Gerard as a construction worker. Sawyer had to admit, he’d have bet money against that ever happening. She was obviously taking her charade very seriously, and he couldn’t help but wonder if she was learning anything about life in the process. Well, besides how to work a power drill.
He checked with a hand in the ranch yard and was told the family was at the river.
Hoping Niki was included in the family group, he strode his way down a tree-lined trail behind the main house, hearing the sounds of talking and laughter before he saw anyone. He emerged from the woods to a picturesque meadow and a wide, relatively calm bay jutting out from the river. There was a gazebo in front of the sandy beach, which was strewn with lawn chairs and towels.
Caleb and Mandy, Reed and Katrina, and a number of people he didn’t recognize were swimming and sunning themselves. Caleb was holding his baby son, but Sawyer’s gaze immediately caught on Niki who was walking from the river’s edge across the sandy beach.
Her dark hair was slicked back. Her skin glistened wet in the sunshine. Her blue bikini showed off toned, tanned legs, a flat stomach and smooth shoulders. The wet fabric clung to her pert breasts and to the curve of her hips. His feet slowed to a halt, and he simply couldn’t drag his gaze away from the sexy picture.
She bent over a chair, scooping up a diaphanous scrap of nothing, wrapping it around her body. He knew it was supposed to cover her up, but the breeze pushed the sheer fabric against her body, and it just made her look sexier.
Her gaze caught his, and she seemed to startle.
He forced himself to resume walking. “Hello,” he called to Caleb who was closest. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to barge in.”
“No problem,” Caleb responded, shifting Asher in his arms. “Getting settled?”
Sawyer was aware of Niki moving in his peripheral vision, but he forced himself to keep his attention fixed on Caleb. “Slowly but surely,” he responded. “My ranch manager arrived last night. This is a gorgeous spot you have here.”
“One of our favorites. Mandy and I have to go back to Chicago in the morning, and she didn’t want to waste the day.”
“I don’t blame her.” Sawyer meant it.
“Join us for a dip,” Caleb invited.
Sawyer glanced down at his blue jeans and boots. “I’m not really …” Then he decided, to hell with it. He wasn’t shy about his black boxers. And this was exactly the kind of excuse he needed to hang around. “Sure,” he amended. “Why not?”
Caleb grinned. “That’s the spirit. We’re about to start a game of water polo. There’s a stack of towels in the gazebo.”
By the time Sawyer had stripped off his outer clothes and made his way to the bay, there were at least a dozen people positioning themselves in the water for the game. It turned out to be a modified version of regular water polo, with a volley ball and two floating nets. His navy background gave him an edge, but Caleb, who was on Sawyer’s team, and Reed, on the opposite team, were both strong players. Reed, in particular, could effortlessly lob the ball from one end of the makeshift court to the other.
Niki was on the opposite team, and she turned out to be a surprisingly strong swimmer. So, when she and Sawyer both went after a long pass, he had to kick it up a notch to stay ahead. He beat her by a couple of feet, just before the ball would have been grabbed by the current out in the main channel of the river. He snagged it and quickly tossed it back to his teammate Mandy, who put it into play to the cheers and shouts of both teams.
He’d just launched himself to swim back, when Niki gasped.
He twisted his head to look back.
“Oh, no,” she cried as the current grabbed her.
She stroked hard against it, legs kicking beneath the surface. Her eyes went wide as the current won and began to tow her away.
Sawyer lunged for her, swimming fast and hard, until he could grab her by the arm.
“My leg’s cramping,” she gasped. The water was much colder now that they were out of the bay.
Sawyer wrapped an arm around her waist, flipping her into a rescue position. “Relax,” he instructed. “I’ve got you. I’m going to take us into shore.”
To her credit, she didn’t panic.
He glanced at the crowd in the water polo game. Reed had seen her flounder, and was beginning to make his way over to help.
“It’s good,” Sawyer shouted to him. “I’ve got her.” He gave Reed a thumbs up, just as the current dragged the two of them around a bend. The water-polo game disappeared from sight.
Going with the current, he managed to angle himself and Niki toward the bay. “You okay?” he asked her.
She was gritting her teeth. “My left calf is seized up.”
“That’s the cold water. Just give me a minute here.”
He glanced around to gauge their situation. The white water told him where there were rocks beneath the surface, but he could see a safe route he could use to get them to shore.
“Sure,” she hissed between her clenched teeth. “Take your time. I’m not going anywhere.”
He couldn’t help but smile. “Thank you for not making this any harder.”
“Thank you for rescuing me.”
“My pleasure.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m sure it was exactly what you had in mind for your day today.”
They were getting close to shore now, in a place where the current was weaker. “I trained for this in the navy,” he told her. “It’s probably good to keep my skills sharp.”
As he spoke, he became aware of how her body was cradled against his, the slick, smooth skin of her midriff, her rear end rubbing against his body, and her pert breasts bobbing above the water. It had sure never been like this in the navy.
His feet touched the rocky bottom, but he kept her in his arms, turning her sideways to more easily hold her.
“It’s warmer here,” she noted, voice still strained.
“Shallower, and less current flowing through. The sun warms the water. How’s your leg?”
“Pretty sore.”
He ran his fingertips along the back of her left calf, easily finding the bunched muscle. “Here?”
“Ouch. Yes.”
He rubbed the area experimentally with the pad of his thumb, zeroing in on the knot. She moaned, arms tightening around his neck.
“Helping?” he asked.
“Yes,” she hissed, pressing her face into his wet shoulder.
He massaged slightly harder, and she clung tighter.
“Stretch
