“You sound like my dad.” She rolled her eyes. “Small towns might be more practical for dog walking, but they don’t have a lot to offer in the way of culture. Or nightlife. Or decent restaurants. Or—”
“I get your point, or points…but we’ll have to agree to disagree. A few days spent in a city makes me want to run screaming back to the woods. Tell me about your meeting with Walton. A job by accident? I bet an interesting story lurks beneath that statement.”
A smile curved her lips. “Maybe I’ll give you the in-depth version sometime.” She straightened and frowned then hooked a strand of hair behind one ear. “If that roaring means what I think, right now I may need all my concentration to stay in the raft.”
“You’ll do fine.” He poked the congressman’s son with a sandal-clad foot. “Dwight, wake up. Rapids ahead. You might want to hold on.”
“Rapids?” The journalist’s voice quavered as he, too, straightened and stared. “Oh, God.”
The raft jostled and bounced as they entered the whitewater. With a strong grip on his paddle, Sawyer steered to the right, taking the easiest route. “Of course, rapids.” He raised his voice to be heard over the thundering water. “What did you expect on a Class IV river?”
“Not this raging torrent!” Kennedy dropped his paddle in the raft and clamped an arm around the inflated side. “Oh, shit!”
They dipped and bobbed while Sawyer and Devin paddled hard, careening off rocks and swirling through an eddy. A spray of water shot up, drenching all four of them before the raft settled into calmer waters.
“Whoo-hoo!” Devin pushed wet hair out of her eyes. “That was crazy fun!”
“Fun?” Dwight turned and scowled. “Are you insane? I’m soaked.”
“You’ll dry.” Sawyer returned Devin’s grin. “You liked that?”
She let out a sigh. “What a rush.”
Kennedy crawled up out of the bottom of the raft and readjusted his glasses. “I’m just thankful we’re all still alive. Is that the worst of it?”
“Hell…er, heck, no. We’re just getting started.” Sawyer met Devin’s bright blue gaze. Despite his clammy T-shirt and wet hair, a tingle of heat shot straight through him. He released a long breath. “The best is still to come.”
Chapter 2
Devin tossed the chicken bone onto her plate next to the remains of her potato salad and licked barbecue sauce off her fingers. If she wasn’t careful, she’d gain weight on this trip. The food, prepared by a guy named Gregor who had flaming red hair and tattoos covering every square inch of exposed skin, was excellent.
Her gaze strayed toward Sawyer, elbow deep in dishwater as he cleaned up after their meal. Obviously the owner of the rafting company wasn’t above pitching in to do the dirty work. They were an odd team but seemed to work well together. The older man, Jon, with his quick wit and ready smile, gathered dirty plates beside the tattooed cook. The youngest member of the company, Roman, who’d told her he’d been hired temporarily to replace an injured crew member, dried the pot his boss handed him then dropped it into a rubber tub. His hands fisted on his hips as his attention strayed toward the congressman’s son who sat alone down near the water on a large rock. When the boy swore and shoved his phone back in his pocket, the blond guide grinned.
Devin didn’t blame him for his uncharitable attitude. Dwight was irritating as hell ninety-five percent of the time.
Next to her, Walton let out a sigh. “I was hoping my son would enjoy this week, that the trip would bring us closer.”
“Only having sporadic cell service and no Wi-Fi is already taking a toll on him.”
“Damn kids can’t survive five minutes without all their devices.” The congressman stretched his legs out in front of him. “Honestly, I’m enjoying the freedom of being disconnected.”
Devin smiled. “I am, too. No ringing phones. No emails to answer. No Syd barking orders. I think I’m in heaven.”
“You can bet my campaign manager will be in touch the second we have service again. But, I agree, maybe we are in heaven.” Walton waved toward the thick pine and spruce forest surrounding their camp on the river’s edge. “Looks like God’s country to me.”
Devin glanced toward the river. Gathering dusk cast long shadows across the water. “This place is beautiful in a primitive sort of way. I don’t imagine the land has changed much in the last millennium.”
“Probably not.” Hands pressed to his thighs, her boss rose to his feet. “I promised that weasely reporter I’d answer a few of his questions after dinner. May as well get it over with.”
“His name’s Liam. Be nice. Should I sit in on the interview, just to make sure he doesn’t ask anything you shouldn’t answer?”
“I’ve got this under control. Stay here and relax.” With a wink, Walton strolled away.
“You finished?” The older guide paused in front of her.
“We are.” Devin stacked her dirty plate on top of the congressman’s then handed Jon both. “Thanks, dinner was delicious.”
“You’re welcome.” He offered a pleasant grin. “We aim to please. Especially Sawyer. He’s all about accommodating our guests.”
One brow shot up. “Oh?”
Jon nodded. “Just ask if you need anything at all.”
As he walked away, Devin’s gaze drifted back to the man scrubbing a grill crusted with barbecue sauce, forehead creased, biceps bulging. A few personal needs he might satisfy came to mind, and her cheeks heated. Sawyer Wilde was too damned gorgeous for any woman’s peace of mind. After Porter had stomped all over her heart then given it a few additional kicks for good measure, she’d sworn not to jump into another relationship until she’d had some serious downtime to reflect on exactly why she was so awful at judging men.
Devin chewed her lip as her gaze narrowed on the object of a few of her more creative fantasies. However, a quick fling might not be such a bad idea. During a wild ride through one set of rapids after another as they’d plunged down the river that afternoon, those strong arms had strained to keep the raft from capsizing. She’d been so busy watching every muscle in Sawyer’s body flex, she’d completely forgotten to paddle a few times. Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly. The man was all wrong for her, but apparently her hormones hadn’t gotten the newsflash.
Finished with the dishes, Sawyer bent over to pick up an armful of dead limbs. Old sweatpants had never looked so fine. He turned to place the branches carefully on the campfire then dusted his hands on his thighs.
Devin swallowed then looked away.
A few days spent cozying up to their hunky guide would surely go a long way toward making her forget she’d ever been stupid enough to fall for a man who cared only about himself…and how far she could advance his career. Just as soon as she worked up the energy to initiate a conversation, she’d get to know Sawyer a little better and find out where their week together might lead.
At least she’d seen Porter for the jerk he was before he’d done too much damage to her ego. It felt good to know she’d been the one to dump him. Giving herself a mental pat on the back for that, she let go of some of the tension she’d been harboring for the last couple of weeks since her big break up. Devin relaxed into the camp chair and sighed. After a hard day of paddling, the melodic lapping of the river against the shore had an almost hypnotic effect. Her lids drooped.
“You falling asleep?”
Her eyes popped open. “Hmm? Uh, I guess so.” Straightening, she yawned then slapped a hand over her mouth. “Wow, all that paddling makes a person tired.”
Sawyer