Chapter 15
By the time they had finished the lower stretch of the river, word had spread about the snake. Fisher had become a legend. She had a feeling she’d never have to buy another beer in this town again.
Everyone was calling her brave. Quick thinking. Heroic.
She felt like the biggest coward around.
And if her legs hadn’t been weakened by the adrenaline letdown, she would have run. Diving into the river after the snake.
They’d only known each other a few days. Nights, really. But just because the sex was so incredible, amazing, and otherworldly, it didn’t mean she was in love with him. She couldn’t be.
Besides, she just got a taste of sowing her wild oats. She wasn’t ready for a trip downtown to Beverly’s Bridal. She shuddered just to think about it.
After a quick shower and change of clothes, she met Kyle and the others in the parking lot. They piled in the van and Aubrey offered to drive them all into town for pizza at Mario’s.
The back room had been reserved for their large group. The twelve students, three instructors, plus most of the guides on staff and Cody, Carson, and their families would fill up the party room. The big-screen TVs were tuned to the Giants game, and salad plates, pitchers of water, and extra shakers of parmesan and red pepper were placed on all the tables. Soon pitchers of beer were passed around, and breadsticks were brought out.
Kyle poured her a Strong Blonde, and her heart did a funny little flip. If she felt this way in a month, or three months, would she call it love?
“To my hero. My strong blonde.” He raised a glass, admiration shining in his eyes. He looked like he wanted to say more, but held back.
She took a long, well-earned sip of her beer. It felt good going down. Some of the shakiness in her legs finally started to ease. Kyle’s hand rested on her thigh. It felt good to have him there. Especially not in the emergency room.
Did the fact that her stomach clenched just thinking about how different the day could have turned out mean that her feelings were deeper than she wanted to admit?
Just as she was starting to relax, she felt Kyle’s hand stiffen. She looked up to see Cody, Miranda, and the babies come through the door. Carson and Lily followed with baby Brandon.
Fisher wished she’d never disclosed her crush on Cody, especially now that she knew he was Kyle’s brother. But that was water under the bridge. Along with her paddle and hopefully the long-gone snake.
She leaned over and kissed his neck. He shivered, almost purring. It was on the tip of her tongue to whisper her feelings. Just to reassure him that the only thing he needed to worry about Cody was what to get his brother for Christmas.
Cody’s face lit up and he led his family over to their table.
“Fisher, I heard about what you did today.” He beamed at her. “I can’t say I’m surprised.”
She couldn’t keep from blushing at the attention, but it wasn’t because it was from Cody.
“You’re one lucky man.” Cody gave Kyle a nod in that way guys do.
“I know.” Kyle put his arm around Fisher, claiming her. She’d never understood how a guy being possessive with his woman was considered sexy or even desirable. And a part of her wanted to stand up and tell these two to just go outside, throw a few punches, shake hands, and call it a day.
Yet, there was a part of her, somewhere deep and primal, that made her feel protected. Connected in a way she’d never felt before. She found herself leaning into Kyle’s embrace. Accepting his claim on her, publicly.
Miranda stood on her tiptoes and whispered something in Cody’s ear. “I guess I’d better go buy the next round.”
He set the double stroller at the end of the table and went off toward the bar. Miranda slid into the chair across the table from Fisher and dug through the diaper bag for a couple of toys to distract the babies with.
Within seconds, one of the toys went flying across the table and landed in Kyle’s beer, splashing the contents onto the table.
“Oh, I’m so sorry.” Miranda stood up, grabbing a handful of napkins to mop up the mess. While her sister laughed, the baby without the toy burst into tears.
“Here, let me.” Kyle reached for the little one, picking her up and instantly stopping the tears. “Which one is this?”
“That would be Ava. She’s got a little too much of her father in her.” Miranda let out an exasperated sigh. “Here, I’ll take her.”
“I’ve got her.” Kyle bounced the child up and down and she curled up against him, contentedly shoving her chubby little fist into her mouth.
“You two are quite the couple.” Miranda sat down, pouring half a beer into an empty glass. “A snake charmer and a baby whisperer.”
Fisher looked over at Kyle and his…his niece. She felt a slight sting in her eyes and she quickly grabbed her beer to soothe the accompanying ache in her throat. She was simply noticing what a good uncle he would become. Uncle. Nothing more.
Miranda caught her eye and smiled. Of course, she would be happy that Fisher had found someone to distract her from Cody. But there was something more. A genuine warmth that made Fisher feel like the worst person ever for every moment she’d spent longing for the other woman’s husband. And that included the years before they’d even met.
Leaning over the table, Miranda mouthed, “You’ve got yourself a good one.” And her smile widened.
The pizza arrived, several varieties set on each table. Extra plates were brought out, and the hungry guides and students reached for their favorite slices.
“Uh, I think she’s asleep.” Kyle stood with Ava on his shoulder, gently swaying and rubbing her back. “What should I do?”
“I’ll get her.” Miranda stood and went over to collect her offspring. “Wow, she looks so peaceful.”
“Is this unusual?” He looked like he was afraid to move, afraid to break the spell.
“Usually, she’s only happy when her daddy has her.” Miranda laughed. “Or when she’s eating.”
Fisher couldn’t watch any longer. It was all too much. She didn’t want to start picturing Kyle holding their baby, but the image tried to push its way into her imagination. Air. She needed air.
“Excuse me.” She shoved back from the table. And marched into the main area of the restaurant. Running directly into Cody, who held a pitcher in each hand.
“Whoa, slow down. Someone need help with snake removal?”
“Shut up.” She was so not in the mood. Or maybe she was. She kind of missed her friend. And yeah, it was the sparring and the razzing and the giving each other shit that she’d had to give up when Miranda came along.
He really was like the brother she never had.
“There’s my girl.”
“I’ve never been your girl.” But it didn’t bother her the way it used to.
“You’ve always been my friend.”
“Yeah. Friends.”
“You seem different.” He set the pitchers on a nearby table. “Happy. I’m glad.”
“Really?” She wasn’t going to let him off so easily.
“Look, I admit, I didn’t think the guy was good enough for you. Maybe he isn’t, but he does make you glow.”
“Glow?”
“Yeah. You glow. And I’m glad.”
“I thought you didn’t like Kyle.”
Cody dropped his head. “You know no one will be good enough for you.”
“Just stop. Right there.” Before her knee connected with his groin. She had no idea if his wife was interested in more children or not.
“Sorry. It’s just that it’s been hard to lose my best friend. Simply because I fell in love.” He sounded so sincere. “Seriously, Fisher, I’ve missed you. I’ve missed my buddy.”
“You have Miranda.”
“Yes. And she’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” The love he felt for his wife shone in his eyes. In his voice. “Her and my daughters. But you’re still important. I want to make sure you’re okay.”
“I’m good.” Fisher picked up one of the beer pitchers and nodded toward the back room. “I’m real good.”
“I’m very happy to hear that.” He grabbed the other pitcher and indicated that she should go first. “So are you in love?”
Fisher stopped short, barely avoiding to spill her full pitcher. “We just met. It’s way too soon to even ponder that question.”
“I fell in love with Miranda almost instantly,” Cody reminded her. “And I was stupid enough to let her walk away the first time. I mean, who falls in love with someone in a week? And if it weren’t for the babies, she might not have given me a second chance.”
“I’m glad everything worked out for you.” What else could she say?
“I just hope things work out for you, too.” He sounded like he truly meant it. “I hope Kyle’s smarter than I was. That he realizes what he has with you.”
“You should try to get to know him.” Fisher wanted them to become close. They were brothers.
“I guess. It just seems like he’s hiding something.”
“Says the guy who pretended to be his twin when he met his wife.”
“Yeah, I’m lucky she forgave me.”
“You’re very lucky.” Cody had fought with Carson; then he took his place on the Yampa River, where he’d met Miranda. When she showed up more than a month later, to tell Carson he was going to be a father, Cody had had to convince her that he’d been the man she’d encountered. The man who would make her fall in love with him.
“I was a dog.”
“No, you were a snake.”
“Speaking of snakes, I can’t believe you caught a rattler. With your bare hands.”
“I didn’t catch it. It’s more like I threw it in the river with my paddle. Which we’ll need to order a replacement for.”
“I’d take it out of your pay, but you’re probably going to ask for a raise for adding snake removal to your job description, aren’t you?”
“Hey, I was just trying to save on workers’ comp costs.”
“That’s my girl.”
“No, Cody, I’m not your girl.” She sighed. There was a time when that was what she wanted most. “I’m your river operations manager.”
“Yes. But you were my friend first,” he reminded her. “You’ll always be my friend.”
“As long as our friendship doesn’t get in the way of the job.” Or his relationship with Miranda. She’d rather take a corporate job than threaten their marriage.
“That’s what makes Swift River Adventures so special. We’re not just a company…”
“We’re family.”
Yeah. And she had to help Kyle become included in that family.
* * * *
Kyle reached for his second slice of pizza, but he noticed Miranda had barely touched her first. One of the babies was sleeping, but the other was fussy. And her father was still getting beer.
“Let me try.” Kyle offered to take Addy from Miranda. “So you can eat.”
“Thanks. I don’t know what’s taking Cody so long.”
He was bouncing the baby happily when Fisher walked in followed closely by Cody. The tension in his posture must have shown because Miranda slid over two seats to talk to him.
“I know it looks like they have a special bond.” She kept her voice low, so that only he could hear. “They do, but it’s not the kind you think.”
“So, you’re saying they’re like brother and sister?” He tried not to get too agitated and disturb the baby.
“Not exactly.” She put her hand gently on his shoulder, and he just hoped it wouldn’t give Cody another reason to be suspicious of him. “I worried when I first saw the two of them together. But I completely trust my husband.”
“Great.”
“And I trust Fisher, too.” Must be nice to be blissfully ignorant. “She doesn’t look at him the way she used to.”
Okay, so maybe she wasn’t totally naïve.
“But she never looked at him the way she looks at you.”
He wanted to believe her, but he’d heard from Fisher’s own mouth that she was in love with Cody. Sure, she’d been sleeping with him, but her heart belonged to someone else. It didn’t matter as much when they were just having sex. When all he wanted was her body. But now?
He was a fool to think he could change her mind. Change her heart.
The baby let out a loud giggle and both Fisher and Cody turned to the sound.
Cody looked suspicious, but Fisher… No one had ever looked at him the way Fisher looked at him right now.
He barely even noticed when Miranda lifted the baby from his arms. Because Fisher was walking toward him. The woman had taken on a snake. For him.
Could he trust her? Her words, just minutes after meeting him, told him she was emotionally unavailable. But her actions had told a completely different story.
His whole life, he’d been told lies.
Dear old Dad had made so many promises. And his mother had told Kyle time and again that this time she believed in him. That this time would be different.
Women had said what they’d thought he’d wanted to hear. Told him he was the only man in the world for them. Until he wasn’t.
Fisher had told him she wanted someone else. Yet she’d given her body to him. And in those moments behind closed doors, when it was just the two of them, with no words to exchange, he’d swear she was his, 100 percent.
Then there was her reaction to his picking up the girl in the bikini. If she didn’t care about him, she wouldn’t have been bothered by it.
“Hey.” She set the pitcher on the table and wrapped her arms around him. “Having a good time?”
“Yeah. You?”
“Sure, but you really should talk to Cody. And Carson. Get to know them.”
“I’ve been hanging with some pretty ladies.” He smiled at his nieces, who were both sleeping now.
“Really?” She glanced over at Miranda, who was flirting with her husband, popping a slice of pepperoni into his mouth and laughing at something he said.
“I don’t think he’s interested in any male bonding right now.” Kyle leaned back in the chair. He reached for his beer, hoping he’d look relaxed. Like a guy who wasn’t once again jealous of the brother he barely knew.
Cody’s relationship with Fisher was only part of it. Cody had it all. A thriving business, wife, kids. Except for the business, Kyle had never even considered those other things.
All he’d ever wanted was to make money. Enough to support himself, his mother, and keep her from ever having to rely on Joe Swift. He had enough, more than enough. Bought her a nice little house and set aside enough for property taxes and upkeep on the place. But Joe still came around far too often.
Kyle had his own condo, not on, but near the beach. He’d bought it at the bottom of the market and the equity was steadily climbing. He had enough investments that he didn’t have to hustle for each new job. Yet the hustle was all he’d ever known. Going back to when he had to mow just another lawn in order to keep the electricity on, there had always been this deep-seated fear that he’d never make enough money. The wolf would always be at his door.
The funny thing was, he had enough set aside that he could buy Swift River Adventure Company and Resort without using his boss’s cash. Yet, he wasn’t as happy as his brothers. He wasn’t even as happy as the part-time guides who would need to supplement their incomes in the winter, as a lift operator, waitstaff, or a Christmas tree cutter.
Kyle gave Fisher’s hand a squeeze. Was she happy? At the moment, she was the talk of the town. Everyone was telling the story of her heroics with the snake. Even people he’d never met, from other rafting outfitters, had come up and congratulated her. They’d stayed and shared stories. He overheard other tales of Fisher’s bravery and skill. She was well liked, and well respected on the river.
It seemed like the only one who didn’t know how great Fisher was, was Fisher.
He blamed Cody for that. Even if he hadn’t meant to, his rejection had hurt her, undermined her confidence, and made her feel like she wasn’t quite good enough.
Kyle had spent his whole life feeling that way. And he’d give anything he had to show Fisher that she was more than worthy. That she was the best person he knew. The best person any of them knew.