by Jennie Marts
It was hard to read his expression through the driving rain, but she was sure she saw his eyes soften, and he pulled her to him in a fierce hug.
“It’s okay. She’s a good swimmer. We’ll find her,” he said, speaking loudly into her ear. “Are you hurt?”
She looked down at herself. Pale red blood washed down her calf from a cut on her leg—probably from where she’d scraped it on the rock. Her body hurt, but she didn’t think anything was broken.
Struggling to catch her breath, she pushed up to her knees then stood on shaky legs. “I cut my leg, but other than that, I think I’m okay.”
He stood next to her, keeping a hand on her waist for support. “We’re not that far from the cabin. I’ll get you back there, then I’ll go look for Sadie.”
“What? No. I’ll help you look now.” She was touched that he was thinking of her first, but she knew how much he loved that dog, and there was no way she wasn’t going to help with the search.
He started to protest, then stopped and pointed at a large tree with a piece of bark torn from the front. “All right, see that tree? The one with the missing bark? That’s our meeting spot. You head back upstream and I’ll go down, then we’ll meet back here after we’ve searched for fifteen or twenty minutes. Okay?”
She nodded, already scanning the river for the dog’s head.
“Watch the bank for places she might have tried to swim out or any rocks or branches she might be hung up on,” he instructed.
“Got it.” She grabbed his hand, squeezing it tightly. “We’ll find her.”
Please God. They had to find her.
A sharp bark sounded, and Sully’s head snapped back in the direction of the bark. “This way.”
He turned and scrambled along the bank, knocking away the bushes. She ran behind him, trying to keep her footing on the slippery bank and praying not to fall back into the river. Sully didn’t need to have to save her twice in one day.
“There,” he yelled, pointing at a cluster of bushes along the bank ahead of them. “I see her.” He took off at a sprint.
Relief flooded her as Avery could just make out the back of the dog’s head amongst the green foliage. She ran to catch up, bits of dirt biting into the backs of her legs as she raced across the muddy gravel.
Sully had already made it to the bushes, but he couldn’t reach the dog.
Avery cried out as he jumped into the river. Swimming against the current, he grabbed for the branches of the bushes, but they weren’t strong enough to support him and snapped off each time he got ahold of one.
Sadie’s eyes were wide and terrified, her paws frantically treading at the water as she tried to make her way to the shore.
Panic seized her as she feared that Sully would be swept down the river, and she’d be powerless to help either one of them.
Stop it. Calm down and think.
She searched the banks. Spying a fallen tree branch, she ran to the limb and dragged it to the shore. Pushing it out toward Sully, she held on as he made a grab for it.
After missing the first time, he finally got a grip on it and pulled himself toward the dog, calling her name.
Hearing his voice, Sadie switched directions and tried to swim toward him. The bushes she’d been caught in must have been holding her, because when she swam out, the current grabbed her and sucked her away from Sully.
“Oh no! Grab her!” she screamed, planting her feet as she tried to hold on to the branch.
Time seemed to slow down as she watched the dog get dragged into the current.
Sully reached his long arm out, trying to grab her, but the callous river pulled the dog from his reach.
Letting go of the fallen tree, he lunged forward, his arm slicing through the water.
His fingers grazed her neck, and his hand slipped on her wet fur.
He made another grab, this time connecting with her collar and closing his fingers around it.
“I got her,” he yelled, his voice still muffled through the pouring rain.
Avery had been stumbling down the bank, trying to keep up with them while dragging the heavy branch through the water.
Mustering all of her strength, she planted her feet and lifted the branch out of the water, swinging it forward. It landed in the water a few feet from Sully.
Using long one-armed strokes, fighting the current, he pulled himself and the dog back through the water and grabbed the end of the tree branch.
Avery took a cautious step backward then pulled the branch toward her. Afraid to let go, she walked back, hauling the tree branch, the man, and the dog with her.
Terrified of losing her grip, she held on, her fingers scraping along the rough bark of the tree.
Another step. Another. Almost there.
With tremendous effort, she made one last pull, falling on her butt as she yanked her body backward.
But it was enough.
Sully crawled up the bank, Sadie clutched in his arms.
Crying out, she dropped the branch and scrambled toward them, throwing her arms around them both as they collapsed on the shore, her tears mixing with the falling rain. “Oh my gosh. Thank God you’re okay,” she said, her teeth chattering together.
“We’re all right,” he answered, hugging her tightly to him and burying his face in her neck. She thought he may have even kissed her neck, but wasn’t sure with the rain and the dog and the chaos. “But we’re all freezing. We need to get to the cabin and get warmed up.”
“Are you sure Sadie is okay?”
He let go of the dog, and she stood unsteadily to her feet. Then she gave a whole body shake, spraying them with mud, before taking off into the forest on the other side of the river.
He chuckled. “She knows the word ‘cabin.’ And it’s her favorite place.”
“Can she find it okay?”
“Sure. We’ve hiked and fished every inch of this section of land. It’s not far.” He stood up and held out his hand.
She took it, letting him haul her to her feet, then didn’t let go. He didn’t seem to mind, because he didn’t let go, either. He must have sensed that she needed him right now.
They made their way through the trees, him still leading her by the hand. With the rain and the clouds, the forested area seemed dark and menacing, but somehow having her hand in his gave her a feeling of security.
He led her to a path, and they soon stepped out into a clearing, and the cabin sat in front of them. Nestled against the backdrop of the mountain, with a creek running along its other side, even in the rain it appeared idyllic and charming.
Sadie must have known the way, because she stood by the front door as if waiting to be let in.
Sully pulled a set of his keys from his pocket. They were hooked to a loop inside by a carabiner, and he released the hook and unlocked the cabin door.
She followed him in but stopped inside the door. “I don’t want to drag mud in here.”
The cabin was rustic, with sparse furnishings of a sofa, a couple of recliners, a scratched up coffee table, and a wooden dining room table and chairs around a huge stone fireplace, obviously the centerpiece of the room. A kitchen area lined the back wall, and she could see a bedroom and a small bathroom off to one side. The room smelled of cedar and pine and the faint scents of bacon grease and campfire smoke.
He rolled his eyes and pulled her into the room. “Don’t be ridiculous. It’s a fishing cabin.”
She followed him toward the fireplace, where he stopped and grabbed a blanket from the back of the sofa and wrapped it around her shoulders. He paused for just a second, his arm still around her as he rubbed her shoulder. “You can sit on the sofa. I’ll get a fire going, and we’ll have you warmed up in no time.”
Somehow she thought it would take more than a fire to get her warmed up. She shivered again, cold and drenched to her core. A hot sunny day on the beach might do it, but she couldn’t imagine a few logs in a fireplace being able to chase away the depth of this cold.
Placing a couple of logs in the grate, he worked quickly to stuff newspaper and kindling under them. After grabbing a match from a case on the wall, he dragged it across the old stone, and it sparked to life. Bending over, he blew on the kindling as he lit the corner of the paper, and the small flames soon caught the logs on fire.
It didn’t take long for him to get it going, the logs crackling and popping, as they smoldered and burned.
He pulled her off the sofa, into his lap, wrapping his arms around her again and holding her hands out in front of the blazing fire.
Okay, maybe the fire would warm her up a little. Especially if she kept sitting in this man’s lap.
Sadie stood at the window, something holding her attention. She barked twice then ran over to Sully.
“Shit. Something must be going on out there. I hope it’s not another bear.” He set her on the floor and crossed to the window.
Another bear? As in, there had been a first or second bear?
“Oh, shit,” he cried, taking off for the front door. “There’s a tree in the creek—must have been downed by lightning. The creek’s overflowing its banks, and is gonna flood the cabin. Stay here. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
She blinked, shivering in the blanket as she tried to take in his words and his sudden disappearance.
Tree downed by lightning? Flooding the cabin? Another bear?
What in the hell was she doing here?
…
Sully raced for the creek, his feet sliding in the mud, assessing the damage as he ran.
A large scrub oak lay across the creek bed, forming a dam, and the water had made an inlet that was heading straight for the cabin. Approaching the tree, he shoved his shoulder up against it, ripping his shirt as he tried to move it out of the way. It wouldn’t budge.
Grunting, he used all of his muscles, straining to move the heavy tree as he watched the water flowing toward the cabin. It still wouldn’t move.
He ran to the tool shed, pulled open the door, grabbed out a shovel, and turned back to the creek.
And almost ran smack into Avery.
“What the hell are you doing out here? I told you to wait inside,” he yelled at her over the sound of the rain.
“I want to help.”
Is she crazy? “Help? What are you talking about? You can help by staying inside.”
Even through the heavy rain, he recognized her defiant glare and knew he wasn’t going to win. Plus, he didn’t have time to waste by arguing with her.
“Fine.” He grabbed another shovel and ran back to the creek’s edge. Avery was right on his heels, so he handed her a shovel and pointed to a spot a few feet beyond the rising water. “We need to dig a trench to catch the excess water, and we’ll use the dirt we dig out to shore up the bank to keep it in,” he explained, already driving his shovel into the rain-softened dirt.
She followed suit, not asking questions, just following his lead. She didn’t get as big of shovelfuls as he did, but she did all right, making progress and helping to shore up the side by patting the dirt on the bank into a hard wall. Ignoring the mud covering her new white shoes and caking up her legs, she worked tirelessly, sensing the urgency and giving it her all.
When they’d dug a sufficient hole, he dropped his shovel. “Keep digging,” he instructed. The water was filling the hole, making a small pool as fast as they could dig it out. “I’m gonna try to clear the tree.”
He rushed back to the shed and pulled the chainsaw out from under the counter—he’d been up to the cabin just a few days before, cutting firewood, so he knew it had gas in it.
He raced back to the creek, climbed up onto the tree, snagging the torn end of his T-shirt on another branch and ripping it farther. The ends flapped against his arms, getting in the way as he tried to work. Setting the chainsaw down, he yanked the remains of the T-shirt over his head and dropped it in the mud.
Grabbing the chainsaw again, he pulled the rip cord, sparking the motor to life, and laid it against the wood. The teeth of the chain cut into the trunk of the tree, throwing chunks of wood in every direction.
He glanced up to make sure neither Sadie nor Avery were in danger of getting hit with the wood and saw Avery standing still, holding her shovel, her mouth hanging open as she stared at him.
Shit. He probably looked like a crazed murderer standing shirtless on top of the tree, brandishing a chainsaw. Crazed murderers did not make good second-date material.
Second-date material? Where had that come from? Since when had he decided, or wanted, to plan a second date? After what happened at the park the night before, he was pretty sure any chance at a second date was out.
But he didn’t have time to think about that now. He turned back to the tree, leaning forward and continuing to cut it apart. He’d have to convince her he wasn’t a serial killer later; right now he needed to get this tree torn apart and stop the creek from flooding the cabin.
He attacked the tree with a wedge cut, forming a V as he cut layers down one side then the other. In between, he would jump up and down on the trunk, hoping his weight would force the tree to split apart.
With a loud crack, it finally did, and he stumbled back onto the sturdier portion, releasing the lever of the chainsaw and silencing the whirring motor. The other half of the tree fell into the water, the weight of the current pushing the end forward, and the water rushed around it and down the creek bed.
“Yes! You did it,” Avery yelled. “The water is receding from the pool.”
He jumped down and picked up the other shovel. “We did it. Now let’s get inside.” He gestured for her to follow him, and they got the tools put away and headed back into the cabin.
Sadie raced into the room ahead of them, shaking the water from her fur then crossing to the fireplace and curling up in their discarded blanket on the floor in front of it.
Sully pushed the door shut then toed off his hiking boots and peeled off his socks. His feet were pale and pruny from being wet for so long.
The fire had burned down to embers and still put out a little warmth into the room. But not enough.
Avery hugged herself, wrapping her arms around her middle as her body shook with cold. She’d been either in the icy river or the pouring rain for quite some time now and had to be freezing.
He needed to get her warmed up and fast. “Come on,” he said, taking her arm and leading her into the bathroom. It wasn’t fancy, but it had a toilet, a vanity, and a small walk-in shower.
Not bothering to take the time to find the switch, he used the light from the main room to see.
Reaching into the shower, he turned the water on, holding his hand under the stream until it got hot. He bent forward, slipping her shoes off, then guided her in and under the water.
She was shaking so bad, all she could do was hold her hands stiff at her sides. He started to back away, but she grabbed his arm and pulled him into the shower with her.
“You’re f-freezing, too,” she said, her teeth chattering. “We both need to get warm.”
Lifting the hem of her tank top, he peeled it up and over her head then dropped it to the floor of the shower. The top had previously been white, but now seemed a dingy brown as the mud from their bodies washed off and swirled around their feet in a mix of murky water and gritty gravel.
Their clothes were already soaked, but it didn’t help to keep them on. He popped the snap on her shorts, pushed them over her hips, and let them fall, then did the same with his own, leaving him only in a pair of black boxer briefs.
All Avery had on was the red bikini, and he tried to tell himself it was no different than if they were out at the beach together. Yeah, right. Who was he kidding? Standing on the beach was nothing like the intimacy of the dimly lit room and the tight, enclosed shower stall, with her smooth skin brushing against his at even the slightest movement.
She had her arms crossed around her stomach, which pushed up her breasts in the bikini top. He tried not to think about that as he pulled her
into the circle of his arms, telling himself it was only to use their combined body heat to get warm.
It must be working, because his temperature was certainly rising.
Her head was tucked into his neck, and her tensed shoulders relaxed a little as she unclasped her arms and slid them around his waist.
They didn’t say anything—just held on to each other as the hot water washed over them.
Then she lifted her head and looked up at him.
He wasn’t sure who leaned in first—or maybe they both did at the same time. All he knew was that suddenly her lips were against his, and he was kissing her, and she tasted like rain.
Sliding his hand up her back, he cupped her head, tilting her face as his mouth slanted over hers.
Clutching his back, she pulled him tighter against her and pressed her breasts against his chest.
Something about the moment—whether it was the steam rising around them or the confined space of the darkened shower—he wasn’t sure, didn’t bother to think or justify or talk himself out of it, he just let the passion, and the sheer thrill of kissing this woman, carry him away.
Twisting her around so her back was against the shower wall, he pressed against her, pinning her to the side while he continued to assault her mouth with passion-filled kisses.
She moaned against his mouth, and he tightened his grip on her waist, grinding his hips into hers. Her arms wound around his neck, her fingers digging into his hair.
Moving his hand up, with the back of his fingers, he skimmed her waist, up her side, then along her neck to finally cup her cheek, holding her face while he laid a line of kisses from the corner of her mouth, across her face, and down her throat.
Bending his knees, he ducked his head, and his lips found the top of her breast. God, she had amazing breasts. But kissing the crest wasn’t enough, he wanted—needed—more.
He loosened the knot at the back of her neck and peeled down the bikini top, groaning at the sight of her tight, puckered nipples surrounded by pale, creamy flesh. Water from the shower ran down her neck, and he licked at the drop that fell from her nipple before sucking the pebbled nub into his mouth.
