Whitewater Rendezvous

The raft scraped up against the gravel bank. “Okay, ladies,” Sally said. “We’ve arrived.”

Chaz gave in to the impulse to hug Megan good-bye while she could, but before she pulled away, she planted a brief kiss on Megan’s cheek. “It’s been nice knowin’ ya, Megan,” she whispered.

It could have been a fl ippant remark, but the shaky timbre to Chaz’s voice revealed the sincere emotion behind the sentiment, and Megan was slightly shocked by it. She really has feelings for me. AndI fi nd this out now? She felt a rush of panic, like this was a critical moment and she should say something else, but what?

“Need some help getting out?” Sally said, stepping onto the shore.

Justine was there too, and the others were pulling up their kayaks.

Megan craned slightly to see Chaz’s face. Her expression was impassive. Their moment of intimacy had passed.

• 175 •

• 176 •

Whitewater Rendezvous

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Chaz radioed for help while Sally and Justine set up a tent for Megan so she’d be more comfortable, especially if the bugs picked up. Right now a pretty stiff breeze from the north was keeping the winged piranha at bay, but it was bringing with it cooler temperatures and an ominous darkening of the low clouds above them. Chaz fi gured the rescue would be at least a couple of hours away, so they planned to have an early dinner here. Once Megan was picked up, they could proceed downriver to their campsite only a bit behind schedule.

Chaz had described Megan’s symptoms to a doctor they’d patched her through to and had given the Alaska State Troopers their GPS

position. Now she was on hold, awaiting an ETA for the rescue team.

The steep mountains surrounding them and the hilly terrain made it a dicey place for a plane to try to land. It would have to be an extraction by helicopter.

“Hello, Chaz, are you there?” the female dispatcher said into her ear.

“Yes, I’m here.”

“We’ve just gotten a weather advisory that’s grounding all planes and helicopters where you are. A nasty front is building north of you and is headed your way.”

What else can go wrong?

“The choppers north of you are already grounded, and the ones to the south are too far away to reach you before things really go bad,” the dispatcher continued. “It will start as rain, but turn to sleet and maybe snow.”

“Any idea when all this will hit?”

“On radar it looks like two or three hours. This may last awhile.

Doesn’t look like we’ll be able to get to you until sometime tomorrow at the earliest.”

• 177 •

KIM BALDWIN

“Understood. Thanks for the advisory. I’ll be in touch.”

“What do you want to do?” Sally asked, drawing her own conclusions from the content of the conversation and the expression on Chaz’s face.

“Well, I’d rather get the group through the next stretch while the weather holds and the light is still good. The river goes into another long, steep canyon, and it will be awful dark in there once the sun gets low. There’s a much better campsite beyond it with room for all the tents, and a cooking area and everything.”

“You want us all to go?” Sally asked dubiously.

“No. We can’t move Megan anymore. The raft is just too rough on her. I think you and the others should go on ahead. You lead, Pat takes the rear again. The river isn’t too bad between here and the campsite—it’s the next clear patch of tundra, you can’t miss it. Two hours, tops.”

“Okay. And you?” Sally asked.

“I’ll stay with Megan until the chopper gets here. Then I’ll catch up with you.” She glanced over at the tent. The rest of the women had made Megan comfortable inside, in her sleeping bag, and were gathered around talking to her. “Shall we make sure this plan is okay with everybody?”

“You got it,” Sally said.

Once Chaz had explained the plan and everyone had agreed, there was a frenzy of activity as the women, minus Chaz and Megan, prepared to get underway again to beat the weather.

The rest of the Broads in Broadcasting all took turns poking their heads in the tent to say good-bye. Last one up was Justine.

She gave Megan a conciliatory frown. “Sorry you gotta go home, Meg.” She glanced around and her eyes fell on Chaz’s gear—sleeping bag, personal items, the case that held her concertina. “But this might not be all bad. Am I wrong, or did it seem like you two seemed a lot chummier in the raft?”

Megan smiled. “Well, I got her to admit she is interested in me.

And we’re here overnight, so I may work on her again.”

“Work on her? I know what that means. You’re joking, right?”

Justine stared at her incredulously. “Look at you! You can’t seduce her!

You’re hurt! You’re being airlifted out of here!”

“Well, I may have somewhat limited mobility, but I’ll manage, wait and see.”

• 178 •

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