“Nothing makes a person need a vacation more than a kidnapping,” Mags said between bites of her bacon and egg burrito. She picked up a napkin from the picnic table and dabbed at her lips. “After the jewel heist fiasco, we could use a vacation. Especially you, CJ Turley.”
“What were you thinking we could do?” I could use a couple of days off.
“Float the river.”
Eric Drake, local park ranger, who also happened to be my boyfriend, spewed coffee. “Sorry. Do either of you know anything about the river?”
Mags grinned. “No, that’s why you’re invited, too. We can rent a canoe for the day. People sometimes use kayaks, but I’m not coordinated enough. Now that I’m out of that cursed boot from my foot surgery, I need some fun.”
“You didn’t think finding the jewel thief was fun?” I asked, wiggling my eyebrows.
“I most certainly did,” she said. “But we can’t always depend on a theft or a murder to liven things up. We need to act like normal people sometimes. Call this a day away from it all.” She grinned.
“One day doesn’t a vacation make anyway,” I said.
Eric exhaled heavily. “I know you well enough to know you won’t quit until you get your way. How about we go today? I’ve nothing pressing on my schedule, and it’s always a good idea to scout out who’s on the river.”
“I don’t have anything going on either.” I stood and gathered up our trash. “We can have a picnic somewhere along the way.” The more I thought of spending the day on the water, the more excited I became. I could use a day off. Even better, I’d spend the day with Eric…and Mags, but since I rarely was without my middle-aged friend, I went along with it for the most part.
Inside my tiny house, I opened one of the drawers under the stairs and pulled out a sheet of copy paper. I scribbled that I’d be back later that evening and to contact Roy Owens, our all-around handyman, if there was an emergency. After tacking the paper to my front door, I sent Roy a text informing him I’d be gone for the day. Next I packed three sandwiches, several water bottles, some dog snacks, and a bag of chips, then clipped Caper’s leash to her collar and joined Eric and Mags outside.
Mags eyed my dog. “I suppose we do have to take her.”
“Why wouldn’t we?” I narrowed my eyes.
“She tends to find trouble.”
True. “Not this time.” Please, Lord, not this time. It seemed my dog had a talent for finding stolen jewelry, which resulted in trouble, which proved Mags’s point.
We piled into Eric’s side-by-side, which to me seemed like a cross between a golf cart and a jeep. “Not you, CJ. You need to follow me. Someone will have to give us a ride back to the truck. Mags will stay with the canoe.”
“Right.” I hadn’t thought of that. “Good thinking.”
I followed in my car to his place, where he slid a canoe onto a trailer, hitched the trailer to a real jeep, and waited for Mags to climb in. Half an hour later, Eric had me park at the exit point, then join him and Mags. How complicated a simple canoe trip could be.
“Life jackets.” He tossed us each one. “No exceptions.”
“We’re going to sweat all the way to our toes,” Mags grumbled, sliding into hers. “I hate sweat.”
“Remember, it was your idea to go canoeing in the summer.” Eric grinned.
“Here’s hoping for a breeze,” I said, climbing into the canoe with Caper. I set my dog on the middle seat where Mags would sit and took my place in the front. It would be up to Eric and me to do the paddling.
We floated past cliffs and trees, waterfalls and meadows. The river truly was one of God’s greatest creations. I set the canoe paddle on my lap, and the tension of the last month left my shoulders. Tension from being responsible for not only the tiny house community, but the neighboring campground when its overseer had taken a vacation. There was also the theft and the manslaughter that kept me busy between the two, not to mention someone had tried to hurt my dog. I clenched my fists at the thought, then took a deep breath to relax. “It’s beautiful,” I said, glancing over my shoulder at Eric.
“One of my favorite places.” He gave a lopsided smile. “Maybe you and I can come here sometime without the third wheel.”
“I heard that.” Mags crossed her arms. “If you didn’t want me along, all you had to do was say so.”
“It was your idea,” he laughed. “We couldn’t ditch you.”
A couple of men floated past on kayaks, heads low over their paddles. Soon after, more kayaks floated by carrying both men and women.
“Quite the gathering,” I said.
“Most likely a club. There are several in the area.” Eric renewed his paddling. “This river can become crowded at times. Then other times, it’s as if I’m the only person left on the planet.”
“You do this a lot?” I asked.
“Every chance I get.”
I needed to start going with him. During the years of caring for my dying grandmother, I’d had little fun. I didn’t begrudge those years but counted them a blessing as I got to spend my grandmother’s last days with her. But now, I had to make up for lost time. Eric was my first real boyfriend, and it took me a while to learn how not to look like an idiot around him. I also had treasured friends of whom Mags was one, and although I’d inherited Grams’s house, I loved the simplicity of my tiny house and my job as overseer of the community. Someday, I’d have to clean out Grams’s house and decide whether to live there or sell. Today was not that day.
“Here’s a good spot to have lunch.” Eric steered us to a low edge of the bank cleared of trees. “It looks as if several others have been here before us.” He pointed to scrapes in the dirt.
“Well, they’re gone now,” Mags announced, squeezing past me. “I need to plant my feet on firm ground for a bit and eat something.”
“I second that.” My legs protested at first but stretched out soon enough. I helped Eric pull the canoe far enough on the bank so it wouldn’t float off, then grabbed the backpack I’d put our lunches in.
We each found a log or a boulder to sit on and dug into our lunches while Caper nosed around the area. “Stay, Caper.”
She wagged her tail without looking at me and kept on about her business.
“She won’t go far,” Eric said.
“That’s what you think. That dog is a wanderer.” I bit into my turkey-and-Swiss sandwich, keeping an eye on my ill-trained, furry friend.
“Relax, sweetheart.” Eric gave me a wink. “There isn’t much trouble she can get into out here unless she rustles up a snake or a skunk.”
“If there’s trouble, she’ll find it. Why do you think Grams named her Caper?” I raised my eyebrows.
With a laugh, he opened the bag of potato chips. “I’ve always wanted a dog, but a big one. I doubt a Labrador would fit in my house.”
“Black or chocolate?” Mags asked.
“Are we talking candy?” I hoped so. I hadn’t thought to pack anything sweet.
“Colors of labs.” She rolled her eyes. “Of course, you can also get yellow.”
“Chocolate,” Eric said. “I would name her Hershey.”
“Cute.” I made a mental note to find a way to get him a chocolate-colored lab. He spent enough time outside that the dog would get plenty of exercise. Eric had helped me enough times to warrant me doing something nice for him. Oh, no. Caper was nowhere in sight. “Where is that darn dog?”
“We’ll get her before we leave. Don’t worry.” Eric guzzled a bottle of water. “Humid today.” He removed his life jacket, then his shirt.
Mags’s eyes widened, then she glanced at me with a grin and fanned herself.
My face heated. I’d seen photos of well-developed men without a shirt, but Eric could grace every month of my calendar. He stood and ambled into the water.
“You might want to cool off, too,” Mags said. “Your face is red.”
“Hush.” I did remove my lifejacket so the breeze could cool my sweat.
“That felt great.” Eric shook his head, spraying us with water, then donned his shirt.
“Not necessary to give us a shower, young man.” Mags wiped water from her face. “We should get going so we’re home by supper.”
We just ate and already she’s thinking about food. I pushed to my feet and called for my dog. “Caper! Come here, girl.”
Eric gave a shrill whistle.
Caper came running and dropped something at my feet.
“Is that a finger?” Mags squinted.
- Publisher : Winged Publications
- Publication date : August 24, 2019
- Language : English
- Print length : 245 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1947523597
- ISBN-13 : 978-1947523593