Rogue's Revenge - By Gail MacMillan Page 0,45

the riverbank in places still flooded with the freshet showed promise of renewed life. Swinging with cavalier devil-may-care joy from a nearby branch white-furred with pussywillows, a red-winged blackbird burst into song.

The May sun warmed her, the utter peace of her surroundings lulled her. High-rise offices, pressure-cooker meetings, heels, tailored business suits, spa and hair appointments, and incessantly ringing phones slid from her mind. She relaxed and dozed.

****

She jerked awake to see Heath had unpacked the canoe and set up a tent. A fire crackled inside a circle of rocks near the river’s edge. As she scrambled to her feet, he straightened from adding a log to it.

In the twilight, silhouetted against the primitive force of the river’s wild rush, he was an imposing figure, tall, muscular, and lithe, a true man of the wilderness. He made her pulses speed, her solar plexus tighten.

“We’re staying here?” She suppressed a shiver. The sun had disappeared behind the trees across the river, leaving a distinct chill in the air.

“It’s as good a place as any we’ll find for a few miles,” he said. “And since you slept most of the day away…”

“You could have awakened me!” she snapped, rubbing her arms. “Now it will take us even longer to get to the end of this miserable voyage.”

“The longer I keep you out here, the better the chances you’ll start to appreciate all this. You’re cold and cranky. Come over by the fire. It will help the first part.”

“I am not crank…” Allison caught herself. How childish can I sound?

“Fine. Stay where you are.” He hunkered down beside the fire and stirred it to new heights with a stick.

She hesitated, shivered again, then, feeling a strange moth-to-the-flame apprehension, moved to join him.

“It’s peaceful here.” She sat down beside him. “Even with the river at full flood.”

“Glad you noticed.” He quirked her a grin, and this time it wasn’t sardonic.

“It’s been years since I’ve seen a bonfire.” With a sigh, she rested her chin on arms braced against her bent knees as she gazed into the flames. Serenity slid over her.

“Damn it!” She snapped out of it and rounded on him. “Did you slip something into my coffee at noon?”

“If you have to attribute your pleasure in the moment to drugs, I’m wasting my time.”

He stood and strode toward the trees into the deepening shadows. When he vanished from sight, Allison felt a surge of panic. Where is he going? What if he never comes back? What if he’s leaving me to die in the wilderness? Have I insulted him once too often? Oh, God, what have I done?

Breathe, breathe. If he’d been planning to leave me, he could have done it while I was asleep. She glanced at the dark outline of the canoe and realized leaving her wasn’t in his plans. He wouldn’t desert her without taking the canoe.

What was that? She swung toward the place where he’d vanished into the forest.

He emerged out of the shadows, a package of wieners, a bag of rolls, a tube of mustard, a sack of marshmallows, and two bottles of lime soda in his arms.

“I put our coolers up in the trees a few yards away.” He squatted by the fire and spread out the food. “They’ve got tight covers and shouldn’t attract bears. Still, there’s no point in inviting them up to our tent.”

“Lime?” She gazed at the bottles of her favorite soda.

“You loved the stuff. I couldn’t understand why. After you left, I’d drink a bottle every once in a while to see what there was to like about it. Eventually, I acquired a taste.”

“Really?” The man was nothing if not full of surprises.

“Yeah, really.” There was no warmth in his tone. When he pulled the knife from its scabbard at his belt, she gasped.

“Look, what I said earlier about your drugging my lunch…” She fell back, away from him.

“Take it easy.” He checked its blade against his finger. “I’m going to cut a couple of dogwood branches to use as roasting sticks. Hell, you really do have a sick opinion of me.”

“You did get me drunk, you did kidnap me…”

“Shanghaied. There’s a difference, remember. You’ll be free to do whatever you wish at the end of the voyage, no ransom required.”

“Whatever. Furthermore, you’re the last person to see my grandfather alive, you’ve profited handsomely from his death, and you’d be only too happy to get rid of a business partner who doesn’t share your future plans for that inheritance. My mother will