Anything for Her(49)

Somehow, though, he wasn’t surprised when she rose as gracefully to a standing position as if she’d skied a hundred times, and seemed to fly off, her body beautiful and slender in a simple, one-piece black bathing suit cut high on her hips and low in back. He’d seen the two college boys eyeing her until they caught his expression. Mine.

“Man,” Sean breathed, “look at her go.” He was quiet for a minute. “Now I’m going to be the only person to fall on my face.”

Nolan clapped him on the back. “You’re a good athlete. And don’t be embarrassed if you do fall. Even experienced skiers do. Allie is having beginner’s luck.”

“No.” The boy frowned. “It’s just her.”

Nolan thought so, too, but he didn’t agree aloud. “You two getting along okay?”

Sean rolled his eyes. “I was nice. As ordered.”

“Did I order?”

He shrugged.

“I thought you’d both enjoy this.” Nolan stared after her. She’d become very small as the boat headed for the end of the huge lake. “Was I wrong?”

“No, it’s okay,” Sean said, to Nolan’s surprise. “Can I dive in and swim while they’re gone?”

“Of course you can.”

He did, then erupted back out. “It’s freaking cold!”

Nolan grinned. “I didn’t mention that?”

Spitting out profanities, Sean scrambled out of the water and flung himself full-length onto the warm dock.

“That’s what keeps you on your feet while you’re out there.” Nolan nodded toward the distant boat. “Course, you’re getting sprayed, so by the time you’re back here, you’re already numb.”

His foster son told him where to go, not very politely.

Happy in an unfamiliar way, Nolan leaned back on his elbows and kept an eye on Allie until boat and skier disappeared from sight as they curved around the southern shore of the lake.

She made two circuits, although she didn’t quite have the nerve, apparently, to let loose of the handle with either hand to wave when she passed by. She was laughing, though, so Nolan was able to relax again. Drowsing in the sun, he and Sean talked little, and in slow sentence fragments.

When the boat came back around either the boy piloting it or Allie—or both—miscalculated the drop-off, leaving her sinking into the water a good twenty yards off the end of the dock. Seeing her panic, Nolan came to his feet. The vest still seemed to be securely fastened, good. He dived off the dock and swam quickly to her.

She looked a little less panicked when he surfaced. “I feel like a cork.”

“You look like a cork. Here, I’ll take that.” He grabbed the ski. “Can you make it? If not, I’ll take this to the dock and come back for you.”

“No, I can...well, sort of.” She began kicking and doing a sort of half crawl, half dog paddle that did propel her forward, if slowly.

Sean was on his feet, watching. He reached down for the ski, freeing Nolan to put his hands around Allie’s waist and boost her halfway up the ladder. The boat had circled around and Nolan was able to grab the handle of the towline. Allie was laughing and gulping when he joined her on the dock.

“Oh, Lord! That was...”

“Fabulous?” Nolan prompted.

“Awful?” Sean asked.

“Fabulous, once I decided I wasn’t going to fall down. Though at the end it got a little scary.” She laughed up at Sean. “Go for it.”

He gulped. “God. Do I have to?”

“No.” Nolan put a hand on his shoulder. “Same thing I told Allie.”

He shook his head, sat down and wedged his feet into the rubber bindings. After a deep breath, he lifted his hand. “Oh man, oh man, oh man...”

The line stretched taut, and he was off, Nolan and Allie both cheering when he remained on his feet.

Allie sat on the end of the dock where Sean had been, legs dangling. Nolan joined her. “So, what do you think?”

“I’m really glad I did it.” She smiled at him, the glints of gold in her eyes more mesmerizing than the white-hot shards of sunlight bouncing off the waves. “Thank you, Nolan.”

He bent his head enough to kiss her. “You’re very welcome.”

It took some effort for him to keep the kiss as undemanding as he did. He felt a stirring that would become all too obvious in wet board shorts. Something he’d have to quell before Sean got back. As the kiss deepened, he decided a last-minute plunge into the ice-cold lake would do it.