“I wouldn’t,” Neesa said with revulsion painted across her face.
“You would,” Rylee challenged her.
Neesa turned toward Rylee. “Nope. I would have called you over.”
“Neesa.” Rylee laughed.
“Serious. I would have called you over. And if I were out on the water and you weren’t there, then I would have gotten the GPS numbers and called 911. I might have babysat the hand while it was in the water, but that’s all I’d do.” Neesa turned to Jasper. “You should have seen her face. It was sheer panicked horror. She scared me just looking at her.”
“The professionals could do a proper extraction, and I considered that. But can you imagine if I hadn’t reached in?”Rylee asked, slipping the glove into the mesh pocket on the side of her pack.
“And you got a dive team in the water to pull out a glove?” Neesa laughed. “Yeah, good call.”
“Hey, Rylee,” Dakota said, “you didn’t get to stick around for a drink last night when we figured out that it was you and Neesa who saved Benny. I want to thank you. I know Benny and his family want to meet you if you’re up for that.”
“I was glad to hear that he’s getting the help he needs.” Rylee brushed away the gratitude.
“You know it’s lucky that Benny was a guy when he went down,” Neesa said.
“A guy versus being a woman?” Dakota watched Tank circle, then lay down between him and Rylee, putting a paw on each of their feet, like they were all holding hands. “Why's that?”
“Well, Neesa and I would have helped regardless,” Rylee said, “but women don’t have the same presentation as men. It was easy to see what was happening to Benny. On women, it’s not very obvious. And once it is obvious, ladies are twenty-five percent less likely to get CPR than men. A woman would have likely died had she been in Benny’s straits.”
Dakota scowled. “Are you serious about that?”
“She is.” Neesa gestured toward her chest. “Boobs.”
“Whichcanbe intimidating,” Dakota offered up a half smile.
“Life-threatening under such circumstances, unfortunately,” Neesa said.
“Would you have ripped her shirt open and given compressions?” Rylee asked Dakota. “Of course, you would. You’re the Secret Service.” Rylee reached out and laid her hand on his arm. “Also, I assume you’re a good human being.”
I try to be.” Her fingers were cold on his skin. The women were wet and standing still. “Are these your kayaks, or do they need to be returned over there?” Dakota asked.
“Returned,” Neesa said, bending to lift hers. “Jasper, would you get the other one, so we don’t disturb Tank?”
“I—” Dakota started.
Neesa put a stop hand up by her face. “Nope. I insist.”
Rylee dropped her pack to the ground and unbuckled her life vest. “Neesa, here,” she extended it out.
As Nees and Jasper trudged off, carrying the kayaks, Rylee unzipped her dry suit. “I’ve only met one other Dakota in my life, but she’s a girl.” She peeled a sleeve off. “She’s a chonky chocolate lab that likes to lie belly up in a sunbeam and not move except to chase balls rolled across the living room.” She peeled the other arm of her suit off to reveal a bright pink bikini top. “She wags her tail with her whole body as if she’s just too full of happiness to contain. And that energy is contagious. I’m always in a good mood after a visit with her.”
It took the fortitude of a Swiftwater Crewman for Dakota to keep his gaze locked with hers and not focus down on her bikini.
“Dakota, are you from that part of the country?”
“My mom gave me that name because of a trip she took to North Dakota in college. She thought the land had stories to tell. She wanted that for me, a life filled with stories to warm my heart on cold nights.”
“Very nice.” She pushed her dry suit to her ankles. “So how did Tank get his name?”
“It’s really Brunhilde Von Panzer Tank.”
“I see. And how many beers were you into the night when you gave him all those names?”
“Zero. My nephew Bo named him.”
