Brittany glared at Reed and hooked her arm through her cousin’s, pulling her toward the river. Her cousin glanced back.
Yep, he was going to do this if it killed him. He sauntered closer. “Hi, I’m Reed Daniels. You must be Brittany’s cousin.”
She pulled away from the tight grasp. “Pleased to meet you. I’m Carly Thorbergsen.”
Her hand gripped his with more strength than most girls. But then again, what man went around shaking hands with pretty girls? Had she noticed the sweat on his palm against her long fingers? His gaze snapped to her face, to eyes that hovered somewhere between blue and green, framed with long lashes that didn’t seem heavy with mascara, her face more tanned than made-up.
Brittany leaned close to Carly and whispered something. Carly shrugged as she released his hand. Brittany tossed a plastic grocery bag onto his truck’s tailgate on her way past then pulled her tank top off to reveal a bikini. That was one of the problems with this kind of party. A lot of skin. In Brittany’s case, a guy could count every rib.
Words. He needed to find some. “So, um, hi. What brings you to Riverbend?” Man, he was tripping all over. This was amazingly unsuave, even for him.
She smiled at him. Amazing smile. “Brittany told me Base Camp Outfitters was hiring, so I applied online. I got the job, and here I am.”
His guess had been correct. “I think I saw you with Neil Maddrey out on Sandon Lake in a canoe Wednesday.” At 3:41 p.m. near the north shore. He’d sound like a stalker if he said that out loud.
Her face lit up.
Oh, man. She was cute enough without that extra glow.
“Not sure if Maddrey mentioned it to you or not, but a grizzly was sighted up that way last week.”
She angled a look at him. “A grizz? Not a black?”
Ah, she knew her bears. Good girl.
“It’s true we don’t see many in this area, but I trust the person who reported it to know the difference. A big silver-tip, he said. Distinct hump.”
“Neil didn’t say anything, but thanks for the warning. I’ll make sure to watch for it.” She nodded as though filing the information. “But that was you? In the cedar-strip canoe? I have such envy. Paddling around in a red floating cooler like Base Camp’s rentals is almost enough to make me quit my job before I’ve barely started.”
Reed’s spine straightened of its own accord. “You like it? It took me months to build.” He couldn’t keep the pride out of his voice.
Her mouth formed an o as her eyebrows rose. “You built that gorgeous canoe?”
“Yeah.” The interest in her eyes made him look down at his sport sandal scuffing the dirt on the path. But it was way easier to talk about bears or canoes than about himself. “Cedar-stripping fills winter hours when I can’t be on the water.”
“A bit of an addict, are we?”
He glanced up again at the teasing tone in her voice. “Just a bit.”
“My dad and I used to talk about building one together.”
What message was he supposed to get from that? “But something always came up, eh?”
“Like cancer.”
“Oh.” Now he felt like a heel. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“He fought for six and a half years. For a while we thought he had it beat. Anyway, he’s gone now.”
Reed searched her face, hoping she could see the sympathy in his eyes. “It must be tough to lose a parent.” He still saw his nearly every day. Yeah, he’d moved out of the house—all the way to the apartment he’d built above the boat-building shop on their property.
Her pensive gaze shifted to the river behind him. “Two for two.”
Carly’s words were so quiet he wasn’t certain he’d heard them. “Your mom?”
“Died when I was eight.”
“Oh, man. I’m so sorry.”
She bit her lip and glanced at him. “Sorry to overload you when we only just met. So, uh, what temperature is the water?”
Reed turned to watch his friends splashing in the deep eddy. Evan climbed up on a rock and cannonballed in. They’d been swimming here since they were kids. Everyone knew where the water was deep enough for a dive. “Pretty cold,” he said at last, eyeing her at an angle. “It’s glacier-fed. The snow is still melting in the mountains.”
“Those aren’t mountains.” Her eyes gleamed. “Jasper has mountains. These are like little bumps in the ground.”
Reed laughed. “Then maybe you’ll find the river like bathwater. Jump in and see.”
“You know, I think I’ll do just that.” She tugged her tank top over her head then stepped out of her shorts, leaving her clad in a one-piece racing swimsuit. She tossed her clothes in the back of the Mazda and kicked off her sport sandals. “I notice you haven’t been in yet. Bet I’m wet before you are.”
Carly sprinted across the rocky beach.
Reed gave his head a shake and took off after her, but she was right. She ran straight up that rock and cannonballed off of it. He was five steps behind her when she resurfaced and shook the water off her face.
“Cold!” she yelped.
He was grinning as he hit the river.
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Author Biography
Valerie Comer lives where food meets faith in her real life, her fiction, and on her blog and website. She and her husband of over 30 years farm, garden, and keep bees on a small farm in Western Canada, where they grow and preserve much of their own food.
Valerie has always been interested in real food from scratch, but her conviction has increased dramatically since God blessed her with three delightful granddaughters. In this world of rampant disease and pollution, she is compelled to do what she can to make these little girls’ lives the best she can. She helps supply healthy food — local food, organic food, seasonal food — to grow strong bodies and minds.
Her experience has planted seeds for many stories rooted in the local-food movement, such as those in her Farm Fresh Romance series.
To find out more, visit her website at www.valeriecomer.com, where you can read her blog, explore her many links, and sign up for her monthly email newsletter, where you will find news, giveaways, deals, book recommendations and more.
Other Stories by Valerie Comer
Farm Fresh Romance Series
Raspberries and Vinegar (FREE!)
Wild Mint Tea
Sweetened with Honey
Dandelions for Dinner
Plum Upside Down
Berry on Top (winter 2016)
Riverbend Romance Novella Series
Secretly Yours (winter)
Pinky Promise (spring)
Sweet Serenade (summer)
Team Bride (autumn)
Merry Kisses (Christmas)
Pinky Promise (Riverbend Romance 2) Page 10
