Page 55 of Fast Kill

“Good. You let me know if that ever changes, hmm?”

“I will. But you don’t have to worry. If he ever hurt her, Charlie would be the first one to kick his ass.”

Senior barked out a laugh. “Isn’t that the truth. Means I raised her right, I guess.”

Logan watched the interaction with amazement. Taylor was more relaxed than Logan had ever seen her, and with a man she’d just met.

The twinge of jealousy caught him off guard, but it was there nonetheless. He wanted Taylor to be that at ease withhim. He turned around and headed for the garage to grab the equipment, listening to the rest of their conversation going on behind him.

“And what about Logan there? He treating you right?”

“Oh. He is, but we’re just friends.”

More than friends. But not as much as he wanted them to be.

Taylor looked over at him as he carried the tandem sea kayak out of the garage. Her eyes widened. “Wait. We’re going kayaking?”

“Yeah. This thing’s built for two. You’ll love it, trust me. And this way you won’t have to work as hard because I’ll do most of the paddling. Plus it’s wider than a regular kayak, so you don’t have to worry about us tipping over.”

She relaxed visibly at that. “Okay. Good. And heck yeah, you’ll be doing most of the paddling.”

“Ready to go?”

“I guess.” She didn’t sound too sure.

They both said their goodbyes to Senior, who stood there at the top of the drive, waving as they climbed into the truck and drove away.

“He’s exactly as I pictured him,” Taylor said, a thoughtful smile on her face. “Charlie’s told me so much about her family, about all the ways her brothers and dad used to drive her nuts. But she doesn’t realize how lucky she is to have them.”

Logan heard the wistfulness in her voice and reached across the console for her hand. Lacing their fingers together, he squeezed. “Probably not.”

Fifteen minutes later he found the spot Charlie had recommended, a quiet curve in the Shenandoah River, and parked. “This is our stop.” He figured they’d spend a couple hours tops paddling on the river, then drop the kayak back at the Colebrook’s and head into town for lunch before he drove her back to the city.

Taylor put her life jacket on and stood watching uncertainly as he readied the two-man kayak.

Holding the bow steady, he looked up at her, hiding a grin. “You ready to do this?”

“Yeah, I guess so.” She came toward him, her expression dubious.

Logan made sure she was settled in front before handing her a paddle and climbing in behind her. “This is gonna be fun andrelaxing, I promise.”

She didn’t answer, just stared straight ahead as he pushed them away from shore. The current pulled them toward the middle of the river. He guided her through the paddling technique.

She caught on fast, and within minutes he could tell she was enjoying herself. They talked a little, but mostly she was quiet, taking in the sights and sounds. There wasn’t a soul around, the only sound the dip and splash of their paddles and the sounds of the birds singing along the banks.

“It’s so peaceful out here,” she said a few minutes later, tipping her head back and taking a deep breath.

Logan could practically feel her unwinding, letting all the stress that had been smothering her melt away, even if it was just temporary.

“It really is.” He sped up his paddling, taking them around a bend in the river. “Hey, I think I see some rapids up ahead. Wanna give ‘em a whirl?”

“What? No!”

He chuckled, enjoying the hell out of teasing her. She turned at the waist to nail him with a mock glare and flicked the tip of her paddle at him, splashing him with cold water.

Grinning, he wiped a hand over his face and beard. “Sure you wanna go there? Because two can play at that game, and I’m a lot bigger than you.”

“Don’t you dare,” she warned, but she was smiling as she turned back around again.

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