Page 80 of Extreme Romancing in Idaho

Life vests were then retrieved from the trailer, and Remi handed a bright pink one with black accents to me. Despite my best efforts, I wiped at the tears that slid along my cheek, attempting to hide it by slipping my arms into the vest. But of course, Remi noticed, in tune with me as ever.

He moved to me and helped me zip it closed, giving me a reassuring squeeze on my shoulder. Myles assisted Papa into his, first taking off his ratty flannel, carefully laying it on the back of the chair, then making sure his straps were tightened. They chit chatted around me while I struggled to get ahold of my emotions.

I hadn’t seen Papa this happy since his cancer had come out of remission. Nothing made him look forward to another day as time marched forward. How many times this week had I begged the clock to stop to allow me more time with my Papa? But it never listened. Dawn would come, followed by night, taking another precious day with it.

Myles pushed the raft into the water and called to us. Nerves overtook my melancholic thoughts. I didn’t like water, especially water in Snake River with its hidden eddies and dangerous currents.

Hiding my fear, I let my feet carry me to the water’s edge. I looked back at Papa. “Are you sure about this?”

His face brightened with his smile. “I haven’t been this excited in years. This has always been on my bucket list.”

“Then why haven’t we gone sooner? I thought you were afraid of doing anything remotely dangerous.” I looked from him to Mama, who stood on the water’s edge, clutching her vest in a white-knuckled grip.

“The farm kept me busy, and your mother isn’t a fan of water …” He cupped one hand around the side of his mouth and leaned toward me. “Or anything not safe,” he finished in a loud whisper.

Mama whapped Papa gently on his shoulder. “Hey, nothing wrong with a good dose of fear. Keeps me from doing dumb things like this.” She gestured to the swirling current.

“It’ll be okay. We’re in good hands.” Papa rubbed Mama’s arm that still rested on his shoulder.

Remi helped Papa stand and slowly walk toward the small raft. Handing us both a paddle, Myles instructed me and my mother to straddle the raft. Flinching, I looped a leg over the blue rubber and dipped my sandaled foot into the opaque water. For Papa, I would float the river and keep my terror under control.

I looked at Mama. She sat across from me, her lips in a tight line, and she hugged the paddle to her chest.

Myles helped Remi situate Papa in the center, causing the raft to bob up and down.

“I’ll meet you at the end of the run,” Myles said.

“Thanks,” Remi called to him as Myles jogged to the truck.

After showing Mama and me how to paddle in sync and teaching us how to sit properly, Remi moved to the back and pushed us into the current.

Frigid water rushed over my submerged sandal as we glided over its swirling depths.

“You okay, Mama?” I asked. My own heart thudded in my throat.

She let out her breath and nodded, a smile wavering on her lips.

“I’m going to need you to paddle through this first set of rapids. Remember if you fall off, keep your legs straight, relax, and go with the flow of the river. Don’t fight it.”

“Rapids?” I asked in a high-pitched screech.

We rounded a bend, and the now-visible white caps almost made me drop my paddle.

“Oh, hell no.” I paddled backward, causing the boat to spin.

“Forward paddle. We don’t want to hit these sideways.” An urgency hung in Remi’s words that terrified me.

“Angie …” Mama’s scared voice carried to me over the sound of the river.

“It’s okay.” Papa touched my shoulder. “You’re tougher than this river.”

When I glanced at him, it was as if his illness had left him. New life had been breathed into him. His face split into a wide grin; he was ready to take on what lay ahead … even if I wasn’t.

Trembling and holding my breath, I put my full force into the paddle, bringing the nose around. We hit the first rapid. The raft lifted and fell, jarring my leg inside the boat free. I lost grip on the paddle and fell into the churning water. I sucked in a deep breath.

Cold and darkness engulfed me.

For the millionth time since Remi had come into my life, a single thought stabbed through my brain:I’m going to die.

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