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Makenna
“What’s his problem?” Rachel asked as she came up to stand beside me. The others were already getting their backpacks out of the other boat, so we were the only two there.
I shook my head. “I have no idea. It’s as if he has a personal grudge against me.”
Rachel shook her head. “No, I think it’s more than that. I just can’t put my finger on it.” She shrugged. “I’ll figure it out eventually. I know he’s usually pretty easy going.”
I studied her for a moment. “Maybe it’s because I’m a female.”
“I don’t think so. He’s always been friendly toward me. Of course, that was before...” She closed her eyes for a moment. I could see the pain etched on her face. Then she opened her eyes and smiled, but it was a sad smile. “That was before Aaron’s accident. Maybe he thought my husband would take up the slack for me.”
I reached out and lightly squeezed her arm. “I’m sorry about your loss.”
“It has been hard. We did so much together. I’ll turn to look at him, to share something, and that’s when it really hits me. He was my best friend, even though we’d only been married for two years.” She took a deep breath. “It’s getting a little easier. The memories will always be there, and they were good ones.”
“If you ever want to talk, I’m here. They say sometimes that helps.”
“Thanks.” She suddenly brightened. “Enough about me. Let’s get lunch. I’m starved.”
“We’ve definitely worked up an appetite.” We both laughed and grabbed our back packs before heading toward the campfire the guides had started. It wouldn’t be much. Whatever boil-in-bag, freeze-dried food we each had. Every hiker was responsible for their own food. Rachel and I added ours to the pot of boiling water.
“You did pretty good out there,” Scotty said as I grabbed a small towel out of my backpack and removed the tieback from my hair.
Scotty had the kind of smile that made you feel good on the inside. He was long and lean, and his light brown hair kept falling down into his face. I’d noticed that most of the time he wore a baseball cap. He was cute, but looked a lot younger than thirty. Not that I would tell him that.
“I think I’m hooked on rafting,” I said. “I only wish I’d done it sooner.” I ran a comb through my hair, then tied it back as we continued to discuss this morning’s adventure. Chris and Scotty joined in on the conversation telling me about other rafting experiences they’d had, but while they were talking I felt as if someone was watching me. I looked toward the others who were working around the campfire and met Nash’s penetrating gaze. He didn’t look away. I raised an eyebrow. What? Had I done something else he didn’t like?
The others began to laugh. I quickly returned my attention back to them. I hadn’t heard the last of Chris’ story, so I only smiled. Sheesh, Nash was making me crazy. I forced myself to concentrate on the story Scotty was sharing, but my gaze kept drifting toward Nash.
As I covertly watched him move around, I sensed something else. Something that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I scanned the area, but my eyes detected nothing out of the ordinary. I grimaced. Nash was making me imagine things.
When everything was ready, we gathered around one area and began to eat. Freeze dried food had come a long way, and our stores stocked some of the best. Still, it wasn’t even close to eating in a fine restaurant.
“What about you?” Jess asked me. “You done much hiking?”
“Since I was old enough to walk,” I said. “My parents were very adventurous. We sailed the seas, climbed the highest mountains. My education was actually going to the pyramids of Egypt and the jungles of Africa. They were explorers, writing history.” Warmth spread over me, almost as if they were here with me. Sometimes I thought they were still guiding me.
Scotty frowned. “What did you say your last name was?”
“Lewis. Makenna Lewis.”
His eyes grew round. “Your parents wouldn’t happen to be Ashton and Andrea Lewis.”
I’m sure my expression showed my astonishment. “I’m surprised you’ve heard of them. They’ve been...gone for quite a few years.”
Scotty jumped to his feet. “Wow! I can’t believe their daughter is here with us. It must have been fantastic having them as parents.” As if realizing something, his excitement drained, and his expression turned serious. “Hey, I’m sorry about what happened to them. A damn shame.”
I looked down at my food. “Yes, it was.”
“Mind filling the rest of us in?” Nash asked.
Scotty quickly began to speak. “I had to write a paper on someone I admired, and I’d read a bunch of old articles about Ashton and Andrea Lewis. They’d even published journals on their travels. How they’d gone around the world with their daughter. Their adventures were exciting. They were the reason I became a park ranger. I wanted my own adventures. I continued to read everything I could about them, then one day I found a clipping from a newspaper that said they’d been killed when their boat exploded.”
I pushed the food around on my plate. “I was supposed to have gone with them, but I’d come down with a cold. I was fourteen. My aunt Carol took care of me that week. It was only going to be a short cruise, then they would pick me up on the way back, and we’d go on another adventure. Except they never came home.” Pain ripped through me. I knew my smile wobbled. “We had great fun, and I have lots of amazing memories.” My gaze met Rachel’s.
“And you’re continuing the adventure,” Rachel said. She knew from her own experience that I needed to change the subject. “What’s happening this afternoon?”
Nash guessed that I needed to talk about something else and launched into telling us what we could expect. The moment of sadness slowly dissipated. I knew what he and Rachel were doing. Taking the attention off me and what had happened to my parents. When he looked my way, I smiled my thanks to him and Rachel.
The topic of conversation turned to other things, but my mind was still on my parents. They’d gotten a tip about an artifact that had been found on a remote, uninhabited island off the Texas coast. They were going to meet with a professor and his group, except they never made it. Something had gone terribly wrong with the boat. It caught fire, then exploded. Their bodies were never recovered. I tried to reconcile myself to the fact they died doing what they loved. It didn’t really help.
The group began to pack up for the next part of the journey, which pulled my thoughts back to the present. I gathered my backpack and washed my dishes, then carried it to the supply raft.
“It’s going to get a lot rougher from here on out,” Don warned me.
“What, do you think I can’t handle it?” I squared my shoulders and looked him straight in the eye.
“I’m not sure. I know you said you’ve been boating before, but a raft is a lot smaller. It can get pretty rough on the rapids.”
“Thanks for the warning.”
When he nodded, I counted to ten. Men, sheesh. I went to the raft I’d be riding in and joined the others. Nash was the last one to board.
“Are you ready for this?” Nash asked.
I gripped my paddle and wondered if it would bother anyone if I slapped him upside the head.
Did I actually think I could knock some sense into him? Probably not, but before this adventure was over, everyone was going to realize I was stronger than I looked. Certainly capable of taking care of myself.
We moved into the rapids fairly quickly. I didn’t think about anything except survival. It was exhilarating, intoxicating. We rode the rapids, frothy white water that rose up to splash us in the face. We rushed past boulders that threatened to capsize us if we got too close, but Nash was an expert rafter, and we all pulled our own weight.
My hips and shoulders began to ache from the strain, but I didn’t slack-off. If anything, I pushed harder. When I thought I could go no further, we made our way to shore. We were all drenched, except where our wet suits protected us. My hair had already started to come loose from the tieback, but I didn’t really care about any of that. I was on a high like I’d never been on before. I wanted to go again and again. Yes, I was hooked.
When I stood so that I could help drag the raft out of the water, I wobbled. Nash grabbed me to keep me from falling. An electric current of heat passed between us. I swallowed past the sudden lump in my throat.
“Uh...thanks. I guess my legs think we’re still riding the rapids.” When I moved, he released me. My legs felt shaky, but at least I had my balance now. I tried not to look at him as I jumped out of the boat. He followed suit, and we all began to push the raft toward shore.
“Sometimes it takes a bit to get your land legs back,” he said.
I knew that I should have come up a little slower, but I’d still been on an adrenaline high. I’d remember that the next time.
“But you did good,” he said.
I smiled. It felt wonderful proving him wrong. Maybe he would realize I was made of stronger stuff than he thought. I might start to like him after all.
“Just don’t get cocky because the next part of our trek will get really difficult.”
And maybe he was still an ass. “I’ll expect a full apology when we get back to civilization.”
“If you prove me wrong, I’ll buy you a steak dinner.”
“You’re on, but you’ll be eating crow.”
He laughed as he walked toward the camp. I was definitely going to prove him wrong. That steak dinner was going to taste very good.
Then it hit me.
Me and Nash, eating dinner together. Probably wine, candlelight, a romantic atmosphere. That did not bode well. I wondered if McDonald’s had a steak burger. Much safer setting.
“Nash seems to be out of his bad mood,” Rachel said. She studied me for a minute. “You know, he’s a pretty decent man.” I quickly caught her blatant hint that Nash and I should get together.
I laughed, until I realize she was serious. I shook my head. “No way. No way in hell. I just went through a messy divorce. I thought Eric was a decent man, too, but he was far from it. He tried to manipulate me, and for a while I fell for it. I’m through with men, at least for now.
“Okay, if you say so. There just seems to be something between you two.”
I laughed at her words. “Animosity, mutual disrespect? Every time he opens his mouth, he pisses me off. Whatever you’re thinking, forget about it. There is absolutely nothing going on between us, and furthermore, there never will be.”
“Fair enough,” Rachel said.
I was glad we had that settled. I didn’t want anyone thinking I might be romantically involved with Nash. Sure, he was easy on the eyes. When he tried hard enough, he could even be nice. But a romance between us? No, that would never happen.
Lust, now that was a different story. I would freely admit to myself that I had a bad case of lust for the guy. It was a normal reaction. He was hot as hell. Besides the fact I hadn’t had good sex in forever. I would not give in to my baser instincts. I had a feeling Nash would be nothing but trouble.