Sweet Serenade (Riverbend Romance 3) Read Online Free PDF Page B

seconds. Carly pried deep on the left as Reed brought the craft in line with the flow. They’d let the river do most of the work, just interfering enough to keep from crashing on the jagged rocks.
    Sounded like a plan.
    They veered left of the main channel to get past a partially submerged tree then back before the first set of haystacks.
    The river filled Carly’s senses. The scent of icy water drowned the fragrance of the nearby trees. Water splattered her as it boiled over rocks mere inches away, cooling her skin and pounding in her ears with God’s drumbeat.
    A pry of the paddle here, a pull there. The bow rose as they entered the chute then lunged downward, taking on a little water before leveling out. Reed knew what he was doing in the stern.
    The next set of boulders loomed, and she strained to pull the paddle to her right, seeking the deepest channel. They shot through the rolling water and into the eddy below.
    What a rush! She lifted the paddle high with both hands and hollered into the sky. “Yes!”
    Above the churning water she heard Reed’s answering shout. The canoe slid toward the bank, and Carly drew the bow closer. As soon as it touched the riverbank, she leaped out and held the craft for Reed’s exit then looped the towline around a sapling.
    She leaped at Reed as he straightened. “That was awesome!”
    Wait. She’d jumped straight in his arms, and he’d caught her. Her arms clung to his neck and her legs wrapped around his waist. Oh, man. She hardly knew him.
    He twirled her around once, looking deep into her eyes, his eyes mirroring her thrill. Then he set her down and disengaged her arms. “That was a great run.” His jaw twitched.
    Carly wasn’t quite ready to let him go. She gripped both hands. “Thanks so much. I haven’t had this much fun since, well, since last summer.” But never with a partner like Reed. His expertise made him one of the best she’d ever paddled with. Other than Dad. But this racing heart wasn’t only for an exhilarating paddle. It had a lot to do with the man who held her hands with the same ferocity she gripped his. The man with the glimmering brown eyes, the devastating smile, and the dimple that was just now starting to reappear.
    “Want to do it again?” he asked.  
    It was all she could do to not fling herself at him again. “Oh, yeah.”
    “How are you in the stern?”
    Seriously? Carly jiggled with anticipation. “I think I can handle it, but we’ll need some weight to keep the stern low.” Not that he was all that heavy, but he still outweighed her by probably eight or nine kilos.
    “There’s ballast in the truck.”
    “You’re on!”
    Reed grinned, leaned over the canoe, and hoisted it into the air. He settled the yoke on his shoulders. “Lead the way.”
    Carly knew better than to ask if he needed a hand with the carry. It was a dozen times easier to carry one alone as he did than for two people to lift and carry. She’d done it herself many a time, but she’d bet her Kevlar craft was lighter than his cedar-strip. Even though his was infinitely more beautiful. She’d rather walk behind him so she could admire the canoe’s lines. Really. It wasn’t like much of Reed beyond his sport-sandal-clad feet would be visible from the back. But he’d asked her to lead, so she would.
    Was it so he could keep an eye on her? The thought warmed her more than the summer sun streaking between the trees.
    Ten minutes later he twisted the canoe back to the ground near his truck and flexed both shoulders.
    “Sore?”
    “A little.” He shrugged. “It’s early in the season. The muscle memory hasn’t come back yet.”
    She knew all about that. “Here, let me help.” She hopped up on a rock behind him and put both hands on his shoulders. In seconds her thumb dug into the knot by his right shoulder blade.
    “Ouch.” He winced. “You found the spot.”
    “Uh, yeah. I’ve met it before.” She massaged a few minutes longer then patted his