasn’t reality. She could tell herself she’d hang out all summer, soaking in the sun, forcing herself to relax. But she wasn’t in her twenties anymore. She’d need to find something to keep herself busy. To give herself a purpose in life.
She fantasized about opening her own business. Working from home. Bookkeeping services were always in demand. She could provide small businesses with help on financial tasks, payroll and such. And many businesses believed that outsourcing was more cost effective than having someone on staff. Hadn’t she learned that from experience?
If she got organized enough, she could establish a client base before she had the baby. And by working from home, she wouldn’t have to leave her baby in the care of someone else for ten hours a day. Maybe she’d hire a part-time nanny while she met with clients. She could get a lot done while the baby napped, or played quietly nearby while she input data into a computer.
Who knew that floating down the river could be so empowering? She wished there was some way she could repay them for the afternoon’s adventure. She felt like a new woman, like she could do just about anything. Getting on the river so soon had been a good thing. A really good thing.
And there was something about this place that drew her. That made her not want to leave. So maybe she hadn’t been camping since the sixth grade. Maybe she hadn’t stepped foot into a natural body of water since college. At least until yesterday. And maybe she’d never look as at home in the great outdoors as the female guide who was just getting off the river and heading over to talk to Carson and Cody.
Tall, tan, and very fit, the woman had biceps most guys would envy. She reminded Lily of a cougar, but not in the older women dating young men sense of the word. She moved with the strength and grace of a mountain lion. Slender and agile, and possibly territorial, as she glanced at Lily with a serious look on her face, like she was taking inventory. She must have passed inspection because the woman broke into a wide grin and introduced herself.
“Hey, I’m Fisher.” She offered a firm handshake.
“Pleased to meet you.” Lily smiled, despite feeling somewhat intimidated by her. “I’m Lily.”
“The chick these guys rescued. Cool.” Fisher gave a slight nod before following the twins back to the boat barn. “So, I know I’m the last person anyone would expect to have any gossip, but did you hear about Heather?”
“No. What about her?” Cody tossed the throw ropes into a bin. He shook out Lily’s now-dry life jacket and hung it up in a bundle with five or six others.
“Heather’s our bookkeeper,” Carson explained to Lily.