“You’re looking a little pale, Ella. Sure you can handle this?”
“I’m ready, Dr. Disaster.” Seemed appropriate. She smiled at him.
His lips curled up into a half smile. He back-paddled upstream. Show-off.
Dylan yelled, “Everybody ready?” After a few moments, he waved his large orange flag.
“Jeez, this isn’t the Indy 500,” Ella muttered. She reluctantly used her paddle to push off the riverbank, watching dry land slip farther away.
“Ella,” Coop shouted at her, and she jumped. “Use your paddle.” He lifted his high in the air. “This thing in your hands.”
Smart-ass.
Ross and Sandra were already a few hundred yards ahead of her, and they disappeared around a bend in the river.
The bow of her raft was pointed to the right, or the starboard side. Right? Er, correct? Ella was already confused. When she dipped her paddle into the water off the starboard side of the boat, it turned more to the right and she was going sideways down the river.
Coop yelled at her, “Opposite side!”
The current took her and swept her to the right again. Now she was facing backward.
The dad of the two young boys called to his sons to stay on the opposite side of the river. Ella wanted to scream at him. Really, what kind of manners was that to teach kids? He might as well have told them to steer clear of the crazy lady.
Coop rotated his paddle from one side to the other, digging into the water with long, swift strokes. He quickly caught up to her. “If you want to turn starboard, paddle on the port side.”
“Really? We’re in blow-up rafts. These aren’t battleships off the coast of Normandy.” Ella rolled her eyes. Boys and their fantasies.
“Just paddle, Ella. You’re already way behind everyone else.”
She dipped her paddle off the left side of her craft, and it drifted to the right. “I didn’t do this to win. I just wanted to support literacy in the community.” Ella tried not to sound sulky.
“How noble of you. Always the Girl Scout.”
Always with the Girl Scout barbs. “This is a charity event, so why are you here, Coop?”
A sly smile curled the corners of his mouth. “To watch out for people like you, Dennings.”
Coop kept glancing to his left. Ella struggled with the paddle. She was in good physical shape and seemed to be relatively coordinated; that wasn’t the problem. She just looked scared. With her acting so vulnerable, a look of terror on her face, and that silly hat announcing she was a nerdy history teacher, he really should have insisted she bow out of the race. But the hardheaded woman probably wouldn’t have listened, especially to him.
He refocused on the river ahead.
His raft cut through the water, and he rounded a bend in the river just ahead of Ella. Looking back, he lost sight of her. Up ahead, the first class-two rapid came into view. Easy, even for a novice.
He stabbed his paddle into the water on the left side of his craft and pulled up to the right bank. When Ella rounded the corner, still looking shaky and awkward with the paddle, Coop pushed off and treaded in place by rotating his paddling back and forth.
When she got close to him, he shouted to her, “Class-two rapid ahead. Veer left around that large rock.” He pointed to the right side of the river. “As soon as you clear it, paddle on the left side and it’ll swing you right so you’ll hit the rapid in just the right spot.”
She nodded, her green eyes wide and glassy.
The hair on the back of Coop’s neck prickled. If he could guide her through the first few rapids with no problems, it might build her confidence. Maneuvering the river was easier than it looked, but fear could cloud a beginner’s judgment and slow their reflex time.
He fell in behind her. Her strokes were uneven and apprehensive. She hesitated, still as uncomfortable with the paddle as when she first got in the raft. Most people got a feel for it after a little while, but she looked like a scared child on a roller coaster. She paddled on the right side first and veered to the left just like Coop had told her to do. But unsure of herself, she switched sides too quickly and it turned her to the right before she cleared the rock, setting her on a collision course with it.
“Paddle on the right!” Coop yelled.
Apparently, she heard him and plunged her paddle over the right side of the raft. The move corrected her, but not quite enough, and the right side of her raft banked onto the rock.
“Lean right, Ella,” Coop yelled over the din of rushing water.
She did and used her paddle to push off the rock. She cleared the first rapid.
“Good girl,” Coop said even though she couldn’t hear him. The small knot in his stomach eased.
He went through right after her and lengthened his strokes to catch up.
“Good job, Dennings.” Coop tried to hide the concern in his voice. “I didn’t think you had it in you.”
Her smile was uncertain, the fear still apparent on her wary expression. “I still don’t see how this is fun.”
“That’s because your type doesn’t know how to have fun,” he teased.
“I most certainly do.”
“This might come as a surprise, Ella, but most people don’t define fun as sitting in a lecture about the pilgrims.”
“For your information, I wouldn’t either. I’d call it . . . interesting.”
Coop laughed. “My point exactly.”
Letting her concentrate and acclimate to the ebb and flow of the raft, he paddled alongside her a ways in silence, until a light roar came from up ahead.
“Hear that?” Coop asked her, presenting the very picture of calm for her benefit.
She nodded, her eyes widening again.
“That’s a class three up ahead. Enter on the left side of the river. Once you clear the first level, the current will kick you to the right. It’s easy for your raft to spin too far. If that happens, just enter the next rapid backward. You’ll be fine.”
“Backward?” The pitch of her voice rose in alarm.
“Experienced rafters go in backward on purpose. Don’t worry, it’s more fun that way.”
Ella gulped, and Coop’s eyes followed the muscle movement down her slender throat. Sympathy pinched his stomach.
He slowed and let her go first. She cleared the first level and maneuvered the second level like a pro. Coop went through and caught up with her again.
“You did great. You feeling more confident?”
She nodded.
“Good, because I couldn’t have done any better on that one myself.”
A few clearings appeared at intervals along the riverbank. River patrols and onlookers gathered to cheer the racers on. Coop waved to a group on the left. Several of the women issued catcalls. Coop smiled and kept paddling in sync with Ella.
“You’re always asking for it, aren’t you?”
“What?” Coop’s brow wrinkled.
Ella threw her head in a backward direction toward the women.
“Those women?” he asked.
“Don’t you know them? You must, for them to react that way.”
“I’ve probably seen a few of them around at Joe’s, but I don’t know them know them.”
“Right.”
On this long strip of glassy water, Ella seemed a little more at ease. “Did you see me do anything to provoke them?”
“Not exactly. It’s just . . .” She stopped talking.
“Just what?”
“The way you carry yourself. You seem to like it, like it feeds your ego or something.”
Coop’s pulse kicked. His ego had never been his reason for not committing to a long-term relationship. He just didn’t want to get on the marital roller coaster that his dad had lived on.
“And does pointing out my flaws feed your ego?” Their paddle
s cut easily into the smooth water, as they stayed side by side.
She shot a glare at him, until he gave her a teasing smile. She laughed and nodded. “Touché. I’ll give you that one, Dr. Disaster. You’ve earned it.”
The sound of rushing water sounded in the distance ahead and got louder until it became a light roar.
The Eye of the Needle.
He’d maneuvered this rafting course a hundred times, at least. It was an adrenaline rush. Nothing too dangerous, especially with the water so slow this season, but just risky enough to set his blood pumping. This time, a prickle of fear slithered up his spine.
He glanced at Ella and the blood in his veins turned to ice. Obviously, she heard the rapids up ahead, too, and she’d stopped paddling, staring ahead with a blank expression.
And at that moment, he wanted to reach out and gather her into his arms.
Chapter Fourteen
“Let me go through this one first so you can see the easiest path to take,” he yelled over the rushing water.
She shook her head vigorously. “Don’t leave me here alone.”
“I’ll be just up ahead.” He pointed to the giant three-story boulder that had broken off the top of the mountain in the early nineties and tumbled down into the river, creating a whole new rapid. The narrow entrance into the rapid between several smaller boulders was the reason it was dubbed “The Eye of the Needle.” After shooting through that, you had to paddle hard right to clear the boulder, then hard left through the last of the jagged rocks and fast water.
“Watch what I do and follow my lead exactly. I’ll pull over on the far side and wait for you to come through.”
He waited for a response, but Ella just stared straight ahead and paddled gently to keep her raft going in the right direction.
“You’ll be fine,” he shouted.
She nodded, her face a chalky white.
“If you get in trouble, use your whistle.”
Coop entered the first rapid through the two tall, jagged rocks. The current took him, and he paddled hard right and managed to clear the boulder without even grazing the side of his raft. As he rounded it, he took one last look at Ella, who was paddling toward the entrance, eyes round and hollow. He glided through the second half of the rapid with ease and banked his raft on the right in a small inlet that was outside the current. He waited.
And waited.
A chill crept up Coop’s spine until it tickled the back of his neck. The roar of the water melted away. Coop stared at the gap in the rapids where Ella should be coming through any second, but it was empty. Just water rushing over jagged rocks.
The seconds ticked by like hours. Come on, Ella. His blood pressure spiked.
It had been too long. She wasn’t coming through. Another minute crawled by, and a speck of blue and yellow caught his eye. A wave of panic swept through him like the cold rushing water of the rapids. Ella’s paddle rushed through the Eye of the Needle, drumming against each rock as it tumbled through the class-four rapid.
Coop looked up at the jagged edge of the cliff above him. No way to traverse it. Looking across the river, he figured if he could get across to the other side at a sharp diagonal, then he could walk back upstream on the rocky bank until he found a clearing.
Pushing off, he darted across the river at a steep slant and landed on the opposite bank. The bow of his raft rammed onto the rocky shore, and Coop jumped out. With the water up to his crotch, he pulled the rubber craft onto the bank, stumbling under the current. He grabbed the rocky edge and pulled himself out. Dragging his raft far enough onto the rocks to secure it, he grabbed the first aid kit that was secured, along with a flare gun, in a waterproof bag, and unhooked the survival rope from a ring in the back of the raft. He slung both over his shoulder.
Carefully, he picked his way upstream, looking to the left for any sign of Ella. Every second that passed with no glimpse of her made his stomach pitch harder. He increased his pace, still trying to keep his footing and not fall back into the water himself.
Finally, he made his way even with the giant boulder, and as he moved just past it, he saw the red-and-white raft.
The capsized rubber boat beat against the big boulder, and the sick thudding sound caused Coop’s breathing to seize. Ella was nowhere in sight.
“Ella!” Coop shouted, a searing burn slicing straight through his heart.
No answer. The raft continued to thud against the rock in a hollow rhythm.
He traversed a little farther upstream and craned his neck. He had to reach her. What if she was badly hurt? Or worse?
“Ella!” he yelled again, his voice growing more frantic. A faint trill wafted across the breeze, and Coop strained to hear. It went off again, a little louder this time.
A whistle.
“Ella, hang on! I’m coming for you.” Thank God.
Coop’s mind zinged as he tried to figure out the best way to get to her. If he entered the river here, the current would shoot him through the rapids again before he could reach her. He waded farther upstream.
Removing the waterproof sack from across his shoulder, he unzipped it and pulled out the flare gun. He flipped the safety switch and raised it into the air. With a pull of the trigger, a flash of orange rose high in the sky. He tucked the gun back into the pouch and secured the strap across his chest again.
Jesus, he should’ve talked her out of doing the race. She’d been so obviously scared, but there were little kids in this race. No way did he think Ella, of all people, would be so paralyzed with fear. But, if she was hurt, or worse . . . Coop’s jaw tightened. He couldn’t let that happen.
And suddenly, miraculously, how much Ella meant to him, how important she’d become, spread through him like warm liquid. He liked having her in his life. She sharpened him. Like iron against iron, her stubborn will kept him in line like no other woman had ever been able to, and it made him a better man. Made him want to be a better person.
He had to get to her before it was too late.
He moved farther upstream and unwound the lifeline that was slung over his shoulder. Before leaving the safety of the rocky bank, he tied the rope around a sturdy boulder, first testing it to make sure it could hold him and Ella both. He hooked the other end to his vest and waded in. His shoes, designed for water activities, gave him more traction against the slippery river rocks. When he was up to his waist and the river current started to overpower him, he plunged into the water and stroked toward the other side, angling his body at forty-five degrees.
Halfway across, the current strengthened and fought him with each stroke. His endurance started to wane. His knee banged against a rock, and pain shot through it, but he kept swimming. Finally, a rock that jutted out of the water just shy of Ella’s raft came within reach and Coop grabbed it. Holding on to it like a buoy, Coop tried to catch his breath.
Ella’s whistle sounded again.
“Ella,” he called out. “I’m almost there.”
When his breathing leveled off again, Coop pushed off and the current grabbed him. He latched on to another large rock and managed to hang on. If he let go on the left side, it would take him through the first level of the rapids and sweep him past Ella, so he used his hands to maneuver to the right, where the current eased. When he got to the right edge of the rock, Coop pushed off and kicked violently, propelling to the right against the current. He swept toward the giant boulder and reached out and grabbed it, latching on by his fingertips. The jagged edge cut into his fingers, but he refused to let go.
With both hands, he felt his way to the left until he reached the raft. He grabbed on to one of the rope handles and pulled it up. Ella was underneath, her head just above water, her back to him. She’d managed to find a small crevice and burrowed into it, out of the grasp of the current.
Relief surged through him. Smart girl.
Coop pushed the raft
over her head. As soon as he pulled it free, the river took it, and it swept through the rapids. It jetted through the Eye of the Needle and beat against the rocks with a series of sick thuds.
Ella’s head hung forward, and he swam up behind her. “Ella,” he whispered gently. “Sweetheart, I’m here.” He gripped her right upper arm, and she screamed.
He looked closer. Her shoulder was partially covered by the life vest, but he could see that it hung limp at her side.
“Ella, can you raise your right arm?” he asked against her ear.
She shook her head in jerking movements.
“Okay, I’m going to look under your vest. Ready?”
She didn’t respond.
Gently, he lifted the edge of her vest. Her body was contorted where the arm connected to the shoulder.
He slid one arm around her waist while still gripping the boulder with the other. “I’ve got you, baby.”
She leaned back against him, and her head fell back on his shoulder. He was cheek to cheek with her. Her eyes closed and her lips blue, she was in shock, and hypothermia had clearly set in.
“Coop, my . . . my arm . . . can’t move it.”
“Your shoulder’s dislocated. Does it hurt anywhere else?”
“I . . . I don’t think so.” Her eyes closed. “But I can’t feel my feet anymore. Do you think they’re still attached to my legs?”
He chuckled. “Of course they are. You’re just cold. The feeling will come back when you warm up. I’m going to tie this rope around you, okay?” He unhooked it from his vest and secured it to hers. “Help will be here in just a minute.”
“I’m cold.” Her entire body shook against him.
“I know, sweetheart.” He held her close against him, but between their two life vests and the freezing water, his body heat couldn’t reach her. There wasn’t much he could do to warm her up, so he anchored her against his chest and wrapped one of his legs around hers. “You’ll be outta here soon, and I’ll build you a fire when we get back to the cabin.”
It's In His Heart (A Red River Valley Novel) Page 12