Page 23 of Promise Me Never

I don’t know where my parents went wrong, but they never look at each other like that. It’s as though my grandparents just fell in love yesterday instead of sixty years ago. If I’m ever lucky enough to find someone to love, I hope it is this kind of everlasting love.

“I was thinking about taking one of the horses up to the pond, would that be okay?”

“Sure, pumpkin.” Grandpa’s eyes twinkle with mischief. “Just stay off the rocks and take some bear spray. Sky should be good to ride, or you can take a four-wheeler.”

“I think I’ll take Sky. It looks like it’s going to be a beautiful day.”

* * *

The sun is high, and its heat is beating down on my shoulders by the time I make it up to the pond. I let Sky’s reins drop after leading her to the edge of the water for a drink. From what Colt told me, she’ll be fine to graze without wandering off while I relax.

I pull my book and bear spray I brought up here with me out of the pocket of her saddle. Hopefully the spray isn’t needed, but you never know. I’d hate to come face to face with a grizzly.

There’s a spot along the edge of the pond with a smooth, flat rock to sit on and taller rock behind it. Between the two of them, I find a comfortable position to relax and dissociate from my current reality via the romantic suspense novel I started earlier this week.

I fall into the story deeply, turning page after page only occasionally glancing up to check on Sky. I’m not sure how much time has passed when I turn the final page, happy with the outcome for the two main characters. I set the book aside and look out over the water.

The glassy, smooth surface beckons me to wade in and escape the heat. I take my hiking boots off and walk out to my knees to gauge how cold the water is. It’s cool but not too cold to handle. I didn’t think to wear a bathing suit up here but really, who’s going to see if I just strip down and swim around for a few minutes? This is my family’s land, and no one’s working up in the high pastures today.

I step out of the water and make quick work of stripping down. I consider leaving my underwear and bra on but decide if I’m stripping down, I might as well go all the way. I walk back out into the pond until it’s waist deep and decide to submerge myself into the brilliant blue waters from there. Best way to acclimate to something is to dive right into it.

The water takes my breath away for a moment, but as I keep swimming and the bottom falls away from my feet, I start to get used to it. My hair has come free from the braid as I float on my back, the sun warming the bits of skin above the water. The clash of hot air and cool water lulls me into an almost trance-like state.

That is, until I hear the beat of hooves on the ground. I right myself quickly and keep my body beneath the surface. Not that it does it any good when the water is crystal clear, it’s like hiding behind an open window.

I consider swimming behind one of the boulders when I see the person behind the hoof beats that ruined my afternoon solitude. Why couldn’t I just have one day of avoiding him? Just twenty-four hours of a reprieve from the biggest embarrassment of my life. It’s not too much to ask.

He swings his body off of Marco’s back and strides directly toward the water’s edge. I watch as his eyes land first on the book I finished and then the pile of discarded clothes. His gaze cuts through the water like a laser, landing on my nude body and staying there.

My options here suck. I can swim closer to him so I can touch and then cover myself. Or I stay out of reach but on full display because I need my arms to help tread water. I’m going with the latter because he looks all kinds of pissed off.

“What are you doing?” he finally asks.

“Communing with nature.”

“Asking for trouble, more like.”

“What do you need?” I ask sharply. “I was trying to unwind.”

“Unwind from what?”

I don’t even respond to that, I just take a breath and dive down under the surface, swimming away from him. I can’t have a conversation with him while I’m naked. He’s standing on top of a boulder looking down at me when I surface on the other side of the pond.

“We need to talk.”

“About what?” I feign ignorance.

“What you said to me last night.”

“I’d rather not.”

“Tough shit. We’re gonna talk about this like adults.”

“Not when I’m naked and you’re not.” I disappear back beneath the surface, letting myself sink down in the quiet buffer of the water. Hopefully, he’ll take the hint and go away. When I surface back behind more rocks and don’t hear anything, hope blooms in my chest along with disappointment in my gut. I love fighting with him, the back and forth, but I’d never admit it.

I hear a splash, and before I get out of the little corner I’m in to go investigate, I see him cutting through the water. His strong arms move in smooth strokes until he halts in front of me. His feet touch, because of course they do. Meanwhile I tread water clumsily like I never moved beyond doggy paddling in swim lessons.

“We’re both naked now, so let’s talk.”

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