He hurried to catch up with Danielle. She didn’t even glance his way when he fell into step beside her.
“I wasn’t brushing you off or trying to be a jerk when I got here late. My agent called. He had good news for me. I got caught up in that and didn’t realize we were on the phone for so long.”
“I understand. It’s no biggie, really.”
She shoved a plastic bag and a stick into his hand and then jerked her head toward the bridge. “Let’s go.”
“If you were banned from the public hearing earlier this week and one of your board members called to tell you about whether you still had a future with the organization, is there a chance you would have lost track of time?”
She glared at him over her shoulder. “I wouldn’t have been banned from a public hearing.”
“Humor me, Danielle.”
She stopped at the edge of the bridge. The bridge on the two-lane road crossed a small stream that went into the larger creek the rest of the volunteers were cleaning. Even though the bridge was small he eyed the underbrush warily. The vegetation beneath and along the creek bank was thick. The weather was warm. One word crossed his mind: snakes.
Danielle sighed and stabbed at an empty potato chip bag. “I would have listened.”
He let go of his concern with snakes to meet her eyes. She’d actually agreed with him. “Since you’re the river general I’m sure you would have taken the extra time to talk to your coworker.”
One cute arched brow rose. “River general?”
“You lead your troops into battle to protect the river. Sounds right?”
She rolled her eyes but smiled. “That sounds rigid.”
“You are rigid.”
Her shoulders stiffened. “Not all the time.”
Thoughts of her body melting into his when they’d kissed filtered into his brain, warming his insides. “No, not all the time.” His voice held whispers of the desire he’d felt that night.
She adjusted her glasses and looked away. “I guess I understand why you were late. I’m sorry for being kind of bitchy when you arrived.”
“You know I’m always late.”
“Which is so endearing?” She said, sarcasm dripping from every word. She turned and stalked directly into the tall grasses next to the bridge.
“Hey!” He grabbed her arm.
She spun to look at him with wide eyes. “What?”
“You’re just going to walk into the grass like that?”
“Um...yeah.” She turned to walk, but he didn’t let go of her arm.
“Aren’t you worried about snakes?”
“Not really,” she said, then jerked her arm from his hand. She used the stick to knock the grass out of the way and strolled just as happy as she pleased toward the creek beneath.
Jacobe pushed back a frustrated sigh. Well, if she went down there then he had to go, too. He followed her, his eyes scanning left and right constantly on the lookout for something slithering in the grass. He needed to get his mind off of what might be lurking and focus back on the conversation.
“What was bothering you?” He used his grabber to pick up some of the trash along the way. Danielle moved directly to the water with the single-minded focus of a general.
“I’d hoped we would get some media coverage for this.” She made it to the creek bank and began picking up discarded trash with her grabber. “Last year we had two stations show up before the cleanup. No one has shown up this year.”
He joined her on the creek bank without coming across any reptiles, but his eyes continued the constant scan for movement. “Did you put in your press release that I was coming?”
“Could you be more conceited?” she asked, elbowing him in the side.
Jacobe laughed and rubbed the spot, though her elbow hadn’t hurt. “I’m just saying. Knowing I’m here would do a lot to get attention.”
“I appreciate you offering to help out, but I wasn’t sure if you’d really show. Getting attention isn’t really hard for us for things like this. I figured if they came and you were here it would be a surprise for the media. Plus, I didn’t want a bunch of extra volunteers,” she said, making air quotes with her fingers. “Showing up just to get your autograph instead of actually helping.”
Danielle walked closer to the underpass of the bridge. Jacobe once again took a hold of her arm. “Are you sure it’s safe to go under there?”
She looked at him like he was crazy. “Do you see the spray paint? Kids hang out under here.” She pointed to the graffiti on the cement underpass. “Are you still worried about snakes?”
“I’m trying to figure out why you aren’t.”
“Running across a snake is common when you work around water. The key is to not panic.”
“Who, you or the snakes?”
She laughed, then strolled on beneath the underpass. He should let her go and deal with any snakes she ran across—Ms. Running across a Snake Is Common. He couldn’t. If she got hurt when he was around he wouldn’t forgive himself. He didn’t like getting up close and personal with snakes, but he’d take a bite to protect Danielle.
You’ve officially lost your mind. What are you now—Tarzan?
He pushed the thought aside. “Why no media?” he asked.
Danielle let out a frustrated sigh and imploded a plastic cup with her grabber. “Council decided to hold a carnival today. That got all the media attention. Normally, I wouldn’t care, but one of our board members is on council and I know she pushed to have the carnival on the same day.”
“Why would she do that if she’s on your board?”
“Because she’s only on the board to prove we’re keeping the interests of the business sector in mind. I got a lot of attention from council with my campaign against Clear Water last year. She mentioned that the River Watchers is having too much influence in politics that’s one-sided. She’s not there because she supports our cause.”
“Sometimes the businesses have a legitimate argument,” he said, sticking close to her as they picked up the litter beneath the bridge. “They can’t all be bad.”
“I’m not saying they’re all bad, but they can try a little harder to protect our natural resources.”
Her voice took on the same militant tone she’d used at the public hearing. A tone he’d gotten familiar with in college, which meant she was about to start in on a passionate speech. He didn’t mind when Danielle’s passion came out. He just preferred to have her passion surface in his bed rather than beneath a bridge.
“So the media was a no-show,” he said before she could start. “I get that’s annoying, but they might still send someone out. It seemed like there was a little more to your funk than that?”
“My...funk?” She grinned at him.
“You know you act funky when you’re in a mood. Wrinkling up your cute little nose like you’ve smelled something bad.”
She touched her nose. He had a strong urge to push her hand aside and kiss her. But, again, kisses were for better places than snake-hiding bridges.
“What’s bothering you?”
She dropped her hand. Turning away from him, she sighed and grabbed more trash for her bag. Her bag was halfway full, and so was his. Jacobe took in all the litter in the small section of creek near the bridge. Driving over this road, he never would have realized there was that much trash out here.
“My parents were supposed to come to the cleanup today.” Danielle wasn’t looking at him.
“Do they typically come?”
“No. They typically promise to attend one of my events and not show up.” Her tone rang with the false cheerfulness of someone who’d been let down often but didn’t want to admit their feelings were hurt.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. If I’m a general, then my p
arents are admirals in the fight against social injustice. They’ve got more important things to worry about.”
The hurt in her voice tugged at something inside of him. Something that made him want to pull her into his arms until the hurt went away. “More important than supporting their daughter?”
“I shouldn’t expect to come first when there are so many people in the world that deserve attention more than me.”
The words sounded rehearsed. He had a feeling she’d repeated the phrase hundreds of times. Whether to convince herself or others was what he wanted the answer to.
“Has anyone ever put you first?”
Her lips and the corners of her eyes tightened. “I put myself first.”
“Do you? You’re always fighting other battles.”
“I fight important battles. I bring attention to things that affect people who would otherwise be ignored. No one deserves to be ignored or left behind. What battles do you fight?”
Her words pierced him. The anger in her voice made him freeze. He’d left her behind.
She walked toward a plastic bag near the other side of the bridge. Jacobe knew it wasn’t his imagination. There was definitely something long, dark and snakelike beneath that bag.
“Danielle, wait!” He rushed over and jerked her behind him. In one quick swoop, he pushed the bag aside and used his grabber to fling the snake into the water.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
He spun to face her. “Saving you from a snakebite.” Now that the moment was over he realized what he’d done. He hated snakes. They were the one thing he was afraid of, and he’d pushed her aside to face it himself. A surge of masculine pride puffed up his chest.
Tarzan, huh?
He looked at Danielle. Ready to soak in her awe and feminine gratitude for him coming to her rescue. Danielle’s eyes sparkled with laughter and her hand covered her mouth.
“What? Did you see what I just did?”
She pointed to the water. “You saved me from a piece of inner tube.”
He glanced in the direction she pointed. Sure enough, a piece of inner tube floated downstream. No sign of a snake anywhere.
“Well, damn,” he said, and glanced at her. He joined in her laughter.
“I appreciate the attempt, though.” Her smile softened. “And I’m sorry about that earlier comment. My parents not showing is kind of a touchy subject for me. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.”
“I may not have called you, but I never forgot you. Don’t ever forget that.”
The humor and apology in her eyes shifted into something else. Something warm and inviting that had him taking a step toward her. To hell with the thought that kissing beneath a bridge was a bad idea. He was about to thoroughly kiss Danielle Stewart.
He reached out for her, his hand grazing her waist. She didn’t pull back. A crackling noise interrupted the moment. Jacobe frowned and looked around.
Danielle stepped back and reached for the walkie-talkie on her hip. “Go ahead, Debra.” Her voice trembled slightly.
“There’s a reporter here who wants to conduct an interview and get more information about the cleanup.”
Danielle’s grin brought sunshine to the dark space they were in. “I’ll be right there.”
“See,” Jacobe said. “I told you the news would show up.”
Her eyes narrowed in on him suspiciously. “Did you have anything to do with this?”
“I may have asked my agent to call a few stations when I was on my way out here. I am here to show people I’m cleaning up my act.” Though he now wished he’d asked Eric to call just to make Danielle smile like that.
They backtracked back to the Jeep, where the interns and Debra were. Many of the other volunteers were around and the buzz of excitement grew when they recognized him. Jacobe was happy to greet the volunteers, many of them teenagers and families who lived in the area. He snapped selfies that he knew would hit social media and spread the word faster than any interview the reporter completed.
“Do you want to talk to the reporter?” Danielle asked while the journalist set up his camera on a tripod.
“This is your event. You talk first.”
He watched Danielle handle with ease the questions the reporter threw her way. She used the same confident tone, and he was learning to love that about her.
One of the teens volunteering came over. “I just want to thank you.”
Jacobe shook the young man’s hand. “I’m happy to come out and help. I care about our waterways.”
“Not that,” the kid said. “I’m in the Big Brother program. My mentor told me that you’re a big sponsor. I just want you to know that I appreciate that. It’s helped me a lot.”
“I don’t do that for the attention,” Jacobe said. “But I’m glad it’s helping someone. Do you live out here?”
“Yeah. It’s why I volunteered. Me and my little brother used to play in this creek a lot when we were kids. My granddad used to fish out here. Gotta take care of your home, ya know.”
Jacobe thought about what would happen if Clear Water’s permit went through. Would it be safe for kids to play in the water, for families to fish? “I bring attention to things that affect people who would otherwise be ignored.”
Jacobe patted the boy on his back. “You do. Keep up the good work?”
“I’ll try.”
Danielle called him over then. Jacobe patted the teen on the shoulder and went to do his interview. Two other stations showed up and also interviewed him, Danielle and the various volunteers. Jacobe had planned to give a canned response about doing his part and showing that he cared. Instead, he talked about the importance of protecting Springfield Creek for the kids who played in it every day. He didn’t speak out directly against Clear Water—he needed more information before doing that—but he was no longer sure he could remain neutral in this publicity stunt.
The look of feminine adoration on Danielle’s face that he’d expected when going up against the inner-tube snake was there after his interview. It sent a twist through his chest that made him want to come back next weekend and do the same.
The reporters went off to get a few shots of the volunteers picking up litter and the mountains of bags they collected.
“Thank you for that,” Danielle said. “I didn’t think you would sound so sincere in your efforts.”
“Neither did I. I guess you’re rubbing off on me just a little.”
She laughed. “Doubtful.”
“How are we going to celebrate a successful cleanup?”
“Debra and I usually take some of the volunteers out for lunch afterward. On Monday, I’ll crunch the numbers and then when I get the weight of the trash from the landfill I’ll send out word to the volunteers and our board.”
He shook his head. “No, we’ve got to do something a lot more fun than that.”
Debra came over and wrapped an arm around Danielle’s shoulders. “Did I hear the word fun?”
“You did,” Jacobe said. “I was just telling Danielle that we need to celebrate a successful cleanup.”
“Beers over lunch is good,” Danielle said.
“Shush, woman,” Debra said. “A handsome and successful professional basketball player is offering to throw us a party. Don’t ruin it.”
Jacobe laughed. “I was thinking more along the lines of taking you guys out on my yacht. You’re doing so much to protect the waterways, why not enjoy it.”
The thought had just popped into his mind. He wanted another date with Danielle but knew she would find an excuse to say no. A trip on the water with her key staff would allow him to talk to her more and give them a treat for the good work they were always doing.
“You’ve got a yacht?”
“Not a big one, but yes, I do. Me a
nd the guys go out deep-sea fishing every once in a while. I’ll take you and the staff out. You can invite a board member or two, as well.” He put emphasis on the words board member. He wanted to meet this person trying to snatch his general’s stars.
“Yes!” Debra answered.
Danielle didn’t look quite as convinced. He grinned at her. “Come on, Danielle. Even generals have to relax every now and then.”
She studied first Debra, then him. He could see the yes in her eyes before she said, “Okay, fine. We’ll treat the staff to a trip.”
Chapter 7
Jacobe checked and double-checked the weather forecast the following Wednesday, when he’d agreed to take Danielle and the rest of the crew from the River Watchers out on his yacht. Today, the meteorologist had given a dead-on forecast. The day was sunny and beautiful seventy-six degrees with only a few clouds in the sky. All morning images of Danielle on deck in a skimpy bikini had danced in his head.
When she, Debra and four of the River Watchers interns arrived at the marina his hopes were dashed. Danielle wore a loose pair of jeans rolled up around her slim ankles and a dark blue crew-neck T-shirt. A thick blue-and-cream-striped sweater hung over her arm. She was covered from head to toe, but that didn’t diminish how happy he was to see her.
“Right on time,” he said to her and Debra.
Debra and the interns were equally covered in T-shirts, jeans or khakis, but he could see the straps of swimsuits beneath their shirts. He peeked at Danielle’s neckline, but didn’t see a bathing-suit strap around her neck.
“We always are,” Danielle said. She glanced around. “I thought you lived on the river. You don’t keep your boat at your home?”
“I keep her stored here for the winter and most of the year. This is the first time I’ve taken her out this year. When the season’s over, I’ll bring her to my personal dock if I know I’ll go out a lot more.” He glanced at Debra. “You all can go on up. My girl is the Freedom. I hope you don’t mind, but I invited Kevin and Isaiah. Will couldn’t make it. They’re already on board.”
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