Chapter 16
After the snake incident, the rest of guide school was uneventful for Fisher. Nolan, Leia, and Dana had all accepted her job offers. Dana was local, but the other two had gone home to get their gear and make arrangements to be gone for the summer. They would return in time for Aubrey’s wedding.
And of course, Kyle had taken the job. He’d moved his RV from the paid spot down by the river to the large parking lot behind the guides’ house. He didn’t have hookups, but then he didn’t need them, since he mostly just slept there with Fisher. Slept and made love. They showered at the house, had breakfast and coffee with the other guides.
Life was good. Work picked up with more kids getting out of school, more people taking vacations and making weekend plans. Sometimes Kyle worked the same trip as her; sometimes he worked with Tyler or Ross or Brooke or Jake.
Neither of them had talked about their feelings. But he’d treated her with tenderness, respect, and passion. The man obviously cared about her, but the whole idea of falling in love just seemed so out of reach. Something that happened to other women, not her. Women who were petite and curvy and feminine.
Yet Kyle made her feel like she was beautiful. From that first night, he’d made her feel like someone worthy of being worshipped for her body. He looked at her with smoldering eyes, and a hunger she’d only dreamed of.
Before she met Kyle, she’d longed to be simply desired. Wanted as a woman, and not just a cool chick who was fun to hang around with.
Fisher had just gotten out of the shower after a long run on the lower stretch. There’d been a group ahead of them who had nearly flipped at Satan’s Cesspool. They’d lost all their passengers, their guide, and their paddles. Fisher had come up behind them and with her passengers, she’d been able to help them round everyone back into the raft, and they’d even managed to collect most of their gear.
At least her passengers had been cool about the delay. They were from the Bay Area and were staying in Prospector Springs for the weekend.
Kyle must have been stuck behind them, because he was coming in as she was heading downstairs.
“Hey, looks like you already had your shower. I was hoping we could save water and shower together.” His sexy smile made her feel like she did need another shower. A cold one. “But maybe we could order some takeout, take it back to my RV.”
“That sounds nice, but I’m heading out for Aubrey’s bachelorette party.”
“Oh, right. That’s tonight.” His voice dripped with disappointment.
“I shouldn’t be too late.” Since Aubrey was pregnant, it wasn’t going to be too wild.
She’d suggest he hang out with Cody or Carson, but they would have the babies.
“Maybe I’ll see if Tyler wants to go grab a beer or something.” He shrugged, even though he seemed to get along with Tyler pretty well. He got along with most people. Especially the customers. They’d already had e-mail reviews just raving about him. Enough that Cody didn’t dare question her decision to hire him.
“Well, have fun, then.” She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.
“You, too.” He leaned in for a full-on kiss. Fisher melted into him. Reluctantly, she pulled away.
“I’ve gotta go.” She smoothed her hair and realized she’d forgotten to dry it. They were just going to Lily’s house. They’d swap stories, have some wine or virgin mojitos. They would each bring something naughty and something nice for a gift. Fisher knew Beverly’s sold lingerie, but she couldn’t bring herself to step inside the bridal shop, so she’d made the trek to Roseville to the Victoria’s Secret in the mall. She got a see-through nightie and a cute little cotton robe that was feminine yet comfortable. She also found the cutest little pair of Teva sandals that she couldn’t resist buying for the baby.
“Let me know if you need to sleep over.”
“I’m sure that won’t be necessary.” She couldn’t help but feel loved by his concern. “You’re the one who needs to watch out for those strong blondes. I know how much you like them.”
“There’s only one blonde I’m crazy about.”
“I’m talking about the beer.”
“I like the beer, and I’ll pace myself.” He ran his hand up and down her arm, making her tingle all over. “But you know I can’t get enough of the woman.”
“Careful, we might need to put you into a program,” she teased, but he didn’t seem to find it funny. He stiffened immediately. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” He shook his head, as if whatever thought he had could be easily dismissed. “It’s just that my parents met in a program. Not booze, but drugs.”
“Oh, Kyle, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have joked about it.”
“It’s okay. You didn’t know.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Hell, I didn’t even know until I was an adult. My mom was able to stay clean, just the occasional drink.”
“And your dad?”
“Yeah, and my dad. She can’t seem to shake that addiction.” The bitterness in his voice was heart wrenching.
“No, I mean, was your dad able to get clean?”
“He had a couple of relapses over the years.” He let out a heavy sigh. “But I think he’s hanging in there lately.”
“Do they have any idea?” She didn’t really have to ask. Cody and Carson had very little contact with their father. None, since she’d known them.
“Who?”
“Your brothers.” She was still frustrated that, although they had all gotten along, they hadn’t become close. And Kyle still hadn’t told them who he was.
“They don’t give a damn.”
“How would you know? Have you asked them? I’m pretty sure they don’t even know about you. So how can they care about family they don’t even know they have?”
“They know they have a father.” He couldn’t hide the bitterness. Was it for his brothers, father, or all of the above?
“Yeah, but I’m pretty sure they have no idea he had issues with drugs. And they have no idea that he remarried.”
“He never married my mother.” Kyle’s voice was tight. Tense.
“Well, I’m sorry to hear that.” She fisted her hands on her hips. She’d held her tongue because she didn’t want to cause problems. She didn’t want him to decide she wasn’t worth the trouble.
“Look, I don’t really want to talk about this right now.”
“Yeah, well, I have to go anyway.” She didn’t want to fight with him, but damn it. She cared about him. About all of them. And they were family.
“Drive safe.” He offered up his sexy, sweet smile, probably hoping she’d drop the issue. And she would. For now. Because if he went to the Argo, there would be plenty of women who would have a hard time resisting that smile. Women who wouldn’t care about his issues with his family.
“You too.” She headed out to her Jeep, hoping Brooke wouldn’t be too long. Fisher had almost forgotten that she’d offered to drive. Well, at least it would take her mind off her frustration with Kyle and his inability to connect with his brothers. She’d thought for sure they’d be as close as the twins were with each other by now, or at least acknowledge their kinship.
As mad as she was at Kyle for not coming clean, she was even more angry at herself for not speaking up before now. She’d known for almost two weeks, and while it wasn’t her secret to tell, she hated keeping it.
* * * *
Kyle was ready for a beer. Tyler had jumped on the chance to go out without the women. They’d invited the other guys and most were game. It was Friday night, after all. The Argo would be hopping. It had been three weeks since he’d met Fisher at that very bar.
Three weeks since she’d cast some sort of spell on him.
He’d been avoiding his boss’s e-mails. Sure, he’d given the excuse of poor cell coverage, but they had wireless at the guides’ house. He could get on the Internet if he wanted to. He just hadn’t wanted to.
The deal that seemed like a dream come true—a way to make a ton of money and get back at his brothers at the same time—was no longer so attractive. For one thing, he had quickly discovered that the company was solid. The only reason they would have to give it up would be for the ridiculous amount of money he’d been prepared to offer. But he’d since learned that they weren’t as motivated by money as he’d anticipated. Sure, they needed security, to support their family and pay their employees. They weren’t into making money just for the sake of money.
He’d learned that some companies were more interested in making a profit, but at Swift River Adventures, they were also about the experience. About taking in all that the river had to offer. He’d taken it in. And been able to share it with his guests. He no longer thought of them as customers, or even passengers. He made sure to include them as much as possible in making sure their trip was memorable and exciting.
And the tips had been pretty damn good.
He could get used to this life. Working his muscles on the river all day, and snuggling up to his woman at night.
Oh, he knew she wouldn’t be satisfied to sleep in a camper forever. Even if it was nicer than most of the homes he’d lived in growing up. But Fisher deserved more.
She definitely deserved better than to have the company she worked for bought out from under her. Oh, part of the negotiations would include a promise to keep the existing staff, but when the business was resold, that promise wouldn’t be transferred.
He’d have to figure out how to block the sale.
The Argo was packed. They ordered a couple of pitchers and settled against the bar to wait for a couple of tables to clear.
“Well, look who walked in with a girl on each arm,” the bartender called out to a newcomer. Cody. “They’re a little younger than you used to bring in.”
“Hey, these are my daughters.” Cody did indeed have one girl in each hand. They were in those car seat carrier things. He set them each on a bar stool and ordered a beer for himself and one for Carson, who followed closely with his own infant.
“I never would have thought I’d see the day. The Swift brothers all settled down.” He shook his head as he poured a couple of pints.
“We’re not that settled.” Cody acted cool, but when he looked down at his daughters, it was obvious that he was pretty much domesticated. “We are out on the town without our women.”
“I heard about Aubrey getting married. Tell her congratulations from all of us here.” He offered a sincere smile and then reached behind the bar. “And when you see Fisher, I think these are her sunglasses. She left them here a few weeks back.”
“Sure. But I’m sure Kyle will see her before I do.” Cody nodded in Kyle’s direction.
The bartender looked over at him, smiled as if he recognized him from the other night, and handed over the sunglasses.
“Thanks.” Kyle pocketed the mirrored aviators. “I’ll make sure she gets these back.”
Cody eyed him, not as suspiciously as he used to. Maybe the other man had finally accepted him as Fisher’s lover. But as much as Fisher would wish it, they would never be friends.
Kyle couldn’t stand how Cody had hurt Fisher. Yeah, he cared about her, but that didn’t keep him from hurting her with his ambiguous affection. While Cody might not realize it, he was still sending her mixed signals. So Kyle could never truly trust the guy.
Then again, Cody did have reason not to trust Kyle. He might attribute it to Fisher, but Kyle was here to take something from him. It wasn’t his manager, though. It was the whole damn company. Or it had been. And maybe if it was just Cody who would be screwed over if the deal went through…
No. Because it was never that simple. There was always collateral damage to any business acquisition. Kyle had just chosen to ignore it. To convince himself that if the prior owners had done a better job, if they hadn’t let themselves get into trouble in the first place, then they wouldn’t have lost.
But if he truly believed that, then that would mean that he’d deserved to have been abandoned by his father. That if his mother had somehow made better choices, then she would have deserved something better than his worthless piece of shit of a father.
One of the babies started to fuss. Kyle was closest, so he made a funny face, and the little girl broke into a precious giggle.
“Hey, thanks.” Cody put a hand on his shoulder. “She likes you.”
Cody leaned over and lifted his daughter out of the baby seat. He made goofy sounds and dropped kisses on the child, and Kyle had to look away.
She didn’t deserve anything other than a loving family. Shit might happen to her and her sister along the way, but the only thing she deserved was to be loved.
It was all any of them deserved.
So why was it so damned hard to accept?
Kyle grabbed his beer and leaned against the bar where he’d met Fisher. Even then, she had told him that she didn’t believe she deserved to be loved. But why?
Because she’d been rejected by a guy who saw her as nothing more than a friend? Because she was different than the girls she grew up with? So she was taller than most women, and quite a few men. She was stronger and smarter than most people. That didn’t make her any less desirable to him.
And still she refused to acknowledge that they had something more than just sex. Maybe the upcoming wedding would change her mind. Maybe sharing in her friend’s happiness, surrounded by love, she might start thinking about the possibilities.
She might even catch the bouquet.
Cody got the baby settled and turned to Kyle.
“Hey man, maybe I was too quick to judge you.” Whoa, where did that come from?
Kyle just shrugged.
“I mean, if all the women in my life have taken to you, you must be a pretty good guy.”
“All the women in your life?”
“Fisher, of course.” Cody leaned against the bar next to him. “But Miranda likes you, Ava—well, Ava has never met a stranger—and she adores you. But now Addy has given her stamp of approval.”
“More like a drool of approval.” Kyle pointed to the wet spot on his shoulder.
Cody extended his right hand. “What do you say we start over?”
“Sure.” Kyle shook his hand, mostly because he knew it would please Fisher.
“Great.” Cody grinned like all was right with his world now. “You know, I’m glad Fisher stuck with her guns and insisted on bringing you on board.”
“Really?”
“Apparently you’re a big hit with your passengers.” Cody sounded reluctantly pleased. “Miranda can’t keep up with the rave reviews.”
“Miranda?”
“Yeah, she’s taken over our website.” He beamed with pride. “She’s a writer, you know. Her first book comes out in a couple of months.”
“I think Fisher may have mentioned something about that.” Had she? Didn’t matter. Fisher didn’t say much about Cody’s wife, other than admit she liked the woman.
“I’m real proud of her.” Cody continued to puff up with pride. But why not, the guy did have everything. “And I’m proud of Fisher, too.”
Kyle’s jaw twitched, but he didn’t say anything.
“She’s a good manager.” Cody didn’t seem to notice that Kyle was only tolerating him for Fisher’s sake. “A good manager, and a damn fine woman.”
“Yes. She is.” Too bad it took her finding someone else for Cody to realize it.
“I don’t want to see her get hurt.” Cody leaned a little too close into his space.
“I don’t want to see her get hurt, either.” Apparently Cody had been blind. Because he’d been the one to hurt her the most.
“Just as long as we’re clear.”
“You’re not her brother, you know. You’re not her protector. And you know what? She doesn’t need one. Fisher is a damn fine manager. She’s smart, tough, and fair. She doesn’t need anyone looking out for her.” Kyle had had enough. He pounded the rest of his beer. “Believe me, if I screw things up with Fisher, the only person I’d have to worry about would be Fisher.”
The hostess came in and announced that their tables were ready. Kyle made sure to sit as far away from Cody as he could. He was supposed to be out having a good time tonight. Tomorrow would be another long day, and then the wedding was Sunday evening.
He’d need to have something for his boss on Monday. Even if it was a report on why he couldn’t come through for the first time since he’d been fifteen.