Jane Millionaire

een what the man was going to do. Instead, she was just grateful he’d shut up.

Until the canoe tilted at an awkward angle.

“What are you doing?” she exclaimed when he stretched over the edge of the precariously perched canoe. The oar remained out of his reach. “Sit down. Now.”

“Just a little more and I’ll have it.” He extended further and managed to get a hold on the oar. Looking quite proud of himself, he stood, waving the oar through the air. “See, I told you I’d get it.”

“Please sit down.” She covered her mouth with her hand.

His face wrinkled in amusement. “Scared we’ll flip?”

“Yes.”

“Sit down.” Rob and one of the crew called simultaneously from the neighboring boat.

The bachelor shifted his weight and the urge to knock him into the water with her paddle threatened to take hold. He lifted his oar triumphantly over his head, bobbing the canoe back and forth. This crazy man was going to make her toss her cookies on National television. Jill took aim. This was one bachelor she was going to eliminate herself.

Too late. His eyes widened as he lost his balance and the canoe tipped, tossing him from the canoe.

Just great, Jill thought as she was dumped into the water. All Gregory’s hard work primping her hair and she’d come up looking like a drowned rat.

But at least she’d be out of the rocking boat.

Although she knew the temperature wasn’t that bad, the water felt like icy fingers grasping at her as it soaked through her clothes and pulled her into it’s murky depths. She kicked her feet to resurface but the edge of the canoe spun, righting itself, and caught her on the head. Hard.

A searing stab shot through her, momentarily blinding her. She gasped in pain. Water filled her lungs, gurgling in her throat. She sputtered trying to rid herself of the liquid as she ached for air.

Blinking her eyes, she forced them to stay open and tried to keep from panicking.

Stay calm. You’re a strong swimmer. Just swim to the surface. That’s all you’ve got to do.

But the light letting her know where the surface lay faded into darkness as her face grew cold.

No. She wouldn’t black out. Not from a little bump to the head. She struggled to keep conscious, to find her way to where the water met life-giving air, but the darkness took over.

Images of Rob making love to her, whispering her name, Jill, not Jane, beckoned her to close her eyes and dream sweet dreams.

# # #

Where was she? Rob searched the glossy water for some sign that Jill had surfaced. Nothing but Bachelor #4 waving in their direction.

He’d wanted to pound the man’s face in when he’d realized the idiot was going to topple them over. Still might once they’d reached shore.

He made one more visual sweep of the area where Jill had gone into the water. Nothing.

Her mike only registered static. An eerie sound that taunted Rob.

“I’m going in.” He tossed his headgear to the two cameramen as he dove into the water.

The water stung at his eyes as he sluiced his way toward where Jill had disappeared. Where the hell was she?

His lungs began to cry out for a breath. He’d have to surface soon.

That’s when he caught sight of her hair floating loosely about her. Red tinged the water like a luminous cloud above her still form.

Dear God. No.

Ignoring the pain in his chest, which had to be from a lack of oxygen, he cut through the water and grasped her lifeless body.