“My brothers and I did that, too.” His eyes sparkled in the light cast by the dancing flames of the campfire. “Good memories.”
“I suppose.” She hunched closer to the warmth. “How many brothers?”
“Two brothers and one sister. You?”
“Only child, but Ainslee was like a sister—until we left Iowa to move to Vermont when I was in junior high. Even after so many years apart, we still see each other whenever we can.”
“That’s weird…” His eyes widened as he stared at her. “Unbelievable.”
“What?” She swiped a hand across her mouth. “Do I have barbecue sauce on my face or something?”
He grinned. “No, I was marveling at how small the world is.”
Devin glanced around at the endless forest. “Doesn’t seem so small to me. Did I miss something?”
“It didn’t click the first time you mentioned your friend, Ainslee. A while back, I was discussing this trip with my brother, and Griff told me his girlfriend’s old pal worked for the congressman. I’d completely forgotten until—”
“Griff?” She straightened in her chair. “You know Ainslee’s Griff?”
“I should. He’s my older brother. I’m surprised you didn’t make the connection. Granted, the name Wilde isn’t that unusual, but—”
A smile grew. “Oh, my God, you’re the reason Ainslee thought about dumping Griff last June. We ran into each other in California when Walton was there for a fundraiser and talked for a couple of hours. She wasn’t very happy the man she was so crazy about ditched her to go hang out on a rafting trip with his brother and a bunch of movie stars.”
“I was shorthanded for that trip, and he bailed me out. They were filming scenes for a big blockbuster, and I wanted to impress the studio with my ultra-efficient operation. That kind of repeat business could really enhance Wilde Waters’s reputation.” He let out a breath. “Anyway, Griff totally freaked when he realized Ainslee was in danger out in California, and he couldn’t help her because he was with me in Utah.”
“I didn’t hear about that part until well after the fact. Thank heaven everything worked out. When I called her last month, our conversation got cut short. She sounded really happy, but I honest to God don’t think she ever mentioned Griff’s last name to me.”
“The way my brother talks, those two are in it for the long haul. If we hadn’t met on this trip, we would probably have run into each other eventually at some family function.”
Devin wrapped her arms around her legs and leaned her chin on her knees. “I guess it really is a small world.” She narrowed her eyes. “Your brother better be good to Ainslee or I’ll kick his ass.”
“Go for it. I’d back you up, but I don’t think he’ll give you a reason. The guy has it bad for your friend.”
They smiled at each other.
“Good.” A touch of envy stirred deep in her gut. She’d thought Porter was crazy about her, too—until she discovered he just wanted an in with the congressman. “Griff’s a good guy, right? Dependable? Faithful?”
“He’s the best, and I’m not just saying that because we’re brothers.”
The green-eyed monster bit a little harder. “I never meet men like him. The ones I gravitate toward always seem to have an agenda.”
Sawyer leaned back in his chair and studied her. “That’s what you get for hanging out in a city. Country boys know how to treat women.”
A smile built. “You don’t say?”
“I do say.”
The grin grew wider. “So, if I ditch our nation’s capital, I’d be more likely to run into a terrific guy like Griff? Do you suppose he has a brother?”
Sawyer’s laugh drew the interest of the rest of the group as conversations paused. Walton shot her a curious glance before returning his attention to the reporter.
“As a matter of fact, he has two.”
She pressed a hand to her lips to hold back a snicker. “Are they as good looking as Ainslee claims Griff is?”
“Better. Well, Tripp is. He gets all the girls.”
“In that case, I want to meet Tripp.”
“I think he’s in New Zealand right now, but I wouldn’t swear to it.” His eyes gleamed with amusement. “I guess you’ll have to make do with me.”
“A tough job, but I suppose someone has to do it...” The campfire snapped, and sparks shot skyward. Devin settled more comfortably into her chair. “Now I’m curious to hear all about your family since my BFF seems to have signed on for the duration. Honestly, from what Ainslee’s told me, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear about an engagement soon.”
“Me, either. Every time Griff calls, I wonder if he finally popped the question. My older brother always was a little slow on the uptake.”
“Three months is slow?”
Sawyer shrugged. “When it’s right, it’s right. Why wait?”
“To make sure you aren’t making a colossal mistake.” Her hands clenched in her lap. “Sometimes people aren’t what they seem on the surface. It takes time to ferret out their true nature.”
His eyes narrowed. “Wow, you really have been dating the wrong type of men.” He tapped his chest with one long finger. “What you see should be what you get.”
“I can’t argue with that.”
“So, what do you want to know about the Wilde men?”
Her forehead wrinkled. “Ainslee mentioned Griff is some sort of underwater treasure hunter?”
“He salvages artifacts from sunken ships. So, yeah, treasure hunter pretty much sums it up.”
“That’s kind of cool. What about you? Do you raft year round?”
“May through September are our prime months. I spend winters on the family ranch in Wyoming.”
“Oh, yeah? Doing what?”
Sawyer’s cheeks took on a pink hue—or maybe it was just a glow reflected from the fire. He cleared his throat. “I help with the ranch work…and I whittle.”
Her feet slipped off the edge of the chair and hit the ground. “You whittle?” A mental image of Sawyer in a rocking chair on a wide front porch, pocketknife in hand, a long gray beard…her mind boggled. “Aren’t you a little young to whittle?”
“I don’t believe there’s an age restriction, but I’ll admit my grandpa got me started. I let a harmless hobby grow out of control a few years back when I started a collection of gnomes and goblins—”
“Oh. My. God!” She bounced straight up from the chair and fisted her hands on her hips to stare down at him. “Are you S.A. Wilde?”
“You’ve seen my work?”
“Seen? Try lusted over.” She let out a moan. “There was this little hobbit…adorable. Nearly broke my heart to walk away from that shop without it.”
“So, why did you?”
“Hello, that hobbit cost more than my rent. An S.A. Wilde figurine doesn’t come cheap.”
“They do take a while to make.” His voice took on a defensive edge. “Each one is hand carved and painted, completely unique,