Nick caught up with Samantha and Ruth on their way to the church parking lot following the Sunday service. He greeted them both, then addressed his question to the older woman, afraid if he asked Samantha, he would be refused. “Would you mind if I stole Sam for the rest of the afternoon? I’m taking a drive up into the mountains and was hoping for her company.”
“That’s a grand idea,” Ruth answered.
“Gran. You’ve got people coming for Sunday dinner. I should be there to help.”
Ruth shook her head. “Only Camila and Emilio are my guests today. We’ll fend for ourselves quite nicely. You go with Nick.”
Samantha looked at him, and his pulse leapt. For he didn’t see the expected reluctance. Her eyes said she wanted to go with him. Relief flooded through him.
He’d thought a lot about what had happened the previous day. Somewhere along the way, he’d determined to explain his reaction to Samantha. He’d decided he would, at last, follow Derek’s advice, that he would put aside the last remnants of his tattered pride and tell all.
“What exactly are we doing besides driving?” Samantha asked, adding, “so I’ll know what to wear.”
“We’ll grab something to eat on the way. And if we find the right spot up in the forest, we’ll walk a bit. Let Boomer chase a stick or chipmunks or whatever. No strenuous hiking. Just a nice stroll. Sound okay?”
She nodded. “Sounds okay.” Her smile was tentative. And perhaps hopeful?
“Can you be ready in about twenty minutes?”
“Yes.”
Determination shot through him. If the chance came to kiss her today, he wouldn’t apologize.
“Great. I’ll be there.”
Half an hour later, the two of them, along with Boomer, drove out of town. The wind whistling through the open windows made it hard to have a conversation without shouting, so they traveled in silence until they stopped at a drive-through to order burgers, fries, and milkshakes. Even Boomer got to indulge, although his quarter-pound burger was plain with no bun. Nick tore the meat into pieces, and they disappeared in a few bites.
Samantha laughed as the dog turned a pleading look in her direction. “You’re not starving. You eat too fast.” She ruffled his ears.
Nick grinned. “I’ve told him and told him not to scarf down his food, but he doesn’t listen to me.”
“Silly dog.” She looked up. “I guess you can’t complain. He minds you in every other way.”
“Yeah, he does.”
She stroked Boomer’s head but kept looking at Nick, happiness sparking in her eyes. His mouth went dry and his breath caught in his chest. He loved her. Loved her more than he’d thought possible.
He’d danced around that word—love—even when he’d admitted he wanted to share the future with Samantha. He’d danced around it for weeks. Since his brother’s wedding. Maybe even longer than that. He couldn’t dance around it now. He loved her. Deeply loved her. Sure, there were difficulties to be overcome. Location. His health. Even hurts from the past. But if it was in his power to overcome them, he would.
Samantha breathed in the pine-scented air as Nick steered the truck along the winding highway. Sunlight and deep shadows alternated in the canyon forged by the river. The changing light was almost blinding, and she was thankful she wasn’t driving. She would much rather enjoy the beauty of nature all around them than pay attention to the road.
The pickup rounded a curve and slowed when a bridge came into view. “Here we are,” Nick said. “That’s got to be the south fork of the Payette.” He turned onto the connecting road right after crossing the bridge.
Both the shadows and the forest deepened. The river beyond Samantha’s door now thundered and foamed.
“That’s something to see, isn’t it?” Nick steered the pickup into a parking area. “Let’s get out and walk awhile.”
“All right.”
Boomer seemed delighted with the idea. He dashed around the trees, sniffing the blanket of pine needles that covered the ground. A chipmunk scolded him from a high branch, and the dog barked his annoyance.
“Come on, boy.” Nick turned toward Samantha. “I saw a trail down closer to the river. Let’s see how far up it goes.” He held out his hand for her to take.
It seemed such a natural thing to do, and she smiled as his fingers closed around hers.
“Have you been up here before?” he asked.
“No. I’ve been past the junction on the way to McCall but never turned this way.”
They crossed the highway and descended to the trail along the riverbank. When they got there, Nick stopped and pointed up river.
“Look!”
She did so in time to see a large yellow raft buck its way across rough rapids. The four passengers inside the raft hooted and hollered, oars held above the water.
Her heart rose into her throat, and she had trouble breathing.
“Amazing!” Nick cried as he waved at the rafters with his free hand.
Amazing? More like terrifying.
As if in answer to the thought, the raft crashed down hard and one of the passengers—a woman, by the high-pitched sound of her scream—was thrown into the water. She disappeared for an instant, then rose to the surface.
Nick released Samantha’s hand and hurried to the river’s edge. He grabbed hold of a shrub and gave it a hard tug, then leaned forward, ready to grab the woman, who was bobbing and flailing her way toward him.
Boomer barked a warning but stayed beside Samantha, as if sensing he would be in the way.
“Nick!” Samantha cried. “Be careful!”
If he heard her, he gave no indication. His focus was completely on the woman in the water. At least she wore a helmet and a bright-yellow life jacket, making it easier to see her.
Samantha lifted her gaze to the raft. The remaining people were paddling toward the bank; they shouted but she couldn’t understand them. She looked back at Nick in time to see him lean out as far as the shrub and his arm would allow. He caught hold of the life jacket above the woman’s shoulder. The rush of the water and weight of the woman jerked him downward, and for a moment Samantha thought he would lose his grip and be pulled downstream with her. But instead, he managed to drag her onto the bank. He collapsed beside her, breathing hard.
Samantha moved forward, heart hammering.
“Are you all right?” Nick asked the woman as she struggled to sit up.
She coughed and nodded, then coughed some more.
“Nick?”
He glanced over his shoulder. “She’s okay.”
But it wasn’t the stranger Samantha had been worried about. It was Nick.
Shouts came from behind her, and she turned to see the other rafters running toward them from down river. She moved out of their way and observed the hugs and heard their joyous laughter. She watched as each one of them, in turn, shook Nick’s hand and thanked him for what he’d done. The celebration went on and on.
Finally, Nick broke away from the little group and stepped toward Samantha.
“You’re wet,” she told him.
“I’ll dry.” Excitement filled his voice.
“You took quite a risk.”
He shrugged. “I made sure I had a good hold.”
Samantha wished she could say the same, but watching him had left her feeling as if she were the one caught in the swift current of a river, bobbing up and down and in danger of drowning.
“Come on.” He reached for her hand. “Let’s keep walking. I’ll dry off faster that way.”
She didn’t think he cared about his wet clothes or the danger he’d been in. All he looked was pleased with himself. Begrudgingly, she admitted the rescue might have been necessary. But the woman had worn a helmet and life preserver. She might have made it to the riverbank without his help. Someone who hadn’t nearly died in a different river could have gone to her aid.
The lively sparkle in Nick’s eyes as he waited for her to take his hand seemed to say he hadn’t felt this good in a long time. In fact, it seemed to say that he would give just about anything to have been in that raft with the others.
“Hey.” His smile faded. “Where’d you go?”
He hadn’t changed as much as she’d hoped. He was still a risk-taker.
“Sam?”
“I think we should head back.”
He lowered his hand. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” It was a lie, and she was certain he knew it.
“I was hoping we could find a place to sit and . . . and to talk.”
They should talk. He was right about that. She should tell him how his recklessness made her feel. But she was too rattled to discuss it. All she could do now was shake her head and say, “Let’s go home.”
Frustration set his jaw. “Okay, Sam. I’ll take you home.”