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“Both of them can swim.”
“I know, but what if they don’t want to cross the river?”
Justin’s voice was soothing. “Honey, they’ll be fine. I’ll swim back across to get them if need be, okay?”
Carly helped Justin prepare the wagon, passing one tarp beneath to tie up around the sides and then using the second to tie over the top to keep the things inside from floating away if the wagon did sink.
Carly didn’t have a swimsuit, but she knew how heavy clothing could get when it was wet and didn’t want to be weighed down. Justin looked away as she stripped down to her sports bra and boy shorts underpants. Carly didn’t know why. She was more covered in that than when she wore the bikini she used to have.
Justin stripped off his jeans and shirt before he put their clothes into one of the plastic tubs. Carly sneaked a peek. She had never realized how cut he was. Not vanity muscles built up in a gym but lean, wiry muscles from hard work. She reminded herself to ask him the meaning of the symbol tattooed on his chest over his heart, which looked like a series of letters, twined together. Three jagged lines of lightning wound around his upper arm. It looked like the lightning bolt from his Unit tattoo, but she couldn’t be sure without staring.
Justin paused at the bank. “Wait here for me. I’m going to swim to the other side and tie off a rope and then come back.”
“Justin, this really scares me.” Carly couldn’t call for help if he was swept away or sucked under by the current.
“I’ll be fine.” Justin came over to stand in front of her. “Trust me, Carly.”
“I do... It’s just...”
“I know, but I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t think it was safe. If I thought there was any danger, we’d make that four-day trek to the other bridge.”
Carly nodded, but her brow was crinkled with worry. Justin gazed down at her for a moment and then planted a swift kiss on her forehead. Carly felt her heart hammer in response, and she wondered how he would react if she hugged him, but she lost her courage. “I’ll be right back.”
Justin waded out into the river until it was up to his chest and then began to swim. He went with the current, swimming at an angle toward the shore. She held her breath until he emerged on the other side. His boxers hung low on his hips and were glued to his flesh. Is it wrong to admire his ass right now? Right or wrong, she enjoyed a nice, long stare.
Justin tied the rope to the tree with a complicated knot and then headed back into the water. He swam back quickly and surged up out of the water onto the bank. “See? Nothing to it.”
“I see all right,” Carly said, her tone full of awe. She gaped at him.
“What?”
“Um...”
“Jesus, Carly, what is it?” He spun around to make sure there wasn’t something behind him that would justify her reaction and the look of impressed astonishment on her face.
“You... Maybe the current was a little faster than you thought.”
He followed the direction of her gaze and discovered he had lost his boxers. He snickered. She giggled. They both burst into laughter, and Justin flushed a little. Still shaking his head at the absurdity, Justin untied a flap of the wagon and fished out another pair of shorts. This time it was in a boxer-briefs style, which would hopefully stay on.
Carly was glad for the laughter. It made her a little more relaxed when she approached the water. Justin tied the rope around her waist.
“That’s for the wagon,” she said. Though it would make her feel a little safer, she couldn’t help but be a bit embarrassed by the tether. She felt like a kindergartener’s mittens, attached to a string so they couldn’t get lost.
Justin shook his head. “It’s more important you feel safe. You can’t get washed away or dragged under because I’ll pull you right out.”
Carly nodded. The mud squished between her toes and made her grimace. She waded into the water up to her thighs, and Justin stayed right beside her. Sam gave a small whine and looked at Carly as if to say, “Are you serious?”
“Come on, Sam,” Carly coaxed, and they all plunged into the water at the same time.
The current was gentle, the water icy cold. They swam at an angle as Justin had before. They landed a bit downstream from where Justin had the first time he crossed, but Carly encountered no problems. She let out a sigh of relief when her feet felt the mud of the shoreline. She walked up to the grass and sat down. Her legs were wobbly.
“I’m going back to get the wagon and Shadowfax.” Justin crouched down beside Carly. “You okay?”
“Yeah, just cold,” she said, to explain her shivers. Stupid adrenaline. It always made her want to cry when the situation was over.
She watched Justin as he took hold of Shadowfax’s halter and coaxed her toward the water. Carly wondered if Shadowfax had ever swum before. The mare hesitated just for a brief moment before plunging in. Her tail streamed behind her as she swiftly swam across the river and headed for Carly. She churned up out of the water and trotted across the bank to bump Carly with her nose. Carly stroked her jaw. “Good horse. I’m glad you weren’t scared.”
Justin swam back to the other side and tied another of those elaborate knots to the axle of the wagon. He plunged back into the river as though it were the city pool and swam to the other side—the fifth time he had crossed. Once on shore, he began to haul at the rope, pulling hard and fast. The wagon plunged into the water, and Carly held her breath. The front surged back up, and Justin pulled even faster, essentially skimming the wagon across the river’s surface. They both sighed with relief when he pulled it up onto the shore.
