A Love to Treasure (Sunriver Dreams Book 1) (18 page)

A knock at the door drew her away from the kitchen. “Coming!” She hobbled as fast as possible then pulled the door open.

Mark’s face lit, and her heart rate kicked up a notch. He looked like he’d stepped off the cover of a sports magazine with his khaki shorts, dark sunglasses and rafting sandals. “Good morning. You ready?”

“Just about. Be right back.” She turned toward the bathroom again and moved forward trying desperately not to limp.

“What happened?” The concern in Mark’s voice stopped her. He sidled up to her and knelt beside her foot. “That looks painful.”

“It’s nothing.” She looked down at the cause of her embarrassment. “My little toe collided with the door frame this morning.

He frowned. “Is it broken?”

“I couldn’t tell.”

“Let me look. I’ve broken my fair share of bones.”

Her lips twitched. “So you’re a doctor too, huh?”

A slow smile lifted his lips, and he settled his hands at her waist. “Up you go.”

Before she realized what was happening, he’d lifted her onto the counter. Good grief the man was strong! She was no lightweight. He squatted before her and took her foot in his hand. She caught her breath. Her gaze trekked down from his face to his hands as they gently probed her injury. “Careful.” She winced when he touched an especially tender spot.

“I think you’ll live. It might be broken, but it’s hard to say. Do you have any tape?”

“I don’t think so.”

“In that case, I’ll have to carry you.”

“What? No. I can walk.”

He scooped her into his arms before she could protest further. Her heart tripped into a staccato beat. She reached for her bag.

“You have everything?” He spoke softly inches from her face.

Her cheeks had to match the color of her top. “My flip flops are by the door.”

“I’ll come back for them.” Somehow he opened the door without dropping her and managed to maneuver through without bumping her foot. He gently deposited her on the hood of his car.

He chuckled. “Sorry, I didn’t think this through. I should’ve opened the door before bringing you out here.” Sadie barked from the backseat.

“But then I’d have been right behind you, and it wouldn’t have mattered.”

He grinned and strode off for her flip-flops.

She sat stunned for a moment before gathering her wits and scrambling into the car. To say he had surprised her was an understatement, but boy she liked his kind of surprises. Had he heard her heart pounding when he held her close? She shook off the embarrassing thought and watched him jog back to the car.

Sadie whined for attention.

Nicole turned and scratched behind the dog’s ear. “You’re a good girl.”

The driver’s side door opened, and he slid in. “All set?”

“Yes.” She glanced at him. “You do realize you can’t carry me all day?”

“No worries. I have tape in my gym bag.”

“If you had it all along why didn’t you . . .”

He shot a mischievous look her way. “I’ll tape it when we get there. Were you sleepwalking or something?”

“Not exactly. I overslept and wasn’t paying enough attention.”

“At least we won’t be walking much today.” He started the engine and pulled out.

“I was hoping that would be the case since you said to wear my swimsuit.” Looking out the side window, she mentally mapped where they were. “When do I get to know what you have planned?”

“We’re going canoeing. Spencer has a canoe and offered to let us borrow it. He’ll meet us at the river and will pick us up at the takeout point in a few hours.”

The image of the officer dressed in drag brought a smile to her lips. “That’s nice of him.” Then another thought struck her—the last time she was in a boat her oar broke. Hopefully there would be no repeat of that incident today.

Mark pulled the car to a stop on the side of the road. The river wouldn’t be crowded this time of day. The chill in the air made him grateful he’d worn a hoodie. But the clear sky would soon allow the sun to warm them.

“Stay put, Nicole. I’ll be right back.” He grabbed athletic tape from his gym bag and pulled open the passenger door. She looked at him with worry in her eyes.

“I think it’ll be fine. I don’t need that.”

He shook his head and squatted then rested her foot on his knee. “Sorry, but you’ll be getting in and out of the canoe, and I’d feel better knowing your toe is protected at least a little. I’ll be gentle.”

“This is going to hurt isn’t it?” Nicole squeezed her eyes shut. “I can’t watch.”

He chuckled. You’d think he was sticking her with a needle or something. He ripped off a couple inches of tape, then split it down the center. “Okay. I’m going to tape your toe to the one next to it.”

She nodded. “Please hurry.”

The tension in her voice made his brow furrow. Hopefully she wouldn’t kick him. He quickly taped her toes. “All done.”

She slowly opened her eyes and looked at her foot. “Really?”

“Yes. Wasn’t so bad was it?” He gently removed her foot from his knee and stood.

“Thanks. Sorry for being such a baby. I’ve never been a good patient.”

“Remind me to call 911 and let the EMT’s deal with you the next time you hurt yourself.” He shot her a teasing grin.

“There won’t be a next time. I don’t make a habit of injuring myself.” She shielded her eyes against the morning sun. “Is that Spencer?” She nodded toward a pickup that pulled up behind them.

“Yes. You ready?”

She slipped on her flip-flops then stepped out gingerly. “It doesn’t hurt as much now.” She hoisted her bag onto her shoulder.

“I’m glad.” He snagged her hand and gently squeezed it.

Sadie hopped out and loped over to Spencer.

They walked hand in hand to Spencer’s rig where he leaned against the front grille. “Morning!” He dropped Nicole’s hand and shook Spencer’s. “Thanks for this.”

“No problem. But now we’re even for the other night.”

“Ha. Not yet. I was up for thirty-six hours because of that stakeout.”

Spencer shook his head. “Give me a hand.” He walked to the back and together they removed the canoe from the bed and carried it to the entry point.

Nicole followed silently.

“Okay. I’ll see you both in a few hours. Call me if you need a ride sooner.” Spencer looked to Nicole. “Any more problems out your way?”

“Thankfully no.” She bit her lower lip. “At least not that I noticed. I’ve been away from the house much of the time. Do you think the burglars robbed any of the other houses on my street?”

“Nothing’s been reported by the owners or any property management companies.” He glanced toward Mark. “Relax and have a good time today. Sorry I brought it up.” Spencer handed them each a life vest, which they slipped on.

“Hop in, Sadie,” Mark said from the riverbank.

His dog leaped into the canoe causing it to teeter from side to side, but Mark quickly steadied it. “Easy, girl.”

Sadie settled onto the bottom of the metal canoe looking at Nicole eagerly.

Nicole chuckled. “I’m coming.” She carefully stepped in then slipped past Sadie and sat on the front bench seat as Mark held the vessel steady.

Satisfied she was secure, he grabbed the cooler he’d packed then stepped in. “Thanks, Spencer. We’ll meet you at the other end.”

“Have fun.” Spencer pushed them off with one final wave and walked away.

Wide-eyed, Nicole looked over her shoulder at Mark. “Umm. What am I supposed to do?”

The canoe wobbled from side to side. After Mark gave her a mini lesson, on bows, sterns, paddling and back paddling, they set a course for the middle of the slow moving river. “We could float along and enjoy the scenery for a while if you’d like. We have plenty of time.”

“Sounds good to me.” She took her phone from her bag and pulled up the camera app. “I want to remember this summer forever.” Reeds along the bank swayed in the breeze as she focused in and clicked off several shots. A speedboat flew by. Nicole gripped the sides of the canoe and yelped. “Are we going to tip?”

“Not if I can help it.” Mark maneuvered the canoe to a better angle and glared after the boat. Some people were beyond rude. The wake from the boat continued to rock the canoe, but not as severely as before.

Nicole dropped her phone to her lap and gripped the side of the canoe, her eyes large with fear. “You sure we aren’t going to tip? I suppose this is why you said to wear my swimsuit.”

The canoe finally stopped rocking. “Not exactly. I’d planned to go white water rafting, but it didn’t work out, so Spencer came to the rescue early this morning. I didn’t think to call and tell you not to wear a swimsuit. But if you’d like to take a swim . . .” The water would probably be cold, but he doubted that would stop her if she really wanted to take a dip.

“No. That’s okay.” Nicole released her grip on the canoe. “That was nice of him. He always seems so serious. I’m surprised he owns a canoe.”

Mark chuckled. “You don’t know Spencer. After a full night doing surveillance you get to know a person. He’s a good guy.”

Spencer’s frustration over this case would probably come to a head soon. They must’ve spooked the perpetrators because there hadn’t been any more burglaries reported. Maybe they wised up and decided to leave before they were caught. “Is your asthma okay today?”

“Yes. I’m so embarrassed about yesterday. I’ve been practically symptom free since I was a teen. I guess the combination of allergies and exercise set it off.” She sneezed as if their conversation had ordered the reaction.

“We’ll take it easy. I’d hate to have a repeat out here on the water.” He directed them toward an inlet.

“I agree, but I brought my inhaler, so don’t worry.” She looked over her shoulder. “Any chance I could turn around and face you? This is awkward.”

“Sure, I thought we’d stop for breakfast as soon as I see a good spot. When you get back in you can go ahead and face me.” He searched the grassy bank and steered toward the shoreline.

With a strong thrust, Mark propelled them to the edge of the soft bank. He craned his neck and spotted a log on a flat spot. “This looks like a great place to picnic.”

“I agree.” She stood and stepped out. “I’m glad we’re eating. I didn’t have time for breakfast, and I’m a breakfast kind of girl.”

Mark retrieved the cooler and followed her to the log. “I aim to please.” He sat and slid the lid off, revealing fresh fruit, blueberry muffins, milk, and bottles of water.

“Yum. You thought of everything.” Nicole pulled out an apple. The crisp crunch of the fruit was loud in the morning stillness.

The gentle flow of the river made rippling sounds along the bank. An osprey soared overhead and landed on the top of a pine tree. The wildlife alone made for the perfect morning, but the company couldn’t be beat either. Nicole was so different than he’d first imagined when they’d met on that traffic circle.

The screech of an eagle drew his gaze. He glanced at Nicole, her chin tipped up and her lips parted slightly. He suppressed a smile. “Pretty amazing huh?”

She closed her mouth and nodded. “I’ve never been out here. When I was a kid, we mostly stayed on the trails around the lodge and village.”

“You and your grandmother?”

“No, my parents and brother and I would come here every summer.” A shadow crossed her face. “Grams didn’t bring me here.”

“You never talk about your family.”

“This summer has made me think about what happened more than ever. I’ve avoided it since I was a kid, but meeting you has brought it all to the surface.”

He jerked his head back slightly. “Me? Why?”

Nicole sighed and bit her bottom lip. “I’m going to tell you something I never talk about. But I don’t want to discuss it, or answer any questions. Okay?”

He nodded, sensing that even the sound of his voice might silence her.

“When I was ten my brother was killed as the result of a high speed police chase. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The man who hit him robbed a bank, then carjacked a woman’s car.” Her voice caught, and her gaze slammed into his. “That man survived, but Robbie was killed instantly when the car he was riding in was T-boned on the passenger’s side. The police came to our house. I was standing behind my dad when they told him what had happened. My dad had a massive heart-attack right there. They gave him CPR until an ambulance came, but it was too late, and they couldn’t get his heart to start.”