Lou had rung his room and told him that she’d
called her father last night, even assured Sam that everything have
been straightened out. But he hadn’t missed the nervous titter in
her voice, nor the high-pitched tone with which she’d delivered the
message. She was running scared, and she was afraid that he’d pull
the plug on her bid for freedom.
But Sam wouldn’t do that to her.
Common sense to the contrary and against all
logical reasoning, he felt he owed it to the snack-cake heiress, if
nothing else than to pay tribute to all the times he’d eaten the
damn things.
Fudgy-Nutty cakes had been his snack of
choice since grade school. His mother had tucked them in his
lunches, he’d sneaked them into movies, packed a few boxes on every
adventure. Now, every time he looked at one, he’d be reminded of
Lou Honeycutt.
For reasons which eluded him, the thought was
not comforting.
Sam mentally closed that line of thinking and
concentrated on the day ahead. He and Lou would start the first leg
of her adventure this morning. With that in mind, he took a quick
shower, secured his gear, then knocked on Lou’s door.
Looking happy if a little green, Lou ushered
him in. “Good morning,” she chirped. “I’m almost ready, just need
to get my bag.”
Sam sniffed as odd odor reached his senses.
What was that smell? he wondered absently as he watched her scurry
around the room. It smelled almost like—
Lou snagged a cigarette from an ashtray on
the night stand, then lifted it to her lips with all the grace of a
seasoned smoker and drew a quick, shallow puff. A cough instantly
seized her. She choked and hacked, sending an embarrassing
watery-eyed glance. Sam’s lips twitched with the need to laugh.
“
I…just…started,” Lou
wheezed brokenly when she could speak again. “I’m sure I’ll get the
hang of it.”
“
I’m sure you
will.”
“
Though why I’d bother, I’m
beginning to wonder,” Lou said as though he hadn’t spoken. She
frowned at the still-burning cigarette in her hand. “These things
smell bad and I don’t feel at all glamorous and sophisticated like
the billboards indicate.” She scowled again and ground the butt
into the ashtray. “I just feel sick.” She sighed. “At least I can
cross it off my list.”
Sam smothered a chuckle. “Are you ready?”
She started as though just remembering his
presence. “What? Oh, yeah.”
Looking delightfully fresh in a tangerine
sundress, Lou scooped up her bag and joined him at the door. “So
we’re going to swim with the manatees?” she asked once they were in
the elevator.
“
After
breakfast.”
“
Breakfast?”
“
Customarily the first meal
of the day. Usually consists of eggs—”
“
I know what breakfast is,”
she interrupted with an impatient huff. “I just don’t eat
it.”
“
Then you can watch while I
eat.”
“
Fat lotta fun that’ll be,”
Lou grumbled. “Can’t we just snag a muffin? I’m ready to get
started.”
Sam snorted in response. “I don’t think so.
Besides, we’re not due at the site for another hour. We’ve got
plenty of time.”
With his acute carbohydrate radar, it took
Sam less than five minutes to locate a pancake house. Once seated,
he perused the menu and ordered a hearty breakfast: bacon, eggs and
hash browns, with a short stack on the side. Lou crinkled her pert
little nose in distaste and ordered fruit.
“
I didn’t realize that you
and I were going to be eating breakfast together, “ Lou remarked
thoughtfully.
“
Why would you think
that?”
“
Oh, I don’t know.” He clear
blue eyes met his a bit more directly than Sam was accustomed to.
“Possibly because you refused to have dinner with me last
night.”
Aw, hell. So he
had
hurt her feelings. But
how could he explain? Breakfast was a harmless meal. No strings
attached, unless you spent the night together. But dinner… Dinner
implied a more intimate relationship. Despite the fact he wanted a
serious relationship, Sam still had dinner phobia.
Sam surveyed their surroundings as he groped
for an appropriate response. “Er, breakfast is a necessary meal for
the type of adventure we’re going to have. We have to fuel the
body.” That sounded good, Sam thought. With luck, she’d buy it.
Lou tucked a curly strand of hair behind her
ear and smiled, making her dimple wink in her cheek. The impact of
that grin made his groin tighten. “Funny, but I thought all meals
were necessary.”
So she didn’t buy it. Good for her, Sam
thought. Had she tried to unload that bull on him, he wouldn’t have
bought it either.
Sam took his time buttering a biscuit.
“Breakfast is different. We’re starting the day, moving into the
adventure part. Breakfast is...doable. Understand?”
Lou eyed him thoughtfully again and a hint of
mischief lurked in her gaze. “I suppose. Breakfast, you’re on the
clock. Dinner, you’re not. Okay. I got it.”
Sam inwardly sighed, ready to move to a
different topic. “Good.”
“
Lunch is in between
breakfast and dinner,” Lou murmured, thoughtfully tapping a finger
against her chin. “What do we do about that?”
“
Well—-“
“
Oh!” She smacked her hands
on the tabletop, and gave him an innocent smile. “Never mind. I got
it. We eat at the same place, but at different tables.”
So, Lou had a little streak of smart ass in
her. Odd that he should find that attractive.
He smirked. “Look, I know that you
don’t—”
Laughing, Lou waved her hand in dismissal.
“It was a joke, Sam. Lighten up. I understood the ‘not fraternizing
with the client’ clause.”
But oh, how he would like to
fraternize with this client. The thought tripped through him before
he could check it. He suddenly had a vision of Lou in her bikini
sprawled amid a mountain of Fudgy-Nutty cakes.
Moist cake, creamy frosting, creamy thighs
…Okay. Definitely time to change the subject. And he knew just
the topic to stabilize his wayward thoughts.
“
So tell me again what
happened with your father last night.”
Lou’s smile faded away. “I told him that I
hadn’t been kidnapped and asked him to inform the press.”
“
And.”
Lou seemed fascinated with the salt and
pepper shakers. “And…naturally he was relieved that I hadn’t been
kidnapped.”
“
Naturally,” Sam drawled.
“Did he agree to call off the press?”
“
Yeah. Something like
that.”
Sam’s radar hit red alert. “Something like
that?” He crossed his arms over his chest and pinned her with his
gaze. “Define ‘something like that.’”
Lou bit her lip. “Uh, well…since I wouldn’t
tell him where I was and refused to come back and marry Chad,
he…uh, led me to believe that he would just leave it to the gossip
reporters to track me down. Save himself a private investigator’s
fee.” Lou motioned for a waitress. “You know, I think you were on
to something with those pancakes. I think I’ll have some after
all.”
Sam’s frowned deepened. “Gossip reporters?
Explain.”
“
Oh, you know. Like from
the
National Inquisitor
and the
Global
Grapevine
. Don’t worry, I know—”
“
Global Grapevine! National
Inquisitor!”
Sam thundered. “Are you out of
your mind?” Sam resisted the urge to tear out his hair and gave her
a dark look. “This is not what I agreed to,” he hissed angrily.
“you know full well—”
“
Oh, for heaven’s sake,” Lou
interrupted with a put-upon sigh. “Are you always this high-strung?
Honestly, one would think in your line of work that you would have
nerves of steel.” Concern puckered her brown. “Given your delicate
nature, these adventures must be very difficult for you.” Shaking
her head regretfully, Lou tsked under her breath. “You’ll just have
to leave all the details to me. Obviously, you aren’t equipped to
deal with this sort of thing.”
Thunderstruck, Sam sat and listened as Lou
shared her concern about his delicate nerves and high-strung
nature. Him? Adventure guide extraordinaire, three-time Everest
conqueror, et cetera, et cetera. High strung?
Only since the advent of one kooky little
snack-cake heiress with a pixie smile and a killer rack.
Sam in a wet suit was a sight to behold.
In fact, Lou would gladly behold it for the
rest of the adventure and say to hell with all of her other plans.
Who wanted to look at a manatee, when one could gaze upon al that
masculine beauty?
“
Do you have any questions?”
the object of her lust asked.
She probably should, considering she hadn’t
paid attention to a word he’d said. Lou figured he’d most likely
take exception to that, so she shook her head.
“
Great. Then let’s get
started.” Sam motioned for Lou to follow him into the water. “As I
explained, we’re going to float, not free dive, so basically all
you’ll have to do is relax. Come over here, and I’ll
demonstrate.”
Relax,
hell
, Lou thought. She was as tight as a
wound spring. “O-okay,” she murmured.
Sam must have sensed her reticence, because
he suddenly looked at her. “Is something wrong?”
“
No.”
He gave her an odd look. “Come here.”
Her stomach did a little somersault at the
command, but her wobbly legs led her to his side in the water
nonetheless.
“
You know how to float,
right?”
Lou nodded. “Right. I can float.”
“
Good.”
Sam too her mask from the top of her head and
swirled a little water inside, then rinsed it out. He helped her
put it on, then adjusted it until she said it felt right. “We’re
going to practice right here for a few minutes before we move into
the deeper water. I want you to be accustomed to looking through
the mask before we head out.”
Lou nodded.
“
Okay. Float.”
Lou resisted the urge to salute him at the
brusque order and inserted her mouthpiece. She let the water buoy
her before she allowed her face to drop into the water.
She’d never used a snorkel mask before and
was instantly amazed at how in focus everything appeared. Her
troubles melted away, blurred into nonexistence.
Bigger, brighter, the underwater world seemed
entirely different then viewed without the ripples and tides.
Blades of grass swayed drunkenly in the vibrant underwater land.
Slim silver fish darted in and out, seemingly playing hide and seek
amid the silky green grass. Lou felt her lips grin around the
mouthpiece and grew eager to explore more. True, she hadn’t been
thrilled about swimming with the manatees, but now she could barely
wait to locate one of the so-called gentle giants. As she started
to kick away, Sam’s warm hand clamped around her ankle and dragged
her back.
“
Hey,” he chuckled. “Hold
up.”
Lou found her footing and pulled the
mouthpiece from between her lips. She knew her excitement was
making her shiver. “Come on, I’m ready to go,” she told him
impatiently.
Sam gave her an odd look, but he tugged his
mask on before Lou cold discern his thoughts.
Lou let Sam lead and fell in behind him. The
ease with which his muscular legs pushed his body through the water
momentarily captured Lou’s attention. His body, lean and hard from
the active life he led, used no unnecessary movements as he cut
smoothly through the water and ate up the distance between him and
the shore.
Though he seemed to be giving her space, Lou
didn’t doubt for a minute that Sam always knew exactly where she
was. The thought brought an unrealistic comfort, making an
interesting warmth spread through her limbs.
The more time she spent in the water, the
more accustomed Lou became at navigating the freshwater channel and
regulating her breathing. She was completely at ease when they
finally located a group of manatees.
Awestruck, Lou’s gaze absorbed the scene the
underwater giants made. Sam looked back at her and she could see
his smile and knew the grin she wore pleased him. What a great job
he had, Lou thought absently. Showing people the time of their
lives was truly an amazing gift.
A mother and calf glided slowly through the
water, their small black eyes set in surprisingly gentle faces. One
would think given the sheer size of the animals—about twelve feet
long and seven feet in girth, according to Sam—they’d be scary. And
yet…they looked sweet. Peaceful.
Deep white scars marred the back of another,
slower member of the herd and Lou recalled Sam telling her that the
manatees really couldn’t move quickly. It was all too common for
them to get caught beneath propeller blades.
Lou inwardly winced as she watched the
injured manatee move along behind the rest of the herd.
The magnitude of the thing she didn’t know
and hadn’t experienced struck Lou once again. Thank heavens she’d
seen the light and run away from her own wedding. The thought of
where she’d be and who she’d be with were almost more than she
could bear.
Lou had things she wanted to do, things she
intended to experience. Her conversation with her father last night
had been an abysmal failure, but Lou had stiffened her spine and
refused to come home. Her father had thundered and blustered,
threatened and cajoled, but to Lou’s immense relief the old
manipulations hadn’t worked. She’s truly turned a corner in her
life and there was no going back.