“What’s your name?” Carson asked.
“Lily Johnson.” She held her hand out, but quickly retreated. “Sorry. It’s Price. Lily Price.”
She shook her head before extending her hand again. Her grip was firm and surprisingly warm. Had she recently changed her name or was her confusion because of injury? He glanced down at her left hand. Bare. But that didn’t mean a thing. The river was a thief. She’d been known to take jewelry, sunglasses, and bathing suits. Even lives.
“I’m Carson Swift.” Carson dropped her hand, but he still felt the charge as if he’d been struck by lightning, and the water only intensified the conductivity. “This is my brother, Cody.”
“Oh, so there are two of you.” She let out a sigh of relief. “I thought I was seeing double.”
“We’re twins.” Cody reached out to shake hands. “Identical.”
“Nice to meet you both.” Lily glanced from one brother to the other. The glazed look in her honey-gold eyes told Carson she’d have to work at telling them apart. They were too much alike. On the outside.
“It’s our pleasure.” Cody emphasized the last word, letting her know that he was interested. Then again, Cody rarely met a good-looking woman he wasn’t interested in.
“Well, thank you both for…” Lily held her breath just long enough for Carson to suspect she was not as calm as she pretended to be. “Saving my life.” She flashed them a fake smile to let them know she was fine, thank-you-very-much.
“Hey, no problem.” Carson wanted her to believe it was no big deal. All in a day’s work.
Except it was a problem. A big problem. He couldn’t just walk away from her now.
Physically, she’d recover. She’d be sore for a few days, but the color had already returned to her cheeks. She stretched her arms overhead and rolled her head from side to side. He almost expected her to throw a few jabs in the air just to prove she was a fighter. But she kept casting glances at the river as if it might reach up and swallow her. Carson worried more about her emotional state. Fear could creep in like an unwanted vine and if left unchecked, it would take over, choking the life out of her.
“Let’s get you someplace warm.” Carson took her arm to lead her back up the path. “My truck is just down the creek.”
“Oh, that’s okay.” Lily eyed the water again with mistrust. “My cabin is right on the river.”
“Cedar shingles? Green trim?” Cody asked. They had fished this stretch of the river enough times to know the place she was talking about.
“That’s the one.” Lily’s face lit up with pride. There were only a few residences along the way and hers was by far the most welcoming.
“Trust me,” Carson said. “My truck is much closer.”
She shrugged and then bent down to pick up his keys and phone.
“You might need these then.” She handed the keys to him and their fingers brushed, sending a shiver down his spine.
“Is there someone we should call?” Carson asked as he took the phone.
“No.” Lily shook her head. Sadness flickered across her face, disappearing almost instantly. “I’m enjoying the solitude of Hidden Creek.”
“So you’re all alone out here?” Cody’s voice dripped with invitation. Could he be any more obvious? The woman had just been plucked from the river and Cody was trying to get her into bed.
“I’m taking a much-needed vacation.” Lily’s voice held a hint of defiance. “The first since my honeymoon seven years ago.”
“So will your husband be joining you?” Carson’s voice cracked like a thirteen-year-old boy. He half-hoped she was still married. Then he could just forget about her.
Yeah. Right.
“My ex-husband can go to hell.” Lily’s voice shook a little. As if she wasn’t used to using such strong language. Or maybe she wasn’t used to standing up for herself. “Did I say that out loud?”
“You did.” She made him laugh, in spite of everything.
“I am so embarrassed.” Lily blushed, a deep, dark pink. “I’m not really the bitter ex. I swear.”
“What, did the guy cheat on you?” Cody asked. Leave it to his brother to use a woman’s divorce as an opener to hit on her.
“Yeah. Among other things.” Lily looked down at the trail, as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. Obviously she didn’t want to talk about it. She marched forward, but stumbled on an exposed root.
Carson grabbed her arm. Just to steady her. The sooner he got her back to her cabin, the better.
“Let’s get you home. Get you warmed up, and we’ll be on our way.” Carson would sleep better knowing she had no lasting effects of her ordeal. Besides, he already felt responsible for her.
He needed someone else to worry about like he needed another Swift River Adventures T-shirt.
Maybe he could use another shirt. His was dripping wet and covered in dirt. Lily was the only one of them wearing a shirt, dry or otherwise. And damn, if she didn’t look really good in it. Her hips swayed ever so slightly as she walked. She wasn’t very tall, but her legs stretched long and lean beneath the faded blue shirt. Her damp hair fell just below her shoulders. Carson couldn’t tell if it was light brown or dark blonde, but either way it would look great spread across his pillow.
He didn’t need to peek at Cody to know he was thinking the same thing. They were way past the age of acting like horny teenagers. Or they should be. Besides, Carson wasn’t going to stick around; he had no business lusting after her.
She was just something else he would leave behind.
* * * *
“So, Lily, what were you doing swimming in such high water?” one of the brothers asked. The one who’d pulled them both from the river. He’d also given her the shirt off his back. Literally.
“I wasn’t swimming.” Lily didn’t like the defensive tone in her voice. “I… I fell in.”
“Well, it’s a good thing we came along when we did,” the other brother said. He tried to keep his tone light, but Lily sensed an undercurrent of worry. They all knew what might have happened if the brothers hadn’t been there.
Some Mother’s Day this turned out to be. Not that she was fortunate enough to be a mother. And instead of being a good daughter, spending an uncomfortable day not talking about her divorce with her mom, she’d decided to relax in the sun, finally diving into that novel she bought for herself last Christmas. With everything that happened to her in the last few months, Lily hadn’t had time for small pleasures. Now she had all the time in the world. The next few months, at least. She planned on taking the summer off before looking for another bookkeeping job, or even landing clients of her own.
Lily had felt a little reckless sunbathing on that rock like a teenager. She’d even switched to SPF 15 instead of her usual 50. UV rays had turned out to be the least of her worries. She should have waited for the paperback or gotten an eBook. With the bulk and weight of a hardcover edition, the book had slipped out of her hands and as she reached for it, she’d tumbled head first into Hidden Creek.
She was a strong swimmer, an experienced swimmer, but the swift current had taken her by surprise. She’d tried swimming back toward the rock, but there was no way she could fight the force of all that water. Disoriented and a little ticked off at the twenty-seven dollars she’d