In For a Pound

by Joselyn Vaughn

  Moving her feet to the side to change how her bum rested on the metal seat, she said, “He’s my fiancé.”

  “Oh,” Joshua said simply.

  Sidney took a couple strokes to analyze the lonely syllable. Had he asked merely for conversation, or was he disappointed in her answer? Since they were talking about her fiancé, she shouldn’t be discouraged by Joshua’s limited interest. Her heart wasn’t on the market. She switched to paddle on the other side. Then again, he might not care at all.

  “Colin’s not so keen on canoeing, but doing these races was his idea. The more races we won, the more money we would have for our wedding and honeymoon. If we win all three races in this series, we get a trip to the San Juan Islands, which we will use as our honeymoon.” She angled her paddle to give them a better trajectory for the next buoy. “The first race was Memorial Day weekend. They usually have this one on Independence Day, but it’s a week early this year. The last race is Labor Day weekend.”

  The muscles in his shoulders flexed and rolled with each dip of the paddle. His soaked, white T-shirt bunched around the armholes of his vest. Penny hadn’t given him more than a minute before she’d almost thrown him in the canoe.

  Who knows how many times Joshua had even been in a canoe? He paddled awkwardly, switching sides after four strokes on one side and two on the other. Sidney adjusted her strokes to compensate for their drifting trajectory.

  “When is the ceremony?” Joshua asked.

  “October. We’re planning a small backyard wedding.” She glanced around Joshua to get a feel for their competition. The closest boat from their heat was a hundred yards back. A peek around Joshua told her they gained on the lagging teams from the first heat. Maybe the last minute substitution hadn’t been so bad after all. She’d have been working a lot harder with Colin at the helm. She slapped her paddle at the water, rewarding herself with a splash in the face. Just because Colin hadn’t shown up didn’t mean she should be comparing him to the first guy who crossed her path.

  The closest canoe was fifty yards ahead of Joshua, but she recognized the flowered sun visor in the front. Missy always wore that stupid visor with her bikini. Shading her delicate skin or something or other. She could put on a T-shirt.

  Sidney would keep an eye out for her. Missy liked to sprint at the finish. With Joshua at the front of Sidney’s boat, she’d have a little extra muscle Missy wouldn’t be counting on.

  “Where are you going?”

  Sidney jerked her attention back to Joshua. “The next buoy. It’s the red one over there.” She adjusted course a bit and dug in a little harder to shrink the distance between them and Missy.

  “No, I mean your honeymoon.” Joshua wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his forearm. “That is if you don’t win the trip.”

  Goodness. She couldn’t seem to concentrate on anything. Colin missing, this new guy Joshua, and Missy’s shenanigans were jumbling her attention. “Probably camp somewhere along Lake Michigan. The state parks will still be open.” Remember, she chastised herself, your dream of actually traveling somewhere disappears if you don’t get your head in this race. “The fall colors will be at their peak.”

  “Sounds cool.”

  They swung around the buoy, then headed down the stretch in front of the beach to the start of their second lap around the lake. She tried to focus on her rhythm, but it usually involved fixing her eyes on the water in front of her. Joshua’s back as he swung the paddle from one side of the boat to the other did horrid things to her concentration.

  “Are you new in town?” Sidney asked.

  “My dad lives here. I’m staying with him during his cancer treatments.”

  “Who’s that?” Sidney stilled her paddling into order to hear his answer. The wind picked up as they headed into it. The next section of the course was going to be tougher.

  “Buck Pounds,” he called over his shoulder.

  “How did Penny rope you in to this race?”

  “She’s my aunt.”

  “Penny actually has a nephew. I thought she just wanted to be called aunt.” Sidney shifted on her seat and pulled the paddle through the water on her other side. “I wouldn’t have been surprised if she’d grabbed a random stranger out of the crowd though.”

  “She has her own way about things.”

  Sidney laughed. “You can say that again. It’s good you can be with your dad. Everyone at church has been praying for him since his diagnosis.”

  “We appreciate that.”

  Joshua sounded calm, but his rowing rhythm stuttered. This afternoon was full of surprises: Colin not showing up, Penny honestly deserving the title “aunt”, and Penny and Buck being related—somehow that had never occurred to her. They chatted at church, and Penny was often at Buck’s. But Penny was a busybody and had her finger into everything happening in Pine Bottom. Sidney couldn’t think of a place she would be surprised to see Penny.

  And then there was Joshua. Sidney had known Buck had a son. Buck spoke highly of him, but mostly described how much he traveled and how he never settled down. Never stayed in one place long enough to meet anyone or have a family.

  But from these tidbits of conversation, she had pictured Joshua as much older than herself. Over forty for sure, possibly closer to fifty. Anyone described as a confirmed bachelor by their own dad had to be passing middle age. Since Buck was in his seventies, she’d logically put Joshua’s age twenty-ish years younger.

  The muscled man in front of her was nowhere near fifty. She’d put him closer to thirty. Maybe mid-to-late thirties, given the smattering of gray in the dark hair at his temples. “It’s good they caught the cancer early. What will the treatments be?”

  Joshua took a few breaths before answering. While the muscles in his arms and shoulders showed he was used to physical labor, the pace they set would be grueling for anyone but a seasoned paddler.

  “The doctor said there would be a few more tests, but it looks like chemotherapy. They’re not sure how many treatments yet. I plan to stay for the duration.”

  “Buck mentioned you travel a lot.” Sidney peeked around Joshua to get a view of their competition. They had scooted past the other teams in their heat and a few from the first. Missy and Zach were still up ahead, but they didn’t seem to be paddling hard enough to maintain their pace.

  “It goes with the job, but yeah. It’s one of my favorite parts,” Joshua said as he switched sides with his paddle.

  “Buck never mentioned what you do.”

  “I work for Disaster Rebound. All the travel is to disaster sites. I help set up our relief efforts and coordinate the shipment of supplies.”

  Wow. The whole package, too good to be true, and not hers for the taking. Attractive, charitable, and here. Unlike Colin. She allowed her gaze to sweep the crowd on the beach, hoping to see Colin waving from the sand. But she didn’t spot his safety green swim trunks among the spectators. Penny danced behind the starting posts—if jumping up and down and swinging her arms in circles could be called a dance. Missy’s canoe had sped twenty yards farther away. Sidney’s concentration locked into place. How could Missy have jumped so far ahead when she and Zach were barely sticking their paddles in the water?

  “Missy and Zach, our toughest competitors, are right in front of us, but I think we can catch them,” she called to Joshua as she upped her own gear. “The heats are timed, but if we are ahead of them, we have a good shot at winning.”

  “I’ll do my best,” Joshua said as his paddle sliced through the water. She could feel the boat jerk ahead with each stroke.

  You’re going down, Missy.

  They rounded the first buoy at the start of their second lap only to find their increased efforts hadn’t shrunk the space. It didn’t seem possible, but Missy appeared farther away than before. Did she also have someone new in the back of her boat? Sidney snuck a quick look as they slooped around the buoy. The dark sunglasses hid his face, but it was still the same old Zach. So they’d simply chang
ed strategy. Well, they would probably burn out before the last turn. She and Joshua had to keep pushing the pace, and Missy would wilt.

  “Keep it up!” she encouraged Joshua. “Not much longer.”

  “By my estimate, we have three-quarters of the lake to go.”

  “Yeah, but I don’t think the competition can keep this pace for the rest of the race.”

  “I’m not sure I can keep this pace. My arms are quaking.”

  “Keep going to the next buoy. I can take us home from there.” She hoped her own arms would support her confidence. She paddled much harder than usual to catch Missy and Zach. Joshua wasn’t the only one feeling the wobbles. Another few minutes of straining and they would have Missy beat. She could do it by sheer will alone, if necessary.

  Her arms burned. She wouldn’t let Missy win this and take away her honeymoon. The trophy would be hers even if her arms fell off and she had to drink her coffee through a straw.

  The wind shifted, and Sidney thought she heard the whirr of a motor. One of those small trolling motors used by bass fisherman to lurk in the weeds. She cocked her head to try to locate the sound. The boats monitoring the race had heavier motors, sounding more like the rumble of a sports car engine rather than the buzz of a weed-whacker.

  As they closed the distance on Missy and Zach, the engine whine grew louder. They couldn’t be… Missy might play dirty, but would she outright cheat? Would she be so brassy as to sneak a motor into the race?

  “Do you hear something?” she called to Joshua.

  “Not over my own wheezing,” Joshua said over his shoulder.

  “I heard a motor.”

  “There are several boats around here.”

  “Not like those. Like a bass boat.” She paddled harder. Missy was not taking the honeymoon of her dreams away from her with a trolling motor. Her paddle swept through the water as smoothly as a bargain hunter through a garage sale.

  Muscles straining, she willed their canoe closer to Missy. The motor was unmistakable now. She stretched to see over Joshua’s shoulder. “Do you think we can catch them?”

  “My arms might fall off.”

  “Well, as long as they’re attached, paddle harder. We can’t let Missy win.” Sidney pushed her paddle. Her arms screamed, but she ignored them. She had to see what Missy was up to. The canoe leapt ahead. After a few strokes, they had halved the distance.

  “You know, I definitely hear something now.” Joshua’s paddling amped to double-speed. “It’s coming from their canoe.”

  Sidney would owe him a big favor after this. He probably wouldn’t be able to pull a shirt over his head for a week. Their canoe slipped next to Missy’s.

  Zach fumbled with his paddle when he saw Sidney. “Missy! They’re catching up!”

  Missy swiveled, wielding her paddle. Zach dropped his paddle, but it didn’t tumble into the water. What? The paddle hovered on the far edge of the canoe.

  Zach recovered himself and grabbed the handle. He moved as if he was paddling with it, but the stroke was all wrong. He never lifted the paddle above the surface.

  “Missy,” he yelled. “Get your paddle in the water.”

  Sidney stared, perplexed until Joshua shouted. She jerked, realizing they were on a collision course with the other canoe. Paddling furiously, she guided their boat to a near miss. The rear of her craft swung into the front of Missy’s anyway, knocking Missy’s silly visor into the water.

  “You!” Missy screeched as she dove forward to snatch her hat before it sank to the depths. As she whipped it out of the water, she sent a spray down Sidney’s back.

  “Cheaters never prosper!” Sidney bent and twisted to look around the far side of Missy’s craft. Zach’s paddle was attached to the guide of a small, black, trolling motor lurking just above the water line. “I knew I heard a motor. I’m reporting you!”

  Missy lunged for the edge of Sidney’s canoe as Sidney attempted to paddle away. “You’re not going anywhere.”

  “Let go!” Sidney scratched at Missy’s hands, but Missy redoubled her grip and held on until her knuckles blanched white.

  It was tempting to use the paddle to shove Missy away, leaving a big purple bruise across her face. But Missy’s ensuing wail would bring the officials zooming over, and they would both be thrown out of the competition. Fighting wasn’t accepted any more than cheating. While keeping firm pressure on peeling Missy’s fingers away, Sidney scanned the lake. Where were the officials anyway? At the nearest boat, an official trained his binoculars on them, then signaled to the driver. The boat curled around and motored toward them. Perhaps, he had spied Zach’s fake paddle.

  “Quick!” Missy released their boat and flapped her hand at Zach. “Ditch it!” In a rapid twist that almost capsized both canoes, Missy snatched her paddle and swung it into the water as Sidney watched dumbfounded. Zach flipped something on the side of the canoe and dropped his paddle handle into the water. The wood piece bobbed for a moment, then sunk. Wooden paddles didn’t usually sink, but it must be connected to the motor. Zach leaned forward and extracted another paddle.

  Her head rocked, and the boat rocked. Her whole world had gone from normal to bizarre since this race started.

  ****

  “What is their problem?” Joshua swung around as Missy and Zach swooped past them. Sidney stared after the other boat as Missy waved back to them with only one finger. Nice chick, that one.

  “They were using a motor!” Joshua called to the official boat approaching them from the center of the lake. He jabbed a finger at the quaking water where the motor had disappeared, but his motion was arrested by his constricting vest. Despite his minuscule knowledge of canoe racing, instinct told him motors were not allowed.

  The official shook his head as if confused, so Joshua waved his paddle toward the sinking motor. “I don’t think they see it,” he yelled to Sidney.

  “I can’t believe Missy cheated.”

  “Well, she isn’t going to win.” Joshua gritted his teeth. He wasn’t much of a competitor, but he wasn’t going to let a cheater steal Sidney’s honeymoon.

  Sidney’s paddle rested across her knees. She raised her eyes and met his gaze. He vaguely wondered if Missy had anything to do with Colin missing the race. He hadn’t been in Pine Bottom long enough to know all the community dynamics, but he was sure Aunt Penny could fill him in if he desired.

  Anyone who brought a trolling motor to a canoe race deserved to have their butt kicked. Since the one punch to lay Zach flat wouldn’t be satisfying, he willed his vengeance into paddling. His arms already screamed with fatigue, and his hands burned with blisters. But Sidney deserved a fair chance. Missy should be left wailing in the middle of the lake as they triumphantly crossed the finish.

  He didn’t dare spare a look to see if the officials found the sputtering motor. His focus remained ahead on the green canoe and the ugly flowered visor. His stare was a tow line he used to reel in the cheating competitors.

  It took a minute or so before Sidney broke out of her shock and started stroking through the water again. With her extra power, the canoe shot forward, and the distance closed quickly. Joshua’s chest heaved with exertion, and his T-shirt soaked with sweat. Raw chafe marks scratched where his arms swiped against the nylon life vest.

  But was it fast enough? The finish banner propped on floating buoys wasn’t more than a few hundred yards away. Sidney steered them into the narrow aisle between the flags. So close. His biceps tore with each stroke. They’d narrowed the gap to the next canoe to a few feet. He could almost grasp Missy’s canoe with his right hand and yank it backwards with what little strength he had left. He wouldn’t do it though. Sidney was going to win the race fair and square.

  Missy glanced over her shoulder and snarled something to Zach.

  “Watch out!” Sidney shouted, and Joshua ducked as Missy swung her paddle in an awkward stroke meant to clock him across the forehead.

  Throwing his weight to the side rocked the canoe dangerously clos
e to capsizing. Sidney squealed, scrambling to compensate. The canoe pitched back toward Missy, this time tumbling Joshua and Sidney into the weedy shallows. Cold water shocked his heated skin as he sunk under the surface. Missy cheered as the water closed over his head. Joshua flailed to avoid the grasping tentacles of the slimy plants on the silty bottom. He could probably touch, but kicked his feet in an awkward dog paddle to avoid becoming entangled. The vest buoyed him to the surface, directly beside Missy’s canoe.

  Her paddle sliced the water in front of him, narrowly missing his shoulder. He yanked her paddle downward, whether to sabotage Missy’s finish or grasp anything that would float, he couldn’t say. After a frantic moment, his feet scrambled for mucky sand, and he shoved his head out of the water, gasping for breath. Having his head in the open air never felt so good. Missy tried to jerk the paddle, but he held tight and was rewarded when her resistance slackened and a body tumbled into the churning water in front of him.

  “Joshua,” Sidney yelled. “Grab the canoe and run. As long as we are both touching the boat when it touches the sand, we won’t be disqualified.” She swam to the rear of the canoe and pushed the craft toward the wobbling banner leading to a chute on the beach.

  He struggled around the floundering Missy and grabbed the rope handle at the front of the boat. The rope was slick in his weary hands, but he prayed his spongy muscles would remain clasped around it. He charged toward the banner and the beach with legs that weren’t as lifeless as his arms.

  “We have to get the canoe on the beach and run through the final banner,” Sidney instructed between gasps. A chute outlined their final path, and the distance seemed minuscule. But at the same time it didn’t feel like they were getting closer to the end.