“THAT’S IT, NATALIE!” MICHAEL SHOUTED, pacing the shore a short distance from the dock. It was crazy. He didn’t know if the teams out on the kayaks in the middle of the lake could hear him or not but while they paddled, he was going to cheer. It was all part of being a coach and it helped keep his mind—for the time being, anyway—off Amanda who was standing behind Ethan’s folding chair on the dock.
The two-man kayak teams had to race across the lake, grab a flag with their team’s initials, and race back to the other side. Points were awarded on a sliding scale based on the order they finished, and it looked like the Southerlands were kicking butt. Becca and Ben and Gabe and Natalie were the ones competing in the event. From where he stood, both teams were working together and finding a rhythm to propel their boats to the other side.
For as disparaging as he’d been, Ethan had to at least give this one to Becca. She and her partner Ben were in the lead and more than halfway across the lake. There was another team between their team and Gabe’s, but he and Natalie were coming on fast. The guy was strong and a good team player, not always traits that went together. After the team’s stellar finish in the second competition, the Bransford team had inched up to a solid third place. A good finish on the water today could move them up even further.
Ignoring his better sense, he glanced over at Amanda, standing on the worn boards of the dock. She’d pulled her soft brown hair back into a loose ponytail and wore a pale-blue fleece in deference to the slight chill of the early fall day. His gaze drifted to the way her dark-blue jeans hugged her curves, and he remembered exactly how it felt to hold her in his arms. To have her body warm and pliant against his. Which was exactly the reason he shouldn’t be looking in her direction, because while he stood there mooning over her, she stood with her hands on Ethan’s shoulders while she cheered for her brother and sister.
As he glanced away, his gaze caught the pretty blonde woman standing next to Amanda. She was glowing in the chilly air, her cheeks flushed and a small belly bump that might mean she was pregnant. Not that he had any intention of asking. His sisters taught him better than to ever step into that quicksand. She was holding hands with a big guy who looked like he’d be more comfortable on the back of a motorcycle than at a kayak race. Michael started to turn away, but the woman smiled and motioned for him to join them.
He could use the argument that he was coaching and needed to stay where he could watch the teams, but not without feeling like an ass. The teams were in the middle of the lake. It wasn’t like there was anything he could do to help, and he could just as easily cheer from the dock. He nodded, trying not to let his reluctance show, and started to walk the short distance around the shore.
As he approached, Amanda looked up and her expression shifted through a confusing array of emotions before finally landing on something he didn’t quite recognize. He thought it might mirror his own expression. He certainly felt a mixture of confusion, desire, and frustration. Before either of them could say anything, the blonde woman stepped away from the big guy and stuck out her hand.
“I’m Taylor,” she said, taking his hand in her much warmer one. “I’m one of the Southerland cousins.” Her smile was warm and open and although he couldn’t really see a family resemblance, there was something very familiar about her. “This is my husband Matt.”
The big man had an iron grip but when Michael gripped back, meeting him in kind, instead of posturing, he grinned. Matt let go of his hand, immediately pulling his wife closer and resting a hand on her belly. He couldn’t blame the guy for hovering. If Amanda was pregnant with his child, he didn’t think he’d be able to let her out of his sight. He gave his head a quick shake, dispelling thoughts he had no business having.
“How’s the leg?” he asked Ethan. Fresh from thoughts of pregnant Southerland women, he didn’t completely trust his voice, especially not talking to Amanda.
“Better.” The other man didn’t bother to turn around, clearly caught in the competition playing out on the water in front of them. “Thanks,” he said, almost as an afterthought.
Taylor rolled her eyes in a gesture so reminiscent of Amanda and her sister, Michael couldn’t help but smile.
“So Amanda says you have a new gym downtown?” She phrased it as a question and waited for him to fill in the blanks.
“Yes, it’s downtown near the bakery.”
“I used to go there all the time. It was my favorite place for a hot chocolate fix.” Her brow creased as if she were trying to picture something. “In the old Wainright building?”
“That’s the one,” he said, pleased she recognized the location. He’d fallen in love with the building the first time he saw it. The rugged industrialism overlaid with incongruent art deco details. The building felt like what he wanted his gym to feel like—utilitarian, but also warm and welcoming.
“You remember that building.” Taylor wrapped her hands around her husband’s arm, her fingertips barely touching each other.
He’d love a chance to lift alongside the guy, although he had a feeling his muscles had more to do with his work than with working out.
“The one with the iron window grills on the first floor? I can see why you chose it,” he said when Michael nodded in response. “It’s a great location and Taylor’s right.” He smiled at her as if it were something he was comfortable—and used to—saying. “It’s a fantastic building.”
“Thanks, man. I thought so. The build-out was easy and the location boosts traffic on its own. You should come in and let me show you around sometime.”
“I’d like that,” he said, sounding like he meant it. “But we’re only here for another day or so. Taylor’s opening’s tomorrow and then we’re swinging through Virginia to see her family before heading to Philadelphia for the next job.”
“What do you guys do?” asked Michael. Ethan showed no interest in the conversation or in Amanda’s extended family, but Amanda had turned away from the race playing out on the water to listen to her cousin’s husband. Michael caught her gaze and for a fraction of a second, it was as if they were alone again on the rock. Then she shook her head as if to clear it and looked away, concentrating on her cousin instead.
“I do mostly restoration metalwork. Taylor is an artist. Her paintings are brilliant.” His pride in his wife was evident, and she bloomed at his attention. “You should come to the gallery tomorrow if you’re not busy.”
“I’d really like that,” said Taylor, resting her hand on his arm.
He glanced over at Amanda, but she seemed to be deliberately avoiding his gaze.
He ought to say no. He thought about it, and then he remembered what Becca said about putting the right man in front of Amanda and he decided to ignore his sensible self in favor of doing what he really wanted.
“Thanks,” he said, pinning Amanda with his gaze. “I’d love to.”
––––––––
AMANDA WAITED FOR Ethan to hobble the last few steps to his door. It wasn’t fair but every time she saw him with his crutches, it reminded her of what he’d done to injure himself and she got angry all over again. If he’d listened to her or demonstrated the ability to follow instructions from anyone, he wouldn’t be in a cast and she wouldn’t be stuck partnering with Michael on the stupid Eco Challenge thing while Ethan watched from the comfort of his chair on the sidelines.
And she wouldn’t be stuck in this weird emotional limbo, caught somewhere between loyalty and something much hotter she wasn’t willing to give a name.
