Heir Untamed - By Danielle Bourdon Page 0,48
do. I have mentioned, have I not, that I spend a lot of time outdoors?”
“Yes. But there has to be a cut off point, right? Where it's too dangerous or risky?” She looked forward when he gestured. The canoe followed a swift current that made Chey's stomach flip-flop. The sensation of speed tapered off almost as quick as it began.
“What's life without a little risk?” he countered.
“You know what I mean.” The current smoothed out, though the canoe traveled just as fast along the surface, speeding through a wide gap between boulders.
“And my answer remains the same. You can't hold back just because you think the risk is too high. Don't get me wrong—I won't jump off a cliff with no bungee attached or toss myself out of a plane with no parachute, but I've done both those things with the proper protection and have no regrets.”
“There is no way I would jump out of a plane. For any reason.” She shuddered at the thought. That risk, in her mind, was just too high.
“You don't know what you're missing. Or are you the type that thinks 'risk' is battling twenty other women at the sales rack at the local store? Bit of hair pulling, tug-of-war over a bra--”
Chey guffawed and slapped her paddle backwards in the water. Rewarded with his grunt of surprise, she concentrated on the river lest she miss a change in current and land them on the rocks.
In her distraction, she didn't think about the attack, or the threats, or what might happen from here. Chey enjoyed the moment, yelping in shock when the canoe dipped down and splashed back up, spraying her with water. She checked her camera, grateful to see only a faint sheen on the outside.
The rapids dwindled to a calm flow once more, leaving Chey with a racing heart and a grin on her mouth. Although tame by Sander's standards, it had been wild enough to be exciting for her.
From there, Sander guided them through another gorge and eventually onto a bank when the rock sloped down to flat shoreline once more. He climbed out and tugged the canoe further up onto the sand and offered her a hand to disembark. Accepting it, she grabbed the strap of the duffel and stepped down onto the ground. Sander plucked the cooler out after that, and hitched the canoe all the way up a rail where he secured the vessel by rope. The area showed signs of being used as a common 'input' for river travelers. A few benches sat near the long rail to tether canoes or rafts or other water equipment to and a small building sat further in. Restrooms, noted by the distinctive graphics on the doors.
“Are we hiking all the way back?” she asked, slinging the duffel strap over her shoulder.
“No. We're better than twelve miles from our starting point.” He picked up the cooler and gestured the other direction.
Chey spotted a medium sized parking lot with a shiny, new white truck waiting in a slot. “You've thought of everything, haven't you?”
He led her toward the truck. “It pays to think ahead. We wouldn't make it back to my cabin before dark, and out here, you don't want to wander around with the creatures of the night.”
At the truck, he lifted the cooler into the back with little effort. Taking the bag from her once she reached him, he set that in the back and unlocked the doors with a number code instead of keys.
“I've heard wolves before. Is that what you mean?” She climbed into the passenger seat and closed her door.
“Yes. Normally they won't attack humans, but why take the chance.” He started the engine and backed out of the space. “There are bears this deep in the woods, too. And you definitely don't want to run across a mother with her cub.”
Chey fastened her belt and watched Sander rather than the appealing terrain they drove through. He handled the truck with confidence and familiar ease. There were damp spots on his shirt and pants from her flap with the paddle, bringing a grin to her lips.
He glanced over just in time to see it. “What?”
“Nothing.”
“You're staring.”
“And you're not watching the road.”
He swerved back onto the dirt lane when the tire rumbled over a rough patch of small rocks to the side.
“Then quit distracting me.”
She laughed. “I didn't do anything!”
“You're staring.” He glared playfully sideways, then put his attention forward.
Chey wanted to tell him that he couldn't find it