* * *
“What do you want, Canyon?” Zane asked his cousin later that evening. He and Channing had enjoyed their time on the beach. Then, like he said he would, he had helped wash her hair...which led to other things. They had eaten dinner, and Channing had gone next door to give the Farmers a batch of the cookies she’d baked earlier that day.
“I can’t believe you’re just calling me back, Zane. I could have been dying,” Canyon snapped.
Zane rolled his eyes. “You’re talking to me now so you’re not dead. What do you want?”
“Keisha. I told her we should talk, but she says she doesn’t want to have anything to do with me.”
Zane glanced at his watch. He couldn’t wait to go to the movies with Channing. “Either take her at her word or do something about it. Action speaks louder than words.”
“I guess you would know. Word has it that you’re somewhere trying to convince Channing you’re falling in love with her.”
Zane heard the smirk in Canyon’s voice. “For your damn information, Canyon, I’m not falling in love with Channing. I just told her that.”
* * *
Channing had returned from next door and walked toward the bedroom to let Zane know she was back when the words he’d blared out to his cousin stopped her. Her head spun in shock at what he’d just said.
He was not falling in love with her?
He had lied to her?
Her body quivered in pain. He had been playing a game with her all along. A game with her heart.
Not able to handle what she was feeling, she turned, nearly blinded by her tears, and rushed back out of the house.
* * *
“What do you mean you just told her that?” Canyon asked. “Megan and Bailey are convinced you’re crazy about Channing and told us not to be surprised if you came back married.”
Not a bad idea, Zane thought, and knew he would give it more consideration later. “The reason I’m not falling in love with Channing is because I’m already in love with her. I realized just how much I loved her before I left Denver. But she doesn’t believe me. And I’m here to prove otherwise.”
Canyon didn’t say anything for a long moment. “So it’s true. Some woman has finally gotten to you?”
Zane smiled. “Yes. The same way a woman got to you, and once they get to you, Canyon, there’s not a damn thing you can do about it. If you want Keisha, then you need to go after her.”
“Damn it, Zane, she doesn’t trust me. She believes the worst about me.”
“Get over it, or live the rest of your life without her. There’s nothing you shouldn’t be able to forgive her for, even if it was her losing faith in you. From what I gather, Bonita Simpkins set you up pretty damn good, and I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of knowing her plan worked.”
Zane glanced at his watch again. The movie would start in an hour. Channing had said she would be right back, and he couldn’t help but wonder what was taking her so long.
“Maybe you’re right,” Canyon said. “I went to Bonita when it happened and tried to get her to tell Keisha the truth, but she refused.”
Zane looked at his watch again. “Look, Canyon, I got to go. I’ve given you all the advice I’m going to give on this Keisha matter. You’re on your own from here on out. Goodbye.” He then clicked off the phone.
Moving out of the bedroom, he headed for the front door. Evidently Channing had gotten into a conversation with Jennifer and forgotten their date. He would just have to go next door and remind her.
* * *
Channing walked the beach as she swiped at the tears that couldn’t seem to stop flowing. When was she going to stop being a fool? And for the same man!
He had played her well, and what hurt her more than anything else was that there had been no need for him to do that. Why couldn’t he just let her go? Why did he have to follow her here with lies, lies and more lies? There was no way he could refute what he’d told Canyon. Words she’d heard with her own ears.
“I’m not falling in love with Channing. I just told her that.”
The memory made Channing cry harder, made her chest ache and her head hurt. It seemed she’d been walking the beach for hours when she knew it had only been a few minutes. Clenching her fist in anger, she turned around. It was time to go back and confront Zane, tell him he had played his last game on her...
She gasped when suddenly the sand beneath her feet gave away and she began to sink. “Oh, God!” She tried pulling her feet out, but it only made her sink deeper.
Frantically, she glanced around. It was pitch-dark, and she could barely see the lights from the homes at Kindle Shores. It occurred to her then just how far she had walked. She knew the area. It was one swimmers and sunbathers were warned to avoid for this very reason. Years ago, she had heard how a couple who had been strolling along this particular section of the beach had met their fate when they both went down in quicksand. They had drowned from the high tide before the search party had found them.
Channing willed herself not to panic. She had to try and remain calm. Each time she attempted to pull her feet free, she sank lower. What was she going to do? She didn’t have her cell phone with her and hadn’t told anyone where she was going. And why had she walked so close to the shoreline?
When she sank lower still, she fought back tears. Would Zane come looking for her? He should be the last person she wanted to see, but right now she would give anything to see his face. He had no idea where she was, but she had to believe he would come.
She had to believe that.
* * *
“Channing left here a half hour ago,” Jennifer said to Zane. “I was standing on the porch, and I watched her go inside. After that, I came in here to give the kids their baths.”
“I saw her go back out,” Ronald added, coming to stand beside his wife. “Channing hadn’t been inside her house more than a few minutes before she ran back out. I was still outside picking up the kids’ toys when I saw her. She was walking quickly down the beach.” He hesitated and then added, “She seemed upset about something.”
Upset? Zane frowned. Why would Channing be upset?
“I wouldn’t know why she would be upset,” he said. “Maybe she just wanted to take a walk before we went out. We’re supposed to be going to the movies.”
Jennifer nodded. “She did mention that. That’s the reason she said she had to rush back. So it’s strange for her to wander off when she seemed so eager to go out with you.”
Zane had to agree. That was strange. “Well, thanks. Hopefully she’ll be back soon,” he said, glancing down the dark stretch of beach. He couldn’t see a thing. The thought of Channing being out there didn’t sit well with him. It made him feel uneasy.
“On second thought, I think I’ll go look for her,” he said, walking off the Farmers’ porch.
“Need any help?” Ronald offered.
“No, I’ll probably meet her on her way back,” Zane said hopefully.
“If you don’t, you have my number,” Ronald reminded him. “Call me.”
“I will,” Zane said over his shoulder. Ronald had given Zane his number when Ronald had inquired about the purchase of a pony for his daughter. Zane had promised to check on it when he got back to Denver and give the man a call as to whether Born Free’s foal was for sale.
Zane began walking toward the beach, and that uneasy feeling just wouldn’t go away. Ronald had said Channing seemed upset, but Zane didn’t have a clue as to what could have upset her. Nothing had been awry when she’d left to take the food over to the Farmers. She had even given him a kiss before leaving.
He did recall that not long after she’d left to go next door he had returned Canyon’s call. He’d talked to his cousin until right before he’d gone to the Farmers for Channing. That meant she returne
d during the time he’d been on the phone with Canyon.
Zane searched his mind for why she would have come inside the house only to leave a few moments later. Could she have overheard his conversation with Canyon? If she had, there was nothing said that would have upset her. In fact, he’d given his cousin advice about Keisha again.
Zane stopped walking when he suddenly recalled something. It was when Canyon mentioned him falling in love with Channing. Zane’s response had been, “I’m not falling in love with Channing. I just told her that.”
But then Zane had proceeded to clarify what he’d meant. But what if Channing had heard the first part of his conversation with Canyon and not the second? His guts twisted at the thought that she might be somewhere assuming he was making a fool out of her, assuming he had no intention of falling in love with her. He could see how that would trouble her.
Zane picked up his pace as he looked up and down the shoreline. It was dark, so he pulled out the miniature flashlight on his key chain.
The thought that something had happened to Channing pricked his skin. There was no way he was going to lose her. No way.
* * *
Channing tried fighting her fear, but it was useless. From the moon’s light, she could see the ocean and it appeared to be coming closer, which meant the high tide had started. The water’s spray was hitting her in the face. Already she had sunk down to her waist and was sinking faster by the minute. It was as though the sand was pulling her in.
Once or twice she thought she had heard someone walking around, but when she’d called out no one was there. Was this how her life was to end? She felt tired, drained; she began imagining all kinds of crazy stuff. Didn’t her brother once tell her about wild dogs that roamed the beaches at night? Even snakes. And here she was being held captive by the earth.
No! In protest, she tried moving one of her feet and then cried out in frustration when it sank a foot farther into the sand. Then the ocean water began hitting her in the chest.
She knew without being told that the tide was coming closer.
* * *
Zane stopped walking and scanned his flashlight ahead of him. Would Channing have come this far? What if she’d taken another path, away from the beach, and was walking through one of the trails to return home? He was about to turn around, hoping that was what she had done, when he heard a faint sound. Automatically he moved toward it and began calling Channing’s name.
Channing tried calling out several times. “Help me! Somebody please help me.” The sand had covered her up to her breasts, and she was sinking faster.
She went still when she thought she heard her name.
Was she imagining things?
She listened and heard it again. It was Zane’s voice. She was sure of it.
“Zane! I’m over here. In quicksand. Please help me!”
A few moments later, she saw a flash of light, and then it was aimed at her. She heard Zane’s colorful expletives as he raced toward her.
“No, Zane!” she shouted. “Don’t come any closer, or you might get stuck, as well. You need to go get help.”
Zane had already assessed the situation. There was no time to get help, but he did pull out his cell phone and call Ronald to tell him to come quick with rope and his truck. Zane glanced around. The tide was coming in, and already the sand had covered Channing nearly to her neck.
He knew he had to keep her calm, but he couldn’t just wait for help to arrive. He moved around, tentatively testing the area surrounding her and was glad the quicksand was confined to the little area where she was. That meant he could attempt to pull her out if she held on to him.
“Okay, Channing, listen up, baby. I’m going to need you to arch your body back as far as it will go. That will help spread out your weight and make it harder for you to keep sinking. I’ll get behind you on hard sand. Extend your arms back to me, and I’ll pull you out while you try working your legs free.”
Channing heard Zane’s instructions, but the minute she moved her body to arch her back she sank deeper. “Zane!”
Zane tried to stay in control of his emotions, but he was two seconds from jumping in there with her. “Channing, don’t rush. Take your time. Arch your back, and extend your arms backward so I can grab them,” he said, lying flat on his stomach as close as he could get to her.
“No! I might pull you in and you’ll die with me.”
“I’d rather die with you than live without you, damn it. You are my life, and I won’t lose you. I won’t. Now bend your back as far as you can, and extend your arms over your head to me.”
He knew he was taking a chance because he would be relying on his strength to pull her out. “Now do it!”
The demand in his voice was sharp. She arched her back, and he could see her struggling. “Don’t fight, Channing. Just arch like you’re in a pool trying to float on your back.”
Channing followed his directions and found spreading her weight was helping. She could even disentangle her legs a little. “My legs are loosening up some,” she said with excitement in her voice.
“Arch a little bit more, Channing. We’re not there yet. I need to grab your arms. Bring them back over your head as far as you can. Pretend I’m about to make love to you and I need your body shaped like a bow, lifting up off the bed.”
He gave a deep sigh when he extended his hands out as far as he could without tumbling into the quicksand with her. He came close to touching her fingertips. “That’s it, baby. Arch your back just a little more, and I’ll pull you out.”
“It hurts,” she moaned.
“I know, baby, but do it. Do it for me. I’ll die if anything happens to you. I can’t lose you.”
He sounded almost convincing, Channing thought as she closed her eyes and tried arching her back some more. But she knew the truth about how he felt. Still, she tried moving her legs. “I think I lost my sandal. It was one of my new ones.”
“I’ll buy you another pair,” he said, knowing that she was exhausted. But he couldn’t let her give up. The tide was coming in fast. He almost yelled for joy when he was finally able to catch Channing’s hands in a tight grip.
Now came the hard part.
Placing all his strength on his shoulders, he closed his eyes and began his attempt to extricate her from the quicksand. A couple of times he almost lost his grip, but he refused to let go.
He pulled with all his might, trying to ignore the pressure on both their arms. He knew he was slowly pulling her free, and when he was able to catch her around her upper chest, he reached out and grabbed tight. That’s when the heavy beams of a pickup truck shone on them before coming to a stop. Several men jumped out. Zane didn’t take his gaze off Channing, but he knew it was Ronald and he had brought others to help.
Zane felt his grip loosen on Channing and cursed. Ronald and several guys surrounded him with huge flat lumber, which provided a bridgelike surface that let them get closer to Channing. While they held the bridge in place, Zane crawled over it and grabbed her by the waist.
He knew someone had tied a rope around him and was pulling him back, and he was bringing Channing with him. It took great effort, but when she was completely free from the quicksand, the men cheered. He gathered Channing close while she cried in his arms.
Fourteen
Zane sat in a chair beside the bed and watched as Channing slept. He’d held her in his lap in Ronald’s truck all the way home. Then he had held her while they showered, washing off enough sand to start their own beach. He’d even washed her hair because she was too tired to do it herself.
Then he had toweled her dry and dressed her in pj’s and placed her beneath the covers. That was when the doctor had come, an older man who lived in the community and still made house calls. Dr. Peterson had said the pills he’d given her would make her sleep for a whi
le. Already she’d been sleeping for four hours, and Zane was still here, sitting by her bedside.
He’d never known real fear until tonight. When he thought about how close he’d come to losing her. What if he’d given up searching earlier and turned around? What if he hadn’t heard her cry for help? What if he hadn’t taken that first-aid training years ago, which had taught him what to do if you become lodged in quicksand? What if—
“Zane?”
He jerked when he heard Channing’s voice and was out of the bed in a flash. He moved to sit next to her. “Yes, sweetheart? How do you feel?”
“Like hell.”
He nodded in understanding. Dr. Peterson had said she would be sore for a couple of days. She had strained a lot of muscles while arching her back. “Is there anything you need? Water? Juice? Milk? Sorry, you can’t have any wine, thanks to the medicine you’re taking.”
She gently grabbed his wrist and saw the scratches her hands had made trying to hold on to him. “Why, Zane? Why would you risk your life to save mine?”
Zane sighed deeply. Now more than ever he had to make her understand...and believe. “Because I don’t have a life without you, Channing. I told you while you were in that quicksand, and I meant it.”
She didn’t say anything for a minute and then slowly released his hand. “But I heard what you told Canyon, Zane,” she said accusingly. “You told him that you were not falling in love with me. That you’d only told me that.”
So he’d been right. She had overheard the first part of his conversation with Canyon. “Yes, I told him that.”
He saw the crushed look that appeared on her face, and when she made a move to turn her back to him, he said, “But you ran off before overhearing the rest of our conversation, Channing. Had you stuck around, you would have heard me clarify what I meant. The reason I can’t fall in love with you is because I’m already in love with you.”
He shifted to lie beside her in the bed. He needed to touch her. To hold her.
Brenda Jackson The Westmoreland Collection: ZaneCanyonStern Page 15