Page 13 of Mine For The Winter

“Otters swim in rivers,” Kelly pointed out.

“Not this one.”

Kris steered the boat closer, but the otter noticed them coming, diving beneath the surface and swimming away.

“Chase him,” Lyle urged.

“I can’t. North will kill me.” If he sped the boat up now his brother would never let him drive it again.

“Spoilsport,” Lyle muttered. He’d shaved his hair off that summer. They both had. Kelly had told him he looked like a thug. He was probably going to grow it back out again, because he preferred it long.

And he kind of missed the way Kelly tugged it to annoy him.

Like she knew he was thinking about her, Kelly turned to look at him. The hot summer sun caught her hair, making it look golden and sparkly. His throat felt tight, which was weird because this was Kelly, his best friend along with Lyle.

It was always the three of them. Had been since that day he’d tripped her in the school cafeteria. North called them the three musketeers, always doing things they shouldn’t be. And yeah, he liked that a lot.

So why did he keep looking at Kelly’s hair?

“North is waving at you,” Kelly said, her eyes catching his.

“He is?”

“Yep. You better see what he wants.”

Kris turned around to see his brother standing on the deck, gesturing at him.

“What?” Kris shouted, but North couldn’t hear him over the engine. Sighing, he carefully turned the boat around and headed back to the pier. Lyle reached over the side of the boat and scooped up some water and threw it at Kelly.

She screamed and slapped his arm. Lyle grinned hard.

“I gotta go,” North told him. “Remember our agreement?”

“Yep.”

“Good. Come see me at the Inn when you’re done. So I know you’re alive.”

“Sure.”

North looked at Kelly. “Keep an eye on them for me.”

“Why don’t you ask me to do that?” Lyle said. “I’ll keep an eye on them.”

“Because you’re an idiot like my brother.” North lifted a hand in goodbye. “Have fun, kids.”

As soon as he turned around, Lyle pulled Kelly into a headlock. “Just so you know, you’re an idiot, too.”

“Shut up,” Kelly said, but she was grinning.

Kris pulled the boat away from the pier, feeling the air rush against his face, determined to ignore the twist in his stomach that still wouldn’t leave.

He was lucky. He got to spend the summer with his two best friends, playing in a boat on a lake.

He wasn’t going to let anything spoil that.

5

Kelly was in the middle of a dream about the Tavern running out of beer when the sound of Cole’s voice cut through. For a moment her brain tried to bring him into her reverie, but it gave up the fight, forcing her eyes open.

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