Sweet Serenade (Riverbend Romance 3) (5 page)

Everything looked different from the bow. Upfront and personal. He used his blade to help guide the canoe around the rocks and through the deepest water, but most of it was up to Carly. He could only hope she hadn’t puffed her experience.

He began to relax a little as they blasted through the chute. She might not be as familiar with this river as he was, but she knew what she was doing. As long as she was strong enough to pull the canoe out of the current and into the eddy at the bottom.

Carly was plenty strong. The memory of her jumping into his arms would never leave him. Was there a chance this could become something more than a mere friendship? He hadn’t known he was looking for someone like her but, now that they’d met, he knew with certainty that he had been. She’d be a match for him in every possible way, loving the Lord and loving the outdoors as he did.

Too late he saw they were a little too far into the current to make that eddy. He hollered and set his paddle into a brace position. He could sense the canoe begin to turn with Carly’s strong stroke. Too late. They’d be shooting the next bit of river as well, a section he’d run before but hadn’t even shown Carly. Man, he hoped she was a quick thinker.

Carly yelled as they swirled past the take-out, but there was no time to turn and reassure her. No more daydreaming. Reed needed to make every movement of his paddle count to ensure they nailed the next chance to get ashore. Beyond that, the rapids went from Class Two to Class Three, and he had no desire to run them in an open craft. In the kayak, perhaps, but it was a canoe beneath his knees.

With exhilarating speed they careened over several haystacks and rounded a bend. A tree had fallen across part of the waterway since last time he’d run this section, its branches sweeping the river. Reed applied as much power to the paddle as he could, fervently wishing he were in the stern and not the bow. Praying Carly could get them past the sweeper.

Not quite. The tip of the tree tangled the canoe and sent it sideways, where they hit a rock broadside.

The next thing Reed knew, he was kicking to the surface and sputtering for air, still clinging to his canoe. But where was Carly? He frantically searched the turbulent water in every direction before he caught sight of her hanging onto the tree that had swept them into the boiling water.

Reed clung to the overturned canoe with all his strength as the current carried him downstream. He forced himself to think about getting himself and the craft ashore. Only then could he go back and rescue Carly from the undertow of that tree. His legs bashed into a rock under the water, then another. Man, he was going to have some bruises. Hopefully he wouldn’t break a bone. For half a second the current stilled, and he shoved the canoe into shallower water with all his remaining strength. His feet found the rocky bottom and dug in as the current twisted, all but wrenching the canoe from his grasp. No. This was his boat, and he wasn’t letting go.

After an eternity, he was able to swing it toward the shore and slip out of the current. He hoisted the canoe up on the rocks with strength only God could have given him and clambered up behind it. He looped the towline around a log. If only he could sit down and catch his breath. But not with Carly still in the water.

Reed grabbed the rescue bag with its long rope coiled inside, climbed the rest of the way up the bank, and ran back the way he’d come, jumping over rocks and logs, searching the river for her orange vest. He rounded the bend. She was still out on that tree. He cupped both hands around his mouth and shouted her name.

Her head swung toward him.

Good, she was conscious and she’d seen him. Now how was he going to get to her? The tree she clung to had been rooted on the far bank, and there was no bridge for several kilometers up or downstream. Still, could he really advise her to let go and mimic his own trip? He’d had the canoe for buoyancy. She had nothing to hold onto.
 

He’d only have one chance to get the throw bag to her. Even then, she was going to swim. Didn’t look like there were any options eliminating that.

A limb cracked, and Carly bobbed under the water then back up. Her face was set more with determination than fear. Good girl.

Reed wrapped the tail end of the rope around his fist, wound up his pitcher’s arm, and hurled the rescue bag toward her, rope playing out as it flew.

Carly let go of the tree and surged toward the bag as the branch she’d clung to floated free.

He swallowed his panic, forcing his mind to clear and his hands to hold that rope.

She caught the rescue bag and yelped as her body slammed against a rock. He remembered that one with a wince. She flipped herself into a water-skier’s ready position. Good thinking. Her feet and bent legs should cushion the worst of upcoming impacts. There’d be a few. No getting around it.

Reed gathered the rope as it slackened, leaping back along the rocks downstream. He had to give her just the right amount of leeway and help pull her in when the channel opened for that split second.

Eternity rolled around again before he knew she’d make it. Seconds after that, she collapsed at his feet against a log.

He jumped into the water, gathered her into his arms, and lifted her to the waist-high rock beside the canoe. “Carly. You okay?”

“Man, what a ride. I don’t think I broke anything. Is the canoe okay?”

He kept both arms wrapped around her. “The canoe is fine.”

“I’m so sorry I missed that pull-out. I didn’t get a deep enough draw at the end of the chute.”

“All that matters is you’re okay.” He held her, rubbing her back.

“I can’t believe that happened. You must think me an absolute greenhorn. And then the sweeper caught me off guard. I should have been ready for that.”

This had to be adrenaline talking. A bit of hysteria.

Reed did the only thing he could think of to silence her.

He kissed her.

Chapter 6

Reed’s lips on hers turned off her words. She’d overturned his canoe, sent him for a bone-rattling swim, panicked him out... and he kissed her?

Carly didn’t normally go around kissing guys she’d met only a few weeks before, but this was Reed Daniels. Reed who saw God in creation, who loved the river, who’d let her control his beloved canoe. And look what she’d done to it.

She considered releasing his lips to apologize again, but thought better of it. That could wait. For this moment, his nearness—his comfort—were all that mattered. Carly wrapped both arms around his neck and kissed him back with all her pent-up emotion.

All too soon Reed released her and took a step back. His dark eyes seemed more alive than ever as they searched her face. “I-I’m sorry, Carly. I shouldn’t have done that.”

A chill that had nothing to do with the icy dunking wound around her heart. “Shouldn’t have—?”

“I shouldn’t have kissed you.” His Adam’s apple bobbed, and he looked away. His gaze darted back to meet hers then settled somewhere around his feet.

Understanding seeped into Carly’s mind, and with it, a flush crept up her face. “You kissed me to shut me up.”

He lifted a shoulder slightly without looking up.

Oh, man. And she’d kissed him back like she thought he really meant it. Like she’d been waiting for him to make a move. Truth? She had been.

“And because I wanted to.”

His words were so quiet against the roar of the river she almost missed them, but fierce hope surged again. Maybe she really wasn’t to be trusted right now. The adrenaline was still there, close to the surface. “Reed?” She waited until he met her eyes again then she grasped both his hands. “Thank you.”

Reed sucked in his lower lip as he searched her face. “For what?”

For kissing her. But she couldn’t say that. “For rescuing me.”

A little smile poked at his cheek, but not enough to invoke that deadly dimple. “You mentioned that already.”

“I’m not normally into that whole damsel-in-distress thing.”

“Most wouldn’t think of me as a knight in shining armor.”

Carly leaned forward and brushed her lips across his. “I will always think of you that way.” She heard his breath hitch as she pulled back. “Thanks.”

Reed removed his hands from hers and, looking at his canoe, ran his fingers over its wooden strips. “Maybe we should head back to the truck.”

“Probably a good idea.” Carly swiveled on the rock and drew her legs up under her. She inhaled sharply. Oh, the pain. Her legs felt like they’d been through a blender. She peeled off her life vest and tossed it into the open canoe beside her.

“You okay?”

“I think so. Just battered. But no more than you, I’m sure.” After all, he’d swum the rapids, too. The sight of him clinging to that canoe, bouncing from rock to rock away from her, was permanently etched in her brain.

She rolled to kneeling then to standing and looked down at her legs. Some abrasions and cuts, but no blood to speak of. Bruises would be sure to surface within a day or two.

Reed, still standing on a lower rock, brushed the side of her left knee. “I bet that one hurts.”

His touch tingled.

“Honestly, they’re all the same right now. I’ll let you know tomorrow.”

He angled his head and looked up at her. “You’ll still be talking to me tomorrow? After all this?”

Carly frowned. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You’ll never think of me without reliving getting caught in the sweeper. You’ll have nightmares from that.”

She needed him at eye level. Wincing, she sat back down. Ah, the perfect height. “Reed, I won’t have nightmares. These aren’t the first rapids I’ve swum. I’m pretty sure they won’t be my last.” She searched his eyes. “I’m a river rat from way back, remember? I’m not saying that ricocheting off rocks with my bare legs was my favorite part of this afternoon, but it’s inevitable sooner or later unless a person never ventures into dangerous territory.”

Carly was in dangerous territory right now. “Life is full of risks. Some people sit in their recliners, eat chips, and watch other people do things on TV. I’m not that kind of person. I’m a doer, not a watcher.” Somehow their hands were gripped together. Had she reached for him, or had he taken the initiative? She pulled him closer, against the rock between her knees. “Reed, life is worth a few risks, don’t you think? Isn’t that when we know we’re truly alive?”

She wasn’t talking about the river anymore. Had he noticed the shift? She moved her hands to his shoulders. When he didn’t resist, she slid them all the way around and held him against her. Gently. Loosely.

A few seconds later his arms encircled her waist where she sat, and he rested his forehead against her shoulder. “You might not have nightmares,” he murmured. “But I will. I was struck with terror that the undertow of the sweeper would... would pull you right under. That I’d lose you before I even really knew you. I promise you I’ll wake up in a cold sweat more than once in the next week or two.”

Carly rested her cheek against his damp hair, allowing one hand to play with the tapered edge on the nape of his neck.
 

Reed’s grip tightened. “Carly.”

She smoothed the strands of hair. Would he kiss her again?
 

“Carly, I—” He tipped his head to meet her gaze from mere centimeters away.

Her breath caught on the emotion in those deep brown eyes. “Yes?”

“I-I like you. I like spending time with you. A lot.” He swallowed hard, and his hands moved against her hips. “I’ll be really honest. I want to kiss you again.” His gaze flicked to her lips. “But I need to wait. I respect you too much. I need to know what we’re feeling isn’t just relief at surviving that dunking with little more than scrapes and bruises.”

 
She nodded slowly. A thousand thoughts tumbled through her mind. She was pretty sure her attraction to him had little to do with the river, but he was right. So many guys would just take advantage of the situation. Respect was kind of nice.

Although she could really do with another kiss.

~*~

Reed watched Carly’s face. Had he said too much? Scared her off by saying he wanted to kiss her again? Because, man, he was desperate to, and if he stood here much longer with her fingers in his hair and his hands pressed to her hips, he was going to do it, no matter what he’d just said.

He pulled in a deep breath and stepped back, releasing her. “Can you give me a hand hauling the canoe up to the portage trail?”

Carly nodded. “I can do that.” She clambered to her feet, wincing.

He hated that she hurt. Hated that it was his fault. He tossed his life vest into the canoe. The beauty had a few more dings than she had a few hours ago.

Carly lifted the bow, and Reed hoisted the stern. They set the canoe on a higher set of rocks, then again. The third time, they rested it on the riverside trail. Reed rolled the canoe onto his shoulders with one well-practiced swing. Oh, man. He was going to feel those impacts every step back to the truck.

“You okay?” asked Carly.

He pushed a grin to his face. “Close enough.”

“I can carry it at least part of the way.”

“After what you went through? I don’t think so.”

“You went through the same thing. I bet some of those rocks have both of our DNA wedged in their tiny crevices.” At least she’d started walking while she argued.
 

“I had the canoe for buoyancy. You had nothing.”

“I’m not sure that saved your shins any.”

She was probably right. But it was his canoe. He was able to carry it, and he would.

“I’ve portaged a canoe before. Plenty of times.”

“I’m sure you have. Tell me about paddling the Nahani.” Anything to get her talking about something else. Anything to take his mind off watching the back of her as she hiked the trail ahead of him. Thankfully, she’d slung a life vest over each shoulder, obscuring her curves. He didn’t need to see them to remember them.

“I was thirteen that summer. Dad wasn’t one for guided tours or anything like that, but we caught up to a group led by Paul Mason. Have you heard of him?”

Paul Mason. Paul Mason. Reed shook his head then remembered she couldn’t see. “I don’t think so.”