unbuttoned his waistcoat, tossed it down on top of his coat.
“Indeed I am.”
“I sincerely doubt it.” Ethan pulled off his boots.
Darcy thrust her head upright. “I can swim back with no difficulty, Mr. Brennan. If you please, I would prefer that you ride on.”
“Would you?” He hurried out into the water. “I’m coming out to get you.”
“I am capable …”
“Of drowning. I have no doubt this same stubbornness got you in this fix.”
With haste, he plunged into the water toward her, fighting the currents, hoping to reach her in time.
The timber inched away and risked taking Darcy along with it. Fear tightened her throat and shot through her chest. She dug her fingers into the bark not caring how it tore her skin. As soon as the tree broke loose from the rock that moored it, it moved slowly at first. Then the river pulled at her and she slid under the water after her hands lost their grip and the tree floated away.
For her life, Darcy kicked and twisted to gain ground, her lungs ready to burst out the air she held within them. Her head surfaced and she let out a gasp. Ethan called to her and she reached for him against the flow of water. She watched him drag himself head down through the current, his arms battling the river’s power. The moment he reached her, she sank under the water and felt his hands drag her up to the surface. His arm went around her waist and held tight.
“Hold on to my neck and do not let go.” He swam with her beneath his chest held by his arm, her cheek in the curve of his neck. When they reached the shallows, he set his feet into the riverbed. His breathing hurried and his hair clung to his shoulders as he trudged from the river to the shore. He set her down and unlocked Darcy’s arms from around his neck. Her lips trembled, and kneeling in front of her, he rubbed her hands within his.
“Mr. Brennan,” she murmured. “Thank you.”
He picked up the clothing he had cast off, and put his coat over her shoulders. Then he reached for his boots and slipped them back on. She had no idea what he was thinking—that she looked a waif, a creature of the river and woods.
He glanced up at the sky. “Come, I will take you home.” He extended his hand and when she placed hers within his, and he closed his fingers over hers, he lifted her up into his arms.
“You need not carry me,” Darcy said.
He looked into her eyes and laughed. “You have been through a trial. You are shivering. In fact your lips are blue.”
She touched them. “Really?”
“Blue as the sky above.” He carried her up the bank to his horse. “When there are no clouds gathering. Looks like rain, Darcy.”
She stared out at the river. Grave silence fell over her, so suddenly snatched out of Death’s hand that the sense of awe that she was saved washed over her. The fine thread that was life grew more precious. It was a miracle Ethan had come and had seen her in the water when he did. Shutting her eyes, she breathed out, then in again, and whispered thanks to the One who made her. Life had become more precious, and she would cherish every breath from that moment on.
She held tight to Ethan as he guided his horse. The pale light of day slanted through the forest. In the branches overhead, a mockingbird sang. Chickadees chirped and fluttered from tree to tree.
Ethan looked back over his shoulder. “Which way is home?”
“To the right. We mustn’t stray from this road, else we will be lost.”
His eyes glowed at her words, as if they had some double meaning. He looked away, ahead to where the road curved. Then he walked the horse on.
“Will you grant me one more favor?” she asked.
“What is it?”
“Please do not tell my aunt I nearly drowned. She is so fearful of such things.”
“She will ask what happened, and your uncle will demand to know.”
“You are right. There is no getting out of this.”
Soft rain fell from the clouds and drenched the earth, sparkling on leaves and vine. Thunder cracked overhead, frightening the horse and causing it to rear. Darcy held tight. Gaining control, Ethan galloped Sanchet down the river road toward the Breese house and the anxious family that waited there.