Diving In

by Kristina Mathews

  Carson and Cody shared each other’s worst moments on a raft. But they also told tales of heroics. Like the time they went fishing at Hidden Creek, only to find a woman struggling in the fast-moving current. Carson had been the one to jump in to rescue her, but Cody had assisted in helping his brother reel in the catch of a lifetime—his wife, Lily.

  Another time, Cody took out a would-be robber who had held Miranda at gunpoint in the company store. He’d coldcocked the guy and then used his knowledge of tying down a load to keep the perpetrator subdued until the county sheriff’s deputies arrived.

  “That’s right.” Cody stood and puffed out his chest. “It doesn’t pay to mess with the women of Swift River.”

  He glared at Kyle once more, adding, “We protect our own around here.”

  Kyle got up to grab another beer. For the most part, he was enjoying himself, getting to know the guides and potential guides. He was fitting in, but he discovered he’d earned the nickname “Hollywood.” With his fancy RV and the fact that he was from Southern California, the name stuck. He didn’t mind. And in a way, he was acting a part. There just wasn’t a camera in front of him or a big studio behind him.

  In the midst of the frivolity, baby Brandon blew out a diaper. Carson just opened his changing bag right there on the picnic table. He cleaned up the baby and was reaching for a clean diaper when the boy let off a huge stream of pee. For someone so little, he could put out a fire with that thing.

  Cody doubled over in laughter. “Boy, huh? I’ll take two at a time over that.”

  And as if his daughters accepted the challenge, one of them woke up and started crying, which of course woke up her sister. Cody had his hands full with his two. Carson quickly got his baby diapered and then handed him off to the nearest available person, which happened to be Kyle.

  “Here. Can you hold him while I go hose off and pick up a fresh shirt?”

  “Sure. No problem.” Kyle took the baby, who grinned at him like he knew he had gotten his dad good.

  So, you’re my nephew.

  Brandon stuck his fist into his mouth and gurgled, but it sounded a lot like laughter. The kid was a kick. He had the Swift blue eyes. Something they had all inherited from dear old Dad. Well, he was grandpa to this little one. And his cousins, too.

  He supposed the three of them would be close growing up on the river together. He wondered if the two girls would gang up on poor Brandon. Or if they would follow him along, pestering their cousin.

  Part of him wished he could be here to witness it. He tried not to wonder too much what it would have been like if his father had brought Kyle and his mother up here when the twins lost their grandparents. Would they have been one big happy family? Or would whatever problems that had sent ol’ Joe back home the minute they had turned eighteen have come between all of them?

  Didn’t matter. The past was the past. And as much as he’d wanted to believe that his brothers were just a couple of world-class assholes, he had to admit they were decent guys.

  It wasn’t long before Leia and Dana offered to help with the babies. Dana took one of Cody’s girls and Leia was making silly faces at Brandon while Kyle bounced him on his knee.

  “Oh, hey thanks, man.” Carson returned with a clean shirt and some more beer. “I owe you.”

  “No problem.” Kyle made faces at the baby and got a kick out of the little guy’s hearty laugh.

  “I’ll trade you a cold one for a slippery one.” Carson offered to take Brandon.

  “I’m good. You go ahead.”

  “I guess I could have one more.” Carson popped the top on a can of beer and leaned back against the picnic table. “I kind of miss nights like this. Just kicking back after a day on the river.”

  “I bet this guy keeps you pretty busy, huh?”

  “Yeah. But I wouldn’t trade him for anything.” Carson got a goofy kind of grin on his face, but then he got more serious. “I just can’t imagine how some guys could walk away from it, though.”

  Kyle didn’t feel the need to point out that some guys made a career of leaving kids behind. Including a guy they both knew a little too well.

  “I guess I’m luckier than most.” Carson seemed to be in a chatty mood. “I have my business and my family and my river. My wife can take Brandon into the office or work from home. And between Cody and me, we’re able to keep the resort in good shape. Miranda helped with the store until her doctor put a stop to it. Now she’s busy with the twins and her books. Cody has sort of taken over the store now that Fisher’s in charge of the rafting side of things.”

  “So what kind of behind-the-scenes work does she do?” Kyle knew that people were aware of Fisher spending at least last night in his trailer. He hoped that his interest would be seen merely as interest in her. He was interested, and she definitely made this assignment a hell of a lot of fun. “I imagine there was a lot of work putting the guide school together and making sure the commercial trips are staffed.”

  “Yeah. Among other things.” The baby started to fuss and Carson picked him up. “We’re actually hoping to expand our offerings.”

  “Fisher mentioned something about specialty trips. Wine tasting, things like that.”

  “Yeah. There are a lot of companies that run the one-day trips on the South Fork. Some of them are all about volume, packing the customers in, luring them with coupons and deals.” Carson bounced little Brandon on his knee. “But we want to offer something more. The whole experience. Don’t get me wrong, we still need to make a profit. And thanks to my wife, we’re able to do both.”

  “Does she take a huge cut in pay or something?”

  “She saved our business. Our former bookkeeper set up a secret account. I guess she was planning on taking the money, but Lily found out and was able to stop her before we even lost a dime.”

  “So it’s a family business all the way around?” Kyle felt just a twinge of that old jealousy. Of being on the outside. Maybe if he’d been around, he could have been part of it.

  “Yeah. It started out with just me and Cody, a couple of kids trying to work our way through college. And now… Now I hope we can build something for the next generation. Leave a legacy for the future. I want more than anything for this guy to be proud of his father.”

  Kyle felt a bit of a lump in his throat. He grabbed his beer to wash it away. He knew what it was like to be ashamed of his old man. He would have given anything to have a father he could count on. Not just to show up to his games and school events, but to show up to his job on a regular basis. To come home in time to help with the rent.

  “But more importantly, I want him, and any siblings of his, to grow up here. On the river. With good people around him. Hopefully you’ll stick around long enough to see what I mean. It’s a good place to grow up. It’s a good place to grow old with someone. Not that Lily and I are anywhere close to being old, but I can’t see moving anywhere else.”

  “It is pretty here.” Kyle had to admit, the scenery was nice, especially when a certain strong blonde appeared on the river. “And you can see the stars at night.”

  “Careful, my friend. You might just find yourself falling in love.” Carson shifted the baby in his arms, snuggling him closer. “With the river, the lifestyle. It’s been known to happen. City boy comes up here to get away from the craziness of life, only to find out it doesn’t have to be that way. Yet it’s still close enough to Sacramento or San Francisco that you can get away to the city for culture or shopping or a ball game.”

  “Yeah, but how many people can make a living up here? How do you manage to keep your people loyal if they’re only seasonal?”

  “I guess that’s something we’re going to have to work on.” Carson rubbed his baby’s back, and a soft little snore came from the little guy. “The campground and store are open year-round. We have the cabins. But we don’t get much rafting business past mid-Septem
ber. But maybe we’ll expand to special events. We have had a couple of weddings here, and they turned out quite nice, if I do say so myself.”

  “Yeah, but there’s a big difference between grilling fajitas over a camp stove and catering a wedding. Or is that tomorrow’s lesson?”

  “You didn’t read the brochure?” Carson teased. “That’s actually Thursday’s lesson.”

  “Seriously, though, how could you make this a year-round resort?” Kyle no longer knew if he was asking for his boss or if he had other reasons. Like Fisher. He liked her. Wanted her to succeed. “What about partnering with the ski resorts? Fisher mentioned that a lot of guides work up there in the winter. Why not offer up the cabins here, and take, oh I don’t know, the buses you use for rafting up to the resort, drop folks off in the morning, and pick them up in the afternoon. Then offer a catered dinner upon arrival.”

  “You know, that’s not a bad idea. I wonder how many of our guides would be interested in offering guided ski tours. You know, take the guests on a few runs, just to get them comfortable with the ski resort, offer a personalized go-to person, and then send them off on their own while our people skied at their own pace. I think you’re onto something. You ski?”

  “Not really.” Kyle had always been good at coming up with ideas for others. Must be why his boss let him have free rein on the last few projects. That and the fact that he was still making him money. “I suppose if I had the right guide, I’d be more into it.”

  “Like Fisher?”

  “Yeah.” He wasn’t going to deny the attraction. What fool would? Maybe the guy coming up to them, now that his twins were settled back into their stroller thingies.

  “I see you dried off.” Cody ribbed his brother. The brother he knew about. “Dude, don’t you know boys are nothing but trouble?”

  “Yeah. But I’ll take the trouble now compared to what you’ll face in about fifteen years. Times two.” These two teased each other, but there was no mistaking the affection they had for one another. They were close. Would Kyle have been included in that, if he’d been around? Or would they have seen him as the other brother?

  “They’re not going to be any trouble at all.” Cody found an empty camp chair and lowered himself into it, keeping his sleeping babies nearby. “Not in the convent.”

  “We’re not Catholic,” Carson pointed out. “And I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t work that way even if we were.”

  “I’ll just hire their cousin to pee on any boys who even try to get close to my girls.”

  “Oh, I’m sure they’ll love that.” Carson chuckled. “Besides, you’ll need to save every penny you have. Prom, times two. College, times two. Weddings…”

  “Oh shut up.” Cody threw an empty beer can at his twin. “Just you wait, Lily’s going to want more kids. I hope you end up with triplets next time.”

  Kyle listened to their ribbing, more than a little envious of their bond. He wondered what would happen if he just told them the truth. That they were half brothers. But he kept the knowledge to himself. It wouldn’t do him any good in negotiations. He could be friendly, but getting too close would backfire. Better to send them a postcard after the fact. From wherever he chose to celebrate his big commission. Maybe he could even convince Fisher to come along. Someplace tropical and luxurious, perhaps with a private beach. He leaned back, satisfied with the idea.

  Chapter 9

  “You know what? I like you. I like you a lot.” Kyle had just blown Fisher’s mind with a series of orgasms that made her collapse against his chest.

  He rolled them over onto their sides, grinning like a fool.

  “You like me because I just rode you like a class-four rapid at high water.” Fisher laughed—exhausted, exhilarated, and a little elated.

  “Class four, that’s good, right?” He propped himself up on one elbow. “Not like on an airplane, where first class is the best?”

  “Right.” She had to remember he was still learning. “Most of the big rapids we run are a three, three-plus. A class five is pretty much crazy, a six unrunnable, so I guess you could say a class four is pretty fucking spectacular.”

  “That was pretty fucking spectacular.” He chuckled, the sound warm and deep. “But I like you even when you’re not spectacularly fucking me.”

  “Oh really?” Something warm bloomed in her chest. Warm and scary. “You like me?”

  “Yeah. I do. And I know you like me too.” He brushed a lock of hair off her forehead. Yeah, she must be a hot mess.

  “Maybe.” She didn’t want to talk about feelings. Not when she was so unsure of what all this meant. Hadn’t she and Brooke spent part of their evening convincing each other and their friends that it was perfectly reasonable for a woman to have a relationship with a man that was purely physical?

  “Maybe?” He wasn’t buying it. “Is that why you keep coming back for more?”

  “More sex? I think it’s obvious why I keep coming back for sex.” She was so full of shit. It wasn’t just about sex. As much as she wanted to believe that it was. She liked Kyle. Liked the way he made her feel. And not just in bed. He challenged her. In ways she couldn’t quite explain. Nor did she want to spend too much time talking or even thinking about it.

  “You’re amazing.” He looked at her in a way that she’d never seen before. At least not in a man who was looking at her.

  “I need to go to the bathroom.” She scooted away from him and made a dash for his surprisingly comfortable facilities.

  She cleaned up and splashed cold water on her face. She ran damp fingers through her hair and then opened the door that led to the bedroom area of the RV.

  “Your turn.” She tried to sound casual, but her heart was beating way too fast.

  He jumped up, pulled her into his arms, and whispered in her ear, “Don’t you dare go anywhere. You’re spending the night. And we can talk. Or not.”

  “What if I choose ‘not’?”

  “I’m sure I’ll think of something.” He brushed a soft kiss on her forehead and then moved past her into the bathroom.

  She fell onto the bed as waves of conflicting emotions washed over her. Satisfaction, fear, contentment, nervousness, hope, panic.

  Kyle slipped back into bed with her and pulled the light blanket over them. “So what’s got you all worked up? And I don’t mean sexually. I think I’ve got that covered pretty well. But something’s bothering you.”

  “Nothing’s bothering me. Really.” Except for the fact that she couldn’t just enjoy the moment.

  “How was your night out with the ladies?”

  “Good. I hope you weren’t bored all alone without me.” She snuggled against his broad, comforting chest.

  “No. Not bored. We fellas had a little party of our own. With Leia and Dana to keep us company.” He held her, and it felt too good. “Your bosses came by, with their herd in tow.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. They hung out with us for a while, kicking back, drinking beer, changing diapers.”

  “Diapers?”

  “Oh yeah. It was quite entertaining.” He chuckled, as if there was something that went on that would be kept between the guys.

  “I guess it’s weird to think of there being babies around here.” Fisher hoped he wouldn’t think that she was interested in babies. “And girls’ night out ended up being a preplanning session for Aubrey’s wedding. And baby shower.”

  “Who’s Aubrey?”

  “One of our core crew. Or at least she was until she announced her engagement, pregnancy, and upcoming move to follow her soon-to-be husband for his new job.”

  “Well, I guess that’s exciting for her.” He was being far too supportive.

  “Yeah. But now we’ll have to fill her spot. And I still don’t know who’s here looking for a job or who’s just looking for an adventure. I don’t even know what you’re look
ing for.” Great, now he was going to think she was trying to find out what he was looking for in a relationship.

  “Sometimes you don’t know what you’re looking for until you find it.” He dropped a little kiss on her neck, ran his hand down her arm, and pressed against her. “When I signed up for this, I just knew I needed a change. I took a sabbatical hoping to get a fresh perspective. I didn’t think I’d spend more than a week up here, figuring I’d quickly tire of the slow pace, the woods with all the dirt and bugs and wildness. But the lifestyle is growing on me. If I was offered a job for the summer, I’d be a fool not to take it.”

  “Who said anything about offering you a job?”

  “No one. But if you need to fill Aubrey’s position, I’d like to be considered.”

  “Then you’ll understand why I’m going to mix up the crews tomorrow.” Fisher turned around to face him. “I can’t have this getting in the way of what’s best for the company. I want to get a look at the other potential guides. And have my crew get a really good look at you. I’m going to hire the best man or woman for the job. No one gets any special favors.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of it.” He kissed her forehead. “Did I tell you how amazing you are?”

  “No.” She closed her eyes, feeling the weight of everything. “You just told me you like me.”

  “I do. I like you a lot.” Kyle chuckled softly. “And I know you’ll do the right thing. You don’t know any different.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “You’re not like any other woman I’ve ever known.”

  “I know my shortcomings.”

  “No. It’s a good thing, Fisher. Really.”

  “I think I need to sleep now.” She closed her eyes. “I promised Brooke I wouldn’t be home before six.”

  “Six a.m.?” He groaned. “I thought the breakfast crew didn’t start until seven thirty.”

  “Yeah, but I have to do my hair and makeup and iron my clothes.” She couldn’t help but laugh at the idea.