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I was paying more attention to the fish than I was to him and he managed to sneak up on me. The last thing I need right now is him breathing down my neck, micromanaging and second-guessing everything I do. I inch toward the edge of the banking, but don’t follow his advice. The fish darts beneath the water and I let out even more slack.

“No, no,” Colton says, taking another step toward me. He’s totally up in my personal space bubble now. The scent of mud and freshly trampled grass is replaced with Ivory soap and leather. “You have to reel it in by winding the handle. Here,” he says, reaching toward the rod. “Let me show you.” His fingers brush over my hand, sending a cascade of tingles across my warming skin.

“I’m fine,” I say, tugging the rod out of his reach as I step to the side, away from him. My toe kicks a few pebbles loose and they skip down into the water. The fish pulls against my tug, but it doesn’t feel ready to reel in just yet. Grandpa Bob always said my gut would tell me when the time is right, and I’m not feeling it…or Colton’s know-it-all attitude.

“If you would just give me the rod,” Colton says.

“I said I’ve got it,” I insist, shifting closer to the edge as the fish gives a strong tug on the line. The tip of the fishing rod flexes, and inside, a voice in my head keeps saying, Wait for it, wait for it, wait for it…

The fish pulls against the line and then the tension eases.

Ding. It’s time.

I grasp the reel, and just as I’m about to start pulling it in, Colton steps closer and reaches out as if he’s going to pry the rod from my hands.

“What the hell,” I say, leveling him with a laser-beam glare. “I know what I’m—”

In an ideal world, I would’ve lit into Colton for being such an ass. But in reality, the words are tugged right out of my mouth as the ground crumbles from the shelf beneath us. Soon, we’re skidding down the embankment just like the pebbles from earlier. I lose my balance, slamming onto my butt just before I hit the frigid creek water feetfirst. Colton lets out an earsplitting yip when he plops down into the muddy creek bed beside me.

While startled by the unexpected dip and the fact that the wind’s been knocked out of me, I don’t think I’m injured.

I can move my toes.

And fingers.

And my head is just fine, as evidenced by the ball of anger ping-ponging in my skull.

I ease myself up to sitting, the mud squelching around my pant legs, and notice that while the fishing rod is intact, the line has snapped.

Just like I’m about to.

CHAPTER 14

Colton

I’M SHIVERING WHEN I come up for air, clinging to my Stetson to keep it from floating away. Riley sputters beside me as she attempts to stand in the muddy creek. Her hair is plastered to her head, her face is smeared with dirt, and her clothes are sopping wet. She seems perfectly fine, other than being a bit waterlogged.

Brushing my hands over my face, I shake off as much water as I can, but it soaks into my pores and latches on.

“This is unbelievable,” Riley huffs, and spins away, dragging herself toward the edge of the creek pool. She looks like a zombie as she eases her way through the muck, her hair stringy from the water and her gait uneven. I follow in my own lunging way, hauling myself toward the edge, slowed down by mud and soaked jeans.

Getting out of the water is one thing, but figuring out how to get out of the creek bed is another. There’s a pretty steep slope back up no matter which way you look, and with the recent rains, it’s not much better than a mud pit.

Dammit.

I can’t believe this happened. I should have known better than to let Riley stand by the edge of the shelf. This is why I can’t afford to be distracted out here. Someone might get hurt.

“Okay, Colton,” she says, spinning around in a circle to take in our surroundings. “Now what?”

Maybe we could swim out? But the current’s heading away from the camp, and I have no idea how long we’d be in the water before finding a suitable exit point. And what if she’s not a strong swimmer?

We could try hiking upstream in the shallows along the edge of the creek. The creek bed is fairly wide here, but it could narrow or disappear altogether farther up, leaving us in a worse situation than we’re in now.

I suppose we could always stay put and wait for someone to come find us. Although, it could be a long while before anyone notices we’re missing. Once the sun goes down, it’ll get pretty cold, especially with our wet clothes.

“Well?” she prods.

I respond with a shrug. “I’m not sure.”