When he’d grasped her leg and slid his hand along her calf, she’d had to call upon all of her willpower not to edge closer to him. A shiver ran through her at the thought of his hand travelling higher up her leg.
Jostling the boat, Garrett shifted and lay back leisurely, resting his head upon his folded jacket. He looked as though he might even fall asleep. How did men do this? Fall asleep in such uncomfortable positions? Her brothers had this same ability. It vexed Natalie that she required the perfect position, the perfect mattressand pillow, to even contemplate falling asleep. Tempted to splash Garrett, she examined him instead. Relaxed, his jaw dropped the tiniest bit, parting his lips. His chest rose and fell evenly. Ironically enchanted, she noticed a small dimple just below the right corner of his mouth that she hadn’t observed before. She wanted to reach out and touch it. She wanted to kiss him there.
Of course, she would not do so. He had humiliated her enough already.
He’d advised her upon what merits a good marriage could hold. Not to himself. To some other unsuspecting gentleman, one who might allow her as much freedom as she desired.
But she would never desire a man who would allow her such control. What fools women were! What a foolshewas! She wanted independence, autonomy, and yet she also wanted…something else. If she were honest with herself, she might admit she would like to know more of Garrett Castleton.
She liked his sense of humor. She liked the looks of him for certain. She liked that he was something of a rake, but she also admitted to herself that hewasa gentleman. He had displayed hidden depths of honor on more than one occasion.
And now he had quoted poetry to her.
Even though he admitted to being cynical—a realist—his voice had caressed her with the poet’s words.
Natalie’s train of thought shattered as she turned the boat toward the dock and—oh, no—this could not be! Baby Bear was running wildly with Mrs. Tinsdale chasing far behind. The leading string dragged behind the pup, who easily caught sight of Natalie, his mama, out on the lake. With a new purpose and destination, Baby Bear ran to the end of the dock and took a flying leap into the water.
He sank like a stone.
Acting on pure instinct, Natalie threw herself into the water, kicking desperately to reach her tiny puppy. She didn’tfeel the wet or the cold. Her Baby Bear had disappeared under the water and Natalie needed to find him,now!
Frantically reaching through the murky water, Natalie grasped the leading string and pulled the puppy to the surface for air. In doing so, however, she lost the buoyancy her arms would have provided. She attempted to kick to keep herself from going under, but her dress had wound itself tightly around her legs.
She felt her first moment of fear when she swallowed a mouthful of water instead of air. Oh, no! If she went down, then so would Baby Bear. Her feet were bare, but as hard as she tried to kick herself free of her skirts, they gave no mercy.
And then strong hands grabbed her.
In one sweeping gush, she burst above the surface of the water. She gasped and coughed as her deprived lungs sought to replenish themselves. Baby Bear was kicking and squirming, reaching his little black nose out of the water. Only when an arm wrapped itself around her ribcage did she become aware of the security of a very solid chest behind her head.
“Don’t struggle with me. Relax and lean back. I’ve got you.”
Garrett’s voice. His deep, gravelly command infused incredible relief.
Trusting completely, Natalie tilted her head back and rested it on his shoulder. He would pull them to safety. Baby Bear crawled up her front and tucked his nose under her chin.
“That’s my girl,” he said. “Keep your head back just like that, sweetheart.” His voice reassured her as he used his other arm and his legs to pull them toward the shore. His breath caressed her nape when he spoke.
The rhythm of Garrett’s movements changed when his feet touched bottom. Not releasing her, he slogged both of them to the water’s edge. When they reached the shore, Natalie collapsed on the ground in relief, Garrett’s arm still around her. He breathed heavily, whether from his exertions or thepanic of the last few moments, Natalie did not know. Like a rag doll, she sprawled helplessly face down on the shore. They both lay beached in the mud and slime accumulated there until Garrett rolled her over and studied her in concern.
“You are unhurt?” His voice sounded strained.
She could not answer right away. His gaze was mesmerizing. She liked feeling this close to him. Being held by Garrett Castleton felt safe. It felt right. She wanted to tuck her face into his neck and leave it there forever. The spell couldn’t last, however, as she was gradually aware that her precipitous leap had been witnessed by all her mother’s guests. Concerned bystanders were about to descend upon them mercilessly. Baby Bear added to the mayhem when he began barking and yelping frantically.
He was very protective.
But Natalie could not look away from Garrett. His gaze burned with emotions she did not understand—tenderness, and then fear, and…anger.
“I shall live,” she quipped. His expression remained serious—too serious. In an attempt to tease him into a lighter mood, she smiled hesitantly and added, “Good day for a swim, don’t you think?”
Garrett merely shook his head, and a dark scowl appeared.
Pushing himself away from her, he now rested on his heels. His expression lacked any amusement whatsoever. Shuddering, he took a deep breath and then scrubbed his hands over his face.
“What,” he growled through gritted teeth, “in bloody hell was that all about?” All tenderness had been replaced with fury. “You did not see Riverton had reached out to pull…Baby Bear…out of the water? You risk life and limb for a…for a…What the hell is that animal anyway?”
Natalie suddenly felt the cold.
“Hush,” she said. She reached for Baby Bear and pulled himclose. The little pup stopped barking and was now shivering from head to tail. Natalie placed some reassuring kisses on the dog’s head just as her mother arrived and, in a frantic motion, threw a blanket about her shoulders. Did her mother not see that half of her person remained in the water?
