“Gotta go! Talk to you later.”
“Call me tonight. I want to hear about Gary.”
She disconnected, thinking there wouldn’t be much to tell.
Katie was proud of herself. Or at least she would’ve been proud if she could think about it. But an hour into paddling, the all-consuming thought in her brain was pain. Deep pain that radiated from her shoulder blades down both arms, with an answering ache that covered her entire back. Even the muscles in her legs ached from bracing herself on the inside of the kayak.
When they arrived at the river, she’d surprised both men by stepping into the front of the kayak without a moment’s hesitation. She’d hidden her nerves with a mask of determination, her objective for them to keep pace with Steven in the solo kayak. Within minutes, her fear was forgotten as she concentrated on making equal strokes on each side, knowing Gary would have to compensate for any weakness on her part. Though the river was flanked by beautiful trees on both sides, brightly-colored birds occasionally catching her attention, Katie hadn’t let herself enjoy the scenery. Nothing could deter her from her goal.
As time passed, Gary had encouraged her to take a break from paddling on several occasions, but she’d stubbornly refused. Consequently, her face no longer displayed a smug smile in response to their surprise and open admiration, but a grimace of pain.
Her expression was bound to be grisly, but Gary, seated behind her in the tandem kayak, couldn’t see her face. And she wasn’t about to admit she was hurting. If one of their group was going to request a rest stop, it wasn’t going to be her. Too bad the stronger paddler needed to be in the back—from the rear she could’ve at least had a view of his muscles flexing to take her mind off the pain.
“Hold up, Steven!” Gary called. “We’re stopping at this clearing.”
He deftly maneuvered their kayak to the bank, and she let her paddle rest across her knees, muscles trembling with fatigue. Steven pulled in beside them and stepped out of his kayak into the water to pull the front of his boat ashore.
Gary did the same, then stepped back into the water to offer Katie a hand up. With her muscles screaming, she lifted her hand and he hefted her up. As she stood, using his hand for balance while she drummed up the strength to lift her leg over the side, she suddenly found herself in Gary’s arms, moving up the bank onto the shore. He didn’t stop until he deposited her under a tree where past boaters had obviously gathered logs and large rocks for seating.
Embarrassed that he’d observed her anemic state, she could only mumble, “Thank you.”
He disappeared and returned a few minutes later, thrusting her forgotten water bottle in her hand. “That’s what I thought,” he said. “You haven’t swallowed a single drop for the past hour.”
She gulped the water down her parched throat before making her excuse. “I didn’t have time. I was trying to pull my weight.”
Though her pride was wounded from being carried on shore like an invalid, a part of her appreciated that he was concerned enough to take care of her. Joseph had always expected her to be the nurturing one. Never once had he so much as brought her a box of tissues when she had a cold. It was a refreshing change of pace. Or it would’ve been, if she hadn’t been humiliated.
Gary sat down on the adjacent rock, upending a bottle of water and swallowing until it was empty. He crumpled the plastic in his hand. “Steven and I didn’t expect you to row like a Viking the first time you stepped foot in a kayak. We got a tandem on purpose, so you could relax and enjoy yourself.”
“But I swim three days a week. I wanted to show you how strong I am, and I didn’t want to slow Steven down.”
She heard Steven chuckle as he strolled into the shade, but for a sheen of sweat, looking fresh as a daisy. He sat on a log facing them and stretched his arms across his body, one at a time. “Katie, no doubt you’re more fit than 99% of the people on the river today. But if you and Gary could keep up with me at my top pace for sixty minutes when I’ve been training for an Iron Man, I might as well forget the competition.”
“So you were holding back that whole time?”
“A little,” he admitted. “Our plan was for me to cruise with you two for the first hour and go full out for the rest of the trip.”
“I killed myself for nothing,” she said, trying not to groan. “I didn’t want to be the weak link. I know you both think I’m helpless and afraid to do anything, but I’m not.”
Steven and Gary exchanged a look. “I told you,” said Steven.
“You told him what?”
Gary answered, “He said you would either put your foot down and refuse to do something, or you would agree and wear yourself out, trying to do it perfectly.”
“He doesn’t know you as well as I do.” Steven rifled through his shirt pocket and found two granola bars. He reached across to hand one to Katie, ripping his wrapper open to munch on the other one.
“Thanks,” said Katie, “I should’ve thought to bring something to eat.”
“I’ve got more in the kayak, if you need one,” Steven told Gary.
“No, I’ve got half a dozen in the backpack,” Gary said, his eyes on her fumbling fingers. He lifted the granola bar from her grasp and tore it open, before handing it back. Then he scolded her like a small child. “You pushed yourself so hard, you’re not going to be able to paddle at all, now. It’s a good thing we’re in a tandem.”
She might’ve been peeved at him if she hadn’t been so angry with herself.
“Gary, I have an idea,” Steven said. “Let’s switch kayaks. I’ll paddle the tandem with Katie in it and get a better workout. It’ll slow me down, and you could easily keep up in the solo kayak.”
According to Gary’s scowl, Steven’s suggestion wasn’t going to make up for her failure. She’d ended up looking wimpy, despite her best efforts to the contrary. No wonder he hadn’t kissed her—no doubt, he preferred women who could keep up with his active pursuits. She was kidding herself if she thought she and Gary would ever be a good match. That moment the night before, when she thought they’d connected on a deeper level, was probably just Gary f