Swept Away (21 page)

“If Cody finds out about us…” Carson tensed, his loyalties torn. “I think it will destroy him.”

“So are you saying we should stop seeing each other?” He held her heart in his hands. A heart she’d never meant to give him, but it had happened anyway.

“No.” He turned her, so they were facing each other, and fingered a strand of her hair, examining it as if it was the finest silk. “I just think we need to be careful that he doesn’t find out. At least not until he finds a distraction.”

“Or until you leave?” She brushed her lips across his chest.

He held her, stroking her skin, setting her on fire. Making her want more. Making her want to give more than just her body.

But for tonight, this was enough.

She’d worry about tomorrow, tomorrow.

Carson slipped away from Lily’s bed before dawn. He hated leaving her like this, but he didn’t know what else he could do. He couldn’t let Cody find out about them. Not like this.

He couldn’t stay away from her either. He’d never known anyone like Lily. She asked nothing of him. She simply opened her arms and let him in. In her arms he’d found something he’d never had before. Give
and
take.

He prepared the coffeepot, pouring the grounds in the filter basket, adding the water and leaving a clean mug on the counter. All Lily had to do was turn it on when she got up. Maybe someday he could actually share a cup of coffee with her. Someday they could laugh together over breakfast. Someday he wouldn’t have to sneak into his own home.

Maybe someday he could live his own life, without worrying about how it would affect Cody.

After quickly showering in his own bathroom, making coffee, and depositing his breakfast dishes in the dishwasher, Carson went across the road to get ready to meet with the potential guides. Maybe training new guides would give Cody something to focus on. Two of the candidates were women. Both had the right training, but Brooke seemed the more experienced of the two. She would make a good addition to the team. And she wouldn’t be too much of a distraction.

Hillary on the other hand, she could be trouble. She was built, not like a raft guide, but more like a model. There had been some sparks flying between her and Cody. Not enough to dismiss her outright. She’d have to prove herself on the river. They’d all have to prove themselves on the river.

It was a little after nine and still no sign of Cody. Great. He’d have to take all four candidates out on his own. It would be nice to have a second set of eyes to observe the little things, like how each candidate did when it wasn’t their turn to act as guide. Some had a hard time giving up control. They would try to guide from the front of the boat rather than wait for commands from the rear. They needed to find out who could be a team player and who would let ego get in the way. It was important to choose guides who understood that the river was ultimately in charge. A good guide would always respect that.

Carson rolled one of the rafts out to the concrete pad, silently cursing his brother for living up to his expectations. He’d hoped, but he hadn’t actually expected him to actually show up this morning.

“Hey, bro, let me help you with that.” Cody sauntered over around nine-fifteen. His hands were wrapped around a travel mug, presumably filled with coffee.

“You’re late.” Was it on purpose?

“Yeah, well. I’m here now.” Cody sipped his coffee like he had nothing better to do.

“Help me get this boat in the truck,” Carson ordered. “Or are you too hungover?”

“I’m a little slow, but I’ll manage.” Cody drained his cup before pitching in to help. “I think she gave me double shots last night, instead of singles.”

“She was just trying to get into your pants.”

“Yeah, I figured that.” Cody gave him a crooked smile. Like he could use his charm to get away with anything. “She’s cool and all, but I just couldn’t.”

“Yeah, there comes a point where too much alcohol defeats the purpose.”

“No, man, that’s not what I meant.” Cody grabbed the other side of the raft and together they lifted it into the truck. “I could have; I just didn’t want to. She’s hot, but I don’t know. She’s a little too easy.”

“You’ve been with plenty of women like her before.” Carson went back for the second raft.

“Yeah, but I’ve raised my standards.”

“Since when?”

“Since when?” Cody shook his head, like the answer was obvious. “Since I realized there’s something better out there. Someone better.”

Lily. He had to be referring to Lily.

“Look, I know you don’t think I’m good enough for Lily.” Cody put his foot on top of the rolled up raft. “But I could be.”

Oh please. If he wanted to prove anything, he wouldn’t have gone to the Argo alone and started doing shots—singles or doubles.

Maybe this was the time to come clean. Confess. Admit that he and Lily were lovers. Maybe even in love.

Brooke, one of the potential guides, appeared while they were loading the raft into the back of the truck. “Hi. I know I’m a little early, but I wanted to see if you needed help getting ready for put-in. I know there’s a lot more to being a guide than paddling down the river.”

He had to give her points for enthusiasm. And for helping him delay the conversation he really didn’t want to have.

Cody took charge. A refreshing change. “Sure, let me show you the equipment shed.”

The three of them had the truck loaded in plenty of time to meet the other guides who would compete for the job. They could get away with hiring two more guides. Three would be better. But if they really liked all four, they could manage. It would depend on how many hours they were all looking for, and what kind of schedules they were willing to accept. Flexibility was important.

With the sudden increase in temperatures, business had picked up fairly quickly. One advantage of their location was that they booked quite a few last-minute trips. If the weather heated up, people started thinking about getting out on the water. They could check the website for availability and make plans as short as one day in advance.

If he wanted to do a private trip on the Grand Canyon, he’d have to enter a lottery. Same thing for the Yampa in Utah. If he wanted to raft either of those rivers, he’d either have to wait or pay to go on a commercial trip. Or he could commit to work for Epic Adventures in Utah. If he really liked the change of pace, he could transfer to another river. Epic had outfitters in Utah, Colorado, and Idaho. If Cody could keep things running here, Carson could do whatever he wanted. Wherever he wanted.

He just wasn’t sure that’s what he wanted anymore.

Brooke took the first shift acting as guide. It was weird being a passenger, and letting someone else be in charge of the raft. The last time he’d sat back and let someone else guide had been on the trip with Lily. Back when all he’d wanted was to help her overcome her fear. Yeah. Right. That was all he’d wanted.

Carson needed to focus on the job at hand, not start wondering how things would play out with him and Lily.

Brooke was a skilled guide. He was able to relax and not feel the need to jump in and give directions. She navigated the first two rapids with ease.

“What can you tell me about this last rapid?” Cody asked. The question was aimed more at Brooke, but Hillary answered him first.

“It’s a Class Two rapid?” She didn’t seem too sure of herself.

“Class Two rapids are classified as having moderate difficulty.” Brooke chimed in. “The rapids are usually pretty straightforward, easily maneuvered without need for scouting.”

“Great.” Carson was impressed with her knowledge and confidence. “Next up we have a Class Three rapid.”

“Oh, I know this. It’s considered difficult.” Hillary wasn’t about to be ignored. “Except for experienced guides like you two. You probably could run a Class Three in your sleep.”

“Class Three rapids contain difficult passages, requiring scouting unless the guide is very familiar with the river under the same conditions.” Brooke continued to impress with her expertise. “Most of the passengers will find these rapids exciting, but not terrifying. They will remember these as the big ones. These are the rapids they tell all their friends about.”

“True,” Cody agreed. “What about the designation of the American River?”

“The American River is considered a Class Three,” Hillary answered. “But the guides, and especially the owners of Swift River, are in a class by themselves.”

“Now where did I hear that?” Brooke couldn’t quite keep the sarcasm from her voice. “Oh, yeah, the website.”

Okay, ladies. Time to put the claws away.

Brooke maneuvered the rapid with ease. She was good, but she might want to rein in the sarcasm. Some days, the toughest part of the job was dealing with tourists who wanted to know if the water was recycled after each trip.

“Okay, Hillary, you’re up.” Cody extended a hand to the blonde, while Brooke seamlessly took the other woman’s position at the front of the raft.

Hillary took over the guide’s position at the back of the boat. She was a little too quiet in giving the commands, but Brooke and the other guides seemed to anticipate the directions so they made it through the first rapid, a Class Two, without incident.

The next rapid was more of a challenge. A large rock split the river right down the middle. It wasn’t easy to sit back and let her determine if she would take the right or left passage. If she didn’t make a decision soon, they would head straight for…

Whap.
They hit the rock dead on. Brooke flew from the raft and Hillary started to panic.

“Oh-my-god. Oh-my-god.” She stood up and would have fallen in the river too, if Cody hadn’t dragged her back into the boat. He grabbed his paddle and took charge of the raft. They were lucky they hadn’t wrapped. But she’d managed to hit the rock and bounce off. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“Brooke will be fine.” Carson saw her swimming toward the eddy and Cody steered the raft toward the bank so they could pick her up.

“Well, that was refreshing.” Brooke laughed as she climbed back into the boat.

“I am so sorry.” Hillary sounded on the verge of tears.

“Hey, it’s cool.” Brooke got situated. “Now I can relate to the passengers better if they get dumped.”

“You’ve never fallen out before?” Cody asked.

“Not since the first day of guide school.” Brooke undid her ponytail, squeezed the excess water out of her hair and then put it back up. “When was the last time you took an involuntary swim?”

“I honestly don’t remember.” Carson hoped he hadn’t just jinxed himself.

“It’s been awhile.” Cody had never been dumped, but no guide wanted to test their fate by acknowledging their luck. They never said they hadn’t wrapped or flipped or popped a tube. If pushed, they’d say they hadn’t done it…yet.

Hillary didn’t have a lot to say after that. She was rattled, and even more timid in her commands on the next rapid, which fortunately was barely a Class Two. The raft would have practically steered itself if the six of them weren’t paddling along.

Cody excused Hillary and one of the other guide candidates took over for the next few rapids. Gavin was competent, confident, and congenial. He threw out enough corny jokes along with his commands that Carson was feeling pretty good about adding him to the team.

Jake was the last to take command. He was pretty laid back, and he had plenty of experience. Carson hoped Cody would be willing to give Brooke, Gavin, and Jake the job. With all three of them working this summer, they would have plenty of coverage, and Carson would be free to leave.

The second to last rapid was the big one. The one everyone talked about. The one the photo shops set up their cameras by to sell action shots of each of the rafters as they went by.

Cody took over and gave them a good ride. Hillary squealed like a game show contestant who’d just won the big prize, and Brooke stood up to give him a high five at the end.

They got to take out at the end of the river and Brooke immediately got to work unloading and dragging gear out of the way. Gavin and Jake weren’t about to be shown up by a woman, so they also did their share. Hillary held back, as if she wanted a private word in with Cody. Carson pretended to be busy with the boat, so he could listen in on what she had to say.

“Look, I know I messed up back there,” Hillary said. “But maybe we could discuss it over dinner.”

“I don’t think so.” Cody didn’t sound at all interested. This was new. “Besides, I need to discuss any final hiring with my brother. And we’ll get back to you in the next few days.

“Oh, okay.” She sounded disappointed, as if she knew she wasn’t going to get the job.

She walked off, without helping bring the boat or any of the equipment up. Carson definitely wasn’t going to reconsider.

“So, that was fun.” Brooke sounded like she was holding her tongue. He could tell she hadn’t been impressed with Hillary even before she’d tossed her into the river.

“You did a great job.” Cody helped her drag the boat up to the grassy area where they would let it dry before deflating and rolling it up for storage. “You’ll need to see Lily in the office. She has some paperwork for you to fill out. You’ll want to come back this evening and meet Fisher. If you decide to live onsite, she’ll be your roommate.”

“Cool.” Brooke sounded a little surprised. Like she expected Hillary to get the job instead. “I mean, thank you. I’m really excited to be working here. Truly.”

“Good.” Cody flashed his lopsided grin. The one that made Hillary giggle. “Welcome aboard.”

He pointed her in the direction of the office and finished gathering the equipment.

“So you just offered her the job right on the spot?” Carson agreed with the decision, but couldn’t help but give his brother a hard time. “What about the others?”

“Either of the guys will be fine.” Cody shrugged. “But I don’t think Hillary is Swift River material.”

“I think you’re right about that.”

“Wow. Did I just hear you say I’m right about something?” Cody placed his hand over his chest, as if he was faking a heart attack. “And with no witnesses around.”