Whitewater Rendezvous

complain. Seeing the caribou was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and she didn’t want to miss a minute of it. There would be plenty of time for kissing later.

Yup. Seducing her is going to be a walk in the park. She mighteven beat me to the punch.

O

Chaz gazed out over the herd, trying to still the butterfl ies in her stomach. Dear God, she had almost kissed Megan. What the hell had she been thinking? She was just so caught up in the moment and the look of sheer bliss in Megan’s eyes. Something was happening between them, that was for sure. She had never felt so out of control in her life.

The tent was going to be torture tonight.

Unless…the clients wanted to stay here until very late. After that long, tough trudge through the tussocks and back again, everyone would be absolutely exhausted. Even Megan.

She could only hope.

They watched the caribou for two hours, the gangly calves, thousands of them born within days of each other, trotting along beside their mothers, who were fi nally shedding their bleached winter fur.

The bulls already had their dark coats and velvet-covered antlers, the enormous racks swaying slightly as they grazed. In front of the herd, the land was alive with summer greenery and wildfl owers, but behind it was only a vast brown plain, like it had been freshly tilled. The caribou stripped the tundra of every blossom, lichen, cotton grass shoot, and other hint of vegetation.

By the time the women trekked back to their campsite, it was truly the hour of the midnight sun, when the landscape fairly glowed—the diffuse light making colors unbelievably vivid.

They walked in silence, except for the occasional alert to something moving on the tundra and worthy of particular notice. As they arrived back at the tents, a snowy owl with a fi ve-foot wingspan soared over them and then downriver. It was as dark as it would get, with shadows from the surrounding hills shading the tents in a suggestion of dusk.

“Good night, everyone,” Sally said, “We can all sleep in tomorrow.”

“Great news,” Yancey said, stifl ing a yawn. “I’m beat.”

• 145 •

KIM BALDWIN

There was a chorus of “good nights” all around, followed by the sounds of tent zippers and low voices.

Megan felt like she had voltage in her veins. The current of restless anticipation had been building all day, until every nerve ending in her body sang, until all she could think about was kissing Chaz and touching that magnifi cent body. She had put up their tent alone while Chaz cooked, and she had deliberately picked a spot as far from the others as possible to afford them at least a little privacy.

Turning as she stooped to unzip the tent, Megan was disappointed that Chaz was not behind her—she had apparently diverted off somewhere, probably to make a pit stop.

No excuses tonight, she thought. She’d begun to suspect that Chaz’s habit of staying up late might have something to do with the growing attraction between them. But there was no campfi re to keep Chaz outside, and it was already very late. She had to come in soon.

Sally’s words came back to her. I think it’s hard for her to make thefi rst move when she’s interested in someone. And …She’s not attractedto Elise. She’s more interested in someone else. Sally couldn’t have drawn her a clearer map, and her goal was within reach.

O

Chaz surveyed the area around where they cooked one more time to make sure they had taken care of all traces of food and garbage before they turned in. She had checked it thoroughly before they’d gone to see the herd, but she needed some reason not to retire right away, and it was the best one she could think of off the top of her head. Can’t stallmuch longer.

Though it was nearly midnight, she was not in the least bit tired.

Quite the opposite. Megan had walked directly in front of her as they followed their path back to the campsite single fi le. She hadn’t planned it that way—Megan had taken a couple of quick steps as they all set off, to position herself there.

So she had a full hour to watch Megan’s way-too-cute ass sway back and forth as she strode along. After the fi rst ten minutes or so, Chaz was convinced she was deliberately exaggerating the movement of her hips to maximize the impact. She knows damn well what she’sdoing to me. Talk about hitting below the belt.

• 146 •

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