by Elle James
She squealed and lunged away from the flopping fish and toward Dillon who was leaning over the rim of the boat.
With both of them going the same direction, the skiff flipped, dumping the Ariana, Dillon and the fish into the water.
The boat crashed over on top of them, conking Dillon on the head. He went under, beneath the overturned boat.
“Dillon!” Ariana reached beneath the surface, the pond water terrifying in the darkness.
She didn’t feel anything at first, then her hand touched something solid. A sob rose up her throat as she dug her fingers into a shirt and pulled Dillon toward her. His head came up beside her in the gap between the boat and the water.
“Dillon!” she said. “Talk to me. Please, talk to me.”
She held his head above the water, glad for her life vest. Had his lungs filled with pond water? Was he breathing? Ariana leaned close to his mouth and nose and listened and felt for breaths.
When she didn’t feel anything but the pounding of her pulse against her eardrums, she turned him around, slipped her arms around his middle and gave him the Heimlich hug, hoping that would expel any water from his throat and lungs. She did it twice, and then turned him again.
She’d taken an advanced life-saving course prior to opening her Zen studio in case one of her clients had a heart attack. None of that course of instruction had covered how to perform CPR on someone in the water.
She cupped his cheeks in her palms and pinched his nose at the same time. Then she pressed her lips to his and blew air into his mouth. Taking in another breath, she breathed into him again. “Come on, Dillon, wake up!”
On the third breath, he jerked, grabbed her around the waist and drew in a sharp breath.
“Dillon,” she said, tears running down her cheeks. “You had me so scared.”
Floating in the water, in the darkness of the overturned boat, she sobbed. “So scared.”
“Ari?” He reached above him and grabbed hold of the metal bench seat. “What happened?” He let go of her and raised his hand to his head. “Ouch.”
She didn’t let go of him, clinging to his shirt, afraid that if she let go, he’d sink beneath the surface again, and she wouldn’t be able to find him. “The boat tipped over and hit you in the head.” She swallowed hard on a sob. “The fish got away.”
“The fish?” His body shook.
“Dillon?”
“The fish?” he gasped.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened to it when the boat flipped.”
He burst out laughing and coughing. “We nearly drowned, and you’re worried I’d be disappointed about the fish?” He pulled her close with one arm. “You’re something else.”
“I think BODS had it right,” Ariana said mournfully. “I’m not the match for you. I can’t even stay in a boat and fish. I’m so sorry.” She reached for the side of the boat and tried to duck beneath it. Her life vest wouldn’t let her go deep enough to slip beneath the rim. “Damn it!”
“Hey,” Dillon said softly. “We should have started out on the shore until you got used to how fish behave. That was my fault.”
“I’m twenty-nine years old. I should have learned to fish by now.”
“No, really. I think it’s great that you don’t know how. It means I get to teach you.”
“I nearly killed you.” She was glad he couldn’t see her in the dark, all wet like a street rat in the rain with red-rimmed eyes. “You should probably take me home.”
“Come here,” he said, drawing her into the curve of his arm again. “We’re okay. You’re okay. And we got to go for a swim.” He pressed his lips against her forehead.
Ariana stilled, her breath hitching in her throat as his mouth moved down her cheek and found the corner of hers.
“You saved my life,” he said. “Thank you.” Then his lips covered hers, wet and all, and he kissed her as if savoring every second their lips blended together.
His arm tightened around her as he held her against him.
Though she was glad for the life vest, she wished it was gone so that she could feel his heart beating against her breasts.
A boot slipped off her foot.
“Damn it!” she murmured against his mouth.
He laughed. “Not the response I expected after that. What’s wrong?”
“One of Emma’s boots just drifted to the bottom of the pond. Now I owe her a pair of boots. I hope these weren’t her favorites.”
He laughed and pulled her close. “What say we get out from under this boat.”
“I can’t. The vest won’t let me go under.”
“Thank goodness,” he said. “It’s doing the job it was designed to do. I can push you under long enough to get you to the other side.”
“Okay.” She drew in a deep breath. “I’m ready.”
Dillon pushed down on her vest and shoved her beneath the rim of the boat.
Ariana bobbed to the surface on the other side, gasped in air and spun, looking for Dillon.
When his head surfaced, she let go of the breath she’d been holding and swam toward him.
He held onto her with one hand and the boat with the other. “You all right?”
She nodded. “Now that you’re here.”
“I wouldn’t let anything happen to you,” he said.
“I wasn’t worried about me. I was worried you wouldn’t come out from under that boat.” She drew in a deep breath and let it out, turned and looked toward the shore. “I guess we’d better start swimming.” Ariana took his hand. “I’d feel better if you held onto my life vest.”
He nodded. “I can do that as long as it doesn’t drag you down.”
“It won’t,” she said. “Ready?”
He nodded and started swimming, using the sidestroke, so that he could hold onto her and swim at the same time.
Ariana kicked, keeping pace with him. They moved so slowly through the water, she thought they’d never get to the shore. She didn’t complain when her legs got tired. She had the flotation device, he didn’t.
When they finally reached the shore, she crawled up onto the bank and lay for a moment beside him.
“I have got to swim more often,” he said, rolling over onto his back. “That uses entirely different muscles than riding or jogging.”
Ariana pushed to a sitting position and fumbled with the buckles on the vest.
Dillon sat up. “Let me”
“I’m not completely helpless,” she said. “I’m really good at yoga and meditation. And I was an excellent business analyst when I worked in the corporate field.” She sighed and let him deal with the hard plastic clip. “Fine, you do it. I’m just not cut out for ranch life.”
“I wouldn’t consider fishing necessarily ranch life,” he said. “You might be really good at horseback riding.”
She shook her head. “After what we just went through, I’ll take a rain check. One round of humiliation is all I can handle in a day.”
Dillon pushed to his feet, extended a hand and pulled her up into his arms. “I don’t see it that way.”
“How else could you see it? Our fishing date was an unqualified disaster.” She rested her hands on his chest. “The only good thing that came of it was…” She stopped before she blurted out the truth.
His head dipped until his lips hovered over hers. “The kiss?”
Her gaze whipped to his eyes, and then down to his mouth. “Yes.”
“At least we got one thing right.” And then he kissed her, without a life vest or cool pond water between them.
Ariana melted into his body, her arms sliding across his muscular chest to lace behind the back of his neck. She rose up on her toes, eager to be even closer.
When he traced the seam of her lips, she opened to him, meeting his tongue halfway with her own.
She clung to his wet body. Nothing seemed to matter but how his mouth felt on hers.
When at last he straightened, she sank down on her feet, remembering she was wearing on
ly one boot now. “We’d better be getting back to the house before they come looking for us.”
“I’m surprised my brothers didn’t come out to heckle us.” He shook his head. “The one time we could have used their assistance.” He looped his arm around her waist. “I’ll help you to the truck. Just lean on me.”
She did, loving how solid and strong he was. She’d lived on her own now for two years since her husband had died, learning how to be comfortable in her own right. Alone. But it felt good to lean on someone else for a while. Even if it was only for a few minutes, and only because she’d lost a boot in the pond. When she stumbled once, he tightened his hold around her waist. The second time she stumbled, he scooped her up into his arms and carried her the rest of the way to the truck. “I’m fine,” she said. “It’s just that the boot is full of water and too big.”
“All the more reason to let me carry you. We’ll get there faster, and you can take off that waterlogged boot.” He didn’t put her down, but carried her all the way to his truck, where he set her down on the front passenger seat.
“But I’m all wet.”
“So am I,” he said. “The seats are leather. They’ll dry.” He climbed into the driver’s seat and headed back to the ranch house.
When they arrived, his brothers came out on the back porch. Ace carried a tray of raw steaks and was headed for the grill. Colton and Brand each had a beer in their hands.
“Where’s your catch?” Colton asked as Dillon dropped down out of the truck.
Brand’s mouth curved in a grin when he saw the condition of Dillon and Ariana’s clothing. “Did you decide to swim instead of fish?”
“As a matter of fact, we did.” Dillon carried Ariana up to the porch before setting her on her feet.
“Lose a boot?” Colton asked.
“I did,” Ariana said, heat rising up her neck into her cheeks. “I’m afraid I capsized the boat.”
“Is that how your got the knot on your forehead,” Ace asked Dillon.
Dillon pressed his fingers to the bump. “The boat flipped. I took a hit, but we’re both fine. Oh…and the fish got away.”
“And I was looking forward to fish for dinner,” Colton said.
“The hell you were,” Ace said. “You were the one who wanted steak tonight.”
“He wants steak every night,” Emma said as she came through the door carrying at tray filled with corn on the cob, each wrapped individually in foil. When she saw Ariana, still completely wet and missing a boot, she shoved the tray of cobs into Brand’s hands and rushed forward. “I thought you two were going to fish, not swim.”
“They flipped the boat on the pond,” Colton said
“That’s right,” Dillon said, his words a little terse. “We flipped the boat. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we need to get cleaned up and into dry clothes.”
He touched a hand to the small of Ariana’s back.
“You can use my room,” Emma said. “Your clothes are still there. You can find freshly laundered underwear in the top drawer of my dresser.”
“Thank you.” Ariana gave Emma a weak smile. “I’m so sorry about the boot.”
Emma’s brow twisted. “What happened to the boot?”
“It’s at the bottom of the pond.”
Emma shook her head. “I’m just glad you two weren’t hurt too badly.” She pushed the hair off Dillon’s forehead. “I’ll get you an icepack for that lump. Do you need to see a doctor for a possible concussion?”
He shook his head. “I’m fine. I just want a steak and a beer.”
“Go,” his sister said. “Get your shower in the master bathroom. I’ll take Ariana up.”
“You going to be all right?” Dillon asked Ariana.
Heat filled her cheeks at his concern. “I’ll be fine.”
“Then I’ll see you in a few. You might want to tell Emma how you like your steak. She’ll let Ace know.”
“Medium,” Ariana said as she slipped out of the remaining waterlogged boot.
“Noted,” Emma replied with a grin.
Dillon headed for the master bedroom to shower, leaving Ariana with Emma.
Emma turned to Ariana. “Did you get hit when the boat flipped?”
“No,” Ariana said. “But I’m afraid Leslie was right. BODS is jacked up. I couldn’t possibly be the right match for your brother.” She trudged up the stairs to Emma’s bedroom.
“Why do you say that?” Emma asked, going to the dresser and pulling out clean undergarments. “You two seem to be getting on pretty well, considering you fell into the pond.”
“That’s just it. I’m not cut out for life in the outdoors. Dillon is a natural. I made our little fishing trip an utter disaster.” Ariana’s shoulders sank. “It was my fault the boat flipped and hit Dillon in the head.” She reached for Emma’s hands. “He could have died.”
“He said you saved his life, Ariana,” Emma squeezed her hands. “He doesn’t seem to be in a rush to get you home. Stick around and see where it goes.”
“I like him,” Ariana said. “I just don’t think I could get into a relationship that’s doomed from the start. We aren’t suited for each other. He needs more of a granola girl.”
Emma laughed. “A granola girl?”
“You know, one who eats healthy food, lives, breathes and speaks outdoors. I didn’t even know how to put a worm on a hook.”
“But you did it today, didn’t you?” Emma asked. “Or did my brother do it for you?”
Ariana smiled. “I actually did.”
Emma’s face brightened. “See? There’s hope. And maybe, next time you fish, you can fish from the shore instead of the boat. Speaking of the boat, is it still out there upside down?”
Ariana grimaced. “Yes.”
“My brothers will retrieve it tomorrow. They’ll love the chance to play in the pond.” Emma grinned. “If Coop stays the night, we might all go in the pond to retrieve the boat tomorrow. So, you see, it’s not such a disaster.”
“I almost caught a fish,” Ariana said with a smile.
“It’s too bad you didn’t get to bring it home to show it off.” Emma walked to the door. “Don’t be too hard on yourself, Ariana. You’re new to ranches and the great outdoors. Give it a chance. You might learn to love it as much as we do.”
Ariana gave her friend a tentative smile. “Thank you, Emma. For believing in me.”
“I wouldn’t encourage you, if I didn’t think you were right for my brother. But I’ve known you for a couple years now, and I know you have a good heart and aren’t afraid to try new things. You wouldn’t have built a terrific Zen studio otherwise. I also know my brother. He wouldn’t have brought you home, if he hadn’t seen something special in you. He’s never brought home one of his other women.”
Her eyes widening, Ariana asked, “Were there many other women?”
Emma grinned. “When he was younger, the ladies would follow him everywhere, except out here to the ranch. They didn’t have the code to the electric gate, or they might have camped out in the yard, just for a chance to see Dillon. Lately, he’s been working too hard. He needs to learn how to balance work life with relaxation. I hope you can help him with that.”
“I’d love to have him attend one of my yoga classes,” Ariana said wistfully.
“Ask him,” Emma said. “He’d tell me to go to hell. With you…he’ll probably say yes.”
Ariana stepped across the hallway with her stack of clothes.
When she’d climbed out of the pond beside Dillon, she’d been sure it was the end of their date and any chance at future dates.
After he’d carried her up to the truck, and then kissed her before they’d left the pond, she wasn’t so sure the date was over.
She would wait and see if he asked her out again. What would it hurt to go out with him again, even if the computer system had made an error putting their profiles together? If nothing else, Ariana was getting a real-life adventure instead of a fictional one through the pages of a
good book.
She hurried through the shower, anxious to see Dillon again. He still had to take her back to Austin. Would he try to kiss her again?
Man, oh man, she hoped he would.
Chapter 8
Dillon hurried through his shower and shaved, just because, then slapped on some aftershave. He dressed in the nice trousers and polo shirts he reserved for meetings with clients and his best pair of cowboy boots.
As soon as he stepped out of his bedroom, he knew he’d take a brutal ribbing from his brothers over trying to impress Ariana. Well, to hell with them. He liked her. He reasoned with himself that he respected her and wanted her to feel comfortable and not overdressed in her pretty skirt. He checked his reflection in the mirror. It was a far cry better than when he’d dressed for the meeting at the coffee shop.
The events of the day had gone a lot different than he’d expected. Even with tipping over in the boat, he’d enjoyed being with Ariana. She had a fresh outlook on things he’d taken for granted. He liked that she was game to try something new. She’d gone from a corporate job to turning her grief counseling suggestions into a business she was good at. And a city girl giving fishing a try…well, they’d have to work on that. Plus, he had yet to teach her how to ride a horse.
He slowed as he reached the stairs, pausing in front of Emma’s bedroom door. He wanted to knock and see if she was ready to go down but didn’t want to rush her. At the same time, he wanted her to hurry so that he could see her again.
He’d never been that anxious to see a woman again. Most dates he’d been on over the past couple of years had ended up in bed. Afterward, he hadn’t called the woman to arrange a second date. He just hadn’t been that interested.
With Ariana, he wanted the day to continue and was already planning additional dates where they could visit local wineries, ride horses on the ranch and even try fishing again…from the shore. He’d even buy her a pair of boots that fit, if she’d let him.
Dillon headed down the stairs, passed through the kitchen for a beer and walked out onto the porch where his brothers, sister and her husband Coop were drinking beer and grilling steak, corn and potatoes.
“I take it we’re going swimming tomorrow,” Colton said.
