In Deep Water

by Anita Philmar

  “Oh, don’t worry about them.” Carolyn splashed about in the water, working her way deeper into the river. “They can’t take your property, and they know it. Richard was your husband. Everything he had belongs to you. I only wish my husband had something to leave me when he died.”

  “You don’t understand.” Sadie tugged her camisole away from her moist skin. In only her underwear, she hated the idea of having to put her dress back on but they need to head for home.

  “Just enjoy yourself for...” Suddenly, Carolyn plunged forward as if losing her footing.

  Concern, Sadie rushed to the bank.

  After a few long seconds, her friend’s head broke the surface and she sputtered, “Sadie, careful...”

  She continued to bob in the water, moving further and further away from the shoreline.

  Fear bloomed in Sadie’s chest. She wasn’t a great swimmer and barely kept herself afloat while in the river. How could she save her friend?

  Uncertain as to how to help, she screamed and waved her hands. “Carolyn, kick your feet and work with the current to reach the bank.”

  Carolyn appeared to be trying to move closer to the bank, but the quick flow pushed her down-river.

  To keep her friend in sight, Sadie hurried along the shoreline. The shifting sand slowed her pace, until underbrush and trees blocked her path.

  “Sadie...”

  The gargled tone sent a panicked rush of adrenaline through her. She had to save her friend. Sadie spun on her heel. The horse and wagon still stood where she’d left them. She ran and jumped onto the bench seat of the buckboard, gathered up the reins, released the brake and slapped the strip of leather across Beauty’s rear.

  The wagon surged forward.

  Sadie swung her focus between the dirt trail and the river. She caught brief glimpses of the muddy water but didn’t see her friend. With the swift current, Carolyn might be farther down-river than Sadie could predict. But I don’t want to miss finding her either.

  Uncertain what to do, Sadie tugged on the reins and slowed her pace. She searched through the trees and underbrush for another opening to get a better view of the fast-moving water.

  “Zack, damn it.”

  The loud shout caught Sadie by surprise. She scanned the shoreline and spotted a man. Drawing to a stop, she threw on the brake, scouting the river bank.

  Two horses grazed nearby. Their saddles, along with other gear, lay discarded in a heap in the middle of a small clearing, as if two people had camped there over night.

  A man stood at the edge of the clearing, turning at her approach. Dressed in only a pair of dark cotton pants, he rushed forward. His bright, curly blond hair and his broad shoulders registered briefly with Sadie but with her friend in trouble she didn’t let her sway her from the problem at hand.

  “Are you a friend of the woman who is drowning?”

  Unable to certain what to say to the stranger, she nodded and worked to clear the lump in her throat. How did this man know about Carolyn?

  “Move over. I’ll drive. If we hurry I should be able to save her and my friend.” He placed a foot on the side step of the wagon and crowded onto the bench.

  She quickly scooted along the wooden plank, allowing him room to settle beside her. Long fingers closed over the reins and he tugged the leather from her grip.

  He didn’t wait for an answer. Lifting the reins, he released the brake.

  A loud whistle sounded from the river, followed almost immediately by the slapping of paddles against the water.

  The man clicked his tongue to encourage Beauty to get moving. He drove the wagon closer to the edge of the river, creating a rough new trail.

  Bouncing on the seat like a rag doll, Sadie tried to keep her distance from the man, even though the task was next to impossible with the constant swaying of the wagon. She continually brushed against his arm, shoulder and thigh. A particularly hard bump almost landed in his lap.

  “I’m sorry, but you need to slow down,” she complained and straightened.

  He drew back on the reins; the wagon rolled to a stop. His head turned in the other direction. He shifted away from her and jumped down from the wagon before she repositioned herself on the bench. “Damn that steamship. They’re rescuing them.”

  A little stunned by everything that had happened, Sadie lifted a hand to her throat. Her gaze stayed locked on Logan until his comment finally registered. She glanced at the water and noticed a steamboat cruising down-river. A line hung from the side with two people hanging from the end.

  She scrambled off the wagon to keep the boat in sight as it moved farther away. “Oh, no, where will it take them?”

  “Probably to the next port, maybe Liberty or on into Galveston.” When the steamboat rounded a bend and drifted out of sight, the stranger turned. His gaze grew in intensity as he scanned the length of her body. “I’m Logan by the way.”

  Burned by his steady regard, Sadie glanced down at her attire. Heat stained her cheeks. The ribbon on her camisole had worked its way loose and the swell of her breasts lay exposed to his view. She’d been about to redress when Carolyn fell into the river. Lifting her hands automatically to cover herself, she bowed her head.

  What should she do now?

  The smart side of her brain suggested she say something clever. The impulsive side offered a solution to the problem of sleeping alone.

  “I take it you and your friend went a little too far while indulging in a way to cool off in the heat?” Logan stepped closer.

  Awareness tingled along her nerve endings, tying her tongue into knots so no words had a chance of escaping. Instead, she stood stock-still, staring at his naked feet. Long toes led to high arches...strong ankles, thick calves. The appealing view ended at the cuff of his pants just below his knee. Denied need sparked in her gut and she allowed her gaze to drift upward. Dark material hid the solid bulk of his thighs but not the pronounced bulge at his crotch.

  Air refused to enter her lungs and her head spun with the lack of oxygen. Did this man actually want her...after simply seeing her in her bloomers?

  Confidence sizzled through her chest. Did she still have the same appealing charm she’d possessed at sixteen? Could she seduce him the same way she had Richard? A demanding yearning battled with logic. She had a ranch to run and required more muscle than sex appeal in a man.

  “I don’t believe we’ve been properly introduced. I’m Logan Jansen and you are?” The sexy tone of his voice forced her head up. She gazed into his crystal-blue eyes.

  “Sadie, Sadie Pepperman.” She tightened her hold on the thin fabric of her clothing. The urge to rip the concealing items from her body and followed the hunger building inside her core fought with the need to take the sensible course of action and keep the man at bay.