“Or a rabbit,” Eric teased.“Probably a real killer, too.”
“Ha ha.”She stomped onto the beach.“You had me thinking about bears.”She gave him a squinty-eyed look.“You did that on purpose.”
He held his hands up in a gesture of innocent surrender.“Not guilty.Shall we roll on?”
“Look,”Ericcalledout,jabbing his free hand toward the bank.“A moose.”A majestic moose, with huge antlers, stood on the east bank, front legs in the water, nose down, drinking.
“Oh my gosh, he’s beautiful.”As if by decree, they both stopped paddling and stared at the huge bull.
Further on, they saw three does with two spotted fawns.A flock of mallard floated past, and high up on a rocky bank, another moose bellowed out his call.
“This has been one heck of a day,” Wanda called out.“I never imagined we’d see all these animals.”
“Me either.Look over there!On the left.”
“Holy cow.”Her voice trembled.
“He’s way over there.We’re here in the water.That big old bear isn’t going to bother us one bit.”He glanced forward, checking their path, and back at the bear.“See that hump?He’s a grizzly.”
“Stunning,” she answered.“But I did not need to see that.How can I sleep in a tent when there are bears around?I am not getting out of this boat until there is a car or a building in sight.”
Eric laughed.“He’ll be miles behind us when we stop.”
“I don’t care.”Something in her voice told him that she wasn’t joking.She was genuinely frightened.
“I’ll keep you safe.”How, he had no idea, but since they were unlikely to meet a bear, he felt safe in offering.
“You’d better,” she muttered before calling, “Paddle on the left.”
Chapter Nine
“Whoseideawasthis?”Eric grumbled.“Seriously.I’m a CEO, not a fashion designer.I’ve put up with enough over the past eight days.This goes beyond.”
Wanda’s laugh rang out over the water.She splashed him with her paddle.“Suck it up, Princess Prissy Pants.It’s not that hard.”
“How exactly are we supposed to make an item of clothing from stuff we find in the woods?While we’re in a canoe?I came along on the bus trip.I got dumped in the lake at least two dozen times.I played childish games.We even managed to win the six-legged race with Fitzy, Lacy, Quinton, and Oscar.”He risked turning his head to glance at her.He’d gotten better at looking around without swamping them.“How much does a grown man have to take?”
“Oh, for the love of plants, that’s a lot of fertilizer you’re spewing there, Mr.CEO.This trip has been an absolute riot.I’ve met so many new people, some of whom are going to become close friends.The games are fun.The whole idea is to let your hair down and enjoy yourself.I’ve seen you laughing and mixing it up with your staff.Did someone poop in your Corn Flakes?Or did you just get up on the wrong side of your sleeping bag?”She paused for a second, then added, “Paddle on the other side.We’re heading for that long grass.”
He’d done some weird stuff in his lifetime, including escaping, unscathed, from a mini Canadian version of the running of the bulls.Only the bulls were mid-sized calves at a rodeo.The trip had started fun, but he was getting worried about work.He was having trouble sleeping.He’d barely gotten three hours last night.His insomnia was dragging him down.
They pulled up to the bank; he hopped out and held out his hand to help Wanda stand and get out of the boat.“Sorry.I’ve never been away from work this long, and it’s worrying me.”He pulled the canoe further ashore.
“Come on, tomorrow should be the last day.Then a bus trip home.The office will live to see another day.Besides,” she grinned at him, half evil, half impish, “you’re about to learn macrame.”
He blinked at her, certain he’d misheard.“What the what, now?”
“Mac-ra-may.”She added sarcastic emphasis to all three syllables.“The ancient art of tying knots.I’ll show you how to make a grass skirt.You can do that while I fashion an A-line top from branches.We’ll win this contest.”She waggled her eyebrows.“And we’ll have enough points to win the grand prize.Whatever it turns out to be.I’ve heard speculation that it’s a week-long vacation at a resort in BC.”
He bit back a sour response and said, “Take me to your grass.”He hated to admit, even to himself, that during daylight hours he was enjoying himself immensely and could almost forget about work.At night, he lay awake, worrying.
For an hour, they collected long sheaves of grass and thin leafy branches, mostly from willow and birch trees.They sat on the rocky shore, eating lunch, while she showed him what to do.It was easy in concept, but his large hands struggled with the execution.
She sat directly in front of him, and working backward, holding his hands in hers, she patiently moved his fingers and the grass the way they needed to go.For a moment, he was lost in the feel of her softer hands in his, and in the differences between his massive paws and her delicate hands with their pale pink painted nails.He appreciated her easygoing attitude.
“How are your nails unchipped?”He looked up and nearly drowned in her violet eyes.His heart fluttered, and for a second, he thought it was a heart attack.
“They’re super tough.I use an acrylic polish that’s set with UV light.It’s almost unchippable.Of course, it’s super hard to get off later.”She shrugged.“I work in dirt, day in and day out.It’s my one vice…except for junk food.Do you know what I’d give for red licorice right now?”
