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Kaeden laughed but he saw Joy’s eyes go wide. He shook his head at her.
The other rafts pushed out ahead of them and their boat was the last to leave. He, Logan, Samantha, Joy, Jennie, and Chad were all on this raft, along with their guide perched at the back to steer.
The guide shouted at them. “Alright, people! Listen up. My name’s Rick. We’re going to go through some commands and steering and all that jazz. Some of you are going to get a little wet. Most of you will get a lot wet. A couple will get the whole dunk, spin, and rinse cycle.” He paused. “But only if you’re lucky.”
He went through some directions for what they should do when he yelled certain things as they headed down river, mostly coasting along for the start of the trip.
“Who’s ready for this?” he yelled.
Most of them yelled back.
The guide shook his head. “Come on people, you weren’t born to work and work and work and then die.”
“I wasn’t born to breathe under water, either,” Joy said and Kaeden couldn’t help but laugh.
He did notice, though, that she was laughing a little now and didn’t seem to be as worried now that they were out there.
“We’re coming up on some nice low flow here people. We’re going to take the line right down the middle of it. Gonna be a bit of a wave train, but I know you’re going to love it!”
Joy looked over at Kaeden from her side of the boat. “Do you understand what the hell he’s saying?”
He grinned back at her, loving this. “He’s saying you’re about to have fun, Joy Wilson.”
And when he saw her dig in and paddle with the rest of them, he knew she was going to put her all into the run. She might not have picked this as her first choice for Colorado activities, but he had a feeling she was competitive with herself and wouldn’t half-ass anything in life.
“Woo!” Jennie yelled when they came out of the rapid succession of whitewater flows.
Her husband Chad shot her a look. “I don’t think you paddled during any of that.”
Jennie only shrugged. “He said they were low flow thingies. We’ve got you on one side of the boat and Logan and Kaeden on the other side. I’m pretty sure you won’t actually need anyone else doing much paddling for most of this.”
Chad barked out a laugh while Kaeden and Logan shook their heads.
Samantha grinned. “I mean, she’s not wrong.”
She really wasn’t. Chad was an Army Ranger, Logan was a Navy SEAL, and Kaeden a Marine. They could probably take this raft down the river without the guide or anyone else on board.
The guide interrupted the debate. “Coming up on Hollywood Hole. It’s a great little play hole. We’re going to do some fun flat spins and then pop on out of that and head into Sunshine Rapid.”
“Still no idea what he’s saying,” Joy groused.
“But you’re having fun, aren’t you?” Kaeden asked.
She smiled. “Yeah, I am. I didn’t think I would, but I am.”
As soon as she said it the water from the river dumped on her, splashing her right in the face as she yelped. But when she stopped sputtering, she was grinning at him again, those big brown eyes dancing.
And then the guide was yelling “lean in!” and they all ducked toward the middle of the boat as it hit a hard spot and bumped high in the water.
And damn if he didn’t have the urge to reach for her and hold her tight.
Chapter 14
Turner stepped out of his rental car, handing the keys to the hotel valet. The town probably wasn’t as packed as it would be in the winter, but it seemed to have a pretty decent summer tourist business. He supposed the location was pretty and there were hotels that offered spas and plenty of hiking and things to keep visitors busy.
Not him. He had one goal and one goal only during this trip. To find the woman who’d taken his wife from him. Who’d made his wife believe she could be anything without him.
He’d booked a room for a week, not knowing where to start looking for his stepdaughter.
