River's End: River on Fire Part 5

"Hey, Hailey. Checking it all out early?" Joey called across the distance between them, obviously inviting her to join them, if only to make her feel more comfortable. She nodded, grateful for the casual opening.

"Yes, I didn't mean to interrupt. It was just so fascinating and amazing to watch... I had no idea what you meant by the horse show."

Joey rubbed the horse's nose as it gently prodded him forward, sniffing his s.h.i.+rt for a treat. He laughed and tapped the persistent muzzle, indicating that he should knock it off. "Not interrupting. We're just practicing. Erin and I." He nodded at the girl beside him, and upon closer inspection, Hailey realized she wasn't a girl at all, but a woman, probably thirty-ish. "We're just barely adequate at performing this stuff. Jack, over there in the barn, is the older brother I told you about. Now, he's the expert. He's been working with us on our skills and training."

"Wow. When I think of training, I imagine you turning them right or left and just stopping."

Joey flashed a brilliant grin. "We do that kind of training too. Our bread and b.u.t.ter is teaching those skills to guests. But this stuff is highly complicated and much harder to do and rare; it literally captivates our spectators and guests."

Erin was watching them closely. Joey turned and waved at Hailey, saying, "This is Hailey Starr, she's staying for the whole month with her son and daughter."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Erin." With a grin, Erin stepped forward and held out her hand. Hailey took it and they greeted each other politely.

"She's married to my brother, Jack," Joey added as Erin stepped back and her gaze flittered from Joey to her.

"Jack? As in the brother who raised you?" Hailey filled in the names of the only story she knew about Joey thus far.

"That would be him."

"That would be who?" The man in question suddenly came up behind them. He was close to forty with reddish hair that was turning gray just at the temples. He had blue eyes and a craggy, handsome face that was completely different in structure than Joey's. There was nothing remotely similar about these two men that marked them as brothers. Jack was tall at over six feet, and several inches beyond Joey's stature.

"My older brother that raised me. This is Hailey Starr, our ranch guest," Joey added again. Jack smiled as he too shook her hand.

"Nice to meet you. Checking out the show?"

"I was going to. I didn't mean to interrupt you guys. What you're teaching them... it's nothing less than amazing."

Jack grinned. "Finally, Joey agrees. Took him a few years to appreciate it though."

"h.e.l.l, it took you a few years to appreciate me," Joey grumbled, although good humor laced his tone.

Jack barked out a short laugh. "Looking for more compliments, little bro? Why don't you show the lady how you can make that horse smile and bow for her?"

Hailey backed up, taking the cue, and the three of them moved with the horse, changing positions until it was Joey controlling the horse's movements rather than Erin. She walked back and stood beside Hailey. It was impossible not to be awed. And if Joey was the greenest novice at this, she could not imagine what Jack must have been able to do.

For an hour, Hailey watched them work. Jacob and Brianna came up to the arena together. She introduced them to Erin, whose eyes brightened as soon as she spotted Brianna. "You should meet Cami; she's our foreman's daughter and about your age. She constantly bemoans the lack of young people around here; might be fun for you both."

Hailey's ears instantly perked up. Someone besides Joey to engage her daughter? Yes. That sounded like a G.o.dsend.

Joey ambled over as Erin excused herself and the couple went into the barn, but soon came out with three more horses. There were a few more guests wandering up and another man appeared that was the spitting image of Jack. Instant dej vu, except she still had Jack in her line of view so she knew it wasn't him. This man was younger, with no gray hairs or wrinkles around his eyes, but wow. They could have pa.s.sed for twins. Father and son, obviously.

"Ben, hey. You helping today?" Joey called out. Ben walked forward, and his stride was long while his gait was exaggeratedly loose-limbed. He was lanky. He and Joey carried on a private conversation. Hailey wondered if she should sit in one of the four rows of bleachers that faced the arena. That was where all the other guests sat. Right now, she was inside the arena with the horses and the trainers, standing beside Joey and this new guy, Ben. Jacob instantly scrambled up the wall and sat on top of it, dangling his feet while Brianna posed and preened near Joey, who ignored her as he spoke to his best friend and nephew. Then up walked a pair of teens.

Joey called them over. "This is my nephew, Charlie. He's Jack's son, and this is our foreman's daughter, Cami. Meet Jacob and Brianna, they're staying here for the month." Joey didn't hesitate to turn so he could introduce them. The teens moved and undulated closer to each other while barely making eye contact as they mumbled Hey and Hi in strained, awkward voices while nervously shuffling their feet. Hailey was nearly in pain just watching them, but none of them turned away. Brianna talked to Jacob and Cami talked to Charlie but they all stood together until the show started. The two newcomers climbed the rail to sit near her kids. Her heart thumped with joy. Please let them get friendly. She wished for some interaction here.

Cami was an interesting girl, but maybe not Hailey's initial favorite. She had black hair that she wove in some funky-a.s.sed dreadlocks that skimmed over her shoulders. She was a small, frail girl, but really quite pretty in her unusual way. Wearing dark makeup that highlighted her dark eyes, further augmenting her pixie-like demeanor. She wore dark clothes, and her beyond white skin contradicted any notion that she lived in a sunny area of the state. Charlie, however, looked like a typical kid, dressed exactly like Jacob in his shorts, t-s.h.i.+rt, and flip-flops. He sat next to Cami and they hit it off and talked away. Charlie finally asked Jacob a question to which Brianna answered for him. Strangely, that was when the ice started breaking between them all. The two who lived there were fascinated in hearing about where her kids came from, and likewise, her kids were intrigued to learn what it was like living there. Although it began as stilted, awkward conversation, in no time, they were actually conversing.

Hailey glanced up at Joey who stood near her. He was consulting with Ben, discussing a horse named Clementine and what they should do about the vet's advice on the horse's daily supplements. Included were the complaints of exorbitant vet fees and the need for getting the newest colt vaccinated. While Joey spoke about the ranch issues with Ben, whom she gathered worked regularly on the ranch, judging by his pervasive knowledge of it, Joey kept glancing at her. At least several times, their gazes met and an odd small smile dominated his features along with hers in return. Intense, odd, and yet totally connected, the look they exchanged could have happened in a crowd and she would have still sworn they said more without any speech than everyone else who was speaking at length around them.

She realized the show was starting as the crowd fell silent and Jack started circling the horses around him. First one, then the next joined, then the next and the next until he had all four horses twirling in step around him. It was breathtaking when they switched into following a figure eight with two running one direction and the other two going another, intermittently crossing each other on the figure eight without smacking right into each other. It was hold-your-breath scary. When they broke formation and came to a sudden halt, the entire crowd went crazy with its applause and cheers.

Then to everyone's delight, Jack went down the line of horses and at his command, each one bent one front hoof over the other, making all four horses bow to the applause. That was followed by a rise in pitch and a series of cat-calls and howls of encouragement. Then Jack did an almost funny, sweet show. The horses played around with his hat, taking it off with their teeth, and holding it up over his head before setting it back down on his head. It was hilarious and so strange to Hailey. She never imagined watching horses perform comedy. The horses smiled or nodded to all the questions Jack asked them. One of them dropped down to sit on its hindquarters, like a dog would sit, and another rolled over and played dead. He had others stretching out their backs or front legs at his command. Another lowered its neck to the ground so Jack could simply step over and scoot backwards until he was smoothly seated on the horse's bare back. Then, he had the same horse lower its back end to the ground so he could easily slide over the tail until his feet touched the ground and he could stand up.

Another horse walked in step with him. They marched together in an exaggerated lift of their legs, keeping totally in sync. The entire performance drew cheers, laughter, wows and oohs and ahhs from the transfixed crowd. Another horse ran an obstacle course of tires effortlessly. Jumping in and out and going around them, he always had one foot in and another out. It drew loud cheers from the awestruck crowd. They played a game of catch, tossing back and forth a giant blue exercise ball. The horses used their mouths and legs to toss it right back to Jack and over again. Eventually, Erin came forward and they each mounted the two saddled horses, which were brought out. Performing several tricks together that included standing on boxes and raised platforms, they were completely in sync the entire time. They circled each other and changed positions. In the end, they had the entire crowd on their feet, cheering with delight.

Hailey glanced up at the bleachers. There were more people there than there were staying at the resort, of that she was sure. Joey didn't fail to notice her puzzled look.

"We get people from all around the valley that come to these now. We started doing them about two years ago. That was when Jack's sister, the business consultant, recommended we create some kind of attraction. Jack was already skilled and able to do most of these tricks, before Kate persuaded him to include them in this formal show. He's not a huge fan, and prefers to stay in the background, taking care of the horses, and training them on his own terms. He has no interest in showing off what he can do. But look what he can do. How could we not take advantage of that? I mean, look at this..." Joey stretched his arms to encompa.s.s the crowd and their roaring cheers along with Jack, who was directing the horses to bow once again.

Hailey cheered right along. She yelled and clapped until her hands hurt. "It's breathtaking. I never expected to find something like this here. I mean, in the resort literature supplied by our travel agent, it may have mentioned this, but I never dreamed while vacationing at someone's house-and for all intents and purposes, that's what this is-I never dreamed we'd see something like this."

"Is that how you found us, through a travel agency? That was Kate's doing too. Advertising throughout this state and Oregon and Idaho too."

She nodded. "Yes, I was browsing through places to go. I wanted to get away for a long while, and skip my husband's absence, so to speak, and yet I couldn't afford any exotic location. But this? This works for us, and I could swing it." As she spoke, her gaze was pinned-no, riveted, really-on Jack and Erin, who had the horses circling around them as a final, exciting curtain call.

"Are you learning to do that?" she asked as she waved towards the arena.

"Eventually. I'm not sure I can get there. Ben has more of a natural knack than I do. It takes infinite patience, not to mention hours of trial and error. Jack would love to pa.s.s all of his secrets and performing skills along to the next generation. He likes training them and knows how to make horses do whatever he wants. He's grooming Erin to be the next leader for what he does. She's more into it than I am, and I'd a.s.sist her, of course, yeah. That's our intent. But we both have a long way to go still. We're not sure enough of ourselves to make them do this in any kind of regular and trustworthy way. I mean, Jack's gifted, the original horse whisperer, and we're just more like average people.

"Ben is also learning Jack's tricks and tips with us. He was just dealing with a newborn foal we had to call the vet out for. She was just born and her blood was too low on antibodies, the best source of immunity, which is derived from the colostrum. The vet doubted that she got enough of it when she first began to nurse. He recommended we use liquid gold to supplement the natural antibodies that were missing. It's a series of four shots, one a day. Wasn't cheap either; the cost is reflected by its name, and it's just as precious as gold."

There was so much going on at the ranch. Some people boarded their horses there; and many were out grazing in the different pastures or paddocks beside the barns. Quite a few of them, she later learned, were there only to be broken and basically trained to take a saddle. Others came for advanced training and dressage. Some were even learning how to do the tricks Jack taught. There were always new foals being born, and prize-winning stallions being bred. The ranch turned out to offer a little of everything, it seemed to Hailey. It was truly a working horse ranch. She was slightly skeptical at first, thinking it was a gimmick, but no, as it proved to be so much more than that. A thriving, busy, productive establishment with many different hands and skilled employees working there, from Jack and Joey to the ranch hands and farm workers who tended to the acres of alfalfa pastures and fruit orchards.

While watching and listening for the next twenty minutes, she learned a little about Ian and Shane, and their responsibility and interaction with the ranch as the other two Rydell brothers.

She noticed that all of the horses Jack worked with looked like the same breed. They were slightly smaller, spryer, and something about them seemed similar.

"What kind of horses are these?" Hailey nodded towards the small mustang that Jack was now riding.

"They are the only descendants of the last surviving population of wild horses in North Dakota. In the 1980s, the two Kuntz brothers started buying up the remainder of the breed after they were being methodically rounded up by the National Park Service. The intent was to get the wild herds out of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The NPS was routinely selling them off to slaughterhouses when the Kuntz brothers intervened and started to buy as many as they could to protect the last remaining ones from extinction. They even created a registry for them and gave them a name-they called them Nokotas. Only a few private breeders and a handful of owners possess the pure-blooded Nokotas nowadays. They are known for their extreme intelligence, stamina, smaller bone structure, and strong legs and hooves. Jack was instantly intrigued by their history and the scarcity of them. He designated part of the ranch to their continuing welfare and propagation. He registered it as part of The Nokota Horse Conservancy, a collection of concerned citizens who seek to educate, preserve, and promote this small breed."

"So these horses are Jack's pa.s.sion?"

"Yes. But since we all ride, we prefer them too."

"Fascinating. I never knew... well, anything about horses."

Hailey was blown away by the magnitude of the operation Joey described. Not only did they have their personal stable of horses, numbering over two dozen, but also a huge volume of other peoples' horses, which they trained. The owners included locals from up and down the west coast of Was.h.i.+ngton, as well as many from up into Canada even. She also learned that there was a long wait list now for their services; even boarding requests had to wait months. They were accountable for a staggering amount of horses, and it was one impressive operation they ran there. Joey stood taller, smiling more as Hailey became visibly wowed by all his information. There was just no way for anyone not to be.

Eyes on the show, he asked, "What do you do when you're not here?"

Hailey smiled, realizing he knew so little of her life, although she had witnessed quite a bit of his. "Nothing like this. I work as the admissions coordinator for a private school. That's why I can stay here for the entire summer."

"I didn't picture that."

"What did you picture?" Tilting her head, her gaze absorbed his.

"Not sure, actually. Just not that." He paused, then asked, "How old are you? You seem pretty hung up on age."

"Thirty-eight."

"Yeah? Jack's forty-one and Erin's thirty-two; what's the big d.a.m.n deal? Look at them. They aren't exactly 'old' or mismatched, now are they?"

She glanced at the couple as they moved and seemed to converse their thoughts with only looks and gestures. Speaking very few words, they remained completely in sync. Hailey drew in a deep breath and wondered, Have I and Brent ever been in tune? Like they were? So much so that anyone else could witness it? No. So h.e.l.l no. And why the comparison to Erin and Jack? Joey didn't mean it as a question towards her, or did he? Was he suggesting it shouldn't be a big deal between them? As in, Hailey and Joey? Shuddering, she began to blush so she kept her gaze pinned on the now bowing couple. Holding hands, they leaned over at their waists and graciously bowed in response to the outstanding ovation of the crowd to their show. And it was a show, no matter what she may have expected. There were no fancy neon or strobe lights or loud music or announcements, just the horses and their trainers. Their skills and unique abilities spoke for themselves, and the audience's response was thunderous. Hailey clapped as hard as she could.

It temporarily distracted her from the moment when Hailey almost wondered if Joey were making some kind of comparison between the Rydells and them. No. She turned her head to keep her eyes from staring at his. Nonetheless, his very presence was more than enough to make all of her nerve endings tingle with delight. Her stomach was filled with b.u.t.terflies and her skin felt overly sensitive to him even though he did not touch her.

Attraction. Hailey was feeling intense, physical attraction to a man, and in a way she had not felt for decades. That was mostly because she was married and stopped looking for pa.s.sionate love. She wasn't looking now either; but she could not help being struck by an unusually beautiful, perfectly sculpted man who symbolized the epitome of youth. On top of all that, he was extremely nice. And interesting without being annoying or pedantic. Just so nice.

She had to admit there was a bit of an attraction. She wasn't dead, after all, just divorced. It was perfectly harmless for her to look, feel and enjoy that sensation... right?

"Hey, Mom? Charlie invited us down to their beach; they're doing a barbecue, can we go?"

Glancing at her kids, she instantly noticed that even Brianna was now standing near Cami and Charlie. She actually seemed interested in going, which was huge. And she was not hanging on Joey.

"Uh... is it okay?" Hailey's eyes looked at Joey.

He smiled and added, "Of course. We have a private beach that's away from the resort. It's downriver. Anyway, yeah, we were going to have a bonfire, roast some hot dogs, nothing very healthy, then play some beach volleyball, swim, and whatever. Of course, your kids are welcome, and Charlie and Cami could use the fun. And you could too. You should come along too."

Hailey retorted sharply. "Isn't it reserved for your family? Not the guests?"

He laughed and rubbed at his neck. "Hailey, we don't treat the guests as if they have leprosy. If we like someone or a family, they are not guests, they're friends. Plus, I invited you, so come."

Hailey. Hearing her name from his lips felt like he'd taken a feather and caressed her skin, it was so nerve provoking, and almost sensual. She nearly shook herself back to reality, because it wasn't really. It was a casual statement and a casual invite.

But hearing how much her kids wanted to go, and seeing Brianna interested in anything new was bigger than huge. "Sure, we'll come. And thank you."

Joey sat on the log with his gaze pinned on the thirty-eight-year-old woman. She was laughing, throwing her head back, and flas.h.i.+ng her teeth at something her son must have said to amuse her. She leaned closer to him and ruffled his hair as he tried to duck away from her affectionate gesture. Joey felt a tightening in his body parts as he watched Hailey mothering her son. Yet he could not pry his eyes off her. And he was thinking entirely unmotherly thoughts about her.

There was something that drew him inexplicably to her like a magnet. He couldn't pinpoint what it was. It was very real and most intriguing, especially since it had never happened to him before. He'd always had a natural ease with women ever since he was a teenager. He rarely had to work at capturing their hearts or getting his way with them. Yet none of them ever particularly sparked his interest for very long.

Even with Erin all those years ago, it was just something to do. An easy s.e.xual encounter. Sure, he liked to have s.e.x, and did it often with pretty girls. Not rocket science, nor surprising. But during the last year or so, it had become totally pointless to him and beyond boring. There were plenty of daughters and single women at the resort who didn't hesitate to make their interest in him known. But Joey never dipped into the guest pool. That was just sordid and wrong in a place of work and business. And although he'd taken a few years to mature and develop his work ethic, he didn't abuse his job. He was left with the women around the area and none of them mattered or interested him. He hadn't had s.e.x in... well, h.e.l.l. So long, he wasn't sure. Months, for sure. A year? Possibly. c.r.a.p. Maybe not quite that long. He honestly wasn't sure, but it had been a d.a.m.n long time. Finally something was stirring in him now.

A growing feeling of something more was becoming undeniable. What that was, however, he wasn't sure about. He definitely loved the control and autonomy of running the resort. He liked the diverse activities and different kinds of people along with any problems that popped up. He also liked learning more about the horses from Jack. It was d.a.m.n fine to be back in his brother's good graces for the first time in a decade. Jack was just that good and inspirational and learning what he did was something special that Joey wanted to be part of.

Still, there was something missing for Joey. A personal life. Not a s.e.x life. Not a dating life. A personal life. He didn't know what he wanted, but it was not what he currently had or did in the past.

How ironic that the first woman to spark anything... his attraction, and the desire for conversation, was a guest. She was off limits just for being a guest, not to mention she was older. Not as old as she seemed to believe, but yeah, older. Plus, she had a h.o.r.n.y daughter from h.e.l.l whose sights were still set on him, which she made way too obvious. She "accidentally" rubbed a few too many times against him during the beach volleyball, and pretended to be accident-p.r.o.ne whenever she b.u.mped into him, or fell near him, causing her body parts to rub or touch him. Joey finally put Charlie between them, but she just tried to pretend Charlie wasn't there. Brianna didn't do anything special for Joey.

It was her d.a.m.n mother.

He sighed, admitting the attraction, the spark, and the chemistry. She might have felt it. Then again, she might not have. He was so unsure. Maybe that was part of the draw; she didn't deny her attraction or put up any red flags towards him. There was nothing easy about Hailey though. He wondered what would happen if he even tried to... what? Make a move? Date her? Kiss her? Sleep with her?

None of that sounded right, yet he wanted to do it all. But a strange, new hollowness filled him when he thought about sleeping with her and having her just leave afterwards, like it didn't mean anything. It couldn't just be s.e.x. Her first time since the divorce? He wasn't sure, but suspected it was, judging by her unease whenever she caught him looking at her. And look at her he did. A lot. But again, he wondered if she comprehended how often he looked at her. There was something about her that never ceased to appeal to him. She was cute as h.e.l.l, from her straight blond hair swoos.h.i.+ng over her shoulders to her obsessively hiding from the sun in a ball cap and sungla.s.ses almost every time he caught a glimpse of her. Her clothes were casual, athletic, and she wore minimal makeup, giving a fresh softness to her look. She didn't seem to put a lot of thought or time into her outward appearance as far as he'd witnessed, but she always looked nice. She had a glow about her that mesmerized him more than if he were looking blatantly at her other body parts. Joey was fascinated by the whole package of her.

Joey had never looked at another woman in that way. It was an odd, almost scary sensation to him. He already felt somewhat vested in Hailey, and yet... There wasn't one single reason for him to be. They shared a mere smattering of conversations and a few hours together and yet, all he wanted was to share more of his time with her.

The heat of the day extended over the land even after the sun sunk beyond the hill across the river. It left a streaming, vaporous white color to the twilight and a subsequent orange glow lingered over the surface of the water. Its ripples, b.u.mps, and dips eventually turned black against the waning light.

They played a vigorous game of beach volleyball that included Joey, Jack, Shane, AJ, Ben, Charlie, Jacob, Brianna, Cami, Allison, Marcy, Kate, and Erin. Hailey, however, hung back. Embarra.s.sed for cras.h.i.+ng their family night, Joey easily read her hesitancy to even be there. He introduced her to everyone: his brother, Shane, and his wife, Allison, and their daughter Rosie. Rosie toddled around, adored by all from the adults to the kids and Charlie took care of her like she was his little sister.

AJ was the foreman who had married Jack's half-sister, Kate, and lived in the house opposite the main gate of the ranch. AJ and Kate created a green oasis from the two previously dusty acres full of sagebrush. The property sat at the base of the mountain that overlooked the ranch. They even planted a circle of birch trees that would someday grow up to be shady umbrellas. They began with a triple-wide, brand new manufactured home that AJ added decks and porches to. Now, in any kind of weather, they could sit out on the covered porch in comfort and gaze over the entire valley, ranch, and resort. Those were just a sliver of their 360-degree view. He also built a barn, and fenced in some land he irrigated to create a pasture. He had two horses of his own now. Cami was nearly a fixture at the ranch, hanging with Charlie almost every single day.

Everyone there had someone. The men all had girlfriends or wives. The kids were a happy foursome, continuing their adventures from earlier. But Joey was all alone. Even freaking Ben, who was all of twenty-one years, had a wife. Always-there-Joey, the accessory, and tag-along. Usually, he was off messing with the younger kids because... well, why the h.e.l.l not? He had no one to look after. He enjoyed the young teens and Rosie now too. No adult was interested in Joey as all the women here were with his brothers or nephews. Oh, h.e.l.l, even the freaking ranch foreman. Nope, there was no one for Joey, and sadder still, he never had a real girlfriend.

He was beginning to think he wanted that now.

After the game, the teens all jumped into the water and the yelling-splas.h.i.+ng fest started. As it began to increase in vigor, they were utterly soaked and having a water fight. Hailey didn't have her swimsuit on, so she waded along the edge up to her knees. Her legs had achieved a nice tan in the time she'd been there. Joey watched her move, and while bending over, he saw a few dimples along her upper thighs. All of his subsequent thoughts involved him rubbing his hand right where her shorts rode up. They returned to respectability, however, when she stood up straight again. She wore her hat and gla.s.ses so he couldn't read her facial expression although he dearly wanted to as she watched the frolicking teens.

He sat on the log, sweaty as h.e.l.l from the volleyball game. His side won. In the end, it became a blood bath between AJ and him. They sometimes fell into a bit of a compet.i.tion. It used to be that way between them at all times, but was now only a residual edge from AJ. He did not like how Joey used to treat him. AJ was a beast of a man, strapped in ma.s.sive muscles, but Joey had the speed, agility, and athletic strategy to match him in most contests. Sometimes, the ball became more like a nuclear missile between the two. Tonight, Joey won. And maybe that was because he may have laid it on a little thick in response to knowing that Hailey's eyes were fastened on them... him.

Allison and Shane commandeered a raft and put Rosie between them as they paddled out towards the center of the river. Erin started swimming and Jack followed her out and stood waist deep, hanging near her. AJ and Kate sat talking on a log. Joey sighed and decided to join it all. He was sick and tired of hanging with the G.o.dd.a.m.ned kids. He couldn't seem to shake the image and belief from everyone that he was one of them. Of course, he wasn't. Not at all. Not anymore.

Rising to his feet, wearing only his swim shorts, he quickly and most stealthily launched himself in one fluid moment, landing behind Hailey. In no time at all, he picked her up from behind and carried her out to the deep end of the swim hole before she consciously had a chance to realize what was happening. She went from calmly standing there with her face raised toward the sky and smiling at seeing her kids frolicking, and the next moment, she was suddenly submerged beneath the water. Joey had courteously s.n.a.t.c.hed her hat and gla.s.ses off, hastily tossing them onto the beach before he scooped her up in his arms.

Screaming out in genuine surprise, followed by general dismay, Hailey came up spitting and coughing while treading water. Her blond hair turned a few shades darker and was slicked back, sticking to her scalp. Her tank top, a ribbed light pink, unfortunately turned transparent when wet. Her white bra wasn't the only thing that showed clearly through as the fabric exposed quite a bit of her chest and midsection. Joey had a maniacal grin when Hailey screeched in outrage after emerging from the depths of the cool, clear water. The teens were all laughing and cat-calling as he pa.s.sed by them and Hailey glanced up to acknowledge them. She even faked a smile and waved. "Yeah, yeah... he got me. Quit laughing at me, Jacob Starr. Or I will make the rest of your life miserable."

Then Hailey turned to Joey and said in an accusatory tone, "Joey Rydell! What the h.e.l.l?"

"You looked a bit too hot, Mrs. Starr." He smiled innocently, even shrugging with an aww, shucks, blameless expression. While addressing her so formally and proper, he could tell she was only pretending that she wanted him to speak to her that way.

She almost hissed at him for making the innuendo. "Oh, you are so funny."

Glaring at him, she pushed her hair back. Her feet had found a shallow spot where she could stand up. She started to rise out of the water when she glimpsed a new problem. "d.a.m.n it. Look what you caused," she hissed more quietly. He delivered her much further downstream than the crowd and kids.

"I'm looking," he answered, keeping his tone mild, and tipping his head slightly downwards at her words. Hailey immediately flushed with embarra.s.sment as she realized what his gaze was fastened on. She tugged her tank straps over her bra straps to hide them before sinking back into the water. "How do you propose I go back now without advertising this to everyone?"

"Don't worry; it'll be dark soon."

Her glowering gaze grew fiercer. "What on earth propelled you to do such a childish thing?" she asked, trying to adopt a chiding tone. He smiled easily in response and swam a few inches closer, entering her personal s.p.a.ce. Grabbing her by the waist, he held her solidly against him as his lips whispered into her ear and she tried to squirm away.

"You needed to have some fun. Lighten up; you even made your kids laugh. Look at them."

She stopped temporarily to look where he pointed. Her kids, Brianna included, were back to laughing, talking, and floating on the water with Cami and Charlie. The tranquil sight released her entire body and a sense of profound relaxation and relief washed over her. "It's so rare to see them both so happy like that. Having fun, I mean."

"It's okay for you to have a little fun too, even if only for a few minutes," he said with his mouth still close to her ear. He was fighting the strongest urge to bury his lips into her hair. But he didn't. Hailey turned her head sharply in response to his words, almost jerking to the side. Her mouth opened and a small breath escaped before their gazes met and hung there.

"And that's where you come in?"

"Maybe... yeah," he answered, his tone just as soft and inviting as hers. They weren't kidding around. They weren't flirting. Seconds ticked by as the river flowed past them and the daylight kept slipping away. A soft breeze tossed drafts of warm air around them.

Hailey eventually wussed out on their eye lock and tipped her chin down before staring out at the water. "You should really stop, you know."

"Stop what?"

Gritting her teeth, she pushed herself off the sandy bottom. "I'm not explaining it. You know what I mean." She paddled towards sh.o.r.e and asked Jacob to grab her an inner tube, which she floated in with her fingers trailing in the water. Jack and Erin left. Shortly afterwards, so did AJ and Kate. They yelled to Cami that she had a half hour to get home.