Page 33 of Healing Love

Keeping her feet on the four-foot ledge, she watched as the canoe was lowered toward her. As soon as she could she grasped the end and guided it to the ledge next to her. Then Cam dropped the rope into her waiting arms.

She watched nervously as he climbed down unassisted over the craggy surface of the slippery rocks. For once, she wished his body was small and lean, thinking how much easier it would be for him to maneuver the slippery surface. She could see his back and arm muscles bunch and smooth as he made his way closer.

When his feet touched the ledge, she let out the breath she did not realize she had been holding. He flashed her a grin, chucking her under the chin.

“Worried,cariña?”

“Yes,” she replied honestly. “Absolutely terrified!”

“Now it’s your turn to tell me something,” he said. “I told you my last name, now you have to tell me something about yourself.”

“What do you want to know?” she asked as he threw the rope around her waist and tied it again.

“Um, how old are you?”

“Twenty-seven,” she replied as he tightened the knot. “How old are you?”

Just as he swung her out once more, he called, “Twenty-eight.” He kissed her forehead again before she began to crawl down.

Watching her descend, he could tell she was morecomfortable with allowing him to lower her while she guided her body along the wall of rocks. Soon, he was sending the canoe down to her again.

On the next ledge, she chanced a glance down to see that they still had a long way to go and the sun was beginning to set behind them.

“Are we going to be allr?—”

“Next question,” he interrupted, “And it has to be about me. Not this little vacation we’re on.”

At that, she snorted, knowing he was trying to take her mind off their precarious situation. She watched as he lowered the canoe before joining her once more.

“Um…Tell me about your family.” She saw a shadow cross his face and she immediately retracted. “No, you don’t have to.”

“No,cariña, it’s fine. I’ve got a great family. Seems like I’m always causing them to worry though.” He saw her cock her head to the side while he tied the rope around her.

“Got a great mom and dad. Dad was born in Mexico, near El Paso where he met mom. They had me, two sisters and a younger brother. One of my sisters is married with a couple of boys.” Chuckling at the memory, he added, “They call me Superman.” After a brief pause, he looked at her. “Your family?”

“My mom and dad are wonderful. I’ve got an older brother—well, you know Jobe of course. He and Jack were in the Special Forces together. My oldest sister is Hannah. Married, with two kids. Next is Rebecca and she’s a teacher.” Giving a little shrug, she added, “And then there’s just me, the baby.”

He halted as he stared at her looking intently at him. The sun had moved down in the sky so that it was illuminating the back of her head, like a halo.Jesus, she’s gorgeous.He leaned down to kiss her forehead again, but this time her face stayed turned up toward his and before he knew what he was doing, his lips touched hers. A barely-there kiss.

Her eyes widened, but before he could get out his apology, she smiled. And he was sucker-punched again.

“So, what’s your favorite food?” she asked.

“Anything my mama makes,” came his quick reply. “But when she makes her Mexican Wedding Cookies at the holidays…I think I’ve died and gone to heaven!”

Knowing they needed to hurry and get off the side of the cliff, he grinned as he swung her out once more. Going more quickly this time, she descended and then secured the canoe as it came down after her.

“What about you?” he called down. “What’s your favorite?”

“Mama makes chicken kabobs that are amazing. I actually just love to eat and will scarf down just about anything.”

As he started down, he commented, “You’re a tiny thing. You must not eat a lot.”

“Oh, I’d surprise you,” she replied. “I eat a lot, but drink diet soda. Well, as long as it has lemon in it.”

“Lemon?”

“Yeah. I know. My family makes fun of me. But soda is just empty calories, so I feel better if I drink diet soda. But the taste is kind of yucky. So, if I put lemon in it, then it tastes better.”

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