Matt Tucker. Shannon Wilde had figured out who he was while he was still falling down that mountain. She’d recognize the good-looking wild man anywhere. That he was two paces ahead of a frothing-at-the-mouth grizzly had kept her from giving his looks much thought at the time.
She’d have climbed a tree—she had plenty of time to get away from the bear—except she had to wait for Tucker to fall the rest of the way and take him with her, and that, plus his dead weight, cut tree-climbing out of her choices. And that left her with one option only: dive over a cliff.
A miserable option if ever she’d ever been given one.
She’d grabbed him and jumped, glad she didn’t have much time to think about what she was doing.
They’d lived through the cliff.
They’d lived through the first, second, and third waterfall.
They’d lived through two stretches of water churned white as snow and studded with rocks.
And now, though the river was still racing like mad, when she thought she might be able to flip Tucker onto his back and drag the poor, battered man to shore, he’d tied her to him with a whip of all things, and she couldn’t get away and swim.
She should’ve let the bear have him.
“Tucker, no. Untie me.”
He wrapped his arms around her, as tight as the whip, as if they weren’t tangled up enough already. She knew they’d never get to shore this way. She’d had some experience in the water, thanks to her experiences during the Civil War, and knew how to rescue a person.
They were going under, so she drew in a chest full of air and sank. The world bubbled as they raced along. Under the icy, clear water, she stared at him, and he looked right back.
He kicked heavy boots, rapping her ankles. But she was protected by her own boots, so no damage was done. She matched those few swimming moves and they surfaced, face-to-face. Gasping for air, rushing along, she tried to be rational.
“I know how to swim. Take this whip off, and I can get us to shore.”
“No you can’t.”
“Yes I can.”
“Shore is a hundred feet of sheer rock, straight up. There ain’t no shore to climb out on for miles and miles. Hang on for the ride, Miss Wilde.”
She hadn’t been called Miss Wilde in years. It was a reminder that she was supposed to be masquerading as a man. In all the fuss, she’d forgotten that. Here she was in britches, with short hair and a man’s shirt and boots, and yet Tucker didn’t seem to have one single doubt in his mind that she was a woman. For some reason—some reason she didn’t understand at all—right this very second, she didn’t want to be anything other than a woman.
She looked up at the sheer canyon walls they were being swept past and saw he was absolutely right. “I seem to have no choice but to hang on, Mr. Tucker. Your whip has made it impossible for me to do anything else.”
“We’ll do better if we don’t get separated. I’m familiar with this stretch of river.”
“Is the worst over?”
Tucker gave her the biggest smile she’d ever seen. Of course she didn’t think she’d ever been this close to any man before. His animal-like white teeth looked ready to gobble her right up, and she wondered if the grizzly bear might have been safer after all.
“What’s so funny?”
“The worst, Miss Wilde? You think that was the worst?”
“You don’t have to call me Miss Wilde.”
“So you’re still claiming to be Kylie’s brother, huh? You expect me to believe you’re a man?”
“I’m Kylie’s sister.” Shannon was glad for the britches, though. It was much easier to swim in pants than a skirt.
Tucker smiled a little wider.
“I said you don’t have to call me Miss Wilde because, considering what we’re going through together, you can call me Shannon.”
There was a long pause while they looked at each other, and then she called over the noise of the water, “So there’s more to come, then?” Her voice sounded uncharacteristically hoarse.
“They call this the Slaughter River, and I am mighty afraid there is a lot more to come for you and me.”
We hope you enjoyed this sample of Now and Forever by Mary Connealy. For more information on this book, please visit www.maryconnealy.com or www.bethanyhouse.com.
Mary Connealy writes romantic comedies about cowboys. She’s the author of the acclaimed TROUBLE IN TEXAS and THE KINCAID BRIDES series, as well as several other series. Mary has been nominated for a Christy Award, was a finalist for a RITA Award, and is a two-time winner of the Carol Award. She lives on a ranch in eastern Nebraska with her very own romantic cowboy hero. They have four grown daughters—Joslyn, married to Matt; Wendy; Shelly, married to Aaron; and Katy—and a little bevy of spectacular grandchildren. Learn more about Mary and her books at:
maryconnealy.com
mconnealy.blogspot.com
seekerville.blogspot.com
petticoatsandpistols.com
Books by Mary Connealy
* * *
From Bethany House Publishers
THE KINCAID BRIDES
Out of Control
In Too Deep
Over the Edge
TROUBLE IN TEXAS
Swept Away
Fired Up
Stuck Together
WILD AT HEART
Tried and True
Now and Forever
A Match Made in Texas: A Novella Collection
Resources: bethanyhouse.com/AnOpenBook
Website: www.bethanyhouse.com
Facebook: Bethany House
Tried and True (Wild at Heart Book #1) Page 25