“True,” Allie says with a sigh. “Why do you have to be so damn tall?”
“Apologies.” I say with a shrug. “I didn’t plan on doing much recreation while I was here. I couldn’t bring myself to pack the attire. Honestly, coming here …” I sit back down on the bed in between them. “This was the last place I wanted to end up in … again.”
Leo slips his arm around me. “I know. I’m sorry. We got swept up in all the excitement of this, and we’ve not been more sensitive to how hard this must be for you.”
I lean my head on his shoulder while Allie rubs soothing circles into my back.
“Forget what I said. You don’t have to go rafting,” Allie offers. “We’ve only been here a few days, and there’ll be other activities to observe and participate in. You’ll have plenty to write about.”
My shoulders relax. “That’s true. I should do what I feel comfortable with and today, maybe that’s staying behind.”
Allie pats me on the back. “Right, totally, because we’ll be taking video of the entire experience. I’d take the rest of the day to indulge yourself if I were you.”
“Maybe I’ll go dip my toes in the hot tub,” I say. “Will that count as some self-care?”
Allie and Leo can’t hide their downturned expressions as theymake for the door, but I already feel myself calming down as the pressure lifts. I don’t want Duke to win this round, but I am captain of my soul after all. I’m going to decide what’s right for me and when, and it won’t be because Cowboy Ken tricked me into doing something.
“I’ll have a glass of wine waiting for you two when you get back,” I say.
“Deal,” Allie says as she takes Leo’s hand and walks down the hallway.
river wild
DUKE
I spentthe better part of yesterday avoiding the lodge and burying myself in ranch repairs.
Every time I see Roxanne, something inside me shifts and not in a fun, flirty way either—more like tectonic plates grinding together deep in my chest.
She’s intense, beautiful, and stubborn. I keep telling myself I don’t like her, but the truth is, she’s all I’ve been thinking about. That kiss still plays on a loop in my head when I close my eyes at night. The feel of her mouth, the flash in her blue eyes right before she pressed her lips to mine, and the way she released me like it didn’t shake her to her core.
She’s not the first beautiful woman to visit the ranch, but she’s the first one ever to completely undo me with a look. I should stay as far away from Roxanne Denning as possible and yet, I’m standing outside the lodge waiting for Trouble to appear in something she shouldn’t be wearing on the water, and my heart is bucking like a bull in my chest.
Earlier, Topper and I loaded my F-150 with the gear we would need for the trip so Georgia and Rusty could drive to the launchsite to stage everything. Topper and I will drive Roxanne, Leo, and Allie to meet them.
Rusty made sure to tell me it was a horrible idea before slamming the truck door. Then he drove off while Georgia waved from the passenger seat.
I kick at a divot in the stone steps leading up to the lodge, making a mental note to add that to my running repair list. When I finally glance up, Topper’s arms are crossed over his chest as he stares at me. When you’ve been through as much as I’ve been through with a man like Wyatt “Topper” Westin, you know what he’s thinking without him saying a word.
He saved my life on a mission that went sideways when we were a couple of green Army Rangers trying to prove ourselves. We’ve been inseparable ever since. He’s the brother I wish Charlie was to me, and by the expression hanging on his face now, Topper is wondering what the hell is wrong with me.
“Nothing is wrong with me,” I say, grabbing the water bottle I had already stowed in his Jeep.
Topper’s eyebrows arch. “I didn’t say anything.”
“But that’s what you were thinking.”
“True,” he says with a shrug. “While we’re on the subject, what the hell is wrong with you?”
I don’t want to tell him how the incessant thoughts of Roxanne have set up camp in my brain. Topper already knows.
“How are you going to get through the summer if Roxanne has gotten you this shaken up already?”
“We both agreed to keep things professional, which is exactly what I plan on doing.”
“Right … professional.”
“Hey, I thought you’d be proud of me that I didn’t disrupt dinner or s’mores last night.”
