They moved to the outside of the bend and took the corner. As they did, Angel saw that what had been a smooth spot now bubbled with fast water over rocks. He swore under his breath.
“I heard that,” she said, looking in front of her rather than at him. “That looks complicated.”
They were already going faster. He pointed to the shore. “Paddle over there. We’ll walk the boats past this stretch of river.”
She nodded and began to paddle. Only she wasn’t making any progress. With every stroke she was being drawn toward the small rapids. Angel moved his kayak next to hers, then held out his hand.
“Come on,” he said. “Grab me. I’ll pull you to safety.”
She frowned and shook her head. “I’m okay.”
“You’re not. You’re inexperienced. Take my hand.”
She glanced at him. “I’m not doing that, Angel. If I stop paddling I’ll—”
Her boat spun away and she screamed. Angel dug in deep, paddling toward her as quickly as he could. But she was caught in some current he couldn’t see, and no matter how hard he stroked, she kept slipping farther and farther away.
“Taryn!” he yelled, furious at her for not reaching out to him and at himself for not taking better care of her.
She did her best to keep her kayak pointing downriver and toward the shore. The water flowed faster and faster. Suddenly her boat shifted left, then right. It turned around completely and she nearly lost her paddle. She bumped over rocks and screamed again, only to disappear around a narrow bend.
Angel paddled as quickly as he could, searching as he went, wondering how long it would be before he saw her overturned kayak floating ahead of him or bumping into shore.
He reminded himself she was wearing a life jacket and the water wasn’t deep. Sure, it was cold, but she could survive for a few minutes, until he could pull her to safety. Only the tightness in his chest warned him there were a thousand ways she could be injured in seconds on the river. Or worse.
He alternately prayed and swore as he paddled down the river and yelled her name. He saw nothing on either side, nothing in the water. Then he spotted the kayak pulled up onshore and Taryn standing next to it.
He surged forward, willing the boat to go faster. The bow had barely touched land before he was out and running toward her. She stood in place, her face pale, her arms tight across her chest. She was dry, he noted as he grabbed her by the upper arms and shook her.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” he demanded, his voice harsh and loud. “You could have been killed. You don’t know what you’re doing. Why didn’t you grab my hand? Goddammit, that’s all you had to do.”
* * *
TARYN KNEW IN her head that eventually the shaking would stop. The adrenaline would fade and she would be able to breathe and talk and think. But right now there was only trembling and the exhaustion left behind as the fear slowly drained away.
Angel glared at her, his fury tangible. She wasn’t afraid of him—she understood she’d scared him. She’d scared herself. When the water had captured her, she’d wondered if she was going to drown on a stupid river in some backwoods wilderness outside Fool’s Gold.
She’d fought to stay in control of her kayak. She’d learned that much from the videos she’d watched on YouTube. She’d tried to point the bow in the direction she was going—sort of like coming out of a skid in her car. Only the river had been way more powerful and she’d been swept away.
Once she’d rounded the second bend, the water had slowed and she’d been able to paddle to shore. What had seemed like a lifetime had probably taken thirty seconds. Now she was left with the physical aftermath and the terrified, angry man standing in front of her.
“Dammit, don’t you trust me?” he asked.
She pressed her lips together. “I want to,” she managed, her voice only trembling a little. “But I can’t.”
He dropped his hands to his sides and stared at her. She read confusion and what might have been pain. Because he wouldn’t understand. He would think it was personal. That she didn’t trust him, when in truth, she didn’t trust anyone.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
He turned away. “No problem. Let me figure out where we are. I’ll get the guy to meet us with the trailer and we’ll get out of here. You can go home.”
He was dismissing her. Dismissing them. Gone was the teasing, sexy man who had intrigued and delighted her. And while she hadn’t been looking for a happily ever after, she had wanted to keep seeing Angel. To learn more about him. She’d wanted to make love with him and spend time with him. She’d wanted to laugh and talk, because being with him was both challenging and easy.
She wasn’t ready for this to be over.
He pulled out his cell and checked for a signal. After he shook his head, he walked to his kayak and pushed it higher on the shore. He removed the cooler containing their lunch and another small box. Inside was a more complex-looking phone. Probably the kind that worked off a satellite rather than a cell tower, she thought.
He began to dial.
“Stop,” she said. “Just stop.”