Page 59 of Surly Sheriff
It took them just under an hour to reach their first stop.
Rae looked at him. “JP’s Marina and RV Park?”
The puzzlement on her face brought a grin to his lips. “We’ll be traveling downriver on the Missouri for a while.”
“Downriver?” She gulped, paling slightly. “Like … on a boat?”
“An RIB. It’s a—”
“Rigid inflatable boat,” she said, using that expressionless tone of hers.
Fuck. Was she afraid of water? Maybe she suffered from motion sickness? Could she evenswim?
He’d never thought to ask. Excitement leaching right outta his day, Beau turned as much as he could within the confined space. “Guess I messed up. I’m sorry, Rae. You okay being on water? Should’ve asked before planning this. But I know what—”
She held her hand up. “Stop.” Her swallow was audible. “Where are we going?”
“A friend’s cabin about two to three hours downriver, depending on our speed. But, Rae, you’ll be safe with me. We’ve lifejackets—”
She cut him off. Again. “It’s fine.”
Fine? Fuck.
14
Confronting demons
She was out of the truck before he could formulate a reply. Beau exited at a slower pace, and rolled back the back cover, revealing all the items he had hidden from her view earlier.
“Oh, good,” she said. “You got Kismet a life jacket.” Pulling herself up onto the back tire, she grabbed hold of the yellow reflective vest, jumped down, and flung open the rear truck door. “Look, boy! This is for you. A special vest. Aren’t you a lucky dog?”
“Arf, arf,” the hound replied, bouncing on the seat.
Her forced ebullience tore into Beau, and he moved to join her. Removing the life jacket from her hand, he nudged Rae to face him. “Talk to me.”
She cupped his jaw and flashed him a bright smile. “I’m good, Beau. Truly. You took me by surprise. I never suspected a jaunt on the river.”
He placed his own hand over hers and turned, kissing her palm. Her answer did not totally satisfy him, but now was notthe time to dig deeper. Not with the owner of the inflatable walking up to them.
Rae followed his line of sight and pulled her hand away. “Go,” she murmured. “I’ll ready Kismet.”
Beau gave her a quick scan. Her color had returned, her eyes clear and calm. And he caught a glimpse of excitement. With a nod, he stepped away and moved to meet the owner of the park, an erstwhile resident of Clearbrook.
JP had served in the Marines with his father and Sheriff Holden, and their camaraderie and war stories had inspired Beau to enlist.
“Thanks for this, JP.”
“She’s all gassed up, son. Ready to go.” A huge grin spread across the man’s weathered features as his gaze drifted over Beau’s shoulder. “Heard you got yourself a woman.Andstaked your claim real fast,” he added with a raspy laugh.
Beau grinned. “Yes, sir. Raegan’s her name. Rae with an a-e, not e-a.”
JP roared with laughter. “Nothing like a good, strong woman to warm a man’s heart. And bed,” he added with a smirk. “Speaking of good woman … Mine packed you a lunch for today. Beth wanted to be here but had to rush out earlier to help some church friend in need. She said to make sure you introduce your Raegan tomorrow before rushing back to Clearbrook. Now” — JP placed a hand on Beau’s shoulder, propelling him forward — “let me help you loadStorm Surgewith your gear.”
Soon JP and Rae were chatting like they’d known each other for years, and Beau let the last bit of worry fade away.
And it became clear that Rae was no novice around boats. Hopping on and off with ease, she balanced as if born on water while helping him stow their bags and provisions. They both used the bathroom and made sure Kismet did the same before climbing aboard.
Rae accepted the life jacket he handed her, quickly donning it over her long-sleeved T-shirt.
